Brian awoke slowly, his mind still foggy from sleep and dreams. Wonderful dreams, if he was remembering correctly. There was soft music in the background and he was holding a golden-haired young man. He opened his eyes when he realized the there really was music playing in his normally quiet, some say too quiet, house. The rustling of silverware and the smell of fresh coffee finally got him out of the bed. He pulled on his jeans, leaving the top button undone and walked barefoot into the living room. His houseguest was staring into the refrigerator with his back to him, giving him another opportunity to admire the firm round butt. The worn jeans covering said butt left nothing to the imagination. It was a very nice sight indeed.

"Can I help you find something?"

Justin jumped, almost bumping his head. "I'm sorry. I just thought…I mean, I wanted to make breakfast. You really don't have much to work with here, do you?" He smiled self-consciously, like a child being caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. He couldn't help but stare at the morning Brian, standing by the counter. His hair was disheveled, giving him a little boy look, but the open button of his jeans promised so much more.

"I don't do much cooking. It's easier to just pick something up at the café."

"Mm. I figured. I made coffee," Justin said, pointing to the coffee maker, but keeping his eyes on Brian's abdomen. "I hope that's okay. I really need my coffee in the morning."

"Me, too. Thanks. It smells great. I haven't had anyone make morning coffee for me in a long time, except of course the stuff they call coffee at the café and I'm not too sure about that sometimes. What else you got there?"

Justin relaxed. "Found some eggs and cheese." He leaned back into the refrigerator and grabbed a tomato. "And a tomato," he said, holding the red orb up in his hand. "I can make an omelet."

"Well, okay, then. There might be some not too stale bread over there. I'm going to brush my teeth and stuff." He turned and walked into the bathroom, hiding his huge grin. This morning's shower would be on the cold side.

Brian was pleasantly surprised at the breakfast Justin put together. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"My mom, when I was young." He thought back to the happy times of his childhood, before everything turned bad. Brian noticed the change in his manner, but didn't push it. "When I was in college, I worked with a friend of mine who had a catering business. I did a little bit of everything. I helped prepare food, but my expertise was in the presentation. I'm an artist, so I had a flair for the color coordination, centerpieces. Stuff like that. I'll have you know that I could turn a napkin into a swan in five seconds flat."

"Five seconds? Impressive." He could barely hide his grin.

"You're laughing at me. You asked, but when you're setting up for a wedding reception for 200 people, it's a good thing to be able to do."

"I'll take your word for it."

Just then Justin's cell phone started ringing. He looked at the caller ID and smiled. "I need to take this. It's my friend." He put the phone to his ear. "Hey. What's up? I know, I'm sorry. I should have called last night. My car broke down outside of some small town in west Texas. It's like the middle of nowhere." It was quiet on Justin's end of the conversation. Brian watched him as he stared up at the ceiling and shook his head. "I know. Please, enough about my car. You love my car and you know it." He laughed into the phone. "I'll call you when I know more, 'kay? Now tell me you love me and hang up." With a startled look on his face, Justin hung up. "That went well," he mumbled.

"Problems with your friend?"

"It'll be okay. She loves me no matter what."

"She?"

Justin laughed. "Yes, she. Her name's Daphne. We've been best friends for years."

"I have one of them, too. Lindsay."

"Your son's mother."

Brian nodded. They lingered over another cup of coffee and small talk. Brian was surprised at how comfortable he felt sharing breakfast with a virtual stranger. Justin helped Brian clear the table and went to take his shower while Brian finished washing the dishes. When Justin came back into the living room he was dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a blue tee. Brian didn't think he'd seen anything quite so tempting in a very long time. He resisted the urge to take the younger man in his arms and ravage him with kisses. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "Ready to go see about your car?" Justin nodded, picking up his messenger bag. "Let's go."

The evening rain had given way to a bright, sunny day. Brian removed the top from his Jeep and helped Justin into the passenger seat, placing his bag on the floor in the back.

