MICHAEL

I was dancing with Emmett and he listened to me talk all about the new Spiderman movie. It was great to talk to someone who listens to me. We finished dancing and I looked around but didn’t see Brian or Boy Wonder.

“Calvin, where did Brian go?” I figured Brian was in the backroom.

“I don’t know, they were here a second ago, maybe they're out dancing.” He tells me.

I told them I was going to look for Brian. I wander around and thought maybe I was just missing him. I circled around and went up stairs. I tried the office but the night manager was the only one in there. I asked him if Brian was around. He told me to try the bathroom. I think I spent an hour trying to find them. I walk by and ask one of the bouncers and he told me they left a while ago. I couldn’t believe they didn’t even say good-bye.

I walked out and went to the diner to see if they were there. Kiki told me they hadn’t been in. I went to the loft but Brian wasn’t parked in the front or the garage. I remembered one time Brian parked in the back, so I check and the car is here. This actually works well. I could stay here tonight and Brian could hang out with me.

I pushed in the buzzer and held it down to make sure they answered. Then I started calling. I either got voicemail on the cells or the answering machine. I keep buzzing while I called. Someone is going to answer me. They can’t ignore me forever.

I was leaving my second message on the answering machine when a cop came up and told me to go. I told him if Justin called it was probably his idea of a joke and he could go. He told me other tenants called and complained that I was yelling and they wanted me to leave. I think the guy is just covering for Justin. A second cop showed up and told me that Carl had him come by to escort me home.

“I don’t need an escort home. I need to get in the building to see my best friend who lives here.” I tell them.

“Carl told me to tell you, if you didn’t go home I could arrest you and he would take you home.” Cop number two tells me.

“Can’t you guys call Brian Kinney and tell him I’m down here. I think his buzzer is broken. He would answer if he knew I was here.” I tell them.

Cop number two asks for the phone number and I can’t believe it, Brian answered. After he got off the phone he told me that Brian wanted me to go home. I tell Cop two I can make my own way home. He tells me that he was ordered to take me and to tell me that my husband is waiting for me. Shit. Ben is going to treat me like a kid who stole candy. I decided that I’ll wait till morning and be at Kinnetik when he gets there. Brian has a lot of apologizing to do for sicking Carl on me.

LINDS

I told Mel she had to take the kids to school this morning. I was upset about the gallery, and at Brian for acting like I needed to mind my own business about Justin’s career.

“Linds, I have to be at work and we agreed that you could stay at home for the kids. I don’t care how you feel, take the kids to school. You can come home and mope all you want afterward. You need to get them going or they’ll be late again.” Mel rushes out the door.

I get out of bed thirty minutes later and take them to school. I had to go into the office and check them in. I tried to say we had a doctor's appointment but the bitch at the counter told me that I needed a note from the doctor to excuse the tardy. I told her if she wants to accuse me of lying go ahead. I walked out.

I was in the car trying to decide what to do with my day. I could clean the house but I wasn’t in the mood. I drove by the diner but Deb’s there and she isn’t sympathetic to my plight. I head to Brian and Justin’s house. I figured I would offer to watch the girls so Justin could work. I got there and nobody was home. I decided to sit there until Justin showed up. I was still tired and I could take a catnap. Justin could wake me when he gets back from wherever he is.

MICHAEL

I waited until Ben left for classes to go to Kinnetik. When I got home last night Ben wanted to know why I was disturbing a whole building at midnight. I told him I was going to hang out with Brian. Justin wouldn’t let me in.

“Michael, change that to Brian and Justin and I think you would be correct. I talked to Brian while you were being escorted here. What the hell would possess you to yell and scream on the sidewalk and buzz their door like that?” Ben asked me.

“No one would answer. I wanted to talk to Brian, not the answering machine.” I snapped at him.

“Michael, we are going to talk when I get home from school tomorrow. You need to be home, not looking for Brian, chasing Brian, or annoying Brian. Our marriage is going to be on the line if you aren’t here. I think you should sleep in Hunter’s room tonight, I’m too angry to have you near me.” Ben walked upstairs and slammed the door.

He is making too big a deal out of this. I think he needs to remember that I sit through all the nights with his professors talking about crap that nobody cares about. I mean, do I really care if they offer the teachers a tax credit if they volunteer to teach adult night courses once a week? I tried to talk about the new action movies that were being released and they told me that was great, then started talking about a book they’d read. I guess I better be home, Ben sounded seriously pissed at me.

