Bright Future

Justin tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, feeling antsy. He absolutely loathed being in that place, smooching with high class society. In his opinion they were a bunch of snobs who wanted one of his paintings to boast later on, when he became successful, that they had a Justin Taylor painting way before he was known.

That kind of party was a scene Justin usually avoided if he could. He'd been there for about ten minutes, and all he wanted to do was flee.

Simon approached him, wearing a big smile. "Justin, you made it! My, don't you look dashing!" He admired the way Justin's expensive suit hugged him in the right places.

"Hello, Simon. Sorry I'm late." Justin wished he hadn't left Raging Bull. He was happy to work behind the counter and joke with the patrons, instead of being in that stuffy place.

"I have someone interested in your art. Mr. Rochester had his eyes on one of your paintings displayed at the gallery, but it seems it was sold."

"Pity," Justin mumbled.

"I told him, you're willing to take commissions. Do you still want that?" Simon questioned, leading him through the nicely dressed people.

"I guess. I'll have to see what he wants. Do I have to know anything about this potential client?"

"He's a wealthy English man with an eccentric taste. That's why I invited him. I knew he'd find your painting technique to his style."

"Andrew." Simon pulled a tall man, in his early fifties, from a group of people. "This is Justin Taylor."

Justin trust his hand out. "It's nice to meet you, sir." Polite small talk. He could do that in his sleep. He was a WASP.

Mr. Rochester shook his hand warmly. "Oh, the artist in flesh. Mark my word, boy. You'll be famous before you're dead."

"Uh, thank you?"

"That's a compliment, and you should know it, Justin." Simon laughed. "Most painters got famous after their tragic death."

"I'm still sane and yes, very much alive." Justin beamed. He placed a hand on Mr. Rochester's elbow, steering him away, asking about his desired commission.

Simon watched them proudly, positive Justin was the catch of the century. He had to keep him as long as he could, fool him with all kinds of praises and awards. He'd bring him more money than anyone else.

It was two hours later when Justin escaped the claws of the vultures.

After discussing Mr. Rochester's idea for a painting, he had introduced him to a friend, and that friend to someone else, and soon Justin became dizzy with how many people he met.

He was grateful to escape to the balcony for a smoke and a breath of cold air. Crowds still weren't his forte, and it was slowly getting to him being around so many people at once.

The door opened, proving he couldn't escape his adoring fans for longer than five minutes.

If I'm quiet, maybe they won't see me in the corner here, he thought to himself, keeping his eyes on the New York at night.

"I thought it was you."

Justin turned toward the familiar voice, and gasped. What were the odds?

He snorted, stepping out of his hiding spot. "Ethan?"

"Hi." His former lover smiled.

Justin blinked, shaking his head. He couldn't believe the chance encounter. "Are you Simon's protégé too?"

"You could say that. I'm getting sick of him."

"I got sick of him the second Lindsay presented him to me. And that was months ago in Pittsburgh, but here I am...lured away from my hometown to try my hand at conquering the art world."

"I've been here for a little over a year." Ethan came closer. "So you've moved here?"

"I'm staying with a friend of Daphne's." He busied himself with inhaling nicotine, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was seeing Ethan after so many years. It was still fresh in Justin's mind their last minutes together and that horrible fight, that Ethan had cheated on him.

Justin sighed loudly, looking away when tears filled his eyes. The mere word cheating made him think of Brian's betrayal.

"How are you? Did you finish college? I heard some crazy rumors," Ethan said after a while.

"About Stockwell? It's true." Justin grinned, fond of those memories. "After we broke up, I decided to do what I actually wanted...be a graphic artist. So I applied for internship at Vanguard where Brian worked. It happened to be around the time he started helping Stockwell with his campaigns. I couldn't sit around and watch him bringing us down and to ruin. So, I went behind his back and did these posters."

"You created the mockery posters?" Ethan gasped. "I laughed so hard when I saw them."

"That was my intention. To make people laugh."

"But you got caught?"

"First, it was Brian who found out, and I thought he was going to kill me. But he was surprisingly...receptive to my bad campaign against his best client. He started helping. Then one of Stockwell's minions saw us at Woody's after a raid. Next thing we knew was Stockwell and Gardner, Brian's boss and business partner, coming to the loft. They saw enough to prove who was doing the posters. He lost his job. I lost my internship. No more money for college, besides I got suspended. Eventually, I apologized to the board of professors about what I'd done, but they wanted me to apologize to him. I couldn't do that. So...to sum it up, I haven't finished college because of Stockwell, if you may."

"Wow. That's crazy."

"Well, it's not stopping me from being here right now and smooching with these snobs. How did you meet Simon?"

"Glenn landed me a spot at NY Philharmonic."

Justin whistled. "Impressive."

"I befriended Natalie, the manager, and told her about Glenn and you know our history. She helped me kick him to the curb. I had a secured spot there, even without an agent. Then one night, after a recital, Simon came to me. I accepted his invitation for coffee because I knew he was queer and he'd never tell me to hide."

"At least, you finally woke up. Nothing, not even your art, is worth hiding who you are."

"Yes, well...and since then he brings me to these parties."

"What about the Philharmonic?"

"I still play there. Actually, I have a concert this weekend in Central Park, for Christmas. If you don't go home…"

"I'd love to come." Justin smiled, putting out his cigarette. "I'm not going home. I went for Thanksgiving and it gave me a headache."

"Family." He chuckled.

Justin hesitated to explain why he wasn't willing to go back home. "Listen, maybe we could catch up. I see Simon looking around agitated." He nodded through the glass.

"He lost his prodigy." Ethan winked. "Are you free tomorrow for breakfast?"

"Make it brunch. I like to sleep in. Have you forgotten?" He joked teasingly, unsure why he was heading to dangerous territory.

"Brunch it is."

"This is my card. Simon made it for me. Fancy, huh?" Justin handed him a styled business card.

Ethan squinted at it in the slight darkness. "Smooth. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Give me a call when you want to meet and where," Justin said over his shoulder, heading inside.