Two hours later, Justin was sitting on a not too comfortable chair, sketch pad in hand. At first, Justin hovered over the open hood of his car, watching Brian as he slid under the frame, then rolled back out to get a different tool. Justin finally got bored with that since all he cared about was if the car would get him from point A to point B, not how it worked to do it. He loved his car, he really did, but that had to do with his grandfather. Any other car, well, he knew how to pump gas and change a tire and could check the oil level if he had to, but that's all he wanted to know.

He glanced up from the pad, pencil hovering over a clean sheet of paper. He had already finished several sketches, the last few of a certain mechanic. He sighed and went back to sketching. As usual, when he was deep in concentration, he didn't hear much of what was going on around him. Brian walked toward him until he was standing behind the chair. He watched the picture take shape and was surprised at how well Justin had captured him. "That's really good."

Justin jumped slightly and dropped his pencil. "Jesus, you scared me. You need to quit sneaking up on me," he said, reaching down to pick up the pencil. Brian bent down at the same time and their hands touched just above the elusive object. Neither man moved for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only a few seconds. Brian finally picked up the pencil and held it out.

"I believe this belongs to you."

"Thanks."

"I was right about your car. It's the master cylinder. I can probably get a new one from a place in New Jersey. They can overnight it, but since today's Saturday, it won't be here until Monday. Sorry. That's the best I can do. This isn't exactly your run of the mill car."

"No, it's not. I guess you're stuck with me for a few days. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, Sunshine."

"Sunshine? Where did you come up with that?"

Brian shrugged and looked at Justin with a smirk. "It just fits." He thought he would sound a little too lesbianic if he said he called him Sunshine because he liked the way the sun shone on his hair and how he could light up a room with his smile. "I don't know…just, Sunshine."

Justin smiled one of his best smiles. "If you say so, I guess."

Brian put his tools away then called the rare parts warehouse in New Jersey. They had what he needed and said it would go out that afternoon. Hanging up the phone, Brian contemplated spending the rest of the weekend with Justin and found it to be a very exciting idea. Very exciting indeed.

Justin continued to sketch when Brian went in to make the call. There wasn't much at all in the way of scenery here. The land was flat and colorless except for some grass here and there and a few early spring flowers. He saw a young boy down the road, throwing a stick for his dog to retrieve. He captured the image of the brown dog as he leaped into the air to snatch the stick between his jaws.

Brian closed his office door and locked it, then stood watching Justin sketch. He couldn't tell what the picture was, but Justin looked down the road every few minutes as he added more detail. Brian walked clear of the garage and saw Billy Haskell and his dog Scratch in the road. His feet crunched on the gravel and Justin looked up, a smile on his face.

"They sure look like they're having fun, don't they?"

"Yeah. And I see you captured all that fun with your pencil. You're really good."

"Thanks. Do you know them? I'd kind of like to give this to him."

"He'd love that." Brian took a few steps toward the road and called out Billy's name. "Come here, Champ. I have something for you."

"Hey, Brian, what's up?" the boy asked, as he and his dog ran toward the garage.

Brian stooped down and ruffled Scratch's soft fur. "How ya doin', boy? Billy, this is Justin. Justin, meet Billy Haskell and his dog Scratch. Billy, Justin has something for you."

"Cool. Hey, Justin."

"Hi, Billy. Great dog you have there. How did he get his name?"

"Well, I saw him wandering around town. Never saw him before and he didn't have a collar on or nothin' so I took him home. He was kinda scratchin' hisself and by the time we got to my house, I was scratchin' myself. I ain't never seen so many fleas in my whole life."

"Well, it sounds like you gave him the perfect name. Here, this is for you." He carefully tore the paper from the pad.

"Oh, wow. No way. This is awesome. Thanks." He held the picture down so scratch could see it. "Look, Boy. It's us. You draw really good, Justin. I'm gonna hang this on my bedroom wall."

"Thanks, Billy. Maybe I'll see you around later."

"Are you stayin' here?

"Just for the weekend, I guess. Brian's fixing my car." He pointed to the Packard by the open bay door.

"Brian's the best. I saw the car there this morning. I've never seen a car like that before. Never even heard of it. It sure looks old. I mean it's in great shape, just old looking."

