Innocent Betrayal

Chapter 4

Brian woke up the next morning with a stiff neck thanks to his stubborn nature causing him to sleep on the couch in his office. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was after nine. Perfect, he thought. He knew Kyle would already be gone and he wasn’t ready to deal with the other man just yet. He headed upstairs and jumped into the shower before dressing in a pair of sweats and his favorite wife beater. He wasn’t about to get dressed up to entertain his neighbor Once he was sure that he was presentable he headed downstairs and started the coffee maker. It was almost done dripping when the doorbell rang. Taking a deep breath, he headed towards the door to let Justin in.

Justin stood on Brian’s doorstep apprehensively, trying not to think about what he was doing. He’d decided sometime around two in the morning that he would just suck up his attraction and help the other man with his campaign if he could before putting some much needed distance between the two of them. All he had to do was come up with a reason to cancel their dinner plans with Kyle and Brian. He was so lost in thought that he jumped slightly when the door in front of him opened, revealing Brian standing there looking like some kind of Greek God. Even in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt the man was sexy as hell and Justin almost lost the ability to talk.

“Uh…hey,” he said softly.

“Hey Justin, come on in. I just made a pot of coffee. Would you like some?” Brian offered, pushing away the thoughts that raced through his head seeing the gorgeous blond on his doorstep.

“Coffee? Oh, yeah, sure,” Justin replied, trying to focus.

They made their way into the kitchen quietly. Once Brian had poured their cups and offered Justin cream and sugar, which he declined, Brian decided to try to get out of the situation he was in.

“Listen Justin, you really don’t have to do this. I appreciate your wanting to help, but I’m sure I can come up with the ideas on my own. I’ve been doing it for years now and I’ve never let myself down,” Brian teased.

Justin couldn’t figure out why, but all of the sudden he was disappointed by the thought of Brian sending him away. He knew he should have jumped at the opportunity to leave, and was surprised to hear himself say, “I’m sure you can, but since I’m already here, why not just let me look at what you have so far?”

So much for the easy way out, Brian thought to himself before getting up and leading Justin into his office. He booted up his computer and pulled up an extra chair for the blond. Soon they were both lost in the campaign they were working on and Brian had to say he was impressed with Justin’s ideas. They seemed to be just what Brian was looking for but was unable to pull together on his own.

“Wow, that’s just what I was looking for. Give me a minute to work up our ideas and see how they look. I just want to see what I can do with this before you leave,” Brian explained as he reached for his laptop.

“What program do you use?”

“I’ve been using Canvas 9 lately, but I’m trying to find something a little more updated and professional. I’m not always happy with the work it produces. I know it’s crazy since my art department takes the ideas and creates them anyway, but I want everything to be just right when I hand it over to them, you know?”

Justin was surprised by Brian’s ambition to succeed. “I know exactly what you mean. You should try using Multigrax 11. That’s what I was using when…” Justin stopped, surprised by what he had almost divulged to the other man. He never told anyone about his past. “When I was in college.”

“Thanks, I check it out. Okay, just give me a minute and let me see what I can do with this,” Brian said as he focused his attention on his computer.

Justin rose from the chair and looked around the room, making a passing comment about how Brian had set up his office space so quickly.

“Yeah, well I have a hard time creating when I try working in clutter. I’m a stickler for organization.” Brian replied with a smile.

Justin continued surveying his surroundings and was immediately intrigued by some of the pictures that had been hung on the wall. They were pictures of Brian with a small child, somewhere around three years old he would guess. He could see a striking resemblance between the child and Brian.

“Who’s the boy in the pictures? Is he your nephew? He looks just like you,” he stated casually.

“That’s because he’s my son,” Brian replied, noticing the shocked expression in the blonds face. “My good friend Lindsay and her partner wanted a baby and asked me to be the donor. I didn’t plan on being an actually Dad, but Gus stole my heart right from birth. He’s almost four now, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Justin could see the pride in Brian’s face and couldn’t help but smile. It was the same pride his father used to have for him before it all fell apart. Pushing away the dark memories, Justin couldn’t help but be impressed with Brian. The more he learned about the older man, the more he liked and admired him. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Brian speaking to him.

“Here, how does this look?”

Justin walked over to the chair and leaned down to see what Brian had created, realizing his mistake immediately. The close proximity caused a sure of heat to rush through his body, setting at his cock and he could feel his jeans tightening uncomfortably. His reaction made him want to run back home and put as much space between them as possible, but there was no way for him to do that without making himself look like an ass. He was just going to have to work at keeping his hard on to a minimum.

“So, what do you think?” Brian asked, impatiently waiting for Justin’s opinion.

“Huh?” Justin replied in confusion, his mind on his dick.

“What do you think about the mock up? Are you okay? You seem distracted all of the sudden,” Brian said with concern.

Justin felt a blush creep up as he thought about what had distracted him. “Oh, sorry…I’m fine. My mind just wandered for a minute. What were you saying? Oh, right…it looks pretty good.”

