Brian scanned the crowd of teenage revelers with an anxious eye.  He felt itchy being so close to this crowd of raging hormones-on-legs that filled the ballroom.  He knew damned well and good that a lot of these kids would be hooking up before the night was over, and that some would regret it, while others wouldn't give a damn.  After all, it hadn't been that long ago since he had been one of them, even though he had just turned thirty.  He involuntarily shuddered inwardly at that particular thought, but at least he wasn't suicidal over it anymore.  He owed Michael big time for his interference.  Somehow it had awakened him up to the fact that life was still worth living.  Yet now that he intended to make the most of his thirties, he found himself wanting to share that time with Justin.

Justin... why had that kid gotten so embedded under his skin?  Brian wasn't sure of the answer to that particular question, but he was tired of trying to fight it.  The truth was, Justin had become important to him.  Yet, Justin wasn't fully aware of it yet.  Oh yes, the kid had declared that he knew Brian's feelings for him, in his usual smart-ass way, a number of times when they had gotten together.  However, thinking it and knowing it for certain was a horse of a different color.  For some reason that Brian couldn't explain, even to himself, it had now become imperative that he tell Justin how much he cared for him.  And Brian knew exactly where to go to find the blond beauty.  

Justin had asked Brian to be his date for his Senior Prom, but of course Brian thought the young man was crazy.  No way was he going to be found in the company of all those bratty kids, trying their damnedest to pretend they were all grown up now.  They liked to act as if they were not the least bit concerned about graduating and finding themselves out in the adult world.  That certainly wasn't Brian's idea of a fun way to party the night away.  That was then.  This was now, and Brian was standing on the edges of the ballroom floor searching eagerly for that one kid who had the bluest, most beautiful eyes he had ever gazed into.  All Brian wanted was to hold Justin in his arms, and he didn't care one iota for what the crowd around them would think of such a display.  Brian knew in his heart that Justin wouldn't care either.

Finally Brian saw the very blond he was looking for.  Justin was dancing with his best friend, Daphne, and looking good enough to eat... a thought that at the moment sounded like an excellent idea for after the dance.  Brian quickly made his way towards his target.  For some inexplicable reason the crowd of teens, standing between Brian and Justin, began parting to make way for the strange older man, who was so intent on reaching someone in their midst.  Daphne was the first to spot Brian approaching.  A look of surprise, mixed with pleasure, passed over her face.  She tapped Justin on the arm to get his attention, then pointed towards Brian.  Justin turned, and the look on his face registered his surprise.   Brian reached the couple.  He greeted Daphne, who blushed prettily, then turned to Justin.  

"I thought you said you wouldn't be caught dead in a room full of eighteen year olds," Justin remarked, surprise in his voice.

"I thought I'd recapture my lost youth," Brian responded.  Turning to Daphne... "Mind if I borrow your date?"

Daphne blushed again, then willingly stepped away.  Brian didn't wait for Justin to respond.  He grabbed him by the hand and led him to the center of the dance floor.  Students, who had never seen such a display, felt themselves automatically parting to make room for their classmate and the gorgeous older man holding his hand.  An old classic love song began playing in the background.  Brian pulled Justin into his arms, where the young man melted as if they had danced this way together a thousand times before.  All the other teens faded into the background, as if the couple in the center were the only ones there.  

As Brian and Justin danced in perfect rhythm with each other, the faces of those watching intently from the sidelines reflected varying degrees of emotion.  Some of the students were obviously enjoying the sight in front of them.  Some were intrigued, while others disturbed.  But not one of the crowd showed the kind of hatred that one particular face revealed.  That look was owned by a fellow graduate named Chris Hobbs.

Hobbs had been a thorn in Justin's side for years.  It had all started when they were barely into their teens.  Although Justin had never been one who was openly gay, Hobbs seemed able to zero in on that aspect of his classmate even when they were still in middle-school together.  The problem was that Hobbs felt the need to harass Justin over his suspicions.  Hobbs' behavior hadn't been too overt or troublesome, outside of being an irritant, for Justin before high school.  Once they graduated into the higher grades, it did become an issue.  From ninth grade on, Hobbs became increasingly abusive.  Justin had never understood why Hobbs chose him to bully, but he handled it as best he could.  By the time they reached their final year in school, the bullying did become a real problem.  Twice during their final year, Hobbs had become more physical than verbal with his assaultive behavior.  It had even reached a point where a short-term suspension from school was the result of Justin finally reaching his breaking point.  He fought back with a single satisfying blow to Hobbs' face.  

Although things were a bit tense at school after that, there were no more overt attacks by Hobbs.  Justin made a point of avoiding his antagonist whenever possible.  Here, at the dance they had remained on opposite sides of the ballroom.   Now, as Justin danced in perfect harmony with Brian, neither of them noticed just how much angrier Hobbs looked with each passing second.  If looks could have killed, both Brian and Justin would have fallen to the floor dead before the last note of the song was heard.  But for the couple, there was no one else in the room.  For the very first time since meeting Brian, Justin felt truly loved and cared for.  The moment that Brian walked into the room and Justin saw him, he knew Brian was his.  He may have been quite young, with much left to learn about life, but he recognized what Brian was telling him simply by showing up to the dance.

