Small Town
Part 20
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Justin didn’t care that his mother was calling him or that his grandparents were waiting for him to come back and join them. He entered his room and quietly shut the door behind him then locked it. There was no reason for him to slam the door. It wouldn’t make a difference. He knew that his father was done discussing his future. As far as the man was concerned, Justin would do what he said without question.
The blond had never felt so defeated in his entire life.
He didn’t bother turning on the light. The darkness seemed to match the way he felt inside. He crawled onto his bed, curled up on his side and let the tears that he would never let his father see fall.
Hearing his cell phone ring, Justin sniffed loudly and grabbed his knapsack off the floor then pulled out his phone. He didn’t bother looking at the call display. He was pretty sure who it would be.
“Hello.”
“Justin?”
“Yeah, Brian, it’s me.”
“What’s wrong?”
Sniffling again, trying his best to stop the tears from falling, Justin replied, “Everything.”
Hearing the pain in his lover’s voice, Brian instantly knew what he had to do. “I’m coming over.”
“No, you cant,” Justin said in a panic. “My parents are home and my grandparents are here.”
“I don’t care. I need to see you. I’ll climb up the trellis outside your window.”
Confused, Justin asked, “Brian, how do you know I have a trellis outside my window?”
Smiling knowingly, the brunet said, “Baby, there are so many things that I know about you.”
If he wasn’t so in love with the older man, he would have been spooked, but instead he just said, “Oh, okay.” He felt too weak to argue. Besides, he really needed Brian to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, even if he knew that it wouldn’t be.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Brian said then hung up.
Justin lay on his bed, clutching the disconnected phone in his hands, waiting for his savior to come.
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“Sorry, I gotta go,” Brian called over his shoulder as he walked out of the bar.
“See ya later, man,” his companion called out. He thought that he’d finally get a chance to be with Brian after lusting after the man for so long. He knew that Brian was gay. He’d been to Liberty Avenue a few times, just checking things out and had seen the man walking with a bunch of guys into a club called Babylon. He was surprised as hell to find out that he wasn’t the only one in town that was gay and had wanted so many times to talk to Brian about it, but he’d never had the courage, until tonight. Tonight he was going to make his move, and now, his chance was gone. Jim raised his glass and drained it of the amber liquid, feeling the burn as it slid down his throat. He looked in the direction that his friend had gone, but no one was there. He felt his stomach turn with the knowledge that he’d let the man slip away again without letting him know how he felt. He wondered if maybe he’d be lucky enough to get another chance.
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Justin heard a tapping at his window and quickly ran to open it.
“That’s not as easy as it looks,” Brian said as he climbed into the room then looked back down the way he’d come.
“Yeah, I know, I’ve used it before.”
Brian gave his lover a puzzled look, then said, “YOU. Sweet, little, innocent Justin has climbed out his window in the middle of the night?”
Rolling his eyes at the older man’s shock, the blond said, “Don’t get your panties in a knot,” to which he heard a snort from his boyfriend. Smiling for the first time that evening, Justin continued. “I’ve climbed out to go over to Daphne’s when she’s needed me and then snuck back in. Nothing daring or illicit.”
“Oh, and to think of all the images I had going around in my head. You could have scored some really big points if you had even come close to one of them,” Brian said with a wicked grin.
“Yeah, well, the most daring thing that I’ve ever done is to be with you, so no secrets here,” the blond said, landing on his back as he threw himself down dramatically on his bed. “But I bet that YOU could share a thing or two with me that might prove to be entertaining.”
Biting his lip nervously, not wanting to go there yet, Brian smiled and quickly changed the subject. “So, what’s the sad face for?” he asked, lying down on his stomach next to Justin so that he could see the blond’s face.
Instantly, any trace of relief that had come with Brian’s presence was gone. Justin felt the tears gather in the corners of his eyes as he looked at his lover’s face. “I…” He stopped and swallowed hard, trying to keep the sobs back. His eyes cast downwards and he tried again, this time barely above a whisper. “My father.”
“What happened?” Brian asked as he slipped his hand under the hem of Justin’s t-shirt and soothingly rubbed his stomach.
Justin knew that Brian was trying to calm him, but he couldn’t help it when the contact instantly sent a jolt of pleasure through his body. He sighed contentedly and tried to focus on what he was saying. “Um, my father freaked out about school. He wants me to go to Dartmouth and I don’t. I want to be an artist, not a businessman but he just can’t understand that. I…I feel so…I don’t know.” As hard as he tried, Justin couldn’t stop the tears that spilled over and ran down his face.
“So, why can’t he just let you go to the school that YOU want to?” the brunet asked, confused by the situation. From what his boyfriend had told him about his father, he seemed to be very supportive, so he didn’t understand why the man was being so controlling. It was Justin’s life, his future and career so shouldn’t he be allowed to choose it? He saw the tears escape Justin’s sad, blue eyes and quickly wiped them away as he slid his hand out from under his lover’s shirt.
“I can’t go to Dartmouth, Brian. I can’t.” Justin sobbed.
“Then you won’t.” Brian said with certainty.
“I won’t?” Justin asked, feeling a little stronger from his lover’s support.
“No. Justin, you have to make your own choices in life. You can’t let your father make them for you. It’s YOUR future, not his, so it’s your decision.”
“But, I…I don’t think that I can do it alone. Without his support.”
“You’re not alone,” Brian said softly, running his hand along the soft skin of the blond’s face and down along his arm.
Smiling at his lover’s words and feeling a warmth wash over him from the knowledge that he had Brian’s strength to help him, Justin reached up and placed a gentle kiss against his boyfriend’s full lips.
“Mmmm, you taste so good,” the older man whispered, licking his lips.
Justin’s smile beamed brighter.
As if a light had gone on inside Brian’s head, he instantly sat up and smiled down at his lover. “I have THE BEST idea,” he said loudly.
“Shhhhh, my parents,” Justin warned.
“Oh, sorry,” the brunet whispered, then got back down on his stomach and continued. “I’m sure there’s an art school in New York…”
“Actually, I applied to The New York Academy Of Art already. I’m just waiting to see if I get accepted. I should find out shortly. Why?”
“Because, remember, I told you that I’m going to NYU?”
“Yeah,” Justin replied, still confused.
“Man, and you’re supposed to be bright?” Brian chided, shaking his head. “I’M going to New York, YOU can go to New York…”
“Ohhh, so WE can be in New York together!” the blond exclaimed, finally getting with the program.
“Shhhh,” Brian reminded.
Justin blushed and smiled.
“Yeah, we can be together. I already have a full scholarship which includes enough for a small apartment, so we can live together and it won’t cost you anything.” Brian said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with hope. He watched his lover’s face and saw a frown appear and instantly wanted to kick himself for getting so far ahead. His eyes cast downwards and he quietly added, “Or, maybe you could see if…”
Justin heard the change in Brian’s voice. He saw the way his smile faded and his eyes shifted and he realized that he had to explain. Placing his hand on the side of his lover’s face and lifting it so that their eyes met, the blond said, “Bri, I would love to do that, be with you, but I…how? I can’t afford to pay for school. I don’t think that my dad will pay for it if I don’t go where he wants me to.”
Releasing the breath that he’d been holding and trying to get his heart to start beating again, Brian smiled and placed his hand over Justin’s then moved it to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his palm. “We’ll think of something. Trust me.”
“I do.”