Misunderstood

Brian was impatiently sitting at a small table at the restaurant where Justin had arranged to meet him for dinner. The blond was running late again, as usual. "Fucking little twat!" His eyes idly skimmed past the various patrons sitting in the busy room, finally coming to rest on one man in particular. Brian couldn't see his face but there was something about him-the tilt of his head or the way he moved his hands as he talked to his dining companion that struck a chord deep within the brunet.

The man reminded Brian of his one attempt at a relationship-before Justin, that is. Brian shook his head to clear his thoughts-no, that was in the past, dead and buried, where it belonged.

"Hey, Brian. Sorry I'm late-the buses were running behind." Justin slid breathlessly into his seat, smiling brightly at his partner. "Have you ordered yet?"

"No, I waited for you. How were things at the gallery?"

Brian smiled as Justin rambled on about the preparations for his first solo art show, scheduled to take place in six weeks. At twenty-two, he still hadn't developed the practiced air of boredom that Brian displayed to the world-no, the blond literally vibrated with life. Justin was passionate about every aspect of his life-his art, his friends as well as his non-conventional relationship with the older man.

"Brian? Brian Kinney?" a voice interrupted the younger man's words.

Brian looked up and met the speaker's eyes. Suddenly thirteen years fell away and he was back in college again. Standing in front of him was the first man he had ever truly fallen for and who had destroyed his dreams of happily-ever-after when he walked away.

"Forrest? Is that you?" Brian stood then hesitated, unsure whether to hug the man or merely offer his hand in greeting. The other man took the decision out of his hands when he engulfed the brunet in a warm embrace.

"Oh my God! I never expected to find you still in the Pitts. I figured you would have moved on to bigger and better things in New York by now, like you always planned." The dark-haired man stepped back, smiling broadly at Brian. "We need to get together while I'm in town-talk about old times and all."

"Umm, sure." Brian grimaced, not positive he wanted to do that to himself-there were as many unpleasant memories associated with his former lover as good. He turned his eyes to Justin, who was looking curiously between the men. "Justin, I'd like you to meet an old... college friend. Justin Taylor, Forrest Mathison."

The two men shook hands politely, then Forrest turned back to Brian, pulling out a card case from his jacket pocket as he did, "I need to run, but here's my number. I'm here for a month or so-my company is setting up an office here." Brian took the card and offered Forrest one of his own.

Brian nodded, "Sounds good, Forrest. Maybe we can get together for lunch or something. Call me."

"Will do. Damn Brian, it's good to see you again! I'll talk to you later."

Brian watched as Forrest rejoined his companion and exited the restaurant, puzzled by the emotions he was feeling.

"Brian? Everything alright?"

Justin's soft voice broke through his reverie-Brian shrugged slightly and forced all thoughts of the past from his mind. He sat back down and quirked an eyebrow at his lover.

"Of course."

Justin sat lost in thought for a moment, then stated, "He's hot." The man had been hot-in fact, he was exactly the type Brian usually went for. Forrest was a few inches taller than Brian, with dark brown eyes and deep red, slightly wavy hair. He had been dressed as impeccably as Brian and had a sophisticated demeanor about him.

"Yeah, always has been."

"Did you ever fuck him?"

Hazel eyes met blue as Brian nodded, "Yes. And before you ask, I fucked him more than once. He and I were... together for almost three years, during college and for a little while after."

"Wow, you never told me." His taciturn lover surprised him with this revelation. Brian rarely volunteered information about his life before Justin had burst on the scene. "What happened?"

"He got a better offer. Now, if you don't mind, I'm not interested in dredging up ancient history. How are the boards coming for the DaLaVida presentation?" Brian did not intend to discuss his former lover with his current one.

Justin put aside his curiosity about Forrest and filled in his lover/boss on the latest progress on the jewelry campaign. DeLaVida Jewelers was an important client for Kinnetik and he was aware that Brian wouldn't tolerate any screw-ups.

As Brian paid the bill he casually asked, "Are we heading to Babylon tonight?"