Justin laughed. "It is. It belonged to my grandfather."

"Wow, your grandfather?" Justin nodded. "It must be old," the young boy repeated. "Hey, I gotta go. Mom'll have lunch on. Thanks again for the picture." The two men watched the boy run off down the street.

"You made him happy."

Justin shrugged. "So, what did Jersey say? They have the part to send?"

"Yep. It'll be here Monday. You are going to wait here for it, aren't you?"

"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Justin answered, not too shyly and smiled. He put his supplies away. "Speaking of lunch…"

"I'll take you to the best café in town. Actually, it's the only café in town. Just let me close up here."

A half hour later, the two men walked into the bustling eatery and sat in the only unoccupied booth. Justin looked around, unable to help compare the pure Texas decorations with the rainbow decorations of his favorite diner back in Pittsburgh. If Brian hadn't have been with him, he might've been scared.

"Texas sure is full of itself, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question.

"You noticed. There's a lot of good stuff here, if I don't go into the political climate."

"Hey, Bri. I wondered where you were. You're a little later than usual."

"I had stuff to do this morning. Justin, this is Lindsay, Gus' mother. Linds, this is Justin."

They spent a few minutes on the usual pleasantries, then Lindsay asked what they wanted for lunch. "Al fixed some of his famous two alarm chili this morning. It's really good."

"Sounds good to me," Justin said. "And a Coke."

"The same, with iced coffee. Will Gus be here this afternoon?"

"Mom's bringing him in a little while. She has her weekly hair appointment with Trudy."

The bell sounded over the door. Brian looked up in time to see his son streaking toward him. "Daddy. You're here."

Brian easily lifted the child onto his lap and waved to Mrs. Peterson as she left the café. "Hey, Sonny Boy," Brian said, giving his son a hug. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, but Mommy still makes me take that yucky medicine. Tell her I don't have to anymore."

"Gus, you have to take all your medicine so you don't get sick again."

Gus started pouting, then realized there was someone sitting in the other seat and forgot about his problem. "Who are you?"

"I'm Justin. Pleased to meet you, Gus."

"How do you know my name? You're a stranger."

"Yes, I am, but your daddy told me all about you and I saw your picture at his house. He's very proud of you."

"I was sick and had to take yucky medicine."

"I've had to take yucky medicine before, too." Gus laughed as Justin made a sour face. "But it made me all better so that I could do lots of cool stuff."

Lindsay set the ordered drinks in front of Brian and Justin and a glass of orange juice in front of her son. "Hi, Sweetie. Are you being good for Grandma today?"

"Yep," he managed to get out before taking a long drink. "Jussin saw my picture at Daddy's house. He knew my name."

"He did?" She looked at her son's father with that, "is there something you'd like to tell me" look on her face. With a little smile, he arched an eyebrow back at her. Justin watched the little exchange between the two, knowing they just had a whole conversation. He and Daphne could do that, too.

Gus, oblivious to what was going on, tapped Justin's arm. "Daddy's going to take me to the rodeo and I can see all the horses and bulls and stuff. Arn'cha, Daddy?"

Brian's attention was again on his son. "I certainly am. But that's not for two weeks and you have to be all better."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Justin added before taking a drink of the Coke.

"Can you come with us, Jussin?"

"I'm afraid not, Gus, although it sounds like you're going to have a great time. I'm only going to be here for a few days. Your daddy's fixing my car."

"If Daddy asks you, can you come?"

"Well, I…I'm going to see a friend far away from here and…" Justin wasn't sure what to say.

Brian smirked. "Yeah, Justin, if Daddy asked nicely and said please, would you come?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. I'll be coming back through here 'bout then. Besides, I've never been to a real rodeo."

"Yippee," Gus yelled, bouncing on his father's knee.

"Gus, not so loud," Lindsay said, coming back to the table with three lunches. "Here, eat your hot dog and drink the rest of your juice. Let me get your special seat, so Daddy can eat his own lunch."

"He's fine where he is, Linds. I've learned to eat with one hand."

"Okay, Dad, but don't blame me if you get mustard all over your clothes."

