Brian tilted his head a little to the left and smiled to himself. Justin had done a remarkable job of capturing his likeness on canvas. He had even caught the varied nuances in the kind of eye contact Brian was known for when he looked at someone...a direct look that revealed whatever mood he was in with clear honesty. It was quite obvious to even the most casual observer that the model was looking at someone he felt great affection for as the artist painted his portrait. Brian continued to stare at the painting, which had him laying completely naked on his side in a bed and about to take a bite from an apple in his hand as he stared out from the canvas at some unseen person. He was so absorbed in his image and his memories of the many hours he spent posing for Justin, that he didn't hear approaching footsteps until it was too late.

"I've seen you naked quite a few times and I think Justin may have exaggerated just a little bit," came a voice behind his shoulder.

Brian whirled around and found himself facing at least a dozen of his friends and co-workers from the Company. Michael was at the head of the crowd with Ben on one side and Debbie and Vic on the other. Mikey had a crooked grin on his face which took some of the sting out of his comment, but Brian wasn't concerned about it anyway. He knew what he had to offer and had never been insecure in that department. He glanced around at the group which included the members of his troupe, Justin's former trailer mates, and several others from the show. They all had big smiles on their faces. Brian was proud of them for coming en masse to support one of their own, which Justin had certainly become since joining the circus more than six months earlier. 

"Envy is very unbecoming, Mikey," Brian laughed.

"Hummphhh," retorted Michael.

Ben leaned over and gave Michael a little peck while wrapping his strong arm around his lover's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, Michael. I love you just the way you are."

This caused a huge snort from half the crowd, including Debbie, which brought about a sharp reddening of Michael's face. He was about to splutter out some comeback when Justin walked up behind Brian with the owner of the gallery in tow. He was far too happy to notice, or care, what was going on among his friends. He could hardly wait to tell Brian his big news. Justin interrupted the exchange between the two men by tapping Brian on the shoulder to get his attention. When Brian turned back around to see that it was his boyfriend who had tapped him, he immediately broke into a wide grin.

"You certainly did a good job of bringing out all my best features," he announced modestly to the artist. "So, how is the show turning out?" he asked the owner of the gallery. "Is our boy here as big a hit as we expected?"

The owner slapped Justin on the back and announced that he was more than satisfied with the responses Justin's work was receiving. He waved his hand at the large crowd of buyers, gawkers, and press that filled the multiple rooms of the gallery. Most were still peering at the various paintings by at least a half dozen young artists who were featured in the show, even though the show was nearly over. 

"I've gotten three times as many inquiries into Justin's work than the others so far," the owner informed the group who had gathered around the young man. "He's a natural-born artist with a true gift. I predict he'll go far in the Art World with just the right help. I've already told him that I would be proud to display more of his work in the future and sell pieces for him. Then I can brag about giving him his start when he becomes as famous as Warhol or O'Keeffe."

"Does this mean you might want to stay in town once we hit the road again for our next tour, Justin? We would certainly miss your bright smile if you decided to leave us," Debbie asked with genuine concern in her voice.

The smile fell from Justin's face. He hadn't even thought about not going with the Company when they set off in a month or so. The idea of not being with Brian while he was on the road traveling was the furthest thing from his mind, as well as unthinkable. Last Summer he would have jumped at the chance to settle down far from his old life and make a living as a real artist, but he had other priorities now. Last Summer he had no thought of finding real love for the first time. He wasn't about to give that up. He looked at Brian's face to see his reaction to Deb's question. His face had closed off just enough to make it hard to gauge his reaction. He looked back at Debbie. She was waiting for an answer.

"Are you kidding me, Deb?" 

He waved his arm at the half a dozen paintings on the wall that belonged to him. They were all paintings involved with the circus except for the one distinct one of Brian.

"Where do you think I get all my ideas from? If I left the circus, wherever would I find a more colorful and exciting inspiration for my best work?"

"Not to mention his favorite model," Emmett muttered under his breath, flashing a toothy grin.

Justin noticed the smile returning to Brian's face when he spoke. It pleased him. 

"Well, I'd better see to our customers. We'll be closing the doors in less than a half hour and we don't want to neglect any future buyers now, do we?" remarked the owner.

He slapped Justin on the back again and moved off, heading for a large group who were talking excitedly about some of the work they had seen. Justin's friends gathered even closer around the young man and chimed in with their congratulations on the successful showing of his work. A few of them expressed their pleasure that he wasn't thinking about leaving the Company just yet. Debbie gave him a tight hug and promised he wouldn't regret staying with them a bit longer. He accepted all the praise with a humble attitude and waited until the last of his friends had stepped away before turning his attention back to Brian.

