Kindred Love

Kindred Love

Justin awoke to someone knocking on the door. He was so exhausted and groaned as he sleepily opened his eyes. The room was still dark, and at first he was confused as to why he was not on the floor in his air mattress as he had been every night during his visit. When he remembered whose bed he was in, he immediately reached for Brian, only to find that he wasn't laying next to him.

"Brian?" Justin called out. The bedroom door opened a crack, causing the hall light to beam into the dark room. Debbie poked her head in the room.

"Sunshine, are you awake?" she called out softly. Justin sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah," he replied. Debbie switched on the light, causing Justin to squint his eyes. Debbie looked down at the air mattress where she expected to see the blond. When she saw where he was sitting up instead, she frowned in confusion.

"There you are. What the fuck are you doing over there?" she asked.

"Oh, um... I had a bad dream and Brian said I could sleep with him," Justin said lamely. Debbie knew bullshit when she heard it.

"Uh-huh," she said in a tone that said she knew he was lying. She decided not to push for answers. She didn't care what they did, as long as they played safe. She actually thought it was kind of cute; young gay love. As far as she was concerned they shouldn't have wasted so much time dancing around the issue when they both knew there was something special lurking there.

"Where's Brian?" he asked.

"He left about 15 minutes ago. He said that he didn't want to say goodbye at the airport -- that it was hard on you two the last time, and he thought it would be best if he was gone before you woke up," Debbie relayed.

"Did he leave a note?" Justin asked hopefully.

"Sorry, sweetie, not that I know of. He said that you two said your goodbyes last night," she told him.

"Oh... right."

Debbie looked at Justin's disappointed face and wanted to hug him, but decided against it. She would give him some room.

"Well, honey, you should really get dressed. We have to leave for the airport soon," Debbie told him.

"Okay." Justin watched as Debbie shut the down behind her. His heart was breaking. How could Brian just leave without saying goodbye? After all they shared last night? He got out of bed and quickly put on the clothes he had left out the night before. He grabbed his toiletries and headed for the bathroom, still in a daze.

Half an hour later they were loading Justin's luggage into the trunk of Debbie's car. Vic and Michael had just woke up and had come outside to see them off.

"Have a safe trip," Vic told Justin, hugging him. Justin smiled at the older man. He really liked him. He enjoyed his sense of humor and admired the way he looked at the world.

"Thanks, Vic. I'll miss you," he smiled sadly. Vic smiled at him and nodded. Justin turned to Michael.

"Make sure to keep up with Captain Astro. I need SOMEONE to talk about it with!" Michael told him with a chuckle.

Justin nodded. "Don't worry, you've got me hooked. And I will email. Michael... you've been such a good friend. I really loved hanging out with you and meeting your friends," Justin told him.

Michael grabbed Justin in a hug. "I'm glad you came," he said. "And from what I heard through the wall last night, I know Brian is too," he softly whispered in Justin's ear so no one would hear. Justin pulled away from Michael and saw him wink at him and smile. Justin blushed profusely, realizing that their moaning and any other noise he and Brian made the night before had probably woken up Michael.

"All right, kiddo, we've gotta go," Debbie said. Justin nodded and got into the passenger's side of her car. As they backed out of the driveway he waved one last time to Michael and Vic and then sighed as he lay back against the headrest.

"It's always hard to say goodbye," Debbie said looking over at Justin.

"It's not really goodbye... it's later. Always later," Justin said softly, and continued looking out the window, seeing the now familiar scenery pass as they drove along.

Debbie smiled at Justin's words, knowing where she had heard that before. Not much else was said during the ride to their destination. Debbie had given up when she saw she wasn't going to get anything other than one word answers from the blond. She guessed the boy had a lot on his mind, and on top of that he was probably upset that Brian hadn't been there when he woke up.

Debbie pulled into the part of the airport where you drop off departing passengers. After Justin got the luggage out of the trunk, Debbie squeezed him in a hug so tight he thought if she kept on like that for a few more seconds, he'd surly pass out. She placed a loud kiss on his cheek, leaving a little of her bright pink lipstick behind.

