CHAPTER 10 - SAY WHAT NOW
BRIAN
Debs dropped her glass in her lap, so Mel took her to the bathroom to help with clean up.
Her stern instruction that not a fucking word or whisper is to be uttered about boyfriends of three years before she gets back, raised a wry smile!
“So how about you, Mikey? What are you doing? Did you ever follow through for once and get that store?” He’s still frozen in horror. “Michael, hey bestie, you okay?”
Emmett nudges, still nothing. Scowling, he gets closer. “Michael!” He shrieks, the amusing consequence of which is that he leaps into a guy who almost drops his drink.
“Stop throwing yourself at me, Novotny, I’m not interested!” He barks, then pauses. “Kinney! Hey, good to have you back!” I frown slightly, which makes him chuckle. “I couldn’t sit for a week after you left.”
Justin splutters into his drink. Uncle Vic and Daphne titter into theirs.
“Ah, very angry sex guy?” I grin.
“Also known as Evan.” He smirks then looks around the table. “Anybody I need to compare notes with?”
“Yes! His boyfriend, Ben!” Michael snaps, jabbing at Ben. “Jesus, Evan, show some class!”
“The great King Kinney has a boyfriend. You devastated, Mikey Boy?! So Boyfriend Ben, you guys play well with others?”
“No they don’t!” Michael spits. “Now take your drink and piss off!”
“Michael Novotny, what have I told you about this?!” Debs barks as she sits down. “Don’t speak to Evan like that!” She smiles at him. “How are you doing, sweetheart?
“But Ma, he was inappropriate towards Brian and Ben’s long term coupling! I was defending them.”
“Long term coupling? Describing their relationship like that, I’m not sure you were!” She snipes. “Stop being pissed at Evan for being the last guy in town to get a taste of God’s Gift to PA!”
“How do you know about that?!” Michael gives Evan his Medusa look. “Will you please move? I want to sit next to my Mother!”
“Mel’s sitting there, remember?” Daph smirks. “Hi Evan, I’m Daphne, ever swing on the straight side?”
“That depends. What are your thoughts on strap ons?”
If Daph is fazed, she hides it well, Michael, not so much. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Emmett at the bar with Jen, who, judging by that grin, wants to be tapped in. I wink at Justin who, seemingly recovered, blows me a kiss…that little devilkin!
“Hold on, is that, what the hell?! Mom!” Justin cries, starting to wave.
“Justin?! Sweetheart, what a lovely surprise!” Her arrival ousts Michael from his spot, with Emmett and Mel’s return pushing him further back. “Brian and Ben, what are you doing with my son?!”
“Not that, although looking at him, maybe!” Ben declares, Michael looks sickened. “Pure coincidence.” He kisses her cheek.
Michael bulldozes his way between Evan and Jen. “I’m Michael, Brian’s best friend! This is his mother in all but biology, Debs!”
“Um, nice to meet you, Matthew, but why do you think I’m deaf?” He goes bright red. “Brian, sweetheart, shall I get us some more drinks?”
“Speaking of sweethearts!” George strides to the table. “Darling, your phone’s on silent again, isn’t it?!” He prods Uncle Vic, who sheepishly nods. “What am I to do with you?!” He grumbles as he kisses his cheek.
“Darling?” Debs echoes, her jaw dropping, hers is not the only one - when the hell did that get official?! “Vic, are you two dating?!”
“No, of course not!” Michael splutters. “He’d have gotten our approval first.”
“Michael, be quiet or you’ll get a slap.” Debs glares before beaming at Uncle Vic and George. “You two are coming to dinner, with Ben and Brian, so we can talk about how these romances came to be. However, for now, let me get to know this beautiful woman. Oh fuck me, um, Brian, your Mother has just come in. What do you want to do?”
“Make some room.” I reply, she gapes at me. “Uncle Vic reached out to her too.”
“You're reconciled?!” She gasps, I nod. “I see, well, you heard the man, make some room!” As they obey, I watch Michael. He's gone pale, but his panicked look starts to morph into his pity-you-fool one of old. I start to bristle. “What’s that look for Michael? If we can get a second chance, so can she. Want me to shift too?”
“Please.” Whilst she does move, she looks near tears.
“Hi, Joan, over here!” Uncle Vic calls. With a smile, she approaches. “How are you? What would you like to drink?”
“Shall I get you vodka or is gin your poison of choice?” Michael asks, snaking a cold smile across his face.
“Still got those double standards of yours Michael?!” Ted glares.
“What do you mean by that, Schmidt?!”
“I mean, Mikey Boy.” Ted sneers. “That you can’t lambast Evan then come out with bullcrap like that! You don't know what their relationship is like now, so shush!“
“Well said, Ted.” Debs pats his hand. “I”m glad, for Brian’s sake, you're reconciled with him, but I’ll have no issue burying you alive if you fucking hurt him again. And I’ll expect the same treatment from you.” She reddens and clears her throat. “I apologise for what I said in the store.”
MICHAEL
Ma’s pronouncement, like her behaviour towards me, is a gut punch. Her knowledge about Evan and Brian will be discussed! However, first I must deal with the crystal sniffing crawler that is Ted!
“Ted, your change in tune has stunned us both, and most likely all who were in the loft that day. I remember well and good what you said about Brian.”
“Michael.” Brian locks onto Ted, who swallows hard. “That’s for us to discuss in private. I’m stunned as I wasn't expecting him to defend her. Thank you, Ted, and Debs, if Mom will forgive you for what you said, then we will consider the matter closed.”
