Coming Home

Chapter 2

After Brian was gone, Justin tried desperately to fall back asleep, but memories of what had just transpired between them, coupled with memories of their previous life together, kept floating through his mind making sleep impossible. He lay in bed for hours until he saw a glimpse of the morning sun beginning to rise and gave up of any hope of sleep. Quietly climbing out of bed, he made his way downstairs and was surprised to find Brian curled up on the couch sound asleep. He tiptoed over to where Brian was laying and couldn’t resist the urge to touch the beautiful man. He gently brushed back a few stray strands of hair that had fallen on Brian’s forehead and smiled at the soft moan the action caused. He stood there for a few more moments before turning to walk away and was startled when Brian reached out a hand and grasped his wrist.

“I…uh...thought you were…sleeping,” Justin stammered nervously.

“I was…until I felt you touch me. I’m really sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have gone into your room,” Brian said softly, staring up at the blond above him. “What time is it?”

“It’s still early. You should probably go back to sleep for a little while,” Justin replied.

“Lay with me?” At the concerned look on Justin’s face, Brian let out a little chuckle. “For old time’s sake. I promise to behave myself.”

“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Justin teased, trying to ease some of the tension in the room.

Brian smiled as he slid back making room for Justin to join him. Justin hesitated but quickly gave in and lay down alongside him. Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and the familiar contact quickly lulled them both to sleep.

Jennifer woke up and glanced at the clock, startled to see that it was after eight. She never slept in that late. She lay there for a moment and listened for sounds signaling someone else was up. When she heard nothing, she glanced over at Craig, smiling at the love she still had for the man after so many years and quietly snuck out of bed. She grabbed her robe, putting it on as she made her way downstairs and stopped dead in her tracks by the sight that was waiting for her. Brian and Justin were sound asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. She wasn’t sure what it meant and doubted very highly that they somehow worked everything out in the last eight hours, but it was a promising start. As she stood there lost in thought, Craig came up behind her quietly and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the neck.

“I wonder what that means?” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m not sure, but I’m hoping it means that they’re on their way to fixing things. Now come on, you can help me make breakfast,” Jenn whispered back, taking Craig’s hand and tugging him towards the kitchen.

Justin woke up to the smells and sounds of breakfast cooking. He slowly opened up his eyes to see Brian staring down at him.

“I guess they saw us, huh?” Justin whispered.

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but unless they came downstairs blindfolded I would say it’s a pretty safe bet,” Brian replied with a smirk.

“Shit, this isn’t good. Now they’re going to be on our case, trying to figure out what’s going on with us.”

Brian was about to ask Justin the same thing when the blond continued, causing a lump to for in his throat.

“Well, they don’t need to know about last night. We’ll just tell them that we were having trouble sleeping and ran into each other down here. Then, we both got too tired and couldn’t make it back upstairs. Yeah, that’s it, so we just shared the couch,” Justin rambled on unaware of the pain he was causing Brian.

“Or better yet,” Brian replied angrily. “Why don’t we just tell them that we were sleeping walking and have no idea how we ended up here? Fuck this! Tell them whatever you want. I’m going upstairs to take a shower.”

Justin watched in shock as Brian jumped up from the couch and stormed upstairs like a five year old in the middle of a temper tantrum. He wasn’t even sure what had happened. One minute they were talking and the next Brian was gone. Shaking his head in hopes of clearing his confusion, Justin got up and went to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Honey. Where’s Brian? The coffee’s ready and I know how much he looks forward to that first cup,” Jennifer said cheerfully.

“He’s…uh…upstairs. He went to take a shower,” Justin replied as he sank down in the nearest chair. “I’ll take a cup, though.”

“Oh, I just thought that…”

“Mom, we’re not back together,” Justin stated, stopping his mother from continuing. “We just…sort of ran into each other in the living room last night and we were tired so…”

“Justin, you don’t have to explain anything to us,” Craig piped in. “Whatever goes on between you and Brian is none of our business.”

