Extra, Extra


 

The TV had just been turned off and the guys were settling themselves onto the floor of the loft in front of a blazing fake fireplace. The fireplace had been lit just a bit later than usual, but otherwise it seemed like the usual domestic situation in the loft - except that … Brian was wearing an enigmatic grin - and Justin seemed ready to defend himself.

“Geez, Baby,” Brian began, “I never thought I’d be sitting here on the floor of my own loft with my arm around a TV star – from like a – maybe – pornographic – TV series. I never did….”

“I knew you were gonna start something like this, Kinney,” Justin came back at him in kind but with no sign of anger in his voice. “I did. And I think you’re just jealous – and it’s not my fault either.”

“Well it was you who made the arrangements for us to drive up to Toronto and watch the taping of your friend Robert’s cable TV series,” Brian recalled. “That is, if my memory serves me right.”

“I guess the key word there would be ‘us,’ Mr. Brian Kinney. It was us who were supposed to drive to Toronto – if your memory remembers all of the details,” Justin reminded him. “And it was you who had this emergency meeting in Chicago so you couldn’t go to Toronto at the last minute….”

“So you went without me, Taylor?” Brian added, “Like – you couldn’t have rescheduled or anything….”

“OK, Kinney,” Justin rebutted that argument, “Robert has been wanting us to come up and see him shooting an episode of his series this whole season. We went to New York and watched Rick and Shawn do their soap opera – probably because you had some business you wanted to conduct in the big city while we were there. And Robert said why didn’t we come up to see him in Toronto since Toronto is even closer to Pittsburgh than New York is – and you told him we would – you told him – not me – and then every time we were supposed to go up there you had to cancel for some reason or other. Too bad you don’t have any business connections in Toronto. Anyhow, they’re winding up their season and you know it. There was no chance to reschedule – so when Malcolm said he would like very much to go in your place and you were gonna be in Chicago and not around here anyway – and you didn’t want to take me to Chicago with you either – like you never want to take me with you when….”

“So you got even by going to Toronto without me, Sweetheart?” Brian surmised. “After you like – insisted that I go to Chicago. You do remember telling me to go to Chicago, I hope…”

“Well maybe I did,” Justin hedged. “After I talked to Cynthia and she told me it was important and all.”

What triggered a long pause in the discussion at this very point was not obvious but there was, nevertheless, a long delay in the discussion at this point – which did not, however, conclude the conversation. It was resumed some time later.

“I guess you just didn’t want me to be a TV star, Honey?” Brian picked up the conversation as if it had not been interrupted. “You wanted all the glory for yourself.”

“Nope,” Justin told him. “If you’ll remember, I wasn’t the only one making my TV debut tonight. Malcolm was also in this episode. And they were just like – cameo performances too, Brian – like big stars sometimes do…”

“And here I thought you were the star of this episode, Baby,” Brian laughed at him. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you the whole time you were on the screen…”

“That would have been for eleven seconds total, Bri,” Justin laughed back. “Seven in the first shot and four in the second.”

“Well it doesn’t take all that long for real talent to show, Baby,” Brian pointed out. “And you have talent to burn. I think the regular actors were afraid to give you any more screen time or you would have surely stolen the show.”

“So - Malcolm had more screen time than me, Kinney,” Justin informed him. “Like he was on for twenty seconds – but they mostly showed just the back of his head so I really had the more important part…”

“And I guess you guys had to join the actors’ union, JT,” Brian presumed. “I hope I’m not gonna lose you to the stage or screen….”

“I don’t think so, Brian,” Justin calmed his fears. “And we didn’t join the union either. That crazy director decided to shoot the club scene a little differently than he had planned and he needed a few more extras than he had hired. He used a couple of guys from the crew and then he told me and Malcolm – we were just standing over to the side watching - to sit at the one empty table…”

“And the rest is history, Sweetheart,” Brian decided. “When you’re a star, the fan magazines will have a field day with that touching story of how you got started in show biz.”

“Mr. Kinney – Sir,” Justin snuggled up to the guy on his left. “The fan mags are never gonna know. I have decided to give up my budding TV career for love. Material success isn’t everything. Maybe I like what I’ve got more than being some TV star.”

And there was yet another – more understandable this time - pause in the discussion here – but neither did it bring the evening’s discourse to an end.

“You know what, Baby?” Brian resumed. “If I had gone with you to Toronto- instead of Malcolm – and I had made my TV debut up there, I hope I could have as magnanimous as you and have given up my career for….”

“You would have, Bri,” Justin assured him, “I would have made sure of that. I know just how to…..”

And the conversation paused again. It was as if the guys didn’t care if they ever got done talking. Maybe they didn’t.

“So next year – since Robert’s already been renewed,” Brian wondered, “I guess I’ll be allowed to go to Toronto and maybe actually make my own TV debut?”

“Well lightning might not strike twice, BK,” Justin warned him. “You can’t count on it. Fate may have come just the one time – looking for you in Toronto while you were actually in Chicago. Life is full of these ironies.”

“Well I’m glad you got to go anyway, Taylor,” Brian finally admitted. “I know Robert wanted us to visit and I know you really wanted to go and I’m sorry I couldn’t go – but I’m still glad you did…”

“Brian,” Justin slid his hand across Brian’s cheek. “Thank you. Malcolm like – told me…”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian responded. “You can’t trust nobody these days. He knew I didn’t want you to know anything…”

“Hey, Kinney,” Justin cuddled in closer. “You know that I know how soft-hearted you really are – but I promise to keep your secret. My lips are sealed – and I told Malcolm to keep quiet too. Big bad Brian Kinney still exists – for some people at least.”

“Well, I was not gonna let you drive to Toronto by yourself and with the season ending up there I guess you had to go.” Brian squeezed the kid in return.

“And you thought you’d send Malcolm along to protect me?” Justin grinned at him. “Malcolm?”

“Naw,” Brian explained, “I just wanted you to have somebody to argue with and browbeat, Sweetheart – since I couldn’t be there….”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin told him. “You ought to know that there is only one guy in the world that I like to argue with – and maybe browbeat just a little – and that one guy - is you…”

Brian decided not to argue that point at all. He was satisfied that everything that needed to be said had already been said.

 

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