Lois, thank you for the beta...you are the greatest!
Chapter 6 – Surprising Truths A Little Later…(Day 16) About hour later, Brian was still recovering from his morning encounters at Debbie’s. Brian pulled out his cell phone with the intent of calling Justin, but then he changed his mind. After all, Justin would probably be busy getting stuff arranged at the house. Brian decided he would wait and talk to him later. Brian finally settled into his office at Kinnetik, ready to start his day. Since Cynthia wasn’t at her desk, Brian went to pour himself a cup of coffee. As he was on his way back to his office, he and Cynthia bumped into each other. “Hi, here you are!” Cynthia said, cheerfully to him. “And, where else would I be?” Brian asked with a sneer. “What’s wrong? I expected you to be in a good mood with Justin here.” Cynthia commented, wondering what the problem could possibly be. “Never mind! It’s not important,” Brian commented, taking a seat at his desk. “Is there anything going on that I should know about?” Brian finally asked, giving her his undivided attention as he waited for her answer. “Justin’s in the art department,” Cynthia reported with a smile. “He’s creating quite a stir.” “What?” “The art department jumped at the chance to work with an established artist. Justin is down there, giving instructions about the artwork for the Belluss-Eyeconics joint venture boards for you. Everyone is working like little beavers. Justin had really good drafts so Murph wanted to give him the next stage boards on Thursday when he returned from Cincinnati,” Cynthia relayed joyfully. “How can Justin be here? I left him busy at home this morning when I came into town. He’s supposed to be getting the house ready?” Brian explained “Well he’s here, and I suggest you leave him alone. After all, you sure as hell can’t work with the art department, and Justin is so much easier for everyone to deal with. By the way, why are you so grumpy?” “Last night, Justin decided to surprise us with a campsite in the living room at the house. Gus loved it. I did too until Justin and Gus forced me to eat toasted marshmallows. You know how I feel about carbs after 7PM. I was horrified.” Brian explained, while Cynthia tried to conceal a smile. Brian paused for just a moment to see if he was going to get any sympathy. Catching a glimpse of Cynthia’s smile, told him that sympathy would not be forthcoming. Brian just sighed. Then he continued, “We slept in sleeping bags and a tent all night. I never went camping as a kid. Evidently Justin did, and he wanted to share the experience with Gus and me.” “Well that sounds like fun.” “It had been fun until this morning when I dropped Gus at Deb’s. Lindsay and Melanie were there. I don’t know what they thought, but they gave me shit about exposing Justin and Gus to cold weather,” Brian remarked, still quite perplexed by it all. “Then Lindsay went on about how I was ruining Justin’s career,” Brian recounted. “Is Lindsay still having problems about you and Justin?” Cynthia asked, already guessing the answer by Brian’s mood. “Yeah, she still thinks Justin’s art career is being ruined while he’s with me,” Brian confessed. “She thinks he needs to be alone in New York, suffering for his art, in order to take it to the next level…whatever that is.” “Brian, you know there is more to it than that with Lindsay, don’t you?” Cynthia asked point blank. “I try not to think about it,” Brian confessed. “But what exactly do you mean?” he asked. “Brian, do I really have to state the obvious for you. Lindsay thought things would always remain the same. She could go on and live her life, but you would always be the same. You would always be there for her especially now that she has Gus, and so she manipulates you. It’s not just the money for Gus. Lindsay has a tendency to become completely helpless so you’ll have to come in and rescue her,” Cynthia tried to explain what was so obvious to her, but Brian just couldn’t see. “Lindsay is in a committed relationship with Melanie, surely you remember that,” Brian reiterated. “Lindsay may be in a relationship with Melanie, but you are who she turns to whenever anything goes wrong in her life. She depends on you being there. Justin is an obstacle to her manipulations of you because he protects you so fiercely,” Cynthia went on to explain, “His move to New York was his one slip up. You and Justin missed Lindsay’s manipulation.” “Except right now, Justin is with me here in Pittsburgh,” Brian said mechanically. “And if I know you, you will do everything you can to get Justin to want to stay here. And, if you sneak down into the art department and remain unseen, you will see what I already know,” Cynthia said, and she turned to leave his office. “I’m going back to my desk.” “Freeze!” “Brian, what is it now? I have work to do,” Cynthia said, with a little exasperation. “What do you see that you already know that I don’t know?” Brian asked with a smile, but still some confusion. “Or whatever you just said. Did I get it right?” “Word perfect,” Cynthia smirked. “Brian, Justin is a creative genius…emphasis on the word creative. You have great staff of technical artists. They need creative direction. When we lose an account, it’s not because of lack of vision, it’s because another company outshines us on graphics. Haven’t you noticed that before Justin left for New York, he would casually drop in to see you, and without thinking, he would absentmindedly mark up any board lying on your desk? You would send those changes back to the art department, and even you would comment on the improved graphics. Justin naturally thinks outside the box like you do. Maybe that’s why you two are so good together. We need that here. You have to figure out a way for us to get it,” Cynthia demanded. “You should sneak down to the art department and see it in action for yourself. Can I go to my desk now?” “By all means.” Cynthia turned to leave his office with a smirk, but she knew Brian had heard every word. *** A few hours later, Brian had to contend with another interruption. “Brian, can we keep him?” Murph asked, walking into Brian’s office unannounced. “What are you talking about?” Brian asked with concern, trying to determine what the problem was now. “I saw what you created for the Belluss-Eyeconics campaign. The artwork is different from anything we’ve ever produced. We would have never suggested anything like this because of the