Falling Down the Primrose Path

Part 10

Steve reached through his downed car window and pressed the button on the speaker.

"Yes? May I help you?" A feminine voice came over the speaker.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Justin please. My name is Steve Brenner." Steve said.

"Just…just a minute please." The voice said.

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"Justin?" Jules walked into the studio where Justin was working.

Justin continued painting "Yeah Jules?"

"There's someone at the gate who would like to see you. It's Steve." Jules said as she watched Justin's reaction.

Justin stopped painting and looked over at the woman who had become his best friend. "Brian's Steve?"

Justin knew that's who it was but just wanted to confirm it with Jules. She did so with a nod of her head. "Do you want me to send him away?"

Justin sighed and began to wipe down his brush. As much as he didn't want to see Steve, he knew it might be the last chance he got to tell the man what he needed too. "No, let him in. I'll talk to him here."

Jules continued to look at Justin with concern. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this right now. You're just getting used to seeing people again."

Justin looked back up at Jules. "Jules, I need to do this. I might not ever get another chance to again and once I do this, I don't ever have to see him again."

Jules nodded her understanding and left to go let Steve in. She was going to have a little talk with him before he went in to see Justin.

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Steve waited for the voice to come back. Justin didn't know that he was coming but he hoped that he'd see him anyway. Just when he thought they were going to leave him waiting at the gate. It began to open.

"Please park at the front of the house. I'll meet you at the front door." The voice said before he drove through.

Steve drove through the gates and did what he was told. Getting out of the car he walked to the front door and just as he reached for the bell, the door was opened and Jules stood in the doorway.

"Please come in. Against my better judgment, Justin has agreed to see you but let me warn you right now. If you upset him, I will personally throw your ass out of here. Do I make myself clear?" Jules warned.

Steve would have smiled at the small woman but he could tell that she was dead serious. "Yes, I understand."

Jules nodded her head and walked down the hall. "He's in his studio."

Walking toward the back of the house, they stopped outside of a partially closed door. Jules turned to face Steve. "Remember what I said."

Steve nodded and walked into the room. He looked around the bright, sunny, large room. He had been impressed by the house and knew what they had paid for Justin's paintings when they had found them. He knew that Justin was doing real well for himself.

"What do you want Steve?" Justin came out of what Steve assumed was a bathroom.

Steve had heard Brian describe Justin's injuries but it still threw him to see him in a wheelchair with an eye patch. "Uh, I want you to talk to Brian. Tell him that you don't blame him, that what happened to you isn't his fault."

Justin looked over Steve and noticed that the man appeared tired. His eyes were red rimmed and there were dark circles under them. "Why do I need to do that? He knows that it wasn't his fault and I've never blamed him for what happened to me."

Steve looked around. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

Justin nodded at a chair. "Steve, I don't know why you've come out here and why I need to talk to Brian. Brian has been out of my life for the past three, almost four years."

Steve sighed. "Brian may have been out of your life but you never left ours. Between your mother and the family, you were always there. Why couldn't you have just accepted that Brian chose me and moved on?"

Justin looked at Steve closely and thought of all the things he wanted to say before speaking. "Steve, you knew that Brian had a partner and you backed off. That is until you met me. Why? Was it because of my age? The fact that I was still in school? Why?"

Steve really didn't want to rehash the reasons why he went after Brian but figured that he was going to have to if he was going to get Justin's help in getting Brian back. "All of them. You were young, you had your whole life ahead of you and you would find someone else. You would have eventually left Brian anyway as you got older and grew apart. I on the other hand am older than Brian and I had already made my way in the world. I really hadn't expected to fall in love again but I did and I wanted that chance, maybe my last chance to have that happiness and love."

Justin nodded. "Steve, do you know anyone who married their childhood sweetheart? Their high school or college sweetheart?"

Steve slowly nodded. "Yes, why?"

Justin continued. "Are they still married, after all this time? Are they happy? Still in love?"

Steve nodded again. "Yes, they are."