Justin watched the ease with which Brian handled his son and couldn't help but wonder how he became a father in the first place. Brian and Justin sat in the booth with Gus until Mrs. Peterson came back and took him home for his afternoon nap. Before they left, Brian threw a couple of twenties on the table, more than enough to cover the three lunches.

"You didn't have to pay for my lunch, you know."

"I know, but I did. Come on. No more talk about money." They climbed into the Jeep. "You need to do anything this afternoon?"

"Ah, nope."

"Good. I'd like to take you to a special spot I know about."

"Sure. Where is it?"

"That's a secret. You'll see."

Brian stopped at a small convenience store on the edge of town and bought several bottles of water, some ice and a few apples. While he waited in line to pay for his purchases, he saw another item he might need and placed the container on the counter with the other stuff. After he paid for the items, he placed the water, ice and apples in a cooler he kept in the back of the Jeep and rummaged through a box of odd items he also kept in there. When he climbed into the Jeep he handed Justin a baseball cap. "You might want to wear this."

Justin took the offered hat. "Thanks." He read the logo, the initials WTT, in black, against the khaki colored hat. "WTT?"

Brian shrugged, pulling his lips into his mouth before finally admitting, "West Texas Tarantulas." Justin wrinkled his brow. "Okay, it's a softball team I belong to."

"Softball? You play on a softball team?"

"Regional champions three years running," he said proudly.

Justin offered one of his biggest grins. "You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Here, you may need this, too." Brian handed Justin the small bottle of sunscreen and was overjoyed to receive a sunshine smile in return. Justin put some of the lotion on his face and arms.

Once everything was ready, they headed north out of town for quite a while then turned off the main road onto a narrow paved road then onto a narrower unpaved road and headed further into the desert.

Almost an hour later they were still driving. A large outcropping of rocks could be seen in the distance, surprising Justin. They were the color of rust and as the Jeep got closer, Justin could see that they were quite large. Brian turned off the bumpy road and headed towards the large mound.

"Is that where we're going, to those rocks?"

"Yep. But it's more than just rocks. Wait and see," Brian said as he headed toward the eastern slope.

"Whoa. I had no idea anything like this could be here."

Brian had parked in the partial shadow the towering rocks provided. Justin followed Brian out of the Jeep and walked toward a small pool of water. Several shrubs and small scrub oak trees added some green to the beige and rust colors of the sand and rocks. Two jack rabbits hopped out of the shadows and quickly disappeared.

While Justin looked around, Brian got a blanket out of his car and spread it out near the water.

"This is great, a little oasis in the desert."

Brian smiled, glad that Justin liked the spot as much as he did. "The American southwest version of an oasis, I'm afraid, but I love it here."

"I can see why. You don't mind if I do some sketching do you?"

Brian pointed to the blanket where his pad and pencils sat. "Not at all. I figured it would be inspiring." Justin picked up his supplies and moved to get a better angle on the oasis. Brian sat on the blanket and watched as Justin settled in to draw. Almost an hour went by before Justin stopped, stretching his arm out and wiggling his fingers, getting the muscles to relax. He had several sheets filled with the scenery and a few even showed a hazel-eyed brunet lounging on a blanket. He had already decided that he would use watercolors to paint the sun-filled scenes. These would be a good addition to his next gallery showing.

"Thirsty?" Brian asked, holding out one of the bottles of water. "Your face is a little pink, even with the sunblock."

Justin took the cool bottle and held it up to his forehead. "I burn fairly easily. Didn't think I'd need any sunblock this early in the year, though. I misjudged the desert sun."

"It can be brutal. Sit over here closer to me. At least there's a little shade from the rocks and trees, even though they aren't very big."

Justin wiggled over to where Brian patted the blanket. The fact that it put him up against Brian's reclining body wasn't lost on him. Justin leaned against Brian, closing his eyes and letting his body relax into the other man. "You make a good chair," he said idly. "Very comfortable."

"I aim to please. I also make a good pillow. Care to try me out?"

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Kinney?"

"If it's working, then, yeah."

