Hormonal Shift

Chapter 2

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” Justin replied undeterred by the Kinney attitude.

“It looks like you’re trying to recreate the past,” Brian snarked with a snort.

“Maybe,” Justin said as he set the “table” for their dinner which consisted of a blanket on the floor. 

Justin had a craving for their favorite Thai takeout, so on their way back to the loft, Justin called in their order to be delivered.  The boys were laden with a number of packages and bags of necessities for a prolonged visit to the loft, so they didn’t think they could carry one more thing.

“Justin,” Brian growled out a warning as he watched his spouse.  He was standing by the steps to the bedroom wearing his old jeans and comfortable tank top.  An uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu overcame Brian for the moment.

“Relax, Brian, I know what you’re thinking, and no, I am not yearning for the bad old days or trying to recapture my youth or any other version of it that you have spinning around in your head.  I simply wanted to picnic with my partner.  We haven’t truly been alone for a very long time.”  Justin stood with his arms held out trying to make his point.

“All right, if that’s all it is then let’s eat.  I’m hungry,” Brian said as he stalked over.

“Wow, Brian Kinney admitting he’s hungry.  Maybe I should notify The Times,” Justin said as he gave Brian a quick peck on the mouth then jumped out of the way in case there was retribution.  “Let’s just sit and eat and enjoy the quiet for a while, okay?” Justin pleaded. 

Brian nodded then took his place on the blanket.  He had had a long day and he was hungry.  They didn’t have this type of food anywhere near their lane so this was a treat.

“It is quiet,” Brian murmured in between savoring bites.  He hadn’t realized how accustomed he was to the noises of the conjoined cottages until those familiar sounds were nowhere to be heard.    “Until the kettle drums start pounding.”

“No drums, Allen’s on tour with the symphony.  I checked.  He’ll be home by the time we leave,” Justin stated around a mouthful.  Brian was going to comment about not speaking with a mouthful of Thai but thought better of it.  He knew Justin had something floating around in his little blond brain and Brian could be very patient.

After enjoying their meal in relative silence and splitting a bottle of an excellent red wine, the boys began to clean up.

“Justin, why are we here?”

“What do you mean?” Justin asked as he rinsed their plates before loading the dishwasher.

“Staying at the loft.  Why?”  Brian finished off his wine then added the glass to the rack.  He then stretched out the kinks in his back.  Brian hadn’t sprawled out on the floor, picnicking like that in a long time.  He was a bit out of practice.

“I thought it would be a nice break for you.”

“Me?”  The eyebrow arched up.

“Us.  Okay!  Us!” Justin snapped back.  “Me,” Justin said after a second or two.  Brian moved in close to wrap the younger man in his arms.  “Why didn’t she come to me?” Brian heard Justin whisper into his chest.

“Sunshine,” Brian murmured as he hugged Justin tighter until he felt Justin relax enough to listen.  “When you were hurt and were having a difficult time at your Mom’s, where did you want to be?”

“Here, with you,” Justin replied without hesitation.  He remembered the confusion, being flooded with thoughts of anger, fright, pain, revenge, hurt.  And the overwhelming guilt.  The guilt of almost taking it out on his mother and scaring Molly.  That guilt never went away.

“As close as you are with your Mom and with Debbie, you couldn’t talk them about it or live with them for that matter.”

“She gave me to you,” Justin whispered.

“More or less.  But the point is that you and Bree are very much alike.  That’s not a bad thing, it just means...”

“We react in the same ways when we’re stressed and confused,” Justin finished Brian’s sentence.  “I needed you then.”

“And she needed me now.  It’s no reflection on you.  It is what it is, Sunshine.”  Brian felt Justin nod against his chest as it all finally sunk in. 

“Okay?” Brian asked after a while.

They were still hugging in the kitchen area.  It was getting late.  Brian had an early meeting with a new client who demanded Brian Kinney and not his “underlings.”  Justin wanted to spend time with Jennifer and at the gallery.  Life had taken Justin in many different directions; it was time for Justin to concentrate on his art.

