Extra little note:  I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get out this next chapter, but, well, here it is.  I hope you all enjoy it.

 

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“Justin…Justin, wake up.”

 

“Hmph?” the blond mumbled, turning onto his back and stretching.

 

“Wake up, baby,” Brian softly purred, running his hands along the soft, warm skin of his sleepy lover.

 

“Wha…what’s going on?” Justin asked, squinting his eyes at all the light that surrounded the once darkened room.

 

“Surprise.”

 

Forcing his eyes open, the younger man instantly beamed at what he saw.  Scattered around the room were dozens of candles, all burning brightly and giving off a warm and wonderful scent.  And sitting on the nightstand were two wine glasses, each half-filled with dark, rich liquid.  But the best part of it all was the gooey chocolate cake that was lit with what Justin assumed were eighteen candles, just waiting to be blown out.

 

“Brian…” Justin whispered, so overcome with emotion.

 

“Happy birthday, baby.  You didn’t think I’d forget your cake, did you?”

 

“Well, I, uh….it’s just that you already did so many wonderful things for me, that I didn’t even think about it.”

 

“But I did.  And we couldn’t have you turn eighteen without making a wish.  I would have done it earlier, but, um, well, we got kind of distracted,” the man said with a wicked smile.  “Come on, Justin.  Make a wish and blow out your candles and hope that it comes true.”

 

Justin looked down at the beautiful cake, then up at his amazingly beautiful lover and smiled.  He closed his eyes and made a wish then opened them quickly and in one deep breath blew out all of the lit candles that adorned his cake.  Smiling once again, he leaned forward, brushing his lips against his boyfriend’s and he knew that all his wishes had already come true, the moment he’d fallen in love with Brian.

 

He only hoped that he could count on just one more. 

 

Pulling back, Brian reached for the two wine glasses on the nightstand, handing one to Justin.  “A toast,” he said, then continued,  “May your life be filled with love and happiness and may I always be lucky enough to be a part of it.”

 

With that, they clinked their glasses together and took a sip of the wine, both of them smiling as the dark liquid warmed their throats as it slid down.

 

“Now, about that cake…” Justin said with a shy smile and Brian just laughed, knowing that the blond’s stomach was bound to make its presence known sooner or later.

 

“It’s all yours baby…all yours,” Brian replied, handing his lover a fork and watching as the man happily dug in.

 

“Mmm, this is so good,” the blond said around a mouth full of cake.

 

“Mmm, it is,” Brian agreed, leaning forward to lick the drop of icing that had landed on his lover’s chin.  “It definitely is.”

 

***************

 

“I don’t want to go home, Brian.  I had such a great time with you and I don’t want it to end,” the younger man said quietly, running his fingers along the cowry shell bracelet that Brian had given him.

 

“I know, baby.  Me too.  But just think…one day soon, hopefully, we won’t have to be separated.  We’ll be in New York, and together all the time.”  The tone of Brian’s voice was so hopeful.

 

“Yeah, I know you’re right, it’s just that, it doesn’t seem to make it any easier right now,” Justin said sadly.

 

“I know.  I know.”  Brian didn’t know what else to say.  He felt exactly the same way that Justin did…probably even more so. 

 

With a deep, resonating sigh, Justin reached back into the rear of the jeep and grabbed his overnight bag, laying it on his lap.  “Well, I guess I’d better go in.  I don’t want to give my Mom any ideas again.”

 

Nodding solemnly, Brian leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against his lover’s lips then sat back, locking eyes with the man.  “Soon, baby…soon.”

 

Justin didn’t know what to say so he just nodded…and hoped that his wish came true.

 

*****************

 

“Justin, get up or you’ll be late for school,” Jennifer called to her son.

 

“I’m up…I’m up,” Justin grumbled, dragging himself from his warm, comfy bed as he headed toward the bathroom.  “Another Monday,” he groaned as he climbed into the shower and turned on the spray, sighing as the soothing water ran over his tired body.

 

Little did he know that it would be a Monday like never before.

 

***************

 

“Hey, Bri.”

 

“Hey,” Brian answered automatically when he heard his lover’s voice.  He looked up with a smile, which instantly changed to a look of horror when he saw Justin’s face.  “Baby, what the fuck happened to you?” He asked, rushing out from behind the counter.

 

“Nothing.  I guess my face just got in the way.”

 

“What?  Who the hell did this to you?” Brian asked, his words brimming over with anger.

