Endings and Beginnings - Book 2 
Chapter 4 


Justin could hear the laughter from inside Deb’s house before he rang the bell. He felt sick and weak. He didn’t know how he was going to face his son. He was unfit. The thought of it caused him to cringe. He loved Stephen. He didn’t know how he would ever breathe without the boy in his life. He would have no reason to keep breathing. He thought about letting go and giving up. He quickly pushed the thought aside as he heard another roar of laughter. He forced a smile. Stephen was a sensitive child. He would sense if Justin was upset. He had to stay calm. He wasn’t about to waste any of their time together. 


“Sunshine.” Deb hugged him as he came into the house. He looked around the room and found Vic, Michael, Emmett, Ted, and Ben sitting around watching Stephen playing his favorite game of peek a boo. 


“Daddy!!” He cried reaching for Justin and struggling to get to his feet. Justin beamed at his son. 


“There he is.” He called squeezing Emmett’s shoulder as he moved past the couch to retrieve his waiting son. He hugged him and forced the tears away. Pulling back he saw his son’s smile. “Were you a good boy?” 


“He is such a good boy.” Vic chimed reaching over to squeeze the boy’s foot. Deb gave Michael a warm smile. Vic had been feeling weaker lately but whenever Stephen was in the room he seemed energized and happier. It was a gift for Deb to see. 


Justin smiled over at Vic. Stephen playfully kicked his foot laughing as he did. “Does Uncle Vic have your foot? Does he have it?” Justin teased kissing his boy’s neck. The boy dissolved into a fit of giggles. 


“Justin I never would have believed it, but you are a great dad.” Michael announced. Justin smiled at him then nodded his thanks. It was a backhanded compliment but from Michael anything less than an insult was rare. 


“How did it go?” Ted finally asked the question they were all wanting to. 


Justin’s expression turned to one of concern as he slightly shook his head. “Not a good sign when your attorney is already talking about appeals.” His voice broke a little at the end and he cleared his throat. Deb made his way over the man. She took him into her arms. He wanted to give into the fears but knew he couldn’t. He accepted her warmth then gave her the best smile that he could muster. 


“Don’t you even waste that shit on me. I know you’re scared. I’d be scared too. You just remember that you aren’t alone.” Deb insisted. Justin nodded clearing his throat again. 


“Thanks for keeping him for me. I don’t know what I would do without you.” He looked around for Stephen’s bag. Vic reached down beside his chair and handed it to him. 


“He is welcome here anytime.” Vic said as he handed it over. “Don’t let some asshole attorney tell you what you are. That judge would have called me a sex offender. It would have been a lie. Fight Justin. Michael’s right. You are a good father. Look at that boy. He is loved and he knows it.” Ben rose and walked over to take the bag from Justin. 


“Let me help you get this to the car.” Justin gratefully accepted the assistance. After saying their goodbyes which included Stephen passing out kisses to everyone he and Ben headed out the door. 


“How are you doing Justin?” Ben asked holding Stephen while Justin placed the bag in the car and moved the belt out of the way so he could get his son into his car seat. 


“I’m ok.” He said unconvincingly. 


“Justin.” Ben’s voice was soft. Justin looked up and found his eyes full of compassion. 


“Ben I’m going to lose him.” His voice broke and he found himself held against the other man’s body. His body trembled and he felt Stephen’s fingers in his hair. He pulled back trying to get it under control so that he wouldn’t upset his son. 


“I can’t do this.” He said. “I have to be strong for him.” He took Stephen shutting down his emotions as he placed the boy in his car seat. 


“You can do this Justin. You need to do this. I know the future is frightening. It scares the shit out of me when I sit around and allow all the ‘what ifs’ to overwhelm me. Try to live in the now. Try to keep your mind focused on today. Justin nodded. 


“It’s hard to do that.” He admitted. 


“I know it is. It takes lots of practice.” Ben voice was soft but firm. “If you keep doing it eventually it gets easier.” Justin nodded again. 


“How’s Brian?” Ben asked. 


“He isn’t talking much. He was pretty pissed at me today. He found out about something I did when we were first together. I think he feels somehow responsible for all of this. It isn’t his fault. It’s mine.” He turned to leave but felt Ben’s hand on his arm. 


“Justin there is no fault. Life is hard and what has happened is so unfair it makes no sense at all. I will never be able to understand why this woman is doing this to you.” Ben shook his head. “But it is about her and not you. You are just a victim of her grief or anger.” 