"How do you know I want to be seduced?"

Brian ran his hand slowly over the slim chest, stopping just long enough to tweak each nipple then continue along the front of Justin's jeans, gently squeezing the hard cock as he did so. "That's how."

Justin moaned softly, arching his hips up into Brian's hand as he laid down on the blanket with his head on Brian's outstretched arm. Brian automatically folded his arm, turning Justin onto his side. He bent his head down a little and brushed his lips across Justin's mouth in a soft, fleeting kiss. When the kiss ended, he looked into Justin's face. His blue eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted as if waiting for more. The next kiss wasn't quite so gentle. Justin moaned deep in his throat, which turned Brian on even more. He knew he wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his life. Justin could feel Brian's hardness through his jeans and moved his hips to rub his own hardness against it. Their clothes were quickly disposed of between deep kisses and soft caresses. They fit together like they had been made for only one person and that one person was right there.

When they were both satisfied, Brian moved off of Justin, lying on his side with his head propped in his hand. Justin's eyes were closed, his long lashes lying against his cheeks. His skin now had an all over glow from a sheen of light sweat that could be seen even in the shade from the large rock. His breathing slowed and his eyelids fluttered but didn't open.

"You're staring at me."

"You're the most beautiful thing here. Of course I'm staring at you."

Justin opened his eyes and smiled up at the man who just made exquisite love to him. Well, that's how he saw it, anyway. "You're no so bad yourself. You have the most amazing eyes. They're always changing color, gold, green, a little brown. Even your hair has some gold in it when the sun hits it just right." Justin took the ends of a few strands of Brian's hair between his fingers, feeling the softness.

Brian was a little embarrassed by the intensity of Justin's comments. He'd been told he was beautiful before, by men and women, but when Justin said it, he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. "I think you'd better get dressed before you develop a sunburn on some very special parts of your very special body." He sat up, gathering the scattered clothes and handed Justin's back to him. "Better shake 'em out. Don't want any scorpions riding back with us."

Justin threw his clothes down and stood up, all in one motion. "Scorpions, Brian? You mean I could have gotten bit by a scorpion while I was naked?"

Brian started laughing and picked up the clothes again. "I'm only kidding. There aren't any scorpions." He handed the clothes back to Justin. "At least I don't think so." He ducked just as a blue shirt sailed past his head. "Must I keep picking up your clothes, young man?"

"Give me that," Justin said, grabbing for his shirt.

Before they left the little oasis, Brian handed Justin one of the apples and the bottle of water from before. Justin removed the cap and took a long drink. A small amount of water dripped from the corner of his mouth and he reached up with his hand to wipe it away.

"Wait," Brian said, stopping Justin's hand in mid air. "Let me." He placed his lips softly against the pale skin and licked the dripping water into his mouth, tasting sunscreen, perspiration and Justin. Justin shivered at the touch, despite the surrounding warmth. Brian gave the full red lips a quick kiss and moved away before Justin had time to think. "We better start back, Sunshine."

"Uh, yeah, I guess we'd better," Justin said softly, still feeling Brian's lips on his.

The sun was beginning to set as they drove south, back to town. The sky was streaked with red and orange light. "Brian, how awesome the sky looks. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. I wish I had some paints with me. I'd love to try and capture that on canvas."

"The desert's full of wonderful sights," Brian said aloud. "And I'm looking at one right now," he thought while he watched Justin's face as he stared at the evening sky. "Maybe I have a solution." He stopped the Jeep and rummaged around in a box on the floor of the back seat. "Here it is," he said, holding up a Polaroid camera. "Here you go." He handed the camera to Justin.

"You keep a camera in the Jeep?"

"Sure. I have one in my truck, too, and my 'Vette. Never know when you may need it. You know, accidents, flying saucers, brilliant sunsets. It'll give you something to refer to when you do have your paints."

"Thanks," Justin said as he jumped out of his seat onto the sandy ground. He took several pictures, catching each print as it rolled from the camera. "These are awesome." He shared the developed photos with Brian, then they both watched the sun set below the horizon and the orange sky slowly fade.

