New Connections

The guys sat themselves down in front of their fake fireplace with a little extra enthusiasm. They had been busy the past few days and were actually relieved to be able just to settle down and stare at the flashing flickers of flame darting back and forth. But things were still just a little bit less than perfect.

"No problems getting Wilson and Alan to the airport this afternoon?" Brian asked. "I was sorry I couldn't get away to drive them out."

"I think I can negotiate the Parkway West to the airport and back, Bri," Justin pretended to take offense, "Regardless of what you might think about my driving prowess. And I did too. Everything went well and they're already safely back home. I had an e-mail from Wil."

"And what did Wil have to say?" Brian wondered.

"You think I'm gonna tell you after what you did to us yesterday," Justin complained. "Alan stayed over an extra day to spend it with you at Kinnetics and you guys wouldn't even let me and Wilson come along - so we got to go to the zoo instead. Big secrets at Kinnetics I guess. Well I don't even want to know what went on, but I don't see why I should tell you what Wilson said to me either."

"Baby," Brian reasoned. "Alan is a real smart guy. I like him a lot and he likes me too, business-wise I mean so you don't need to go where you're thinking of going. Alan knows some people in Atlanta who are looking for a new advertising agency. He's going to tell them about Kinnetics so I may have to do some traveling to Atlanta…."

"Without me I suppose," Justin interrupted him. "Poor old Justin can just sit around here all by himself while you're traipsing off to Atlanta. I guess I could go to the zoo to pass the lonely hours."

"Poor old Justin?" Brian chortled. "Old Justin. Now there's an image for you. Nah, poor old Justin can come along if he wants to. His cousin Wilson can take poor old Justin to the Atlanta Zoo while really old Brian is transacting his business down there."

"About which I will not be told, I guess," Justin grouched. "Just like yesterday."

"I am telling you about yesterday now, Sweetheart," Brian pointed out. "If you can just quit feeling sorry for yourself for a while. Ted liked Alan a lot too. I wanted Alan to meet Ted and Cynthia and also get a good look at our operation. I didn't want any distraction while we were doing that."

"Well at least I'm a distraction," Justin seemed to relent. "I guess that's something."

"I was talking about Wilson," Brian laughingly explained. "Geez, I don't think Alan could have thought about business at all if Wilson were around - and I couldn't have you there without having Wilson too. Alan has a real bad case of Wilsonitis."

"But Kinney doesn't have a case of Justinitis, I guess?" Justin wanted to know. "Kinney wouldn't have been distracted at all if I were there. Not only am I not a distraction, I can't even be a damn disease."

"Yes you can, Baby," Brian assured him. "You are a distraction and you can be a disease too if you want to be - but I don't want you to be contagious. I don't mind having Justinitis myself but I don't want any epidemics going around town. I like to be exclusive with my diseases. I want my diseases to be just mine."

"You think getting romantic is going to get you off the hook, eh, Kinney?" Justin was forced to smile. "What makes you think that will work?"

"Maybe because it's always worked before," Brian replied. "So it's not working now?"

"Yeah it is, Bri," Justin admitted, letting his head fall on Brian's shoulder and inching closer to the big guy.

That exchange was certainly destined to cause a delay in the conversation and it did - quite a long delay as a matter of fact.

Later on though, Brian resumed his revelation. "I talked with Alan about some problems he thought his bank was having with their advertising campaign. I gave him some pointers. I think we are going to be able to help each other out a lot. It's a neat new connection."

"And you're saying that the subject of me or Wilson never came up all day?" Justin questioned, "Gee whiz, Brian."

"Well I'm not exactly saying that, Kiddo," Brian explained. "I don't think you guys were mentioned at Kinnetics except that I think Cynthia mentioned how much help you've been on a couple of projects. But your name might have come up at lunch. Alan and I went out to Del's."

"And are you gonna tell me what was said at Del's?" Justin wanted to know.

I don't know if I should do that, Baby," Brian said. "It was sort of confidential stuff. Alan wanted to talk about Wilson. I guess what he really wanted was some advice. He is really in love with that kid. Alan said all he ever thought of was getting ahead at work and then Wilson came along."

"Under a lamp post on Peachtree Street, I suppose," Justin grinned. "So you guys spent lunchtime talking about Wilson - and my name never got mentioned. Oh well."

"You might have been mentioned a couple of times actually," Brian admitted. "It's just that Alan is still pretty new at this stuff and…."

"And you were able to tell him how to keep a blond twink under control," Justin was laughing, "Like you know anything about that."

"Hey, JT," Brian laughed back. "You're slipping, Sweetheart. It's not 'blond twink', you know. It's 'beautiful blond twink'. And maybe I do know a little bit about keeping a beautiful blond twink under control."

"If you say so, Brian, Honey," Justin decided not to disagree.

"Well us victims of you beautiful blond twinks have to stick together," Brian reasoned. "I suppose you're going to tell me you didn't pass on some advice to Wilson while you were watching the polar bears."

"Not while we were with the polar bears, Bri," Justin responded. "I think we did that in the monkey house."

"And you're going to tell me what you told Wilson, I supposed," Brian posited.

"Privileged communication, Bri," Justin claimed. "I don't think I can divulge what we talked about."

"OK," Brian concurred. "Do you think if I advise Alan and you advise Wilson, that they'll be as happy as we are?"

"Well Jason and Brandon are doing pretty well," Justin pointed out. "Do you think Alan and Wilson love each other as much as we do?"

"Nah" Brian told him. "Not as much as we do."

"But you said Alan is really in love with Wilson and Wilson told me he is absolutely crazy about Alan," Justin wondered..

"So….?" Brian responded. Justin looked a little confused so Brian asked, "Are you OK, Baby?"

"Oh yeah," Justin assured him. "I'm OK. I think it's just my Brianitis acting up again. I've got a really bad case. And there's no cure for it either."

"But maybe I could try to make it feel a little better though," Brian volunteered. "I'd like to try."

Justin seemed very pleased that Brian was so eager to help.

Return to Fireside Chats