“Life in Frames”
The first time Brian discovered a framed photograph of Gus on his desk at work, he was confused and a bit irritated. His supposition was that Lindsey had placed it there; not believing anyone else would do such a thing.
Brian asked Cynthia if she knew who had placed the picture on his desk, but she claimed ignorance. The innocent smile on her face told him different. Brian realized he couldn’t expect any help in this department from his normally loyal assistant. He’d have to figure it out on his own.
Brian made a little comment about the discovery at the next family dinner. Lindsay acted totally confused while Justin choked on his drink. Unnerved by Lindsay’s response, Brian paid no mind to Justin’s antics. The conversation around the table turned toward another subject and Brian momentarily forgot about the item on his desk.
A few weeks later, a different photo appeared in the frame. The black wooden rectangle featured a picture that captured the image of him holding Gus. This time, Brian knew for sure that this photo couldn’t have come from Lindsay. Only one person could have taken the picture. Great, just great! Brian thought, realizing his little stalker had found a way to get into his office. He kept the framed photo though, telling himself it was only because it was a good shot of he and Gus.
Over the next weeks, the pictures changed constantly. Sometimes, the pictures featured his son, the gang and one time, the little twat, was bold enough to put a picture of both of them into the frame.
After the bashing, the new photos stopped changing for quite some time, leaving Brian to see the photo taken of them both at the GLC art show. The day a new one appeared, Brian couldn’t stop the warm feeling that spread inside him. Justin had ventured out of the loft by himself to bring the photo to his work. It was a sure sign that Justin was truly on his way to recovery.
In the weeks that followed, there were more pictures featuring Brian and Justin together, than the pictures placed in his office throughout the previous year.
When Justin left him for Ian, the pictures stopped coming again. Brian was partially glad that the current one in the frame was a photo of Gus. Otherwise, it probably would have been too painful to look at, or change, even if he would never admit it.
After the whole fiddler fiasco, there weren’t any breaks between pictures. Even when Justin went to Los Angeles, the photos constantly changed. Brian suspected that Justin sent them to Cynthia and she was the one to exchange them. Hoping it wasn’t Ted that was in on the special, unspoken incident.
Their break up before the bombing was so short, that Brian almost didn’t realize that the same photo stayed in the frame for over a month. Almost.
When Justin went to New York and the pictures changed nearly each week, Brian knew it wasn’t over. There would be a ‘later’. Shortly after Justin left, he hired a construction company to create the perfect studio for Justin in their palace. The day that a picture of Britin appeared in the frame, Brian called a cleaning company to spruce up the large home.
The day the frame adorned a photo of their rings, Brian couldn’t stop smiling. He arranged for a shipment of golden gardenias.
Three weeks later, Brian opened the frame for the first time. He took out the old picture and gently put a new one into it. Brian situated it on his desk, sat down in his chair and looked contently at the image.
A few hours later, his husband visited him on his lunch break. Brian pulled him down on his lap.
Justin’s gaze fell onto the wedding picture. “Hey, did you change the photo?”
The hazel-eyed man nodded. “Yeah.”
“But why?” After all, wasn’t this his job? Justin asked, thinking that it had been his job to change the photos.
Brian gave his Sunshine a quick kiss on the lips. “Because it was time.”
And this time, Justin couldn’t stop himself from smiling
The End