Dream Guy

Brian reached over and switched the alarm on his bedside clock to the off setting. He was glad that he had awakened ten minutes before the alarm would have sounded because he did not want to wake up Justin. Brian was due at the airport at 8:00AM to pick up a client from New York City for an all day meeting so he had to be up much earlier than usual, but he had hoped that he could get up without disturbing the kid. The problem was that Justin was sprawled partially on top of Brian and it looked like a real problem to get out of bed without waking the sleeping twink.

Brian quickly devised what he thought was the best possible course of action, and began trying to extricate himself, sliding ever so gently to his left. But it was all in vain. The blond head nodded and the blue eyes opened. "Brian," Justin complained, "You woke me up."

"Well, I wouldn't have needed to," Brian defended himself, "If you would just stay on your own side of the bed."

"You pulled me over onto your side," Justin claimed, "And anyhow, you're lying right smack in the middle of the bed right now, so you are at least partially on my side. And I was having this wonderful dream too, and you ruined it."

"And what, may I ask," Brian inquired, "Were you dreaming about when I so rudely disturbed your slumber?"

"Didn't I say it was a wonderful dream?" Justin responded. "I had to be dreaming about you."

"Then you have no complaint, Sunshine," Brian countered, "You've got the real me now instead of the dream me so you haven't lost anything."

"Oh yeah?" Justin replied, "The dream you is a lot nicer than the real you. The dream you does everything I want him to do."

"And how is that different from the real live wide-awake me?" Brian wanted to know.

"Oh how you suffer," Justin laughingly consoled him. "Now just finish dressing and get on your way to the airport. Maybe I can get back to sleep and finish that dream. I would really like to see how it comes out and I'm not going to tell you what it was about."

"And I'm not going to ask," Brian stated firmly, "I would fight for you against some other guy, Baby, I really would, but I don't see how I can fight against your dream version of me. See you tonight. Sweet dreams."

Justin did not get back to sleep so the dream went unfinished but he lay there for another hour, daydreaming about Brian, and that was fun too.

Justin had a busy day, and he was a little tired when he returned to the loft about 5:00. He knew Brian would not he home before 7:00 because the client's plane did not depart until 5:30, and Brian had told him that the client was so important that he was going to be with her all day, making certain that nobody else from Vanguard could foul things up.

So Justin got his second wind, pulled out his trusty cook book and planned a special meal for Brian's return. The whole thing snowballed in the preparation so by the time it was all set up there was candlelight and there was wine, in addition to the elaborate dinner. Justin was pleased with himself. He knew Brian would be impressed.

It was just a few minutes after 7:00 when Brian entered the loft. He was surprised to see the feast spread out before him. And Justin was standing there with a smile on his face. "I made up this little surprise for you," he told Brian.

But Brian was not the only one to be surprised. Brian was carrying flowers in his arms and another package which looked a lot like candy to Justin. "And I brought these little surprises for you." Brian told Justin.

"This is just like a dream, Brian," Justin blurted out. Then, on second thought, he began to laugh. Brian was already laughing. But actually it was a kind of dream, a fairy tale evening that neither of the guys was likely to forget. Justin's meal was greatly enjoyed, and Brian's flowers enhanced the table. It kind of reminded Justin of the first time he had prepared jambalaya for Brian. He wondered if Brian was remembering the same thing, but he didn't ask. It was all so much like a dream.

It was a couple of hours later when the kitchen was cleaned up and the fireplace lit, that the guys got themselves into their favorites places on the floor. The open box of candy was within reach of both of them.

"This is the best candy I have ever eaten Brian," Justin told him. "And this has turned into a really great day. Did your all-day meeting have good results?"

"Yeah," Brian told him. "Carol is a great gal. Smart businesswoman. We renewed our contract for three more years, and with an increased advertising budget. The day was a great success. The only failure I had today was waking you up when I got up this morning."

"That was OK, Bri," Justin told him, "You don't have to compete with my dream version of you. I love you just the way you are."

"I'm not competing with any dream version of myself," Brian responded, "I could never really be what you think I am, so I have to depend on your imagination anyhow."

"Well," Justin pointed out with a smile, "Candy and flowers. Wasn't that just a little overkill? I can't remember that last time you brought me candy or flowers, and all of a sudden both."

"When was the last time I spent all day with the chief executive of the country's biggest flowers-and-candy-by- wire concern?" Brian asked him back.

"Thanks a lot, real-life Brian," Justin pretended to pout, "You always figure out some way to burst my balloon. I thought they were just for me."

"They were just for you," Brian insisted, "The flowers wouldn't have been any nicer or the candy any better if I had paid for them. I brought them for you because I wanted you to have them. You wouldn't be picking on me if I were the dream version, would you?"

Justin didn't answer. He snuggled up to Brian and they sat for a good while in silence.

"You know what, Brian," Justin finally said, "I like my dream version of you, but it's the real you I love. That's the truth. I'm going to keep dreaming about you doing all those nice things, but you're what I love and what I want - just the way you are. I don't want a dream guy for real life. I want you. I may be sorry I told you that but it's true and I want you to know."

"I'm glad you told me, Baby," Brian responded. "You know I love you just the way you are too. I don't want any dream version of you either. You know, when I dream of you, you never have any questions and you're never starting any crazy projects. But that's not really you and you are what I want. So don't ever change."

It was another while till Justin resumed the conversation. "I guess it will be a long time before I see any more flowers or candy," he told Brian. "Didn't you say your contract extension with Carol was for three years? I'll be old by then."

Brian leaned over and kissed the blond twink. "Carol's company sells rugs," he told Justin.

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