The Ties That Bind
I can't believe I'm doing this for him. He practically begged me to, so he could go in to work and get some new ad campaign off the ground. He was dressed in a nice navy blue Armani suit. He always has that 'Come Fuck Me' look no matter what he wears. He knows it too. God, it can be annoying at times, the arrogant bastard.
But that's beside the point. He's my best friend. We've been friends for over sixteen years now. He knows I'll do anything for him. Well, almost anything. This is one of those exceptions to the rules kind of thing.
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Let me start my story. It was 8:00 A.M. when he called me. He was ranting about Ryder needing him to come into work and start on a new ad for a Gay Rights group. I'm sure it made him proud that Ryder asked him and not some young hot shot. His boss was finally getting use to the fact that his best ad executive was not only gay, but in love with an eighteen-year-old twink. Imagine that.
But anyway, back to what I was saying, it was 8:00 in the morning when he called me, saying that he had to hurry to work, but no one else was available to watch Justin. He asked me if I could do it. And I'd felt like I'd been slapped in the face. He was asking me, of all people, to watch that child. I told him I'd think about it. He said I had no time to think about it, he needed me there now. So, I reluctantly agreed to come to the loft and watch over Justin.
As I drove to Brian's loft, all I could think about was how Justin must feel. Poor Justin. Clobbered upside the head with a baseball bat at his Senior Prom. What a horrible way to end a perfect night.
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When I'd arrived at the hospital that night, I saw Brian sitting in a chair, staring at the wall in front of him. He'd looked like hell frozen over. The white silk scarf around his neck was stained with blood, Justin's blood. It was on his shirt, his jacket, his hands, and his face. God, his face. I remember it as if it were yesterday. His lips were stained red, his eyes puffy from crying. In all my years knowing Brian, I'd never seen him shed a tear for anyone.
I think it was that night that I knew in my heart I'd never have Brian's love, not the way in which I wanted it. It belonged to the eighteen year old young man lying in a coma, in the hospital room beside us. I comforted Brian all night, and helped him home to clean up. I didn't leave his side. I gave up going with David for him. I knew David would understand. Brian was like my brother. He needed me, more than ever.
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Now, here I am. In Brian's loft, while Justin lay asleep in his bed. I walk up the stairs to the bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed, looking down at his innocent face. There's a faint scar on his left temple, where the bat struck him. I remember seeing him in his hospital room. For the first time in a long time, I was scared. What would happen to Brian if he lost Justin now?
After the Cameron incident in college, Brian had vowed to never fall in love, start a relationship, or have a boyfriend. Then Justin came along, pushed and shoved his way into our lives, and Brian opened up his heart again. Justin managed to break down the walls Brian spent years building up around his heart.
Reaching over, I gently brush my fingers against Justin's scar, watching the young blonde shift in his sleep. I decide to let him sleep a little longer before I wake him to take his medication.
**************
After an hour, I gently nudge the Justin-shaped form under the sheets. He protests by pushing away my hand, and burring himself deeper under the sheets. I can only chuckle softly and nudge him again.
"C'mon, Justin. Time to get up. You gotta take your medication." I whisper.
I hear his muffled answer from beneath the sheets. "Don't wanna get up yet."
"Too bad, Boy Wonder."
I sit him up and pull the sheet off his head, watching him slowly wake up. His hair is sticking up a bit, and he's got that half-asleep look to his face. Once I'm sure he's lucid enough, I offer him the pills and the water. He takes the pills, popping them into his mouth, and drinks half the glass before handing it back to me. He yawns and stretches lazily before looking around the room.
"Where's Brian?"
"He had to go to work. He was offered to make an ad for a Gay Right's group. He called me over and left for the office." I set the water on the nightstand by the bed.
Now, it is time for me to play the mother hen, instead of my mom and Jennifer. I smooth down his hair and offer him a loose fitting shirt from his clothes pile on the floor.
"Are you feeling alright? No headaches or dizziness?" I ask as, I lay the back of my hand against his forehead to check for any signs of a fever.
Justin shakes his head. "Nope. I'm fine. I'm hungry though." He bats away my hand with a look of mock annoyance on his baby face.
I smile. "Cheerios sound good for lunch?"
He grins. "Of course."
Helping him up, my hand never leaving his, I lead him to the kitchen and sit him at the table. While I get the milk, he asks me something that I thought he never would.
"Dose this mean we're friends now?" he questions me shyly.
I freeze. What do I say to that? Do I lie and say yes? Do I just blow it off and not answer? I decide I might as well just be honest with him.
"I don't know, Justin. Let's just call this an uneasy truce for now, and we'll see where it leads us, hmm?" I answer as I put the cereal down in front of him.
"Deal!" and with that he digs in.
I smile as I watch him. Even after a major injury and a coma, he is still full of life, has so much energy. Now I think I know why Brian keeps him around. He makes him feel young. He always keeps Brian on his toes and offers him a new challenge every day.
Maybe we can become friends.
Maybe I can learn to let him into my life too.