Justin nodded. "So they weren't too young to know what they wanted. Well, what's to say that couldn't have been me with Brian? How do you know that I would have left? Can you see the future?"

Steve shook his head. "No, I can't but…"

Justin stopped him. "No, Steve. You took my future from me. I don't know what's going on between you and Brian and I don't care. Go home. Go home to your husband and your life. Fix it but leave me alone. Now I think you'd better leave."

Justin turned away from Steve and began to move toward the back of the room. Steve wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Justin..."

Just then the door opened and Jules stood in the doorway. "Mr. Brenner, if you'll follow me, I'll see you out."

Steve knew that what little time he had had with Justin was over and never to be repeated. Justin would never see him again. Of that he was sure. Slowly he followed Jules down the hall and back to the front door which she held open for him.

Steve turned and looked at Jules. "You know, I never wanted any of this to happen to Justin. If he could have only moved on."

Jules looked coldly at Steve. "You didn't hear a word he said did you?"

Steve looked at Jules in confusion. "What?"

Jules shook her head as she began to shut the door. "Think about what Justin said to you Mr. Brenner. Think about it real hard and maybe you'll get a clue."

Steve looked at the closed door and walked back to his car. Climbing in he started the engine and moved toward the gates to go back to his hotel. Once there, he booked a flight back to New York. Managing to get on the next flight out, he hurriedly packed and made it to the airport in time to get on the plane. It wasn't until he was settled and the plane had taken off that he had time to think about what Jules had said about Justin. Carefully he went over their conversation and one thing kept coming back. Childhood, High School, College Sweethearts. Suddenly he realized for Justin, Brian had been both his High School and College Sweetheart. That they had been together for many years with only a slight breakup. That they had gone through a lot more than most people do in a lifetime and yet they had still been together. He had out of selfishness broken up a lasting relationship because he had been too blind to see the truth.

Oh he knew that he wasn't the only guilty party, Brian was an adult and continued to say no. He could have quit taking his calls or even told him to get over it and move on but he didn't. Of course Steve also knew that if he hadn't pushed and manipulated the situation, the one night stand that they had had that time at the cabin would have been it. Never to be repeated again for Brian truly did love Justin as Justin loved him. And after all these years, Brian had finally figured it out. Figured it out and left him because of it.

Steve wasn't sure if he had any options left but he wasn't going to give up just yet. He needed to talk to Brian again.

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Brian was at the office when Cynthia buzzed his office. "Brian, there is a woman named Jules on the phone."

Brian was just about to tell Cynthia to take a message when he realized who Jules was. "Thank you Cynthia."

Picking up the phone he asked anxiously. "Hi Jules, I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again."

Jules sighed. "You probably wouldn't have but I felt that you should know. Your other half was here today to see Justin."

Brian was shocked. "He what!"

Jules repeated herself. "He was here to see Justin. He wanted Justin to contact you and talk to you so you'd quit blaming yourself."

"Jules, I didn't send him. I had no idea that he had gone. If I had known that he was going to do that I would have stopped him."

Jules was confused. "What do you mean you didn't know he had gone? How could you not? He's your partner."

Brian sighed. "Not anymore. I…I moved out a couple of weeks ago."

This time it was Jules that was surprised. "What?"

Brian sighed. "It's a long story. I'm sorry that Steve bothered you and Justin. I'll make sure that he doesn't do it again. So how is he?"

Jules realized that Brian was changing the subject and let him. She told him about the visit from his mom and sister. Told him that he had finally worked up the courage to call Daphne and that she was coming out in a couple of weeks. After that if things went well, he would begin to call other people."

"That's good. I'm glad he's starting to open up again." Brian said.

Jules smiled, not that he could see it. "Yes, it is good for him and as mad as I was at you for barging in; it really shook him up and made him start to open up again."

"Well, if you or Justin need anything please let me know." Brian said with a sigh.

Jules sighed as well. "We'll see. Bye Brian."