“I accept.” Joan replies. “As for a drink, may I have a large tonic with slices of apple and orange?”
“Sure, Joan, let me get that for you.” Ben smiles. “Shall I get another round, or try and get a table?”
“I’ll do table, you do drinks.” Evan orders, knocking his back. “I’m Evan, nice to meet you, Joan.”
“Likewise.” She smiles.
“Michael, can I talk to you for a second.” Ma’s grip hurts, tightening when I try to pull free. “I’ll have a beer instead of champagne, please, if that's okay?”
“Sure, Debs, I know what you like!” Evan calls over his shoulder as Ma propels me out.
TWO MINUTES LATER
DEBS
I can't believe all this! I watch Michael glower and pace. It's pissing me off and making me dizzy, so I pull him to a halt.
“What the hell are you doing?!” I spit. “I’ve never been so embarrassed!”
“Trying to spend time with my best friend, you know, like we arranged before the world and his fucking wife turned up?!”
“World and his fucking wife?! Oh, you mean his boyfriend and last fuck?” He almost spits in disgust. “And the reason I know about Evan is because he told me soon after Brian left.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?!”
“Why should I?”
“You’re my mother!”
“Michael, did you really expect him not to go out with the proverbial bang? He's Brian fucking Kinney for Chrissake!”
He smiles and resumes pacing. “Yeah, he is. You know, while Ben’s built, I can’t see what he likes about him. I should imagine this will end soon, especially now he's back.”
I’m repulsed by his smugness, and if I'm honest, desire for that to be the case! “Michael, he's been with him for three years!”
“It's only time.” He returns.
“And more importantly, he’s happy - I watched them, their interplay, he’s very comfortable with him!
“Brian’s never done comfortable, and I don’t intend to let him start now!”
“Leave them and their relationship alone. You, as his best friend, should be happy for them! Just as happy as he will be when you tell him about David, or have you forgotten about him? Christ, your Vaudevillian jealous act is ridiculous!”
“I’m not jealous, I just know Brian.”
“Not this one.” I soften my tone a bit, still he scowls. “It's been eight years, he's changed. If you want to be in his life again, you’ve got to recognise and accept that!”
“Why did you apologise to Crone?!” He fumes, hands on hip.
Air rattles through my clench teeth. “Her name is Joan, and it was the right thing to do. As much as it pains me, they're reconciled.”
“Pains you? You practically raised him!”
“And she’s the one he wanted to love him first, last and always!” Saying it out loud makes me teary, but Michael’s too focused on whatever’s going on inside to notice.
“He's finally alone, we’ll finish this at home!” He exclaims, leaving me to my sadness.
DAPHNE
I followed them to see what they are up to. I wasn’t taken in by her berating him, as enjoyable as it was to witness! I’m about to approach when Vic steps out.
“Debs, we’ve managed to grab a table! Debs, did you hear me?” She nods. “Well, come on then, he wants you to sit next to him.” Her shoulders shake. “Debs? What's going on?!” He’s quickly by her side. I can’t hear exactly what she’s saying but I do hear the word replaced. And judging by the comforting and concern, she’s really devastated. I leave them to it, and as loathed as I am to admit it, my heart broke a little for her.
BRIAN
I feel his gaze boring into me. How I've missed his laser-like focus whenever we're in a place where I had, in his world, a choice of ass and a reputation to uphold! I sit back and watch him fight through the crowd.
“Alone at last!” His laugh sounds like a rat chewing on bone. “Now come, give me a hug and a kiss, it's been so long!” I flinch in his embrace and almost retch when he slobbers on my cheek. “Man you look, and smell, so good!”
“Thanks. You gonna grab those?” I nod at the leftover bottles.
“In a minute.” He pulls me back down. “So tell me about Ben and Evan. Actually, let’s start with Evan, why didn’t you tell me you’d done him?! What was it like?” He gets closer, licking his lips and eyes glowing. Jesus, was he always like this? “Don’t keep me hanging!” I tap my nose. “Why not? We’ve always shared your exploits.”
“Ask Evan if you want to know.” I shift along the booth, I have to get away from what he's trying to drill into my hip! Thankfully, my saviour saunters up behind him.
“Hey, Michael, I need to talk to my man for a second.” Ben drawls, Michael smiles but doesn’t move. “In private. We’ll see you at the table, it's number four.”
“As Brian’s best friend, you can speak in front of me. We’ve never had secrets from each other.”
“As Brian’s boyfriend and closest confidante, now you do. Like I said, table four.”
“Michael, let them have their privacy.” His neck cracks as he whips around. “Debs and Uncle Vic caught me up.”
“Thank you, um?” I extend my hand, whilst Ben helps Michael out of the seat.
“David. Michael’s boyfriend. Nice to finally meet you, Brian. Michael’s really been looking forward to this reunion, hope it's been all he wanted? And you are, I mean apart from the man who stole the Stud’s heart?”
“Ben.” Whilst he shakes David's hand he gazes at Michael “A heart I intend to keep.” He strokes my chin then my mouth. “David, please take your boyfriend to table four.”
BEN
I pull him in for a kiss, snorting when Michael almost walks into someone as he gawks.
“Thanks, babe.” He smirks. “So, how’d you think that went?”
“Pretty good, except you’re gonna be dealing with a lot more jealousy.”
“That's the point.” He stretches, then yawns. “We're going after this, okay?”
“Sure, but I mean Justin, if Evan sticks around. Which he seems hellbent on doing.” I break into a sly smile. “Do what you wish with that information”