"Sorry, sweetie," she laughed, and tried to rub the pink away with her thumb. He laughed back. He would miss Debbie. "Have a safe trip. Tell your mother thank you for letting us borrow you for so long!" she smiled, and he saw she had a little tear in her eye.

"Aww, Deb, don't cry," he said.

"I can't help it, Sunshine. I feel like it's my own kid leaving. You better keep in touch, or you're going to hear it from me," Debbie warned, wagging her finger. Justin nodded. With that, he gathered up his luggage and left her standing there, hand across her heart. Teary-eyed and sniffling, she waved goodbye to her little Sunshine, the latest addition to her family.

As Justin's plane took off into the sky, he looked out the window and watched as everything below gradually appeared to get smaller and smaller until finally the plane had ascended above the clouds.

He closed his eyes and thought about the wonderful summer he had. He had liked all of Brian's friends and family -- even Todd grew on him. They were all so fun and interesting. What he liked best about his visit was that it was his first time ever really being able to just be himself without worrying about being different or found out. He was around other gay kids who were mostly out of the closet and were comfortable with who they were. He had learned so much about himself that summer.

Justin's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a pretty flight attendant, who was pushing a beverage cart.

"Would you like something to drink, young man?" the woman asked.

"Sure. Coke is fine," Justin told her, and thanked her with a smile as she handed him the can. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even realized that the seatbelt light just above him had turned off and the little bell that meant you were free to move about the cabin had already chimed. As he pulled out his tray table in front of him and set down his drink, he decided that he wanted to sketch and started reaching for his backpack under his seat.

Finding his sketchpad in his backpack, he pulled it out and set it on the tray table. He started flipping through it to get to a blank page, seeing sketch after sketch of Brian's face and random things he drew that summer. He stopped when he saw the familiar handwriting with his name written at the top of the page. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that this was a letter written from Brian in his sketchbook. He felt relieved, happy and scared all at the same time. He was almost afraid to read it. What if Brian wrote that he regretted everything that had happened the night before? What if it was a "Dear John" letter? Justin didn't know what he would do if Brian told him he didn't want to be friends anymore. He finally took a few deep breaths and then started reading.

Justin,

I know you're probably pissed as Hell with me because I wasn't there when you woke up this morning. I can imagine you thought the worst, and for that, I apologize. I just didn't want to make it harder on us than it already was last night when it really hit that you were leaving today. I wanted nothing more than for us to wake up together so I could hold you and kiss you again. But I was afraid that if I did that I would break down and beg you not to go, and that just would have been bad and made everything more difficult. You may be pissed, but trust me, it was for the best. Oh, and if you're curious as to where I went, I'm heading for the diner.

To put your worries to rest, there are some things you need to know. I don't regret anything that happened last night. Even though we didn't have sex, it was the best intimate experience I've ever had because it was with you, and our feelings for each other really went into every kiss, caress and touch, which was what made it so special. This morning, I just watched you as you slept. You know you were actually sleeping with a smile on your face? As I watched you sleep I realized just how intense my feelings are for you. You're my best friend, Justin. I love you. I always have and I always will. And now I love you in a little different way as well -- in a way that I never expected to. What we have is something I'm not sure I could ever share with anyone else, which is a beautiful and genuine kindred love. No matter what happens or who we're with, we'll always have that. As for the future? I guess time will tell. Hopefully, in the meantime, our friendship will continue to grow stronger.

Call me tonight before you go to sleep so I know you're okay. I'll miss you, Sunshine. This was the best summer ever. Keep in touch.

Later,

Brian

Justin's heart swelled with love as he hugged the sketchpad to his chest and smiled. He did his best to hold back his tears - there had been enough of that already. Brian had said more in his letter than Justin could ever have hoped for, and at the same time he had put all of his fears to rest. He knew now he hadn't lost his best friend. He smiled again as he reread the letter and came to his favorite part. Yes, they indeed had love -- A beautiful and genuine kindred love, and they would always have that; and they both definitely intended to explore it in the future.

The End

Author's Note: This is the first series I ever started, and also the first one I completed, so it really does hold a special place in my heart. I appreciate everyone's comments on this story. For those who are reading this for the first time, and wasn't aware, there is a sequel that is currently a WIP. I hope you all continue to enjoy Brian and Justin's love story in Kindred Love: Boys To Men.