“Okay,” Justin said.  They finished cleaning up, set the alarm then went to bed.

*****

The next morning Brian left the loft with a Cheshire cat like grin on his face.  And it wasn’t put there for the obvious reason, not the primary reason.  The boys were truly tired the previous night, emotionally as well as physically.  Almost from the moment their heads hit the pillows they were out, cuddled up close together.  Brian awoke early and managed to coax a little loving out of Justin before having to get to the office.  Justin happily obliged and was currently in a sex sated sleep in the middle of the bed.

What Brian was really happy about was the talk they had.  Before Justin went back to sleep they had a brief but meaningful discussion about Bree and her needs, as opposed to Gus whose puberty was a little lackluster.  That is, if you didn’t count his indecision about his sexual orientation and almost falling in love with a con artist/thief.  The boys understood that puberty with a girl was going to have its own set of unique challenges.  Dealing with one Briana Victoria Kinney-Taylor was going to be exceptionally challenging.  The boys of the lane, and Brian did include John, Bobby and poor Patrick, were in for one interesting ride.  While there were enough women in Bree’s life for her to go to when she needed help, advice or a woman’s opinion, Brian and Justin both agreed that as Bree’s parents they had the final say.  Any decisions that were to be made was their responsibility and no one else’s. 

The boys also discussed their concerns regarding Emmett.  And while they wouldn’t overtly interfere between Emmett and Drew, they wanted to be on hand to offer their support to Emmett and his family.  Emmett was always there to help Brian and Justin and the families on the lane.  Brian and Justin were determined to be there for Emmett.

With that agreement made and sealed by their own very special vows, Brian showered, donned a rather impressive suit then sauntered out of the loft while Justin slept, drooling all over his pillow.

“Good morning, Brian,” Teddy announced as he stepped onto the elevator with Brian.

“Theodore, yes, it is a good morning albeit a frigid morning but a very good one nonetheless,” Brian agreed.  They rode down in silence.  As they passed the second floor the sounds of construction workers greeted them.  “When can she move in?”

“Soon,” Ted replied knowing the she to which Brian referred.  “The city inspectors put their stamp of approval on the work.  Gordon and his men, correction, crew.  I believe there are several young ladies working on this one, and they are putting the finishing touches to the place.  Mel chose her color scheme so they’re going to paint.”

“Excellent news.” 

Ted became suspicious; Brian almost sounded cheerful.  “Bri, is anything wrong?”

“No, why do you ask?”  Brian followed Ted to his car and got in on the passenger side.  “You don’t mind do you?  Justin needs his Jeep,” Brian said as he ran his hand over the leather interior of Ted’s new car.

“Of, f, f course not, Brian,” Ted stammered.  “Happy to.  Are you sure everything’s all right? Briana’s okay, Gus, Justin and the guys?”

“We’re all fabulous,” Brian replied in a grand fashion.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”

“I work here, Schmidt.”

“But...”

“My Little Mary Sunshine has declared that we will be residing in the Pitts for an unspecified amount of time until his business at the gallery is complete and life for our friend Honeycutt is back on track,” Brian declared.  Brian heard a gasp.  “That’s correct, Schmidt, you’re stuck with me.  For now.  Until the blond prince declares we can go home.”

“Uh, uh.”  Ted was at a loss for words.  He parked in his usual spot, his mind racing.  Brian, Mel in the office at the same time and possibly living in the same building at the same time.

“Rather boggles the mind, doesn’t it, Schmidt,” Brian said with a sneer, seemingly reading Ted’s thoughts.

“Yes, it does,” Ted said with a gulp then hastily followed Brian to Kinnetik.

***** 

“Bree!” Ashley shouted across the lunchroom as she frantically waved her arms.  Bree walked over as fast as she could without getting yelled at for running in the cafeteria.  “I was waiting for you,” Ashley said.  Bree quickly put her lunch on the table next to Ashley’s.  The girls examined each pile then they divvied it up, sharing as they did.