“Stephen is the victim.” Justin corrected him. “I can’t imagine what it will do to him if I just suddenly disappear from his life. He will think I don’t love him. First Ethan and then me, how will he ever be whole?” Ben watched him struggle with his thoughts for a moment longer. 


“Want me to drive you home?” He asked. Justin shook his head. He reached up and pulled Ben into a hug. 


“You’re a good friend. I wish life had been more fair for you also.” Ben smirked sadly. 


“Me too.” He said as Justin got into his car and drove off. 


******************** 


Once they got home and Justin had managed to get Stephen bathed and in bed, the blonde was totally wiped out. Jennifer was still out with her realty group. He was relieved that he didn’t have to answer her questions just yet. He needed more time to process all that had happened not just this afternoon but over the last fours weeks and really the last three years. 


He pulled out a picture of he and Ethan standing on the street in New York City. It was taken on their first day in The Big Apple. It had felt so exciting to start a new life together. He remembered how they had acted like ridiculous tourist that day. 


They visited the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. That night they had slept on the floor of their ratty little apartment making love until the sun came shining through the window. Justin smiled at the photo remembering how carefree he had felt. Those days were a distant memory, as was ever having any hope on the horizon of being carefree again. The longer he stared at the photo the more Ethan’s smirk dug under his skin. 


“What did you tell her?” He asked the image. “What did you tell her about him? About me? Didn’t I give you enough?” He paused and listened to the sound of Stephen’s even breathing in the crib next to his bed. “She’s going to take him away from me Ethan?” He swallowed hard as tears spilled down his cheeks in silent grief. “She’s going to use your fucking words to take him away from me? How could you do that to me?” He felt so torn. He felt so angry and so sad staring at the picture. “So, you always knew? You always knew I loved him more than you? Why not let me go then? Why fuck around on me? Why not love me enough to let me go? Why? Why Ethan?” He lay down on his bed still holding the picture. “I did love you. Did you know that? Did you believe me? Because I did, I loved you.” He continued to stare at the photo for a few more minutes before returning it to the nightstand. 


He walked over and pulled the blanket over Stephen again. He ran his fingers through his little blonde curls. He made a mental note that it would be time for Stephen’s first hair cut in the next couple of weeks. At least he would share Stephen’s first haircut with him, but how many other precious moments would he miss? He would miss so many important days if he lost him. He felt a weight on his chest at the thought of it. He wondered how much time they would have together. He hoped that the court docket was backed up for months. He hoped that their case fell through the cracks. He leaned down and kissed his son on the head. Stephen sighed and snuggled deeper into his covers. 


Justin returned to his bed willing sleep to come. He made a promise to his son that night. He promised that he wouldn’t waste any of the time that they had left together. Other than work he would never leave Stephen’s side. He wouldn’t take a moment for granted. If the last month had taught him anything it was that time is a precious commodity. No one ever knows how much they have until suddenly it’s gone. 


************************ 


Brian hadn’t heard from Justin in days. He had wanted to call but wasn’t sure what he would say even when he did talk to him again. Their meeting with Carol Myers had been upsetting for both of them. So far though there hadn’t been any reporters in his office so that was a good sign. Brian had heard through the grapevine that Rachel had filed an official complaint and that a social worker had been assigned by the courts. They had made home visits to both Rachel and Jennifer’s home interviewing all members of the household. 


He wondered how Justin was holding up. Brian had tried to help out with his own son. He was an alert kid and had picked up that something was going on with Stephen. Brian had taken Gus to a movie the previous afternoon in hopes of distracting the boy, but instead he had found himself subjected to a series of questions from Gus as to why someone would want to take Stephen away from his father. Gus had also feared that someone might come along and take him away from his mommies and daddy. He had spent most of the afternoon reassuring him and trying to prepare him for the possible loss of his new best friend. When he had dropped him off he had given Lindsay a heads up about Gus’s concerns before heading out to Woody’s to meet Michael and Ben. 


They seemed surprised that he hadn’t been in contact with Justin. Brian had tried to explain but his reasons had sounded lame even to him. Ben had asked if he was still angry about the meeting. Brian was surprised that Justin had confided that fact and wondered if that was why he hadn’t heard from the blonde. 


