What A Difference A Year Makes
Chapter 11
Brian turned the Cherokee onto the road leading to the Anderson farm. His right hand went back to Justin's thigh where it had rested for most of the trip. He felt Justin slide his own hand overtop of it and squeeze gently. With a little smile Brian looked at Justin. Justin beamed back at him.
They had spent all the time since Justin had arrived back in Pittsburgh in bed. It had been great. They could never get enough of each other. Brian felt his dick start to swell at the thought of it.
"Uncle Brian," Peter said.
Brian groaned. If Claire and her spawn hadn't been there he would have stopped the car and fucked Justin in the backseat. Instead the backseat was full of his sister and her children. "What?" he replied with an annoyed scowl.
"Are you and Justin going to hold hands all the way there?" Peter asked with a giggle.
"Looks that way, since we're almost there."
"Fags!" John stated with mock disgust.
"Demon spawn!" Brian retorted.
Everybody laughed, except Claire. It had become a standard joke for them to refer to each other that way. Claire let out a long sigh. She really didn't like being reminded about how bad her children had been.
John was in his last year of high school and wanted to go to university. Claire wasn't sure how she was going to swing that, but she knew she would. John had turned out to be an excellent student once he started applying himself. She was actually very proud of him.
Peter was in high school now too. He would never be an academic, but he loved to draw. She hoped he could find something that he could do in that vein, maybe something that didn't require university. He didn't have the marks for that. Maybe community college would be more to his liking. She hoped at some point to talk to Justin about that.
"Have you got a girlfriend, John?" Justin asked giving Brian a little wink.
"Maybe."
"That would be a yes," Peter supplied.
"Shut up."
"I don't have to."
"So you do?" Justin asked with a chuckle. Some things never changed.
"Her name's Jeannine."
"Shut up."
"Boys," Claire said.
"Why didn't you bring her to dinner?" Brian asked knowing that would set John off.
"Are you fucking kidding? If I brought her here with all you fags, she'd have a heart attack."
"You might be surprised."
"Yeah, right!"
"Maybe next year," Brian said with a smirk.
"Not bloody likely."
They turned into the Anderson driveway effectively ending that conversation.
Some time later the whole gang was assembled for the enormous Thanksgiving dinner that Claire had prepared. The huge turkey had been roasting all night. The kitchen smelled wonderful. Everyone had brought desserts and no one would go hungry.
Using the kitchen and dining room tables and a couple of card tables they were able to seat everyone. Claire began with grace. John and Bobby held hands and prayed for the baby that they hoped would be coming soon. Justin and Brian linked their fingers and wished to be together more than they had been over the last months. They missed each other terribly when they were apart. Emmett glanced at Sam and prayed for some kind of commitment. Hunter and Nick reached for each other's hand and hoped that their long distance relationship could stand the test of time. The younger Claire silently willed her lover to find his way back to her. Michael grabbed Ben's hand and wished for his partner's health to continue to be stable. Ted looked at the assembled couples and wondered why he had been unable to find anybody. Everyone else said a silent prayer for the good year they had had and the bountiful food in front of them.
"So, are we going to say what we are thankful for this year?" Carl asked.
"I just did," Debbie replied.
"A chorus of 'so did I's' made that somewhat suspect tradition a thing of the past, at least for this year.
"I'm looking forward to next year," Bobby said with a big grin.
"Me too," John agreed.
Claire gave them a strange look.
"Ah, newlyweds," Brian observed.
"When are you going to make an honest man of Justin?" Ted asked.
"It's none of your business, Theodore," Brian retorted.
"Okay, okay," Ted said hastily realizing he had hit a sore spot.
"When are you going to find someone for yourself?" Brian felt compelled to ask.
Ted blanched thinking of the little prayer he had just said.
"Maybe you should come to the Honey Bear with us some night," Emmett suggested. "That's where I found my sweetie," Emmett gushed leaning against Sam.
"I don't think I'm meant to find anyone," Ted bemoaned his fate.
"With an attitude like that, no wonder you haven't found anyone," Brian observed.
"Thank you very much for your kind and thorough analysis of the situation," Ted grumbled.