Justin shook his head, a rueful expression on his face, "Sorry. I promised Daphne we'd go to the movies. She's been on my case about the lack of 'best friend' time we've had lately. I'm going to stay over there tonight as well."

"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work. Later." Brian leaned down and brushed Justin's soft lips in a quick kiss.

"Later."

The two men parted, one headed for the bus stop and the other for his car. After Brian climbed into the 'Vette, he slowly pulled the business card his former lover had given him from his wallet and stared down at it, lost in memories.

He had met Forrest Mathison during his junior year in college. Both advertising majors, they had found themselves taking three upper-level classes together. They quickly became close, first as friends then as lovers. Each recognized in the other a kindred spirit. They both possessed a drive to be the best in their chosen field as well as a tendency to hold the world at arm's length.

After graduation, they each found employment-Brian at Ryder's and Forrest at a competing ad agency. The two men moved into an apartment together and were soon settled in. It had been a small, dingy rat hole of a place, but Brian had felt at peace there, for the first time in his life.

It was a peace that was destined to last only a year. One Friday after work, Brian walked into the apartment to discover Forrest talking animatedly on the phone. He had gone into their bedroom to change clothes and was soon back out in the living room, overhearing the last of his lover's conversation.

"That sounds great. Yes, I'll fly out on Monday. I'll see you then." Forrest hung up the phone and began to dance around the room, saying to Brian, "You won't fucking believe it. You know the last campaign I worked on-well, it came to the attention of Max Springfield of Dyer Preston, Inc. out in L.A. He wants me to fly out on Monday for an interview."

Brian felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. "You're planning to leave Pittsburgh?" Seeing the guilty look that crossed the other man's face, he angrily headed for the bar and poured himself a tumbler full of Beam. He tossed it back, choking slightly as he felt the burn sliding down his throat. Without turning around, he asked, "How long have you known about this?"

"About two weeks," came the hesitant response.

Brian nodded jerkily, swallowing hard to keep the emotions that were overwhelming him from sounding in his voice, "Well, I wish you luck. Now, I'm going out." He grabbed his leather jacket and was halfway to the door when he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Brian, please... We need to talk about this."

Brian gazed into the deep brown eyes of the man he loved and simply asked, "If they offer you the position, are you planning on accepting it?"

Forrest's eyes shifted to look at the floor as he slowly nodded, "Yes, I think I will. It's too good an opportunity to pass up..." His eyes snapped back up to Brian's as he added, "But that doesn't change anything between us. I mean, there's always phones... and we can fly out to see each other once in a while."

Brian laughed bitterly and snarled, "Fuck that. I'm not putting my life on hold for a Goddamned long-distance relationship. If you leave, we're through."

"Brian, that's not what I want..."

"We don't all fucking get what we want, do we Forrest?" Brian snatched his arm from his lover's grip and slammed out of the apartment. He headed for Babylon where, for the first time in three years, he found a willing trick to drag into the backroom. He didn't return home at all that weekend.

Early Monday morning, he quietly unlocked the apartment's door, opening it to find Forrest perched on the couch, a packed bag by his feet.

"I was hoping you would get in before I left for the airport. We have to talk."

"There's nothing left to say." Brian went into the bedroom, grabbed a suitcase and began haphazardly throwing clothes into it.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Brian answered as he moved into the bathroom and began collecting some necessities, "I called Ryder this morning and claimed a family emergency. I'm taking some time off work."

Forrest's face lit up at that statement, "You're coming with me? Brian, that's great."

The brunet shot him an incensed look, "Fuck no." He re-entered the bedroom and opened a drawer in his nightstand, taking out his passport and tossing it onto the bed beside his suitcase. "I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks in Acapulco-getting high, drinking tequila and fucking every hot guy I can find." He snapped his suitcase closed, pulled on his jacket and slipped his passport into his pocket. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch." He grabbed up his luggage and stormed out of the apartment without a backward look.

Two weeks later, he returned from his trip to find an empty apartment. Walking in, he noticed that Forrest had removed all his possessions, leaving only a photo of the two of them in happier times and a note lying on the dining room table.