Brian had been angry but he wasn’t any more. He still felt overwhelmed and upset thinking of Justin being with Kip. It made his skin crawl. The thought of the man’s hands and mouth touching Justin filled him with emotions he couldn’t quite sort out. He felt possessive and jealous. He never had been one to share his toys and Justin would always be his favorite toy. He meant that in the best sense of the word but knew better than to express that particular thought aloud. He could almost hear the lecture from the blonde if he did. 


Brian found himself smiling as he thought about the rant Justin would throw himself into at the thought of still being a toy to the man. He missed Justin. He knew he needed to call but once again came back to the same problem. What would he say? How could he possibly make him feel better about what was ahead of him? Pulling in front of the loft he decided to hit Babylon. He needed to forget. He needed to get Justin out of his mind. He needed to fuck and not feel. 


Entering the loft he picked up his phone. Dialing Mikey’s number, Brian waited for the other man to answer. 


“Babylon is calling me.” He said smiling. 


“Then we should answer.” Mikey replied. “See ya there.” Brian smiled. In a matter of hours he would be lost in the drugs, alcohol and bodies. He would bury his problems in someone else’s body. He needed some pain management. Slipping on his black sleeveless shirt and leather pants he glanced in the mirror. It was only a matter of time and all the pain would go away. 


************************** 


The driving beat of the music had the desired effect. He made his way over to his friends at the bar. Emmett and Ted were in the middle of a discussion with Ben and Michael. Michael spotted him first and waved him over. Brian pulled up into the group ordering a double beam as he did. 


“Hey, Brian.” Emmett said exchanging a look with Ted. “Long time since we’ve seen you here.” Brian barely heard the last part as a possible trick slowly walked by. He gave Brian a lustful leer. Brian threw his friends a smug look as he set off in pursuit of the night’s entertainment. He followed his prey out onto the dance floor. He waited for the man to turn and notice him. Their eyes locked and the game was on. Brian used the beat of the music to move closer to the other man. He was just about to lock his hands into the other man’s belt in order to drag him into the backroom when he realized that he was being watched. Looking to his left he found himself staring into a face from his past, Kip Thomas. 


Brian immediately decided to switch pain management strategies. Perhaps this was a night to resurrect the spirit of his long dead daddy and stop his own pain by inflicting some on someone else. He noticed the smug look on the other man’s face and vowed to physically remove it. 


“What the fuck are you doing here?” He roared at the man. Kip stood ground confidently. Brian lunged at him suddenly. He didn’t make any contact but did force Kip to flinch revealing his carefully concealed anxiety. Brian smirked in triumphant. 


“Looking for work, know where I can find a job?” He responded looking the man up and down. He smiled and walked away. Brian followed him off of the dance floor. 


“Who’s that with Brian?” Ben asked following Michael’s gaze. 


“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” He said moving in the direction of his friend. The three other men decided to follow along in case there was any trouble. 


Brian caught up with Kip as they reached the exit. He pushed the other man causing Kip to lose his balance before turning around to face Brian. Kip laughed and Brian wasn’t sure how much of it was merely false bravado. Kip dismissed him with a look then continued on through the exit. Once he was outside he turned on Brian. 


“I had a visit from an investigator the other day.” He sneered. “He asked a lot of questions about someone we both know.” There was something in the way Kip phrased that sentence that made Brian’s blood boil. He was about to lunge at the man until he felt Michael’s hand on his arm. 


“You stay the fuck out of his life. You don’t tell them shit.” Brian yelled wanting to take the other man apart. 


“You don’t want me to tell them how he was your little slut?” Kip taunted. “You should have seen him. He was a fucking pro. He knew exactly how to play it. You teach him how to do that?” Kip sneered. Brian jumped. Emmett amazed everyone by jumping in front of him and holding him back. He wasn’t sure what was happening but knew this had to have something to do with Justin. 


“This won’t help him.” Emmett hissed forcing Brian to meet his gaze. Brian knew he was right. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He wasn’t about to play into Kip’s hand. He’d made that mistake once and without Justin’s intervention it would have cost him dearly. 


“So now it would be best for your little blond friend if I didn’t remember what a conniving little bitch he was?” Kip was enjoying the position he had Kinney in. He’d taken a risk and lost a few years back but now suddenly it was all falling into place once more. He was the one in power. 