"Shut up and eat your food," Debbie said. "You'll find someone and we don't want to hear anymore about it until you do."
"And then we want all the details," Emmett grinned waving his fork around.
"Please, I'm eating," Brian said with a grimace.
The food was making the rounds and plates were loaded and then cleared. The kibitzing went on through the meal. The large group still enjoyed each other's company and everyone felt part of the family whether they actually were or not.
"So, Hunter," Michael began. "How are your studies going?"
"Great."
"Great? Meaning you're passing everything?"
"He's doing better than passing," Claire jumped in. "He had some of the top marks in several of his courses."
Hunter blushed but nodded his head. He liked being recognized for his achievements.
"Hunter has been working really hard," Nick stated with a smile at his lover.
"I'm really proud of you," Ben said softly squeezing Hunter's shoulder.
"Have you thought about university?" Michael asked.
"I already told you what my plans were."
"I thought you might have changed your mind."
"Why would I do that?"
Michael frowned. "I can dream, can't I?"
"Michael Charles Novotny, leave the boy alone," Debbie said wishing she was close enough to reach her son with one of her patented shots to the back of his head. That boy seriously needed a wake up call.
"How's life in the cottage?" Claire asked John and Bobby. She had enjoyed her time there with the boys.
"It's great having a place of our own," Bobby said.
"Not that we didn't enjoy being here with you, Mother," John added quickly.
"I think it's fine that you have your privacy," Claire said squeezing Steve's hand. They had continued to grow close.
"And Claire can have her privacy too," Hunter said with a knowing smile.
"Hunter!" Claire said sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," Hunter smirked. He winked at her and she smiled.
"We all like our privacy," Claire said.
"I'm stuffed," Hunter moaned pushing the chair away from the table. "Want to go for a walk, Nick?" Nick nodded and the two boys went out the back door.
"They'll be making out any moment now," Brian said.
"Brian," Michael admonished. "You don't know that."
Brian snorted. Of course he knew that. As did everybody else except Michael.
"Daddy," Gus said tapping on Brian's knee. "Can we go up in the treehouse?"
"Of course, Sonny Boy. You can go by yourself, you know."
"I know but I want you to go with me."
Brian smiled. He knew Gus was growing up and he relished the remaining times that they would share.
"Can I have dessert when we come back?"
"I think Claire will see to that."
Claire nodded and smiled. "We'll set the desserts out so you can help yourself to whatever you want. So can everybody else."
Gus smiled at her. "Let's go, Daddy. I want to beat you at chess."
"I don't think so, Sonny Boy."
Gus grinned. He knew he was getting better at chess and Brian didn't practise. It wouldn't be long until he could beat his father.
As Brian and Gus went out the back door he saw Hunter and Nick duck into the barn. He smiled. The hayloft or some hay bale or a post was going to get a workout. Michael was too dense to see it.
While Gus and Brian were engrossed in their chess game, Michael decided to go look for Hunter. He wanted to try to convince the boy to go to university. If he was getting such great marks at college he shouldn't waste his potential. Besides he would be the first Novotny to go to university.
Michael slipped out the back door not telling even Ben where he was going. He looked around the yard not seeing anybody. He pulled his coat around his neck. If his idiot son was out in the cold he would probably go to the barn. He walked to the main door of the barn which was ajar. He could hear noises from inside. Those noises indicated only one thing. Nick and Hunter were fucking. Michael raised his hand to open the door and put a stop to this nonsense. A twinge of conscience grabbed him before he could do any such thing. He could still hear Hunter's words. "I don't think anybody will ever love me." Well, he had someone to love him and he deserved at least that much.
Michael went back in the house and had dessert with everyone else. It was a satisfying Thanksgiving for all concerned.
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Three weeks before Christmas Justin held his big show in New York. Brian flew in for the opening on a Friday night. He found it strange to stand in the background and watch people fawn over his lover. Justin was undoubtedly the darling of New York.