Brian,

I'm sorry. I'll always love you.

Forrest

During the next few years, he occasionally heard about his erstwhile lover through the industry's gossip mill. Forrest had moved rapidly up the ranks at the ad agency in L.A., becoming the company's youngest partner at the age of twenty-eight. He led numerous national ad campaigns and won several awards for them. He had definitely made a success of himself.

Brian had intermittently wondered what would have happened if he had gone with Forrest instead of taking off on his two-week Mexican fuckfest. Would they still be together or would the end result been the same-Forrest in L.A. and himself still stuck in the Pitts?

The brunet blinked down at the card tightly clutched in his hand and pulled out his cell phone, quickly dialing the number listed on it before he could change his mind.

"Forrest? It's Brian Kinney... Are you free tonight? I thought we could meet, maybe have a few drinks... Forty-five minutes... yeah, I'll see you there. Bye."

Brian slowly put away his phone and started the 'Vette, pulling out onto the road with a squeal of tires and sped away from the restaurant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Justin was busy the next few weeks, preparing for his show. He already had approximately twenty paintings ready for display, but wanted to finish a few more before the opening on Monday. He was grateful that Lindsay had persuaded her boss to put his work in the gallery and wanted to make a good impression.

The young artist was at his studio on the Thursday before the opening, putting the final touches on a painting, when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and smiled-it was Brian.

"Hey Brian."

"Hey yourself. Justin..." Brian's voice sounded hesitant. "I'm afraid I have to beg off tonight. Something's come up at work and I'm going to be staying late."

Justin frowned. Brian had been working long hours the past month-this wasn't the first time he had called to cancel their plans. "Come on, Brian. We haven't seen each other in days. I'm getting frustrated from the lack of sex."

"Sorry Sunshine."

"Fuck, Brian. You're working too damned much. You need to take a break. At least meet me for dinner, then you can go back into the office."

"No Justin, I can't. I'll have something delivered here. This job has to be finished by tomorrow. I'll talk to you later." The phone disconnected before Justin could respond.

Justin stared down at the phone in his hand, incredulous that Brian had actually hung up on him. "What the fuck is his problem?" He was beginning to worry there was something wrong between them. They always struggled with communication in their turbulent relationship, but during the past few weeks, they had barely spoken to one another, other than to greet each other in passing.

Justin had noticed a subtle change in Brian's attitude lately. The brunet didn't get home before midnight most nights and he was up at dawn and out the door on his way to Kinnetik. When he was home, he was either sleeping or blowing up at Justin whenever the blond did anything. They hadn't had sex in almost a week-every time Justin approached Brian, he turned away, saying he was too tired.

Justin glanced at his watch, a plan brewing in his mind. It was close to 5:30, so he had plenty of time to pick up some food and take it over to Kinnetik. If everything worked out the way he hoped, they could have dinner together, then Justin would serve dessert-his bare ass bent over Brian's desk.

He swiftly cleaned up his mess, washing out his brushes and closing his paint tubes. When he was finally satisfied that everything was taken care of, he put on his coat, picked up his messenger bag and locked up the studio.

The bus was pulling up to the stop when Justin exited the building, so he had to run to catch it. He paid the fare then sat down in an empty seat, catching his breath and planning what he would do to Brian when they were alone in the office. Before he knew it, the bus was halting in front of the diner. He bounced out and entered the front door, looking for a familiar redhead.

"Hey Debbie, I need to get a take-out order." He flopped down on an empty stool at the bar and grinned at his friend.

"Sunshine! Where have you been lately?" Debbie Novotny came over to Justin, gum cracking and a huge smile on her face. "And what's with that asshole boyfriend of yours? He's been prowling around here lately like a bear with a bad tooth."

Justin smirked as he replied, "Give him a break, Debbie, he's been really busy at work. In fact, I'm here to pick up some food, then I'm going over to Kinnetik to try and charm the beast."

"Good luck with that, Sunshine. You want your regular stuff?" When Justin nodded, the waitress went to the back of the diner and put in the order, then returned to where Justin had sat down. "You want a coke or something while you wait, sweetie?"