“Kip, there’s more at stake here than revenge. He has a son and some bitch is trying to take him away. You don’t want to hurt his kid do you?” Brian asked trying to sound calm as he spoke through clenched teeth. 


“No.” Kip replied softly the sincerity of it struck Brian until Kip gazed up and Brian saw the evil glint in his eyes. “Provided you do something for me.” Kip spoke the words that had haunted him each week as he trudged off to the job he now had and hated. He wanted back in the advertising game and this was his chance to make that happen. 


Brian felt his blood go cold at the sound of Kip’s voice. Somehow he knew that the man was throwing Justin’s words back in his face. 


“Kip.” Brian warned. 


“Look Brian, I don’t give a flying fuck if he keeps his kid or not. All I care about is getting my job back. Make that happen and I’ll forget everything I know. But if you fail to give me what I want, I’m afraid I’ll be forced to recall every sleazy detail and maybe a few I’ve added over the years. He WAS hot. It’s one of my favorite fantasies.” He taunted. “You know the imagination has a way of painting things the way you want to remember them not necessarily the way they actually happened.” 


“Get out of here.” Michael yelled. Kip laughed backing away. 


“They want to know if he is fit? Right? Fit?” Kip stepped forward until the heat of his words rushed over Brian’s face. “He was a tight fit I’ll tell you that, but then again you already knew that didn’t you?” He laughed as Brian’s friends continued to hold him back. They stared at Kip in confusion. “I’ll give you till Monday to work out my reinstatement or else you tell your little whore to kiss his kid goodbye, because when I get done telling my story there is no fucking way he’ll ever see his kid again.” Brian felt sick. The world was spinning around him. He struggled harder against his friends. Kip couldn’t testify if his jaw was broken. 


“Fuck you Asshole. Fuck you.” Brian yelled pulling free of his friends, but it was too late he had disappeared down the street. 


Brian felt his heart pounding in his chest. It felt like it would explode any minute. He was certain that he must be dying. He slumped down to the pavement burying his head in his hands. The men looked to one another trying to see if anyone else knew what had just happened. 


Michael knelt down putting his arm around Brian’s shoulder. “Who was that Brian?” Brian just shook his head. Michael accepted his friend’s answer as he worked to get Brian to his feet. “Let’s head to the diner. You need some food.” The men made their way to the Diner each stunned by what they had seen and heard. 


Once they were settled into their regular booth Michael tried once more. “Brian, who was that man?” 


“Kip Thomas.” He said not looking up. They all exchanged a knowing look except for Ben. 


“He was the man who brought a sexual harassment suit against Brian. It was a bunch of shit so he dropped it.” Michael explained. He looked over when he heard Brian laugh. 


“Brian?” 


“It was bullshit but that’s not why he dropped it. It was Justin. He blackmailed him into dropping it.” His voice sounded distant as he ran through the scene at Lindsay’s house a couple of weeks back. 


“What?” All four men whispered. 


“He went home with him, got naked, and then blackmailed him into dropping the suit.” His voice was barely above a whisper as he thought about all that Kip had said. Justin would never have let him--- He shook his head unable to finish the thought. He tried to remember what Justin had been like then. He had been so persistent in his pursuit of him and yet he had never said a word about saving his ass. He could have used it to make Brian feel like he owed him something but he hadn’t. He’d never said a word. 


“Why?” Michael asked shocked at Brian’s revelation. 


“To protect me.” He smiled up at him the irony of the situation sinking in. 


“So now that selfless act is going to cost him his son.” Emmett concluded. 


Brian just nodded not trusting his voice. 


“What was he thinking? He could have gotten himself killed.” Michael ranted. 


“He was 17, Michael.” Ben began. “He was in love and his lover was being threatened. He didn’t think about what could have happened to him. He was thinking about what was gong to happen to Brian.” 


“That fucking piece of shit. Did you hear him? It was lies. He never fucked Justin. Justin said as soon as Kip started blowing him, he dropped the bomb about being 17. He was old enough for consent, but—“ 


“Everyone thinks it’s 18.” Ted nodded impressed by Justin’s cunning. He had thought it was 18 for the longest time himself. It wasn’t until his website took off that he learned the letter of the law. 


“You think he’ll lie under oath?” Michael asked. 


“Doesn’t matter. Even if he tells the truth it will be enough to damage Justin’s character. Besides it isn’t even really about Justin. It’s about revenge. Kip wants to hurt me. Can’t think of a better way.” Brian’s words hung in the air. 