Waiting for the show to be over, Brian had plenty of time to think. With all the success Justin was experiencing Brian found it increasingly difficult to think that his partner would ever come home. He had felt the same way when Justin was working on Rage in LA. The pull of the big city and the heady experience of success were a combination hard to resist. If he was Justin, he would never go back to Pittsburgh.
"Hey."
"Hey," Brian replied looking into Justin's eyes. He wished he could read what was there other than the obvious lust they had for each other.
"You ready to go?"
"Have been for quite some time."
"You didn't like the show?"
"Liked the show, loved the artist, hated watching them drool all over you."
"Why?"
"I'm the only one allowed to do that."
"Then let's go home and you can start drooling right away."
"Justin…"
"What? What is it?"
"Nothing, let's go."
"You seem sad or something."
"I guess I'm envious that it's you here in New York and not me," Brian tried to joke.
His joke fell flat. "You could be a success anywhere you wanted."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, but…"
"Brian, this isn't like you. What's wrong?"
"I … I'm very proud of you." Brian managed to get the words out without choking on them. He meant that and he couldn't say what he was really thinking. He wanted this weekend with Justin especially if it was going to be one of the last they had.
"Thank you. Do you think I've become the best homosexual I can be?" Justin asked remembering Brian's admonition from a long time ago.
"You have far surpassed all expectations."
"What? Now I know something's up. You never say things like that. I expected you to say that I hadn't done too badly."
"I'm always a source of surprise."
"That's for sure."
"Can we get out of here? We're wasting valuable fuck time."
Justin chuckled. That was more like the Brian he knew and loved.
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"Brian, what the fuck are you planning and why am I involved?"
"You know, professor, your language skills lately leave something to be desired."
"Must be your influence, all those lunches we've been having lately."
"It does help to pass the time. Besides, I like the rumors that have sprung up."
"I don't."
"Have I sullied your reputation?"
"No, but I may have influenced yours, for the better."
"Touché, professor."
"Brian, you haven't answered my question. It's Christmas Eve, I need to get home."
"Ben, you're the only one I know with the brains and the brawn to help me with this. How difficult can this be?"
"Brian, this thing you call a bed is huge. You're not planning an orgy for Christmas, are you?"
"Yeah, an orgy of two. He's coming home soon and I want this ready for him. The difficult part's done. We got my old bed into storage downstairs. How hard can it be to put this together?"
"Why didn't you let the delivery men put it together?"
"And have them ruin my floors! No way."
"Damn, you're such a queen at times."
"Your point?"
"Nothing. Just hand me the ratchet set. This shouldn't take more than an hour."
"Better not. He'll be home by four."
"Shit! It's almost two, that's cutting it close."
"I have faith in you."
"Yeah, yeah."
As Ben was helping Brian put together the new brass bed Brian purchased as a surprise for Justin; Justin had a surprise for Brian. Justin told Brian that his flight was due into Pittsburgh at two and considering the crowds and the holiday traffic, it made no sense for Brian to fight it to the airport then back home again. Justin would catch a cab to the loft. Brian pretended to be slightly put off but secretly he was pleased. He would have the extra time to get their new bed put together. With some help from Ben. The bed was huge, with a sturdy frame guaranteed to hold up under the most pounding of bedtime activities. And Brian had the warranty carefully filed away just in case. But Justin caught an earlier flight.
They were almost done. The last nut and bolt fitted into placed then secured. The finishing touches were the freshly laundered new sheets that Brian purchased which were as soft as combed cotton. And a brand new duvet of a deep rich aubergine. Ben was helping Brian pull the sheets taut, both men grunting and groaning at their labors.
Justin slowly and quietly slid the loft door open. The full sunny smile splayed across his face suddenly dropped as he heard noises coming from the bedroom. Noises from Brian that up until now were exclusively Justin's for almost two years. Tears filled Justin's eyes. Wanting to confront Brian, Justin took a few steps closer to the bedroom then Justin's feet had other plans. He started to turn to walk out of the loft, to walk out of Brian's life.
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At Allegheny General Hospital John came running out of the exam room as Gina dressed and was preparing to go home.
"Bobby, oh God, Bobby!"
"John, what is it?"
"The baby, the baby...
TBC