When I was your Man by Bruno Mars: Brian

Lyrics

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now/ Our song on the radio but it

don't sound the same/ When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear

me down/ 'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

It all just sounds like oooooh...

Although it hurts/ I'll be the first to say that I was wrong

Oh, I know I'm probably much too late/ To try and apologize for my

mistakes/ But I just want you to know

I hope he buys you flowers/ I hope he holds your hand/ Give you all his

hours/ When he has the chance/ Take you to every party/ 'Cause I remember

how much you loved to dance

Do all the things I should have done/ When I was your man

Written by Andrew Wyatt, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Peter Gene Hernandez

•  Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing

CHAPTER 2

Brian

I suppose I should be happy. I mean, look at me. Successful career. A few good friends. Mountains of tricks.

Things technically couldn't get any better... Well that was, until a little persistent blond turned my predictable existence upside down. And now he's gone. Michael would say ‘good riddance' and perhaps I should echo the sentiment. I mean Justin Taylor was entirely too fucking young, too fucking WASPy, too fucking idealistic, to be with the likes of me.

So, on the surface, I understand why he took up with fucking Paganini Junior in the first place. The bottom line is, he wasn't happy. And I couldn't, or wouldn't give him what he wanted. So I did the only thing I could, I let him go. No...

That's not quite accurate; I pushed him away.

The fucked up thing about it is that I did it for his own good. Justin needed something that I didn't have the time or inclination to provide. I can't even say that if he would have told me himself that I would have been more understanding. There's a good possibility that I would have told him to suck it up, get the fucking lesbianic thoughts running rampant in his head out and let's go to bed and fuck like rabbits. But no...

I didn't do any of those things. Instead, I let silence, and the space that's been between us since he was bashed, fill up with the stuff that he couldn't say, and the things that I wouldn't. I could tell he was struggling, floundering, but he did so in fucking silence. He was suffering and there was nothing I could do. So yeah, I let him go in the hopes that fucking Ian would give the boy who deserved everything, what I couldn't- or wouldn't- give to him; to make Justin happy, and for him to finally find some semblance of peace.

"Brian, are you listening?" Michael asks me.

"Yeah sure whatever," I answer, beyond bored with this entire situation.

"Well? Are we going to Babylon or not?"

I look around the table at Emmett and Ted's faces.

I couldn't curb the sigh which escaped me in that moment. "I can't. I have a presentation to do tomorrow." I really didn't, but had hoped that would be the end of the discussion. I should have known better.

"Ah come on, Brian," Michael said, his voice in full-on whine mode. "You haven't been out with us since the shit with Boy Wonder finally ended!"

I saw Ted and Emmett wince. Even Ben, looked at me with something akin to sympathy. Fuck this! Michael doesn't get a say. "I didn't know that you were keeping count Michael. But let me tell you this, what I do with my time is NOT YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS! Now, I'm going home."

"But Briannnnnnn!!"

"Not one more word, Michael. Not one more. I'll call you and no, that does not mean you get to aggravate Cynthia for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between snacks until she is so fed up that she's threatening to quit again for the fifth time in a day. This shit really has to stop, Michael."

"Okay! Okay, I promise not to say anything else about he who shall not be named. Just come out with us."

I stared at him in amazement. The term ‘not one more word' was completely lost on him, or did he just think I meant it just in terms of Justin? I really just want him to shut the fuck up! But then again, Michael was always the type to disregard what he didn't want to hear- or to be more accurate, ignore the parts he didn't feel applied to him. "For the last time, I am going home."

"Fine, then we'll all go with you. Right, guys? We'll make it a movie night, a ‘Boys Night In' party and it will be just like old times, except that Ben will be here this time."

Michael smiles like he just had the best idea that I would automatically agree with. I'm somewhat relieved that his intentional denseness isn't a thing across the board with the other guys. I would hate to have to alienate all of them just for the sake of the sanity Michael apparently doesn't want me to have.