“My teacher held us back,” Bree explained around a half of a ham sandwich.  Ashley gave her a look.  “It wasn’t me, I swear.  It was Jordan.  He was throwing spit balls.”

“Eeeww, gross!”

“Yeah.  He’s such a dork.  Anyway, one hit Miss Simms on her sweater.”  Ashley gasped.  “She was pissed!”

“I bet.”

“He got sent to the principal’s office but we all got out late,” Bree said with a frown.

“It’s okay, we still have time yet,” Ashley reassured her.  “How are you feeling?” Ashley whispered.  “You know with...”

“Better.  Dada took me shopping with Auntie Rachel for, um, things.  And when we got home she made sure I knew how to use everything,” Bree said with a blush to her little cheeks.  “And Dada got me some booklets and showed me a special website where I could ask questions, in private.”

“That’s good.  Mommy and me talk about stuff like that cause she doesn’t want me to be scared when it happens.”

“Dada talked to me too.”

“He did?” Ashley said with her eyes as big as saucers.  “How does he know about that stuff?”

“My Dada knows lots of things.  And he said any time I had a question I could always ask him and if he didn’t know, he would take me to someone who did know,” Bree said emphatically and with a hint of pride in her Dada.

“But that’s girl stuff.  Is it because he’s gay?”

“I don’t think so.  He said when he was away at school he and Auntie Lindsay were real close.  Sometimes she’d sleep in his room so he knew when stuff happened and when it didn’t.”

“Oh,” Ashley said after she thought about it.  Just then Jordan walked by their table, distracting them from their present topic.  Sharing lunch as well as gossip continued until their lunchtime was over and they returned to class.

“Mommy said you’re going to sleep over at my house for a few days,” Ashley said with a big smile just before they parted ways.  “I’m so excited!”

“So am I,” Bree said with her own big smile.  They squealed as they jumped up and down a few times until they heard the bell.  “Later,” Bree said to her friend.

“See you later,” Ashley replied as she hurried down the hall to her class.

*****

“When are you coming home?” Emmett asked trying not to sound like the desperate drama queen he was.

“Soon,” Drew replied with a curt tone.

“When is soon?”

“When I can.  When I finish my business,” Drew said with clipped words.  Emmett heard some noises and talking in the background.  “I gotta go.  I’ll call you later.”

“All right.  I love...”  Before Emmett could finish his sentences, the line went dead.  “FUCK!” 

“Emmett, are you all right?” Sean, Emmett’s friend and partner at the bistro, asked.  “Can I help in any way?” he gently asked. 

Emmett sniffled a few times then wiped his eyes.  “No, this is something I have to handle on my own but thank you for asking.”

“We’re friends, Emmett.  You took a chance on me when I was first starting out and I’d do anything to repay you for your trust in me.”

“Oh, sweetie, what a nice thing to say.  But this is something my Drewsie and I will have to work out on our own.  I just hope he eventually comes home so we can try.  In the meantime we have pink and red treats to work on.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!” Emmett said with a toothy grin, trying to be cheerful.  Sean knew the truth but smiled back.  They were booked solid for the next few weeks and up to their elbows in everything pink and red.

“And after Valentine’s is over,” Sean began.

“Saint Patrick’s Day!” they both shouted then laughed as they got back to work.

*****

The sun was setting as the boys walked hand in hand on the beach.  It was quiet with just a few hearty people around.  The wind had picked up making the waves crash loud and fast against the shore.  While it wasn’t nearly as cold as it was back home, it wasn’t balmy either.  But the boys were fine in their sweatshirts and jeans.

“We should head back and find dinner,” Ray commented.

“Yeah, I guess we can’t keep making midnight raids on Seamus’ refrigerator,” Gus stated by way of agreement.

