A Really Dumb Idea

“It is a really dumb idea, Brian,” Justin was complaining as the guys gazed toward their flaming fake fireplace. “It may be the absolutely dumbest idea I ever heard of.”

“Wow,” Brian marveled. “The absolutely dumbest? Now that is really saying something considering …..”

“Cut it out right now, Kinney,” Justin interrupted. “This is not about me and I don’t have dumb ideas either - so there ….”

“Well you can’t blame me, Baby,” Brian grinned at him. “No way it’s my fault. The damn concert is over at the Institute – your Institute – and that’s why we have to go ….”

“So maybe we don’t actually have to go, Bri,” Justin proposed half-heartedly and with no real conviction. “Maybe we could ….”

“Justin Taylor,” Brian reasoned. “Your good friend Wendell is conducting the thing – and you know you have to go. How would you explain not going …?”

“Wendell has spent just about the whole year in New York - or traipsing all over the world with Dave – completely ignoring the Institute - and now he has to come back here to conduct this stupid concert ….” Justin complained.

“And also to play a new romantic cello concerto,” Brian smiled, “composed by none other than your dear friend Ethan Gold – and you want to miss it. I don’t think so ….”

“You know I don’t want to miss it, Brian,” Justin explained. “But why did they have to schedule it for Valentine’s Day?”

“Well it’s a concert of romantic music,” Brian suggested. “And it was scheduled long before you decided that Wendell and Dave should be a couple – so Wendell wouldn’t have cared about the date back then – him being a big wall-flower and all - till you decided ….”

“It’s not my fault either, Kinney,” Justin defended himself. “I guess I knew about the concert a long time ago but we weren’t such good friends with Wendell then – and even if we went to the damn concert we could go by ourselves - and then have like – a romantic dinner – just us two and ….”

“Hey, Taylor,” Brian laughed. “What’s so rare about a romantic dinner for just us two? Didn’t we just have a romantic dinner a little while ago?”

”Yeah,” Justin had to smile - against his better judgment though. “Grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell’s tomato soup – that I had to spend a long time over a hot stove preparing. Some romantic dinner all right ….”

“So you’re claiming it was not a romantic dinner then?” Brian acted surprised. “I’m surprised. Seems to me we ….”

“OK, Kinney, OK,” Justin admitted, “maybe it was a romantic dinner – like – technically - a little bit ….”

“It was a lot more romantic than anything we ever had at Gino’s, Baby,” Brian laughed. “That’s what I think.”

“Don’t change the subject, Brian ….” Justin warned him as the conversation tailed off into “pause” mode for quite a long time.

“Well even if we have to go to the concert, Brian,” Justin conjectured in breaking the silence, “why couldn’t we ….?”

“You know damn well why, Twink,” Brian smiled at him. “Dave will be here – and like – all by himself during the concert – and Tom will be by himself cause Ethan will be back-stage or on-stage during the whole performance – and it’s our job to keep them company ….”

“Like Brandon and Jason won’t be there to keep them company,” Justin pointed out. “And Mikey and Ben – and Hunter and Malcolm – and Ted and Blake – and I don’t know who all. It’s like a Valentine’s Day convention – and Valentine’s Day is like – supposed to be for just like – two people.”

“And this will be about two people,” Brian responded. “Only there will be a lot of two peoples. I’ll only be with you – and Mikey will only be with Ben – and Ted will only be with Blake - but all the twos will be like – in the same place ….”

“Gee whiz, Brian Kinney,” Justin finally laughed, “now you’re beginning to sound like me.”

“Been around you so long some of it had to rub off,” Brian laughed too. “I reserved Gino’s private room and we’ll all go up there for dinner after the show. It’ll be fun, Baby. You’ll see ….”

“I know it’ll be fun, Kinney,” Justin allowed, “but it will be a lost Valentine’s Day – and you only get so many Valentine’s Days in a lifetime – and I don’t like to waste them ….”

“We’ll be together, JT,” Brian told him. “And I promise to pretend you’re the only other person there. Maybe that will work. What do you think?”

”I guess it will have to be better than nothing,” Justin begrudged. “But we won’t be really like – really alone or anything ….”

“Well, Mr. Taylor,” Brian suggested, “we are like – really alone right now ….”

And that brought the discussion to a halt for another long period. So maybe it wasn’t Valentine’s Day yet but ….

“OK, Kinney,” Justin announced as the confab resumed. “I’ve made a decision. We’ll go to the concert and we’ll have a good time. We’ll go to Gino’s and have a good time too – but we’ll move our own Valentine’s Day to February 19 – and we’ll have my kind of Valentine’s Day. It only comes but once a year but who says it always has to come on the same date?”

“Whatever you want – as usual, Blond Twink,” Brian smiled. “But Dave is flying in on the 13th and staying till the 20th so we might get tied up with them – and Brandon and Jason too - more nights than just on the 14th. But if we had our Valentine’s Day on the 12th, Dave wouldn’t be here yet – and the guys will be still practicing and we can evade Brandon and Jason if we need to – and we can celebrate Abe Lincoln’s birthday too ….”

Great thinking, Bri,” Justin warmed to the idea. “Sometimes your ideas are even better than mine – not that often though – but sometimes ….”

“Well maybe I have an idea right now, Baby,” Brian squeezed.

“It’s not better than mine this time, Kinney,” Justin cuddled closer. “It might be the same as mine though.”

On many nights that bit of repartee would have been the conclusion to the guys’ evening fireside chat – but not on this particular one. Justin resumed it once more after a considerable pause.

“OK, Brian,” Justin said. “Since you picked the date, maybe you should also plan the romantic dinner. OK?”

“Yep,” Brian agreed. “I could do that – if you want me to ….”

“Well do you have any ideas yet?” Justin seemed eager to know.

“Yeah I do,” Brian came back. “I was thinking maybe – grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell’s tomato soup ,,,,”

“Well if you’re willing to settle for just grilled cheese and Campbell’s tomato soup ….” Justin grinned.

“I have absolutely no intention of settling for just grilled cheese and Campbell’s tomato soup, Baby,” Brian leered. “No such intention at all …..”

“You know what, Brian?” Justin concluded. “This might be the very best Valentine’s Day we ever had ….”

“Geez, Kiddo,” Brian ran his fingers through Justin’s blond tresses. “I really like how easy you are to please.”

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