"Sounds good, thanks." The two chatted for a few minutes as Justin sipped his drink. Debbie went fetch the order when it was ready, and Justin said brightly as he paid, "Well, I'm off to corner the bear. See you later."

"Bye, sweet cheeks."

Justin decided to walk the few blocks between the diner and Kinnetik since the evening was pleasant and the air cool and crisp. As he approached the former bathhouse, he spotted a familiar figure exiting the building. Justin opened his mouth to call out to his lover when he noticed Brian wasn't alone. The young man stepped back into the shadow of a nearby building to watch the two men.

Brian put his arm around the other man as they neared a late model silver Jaguar. When they reached the car, Brian pushed Forrest against the side and began to kiss him. After a few minutes, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against that of the other man, speaking softly to him. They both laughed and climbed into the Jag. Forrest turned on the ignition and the vehicle was soon disappearing down the street.

Justin pressed his body backward against the rough bricks of the building behind him, clutching the bag of food to his chest. Brian had told him he was working late, yet here he was, leaving with the other ad man. He had done something Justin had never known him to do before-he had lied to him.

He now knew why Brian had been so distant the past month-he had been seeing his ex-partner. The young blond man began walking blindly down the street, not caring where he was going. As he passed a trashcan, he laughed bitterly and tossed the bag into it, "Fuck it. And fuck him too."

Eventually he stood in front of their apartment building, undecided if he should go in. He didn't see either Brian's 'Vette or the Jaguar Forrest had been driving, so he figured the loft would be empty.

He flipped on a light when he entered then started to collect a few things, throwing them into a duffle bag he had pulled out of the closet. When he realized he couldn't see what he was doing due to the tears welling up in his eyes, he flung himself across the bed and gave into the pain that was devastating him. He gradually gained control of himself and sat up. "Goddamn it. I'm not going to cry anymore for the fucker. I've done it too fucking much."

Justin finished his packing then quickly wrote a note, leaving it propped up on the kitchen counter as he prepared to leave. He hesitated for a minute then slowly removed his loft key from the key chain and laid it beside the letter. He picked up the duffle bag and crossed the room to the door.

His blue eyes drifted around the room as he sadly remembered everything that had ever happened there. Justin sighed dejectedly then left the loft, sliding the door shut on his dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brian rubbed his eyes tiredly as the words in front of him blurred. It was already six thirty and he had been at the office since six that morning. He and his staff had been putting in killer hours lately, trying to prepare the four new presentations that were scheduled for tomorrow.

Brian was glad the presentations would be over by this time tomorrow. He had arranged to take the following week off and planned to kidnap his lover, taking him away to a nearby resort. They would have to return briefly to Pittsburgh on Monday for Justin's opening but they could then go back to the hotel and spend the rest of the week relaxing together.

The brunet knew he had been short-tempered lately, and wanted to make it up to Justin with this surprise vacation. He smiled faintly as he envisioned the younger man's reaction to the news.

Brian had just forced his attention back to the contract he was trying to read when the intercom on his desk buzzed.

Cynthia's cheerful voice said, "Forrest Mathison's here to see you, Brian."

"Fine. Send him in please."

Brian leaned back in his chair as the door to his office swung open and Forrest entered. He grinned over at his friend and exclaimed, "Evening, Forrest. Haven't seen you much lately. Been busy?"

"You know me, work, work, work." The tall advertising man settled himself into one of the chairs across from Brian and looked over, "So, you owe me dinner for all those accounts I've sent your way and I'm here to collect. I'm leaving in the morning and won't be back to the Pitts for a while."

The auburn-haired man studied his former lover. They had met the night Brian had called and spent hours discussing both their past lives and their future plans. Brian was glad he had taken the initiative to phone the man-he realized that evening that while he still cared for Forrest, it was as a friend, nothing more. He had enough to handle with his little blond bombshell-he didn't need any other complications.