The rest of the ride back was uneventful, filled with small talk and comfortable silences. At some point along the way, Justin reached over and rested his left hand on Brian's thigh. Brian took his right hand from the steering wheel and gently placed it over the smaller hand, curling his fingers around it. They rode like that the rest of the way home.

"Are you hungry? We can stop at the cafe again and grab a bite."

"How about we stop at the grocery store and get some real food."

"I don't cook, unless you want a bowl of oatmeal."

"No oatmeal, okay? It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Pasta, salad, easy stuff. You forget, I can cook.

"Two home-cooked meals in one day. How will I survive when you…" He stopped, not wanting to think about the fact that the man next to him would be leaving in a couple of days. This was certainly not the usual Brian Kinney train of thought. He was famous for his love 'em and leave 'em attitude. No one spent the night. No one got too close. No one was invited to lunch where they would meet his son. No one went riding in the desert in his Jeep. And no one ever went to his special, secret spot. No one. Except…

"Leave," Justin said to himself. After this afternoon, he didn't want to think about leaving.

"Al's market should still be open. We can get what we need there and believe me, it won't be fancy.

Shopping went quickly and they were soon on their way home. Brian carried the bag of groceries into the house and set it on the kitchen counter. "What can I do to help? I have to warn you, I'm limited in my kitchen abilities."

"Well, I'd like to shower while the chicken's cooking. Is that okay?"

"More than okay, Sunshine. I'm all hot and sweaty…" He let the image gradually fade.

Justin smiled as he opened the package of chicken breasts, trying to keep the image of a hot and sweaty Brian out of his mind. He wasn't doing too good of a job, because he could feel his dick starting to swell in his jeans. Brian couldn't help but notice and bent down to nibble on Justin's left earlobe. Justin moaned. "Ahh, Brian, we'll never get supper started like this."

"Who's hungry?"

"You are and so am I." Justin let himself lean in a little more, enjoying the feel of Brian's lips on his skin. "Let me get the chicken in the over, then we can shower."

"Together?"

"Of course, together."

"Deal." Brian reluctantly moved away from Justin.

Once the chicken was washed, it was placed in a small casserole dish, seasoned and put in the preheated oven. "How much time do we have?" Brian asked, grabbing Justin by the hand and leading him down the hall.

"Thirty minutes, give or take."

"Plenty of time." Brian turned on the water in the shower stall. Justin was almost completely undressed when Brian took off his shirt and jeans, leaving them in a heap next to Justin's. "Is it too hot?" Brian asked as Justin stepped into the tiled shower.

"It's perfect," Justin said, admiring Brian's sleek tanned body.

"You got a little pink out there today." Brian soaped a soft washcloth and slowly started to rub it over Justin's chest. "We'll have to be more careful next time."

Justin closed his eyes, letting the feel of the soapy cloth soothe and excite him at the same time. "Next time?" Justin thought to himself, opening his eyes. "There's going to be a next time?"

"You don't want there to be a next time?"

"What?" He didn't realize he said that out loud. He laughed. "I very much want there to be a next time." He reached up and pressed his lips to Brian's soft pouty lips. "I do want there to be next time." His lips trailed down Brian's neck to his chest, stopping at each nipple and teasing it with his tongue before continuing his travels downward. He could feel Brian's hands tangled in his hair, gently guiding him to his hard cock. Justin knew what to do when he got there, too. Brian threw his head back, savoring the feel of the soft warm mouth on his cock. It seemed as if Justin knew exactly what he liked and almost too soon, Brian gave in to the sensations of the licking and sucking and came deep in Justin's throat.

"Your turn," Brian said, throatily, when his breathing became normal. Justin, too, came quickly, under the master's hand, or mouth, as it were. They finished washing, then dried off and put on clean jeans. Brian left the top button undone, a look Justin had seen that morning. He quickly decided it was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen.

When they returned to the kitchen, Justin checked the chicken, seeing they were just about done. "We made it just in time. Why don't you wash the veggies and cut them up into bite-sized pieces" Brian did as he was told and with a little help from Justin, the salad was put together. "Let's see, salad dressing."

