Chapter 6

BRIAN:

After Daphne runs off, I stand there for at least two minutes, trying to wrap my mind around what she said to me. As if I hadn't been berating myself enough this morning, her conviction that Justin DID set the alarm has me shaking. I blamed an innocent kid for something that was clearly not his fault. I not only blamed him, but I was downright nasty to him.

Which brings me to wonder just who DID rob my loft. How did they get in? How did the alarm not activate? Had one of my tricks seen me punch in the code? No matter how drunk I've been, I've always sent the tricks ahead to the bedroom before shutting the alarm off for just that reason. My mind is whirling...

Wait! What was it she said about Mikey? He sent Justin away? Threatened to call the cops? What gave that...

I race to the Big Q. Mikey should be getting off work now, and I'm going to get some answers, one way or another. He has some explaining to do. I've thought about nothing else on my drive over here.

As he saunters out, I screech to a halt beside him. Opening the car door, he greets me with a delighted smile.

"Hey, Brian, thanks for picking me up! You're off a little early today."

"Get in," I demand tersely. He doesn't seem to notice the tone of my voice, however, as he eagerly scampers into the passenger seat. Before he has a chance to buckle his seat belt, the tires screech as I gun the motor and head toward the parking lot exit.

"Why are you... hey, slow down! You almost hit that car pulling out onto the highway!"

"I don't fucking care!" I growl, my hands gripping the steering wheel so hard they've turned white. "Besides, they would have hit your side of the jeep."

"That's a mean thing to say. What's eating you, anyway? If you would get out more at night and hit the backroom, you wouldn't be such a grouch. You need to get laid, Brian," he tells me as my blood boils. "But it seems ever since Boy Wonder..."

I glare at him as I bark out, "Say it, and I might just throw you out on your ass while I'm driving. I'm getting sick and tired of the way you sneer about him all the time. What's your problem, anyway? He's a sweet kid. One who definitely didn't deserve to be treated like he was by me."

"What are you talking about? That dumbass forgot to set your alarm! He deserved whatever... hey! What are you doing?"

"I told you I'd throw you out on your ass if you continued, should I carry out my threat? Because you know I always do what I say! And don't give me that fucking 'holier-than-thou look! I've HAD it with your running off at the mouth! I want to hear you say his name."

Michael gives me a perplexed look; he's always been dense. "What's wrong with you?"

I'm so angry by now, that my knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel. "Say it! Justin. Jus-tin. J.u.s.t.i.n. Say it. Now!"

"Jesus Christ! You're losing it!"

"You have five seconds before this door opens and you hit the pavement. I want to hear you say his name."

Michael's mouth drops open. "We're doing over fifty miles an hour, Brian!" When I turn to silently glare at him, he finally relents with an annoyed sigh. "Fine! Justin."

I shake my head. "Uh-uh. Try it again. And this time, no sneering or scorn involved."

"I think we need to have you admitted... Okay, okay! FINE! Justin. Happy now? Close the damn door."

"Was that so hard, Mikey? Why is it so hard for you to say his name?" I'm really curious to know.

"Nothing. Jeez! Now can we talk about something else?"

"Okay. Tell me why you told Justin to leave Babylon, or you would call the cops?"

"Is that what he told you? Don't you see? He's just trying to stir up trouble between us. He's always been jealous of our friendship, Brian."

"That's funny," I tell him. "Because it wasn't Justin who told me. And from what I've heard, he's not even in Pittsburgh anymore. He hasn't been for a while now. So, no. It wasn't Justin who told me. But you spouting bullshit like that in Babylon, don't you think it's going to get back to me? Aren't you aware of how many gossiping fags there are in that place?" There's no way in hell I'm telling him it was Daphne who spilled that little tidbit.

I glance over at Mikey as the silence reigns. "You're awfully quiet for someone who was spouting bullshit a few minutes ago. Is that sweat on your forehead, Michael? Are you nervous about something?"

"What? You said he's gone?"

"Is that all you got out of that?" I'm seriously losing my patience and my threat to throw him out of the car is looking better all the time.

He folds his arms across his chest as he spits out, "Fine! The little user... I mean Justin, came into Babylon looking for you about a week after you kicked him out. You were the one who told him to stay out of your life. I was just reiterating it to the kid. I thought I'd put a stop to the stalking before he started up with it again. I was doing you a favor. Besides, the little shit called me Mikey! Nobody calls me Mikey but you. I should have decked the kid!"

"A favor? Is that what you call it? Or was it a favor for yourself? You never liked him; why? What did he ever do to you? And just so you know, Justin told me about that little conversation you had with him outside the diner the night after I met him. 'Brian doesn't do boyfriends. Brian is a selfish prick, and he should just forget about me.' Anything else I need to know? Or did you take offense to his telling you, ‘You don't know the things we did, and you're just waiting for him to finish jerking you off.' Is that it, Mikey? I took a seventeen-year-old kid to my bed numerous times, but I never finished a hand job with you. Were you that jealous of him?"

The words start tumbling out of Michael's mouth before he can prevent them. Finally, some truth. "YES! I mean, WHY? Why him? He was an inexperienced twink. He couldn't possibly have satisfied you!"