 

Reluctantly, Justin answered.  “Chris Hobbs.”

 

“That fucking piece of shit.”  Even though he was younger than Brian, everyone knew who Chris Hobbs was.  His father was loaded and one of the most prominent business men in their town, and Chris seemed to ride the coat tails of his reputation, figuring that he could do whatever he pleased because no one would dare mess with his old man.

 

“Yeah, well, no new information there,” Justin said with a slight smile then winced from the pain it caused.

 

“I’m gonna find that son of a bitch and teach him a lesson or two,” Brian fumed, already moving toward the door.

 

“No, Brian, don’t,” Justin said quickly, reaching out to stop his irate lover from leaving.  “It’ll just make things worse.”

 

Brian stopped and turned to face Justin, looking deep into his baby-blues and seeing something there.  Something that he hadn’t seen before.  “Justin, what’s going on?  Has he been pushing you around?”

 

The blond’s eyes shifted downwards, not wanting to admit that Chris HAD been bullying him for quite a while now.  He felt ashamed and embarrassed and he didn’t want his boyfriend to see it.

 

“Justin, look at me.”  Slowly, the blond raised his eyes and when they met his, Brian felt his heart break.  The answer was there.  No questions. 

 

“I…I didn’t know what to do,” Justin whispered, his eyes clouding over with tears.

 

“You should have said something, baby.  I would’ve made sure that he never bothered you again.”  Brian’s fingers played across the soft skin of his boyfriend’s face, avoiding the red welt on his left cheek and the swollen and split lip.

 

“I know you would have, but, I didn’t want him to hurt you.  He’s an asshole, Brian and so are his friends.  They could have done anything to you and I wouldn’t take that chance.”

 

Unable to contain his smile, Brian shook his head at the unbelievable strength and stubbornness of his lover and said, “No, but it was okay for them to torment you.  My pit bull.”  Laughing slightly, he said, “Should I even ask what Chris looks like?”

 

Grinning wickedly, Justin shrugged his shoulder and replied, “Well, I don’t think that he’s gonna be winning any beauty contests for a while.  Not with his black eye and that front tooth of his missing.”

 

“My big, tough man,” Brian whispered intimately, reaching down to brush his lips tenderly across Justin’s.

 

Suddenly, as if an invisible force had shot between them, they separated and tried to act casually as Brian’s father approached.

 

“So, what’s going on here?” Jack asked, noticing the awkwardness between the two boys.  Then he saw Justin’s face.  “Hey, who used you for a punching bag?” he inquired with a wide smile and a lilt in his voice.

 

Brian’s stomach lurched at the sound and sight of his father’s face.  All too many times he’d been on the receiving end of his father’s particular brand of discipline and ended up looking just like Justin…if not worse.

 

“Uh, I just got into a fight at school with one of the other kids,” Justin answered reluctantly.

 

“Well, looks like you’re gonna have a pretty good reminder of it there.  Wear it with pride, son.”  And with that bit of wisdom, Jack headed out the front door, calling to his son that he was leaving and to make sure that Ricky cleaned out the storeroom before he left.

 

Brian’s eyes narrowed as he watched his father’s retreat and was lost in the memories of all the times that Jack had given him too many reminders to forget.  He didn’t even realize that he was shaking until he felt Justin’s arms around him and heard his whispered words…

 

“It’s okay, Bri…calm down…he’s just a prick…he doesn’t matter anymore…nothing matters but us…”

 

Brian shook his head and looked down at his lover’s angelic face and realized that what he was saying was true.  His father didn’t matter.  Chris Hobbs didn’t matter.  No one in that fucking town mattered.  The only thing that mattered was Justin and him.  Together.  And not one fucking thing else.

 

“Come on, let’s get outta here.”

 

“What about Ricky and telling him about the storeroom?”

 

“Fuck it.  I’ll deal with it in the morning.”  Brian grabbed his keys from behind the counter, then he took hold of Justin’s hand and together they headed out of the store.

 

Fuck everyone else.  They had what they needed in each other.  And that was everything.

 

***************

 

“Justin, what happened to your face?” Jennifer gasped when her son walked into the kitchen.

 

“Nothing, Mom.  I just got into a fight at school.  Nothing big.”

 

“Nothing big?  How can you say that?  Have you seen your face?” Jennifer asked, horrified.

 

“Yeah, and it looks worse than it is.”  Justin didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.  He knew that his mother would want to call Mrs. Hobbs and he was certain that that would just make things worse.  So he down played the whole ordeal and hoped that his mother would just let it go.

