More Repercussions

Part 6

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They held each other for several minutes. The others quietly returned to their eating now that there was nothing to listen to.

“I’m still not saying yes, but tell me the plan. I know you have one, so spill,” Justin said.

“Well, it really depends on you and where you want to go. Vermont is the closest obviously, but there are other choices. Here, I had Cynthia do some research,” said Brian as he handed Justin a piece of paper.

“You did?” Justin shocked.

“Yes and if she doesn’t stop giggling about it, I am going to fire her ass.”

“Everyone, including Cynthia, knows you could never do that. When she took that week off to visit her father, things didn’t go so well. I called at three o’clock on Monday and that poor temp was crying. I talked to her for a while to calm her down. She was scared to put my call through. That poor woman,” chuckled Justin.

“I can’t abide incompetence, Justin.”

“I am sure you are exaggerating, but apparently you have quite a reputation among the other secretaries. She said she had been warned but she needed the extra money. I still can’t believe you were that mean to a pregnant woman.” Justin said shaking his head.

“She wasn’t pregnant,” said Brian, defensively.

“Yes, she was or is, that’s why she needed the extra money. Her boyfriend deserted her.”

“Justin, she was skinnier than Cynthia. And if you ever tell Cynthia I said that I’ll deny it to the death. I’ll have to because she will kill me.”

“She was only three months along, she said that mornings were still a bit tough.”

“I didn’t know, but she’ll get maternity leave it’s not like she is going to be broke.”

“No, she won’t, she will have only worked there for eleven months and you have to have a year in to get it.”

“You found all this out in one conversation?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t really do much with the employees, Vance takes care of that. But I am sure that if she talks to him. I mean I know he is an ass, but he can be okay at times.”

“I suggested that but apparently Vance threatened to fire her right then and she has no guarantee of getting her job back when she comes back after the baby is born. She was hoping to save up enough to stay home for six weeks.”

“I’ll look into it on Monday.”

Brian heard Justin’s stomach rumble. “Let’s finish eating and then go home and discuss our wedding,” suggested Brian.

“It’s not the wedding that I am worried about it’s the marriage,” mumbled Justin.

“What? I didn’t hear you?”

“Uh. Okay, but don’t think you are going to change my mind with sex. I gave you my answer and I don’t plan on changing my mind.”

“I guess, we are in for some pretty long arguments because I don’t plan on taking no for an answer,” sighed Brian.

They returned to the table and began to eat once again. Justin and the others started on their meals but Brian just picked at his food. An uncomfortable silence settled over the table.

Brian got up from the table and went into the living room and pulled out his cell phone. Everyone couldn’t help but hear his side of the conversation.

“Cyn, how is it going?”

“Great.  Yeah, blue for the background.”

“Listen what’s the name of the temp I had last month.”

“Emily, right I couldn’t remember. Is she pregnant?”

“Fuck, you should have told me that before you left. I would have been a little less of an asshole.”

“Is it true that baldy won’t give her maternity leave because she is a couple of weeks short of the requirement.”

“Asshole.  What about making her your assistant? You’ve been looking for someone. Do you think you could work together?”

“Great, talk to her on Monday.”

“How was last night did you get lucky? Have you fallen for yet another asshole that is going to break your heart in less than a month? Making my life hell for days.”

“I know, but you love me anyway. Don’t stay too late. Bye.”

Brian returned to the table and finally started eating his food that was cold, but he didn’t care. Justin stared at him until Brian couldn’t stand it anymore. “What?”

“A few minutes ago you asked me why I would want to be stuck with you forever? The answer is simple and you just displayed it.”

Brian started to say something but Justin stopped him with a kiss.

“I know what you did. You were upset at the way you treated Emily so now you are going to have her be Cynthia’s new assistant so you can help her.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” answered Brian, evenly.

“I know that you control Cynthia’s salary and her bonuses. I am willing to bet that you secured that in the partnership agreement. So, if you make Emily your personal employee you have the ultimate say on salary and time off.”

“Just finish your meal.” Brian snapped.

“You are a good man, Brian Kinney, and that is why anyone would be lucky to be stuck with you forever!”

“But I don’t want just anyone, I want you. The question is, will you agree to be stuck with me forever?”

“We’ll talk later.”

Trying to change the subject, Lindsay asks “why is Cynthia at the office on a Saturday? You are not being a slave driver are you?”

“No, she left before lunch yesterday. She was in a wedding and wanted to get ready. You know always the bridesmaid never the bride,” chuckled Brian.

“That’s not nice,” said Deb.

“Maybe not but it’s true, she has been a bridesmaid nine times.”

“Doesn’t surprise me a bit, she seems like someone that would have a lot of friends. If I were getting married I’d ask her,” said Justin, before he realized what he was saying.

“Well, you are so you can ask her, but I get to pick her dress.”