"And you could? Is that what you're saying? Forget it!" I tell him as I briefly raise my hands off the steering wheel to gesture at him. "Don't answer that. I really don't want to know the answer. I don't want your reasoning. What you did was wrong. You had no fucking right to threaten to call the cops on him! If I hadn't wanted to talk to him, I would have told him to leave Babylon. You had no right! But to satisfy your curiosity, that kid was almost too much for me. He almost wore me out most nights, just as I told you the first night. Happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?" This conversation with him is long overdue.

Once more, Michael doesn't listen. He never does. "Why are we stopped?" he dumbly asks.

I look at him in disgust. "Look around; home sweet home. Now get your ass out."

Michael looks at me in dismay, his brown eyes peering into mine as if that would make me change my mind. But his whipped puppy look falls flat. "Look, why don't you just forget all this nonsense? Let's go out tonight. Woody's, then Babylon. I'll even treat."

I huff out a breath of air. There is no way Michael could afford to 'treat' me. "Can't. I'm going home to pack."

"Where are you off to this time?" Michael's face lights up as he declares, "That's exactly what you need... a sucking and fucking vacation. It'll get you back in the swing of things."

I shake my head in amazement at his one-track mind. "You just don't get it, do you? No, it's not a vacation. I was offered a job in New York, and I've decided to accept it. So this is goodbye, Mikey; have a good life. Just don't expect ME to be a part of it. Now, get out!" I say, as I hastily unbuckle his seat and shove him, none too gently, out the door to get him moving.

With that, I leave a still open-mouthed Mikey standing on the curb as I tear down the street. I can't help but think that's exactly what Daphne told me to do.

JUSTIN:

Two Months Ago

"Aunt June! Stand still! You don't have shoes on. Let me get the broom and dustpan!"

"Oh, Justin... my little Justin. But you aren't so little anymore, are you? You've grown up."

"Are you mad at me?" Suddenly it's more important for me to have my aunt not be disappointed in me than my mother.

"No, absolutely not! I would love to be a great aunt! Now give me a hug! But tell me, are you happy about the baby?" I can see the unshed tears shining in her eyes.

"I'll be honest with you... there has been so much to deal with since I found out, I guess I haven't even thought about that. But yeah... I am. I really am! It means I will always have a little piece of Brian, even though he'll never know it." Then I grab my aunt, my life support at that moment, and hug her for all I'm worth.

Present:

I enter the quiet house after a very long day. Three weeks after getting here, I was so bored I ended up applying for various jobs. I was very surprised when two days after I applied to Pencil Portrait Studios, I received a call and was offered the job. I had to sketch out two portraits, one of myself and one of someone else while I sat there. I wonder if anyone realizes how hard it is to draw a self-portrait of yourself. Anyway, of course, I drew Brian. He's definitely my muse. They even asked me after I was offered the job if they could display the one of Brian. In my opinion, he's the best-looking one hanging there. And to think, he used to be mine... well, somewhat.

Being eight months pregnant is starting to take its toll on me. Between school and then drawing people's portraits for four hours, I'm exhausted. Tia - as Aunt June has me calling her, as she said Aunt June was a mouthful - reasoned since I was taking Spanish, I could just call her aunt in Spanish. Anyway, she's been gone for the past three days, so it's been super quiet when I arrive home. After throwing myself on the bed and catching my breath for a few minutes, I reach for my cell phone to call Daphne.

"Hey, Jus! I've been waiting for your call. How's the pregnant daddy?"

"HUGE! My gosh, Daph, you wouldn't believe it. I know Mom always told me that Molly and I were big babies, but even I think I look ridiculous! And then that creep Julian just thinks I'm all the more beautiful - his words, not mine - and won't leave me alone. If you can believe it, today he offered to carry my books. Then when I refused, the slimeball reached out and put his hand on my stomach, rubbing it. I've told him time and time again to leave me alone. If he ever shows up where I work or live, I will have to get a restraining order. He's just creepy. How anybody as huge as I am could look beautiful is beyond me," I tell her, shuddering at the memory. "So, did you see your sensei today?"

"For the hundredth time, Moshe is not a sensei! True; he is an instructor, but he does away with formality. He says he doesn't believe in titles just showing respect. As his father always said to him, labels are for bottles, not for people. And besides, Krav Maga is purely a self-defense class, and all I'm learning is defense skills. I'm not learning karate or judo, or any other martial art. But you will never guess what happened today!"

"You got asked out on a date?" comes my flippant reply.

"Haha. This is something totally unexpected, yet awesome. We had our Level Testing today. I made the Yellow Belt level! Can you believe it?" Daphne says, practically screaming in my ear.

"Uh-huh. That's great."

"Hey! This is a great thing! Where's your enthusiasm? Do I need to remind you that you were the one that begged me to learn self-defense? And do I need to remind you that I checked out three studios until I found Moshe, who ONLY teaches women self-defense? Besides, this is quite an honor. Going into the class he told us that it takes approximately four months to get your Level One yellow belt... and moi made it in two. You should be jumping up and down."

"Daph, if you could see me right now, you would know 'jumping up and down' would be damn near impossible."