"So, are you proud of me too?"

Brian didn't answer right away. He leaned against a small table set up with a tray of drinks that was next to Justin's artwork and stared at the young man who had become so important to him. He hadn't said it out loud, but he knew in his heart that it would have been a blow to him if Justin had answered that he wanted to stay in town. As a matter of fact, he had been enjoying his time with Justin so much he hadn't even considered the possibility of the young man not being with him. Now he had to admit that the thought was a little scary. He had come to rely on Justin for companionship and affection, something that he had never thought he would need to make his life worthwhile in the past.

The seconds ticked by and Justin was beginning to get nervous. Had he misread the look on Brian's face when it came up about him not going on the next tour? He had let himself believe that Brian hated the idea by the look on his face when he said he was staying with the Circus, but now he wasn't saying anything. He couldn't take the uncertainty any longer.

"What's wrong, Brian?"

Brian pulled Justin close to him and stopped any more words with a deep kiss. He let his lips linger for some time, tasting the sweetness of Justin's mouth. He let his lover loose finally and held Justin at arm's length.

"There's nothing wrong, Sunshine. And yes, I'm extremely proud of you. I'm just wondering why you don't want to stay here and continue to paint in a quiet environment, without the stresses of working the circus. I mean you can paint anything. I've seen that. You don't need the circus to be inspired."

"No, but I need the people that matter to me to inspire me....and Brian, you inspire me the most. Don't you know that? You're my muse. I don't think....no, I know I could never find another muse that would make me feel as if I could do anything like you do. Not in this town, or anywhere else. But I won't burden you with my presence if you are getting tired of me," he added with some fear. 

Brian pulled Justin back into his arms. 

"You little idiot! Of course I want you with me. I just don't want you making sacrifices for me. You're just getting started, and I want you to have everything you want out of life. I don't want to stand in your way."

"And what if everything I want in life includes being with someone I can love with my whole heart, and that I believe loves me the same way?"

Brian paused for a second and then said, "Then I want you to have that too."

The two kissed again, this time with even more warmth. Anyone with half a brain could see that there was something special going on between the two men. That included the skinny man with graying hair and a pinched face standing yards away, watching every move between the blond artist and his friends. He carried his ID, which recognized him as a licensed private investigator, but to the owner of the gallery he was just another interested customer. The fact that he had so many questions about the young artist, Justin Taylor, didn't cause any red flags to fly. A large number of the customers and browsers in the gallery on this night were asking about him too.

Brian and Justin never even noticed the skinny man in the ill-fitting business suit. He was a complete stranger. Only Justin would have been unhappy to know that the two of them knew someone in common. There was, however, someone else at the gallery that would have been recognizable to the other half of the couple. His name was Kip and he had been keeping a close watch on the goings-on of his former employer and her employees. A little snooping and the usual gossip among circus folks had given Kip a wealth of knowledge about the newcomer to the Novotny Family Circus and his special relationship with the star trapeze artist. 

Once Kip heard about Brian's boyfriend, and the kid's work as an artist, Kip's mind began to swirl with ideas of how to pay Brian back for messing up his career. After Brian had gotten him fired, he hadn't stopped there. The word had leaked out about Kip's less than professional behavior, and he hadn't been able to get a decent job with any other circus since. He placed all the blame on Brian Kinney. When he found out about the showing of the boyfriend's work at the gallery, Kip had no problem persuading Marta, his meal ticket, to enjoy a night out at the gallery. The much older woman fancied herself an art expert. She loved the idea of showing off with her handsome, younger stud in tow. 

Kip made it a point to avoid Brian and the others from the Circus who had shown up to show their support, but he really didn't care if they saw him or not. Tonight was not the night for payback. Kip was, if nothing else, a very patient man. He would have to plan his moves carefully. He had no intention of letting himself get caught doing something rash or stupid. When he was through, Brian Kinney would know what it felt like to lose everything. That was what was important.

As their old lives swirled around them, threatening to blow their happiness out of the water at any moment, Brian and Justin basked in the glow of success and contentment with each other. All they could see was a bright future in which neither man would ever have to be alone again. That was enough to send them out when the showing ended for the night with a huge smile on their faces and an eagerness to get home so that they could celebrate Justin's triumph in their own special way. For Brian and Justin, ignorance was bliss...and they reveled in it.

To be continued....................