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BRIAN


Justin and I decided to fly to Pittsburgh, while Hannah stayed with Emmett. I told him he didn’t have to come, but I appreciated that he did. The more I thought about Lindsay and Michael questioning Gus about me, the more pissed I got. Mel was waiting with Gus when we got off the plane. He was flying back with us when we left tomorrow. I planned to keep him for a week, but I needed to make sure Lindsay understood that this shit stopped, immediately. I had Ted tell her to meet me at the loft, and I made sure Mel and Ted would stay so that she would know this was not going to be a friendly reunion. I wanted answers about why she was following Justin’s life. Justin wanted to go see his mother, and was taking Gus with him. I was happy that they wouldn’t be in the middle of the bullshit. I stopped Justin before he left in a cab and held him for a second.


“I want to promise you’ll never have to see this town again, but somehow I can’t make that promise.” I tell him.


“It was never Pittsburgh, just the people, who made me not want to be here.” He tells me, kissing me and taking Gus.


I followed Mel to her car and waited until we were on our way before asking anything.


“I want it so that all her visits with Gus are supervised.” I tell Mel.


“Then we have to use the fact that she tried to take Gus with her when she was going to marry Gui.” She tells me.


“She didn’t give me a choice. I won’t have Gus used to find out things about me.” I tells her.


Mel pulled up at the loft and there stood my headache. She was not happy, because Ted wouldn’t let her in until we got there. I walked past her and into the building, with her following behind me.


“Brian, you’ve been gone and you don’t even bother to say hello to me?” Lindsay asks.


I opened the door and let her and everyone else into the loft. She frowned when she saw Mel and Ted come in with us.


“Why are they here?” She asks.


“We are all here because I’m no longer going to play easy with you. Gus will not be your way to keep tabs on my life, if I want you to know anything, I will tell you. First, I want answers from you. Explain to me where in your twisted mind you felt you had the right to have Justin followed around. It was a new low that I wanted to believe you weren’t capable of, but the pictures of Justin in the hospital proved you were completely capable of invading his privacy.” I tell her.


“I want those back, they belong to me.” She tells me.


“Nothing in that box belongs to you. Justin left this shit and you couldn’t leave him alone. I want to know why you seem to want to know everything that goes on in his life.” I tell her.


“I was concerned, even if he didn’t see it as concern. He was a child thrown into an adult world by you. He could have had so many things, if he had listened to me. I’m not saying there was anything wrong with him having a child, but why would he want one when his future was at stake? I kept an eye on him for you, if I thought he was really in trouble I would have told you. I felt I should be able to tell you if you needed to know.” She tells me.


“Then how did you not see that he needed me when our daughter was born?” I ask, trying to figure out how she sees what she did as doing it for me.


“Emmett was there to handle it, why would he need you?” She tells me, brushing off any reason I would have for wanting or needing to be there.


“I still want you to explain to me why you had him followed, because this bullshit that you were just being a caring friend just doesn’t fly with me.” I tell her.


“You left him, so you really don’t need to question me.” She evades.


“Could it be that you were afraid that a kid would do what you never did succeed in doing, getting my love? It’s all I could come up with, since most of the pictures were of him succeeding in school and at shows.” I tell her.


“He never did anything that I didn’t do in college. He was in shows, but never really anything that shows what he could have done.” She tells me.


“He was invited to New York for a show, that’s not something you ever did.” I sneer at her.


“And he didn’t get to be in it, because you ruined it for him by getting him pregnant. He had so much that he could have done, but he wouldn’t do what it took to have it. All because he wanted to believe you loved him.” She tells me.


“He didn’t do what you would have done if you were offered the same opportunities, but then you never worked very hard to do what you wanted. A teacher, someone who never made it in the art world told you that you weren’t good enough and what did Lindsay do, she gave up. When you could have tried, you didn’t, using the excuse that you wanted a baby. Was Gus so that you didn’t have to try at anything?” I ask her.


“While you're putting me down, why not remember your precious Justin didn’t do anything either. He gave up and took a job that was beneath his skill. He wasn’t any better than me. I gave you a son, and was there for you more than anyone, including Michael.” She tells me.


“You wanted him to fail?” Mel asks.


“Of course not, but I knew if he had that baby, he would never achieve anything. I also didn’t want Brian to find out about her, because I knew he’d give Justin a reason to keep her.” Lindsay tells us.


“He did anyway, and raised her while doing all the things you couldn’t.” Ted tells her.


“He’s a graphic artist, not anything any artist couldn’t do. At least I was teaching students and staying on the scene.” She tells me.


