Taking a Chance on Love

"You busy tomorrow afternoon?" Brian asked Justin shortly after the guys had seated themselves on the floor in front of their fake fireplace.

"It would have to be something really important to make me busy if you have something in mind," Justin responded with a degree of eagerness. "But it just happens that I am not otherwise engaged in the afternoon tomorrow, so I can put myself completely at your service."

"Sounds good to me," Brian laughed, "But it's not my service that I have in mind, intriguing as that might be, and you're free to decline if you choose after I tell you what's up. A farewell party at the office for Rodney, the so-called intern."

"You're letting Rodney slip away," Justin laughed back. "With your luck, he'll end up with the competition and you'll lose a lot of business."

"Well with our luck, and good luck it is, he is going to end up with the competition," Brian chortled. "They're hiring him."

"Brian," Justin cautioned. "You always said Rodney was the very worst intern you have ever had down there. You can't have written him a recommendation."

"Yep, I did," Brian confessed. "I just wrote that he always went far beyond what we asked him to do. I didn't say that he was always wrong when he did that. Mann and Steele is just hiring him because they think they can learn stuff about how we operate. Well, they'll learn all right - but nothing about how we operate. I'm sure good old dependable Rodney will cause them no end of trouble before he's finished."

"If you're so glad to get rid of poor old Rod," Justin smiled, "Why a big party?"

"Just because we are so happy to be getting rid of him," Brian told him. "We even invited Mann and Steele to attend. We'll officially turn Rodney over to them at the end of the party."

"I think maybe you just hate Rodney because he put those True Love by Computer questionnaires into the computer and you didn't turn out so good," Justin posited.

"Oh no," Brian stopped him. "It wasn't that I didn't turn out so good - not at all. And it wasn't me who was mad either. It was you who were mad when we found out we were rated 'incompatible.' I always knew we were incompatible. I was mad because he did that without authorization, but I wasn't mad about the results. It was you that True Love By Computer thought was a perfect match for Rodney. And I think Rodney thought so too."

"Well how come you want me to come to this farewell shindig for Rodney, Bri?" Justin wondered. "I hope there is no ulterior motive involved."

"How could you even suspect an ulterior motive from Brian Kinney, your incompatible lover, Baby?" Brian recoiled. "It's not me who wants you there. It's Rodney who wants you there. He said it would make everything perfect if you were there. I told you lots of times that he had eyes for you. If you ever decide to dump me, Baby, Rodney will be waiting for you with open arms."

"Gee whiz, Brian," Justin responded. "You don't need to threaten me. I am very satisfied with you even if we are technically incompatible. I think I'll stay with you in spite of the great opportunity Rodney might present. You're not all that bad, you know."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence," Brian replied mockingly.

"You're not afraid of exposing me to Rodney's charms then," Justin mocked back. "You must be pretty sure of yourself with me."

"Maybe I'm just taking a chance on love, Sweetheart, " Brian told him. "If I can't hold you when other guys are trying to take you away, maybe I never had you in the first place. I read that in Dear Abby or someplace."

"You read Dear Abby?" Justin marveled. "No wonder you always do the right thing. No wonder you've got me crazy in love with you. And here I thought it was all because of how romantic you are."

"Nope," Brian admitted. "Handling you requires all the help I can get."

"I am laughing because that's funny, Brian Kinney," Justin responded. "And I have no intention at all of telling you why that's funny either - and I bet you haven't got a clue."

"I thought there weren't any secrets between us," Brian groused. "Don't you expect me to tell you everything?"

"Maybe not," Justin grinned. "Much as we love each other, maybe there might be some things that are better not shared. Not many, but maybe a few."

"That's very interesting," Brian mused. "Well are you coming to Rodney's coming-out party or not?" Brian returned to the original subject. "It's up to you. I told Rodney I'd ask you and I asked you. I can stand the competition. Brian Kinney is nothing if not confidant that he can hold onto his guy."

"With Rodney as the competition," Justin laughed. "Yeah, I'll go. And maybe I'll just do a little flirting with Rodney to see how Brian Kinney reacts. That might be fun."

"Taking a chance on love, eh?" Brian laughed back.

"I guess you could say that," Justin agreed and the conversation died out, at least for a while. But not forever.

"Hey, Brian," Justin reopened the discussion. "I think I was wrong before when I said there might be some secrets we should keep from each other. I was wrong. I don't have any secrets from you and I hope you don't have any secrets from me. You don't, do you?"

"Well," Brian hesitated. "There might be just one thing that I maybe ought to tell you that I haven't told you yet. It's not a big thing and I meant to tell you a while ago but the opportunity never presented itself - or I guess the right time never presented itself."

"Not you and Rodney?" Justin laughingly proposed.

"It's about Rodney all right," Brian admitted, "But it's about us too. Remember when Rodney submitted our True Love by Computer questionnaires and we came out incompatible. Well, like Rodney was used to doing, he did it wrong. Cynthia ran them and we came out a great match."

"And how long have you known this?" Justin inquired, holding back his amusement.

"Since the day after you got the wrong response from Rodney," Brian confessed. "It was just too much fun for me to let you know the truth. I'm sorry, I guess."

"Well weren't you taking a chance on love?" Justin asked him. "What if I would have taken that message seriously, left you, and taken up with Rodney? I was a good match with Rodney too. You might have been taking a big chance, Kinney.'

"Probably," Brian agreed.

"Probably," Justin was aghast. "Probably. You risked me ending up with Rodney. I hate you, Brian Kinney."

"I like it better when you love me," Brian whispered.

"Of course you ought to know I still love you even when I hate you, Brian," Justin reasoned patiently. "Sometimes you just don't get it. Maybe we are really incompatible. I'll have to take a better look at Rod tomorrow. Rodney and me were a good match too, remember."

"Actually not," Brian told him. "I told you Cynthia ran your questionnaire with Rodney's, but actually she had Rodney do the running. He did it wrong again. You're not a good match for Rodney. I should have told you before this. I hope you're not disappointed. It's not very likely that you and Rod would work out at all."

"And that's why you're letting me come to Rodney's party," Justin laughed. "You're not taking a chance on love at all."

"I hope not," Brian told him. He wasn't, and they both knew that he wasn't.

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