The final notes of the song played out.  The music stopped.  Brian held tight to Justin's hand and pulled him away from the crowd.  What he had to say to Justin was for the young man's ears only.  Justin didn't hesitate... he was willing to go anywhere Brian led him.   Brian winked at Daphne as they passed her on their way towards the exit door.  It took a couple of minutes for the room to become animated again, as young people and their chaperones finally recognized what had just happened right before their eyes.  Voices raised as everyone reacted, each in their own way.  Only one body pulled away from the group he'd been standing with.  Seconds later, he too disappeared through the exit door.

********************************************

Brian stopped just before they could exit from the side lobby door into the covered parking lot.  He had been holding firmly to Justin's hand as they walked out to the lobby.  He now released the young man in order to wrap his arms around Justin and hug him tightly to his chest.  Justin raised his face so that he could see more clearly into Brian's eyes.  What he saw there caused his heart to skip a beat.  He had witnessed many different looks in Brian's eyes during the year they had known each other.  There had been anger, frustration, amusement, determination, patience, and impatience, and best of all... passion, but this look was new.   It was similar to passion, but more... much more.  Before Justin's brain could put a name to the look, he felt Brian capturing his lips with his own.  

The kiss seemed to last forever.  Brian's lips moved softly at first against Justin's, then more aggressively.   Before he knew what was happening, Justin felt himself trembling inside as he melted into Brian.  His manhood stirred.  He could sense the same thing happening to Brian.  If they hadn't been in such a public place, he would have begged Brian to take him then and there.  Only the sound of nearby voices cut through the haze of desire engulfing the couple.  Brian quickly pulled Justin over to the side, where a hidden alcove could shelter them from the view of anyone not standing right in front of the exit door.  Justin did a twirl in front of Brian, laughed, and fell back into his arms.

"Did you see their faces?" he laughed.

"Yeah, we gave them a Prom they'll never forget,"

"Me neither," Justin sighed.  "It's the best night of my life."

"Even if it was ridiculously romantic," Brian responded.

Justin's eyes watered.  Brian had told him repeatedly that he didn't do romantic.  And yet.......

Brian went in for another kiss.  It took their breath away.  They were so wrapped up in their own world, just long enough to miss noticing someone else pushing angrily through the exit doors leading to the parking lot... someone moving with obvious purpose.  Brian finally pulled away from the kiss, but still held Justin close to him.  He leaned over and whispered in Justin's ear.

"You can't leave your date hanging, Sunshine.  That wouldn't be polite.  But if you have nowhere else more important to go after dropping Daphne home, I wouldn't be adverse to a little company tonight.  I might even have a surprise graduation gift waiting for you.  That is, if you choose to come."  He deliberately emphasized that last word with a twinkle in his eye.

Justin smiled disarmingly.  

"Later," he whispered to Brian.

They came out of hiding.  Brian moved towards the exit door, while Justin turned back towards the lobby.  Before Brian could push his way out, he heard Justin call his name.  He turned.  Justin moved back into Brian's arms again, placing one last kiss on the warm lips that always electrified his body.  This time Brian smiled.

"Later," he answered back.

Brian turned to the door again.  This time he stepped through, moving down the first lane of cars to where his Jeep awaited his return.  Justin watched him through the glass doors, his heart beating rapidly at the thought of seeing Brian just as soon as he could get Daphne home.  His smile widened as he pictured Brian waiting for him behind those heavy doors of his loft apartment.  

Justin was about to turn around to find his friend when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.  For some strange reason it alarmed him enough to take a second look at Brian's retreating figure.  An instant later he knew what had alarmed him.  He saw a figure step out from between some parked cars only a few yards behind Brian.  The figure wasn't instantly recognizable, but the large baseball bat in his hand was.  It was being held high above the man's head, and he was moving rapidly towards Brian.  

Justin screamed, but was unheard through the thick glass doors.  He pushed the doors open and screamed Brian's name even louder.  Brian turned around, momentarily confused by Justin's familiar voice, which sounded so odd.  In that split second, the figure reached Brian and the bat was swung downward with tremendous force.  Justin screamed again, surprising the figure that stood over Brian's crumbled body.  The figure turned, and Justin saw the hated face of Chris Hobbs.  

He was obviously startled by Justin's appearance, frozen in place just long enough for Justin to reach the two men.  Hobbs dropped the bat and turned to run.  Without thinking, Justin grabbed the bat from the ground and ran towards Hobbs' retreating back.  It only took a second to catch up.  Justin swung the bat with every ounce of fury inside him.  It connected right at the knees, dropping Hobbs to the ground in agony.  When Justin saw that Hobbs wasn't going anywhere, he hurried back to Brian.  Blood was already spreading around his head, like some macabre halo.  

Justin sunk to the ground, carefully wrapping an arm around Brian's chest, being cautious of moving his head or neck.  Tears welled up and overflowed, as he used his free hand to pull out his cell phone and dial 911.  He could hear Hobbs moaning nearby, but all he wanted was the sound of Brian's voice.  There was no sound coming from his lover.  He could see that Brian was still breathing, but his eyes were closed tight.  What seemed like hours passed before he finally heard the sound of sirens.  Justin remained beside Brian, telling him over and over again that all would be fine if he just held on, until the ambulance and police arrived.  

When they loaded Brian into the ambulance, Justin stepped up to be beside him.  He looked back before they closed the doors and saw a second ambulance team loading Hobbs on another stretcher.  A cop stepped up into the ambulance to join the injured teen.  But at this moment, Justin didn't care one iota what Hobbs' fate would be.  All he cared  about was the pale and silent figure on the stretcher beside him.  And all he could think to himself was... 'it's my fault'... it's all my fault."

To be continued.......