******************** 


It had been four weeks since they had all been together. Brian had left messages for Justin but hadn’t heard anything from him in return. He was always either away from his desk at work or out with Stephen at home. 


Brian had called Carol Myers and reported the run in with Kip. He’d offered to see what he could do to make the man disappear but Carol had insisted that he leave it alone. If anything she would use his attempt to blackmail Brian to discredit his testimony if it came to that. Brian hoped that going to the woman had been the right choice. A part of him had wanted to just get the man a job until the custody issue was settled then fire his ass again. 


There was a preliminary hearing set for Monday afternoon so Deb had decided to have a family dinner Sunday night. She thought it would take everyone’s mind off of things. 


When Brian arrived everyone was already there except for Justin and Stephen. Jennifer had arrived early to help Deb and wasn’t sure what could be keeping them. Brian couldn’t help feeling a little unsure about seeing Justin. They had parted after the meeting at Lindsay and Melanie’s and hadn’t spoken since. He had tried, but Justin had resisted. 


Brian headed to the back porch to have a smoke and clear his mind. He closed his eyes letting the cold air seep into him. It felt good in a distracting sort of way. He felt the faint traces of a memory skip through his mind. He and Justin on this very porch sharing a joint as the snow spit down upon them. He’d tried to warn Justin about the manipulative ways of the Senator and Justin had made it clear that he was trusting Brian to protect him. Brian felt the memories of the bashing rushing up at him and immediately threw his eyes open to force them away. 


“Be patient.” He heard Lindsay’s voice come up behind him and was grateful.“He’s just trying to spend as much time as possible with Stephen.” She explained. Brian exhaled. 


“I tried to have a sleep over for Gus and Stephen but Justin wouldn’t have it. He said they could get together but he wanted to be there. He’s accepted that he is probably going to lose him, Brian. He’s just dealing with it the only way he can.” Lindsay rubbed Brian’s arm in the same way that she did when comforting his son. Brian nodded finding the gesture reassuring as her words rang true. It made sense. 


The noise level inside the house went up suddenly. 


“I guess they’re here.” She said leaning up and kissing Brian on the cheek. She was pulling away when she felt his fingers intertwine with hers. She looked back smiling. He gave her a tight smile in return and allowed her to lead him inside. Lindsay had been correct. Everyone was surrounding the two blonde boys who had just made their entrance. 


Justin looked very thin and tired. Their eyes met and Justin gave Brian a small smile. Brian waited for the crowd to thin out and return to their individual conversations before he came up removing Stephen from Justin’s arms. 


“Bi Bi” Stephen chirped hugging the man and looking for Gus. The other boy was barreling down the stairs. Seeing Gus he began jumping up and down urging Brain to move him in the direction of his son. Brian laughed and followed the boy’s commands. 


Gus moved forward hugging Justin first and then reaching for Gus. “Keep him downstairs ok?” Justin asked and Gus nodded. Brian took the opportunity for pull Justin into his arms. 


“You look like shit.” He said affectionately. He wasn’t going to give Justin the chance to pull away. He needed someone to lean on and Brian was determined to make it plain to the man that he was strong enough to take it. 


“Well I feel like it too so at least I’m consistent. Sorry about not calling. I’ve been—“ 


Brian placed a finger over Justin’s lips and shook his head. He couldn’t imagine what he had been doing to prepare for the probable loss of his son. “It’s ok.” He pulled him closer. Justin pulled away giving Brian an apologetic smile as he began seeking out Stephen once more. Finding the two boys playing near the couch he planted himself there seemingly oblivious that anyone else was in the room. 


This is how it had been for him over the last two weeks. Every second was precious to him. He knew he was smothering the child. His mother had warned him of that fact just yesterday. She didn’t understand. No one could understand. Well maybe Brian could. 


Brian came and sat beside him. 


“Do you remember when Gus was born? We were in your jeep and Michael was driving. You kept saying tick, tick, tick.” Justin’s eyes never left Stephen’s face. 


“Vaguely, I was on E at the time.” Brian replied watching Justin as he sat focusing on his son. 


“I didn’t understand at the time. You kept saying it was Gus’s first word.” Justin turned and met Brian’s gaze. “I get it now. Every time I look at him I can hear it. Tick, tick, tick.” Justin had turned and was looking at his son once more. Brian knew that he didn’t have any words so he just sat silently hoping his presence was somehow comforting. 