 

No such luck.

 

“Craig…Craig…come in here.”

 

“Mom, please, don’t.  I’m alright,” Justin pleaded.  He knew that once his father got involved, things would definitely get out of hand.

 

“What’s going on?  Can’t a man read the newspaper in peace?  All day long I have to…”  But Craig stopped his incessant rambling as soon as he saw his son’s face.  “Justin, what the hell happened to you?  Who did this?”

 

“It’s nothing, Dad.  I just had a little trouble at school.  That’s all.”

 

“Well, what the hell did you do?” Craig demanded, his eyes blazing at his son.

 

Justin was floored.  Why did his father just assume that HE’D done something, when all he’d done was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Hell, as far as Chris Hobbs was concerned, he’d been in the wrong everything by just being HIM. 

 

“Well, what did you do?” Craig asked impatiently.

 

“Nothing, Dad.  I didn’t do anything,” the younger man answered defeatedly.  He wondered if his father would ever be on his side.

 

Craig scoffed then asked, “Who did this?”

 

“Just a kid at school.”  Justin didn’t want to tell him who it was because his father and Chris’s were friends and close business associates and he knew it would only add fuel to his father’s accusations that it was Justin’s fault somehow.

 

Craig glared at his son.  He knew there was more to the story than he was letting on.  He shook his head and sighed.  “Well, when you’re at Dartmouth, there better not be any of this sort of trouble.  I won’t stand for it.”

 

Once again, Justin was floored.  His father knew that he didn’t want to go to Dartmouth, but the man just wouldn’t let it go.  Wouldn’t even try to see his side.  He opened his mouth, ready to let his father know, for the umpteenth time that he wanted something different for his life, but was cut off before he could even begin.

 

“Not again, Justin.  I don’t want to hear it. I said you’re going to Dartmouth and that’s final.”

 

Justin’s eyes met his father’s and what he found there left him speechless and crushed.  His father wasn’t interested in what he wanted or what he had to say.  There was no room for discussion or debate.  His father’s ice-cold blue eyes staved off any inkling of hope that he had that maybe…just possibly…he could make the man understand.  But now, he knew it was pointless.  He’d never see Justin’s side.  He wouldn’t even try.

 

At that moment, Justin felt something inside of him crack.  He wasn’t sure if it was his heart or his sense of belonging or what.  But he felt it.  And it felt like the frame on a picture of his life starting at the moment of his first childhood memory until that point had crashed to the ground, smashing the protective glass covering the images into a million little pieces that would never be whole again.

 

Justin didn’t say a word.

 

There was nothing left to say.

 

***************

 

The next few weeks passed in a blur.

 

The boys saw as much of each other as possible, spending every free moment together and growing impossibly closer.

 

Neither one of them thought about what would happen if Justin didn’t get accepted to The New York Academy of Art.  They couldn’t fathom the thought of being separated. 

 

A few weeks before school was over, Justin came home to find several letters waiting for him in their mailbox.  He quickly removed them, leaving the rest of the mail there for his parents to get, not wanting to give them any reason to question him about the letters he’d received.

 

Heading into the house, he was confronted by his mother and quickly shoved the letters into his knapsack before she saw them.

 

“Justin, I need some help out in the garage so go get changed and then come out and help me, please,” Jennifer said.

 

“Sure, I’ll be there in a minute,” Justin said, realizing that he’d have to leave the letters until later.

 

After dinner, Justin headed up to his room, locked the doors and pulled the letters from his knapsack.  He read the return address on each of them and felt his heart drop.

 

Opening the envelopes he pulled out the letters and smiled briefly, having been accepted once again.  All in all that made four schools so far that he’d applied to and four acceptance letters.  The problem was, that none of them were the one that he’d been waiting for.

 

***************

 

Growing impatient after waiting another week, Justin decided to make a call to The New York Academy of Art and find out exactly what was going on. 

 

His surprise and shock at what was about to transpire after that was something that he hadn’t prepared himself for.

 

Upon contacting the school, he’d been transferred from one extension to another, finally reaching the right person.  He explained that he’d been waiting for a response and hadn’t received one, either positive or negative from the school.  The woman put him on hold and when she returned, she informed him that his letter of acceptance had been mailed out several weeks before.  He felt a sense of relief at knowing that he’d been accepted but told her that he’d never received it and would she be kind enough to send him another copy.

