Unexpected Birthday

Justin had no expectations for the day. It was just another day as far as Brian was concerned, of that Justin was sure.

The young man stepped out of the shower, wishing he had awakened Brian when he came in. But the older man looked so comfortable, and cute, that he didn’t have the heart to disturb him. He finished brushing his teeth then smiled into the mirror, making sure all the toast crumbs were gone. Satisfied, he walked back into the bedroom, naked, wanting only to crawl into the warm bed next to his sleeping lover. He had just gotten back from a late shift at the diner and Brian had been asleep when he came in at 3am. He would have been earlier, but he decided to eat some eggs and toast before he left. He knew how bare the Kinney cupboards were.

“What took you so long, Sunshine?”

Startled, Justin looked out to the direction of the voice. Brian was standing at the bottom of the stairs, fully dressed with a suitcase by his side.

“You going on a business trip?” That was the only thing he could think of, and he tried to keep his disappointment hidden. Brian was going to miss this birthday all together. Maybe he should just stop having birthdays.

“No,” Brian smiled. “We’re going on a little trip.”

“We?”

“Yes, we. That is if you’ll hurry and get dressed. Our plane leaves in two and a half hours and you know we have to be there two hours early these days.”

Brian watched as a sunshine smile broke out on the younger man’s face. Justin jumped down the stairs and landed in Brian’s arms. “Where are we going? Why didn’t you tell me? When did you plan this?”

“Whoa, there, Baby. One question at a time. Not telling, cause I wanted to surprise you, a few weeks ago. Now get dressed. Quickly, please.”

They settled into their first class seats and Brian still hadn’t said anything about where they were going. The flight was to Atlanta and Justin wondered what was there that was so special.

“What’s in Atlanta, Brian.?” Justin was almost afraid that it was a business trip, and Brian had just brought him along because he felt sorry leaving him on his birthday. Well, if that was the case, he’d make the most of it and be thankful.

The flight attendant’s voice came over the intercom. “We want to welcome all of you and thank you for flying with Liberty Air today. This is flight 1228 to Atlanta and continuing on to the US Virgin Islands...” She continued on with her patented speech, but Justin’s mind stayed with the final destination.

Brian had his head buried in the Liberty Air magazine that he pulled from the seat back pocket in front of him as soon as the flight attendant started talking. Suddenly, the magazine flew from his hands and landed on the floor at his feet and his arms were full of the blond young man. “You better buckle your seatbelt,” Brian said casually. “The plane is taxiing.”

Justin did as he was told, but couldn’t turn his smile off even if he tried. Brian reached over and took Justin’s hand in his, comforted just by having the younger man at his side.

The boys slept almost the whole way to the Caribbean island, waking for a few minutes as they landed in Atlanta.

Refreshed, they checked into the luxury hotel and were shown to one of the private cottages on the beach, and although neither was tired, they both found their way to the large bed as soon as the valet left. They quicky undressed and spent the rest of the morning making love. Justin was trying to show Brian his appreciation every way he knew how.

Lunch was a marvelous shrimp and lobster salad, served at an outdoor restaurant. The view of the Caribbean Sea was spectacular. The ever changing blues and greens appealed to the young artist and he vowed to paint it. He took several pictures to be sure he got the colors just right.

They sipped wine and ate a cool sorbet for dessert.

“Brian, this is the best birthday ever. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I’m sorry it’s only a weekend, but I can’t take the time from work right now, and you still have school on Monday.”

Justin nodded. “Yeah. All those poor people in Pittsburgh. In the cold.” Justin suddenly sat up. “My mom. What if she tries to call me? We were supposed to go to dinner with her and Molly. And my shift at the diner...”

“It’s all taken care of, Sunshine.”

“You mean they know? All of them? No one said a word to me.”

“That’s because I threatened them with their very lives if they said anything to you. I didn’t think Debbie or Emmett could keep the secret, though. I called Debbie from the airport.” Justin joined Brian in a little laugh at that.

The rest of the day was spent sightseeing. Brian even rented one of those little open air jeeps and drove around the island. Justin took several roles of film, wanting to remember every detail.

For supper, Brian and Justin opted for room service and sat on the private patio facing the water. They fed each other the delicately cooked fish and pieces of fruit, licking fingers and kissing between bites.

The setting sun had painted the sky with streaks of red, yellow and orange, ever changing as the sun slowly moved toward the horizon. Certainly, you never saw these colors in Pittsburgh. A soft breeze blew through the trees.

The lovers sat in silence and watched the sun dip into the dark blue water.

“This is perfect, Brian.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Brian said, kissing his lover. “Sorry, I couldn’t do anything about all our commitments back home this time, but I promise, the next time, we’ll be able to spend a longer time here.”

Justin thought about “next time” and pulled Brian into a tight embrace, thankful that the patio was so private.

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