During the course of the evening, everyone tried to say the right things but it was apparent to all that Justin was beyond hearing them. He would smile a polite smile or nod accepting their hopeful words, but there was a heartbreaking sadness that clung to him. It was as if they could almost see it around him. 


“What time tomorrow?” Lindsay asked as everyone sat enjoying Deb’s pasta. 


“We appear before him at 4 o’clock.” Melanie answered. 


“Can anyone come?” Emmett asked looking hopefully around the table. Justin remained focused on feeding Stephen. The little boy completely unaware of what was happening around him smiled and teased various people within his reach. 


Ted reached for him feeling a lump in his throat seeing how trusting and accepting the little boy was. He looked away staring back at his plate willing his own tears away. 


“I’d rather face it alone.” Justin said solemnly. “I appreciate everyone being so supportive but I really don’t want an audience if that’s okay?” He never looked away from his son’s face. 


“Of course Sweetie.” Deb replied. “I don’t blame you. But if you get good news we’ll expect to be informed.” She forced a laugh. Everyone tried to join in but it fell flat. 


“I met with Carol on Friday.” Justin’s voice was just above a whisper. “There won’t be any good news.” He handed Stephen his cup and helped him manage it without any spills. “She’s fairly sure that they’ll award temporary custody to Rachel. We’ll have a few weeks to see if we can come to some sort of agreement. If we can’t then she’ll either get full custody or we’ll share joint custody. Either way he’ll more than likely reside with her.” 


“Have you tried talking to that bitch?” Michael asked. He felt Ben’s hand on his shoulder and looked over to find the man shaking his head. “I mean have you tried talking to her?” Michael corrected. 


“She won’t answer my calls. I even talked to Ken and had him talk to her. She won’t talk to me.” He wiped Stephen’s mouth. The little boy yawning as he did so. 


“I don’t mean to be rude.” Justin began still focused on Stephen. “ but I think we’re going to head home.” Justin rose. Each of his friends exchanged looks around the table not sure if they should try to stop the young man or not. They all wanted a chance to kiss the baby goodbye but somehow they each knew it would be asking for Justin to endure too much. 


“I’ll help you.” Brian said softly from beside him. He had watched Justin throughout the meal. He hadn’t touched his food. Brian motioned for Deb to wrap up some food for Justin to take home. 


“Let me pack up your plate.” Deb offered but Justin stopped her. 


“I’m really not hungry.” She looked from him to Brian then back before nodding. 


Brian gathered Stephen’s bag as Justin put on the little boy’s coat. His friends each rose and made their way behind him to the front door. 


“I’m so sorry.” He said turning tears in his eyes. “You all did so much to help me and I can’t help but feel I’ve failed you all too.” 


“No Justin.” Vic said coming forward wrapping his arms around him and Stephen. “You haven’t failed anyone. We helped because we love you and we love Stephen and nothing will ever change that.” Justin sniffed and nodded pulling back. 


“You call us if you need anything.” Deb offered a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away impatiently. Justin nodded again. 


“Wait!” Gus came rushing down the stairs once more. “I have something for Stephen.” He had in his hands a little Teddy Bear. Justin knelt down so that he could hand it to the boy. Stephen hugged it and then bopped Gus with it. Everyone laughed at the exchange. “We got it today.” Gus’s eyes were bright as he looked to Justin. “His name is Justin. That way you will always be with him no matter what.” The boy’s words almost undid the man. He swallowed hard but couldn’t find his voice to reply. Instead he just hugged Gus tightly hoping he would understand, and if not, that one of his moms would explain. 


Rising Justin retrieved the bag from Brian then left. Once the door shut, Brian grabbed his jacket off of the stair rail. He didn’t want to hang around discussing how unfair life was. He didn’t want to sit around and discuss how sad and thin Justin looked. He just wanted to go back to his loft and work on the campaign he had to present later in the week. He wanted to forget about violin music, vindictive bitches, and comfortless clichés. He wanted to forget that tomorrow was going to be the longest day of his life and an even longer one for Justin. 


As the corvette roared to life, he suddenly got an inspiration. He knew how to make an unbearable day more bearable. It wasn’t much but it was all he had to offer. He just hoped that Justin would be willing to accept. 


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