JUSTIN

Brian dropped me off at my Mom’s house and went to work. We are going to meet up for lunch at the new place around the corner from Kinnetik.

“Last night was great but I missed the kids. Shit, you’ve turned me into a lesbian.” Brian jokingly tells me.

“Well you keep calling me a twat, I guess you cursed yourself into growing one. Want me to knock you up before the spell is broken?” I ask him. We were both laughing.

“Justin, do you want to try one more time, maybe have a son?” Brian is really serious.

“Brian, we already have a son, and three kids are enough. I don’t want to go through the sleepless nights again. The girls still have to be potty trained eventually and I don’t want us to have to spread ourselves too thin with the kids.” I tell him.

Brian agreed. I don’t think he really wants any more kids, he just wants to make sure I’m happy. I kiss him and go into my Mom’s house.

BRIAN

If Justin had said yes, I would have made the baby a fact. I was happy with the way our lives were. I was on my way to work. I check my phone and see for the first time no one called. Hopefully, Michael will stop acting like an ass.

Cynthia came into my office at nine and we went over where all the new accounts stand. Gabriel has been worth his weight in gold in New York. My office is still the front part of the New York loft. He was staying in the loft until he found a place of his own. He used the office to meet clients. He signed four new accounts in two months. Two while still here in Pittsburgh and in the last couple of weeks, two more. I told Cynthia to arrange for me to talk to him. I want to offer him a partnership in Kinnetik NY. Kinnetik will need to open a larger office with staff if Gabriel keeps at the pace he is going.

Ted and Cynthia both own fifteen percent of all of Kinnetik. I tried to put Justin as an owner.

“Why? I already get everything when you kick the bucket anyway. Plus, I try to avoid anything that would make my sperm donor happy. He might think I became a businessman.” Justin told me.

I was waiting for Gabriel to call me. Cynthia calls me and tells me Michael is outside trying to get past security. I told her to let him in. I think we need to have a meeting of the minds, or at least as much as Michael’s mind can comprehend.

“Brian, you should tell your security guys to let me in without causing a big scene. Why do you even have security?” Michael asks me.

“I pay those guys to keep people who don’t work here or aren’t customers from interrupting a business day. Unlike the comic shop, I have to impress people with the atmosphere being businesslike, not like a play date with my friends.” I tell him.

“Then you should tell Justin that he and the kids don’t need to visit.” Mickey needs to buy a clue.

“I don’t have to tell my husband the importance of making a good impression on people. He has enough sense not to stand in front of my business arguing with my security people. He would have enough sense to know that if someone doesn’t answer their phone, not to call back forty times in a row. Michael, you, for some reason that I cannot fathom, can’t seem to make that connection. I am no longer BRIAN FUCKING KINNEY.” I yell at him.

“Brian, you’ll always be...” I cut him off.

“Mikey, I am now a father, a husband, and have three thriving businesses to run. My HUSBAND is a successful artist and in demand. My daughters’ names are Victoria and Beth NOT ‘Justin’s kids’. I don’t have time to be what you want anymore. Go home and pray that Ben is as forgiving as he tells us he is. Better yet, go to your shop and actually work. I don’t fucking care anymore, but whatever you do, don’t call at all hours trying to make plans. If I want to see you, I’ll call and you can get me back by not answering, the way I’ve been doing to you.” I hope Mikey is listening.

“Jeeze Brian, maybe you need to cut out the caffeine, you're kind of cranky this morning.” I guess he forgot to buy the clue.

“Yeah, it’s the coffee, Mikey. I have things to do, and you aren’t one of them.” I say as I lead Michael outside.

Cynthia comes in and asks if I want more coffee, I flip her off. Justin called from the lobby at lunchtime and told me he was waiting for me. I had finished everything for the day, so I wanted to surprise Justin and the girls and go home early.

“Why’d you bring all your stuff when we’re just going to lunch?” He asks me.

“I don’t have anything pressing so I decided to call it a day. We can have a longer lunch with your mom. If you want, we can take the girls to the kid gym too.” I was ready to play with the girls.

We met Jen and the girls at the new Italian place around the corner from Kinnetik. Jen asked how everything was and I explained to her about Michael acting like a jealous housewife.

“Brian, it’s not a jealous housewife but the mistress. Justin gets all your attention and time. Michael is lucky if he gets the leftovers. Michael is on the sidelines looking into your life instead of the center of your attention like he was before Justin.” Jen tells me.

“Wait, I want to be the mistress, they are younger and better looking,” Justin says. He is such a smart ass.