"I think there's a bottle of Italian on the door in the fridge. While you're in there, get us out a beer."

"I'll get the beer, but bottled dressing? Not on my salad." He handed Brian the opened beer.

"Not on my salad," mimicked Brian, as he took a drink from the bottle. Next thing he knew, he was coughing and choking as Justin bumped his hip against Brian's. "Hey!"

"That'll teach you to make fun of me." Justin started to pat the still coughing Brian on the back. "You okay?"

"Yeah. So, if not bottled dressing, what are we going use for the salad dressing?"

"Watch." Justin added some garlic, vinegar, a little mustard and a few other spices to a small bowl then whisked the ingredients as he slowly added oil. He would have preferred olive oil, but all Brian had was vegetable oil. "Taste." He dipped a teaspoon into the mixture and held it to Brian's mouth.

"Not bad, Emeril. Not bad at all." Brian licked the spoon clean and put it in the sink. "So, how soon can we eat? I'm hungry. I must've worked up an appetite in the shower somehow."

Brian had to admit that the meal was delicious. They worked together to clean up the kitchen then Brian suggested they sit outside and grabbed two of his sweaters in case it had gotten chilly. He took two bottles of water from the fridge and led Justin out the back door to a secluded garden and patio. Brian gave him a short tour of the yard, surprising Justin with how much he knew about the plants. They settled in some comfortable chairs at a cedar table. Neither one spoke for a while. Justin watched as Brian put his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. He wondered if Brian was falling asleep on him.

"Listen," Brian said softly.

Justin closed his eyes and listened to the night. The whole situation reminded him of his summers on his grandmother's farm. She would sit on the porch every night, rain or shine, for one hour before she went to bed. She would sit and listen to the night and Justin soon learned that he wasn't to say anything until she spoke. He got really good at listening to the night, too.

The two men sat like that for quite a while. Brian broke the silence, declaring how much he loved the sounds surrounding him. "You're one of the few people who knows how to keep silent. Hardly anyone else understands."

"I had a grandmother who listened to the night like that. Every night before bed. I didn't dare speak until she did." Justin looked wistfully at the stars. "I stayed with her and Granpap every summer. That's the granpap that left me the Packard. I always knew that no matter how bad things got at home, and they got pretty bad when I came out, my grandparents would always love me." He was quiet for a moment. "Sorry, didn't mean to get all sentimental on you."

"Anytime, Sunshine. A lot of us had it rough when our families found out we were 'different'."

Justin nodded. "Speaking of families, Gus is a great little guy. I'd like to see him again before I le…have to go."

"Oh, you will. You're coming with me to Sunday dinner at my sister's house."

"Does she know anything about this?"

"What? About the dinner or that you're coming?"

"That I'm coming, asshole. Won't it be an imposition? I didn't hear you ask her."

"Don't need to. It'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I can stay here."

"No, you can't. You're coming with me and that's final. Gus and Lindsay will be there, my sister Claire and her husband, Sam the cop, their two sons and I'm not sure who else, but there's usually a pretty good houseful. Oh, beware of the questions. They're a nosey lot, believe me. You don't have to answer any questions you don't want to."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Besides, I have a feeling Sam's already filled her in on the blond I 'picked up' on Friday night."

They sat outside for an hour, talking and not talking, enjoying the comfortable silences that seemed to come naturally. The late night desert chill became too much and they went inside.

"It's later than I thought," Brian said, looking at the clock on the kitchen wall. "Maybe we should get to bed." He started toward the bedroom.

"Yeah, it's been a long day." Justin took off the sweater and laid it neatly on the back of the sofa.

Brian watched him and realized what he was doing. "You don't think you're sleeping on the sofa tonight, do you? Get in here where you belong. With me."

Justin liked the idea of belonging to Brian Kinney. He removed his clothes and crawled under the covers. Brian immediately snuggled up against his back, holding him with his arm around his waist. Justin knew that this was where he was supposed to be forever. At the same time, he was a little afraid of the feeling. They'd only met 24 hours ago. How could he be sure what was real?