“We can bring him back something.  He seems a little lonely since Albert went to England to visit his parents,” Ray noted.

“That’s a great idea.  And I know how he feels.  After we’d spend the summer together or winter break, I’d feel so lonely without you that it hurt,” Gus admitted out loud.  Ray nodded, he felt the same way.  “When Pop has to go on business trips, I could tell how much Justin misses him.  I didn’t think it would hurt that much until we got together.”

“We’re going to be together all the time now,” Ray stated.

“Yeah,” Gus said with a beatific smile then stole a kiss.  “Come on, before all the stores and restaurants close, we better get something.”

“Okay.” 

The boys took off toward the town in hopes of finding something special for dinner to bring back to the B&B.

*****

Melanie stood with her hand on the door of the Bloom Gallery.  She was cold, in spite of how well she was bundled.  She stood working up the courage to go in.

“Mel?”  She thought she heard her name, albeit muffled.

“Melanie?” Lindsay said clearly as she opened the door.  “Mel, it’s freezing, come inside!” Lindsay cordially invited Melanie into the gallery.  “Why were you standing out there?  It started snowing again.”

“I don’t know.  I guess I was deciding whether to come in or not,” Mel said softly.

“Come into my office.  I have all sorts of coffee, tea and hot chocolate.”  Lindsay calmly guided Mel through the gallery and into the office.  “You must be frozen!” Lindsay exclaimed as she waved little cups in front of Mel’s nose hoping she would choose something.

“Hot chocolate, please,” Mel said as she stood in the middle of the cozy office contemplating if she should take off her coat.

“Mel, take your coat off.  Drape it on the back of that chair.  Give it a chance to dry out before you go back out,” Lindsay suggested.  Mel nodded as she began to take off her gloves and unwrap her scarf.  By the time she was settled, her hot chocolate was ready. 

“Here,” Lindsay said as she handed her the warm mug.

“Mmm, thank you,” Mel murmured as she gingerly took a sip.  “That hits the spot.”  There was an awkward silence until Lindsay invited Mel to tour the gallery.  Mel hesitated as she looked at her mug.  Lindsay poured the contents of the mug into a travel container then secured the lid.

“Take it with you.”

“You sure?”

“Yes,” Lindsay said as she led the way.  Mel stared for a second then followed Lindsay out to the main gallery.  They slowly wandered around.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here; it’s all so beautiful,” Mel stated with awe.  “This is your work!” Mel said with a bit of a gasp as she recognized the style.  She stopped short in front a small delicate watercolor.  “Lindsay, this is so amazing,” she whispered.

“I’m no Justin Taylor but I do sell a few pieces here and there,” Lindsay said with pride.

“And you’re really okay with that.  I remember how you wanted to do more.”

“I am.  I know I have a good technique and every once in a while I’m inspired to create something, but I also came to the realization that I really like what I do here.  I’m really good at promoting art and artists.  Creating art and running this gallery are two fulltime jobs.  I’m much better doing this and I love it,” Lindsay said as she waved her hand in the air.

Mel nodded her understanding.  Mel loved the law, almost to the exclusion of anything else.    “This is Jaime’s work?” Mel asked as they got to Jaime’s corner.  There were a few very large pieces and several small colorful works.  “She’s still working with paper.”

“She is.  She took a little time off when she had the baby but she’s back with a vengeance,” Lindsay explained.

“Beautiful,” Mel exclaimed as she stepped back to take in the picture.  The canvas was large; standing too close was like looking at blown up pixels.  You had to step back to see the whole scene.  “Amazing.  I wish I could afford something like this for my new apartment,” Mel murmured.

“I do have smaller pieces of hers,” Lindsay stated.

“I’m not sure...”

“Mel, if it’s the money...”

“No.  I’m not a charity case yet.  Brian pays me a disgustingly good salary.”  Lindsay couldn’t help laughing.  “Yeah, I know; me on Brian Kinney’s payroll.”

“It’s not the first time.”