“You gave her time off for it, that surprises me, considering your opinion of weddings,” said Mel.

“I said I didn’t care but that there was some prep work that needed to be done for a very important presentation that I have on Monday. She said she would do it today. Besides we have a deal I get to see a picture of her in the dress she has to wear. After seeing some of the dresses, I’m not sure those brides are really her friends. They are seriously the funniest things I have ever seen.  One of the weddings had a Victorian theme, I didn’t get anything done for the whole day after I saw that picture I couldn’t stop laughing.”

“You wouldn’t believe some of the awful dresses I had to wear. I was a bridesmaid four, no five times,” laughed Jennifer. “It was the early to mid-eighties so I’m sure you can just imagine. I was even a bridesmaid when I was pregnant with Justin. I tried to use it as an excuse to get out of it but it didn’t work. I was quite a sight waddling up the aisle in hot pink taffeta.”

They laughed and kept on eating. Quiet conversations filled the air as everyone talked to the people they were sitting next to.

“Mel, would it be better to have the ceremony in this country or are the foreign countries an option. Obviously, we will do it wherever the policy will recognize it.” Brian asked.

“It doesn’t specify so wherever you wish, I guess,” she answered.

“We will have to talk to the doc and make sure you are cleared to fly,” Brian said to Justin. “if not, there is always Vermont.”

“Brian, I said no.”

“Justin, you are going to have to get over this, we are wasting time. Decisions have to made so Cynthia can get started on the arrangements. Do you have a passport? Because that could be a deciding factor on where too. Hawaii is in the country and yet still it would be a great trip. If you don’t decide soon, I’ll have to.”

Justin looked at his lover helplessly. “Be right back,” Justin said, as he left the table.

“Where are you going?” Brian asked, concerned.

“Bathroom.”

As soon as Justin was upstairs, Michael looked at his best friend. “What the hell are you doing? You can’t play with his head when he is this sick. I let you, we all let you get away with a lot but this isn’t right Brian.”

“What the hell are you talking about, playing with his head? I am trying to help here. This is the only way and all your negativity isn’t working in my favor. What kind of best friend are you?”

“I am the kind of best friend that knows you better than anyone. I didn’t believe your shit when Justin left, I know you were lost and miserable. So now you are going to do the one thing that will push him away for good?”

“And what exactly do you think is going to push him away?”

“You breaking a promise.”

“What promise have I broken?”

“Not yet, but Brian Fucking Kinney married? Like that is ever going to work.”

“Michael, just because you have bought into all the love is wonderful all you have to do is believe in it and everything will be beautiful and perfect crap that I spend the better part of my work week trying to create doesn’t mean that is what it takes to be committed to someone. If everything always worked out so wonderfully then 60% of all marriages wouldn’t end in divorce.  I think that everyone at this table would have to agree that making a relationship work involves compromise and hard work. I may have run from this for most of my life but I am a very careful observer of people and I have learned a thing or two. I know better than anyone that this isn’t going to be easy.”

“You have to understand our concern Brian, you have a history of taking off when things get difficult. And that would shatter Justin at this point.” Mel says.

“First of all YOU are the last person I will take relationship advice from. The rest of you can save your breath to because you have no idea how we have been there for each other. When you see him now, it is on a good day. There are times when he can’t stand because of the pain, hell there are times when he can’t open his eyes. Not to mention the depression, I can’t stand to see him this way. It’s killing him,” Brian said. “It’s killing me,” he added quietly.

“Excuse me for wanting to get him healthy again. I am going to go check on him, this was obviously the wrong time and place for this. I have no idea why I thought I could count on all of you to be supportive for a change,” Brian snapped before he went upstairs.

When he got to the top of the stairs Brian could see that the door to the bathroom was open. When he walked past Michael’s room he noticed that Justin had curled up on the bed and was rocking bask and forth. Brian immediately went to him and held him.

Downstairs, everyone sat in shocked silence. Finally Vic turned to Jennifer “What do you think of all of this?”

Jennifer smiled, “just when I think I know Brian Kinney, he surprises me. It’s just like how he stayed at the hospital every night after the prom. Part of me may not be thrilled by it, but I can’t deny that he loves my son. And if I am going to complain and be scared by the bad then I guess I have to acknowledge the good. The bottom line is he will do  anything for Justin.”

“They have been up there quite awhile. I wonder what…” A funny look came over Michael’s face. “NO, not again. Not in MY room,” he said as he made his way up the stairs. He could hear them talking softly in his room. When he looked inside he couldn’t believe what he saw.

Brian was holding Justin and rubbing his back, Justin was in obvious pain and rocked back and forth. Brian was talking very softly, “it’s okay, baby. Just hold on to me, I’m here. I won’t go anywhere.”

With desperation in his voice Brian added, “Baby, you have to say yes. You have to let me help you. We can’t go on like this.”

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