“He never stopped painting, in fact he was offered a show just recently. Which means he did what you didn’t, or more to the point, couldn’t.” I tell her, to see how she reacts to it.


“Brian, he’s probably just telling you what he thinks you want to hear. There is no way he could have done anything, with the way he barely leaves his daughter’s side. You should really think about taking custody of the girl, she’s getting in the way of everything.” She tells me.


“You need help Lindsay, nothing you’re saying makes you sound sane.” Mel tells her.


“You don’t understand, but then you never understood what it was like to watch your talent dwindle to just dreams and wishes. To have to watch a kid who at first didn’t even really care, do something as if it was as easy as breathing, while it was like drowning to try reproduce what he could do. I tried, with the sketches he did in minutes, but couldn’t do it.” She tells Mel, before turning back to me. “You took that from him, by not letting him go without some part of you that would always be there to remind him of a life that should have been just a memory. The life he would have led without you. Do Justin a favor and stay in West Virginia. I’ll watch over him for you.” She tells me, kissing my cheek and leaving.


“What the hell was that?” Ted asks when the door closes.


“I don’t know, but there has to be a way to make sure she isn’t around Gus.” I tell Mel, shaking my head.


“Get her to talk like that in front of a judge and you can’t lose.” Mel tells me.


BRANDON


I was texting Ted to see if he wanted to meet me somewhere tonight. Kevin and Jason were meeting me for lunch at the new diner. I got there and almost left when I saw Michael sitting there.


“How was your night out with Ted?” He asks, snickering.


“Apparently Michael seems to think your stud status could be in danger.” Kevin tells me.


“Why would it matter?” I ask, not getting what this was about.


“The guys at the club aren’t going to be dropping to their knees when they find out your screwing a guy like Ted. The last thing you need is anybody thinking you're settling down, unless it’s with someone they all want too.” Michael tells me.


“What I do and who I’m with has nothing to do with anyone’s opinion. I happen to think Ted is worth getting to know. As far as the ‘guys’ you keep referring to, I couldn’t give a shit how people view my life.” I tell him.


“What about your reputation?” Michael asks.


“What about it, it’s not something to be proud of and it certainly doesn’t define me.” I tell him.


“It was important to Brian.” He tells me.


“What, when he was in his twenties? There has to be more to life than being the guy with the most tricks.” I tell him, turning to the waitress and asking for a to-go box.


“I’m just telling you that your status will take a beating for running around with Ted.” He tells me.


“It took a beating from letting you hang around. Michael, you really need to quit confusing me with Brian or at least the version of Brian you have in your head. It’s time you realize that that Brian no longer exists, and it really doesn’t do him any favors that you make him sound like he was that insecure.” I tell him, reading Ted’s reply inviting me to have lunch with him and Brian.


I grabbed my to-go and handed it to Jason when he sat down. “I have a date with Ted.” I tell them, smiling at Michael’s frown.


“Have fun.” Jason tells me.


When I got to the restaurant Brian and Ted seemed to be worried about something other than business. I kissed Ted and sat next to him, while Brian was talking to someone on the phone.


“Everything okay?” I ask them.


“We just had a strange meeting. Brian is calling a friend to see if he would give him an opinion on it. How’s everything with you?” Ted tells me.


“I guess Michael wanted to tell me I was ruining my reputation by dating someone.” I tell him.


“Someone, or me?” He asks me.


“I don’t really know if it would matter to him who it is. I think he somehow thinks all that matters is walking into Babylon like you're the king.” I tell him.


“The problem was, he didn’t like the King of Babylon.” Brian tells me, hanging up the phone.


“Justin did win that when he was eighteen, one crown that you never wore.” Ted tells him.


“Justin could dance in a way that I never could. If he had wanted to, he could have given me competition. The guys in the club were just as interested in Justin.” Brian tells us.


“He only ever wanted you.” Ted tells him.


“And I thank him all the time for that.” Brian tells Ted. “I’m going to get Justin and Gus, I want us to leave earlier than planned after talking to Lindsay. Brandon, Kinnetik is going to be working out of my loft until we find a building. Any art will have to be done in Chicago. Call Justin and tell him what you need, he’ll make sure you get it the way you want it done, the first time.” Brian tells me before leaving.


“He has a lot of faith in Justin’s work.” I tell Ted.


“Justin was a great artist when he lived here, I’m sure with eight more years experience he’s one of the best out there. We saw what he was capable of at seventeen. I’ve seen some of the work he did at Hawthorne in the past, and all I can say is it’s even better.” He tells me.


“You think that’s Michael’s problem, that Justin is more than just a great ass?” I ask.







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