"Michael, I think Brian meant that he was going home alone, and doesn't want company," Ben said, talking really gently as if Michael was a skittish mare. I noticed that he did that sometimes.

"Bullshit! Brian doesn't mind. He wants us there! Right, Bri?"

He looked at me with that doe-eyed innocent look, which usually always got him exactly what he wanted from any of us. But honestly, I couldn't really take being around Michael tonight. I had already had my fill of overbearing, well-meaning ‘friends' when I went over to the Munchers this afternoon, presumably to visit Gus. What I got instead was an attempted dressing down from Lindsay. Bitch!

"Brian," she said to me in that tone which reminded me so much of Joan 'Crawford' Kinney that I just wanted to get up and leave immediately. "Michael said you haven't been out since your split with Justin. That's not really healthy, you know."

I blank-stared at her for a few moments before answering. "Nice to know that Michael has, once again, been running around telling business that isn't his. I've told him and now I will tell you, I have been working. What I do when I'm not has nothing to do with the two of you."

"Oh I know that, Brian. But can't you see that we're worried about you? It's not like you not to fuck multiple hot guys every night of the week. If what Michael says is to be believed, you haven't had sex since the last time you and Justin did. It's really past time to let him go, Bri. He's moved on; so should you." She looked at me expectantly, as if I should be nodding my head agreeing with her.

I huffed again, hoping that she would get the message. But before I had a chance to answer her, Mel did. "Stick a dick in it, Lindsay. And where he puts his own dick is really no one's business, but his. You and fucking Michael... You both have partners and families of your own to tend to. Try minding that!"

"Mel, this doesn't concern you..."

"And it doesn't concern you nor Michael either, Lindsay."

Lindsay changed the subject to what I guess she really wanted to know. "Fine. I'll lay off your sex life, Brian. But what I really wanted to ask was about Justin's tuition. Have you paid it?"

"What the fuck? Again, not business that's yours, Lindsay! But out of some morbid curiosity, why do you want to know?"

She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, wetting her upper lip as if trying to taste the words getting ready to come out of her mouth before she spewed them. I guess she finally decided on what she wanted to say because she cleared her throat before doing so. "Well I figured that if he wasn't going to school this semester, he could probably use some extra money since you aren't supporting him anymore. I thought that maybe I could hire him as a part-time babysitter to help with his expenses."

I think both Mel and I wore twin looks of shock while we listened to her say what was on her mind.

"Why the fuck would you even think that would be possible? Justin has a job and from what I understand, he is making out quite well with it. But it doesn't matter, since he will be in school this semester." I worked hard to keep the anger from my voice, but it must have come through anyway.

"Brian, be serious and reasonable, would you? How is Justin going to... oh my God, you're still paying for him to go to PIFA?! I can't believe this! I thought you were smarter than that, Brian! That money could certainly be used for something else; something important."

That did it! "What? Like some other hair-brained scheme you could come up with to keep me supporting Gus and you? You can't possibly tell me that GUS has run through the five grand I gave you last month already." I heard Melanie gasp. "What, she didn't tell you?"

"Fuck no, she didn't tell me," Melanie yelled. "What the fuck did you need five grand for, Lindsay? And furthermore, why do you need a babysitter at all? Gus isn't anywhere near two yet and according to you, you didn't want to go back to work until he was four years old. You handed me some bullshit about Gus' formative years and how you wanted to be a part of them, and yet you've been bleeding Brian dry? For what?!"

"Well... I... well," Lindsay sputtered.

"Spit it the fuck out, Lindsay! I'm really interested in knowing your answer too," I said.

"Well Michael came to me with a business proposition not too long ago."

"What kind of business proposition could he possibly come up with? He can barely run his own. And just how long ago was this?" I couldn't wait to hear this shit. 

"Well you see, after you and Justin... wait, it was before that really. Michael wants to buy Justin out of the comic, and he asked me to be the new artist as well as his business partner going forward. With all of the sales it's been doing on the internet now as well as in the store, it just seemed like a pretty decent opportunity. Plus, I could work from home even while Gus is with a sitter."