“But Craig,”

“Jenn, leave the boys alone. Let them work things out on their own,” Craig said with his voice holding a gentle warning.

Justin wanted to point out that there was nothing between them to work out, but he stopped himself. After what happened the night before and Brian’s strange outburst moments before, he wasn’t so sure of that anymore. Then again, there was always Cole to factor in. He had been stupid enough to forget all about Cole and his relationship with Brian. What had he been thinking? Brian had a boyfriend. He apparently showed up in his room for a little romp while Cole was gone.

“Fuck!” Justin exclaimed as reality set in.

“Justin,” Jennifer warned, looking at her son disapprovingly.

“Sorry Mom. I just remembered that my luggage is still in the rental car. I better go get it.” Without waiting for a reply, Justin headed to the car, grabbing his keys on the way and fighting the urge to just get in and drive away.

 

*****
 

Brian stood under the shower head, hoping that the hot water would wash away the anger and pain he felt at Justin’s casual dismissal of what was happening between them. He still wasn’t sure why he went into the blond’s bedroom the night before, but even in his confusion he knew that it meant something to him. To hear Justin act like it was nothing caused a tightening in his chest that he couldn’t shake. He quickly finished washing and hopped out of the enclosure, drying himself off and wrapping a towel around his waist before finding his way back to his bedroom. He didn’t have any clean clothes to put on, since he hadn’t planned on spending the night, and reluctantly put on his what he was wearing earlier. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was still fairly early. He’d have to ask Craig to give him a ride back to the apartment, but wanted to make sure Cole was gone before he went. The last thing he needed was to run into his angry ex and add to his already fragile mental state. As he came out of the room, he wasn’t too surprised to find Justin coming down the hallway.

“Hey,” Justin murmured as he came to stand before Brian.

“Hey,” Brian replied, unsure of what to say.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I just…I don’t want my mother reading more into this than there is. She already started in the kitchen, but my father intervened and saved me from answering questions that I don’t know how to answer,” Justin explained, hoping to make amends to whatever it was that he did wrong.

“Whatever. It’s no big deal,” Brian said, hoping to keep his voice casual.

“Besides, what about Cole? I’m sure you don’t want him to find out about what happened last night,” Justin pointed out.

“I don’t really think that matters anymore. Cole’s probably at home as we speak packing his things. He’s decided to go visit his parents for the week, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be coming back.”

“What? Why? Because of what happened last night? Shit Brian, what are you doing here? You should be at home trying to work things out with him,” Justin exclaimed, trying to ignore the little bit of happiness he was experiencing at the news that Cole was history.

“No, the best thing I can do for him is let him go. I can’t give him what he wants anyway,” Brian sighed.

“What is it he wants?” Justin asked curiously.

“My heart. I gave that away years ago and it was returned in pieces.”

Before Justin had a chance to reply, Molly walked out of the bedroom, unaware that she was interrupting an important moment.

“Hey guys, what’s going on? Are Mom and Dad up yet?”

“Uh…yeah…they’re in the kitchen. Would you excuse us, Mol? Brian and I were in the middle of a conversation,” Justin said, never taking his eyes off Brian.

“That’s okay, we’re through. Come on Molly, let’s go get breakfast,” Brian said, using the opportunity to get away before he said anything else.

Once they were downstairs, Molly stopped Brian and looked in his eyes. “I get the feeling that I interrupted something important.”

“No, you didn’t. It was no big deal,” Brian assured her, relieved that she appeared when she did.

“Bri, I’m really sorry about opening my big mouth last night. I feel horrible that you had to spend Christmas Eve here by yourself instead of at home with Cole.”

“It’s not your fault, Mol. You didn’t know. And besides, it’s my fault for keeping something like that a secret in the first place,” Brian explained.

“Why did you? Why didn’t you just tell him it was Justin?”

“I didn’t want to make coming here awkward, especially since Justin wasn’t around anymore. It worked well, didn’t it?” Brian laughed.

“So I take it Cole’s pretty angry, huh?”