"Well, I hope you don't have the baby until I get out there. I have two weeks left, then California, here I come! Just think of all the fun we can have this summer before college starts in the fall."

"Yeah, don't forget that I'll have a little girl to take care of. I'm not sure how much fun I can have with a newborn," I remind her. "By the way, have you told your parents you were accepted at the University of California, Los Angeles?"

"First, don't forget 'we' have a baby girl to take care of this summer; I would never forget that. I wonder who is more excited about this... you or me." I can't help smiling at the excitement I hear in her voice. "I can't wait to see what she looks like! Can you imagine how cute she's going to be? I mean, combine you and Brian, and she's bound to be gorgeous! We'll need a car seat, stroller, and a tummy carrier. Did you talk to your doctor about Tummy Time, like I told you to?"

"Yeah, she said as soon as we get home, that's fine. About twenty-thirty minutes a day while she's awake and supervised. So, did you tell your parents about college?" I ask again, trying to get her back on track.

"Yeah, I did last night after we talked. There was quite a disagreement about me going across the country for school, but when I assured them that I would be staying with you at your Aunt June's, they finally agreed to let me go. I think it helped that I've been taking these classes, too."

"Speaking about your classes, have you seen Michael around at all?"

"No, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing that shithead. But then again, I'm never over by Liberty Avenue, and he hasn't been around here, either. I'd love for him to show up, though. Even though my teachings are for defense, I don't know if I could resist accidentally reaching out and going 'oops'!" She said, giggling.

"You're terrible," I say, laughing.

"But no. He's been decidedly absent. But as I told you, if I see him in my neck of the woods, so to speak, I am going to call 911. Self-defense or not, he has no reason to be in this part of town. So, how about you? Have you heard from any colleges yet?"

"A couple, but I'm holding out deciding until I hear from Otis College of Art and Design. After all the research I've done, and from what we've been told at school, that sounds like the best place for me. So, has the valedictorian been announced yet?"

"Hell, yes! You're talking to her!"

I smile. "That's great, Daph! I'm happy for you."

"Well, with you gone, my competition was severely lacking." She sighs. "I'm still having problems adjusting to the fact that you and I won't be graduating together. We've been going to school together since preschool. It's really strange without you around. Anyway, Chris Hobbs and his groupies have a kid they've been picking on. They've been calling him a fairy, but I don't really think he's gay. Maybe if they spent the same amount of time studying as they do bullying and goofing off, I might have had some competition. So, enough about me. How did your classes and studies turn out this year? You kind of had a full schedule."

"Yeah, five AP classes, but I've aced all of them. Of course, I have no personal life, so all I can do is study. But no, they haven't let us know yet who made it," I say, as I huff out a sigh. "My senior year hasn't turned out anything like I thought it would after the great way it started. I always wonder how Brian is. If he misses me, you know?"

"Jus..." Daphne hesitates for a second before she continues. "Um, never mind. So, did you get your friend at work to take a picture of you for me, like you promised?"

"Yeah, I did. But Daph, I really don't know if I want to send it to you. Ugh! I'm so huge. The doctor says she's already a good nine pounds. I guess I should be thankful that men have to have a Cesarean section. And the Goodbye Stretch Marks Butter has really helped. It's expensive as hell, but worth every penny if I don't get the stretch marks. And Dr. Riley has promised that the incision should probably be covered fairly well by hair growth."

"Oh, Justin! Jesus! TMI, TMI, TMI!!! I don't want to imagine that! Stuff like that you can keep to yourself! Puh-leeze!" she says, disgust evident in her voice.

"Are you getting prudish on me, Daphne? If I remember correctly, after I met Brian, you couldn't wait to get the lowdown on the whole prostate thing," I tell her, unable to hold in my laughter.

"Yeah, that was purely from a medical standpoint."

"Sure it was. Keep telling yourself that. But you won't ever convince me of it."

"Well, quit stalling. I want the picture!" she demands.

"Again, ugh! But here you go. Let me know when you get it."

Suddenly, there's squealing and a scream loud enough to wake the dead. "I gather you got it, Daphne?"

"Yes, Justin. I got it! I can't believe it!" There's that squealing again! "You really are big! I can't believe it! And you have a MONTH to go!"

"Ugh, don't remind me! But you're starting to repeat yourself. You already said that."

"I know, but I can't believe it!"

"Well, on that note, I'm gonna get off here. Just promise me one thing, Daphne."

"Anything; you know it," she says with conviction.

"Promise me that no one, even under threats of torture, will see that picture," I tell her, my voice brooking no argument. "Promise me!"

"I promise, Jus." It won't surprise me if she's silently thinking she won't keep that promise. "Besides, everyone would think it's photoshopped. No one could be THAT big!"

I laugh. "Thanks a lot! Seriously Daphne, I do need to get off for the night. I haven't eaten yet, and I still need to hit the books and shower. So, I'll talk to you tomorrow night."

"Okay. You have a good rest of the evening. I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks. Love you, Justin. By the way, I can't believe it!"

"Aargh!" I hear her giggle and I have to smile in return. "You, too, Daph," I whisper, hanging up before she can say it again.

TBC