Mel just shook her head at the buffoonery, but I just needed to hear this bullshit again. "So let me get this straight... Michael came to you with an opportunity to buy into Rage while Justin was and still is his LEGITIMATE business partner in it? And you've been accumulating MY money to help Michael shut Justin out of his portion of the comic book proceeds? Not to mention that it was JUSTIN, who developed the website and created an online presence for Red Cape Comics in the first place. But was Michael really planning to buy him out or cut him out?"

I knew by the look on her face just what Michael and Lindsay were really planning to do.

"I... Well Michael... Brian..." Lindsay tried to interject, but I didn't want to hear the next excuse.

I turned to Mel. "You're still Justin's attorney, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm also yours. And no Brian, she still doesn't know."

"What?! What don't I know?!" Lindsay screeched, angry that Mel and I had at least two secrets between us that she wasn't aware of.

That was the confirmation I needed. "Attorney-client privilege, Lindsay. That means that my personal business, as well as Justin's, remains just that... PERSONAL. Mel knows the consequences if she violates that, although I suspect she won't. So if you happen to gain information that you shouldn't have, I will assume that she told you, have her disbarred and you will end up on the street. Oh, and since I still have legal rights to Gus, he comes to live with me, so don't push your luck or stick your twitchy nose into OUR business. Are we clear?" I watched with pleasure as Lindsay's face drained of all color, but Mel was quick to reassure me.

"Don't worry, Brian. Should Lindsay have even bothered to search, she wouldn't have found any of Justin's or your documents here. They are locked away in my office safe. So, that said, should we call Ted?"

I nodded. "And aren't we all fortunate that Justin gave me full access to his accounts and hasn't rescinded it as of yet."

I walked out of the house with Mel in tow. Justin had already called Ted, asking if they could meet tomorrow. As for Mel, she called Ted and asked him to meet us at her office. As my financial advisor, he was the only one other than Mel, Justin, and myself, that knew I paid Justin's tuition. But at his insistence, we had a legally-binding contract drawn up for him to pay me back.

If I had my way even now, I would have torn the shit to shreds and Justin would never have to pay me back. He still doesn't, but I know that it's important to him that he does. Fucking hard-headed twat never did learn how to accept help. And I suspect with what I did with Mel and Ted this afternoon, that it won't be any different now, which was another reason I wanted to go home. Justin was coming. I looked back at Ted and nodded slightly, knowing that he would get the hidden message in my action.

After I paid the tuition, I had them type up the letter immediately and I hand delivered it to Justin's post office box. He doesn't know that I know he has one. But the fact that he does spoke volumes, in and of itself. Regardless of all that, Justin will want to know why I did what I did, and I will tell him that talent like his is meant to be shared, not wasted. Besides, I have future plans where Justin's ability will be needed en masse. But first things first, I had to get out of the diner and reach the loft before a little blond boy graced it again. I don't know why, but I know I do.

Turning back one last time to the table, where Michael was still ranting and raving about my lack of appearance within Babylon, I said, "Understand this, Michael and understand it well... What I do with my time or my business is not a concern of yours, nor Lindsay's. I'll call you; do NOT call me first."

And with that parting sentence I left the diner, but not before I heard Michael ask the guys, "What crawled up his ass? I'm just being a concerned friend."

Ted, good old Ted said it for me. "If he needs your ‘concern', Michael, he'll ask for it. Until then, I would suggest that while Brian is concentrating on his career, you should do the same. I went over the books today and..."

I left Ted to explain the deep shit trouble Michael is in if he doesn't find a way to put Justin's share of the profits back by the end of the week. And from the look on Ben's face, I think Michael can forget about Babylon tonight, or in the foreseeable future. I'm fairly certain all the patrons of the Liberty Avenue nightlife will be grateful for that.