The two friends had talked about their respective agencies. Forrest offered several regional accounts to Brian, saying that his company wanted to concentrate on larger, nation-wide campaigns and that Kinnetik was more suited to the needs of the smaller ones. They had met several times at the office to plan the strategies Kinnetik would use when making their pitch. Forrest presented a few innovative ideas that Brian incorporated into the presentations.

The conversations had occasionally turned to their love lives. Forrest had a twink of his own waiting for him back home in Los Angeles, a young dark-haired aspiring actor. They had compared notes on the care and feeding of their twinks. Brian laughed at the stories Forrest told about the antics his younger lover had pulled and Forrest listened sympathetically when they discussed the prom, the bashing and the subsequent results.

"Yeah, I guess I do owe you. What are you in the mood for?"

"How does Italian sound?"

"Fattening. I know a good place. Shall we?"

The two men left Brian's office as Forrest teased the other man about the need to gain some weight. Brian paused at Cynthia's desk, telling the young woman he would be out for an hour or so and that she could take a dinner break if she wanted. They exited the former bathhouse and Brian slung his arm across his friend's shoulder, "Forrest, it's been wonderful seeing you again. I'm really glad we ran into each other that night."

"I agree. You and Justin need to come out to visit Robbie and I. We have a vacation place on the beach-we like to go out there to get away from all the crap in town."

Brian nodded, "That sounds good. Maybe this summer we'll head out there. It's funny, I was thinking just the other day that Justin and I need a retreat-someplace our fucked up little family can't find us. Maybe somewhere up in the mountains. We need to talk about it."

"It's been a great thing for us. Whenever the everyday shit starts piling up, Robbie and I tend to really get into a bunch of fights. That's when we realize it's time to pack up and head off to our little hideaway. We reconnect and then we can deal with all the other bullshit better."

They had reached the car and Brian pushed his friend up against it. He kissed the other man-a kiss full of affection for his former lover. He leaned his forehead against Forrest's and said, "I think we make better friends than we did lovers, don't you? We would have probably killed each other by now."

Forrest burst out laughing, "Shit yeah. Between your ego and mine..." He turned and opened the car door. Brian snickered then moved to the other side and climbed in.

"Lets go. I still have work to finish up before I can get home to my blond."

Dinner was relaxing. The two friends shared several bottles of wine with their food. After they finished eating, Forrest raised his glass and toasted, "To our twinks. May they always keep us on our toes."

"Amen to that." Brian signaled for the bill and after paying it, stated, "I need to get back. We need to make sure we keep in touch and not let another thirteen years pass us by."

"No chance of that. Good luck on the presentations tomorrow. You'll get them, I'm sure." They exited the restaurant and drove back to Kinnetik. Forrest pulled up to the curb and dropped Brian off at the front door. "I'll call next week to find out how tomorrow goes."

"Better make it the week after. I'm taking Justin away on a trip next week." Forrest nodded as Brian climbed out of the Jag, "I hope you have a good flight tomorrow."

"Thanks. See you later."

"Bye."

It was after two when Brian pulled the loft door open. The presentations were ready for him to use tomorrow and he was exhausted. He quietly went into the kitchen to get some water, not wanting to wake his sleeping partner. As he gulped the liquid down, he noticed the note and key lying on the counter. The brunet had a sick feeling in his stomach as he opened the single sheet of paper and read.

Dear Brian,

Life's ironic, isn't it? Remember the weeks before the Rage party? I was so miserable-I wanted things from you that you weren't prepared to give me, so I got involved with Ethan. You knew what was going on inside my head and helped me reach my decision by pushing me off Mount Kinney. I might not have ever worked up the nerve to leave if I hadn't seen you fucking Rage in the backroom.

The time I was with Ethan helped me to realize what I truly wanted was you-if you hadn't pushed, I might never have known for sure. In a weird, fucked-up way, it helped me become a better person.

Well, now it's my turn. I have noticed you were unhappy the past month-now I know why. I know you've been seeing Forrest. I saw the two of you tonight as you came out of Kinnetik.

I love you too much to stand by and watch you with him, so I'm helping you make your choice-I'm leaving.

