Couple of the Year

“I hope you’re not mad at me,” Justin was protesting as the guys settled themselves onto the floor of their loft facing their blazing fake fireplace. “And I don’t even know how you found out either – but I guess enough people knew - so there was bound to be a leak somewhere. I was gonna tell you the whole thing myself tonight. That woulda been better. I guess I waited a day too long ….”

“Well I don’t actually know how much you had to do with it,” Brian countered, “but nothing goes on in our world that you don’t have a finger in – or maybe two fingers ….”

“That’s not fair at all, Brian Kinney,” Justin continued to protest. “You know it was Jason and Brandon who nominated us ….”

“Yeah, I know that,” Brian admitted. “And I’ll see that they get what’s coming to them somehow. But you could have headed them off – like you always do – when you want to – if you want to ….”

“I was as surprised as you were, BK. I didn’t know they were gonna do it,” Justin absolved himself. “I would have asked you what you thought if I had known …..”

“But would you have cared what I thought?” Brian asked. “Or ….?”

“So like – wouldn’t it be an honor to be picked as the couple of the year – on Valentine’s Day - at the Gay and Lesbian Center?” Justin wondered. “It might not be so bad. We do a lot for them down there, Brian – and we are – in my humble opinion anyhow – the couple of the year – every year - whether the Center says so or not ….”

“Yeah, Babe,” Brian laughed. “I certainly respect the humility of your opinion. But I also bet the only reason I’m included is that you can’t be couple of the year all by yourself – or maybe – if you really thought about it - you could ….”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin laughed back. “I would not either want to be couple of the year all by myself. I’d actually turn the award down if you weren’t included ….”

“I’d like to see that, JT,” Brian grinned, “or on second thought, I guess I wouldn’t. Shades of the King of Babylon. Are we for sure gonna be on the ballot though? Is that for sure or are we just nominated and maybe …?”

“We’re like – already on the ballot, Bri,” Justin explained. The nominators – in our case Brandon and Jason – have to get 25 other couples to sign the petition too – and they had no trouble with that so we’re like – already on the ballot. Jason said people were asking to sign it ….”

“Who the hell would have wanted to sign on for us, Taylor?” Brian wondered. “I don’t think we even know 25 couples. How many arms did you have to twist?”

“Well, Mikey and Ben signed,” Justin enumerated, “and Ted and Blake …..”

“Arm-twister,” Brian interrupted.

“Mel and Linz too, Kinney,” Justin went on, “and a lot of people I don’t even really know – you might know some of them. The nominations are like – still secret – but I can get a hold of them if you need to see who ….”

“I bet you can get a hold of them all right,” Brian laughed. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re also gonna be the one who counts the final votes in our certain victory ….”

“Am not either,” Justin denied, “but I think Emmett is on the counting committee …..”

“I’m sure he is, Sweetheart,” Brian smiled. “I thought you were being extra nice to Emmett lately ….”

“I’m always nice to Emmett, Brian Kinney,” Justin complained. “I like Emmett and you know it ….”

“Well,” Brian decided, “bad as this is, it settles what we do for Valentine’s Day this year. We’ll have to be at the Center to graciously accept our award – so we can’t go to Dave’s big bash in New York – where I didn’t want to go in the first place - or have to fit in our usual intimate dinner for 20 or so at Gino’s …..”

“So you think we’ll win, Bri?” Justin wanted to know. “We could actually lose, you know that’s possible ….”

“No, Baby,” Brian seemed certain. “You didn’t manipulate this whole fiasco for us to lose. We’ll win all right. I think you already told Gus we would win ….”

“Gus told you about the competition?” Justin seemed surprised. “He’s really excited about it for some reason. He wants us to be the couple of the year. He was worried that we wouldn’t win – so I just like – reassured him. I’ll figure out something if we lose ….”

“I don’t doubt you could, Honey,” Brian allowed, “but I do doubt that you’ll have to. When you plan something you’re pretty thorough. We’ll win all right. You wouldn’t give up Dave’s New York party to lose a contest in Pittsburgh ….”

“Actually we’re not missing the New York party at all, Brian,” Justin grinned. “Dave postponed the party a week so he could come here to be with us at the Center. He’s rooting for us ….”

“He was having 250 guests at that bash, Taylor,” Brian expressed disbelief, “and he called off his shindig to come here. Valentine’s Day in Pittsburgh postpones Valentine’s Day in the Big Apple. Gus didn’t tell me that.”

“Gus maybe didn’t know, BK,” Justin told him. “And Dave’s plan originally was to just fly all his guests here to party with us at the Center ….”

“And you talked him out of it,” Brian smiled. “You are the only guy in the world who could talk Dave out of anything …..”

“No I’m not,” Justin modestly replied. “Wendell can do it too – but I’ll admit I am a little better than he is. Had to do it though. The Center would have been too crowded – but even worse, Gino’s would have really been too crowded for our intimate dinner for maybe 30 – after the fun at the Center. So just Dave and Wendell, Robert, Shawn and Rick will be coming in from Gotham …..”

“Quite a line-up, Sweetheart – but Gino’s doesn’t stay open that late, Kiddo,” Brian said. “We won’t even get there till about 1 AM ….”

“Gino can be talked into staying open under special circumstances,” Justin informed him. “And Dave and Rickshaw and those guys are a special circumstance ….”

“Naw, Honey,” Brian laughed. “The special circumstance here is Justin Taylor …..”

“Nice of you to say that, Kinney,” Justin told him – while sliding himself closer to Brian – in what seemed to be a blatant attempt – ultimately successful – to bring about a pause in the conversation. “We are the couple of the year – whether the Center thinks so or not ….”

“Well I’m not all that crazy about us being the couple of the year, JT,” Brian reflected some time later, “but you’ll be wanting to go up to the big town for Dave’s party the next week – and we’ll be small fish in a big pond again ….”

“Hey Brian,” Justin told him. “It is Dave’s plan to have the couple of the year from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, be the guests of honor at his Valentine’s Day plus seven affair at the Waldorf ….”

“You mean to tell me, Baby,” Brian wondered, “that at this party attended by billionaires, stars of stage, screen and radio, famous athletes and nabobs of the business world, two hicks from Pittsburgh are gonna be the guests of honor?”

“Not two hicks at all, Kinney,” Justin reminded him. “The couple of the year – in New York too ….”

“Geez,” Brian told him.
 

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