Away We Go

It seemed just like any other ordinary night in the loft. The guys were mutually entwined to a certain degree as they sat on the floor in front of their blazing fake fireplace. They had been there for several minutes before anything was said. And then it was Brian who said it.

“You know what, Sweetheart,” he began tentatively. “I have to fly to Minneapolis Sunday and I’ll be there till Tuesday. There’s a good chance that I’ll land a big contract for Kinnetics – a very good chance.”

“And what’s good for Kinnetics is good for the country,” Justin told him. “I bet you’ll get it, Bri. And they’ll be glad they’re working with you too. You’re the best at whatever you do.”

“And that’s all you’re going to say about it?” Brian seemed a little surprised. “You hope I’ll get the contract? That’s it.”

“You didn’t think I’d be hoping you didn’t get the contract, did you?” Justin returned a question. “I love you and I want you to succeed and I think you’re the best advertising guy in the world too. So what are you acting surprised about? Why wouldn’t I want you to get the contract?”

“OK,” Brian told him. “I guess you’re hatching some kind of plot. So just go ahead - hatch away. I can wait to see what it is.”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin protested. “What kind of a plot? I expect you to be suspicious all the time but I can’t see why you’d be suspicious of me wanting you to get a new contract….”

“You know damn well what I’m suspicious about, Baby,” Brian interrupted. “And you can play the innocent all you want to, but I, Brian Kinney, still know you are not the innocent you’d like people to think you are. I don’t suspect something is up. I know something is up.”

“Brian, Sweetheart,” Justin replied, “I wish you’d tell me what you’re talking about? I don’t see how you could think I know what you mean.”

”Oh you know what I mean all right, Baby,” Brian seemed confident. “But I guess I’ll play along. The first thing I expected was for you to tell me that you wanted to go along. You always want to go along whenever I go out of town on business.”

“Well I used to, maybe, Honey,” Justin conceded. “But I guess I’m getting more mature. I’ll miss you when you’re gone, and I’d much rather be with you – because I love you and all that – but business is business and I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You never seemed to worry about getting in the way before, Baby,” Brian replied. “So maybe you could see where I might be just a little bit suspicious.”

”Well maybe I’m just growing up,” Justin supposed. “You know how much I’ll miss you – and I hope you’ll miss me too – but I also know we can’t be together 24/7 and I just have to get used to that. We’ll just have to make the most of the time we do have to be together.”

Brian acted on that particular suggestion and a prolonged pause occurred at that point in the conversation – but neither of them thought the discussion was over – and it wasn’t either.

And it was Brian who reopened the talk a good while later – with a confession of sorts.

“You know what, Sunshine,” Brian told the kid. “I am surprised at your new maturity. And you know I’ll miss you when I’m away, just as much as you’ll miss me. You know what I did though? Shows how surprised I am at your adult reaction. I had Cynthia make two plane reservations to Minneapolis so she wouldn’t have to try to get you on the plane later – and she reserved a couple of tickets for the Guthrie Theatre for Monday night. They’re doing a Tennessee Williams play. ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ I think. I just thought it would be easier than arguing with you about you coming along – and I usually lose those arguments too….”

”Always, Brian Honey,” Justin corrected him. “You always lose those arguments. Not just usually. But you know what else, since you made all those plans, maybe I should come with you after all. I can get away. I bet subconsciously you really always want me to come with you. I’ll switch my schedule around so I can come along. It will be fun.”

“But I wouldn’t want you to have to do that, Baby,” Brian allowed. “It won’t be a big job for Cynthia to cancel that stuff. We do have to get used to being apart from each other every once in a while.”

“But maybe not right now, Bri,” Justin told him. “Not this time. I don’t have anything that important for Monday and Tuesday so I can get away – and maybe you just convinced me a little while ago that maybe I don’t want to be without you for three days.”

“When did I do that, Baby?” Brian played dumb. “And how did I ever manage to do it?”

In the pause that followed, Brian gave evidence to the fact that he knew both when – and how - he had done it – by actually doing it again. But the evening’s conversation was still not over, not by a long shot.

“OK - just when did you find out I was going to Minnesota and had made reservations for you too, Kiddo?” Brian resumed the conversation a while later. “And how did you find out? Cynthia would never tell you. I know she’s on your side more than mine – but she knew you were getting what you wanted this time around so she wouldn’t have told you – and I don’t think Ted would tell you either – I don’t even think he knew.”

“I’m not admitting that I knew any such thing till you told me, Bri,” Justin answered him. “But I agree with you that Cynthia wouldn’t have told me. She’d only tell me anything if you were making some big mistake and we needed to save you. And you weren’t making any mistake this time. Having me along will keep you happy and you’ll be more likely to get the contract. So Cynthia would never have told me – and I don’t think Ted would have either.”

“Now this is scary, Baby,” Brian conceded. “The only other option is that you have other spies in the office – spies that I don’t even know about. Cause I know you found out about this whole thing in advance and if Cynthia or Ted didn’t tell you….”

“Well I do know the art department guys pretty well, Bri,” Justin pointed out. “And I do talk to some of the other Kinnetics people every once in a while – and maybe some of them didn’t know that these travel plans were being made without my knowing about them. I guess something could have happened – and I could have found out – but I’m not saying it did either….”

“OK, Twink,” Brian cuddled the kid closer to him, “keep your old secrets. All I can do to defend myself is to make some contacts in your group and maybe do some spying myself. Two can play that game. This is war, Baby – friendly war, of course – but war nevertheless. And I do want you to know that I know you knew you were going to Minneapolis - and that’s why you came up with all that ‘maturity’ nonsense. I’m not sure why you thought you had to do that though. I guess it was just a question of you being you – the same old maybe-not-so- mature Justin Taylor that I know…..”

”And love?” Justin butted in.

“Maybe,” Brian smiled at him, “Maybe so. But I still want you to know I was not fooled. Got it?”

“Well I’m still not admitting anything, BK,’ Justin ran his hand through the astounded Brian’s hair, “But I’m really glad that I’m coming along. I’ll be a big help. You’ll see. I always am.”

“And I’m not admitting you’re all that much of a help either,” Brian grouched ungrouchedly, “But I guess I’m glad you’re coming anyhow. Sometimes I do get lonely….”

“I bet not when I’m around,” Justin cooed. “I bet you don’t get lonely when I’m around.”

“No, I don’t” Brian laughed. “Maybe some other things - but never lonely. But, you know what else, JT, I get the last word this time. I wanted you along on this trip and you’re coming so I got what just I wanted. And that is the final word on the subject.”

There followed just a few minutes of silence before the really last word was said though.

Justin rubbed his hair against Brian’s cheek. “’Glass Menagerie’, Bri,’ he whispered. “Not ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’ ‘Glass Menagerie’”
 

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