Brian listened to the click of the phone and slowly sat his back into the cradle. He thought about what Jules had told him and felt the anger begin to build within him. Looking at the clock on his computer he knew that Steve wasn't home yet but that he more than likely would be soon and he planned on being there waiting for him.

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Steve unlocked the front door and walked in with a tired sigh. He didn't notice that there was anyone there and walked through the living room heading to the bar for a drink.

Brian picked up the drink he had been pouring and quietly said. "Have a nice flight?"

Steve jumped as he rounded the corner. "Jesus Brian! You scared the shit out of me!" Steve all but shouted.

Brian rounded the bar and stood in front of Steve. "So did you?"

Steve looked a little uncomfortable but thought that Brian being there was a good sign. "Uh, yeah, it was a good flight."

Brian continued to look over Steve. "So did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

Steve smiled slightly and moved around Brian to the bar. "Not really. Things were not as I expected and there was a slight complication."

Brian watched Steve pour his drink and felt the anger that he had been holding on to simmer. "Is that right?"

Steve looked up with a slight smile. "Yeah, so tell me, since you're here I hope this means you're ready to give us a shot at fixing what's wrong with us. We need to talk about it and maybe see someone…"

Brian couldn't believe the way Steve was going on. If Steve knew him at all, he'd realize that he was at his deadliest when he appeared calm and talked quietly. Finally Brian couldn't take it any longer.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?! I can't believe you went to see Justin after all that has been done to him!" Brian began angrily, scaring Steve who quickly turned fully to face him.

'What?! Brian! I thought…" Steve began.

Brian clenched his glass as he stopped Steve. "Just what did you think you were doing going out there, what did you think you were going to accomplish!"

Steve felt his shock turn to anger. "Just what did Justin say to you? I bet he couldn't wait to tell you all about our little conversation and twisted it all around so that it looked as if I was there to hurt him."

Brian lowered the glass in his hand slowly as he moved to stand directly in front of Steve. "It wasn't Justin. We still haven't talked."

"Now! Let me make myself perfectly clear. Stay away from Justin." Brian, trying to get control of his anger again, said in a calm and low voice.

"Ha! No need to worry there!" Steve said sarcastically. "He made sure to let me know that I was not welcome and that he didn't want to see me again. The little shit."

Brian felt his control starting to slip again. "Well just what did you expect?!"

This time it was Steve that moved into Brian's space. "I expected his help! I wanted him to talk to you, to try and make you see that what happened to him wasn't our fault! That he had no right to make you feel that it was. But no! He refused to help me. That kid has been nothing but a pain in my ass since I met him!"

Brian's eyes got wide before they narrowed. "I can't believe you! You are so unbelievable! It's all his fault as far as you're concerned isn't it! You sanctimonious son of a bitch!"

Brian threw his glass against the wall, sending glass and Scotch everywhere. "It's everyone's fault. Not just his, not just mine but yours as well. Don't you dare put it all on him! As for him being a pain in your ass since you met him, Justin never did anything! It was all you. You and me and just because he refused to help you and things didn't work out your way is no reason to try and blame him for it. We ruined this relationship. Together, not Justin."

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here! This is a list of the things that I want and how much it will cost you to buy my half of this place. Go over it and then contact my lawyer. We are through."

Steve looked down at the paper in his hands and looked back up suddenly and jumped when he heard the front door slam. He had lost Brian. Lost him for good and he knew at that point that there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. Sitting down, he let the exhaustion he had been holding back wash over him and began to cry.

Down on the street Brian looked up at the building to where his home had been and couldn't stop the tears that built up in his eyes. Slowly he began to walk down the street until he found a bench. Sitting down he tried to calm himself and when he had he straightened up, squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Wiping at his face, he looked in front of him, then behind him and sighed. No more looking back. His life hadn't been the greatest in awhile and nothing compared to Justin's but that was over. Time to get his life back on track. First thing he needed to do was to talk to Justin. Not through Jules, but face to face. He knew that them getting back together was probably impossible, too much had happened, but maybe just maybe they could become the friends that Brian had promised Justin when he had left him. It was time.

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