“But that was once, and a hundred years ago, when he needed me to get his ass out of a sling,” Mel said, and they both laughed out loud at Mel’s turn of phrase.  She coughed to get herself under control before continuing.  “Lorna sued me,” Melanie muttered.

“What?”  Lindsay wasn’t sure she had heard right.

“She sued me.”

“For what?”

“Breach of contract, loss of income, emotional distress, you name it.  She tried to take me for all that I had.”

“I don’t understand.  I thought you just broke up and you decided to come back east?”

“I had made that decision, almost from the moment I went back to Portland after helping Bobby.”

“But that was over two years ago.  I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“No one knew.  Especially not you or the kids.  Debbie had a hint because she kept me updated on JR.  She kept telling me to come home but my pride got in the way again.  I tried to make a go of it.  But when Lorna and I broke up she immediately had a new girlfriend.”

“Oh, Mel, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be and I have no right to your sympathy.  I was an ass toward you and the kids.”

“I wasn’t any better.  And being a lesbian when convenient wasn’t helping anything either.”  At Mel’s perplexed look Lindsay further explained.  “How can I be a lesbian when I keep falling for men?  Especially the bad boys.”  Mel stayed silent.  “Brian Kinney.  There I said it out loud.  I had a thing for Brian way back in college and have for most of my so called adult life.  I keep thinking that one day he’ll get struck in the head by the gods and suddenly realize that I’m the girl of his dreams, not Justin.”  They both snickered.

“Not going to happen,” Mel said.

“I know but a girl can dream.  Then there was Sam.  What an asshole he turned out to be!  And now Charles.”

“But I thought he was one of the good ones.”

“He’s charming, debonair, has that incredible English accent and is a rake.”

“A rake?”

“Way too many trips to jolly old England.  He loves the ladies, the young pretty ones.  Not too young because he likes to have adult conversations and you can’t have them with someone who just became legal.  I think I’m a novelty to him.  We’re counterparts, so we have many things in common, the business as well as being parents.  We get along very well when we’re together and he’s very talented in bed.”

“TMI.”  Mel made a face.

“I’ve decided to admit that I’m bi and leave it at that.  You get what I mean?”

“Yes, I do.  And it doesn’t bother you that you’re not in a steady relationship?”

“I went from my parent’s home to my fantasy life in college with Brian, and then to you.  I’m fifty something and I’m only now learning how to be on my own and to be comfortable in my own skin.  Would it be nice to have someone to come home to or to be close at hand to share things with?  Of course it would.  Am I pining over it?  No.  I’m enjoying being me.”

Lindsay took a long look at Melanie then took her now empty cup.

“And I think once you’re settled in your own apartment, surrounded by your own things, all arranged in the order that makes you happy, you’ll enjoy being you too,” Lindsay said giving Melanie a very pretty smile.  Mel then realized why she had fallen in love with Lindsay in the first place.

“Take this,” Lindsay said as she handed Mel a small watercolor of the Allegheny River in the Summer.  Lindsay had just taken it down off a wall.

“Linds, I can’t take this.”

“Yes, you can.  Consider it a welcome home present.”

“But...”

“I insist.  It’ll all work out, Mel.  I’m sure of it,” Lindsay said.

Mel and Lindsay walked back to Lindsay’s office.  As Mel bundled herself up against the cold, Lindsay securely wrapped the painting.

“You’re sure about this.  Won’t the artist miss the commission?” Mel asked.

“Not at all,” Lindsay assured her.  Lindsay walked Mel to the front door.  “Mel, when you get the chance, I’d love to make us all dinner sometime soon.”

“Us?”

“You, me, the girls and maybe Gus.”

“That would be very nice,” Melanie said with a genuine smile.  Lindsay beamed back.

Later that night when Melanie got back to the Plaza and settled in for the night, she unwrapped the painting.  Taking it closer to a lamp to examine it more closely, Mel saw the artist’s signature and wept.    

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