“Let’s not talk about him right now. It’s Christmas and I just want to spend the day with my family. I don’t see you nearly enough now that you moved out and got a life of your own. In fact, if my nose is right, I detect the scent of coffee and I haven’t had my first cup yet.”

“Uh oh, we better get moving. I know how irritable you get without that first cup,” Molly teased as she dragged Brian towards the kitchen.

 

*****

Justin stood in the same spot for almost ten minutes trying to understand what Brian had said. He was told that Brian and Cole were very happy, but from what he heard, it didn’t sound that way. Was it possible that Brian hadn’t moved on like he thought he had? And if that was the case, what did it mean? His brain was actually starting to hurt from all the thinking he’d been doing since the night before, so he just decided to push it all away and enjoy the day. In a week he’d be back home and able to put Brian out of his mind again. Well as out as he could put him, since he was never really far from his thoughts.

Breakfast was fairly enjoyable. Brian and Justin both seemed a little on the quiet side, but they were able to join in on the conversation and everyone relaxed in the comfortable atmosphere. Afterwards they sat around the living room, exchanging presents and laughing about the old days. By the time the afternoon rolled around, it was almost as if the break up never happened. Brian and Justin stayed on opposite sides of the room, but the tension was completely gone from them. Brian, Justin, and Molly were just cleaning up the mess from the gifts when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Jennifer called as she made her way to the door.

Justin all but ignored her as he and Brian began teasing each other about some of the terrible gifts they’d gotten over the years and was surprised when his mother came back and told him he had a guest. He turned around and smiled when he saw Tyler standing behind his mother in the doorway.

“Ty!” He exclaimed as he ran towards the brunette, throwing his arms around him and kissing him hard on the mouth. “What are you doing here? I thought you were coming in tomorrow.”

“What’s the matter, Beautiful? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Tyler teased as he hugged his friend back. “I was on stand-by. Someone had a cancellation, I found your parents address in your phone book and thought I’d surprise you.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. Come on in and meet my family.” Justin pulled Tyler into the living room and made all the introductions, saving Brian for last. “And this is Brian.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tyler said as he shook Brian’s hand.

“Yeah…you too,” Brian replied coolly as he shot daggers at the intruder.

Tyler noticed the look Brian was giving him and knew immediately that Justin had been wrong all along. Brian’s love for the blond was obvious in his expression and it was his job to make Justin see that while they were in town. He hated seeing his friend suffering day after day over his ex and he was going to move heaven and earth to get them back together, even though it meant Justin moving away from him.

Brian sat quietly in the corner of the room, observing the interaction between Tyler and Justin with disdain. The nerve of Justin to have his boyfriend, or whatever the fuck he was, fly in for the holidays. He didn’t belong there. He wasn’t part of the family. Listening to the two of them laughing and talking about their life in San Diego was killing Brian and he had to get away.

“Craig, can you drive me back to my apartment now? I really want to change out of these clothes and maybe even lay down for awhile. I didn’t sleep too good last night.” He looked over at Justin as he said the words, noticing a slight blush creep across his face, and couldn’t help but wonder what Tyler would think if he knew what had happened between them the night before.

Craig had sensed the change in Brian as soon as Justin’s friend appeared and felt sorry for him. Justin had told him about Tyler often and always called him a friend, but anyone could see the closeness they shared and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more between them. “Yeah, just let me get my shoes on.”

Tyler wasn’t happy with Brian’s impending departure. He wanted a chance to talk to the man and lay a few things out of the table. “Justin, why don’t we give Brian a ride home? I’ve never been to Pittsburgh before and would love to take a look around.”

“Ty, I don’t know if…”

“Come on Beautiful, let’s take a ride,” Tyler prodded.

Justin sighed at the situation Tyler put him in. There was no way he could refuse without looking like a complete ass. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to give Brian a ride; he just didn’t want to be in the position to make small talk with him now that the tension between them was back. “Uh…sure, let me just go to the bathroom first.”

Brian watched the interaction between them and wondered what was going on. Why would Tyler insist on having Justin drive him home? Was he hoping to stake his claim? Did he know about their past relationship and feel the need to let Brian know that Justin was his? He was curious as to what the ride home was going to entail.