Brian noticed Justin starting to blush and wondered what he had been thinking about. Was it possible…? ‘Don’t even think about it, Kinney’ Brian chastised himself silently. He needed to remember that Justin had Luke at home. Why would he be thinking how close they had come to touching and the heat that radiated between them? Pushing those thoughts aside, he tried to force his thoughts back to the campaign.

“Wait! What do you mean it looks pretty good? It’s exactly what we had talked about,” Brian stated, unhappy with Justin’s comment.

“I know. It is exactly what we decided. It’s good. Don’t listen to me. You’re the professional. I’m just used to my program, that’s all. This is fine,” Justin explained, sensing Brian’s anger.

“I don’t do fine. Fine is for losers. What’s the name of that program again, and what’s the difference between them?”

Justin couldn’t help but chuckle at Brian’s reply. “Why don’t we go over to my house and I’ll show you what I’m talking about. You’ll never want to go back to this again.”

“Lead the way,” Brian replied, rising to follow Justin and trying hard not to watch his ass as they went.

Justin brought Brian into his studio and booted up his computer. Brian was impressed with what he saw.

“I never noticed that when I was here before. That’s some set up you have here. What’s an artist doing with a five thousand dollar Graphics computer?”

Justin thought carefully before answering. “I had trouble with my hand after high school and it kept me from drawing for awhile so I bought this to help me create. After that I decided to keep the computer updated. You never know when it might come in handy. Here, let me show you how it works,” Justin replied effectively changing the subject.

The two worked side by side for the next two hours while Justin showed Brian how to work the program. Once they were done Brian sat back and looked at the finished project in awe.

“That looks great; perfect actually. Thanks,” Brian said sincerely.

“No problem. I told you it’s all in the program. Actually, I’m surprised that in your line of work you haven’t checked into more advanced technology,” Justin laughed in reply.

“I spend most of my time on the ideas, not thinking about programs. Apparently that was a mistake,” Brian replied, glancing at his watch. “So, why don’t you let me take you out to lunch as a thank you for helping me?”

“You don’t have to do that, Brian. It was fun. Besides, that’s what neighbors are for,” Justin assured him, refusing to think about the thrill he felt at the idea of them having lunch together.

“Yeah I know, I’d still like to take you to lunch to thank you, though I do have an ulterior motive,” Brian admitted sheepishly.

“And what would that be?”

“Well, I thought that while we were out I might be able to convince you to go computer shopping with me.”

Justin couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the innocent look on Brian’s face. “I think that could be arranged.”

“Great. Let me run home and change into something more appropriate and I’ll meet you in my driveway in about fifteen minutes, okay?” Brian asked ignoring the strange feeling that imagining lunch was causing.

“Sounds good; I’ll see you in a few.”

Justin watched Brian walk away and refused to let any negative thoughts enter his mind. Brian was his neighbor and avoiding him was not going to be an option. He’d just have to keep his improper thoughts to himself until his infatuation was behind him. Besides, Luke was right. It was nice to have friends right next door.

Brian cursed himself the whole time he was getting dressed. What had he been thinking when he asked Justin to lunch? Earlier that morning he had been trying to get rid of the man and here he was getting ready to spend the day with him. ‘Well, I just won’t allow myself to think about Justin as anything other than a friend and everything will be alright’ he thought to himself as he grabbed his keys and headed outside. The sight of Justin leaning against his car caused a lump to form in his throat. ‘Okay, I never said it would be easy’ he reminded himself as he made his way to the car.

“All set?”

“Sure, let’s go,” Justin replied wondering again how he was going to keep his infatuation to himself when all he wanted to do was throw the gorgeous man down and have his way with him. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Lunch went by quickly while Brian and Justin got to know each other better over Caesar Salads and a bottle of wine. Then they headed to the computer store where Justin showed his knowledge and helped Brian pick out a top of the line system. Once the bill was paid and the delivery was set up for the end of the week, they were on their way. Brian glanced at his watch and realized it was almost five.

“Damn, I can’t believe how late it is.”

“I know, I guess it’s going to be leftovers for dinner tonight,” Justin laughed before being interrupted by his cell phone.

Brian listened discretely to the one sided conversation with interest.

“Hello?...What?...What do you mean ruined?...Shit…I’ll be there as soon as I can!” Justin stated angrily before slapping his cell phone shut and sighing in frustration.

“Is everything alright?” Brian asked rhetorically. It was obvious that Justin had just received some upsetting news.

“No! Those assholes at the gallery fucked up and half of my paintings for next weeks show were ruined. I have to get over there and see exactly what’s left.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! What happened?”

“I’m not sure. Ron said something about a pipe bursting and causing a flood. Luckily, some of my work was already upstairs ready to be hung. I won’t know more until I get back to my car and head over there,” Justin replied trying to hold back his anger some.

“Why don’t we just head over there now? It will be faster than having to drive you all the way home just so you can drive all the way back into town,” Brian suggested.

“I’m sure you have better things to do than to watch me queen out in the gallery,” Justin chuckled, touched by Brian’s offer.