 

The silence on the other end of the line felt like a thousand years long as Justin anxiously awaited her response.

 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor,” the woman began.  “But, I can’t do that.”

 

“Why not?” Justin asked, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention.

 

“Well, all the spaces have been filled, including the one left by you when you didn’t respond to our letter.  The cut off date for the $500.00 deposit fee and receipt of appropriate forms has passed.  I’m so sorry, Mr. Taylor, but there’s nothing I can do.  Possibly you can reapply for next year?”

 

Justin was crushed.

 

He thanked the woman weakly and hung up the phone.  He felt numb.  He didn’t understand what had happened.  He’d received all the other acceptance letters so why not this one?  Suddenly, as if a light had gone off in his head he jumped off his bed and scrambled downstairs.

 

He bounded into the kitchen and instantly asked his mother if she’d seen a letter from The Academy, to which she quickly answered ‘no’.  She didn’t have any idea of what he was referring to.

 

That’s when things got worse.

 

Overhearing the commotion, Craig entered the kitchen and saw his son’s face, so full of anger and sadness and realized what was going on.  He couldn’t help the smug look that plastered itself across his face as his son turned toward him.

 

“And what about you, Dad, do you know anything about a certain acceptance letter that’s gone missing?”

 

Craig looked stone-faced at his son and evenly replied, “Of course I do, Justin.  I got the mail, tore it up and threw it in the trash.”

 

“What?” the blond asked quietly, completely in shock at his father’s reply.  “I don’t understand.  Why did you tear it up?”  Holding up all the other acceptance letters that he’d received from Penn State, NYU, Boston University and Dartmouth, Justin didn’t understand why his father hadn’t torn those up as well.  Then he realized why.  They were from universities while the other was from an ART school.  His father’s voice ripped him from his shocked state.

 

“There was no reason for you to see it, because you weren’t going there.  You’re going to Dartmouth, just like we agreed.”

 

“WE didn’t agree on anything,” Justin shouted, loosing every once of restraint.  “WE don’t care what I want to do with MY life.  WE only care about what YOU want for my life.  Living vicariously through me, Dad?  So unsatisfied with the outcome of your own boring life that you have to pin your hopes and dreams on ME?”

 

“Justin, you shut your mouth, RIGHT NOW!” Craig screamed, startling both his wife and son with his incredible rage.  “I don’t want you to get stuck in some little town with some boring job that only seems tolerable when you think that in a few years you’ll be able to retire and leave that boring job, only to spend every single boring day at home.”  Craig’s anger had fizzled out by the end of his confession, giving way to self-pity.

 

“Craig,” Jennifer sighed, wiping the tears from her face as they fell.  She didn’t know what to say.

 

“Dad, I…I’m sorry that you feel that way.  I didn’t know, but you can’t expect me to fill your emptiness.  It’s my life and I have to live it for ME, not for your regrets.”  Justin tried to stay calm as he made one last attempt to reason with his father.

 

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Craig closed his eyes, seeming to be searching for the right thing to say, but when he opened his mouth and began, Justin knew it was all over.  “Justin, like I said before, you’re going to Dartmouth.”

 

Justin’s eyes moved from his father, to his mother, finally settling back on his father again.  Nodding his head slowly, his eyes betraying his unbelievable sadness and defeat, he said nothing as he turned and headed upstairs.

 

Smiling smugly, Craig knew that he’d finally won.  He couldn’t believe that Justin had relented, but the nod told him that his son had finally accepted his fate.  He went back into the living room and sat down on the sofa.  Picking his newspaper up he focused back on the article he’d been reading, completely oblivious to his wife who was standing in the middle of the room, shattered.

 

As Justin entered his room and shut the door, he leaned against it, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.  He knew what his father and mother thought.  That he’d finally given in, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.  Justin’s nod wasn’t a sign of acceptance of his father’s demands, but it WAS a private acceptance of sorts. 

 

He’d come to terms with the reality that his parents were not going to change their minds, or see what he wanted or needed.  The thing was, that Justin had no intention of doing what they expected of him.  He was a man…a smart man…and he knew where his future lay.  In New York…at NYU…with Brian…and he would follow HIS dreams, with or without his parents help. 

 

He smiled, when he realized that with all the devious planning his father had done, the man wasn’t as smart as he’d thought.  The acceptance letter from NYU was for their fine arts program…so Justin WOULD study art, not business, and live his life the way HE wanted…as an artist.

 

And Craig could go fuck himself.

 

 

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