Once they were in the car, Brian and Justin were both unusually quiet and Tyler was in the back seat wondering what his next move should be. “Hey beautiful, can you stop at that store over there? It might be the only one open today and I need a pack of cigarettes.”

Justin complied and pulled into the parking lot of the convenience store. He shut off the engine and reached for the door, ready to let his friend out when Tyler spoke up once again.

“Why don’t you just run in for me instead of letting me out? It’ll be easier that way.”

“Ty,” Justin warned, beginning to wonder if his friend had an ulterior motive to the spur of the moment ride he insisted on taking.

“Just go, Beautiful. Brian and I will be fine without you for a few minutes,” Tyler assured him with a smile.

Justin knew that arguing would get him nowhere so he gave Tyler a warning glare and got out of the car, leaving his ex and his friend alone.

“That was subtle,” Brian said as soon as Justin was gone. “Is this where you tell me to stay away from him? Because if it is, then you’re wasting your breath. Justin and I haven’t spoken in almost two years and after this holiday’s over, I’m sure it’ll be another few years before we talk again.”

Tyler chucked at Brian’s misunderstanding. “No you Ass, this is where I tell you that if you want Justin back, you better grab the opportunity while you can.”

“Excuse me?” Brian asked in confusion.

“Look, Justin and I are just friends. Not for lack of interest on my part, of course. I mean anyone with common sense knows what a great guy he is. I just learned early on that he’s unavailable. He’s still in love with his ex.” Tyler stopped speaking for a moment, letting his words sink in. “If you want him back, do something about it. You have until New Years Day to figure out exactly what it is you want, but you better not wait too long.”

“Who even says I want him back?” Brian replied, yet his heart was beating out of his chest at the thought of having Justin back home where he belonged. “He left me, as I’m sure you know.”

“Please Brian, you may not like me, but don’t underestimate my intelligence. Anyone with two eyes and half a brain can see you still love him. Don’t give up this chance to work things out with him because you might not get another one.”

Justin returned then, ending their conversation, and leaving Brian more than a little confused. If Justin was still in love with him like Tyler claimed, why did he leave in the first place?

The rest of the ride was made in almost complete silence, with Justin piping in occasionally to point out something of interest. The tension in the car was strong and Justin breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled into the parking lot of the complex. He was surprised when he heard that Brian was still living in the same two bedroom that they shared since college. He would’ve thought that with the money he was making at Ryder, he would’ve moved into something nicer a long time ago.

“Thanks for the ride,” Brian said, interrupting Justin’s thoughts as he reached for the door.

“No problem. Will I…uh…see you again before I go back?” Justin noticed that he didn’t call San Diego home. How could he when Pittsburgh still had all he held dear; including Brian.

Brian looked back at Tyler as he thought about what was said earlier before looking back into Justin’s deep blue eyes. “Yeah, you’ll see me.” He got out of the car without saying another word.

Once Brian was out of the car, Tyler jumped into the front seat and came face to face with Justin’s confused glare. “What?”

“What the fuck did you say to him?” Justin demanded.

“I told him what a tight ass you have,” Tyler replied casually.

“Ty!”

“I didn’t say anything to him,” Tyler laughed. “What do you think I said to him? We talked about the city, that’s all.”

Justin could see the twinkle in Tyler’s eyes and knew that he was lying, but didn’t push the issue. He had a feeling he really didn’t want to know what was said between them while he was in the store. “Just stay out of it, alright? I only have to deal with this shit for a week and then I can go home and forget all about Brian again.”

“Again? Sorry Beautiful, but you’ve never forgotten about Brian. And with reason. Boy is he hot. I wouldn’t mind…” His voice trailed off as he saw the look of pure anger directed towards him. “Just kidding.”

“Let’s go home,” Justin said, hoping for the tenth time at least that his visit would be over quickly and he could go back to San Diego and put all the drama behind him.

End of part 2
06/02/05
 

Return to Coming Home