“Actually I don’t and I would love to see you queen out,” Brian laughed in response.

“Well, as long as you’re sure, that would be great. Thanks.”

“That’s what friends are for. Now let’s go kick some ass,” Brian teased as he turned the car towards the gallery.

Two hours later, Brian followed a dejected Justin out of the gallery, trying to think of something to say to ease the younger man’s mind.

“Justin, are you okay?”

“I’m not sure. I have an opening in a little more than a week and more than half my work is a big, sloppy mess. I don’t know how I’ll have the time to replace all that they lost. I don’t even know where to begin,” Justin admitted softly.

“You’re very talented, I know that if anyone can pull it off, you can,” Brian replied honestly.

“You really think so?”

“Are you fishing for compliments? You have to know how good you are.”

“I know that I’m good, but I never really believed that I was as good as others say, you know?” Justin admitted shyly.

Brian laughed before replying, “No, I don’t know. I’m pretty much a cocky bastard. I know exactly how good I am.”

Justin giggled at Brian’s admission, thankful that the man was there with him, making him feel better.

Brian pulled into the driveway at 7:30 and shut off the engine.

“Thanks again for the help with the campaign as well as the computer,” Brian said softly.

“No problem, and thanks for lunch and for keeping me sane while at the gallery. If anyone can understand how important one’s work is, you can.”

“That I can. I guess I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later,” Justin replied as he climbed out of the car and headed home. His thoughts were all mixed up about the day he had spent with Brian. He enjoyed the day enormously, despite the bad news he received about his paintings, but he refused to evaluate that at the moment. He had too many other things to worry about.

As he entered the house he was startled when Luke came running into the room, anger evident in his voice.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“What?” Justin asked incredulously.

“I asked where the fuck you’ve been. I came home hours ago and you were no where to be found yet your van was in the driveway. I’ve been going out of my mind wondering if something had happened to you!” Luke explained angrily.

“Luke, I’m sorry. After helping Brian with his campaign we went computer shopping. You should have seen the shitty program he was using for work. Once I showed him my set up he wanted to get one of his own so I helped him,” Justin replied, not exactly sure why he left out the information about their lunch.

“And you couldn’t have left me a note? And exactly how long does it take to pick out a computer? I’ve been home for hours!” Luke continued to yell.

Justin snapped at his partner’s interrogation. “First of all, I’m a big boy and don’t have to answer to anyone if I want to go out for a couple of hours; even you! Second of all, we would have been home hours ago but I got a call from Ron and had to go to the gallery. Since we were out, Brian offered to drive me. Apparently a pipe burst and managed to destroy more than half of my work so I went over to see what they had and figure out how much I needed to replace. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to go lay down for awhile since I’m going to be spending the next week working my ass off to try to recreate what was lost!” Justin stormed upstairs leaving Luke standing there in shock.

Brian sauntered into the house casually, trying to focus on Kyle instead of Justin. They hadn’t spoken since their argument the night before and Brian knew he was going to have to talk to him and fix things. He found Kyle sitting at the dining room table lost in thought.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“You came home,” Kyle replied quietly.

“Of course I came home. Why wouldn’t I? I live here, remember?”

“I guess I just thought…you were so mad at me last night. Then I come home and you’re no where to be found. I know you didn’t want to move here to begin with and then I go pushing our neighbors on you. I guess I thought you went back to the loft,” Kyle admitted sadly.

“Ky, we had a fight. It’s not the first one and I’m sure it won’t be the last. It wasn’t enough to make me run back to the loft. I guess I should have left you a note telling you where I went, but I didn’t know you would think that I left you.”

“I didn’t know I would think that either. I’m sorry, I guess I just freaked out. You’ve been so touchy lately and I just…never mind. Just forget it. I promise not to push Justin and Luke on you anymore. If you’d rather not hang out with them, I understand. I just thought it was nice to have some new friends.”

Brian sighed, realizing how selfish he had been. “No, you’re right. It is nice having friends next door. I guess I’ve just been stressed out lately with the move. Luke and Justin are cool. In fact, I ended up spending the day with Justin. He helped me, not only with the campaign, but also with picking out a new computer. I had no idea how out of date mine was. The new one will be delivered on Friday,” Brian told him as he stood up to go get a beer. Kyle followed him into the kitchen.

“So you had a good day then?” Kyle asked, happy that Brian seemed to be accepting the men next door.

“Yeah, until Justin got some bad news. That’s why I got home so late.” Brian told Kyle what had happened at the gallery, explaining about the condition of the paintings as well as Justin’s anger and disappointment.

“Wow, that’s a shame. It’s nice that you were there for him; it sound as if he needed a friend. I’m sorry I over reacted before. I guess I’m still a little tired after yesterday,” Kyle admitted sheepishly.

“Well, how about if I go make us something to eat and then we can head up to bed. I have just the thing to help you fall asleep,” Brian suggested seductively.

“I just bet you do,” Kyle replied with a smile, happy that they were past the argument that had kept him awake most of the night.


End of part 4
7/16/04

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