About work-I'll start looking for another job as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll try to avoid you, so don't worry-there won't be any big drama princess scenes, okay?

Be happy, Brian. That's all I've ever wanted for you.

Love always,

Sunshine

Brian threw the half-full water bottle across the loft after he finished reading the note, "Fucking little shit. I'm too tired to deal with this. Goddamn him." He glanced down at the paper in his hands and his anger cooled when he noticed the smudged writing. His boy must have been crying when he wrote it.

Sighing in exasperation, he crossed the loft to the phone and dialed a pre-programmed number, knowing he was about to be chewed out by the other person.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice asked.

He bluntly inquired, "Is the little twat there?"

"Yes he is, you bastard. Shit Brian, why the fuck do you keep pulling this bullshit on him?" the blond's best friend's voice rose in anger as she spoke.

"Listen to me, Daphne. For once, I'm innocent-I promise. Do me a favor and keep him there until tomorrow night, okay? I'll come retrieve him after work."

Brian could hear the reluctance in the young woman's voice as she answered, "Alriiight. I'm not too sure about this-he's very upset right now. Maybe you should come over now."

"Which is exactly why I can't come over tonight. He's angry and I'm exhausted. If we try to talk now, we'll just end up fighting and make things worse. I'll make it up to him tomorrow night."

"Brian, can I ask you something? Are you cheating on him?"

The brunet ran his fingers through his hair and snarled, "Fuck no. What he saw tonight was me saying goodbye to a very dear friend, nothing more. I can't help it if he has a vivid imagination."

Daphne's voice softened as she replied, "Good. I'll try to distract him tomorrow, maybe drag him to a movie or something. What time will you be here?"

"I should done with my meetings by four, so I'll get there about five. Oh, Daphne, make sure the brat's shit is packed up-and don't say anything to him. I'm taking him out of town. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"No problem, Brian. See you tomorrow. Night."

Brian hung up the phone and entered the bedroom. He undressed and climbed into bed, too drained to take a shower. He had a busy day ahead of him tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daphne was ready to kill her best friend and his tardy lover. She loved them both, but sometimes the stress they caused when they were fighting was too much for her to take. She dutifully listened to Justin's story of Brian's perfidy again, having heard it several times already since they had returned from the movies. The petite brunette glanced at the clock, wincing when she saw it was close to seven. Where the fuck was Brian?

She jumped up from the futon when she heard knocking, interrupting Justin mid-word and rushed to the door. She flung it open and sneered, "It's about time, asshole. Justin is in full drama princess mode."

"Sorry, Daphne. The meetings ran late. Where is he?"

Daphne waved the brunet into the living room and headed down the hallway.

Brian sauntered into the living room as if he hadn't a care in the world. Walking up to the sulking blond who was curled up on the futon, he stated, "Get your shit together and get into the car."

"Why the fuck would I do that? And while I'm at it, what the fuck are you doing here?" Justin curled into an even tighter ball and glared at Brian.

Brian leaned over the miserable form of his lover, bracing his hands on the back of the futon as he clearly enunciated, "I'm here to get what belongs to me. Get. Into. The. Car."

Justin stared up into the hazel eyes so near his own, reading the other man's anger and seeing something else reflected there as well. Hope began to battle his anger as he gradually straightened his body and nodded, "Alright." He pushed at the body hovering over him, shoving Brian back just enough to give him room to stand up.

Brian stepped away from the futon and called out, "We're leaving, Daphne."

The young woman appeared in the doorway a minute later, Justin's duffle bag dangling from her hand. She gave it to Brian, saying, "Here you go, delivered as promised."

Justin shot a look of betrayal at his friend, who smiled angelically as she escorted them to the door. "Buh-bye, guys. Have fun!" She shoved them out and slammed the door behind them.

The two men silently walked to the car where Brian stored the duffle bag in back with the rest of the luggage. He climbed in and noticed Justin had halted on the sidewalk. The man leaned over and rolled down the window, "What are you waiting for? Christmas?"

Justin crossed his arms over his chest and said mutinously, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Well, you'll never know unless you get the fuck in the car."

Justin glared in through the window for a couple of seconds then slumped in defeat. He got into the 'Vette and slammed the door, making Brian flinch.

"Don't take your anger out on my car, Sunshine."

Justin stared stubbornly out the window as Brian drove. He peeked at the other man in curiosity when he noticed they were not going in the direction of the loft, but shrugged slightly and decided to let the brunet have his way. For now.

Brian rolled his lips inward to keep from smiling at Justin's reaction. He knew that the young artist wouldn't be able to contain himself for long and would soon be bombarding him with questions. He resolved to wait until Justin gave in.

Justin bit his lip to keep the words that were bubbling up in him from escaping his mouth. He managed to stay quiet as they got onto the interstate and remained still when the 'Vette exited the highway onto a two-lane country road.

After several hours passed, Justin suddenly turned to his lover and burst out, "Fuck. Where the hell are we going? And what the fuck are you doing, dragging me out here to the back of beyond?"

Brian gave the other man an amused look, "Took you long enough. Afraid I'm going to murder you and stash your luscious body somewhere?"

Justin rolled his eyes, "No. If you were going to kill me, you wouldn't hesitate to do it right in the middle of the dance floor at Babylon. Now, answer my questions."

Brian looked for a place to pull over. He had hoped they would make it to the hotel before having this conversation and didn't want to fight while he maneuvered the winding mountainous road in the dark.

Brian sat on the warm hood of the 'Vette and waited for Justin to join him. When the blond grudgingly approached, he reached out and drew the unresisting body close, having him stand between his spread knees. The brunet looked deeply into Justin's bright blue eyes, seeing the unhappiness reflected there. Reaching out, Brian gently cupped the other man's face and whispered, "You didn't see what you thought you saw last night, Justin. Forrest is a friend and you know my rules about friends. It was just a friendly kiss, nothing more. He's thrown some accounts my way-that's what I've been so busy with. I had four presentations today."

Justin closed his eyes as Brian's thumb softly stroked his cheek. Leaning into the hand, he allowed the other man's words to penetrate. He slowly reopened his eyes and looked at the handsome face in front of him. Justin began to smile, he hadn't lost Brian after all. "Seriously?"

Brian relaxed when he saw Justin accept the truth behind his words. He nodded, "As a heart attack. Forrest told me he was in a committed relationship and..." he took a deep breath and continued, "I said the same thing to him-that I'm in a relationship with an exasperating, talkative, hyperactive little..."

Justin cut off Brian's words by throwing his arms around his neck and capturing his lips in a fierce kiss. He moaned softly as Brian's arms tightened in a possessive gesture, pulling his body flush up against the other man's.

The two lovers continued to kiss deeply, their tongues dancing together. Justin twined his fingers through Brian's soft hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strand against his skin.

Brian pulled the lithe body closer, his breath catching as their erections came into contact. His tongue slowly licked its way up Justin's neck until he reached his ear, growling softly, "Understand this, Justin. You. Are. Mine."

The smaller man shivered at the message implied in the words. He turned his head slightly, allowing his lips to graze against Brian's cheek, "Always-never let me forget again, please." He felt Brian nod, silently agreeing with Justin's statement.

The lovers stayed entwined in each other's arms, enjoying the contentment both were feeling. Eventually they became aware of the cold night air and pulled apart reluctantly.

Justin watched as Brian hopped off the hood and said, "You never answered my question, you know. Why are we standing here in the middle of nowhere?"

Brian looped his hand around the back of the bright blond head, tugging on it until their foreheads brushed together. "I arranged for a week's vacation at a resort up here in the mountains. We've both been so busy and I admit I've been a shit to live with lately. I thought we needed to get away, spend some time alone together."

Justin flashed him a brilliant smile, "How sweet, Brian."

Brian looked at his partner, expression tender in the moonlight, "I prefer to think of it as ridiculously romantic."

"Yes." Justin slid his hand down Brian's arm until their fingers were entangled, then pulled them up to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss on Brian's knuckles and whispered, "Mine."

"Always."

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