complexity, not to mention the expense. But Justin has these techniques and short cuts and stuff. Everybody is so eager to work with him. There’s so much to learn. Can’t we find a way to keep him?” “Murph what are you saying? Are you telling me my art department isn’t up to the task? Lord, how in the world have we been winning all these awards?” Brian asked sarcastically. “Look Brian, we’re better than most agencies because of the campaigns YOU create. We get the art done for you. But, it takes us forever with trial and error. Justin has the true eye of an artist. He picks up the weaknesses right away. A shift in color here, a shift in perspective there…it all makes a big difference in the final product.” “I see,” Brian said laughing. “So how are the boards coming for Belluss-Eyeconics?” “Brian, everyone is fighting for a chance to work with Justin. At first a few people were volunteering to work with him just for the supposed brownie points, after all everyone knows who he is…even if he is just a kid. That only lasted for the first hour. But this is different. With him here it reminds us that what we do is art. We lose sight of that sometimes. Everyone is scrambling to produce their best work for him,” Murph said wistfully. “Look, let me get back to the department. Will you think about what I said?” Brian leaned back in his chair to take everything in. Well this was certainly an unexpected development. *** A little later, Brian reached for cellphone and called Justin. “Hey.” “Hey.” “Where are you?” Brian asked, already knowing the answer. “I’m in your art department; we’re really quite busy…did you want something?” Justin asked nonchalantly. At that moment Brian had a million questions, like why are you in the art department instead of furnishing the house. But Brian was trying not be controlling. He knew Justin had everything under control. He just knew. “I was checking to see if you’re free for a late lunch,” Brian said, “I missed you.” “I have a bit more to do here, then I have to check on things at the house. Everything was supposed to arrive by noon. I know Emmett will handle things, I just want to be sure everything goes ok.” “You still have to eat. Why don’t you let me buy you a disgusting lunch at the Diner before you head back to the house? Call me when you’re ready.” Brian insisted. The last statement was not a question, and Justin understood the subtle shift in tone. Justin finally agreed to lunch, and Brian just smiled. For the first time in four days, Brian felt like he still had a little control left. *** A short time later, Brian and Justin entered the diner and took their usual booth. Kiki saw Justin and gushed again that she was glad that he was back. Then she finally took their orders. While waiting for their food to be delivered, Brian settled back to think about the day’s events, while Justin called Emmett to check on things at the house. Emmett gave Justin a full report. Justin talked with Emmett and found out that the master suite was completely setup with its king size bed and armoire. The hypo allergic, high thread count linens had been purchased, and Teres had helped to make up the bed. The bathroom had been stocked as Justin requested with duplicates of items already at the loft, including the fluffy red towels that Brian preferred. The nightstands had arrived and were appropriately stocked with the essentials: condoms, lube, and massage oils. Emmett mentioned that the lamps for the bedroom just didn’t look right when the room was put together. So Gregory replaced the rented lamps with a set of designer originals that were closer to Justin’s drawings. Gus’s room was set up with the bed and furniture that Justin selected. Gus’s bookshelf had been stocked with the items Justin has listed and few toys he specified. The oversized Teddy bear, which Justin was sure would be absolutely necessary, had been placed in the room. Gus’s bathroom had also been stocked. Emmett commented that the extra futon for Gus’s room would be perfect if he ever invited a friend to spend the night. Otherwise it was a perfect chair in the room. The media room on the ground floor was furnished with a couch and comfortable reclining chairs. The media center had been set up. Emmett confirmed that the large flat screen plasma TV had been already hooked into cable, and most importantly, the DVD of The Yellow Submarine was waiting and ready to be viewed. Emmett also pointed out that duplicate copies of Brian’s favorite movie collections were also waiting in the room. Emmett gave a report of the living room. The camping stuff had been removed and returned this morning. The overstuffed leather chairs and the ottoman had been returned to their original positions in the living room. These were the items that Brian had previously purchased for the house. The extra long leather sofa that they selected to rent blended perfectly with the chairs. The extra tables, chairs, and lamps also looked great. “Gregory said to tell you that you have to get busy painting some canvasses. The blank walls are distorting HIS perfect interior designs, and he just knows that Brian will blame HIM for this minor flaw,” Emmett recounted with a laugh. Justin also had to laugh at the comment. “As you have already found out, the kitchen is stocked with accessories and appliances to match the loft. Teres went grocery shopping so the refrigerator and pantry are stocked with food. The stools for the kitchen counter were too uncomfortable, so we sent them back, and we’re waiting for the replacements to be delivered,” Emmett continued. Emmett continued his report on the progress by stating that the two computers had been set up in the office and high-speed connections were in place. The modern desk for Brian has been delivered and placed in the study, as well as the second table for Justin. Emmett finally confirmed that two additional bedrooms had been furnished as guest rooms with basic furnishings of bed and linens and furniture. As Jennifer had suggested, the other bedrooms were still empty, and the doors had simply been closed. Emmett than paused for a moment before continuing, “Sweetie, the treadmill and workout machine that you rented for Brian didn’t seem to quite fit where you originally suggested. I supposed that you could move them to one of the empty bedrooms, except you know Brian doesn’t like to be by himself when he exercises. So for right now we set everything up in the family room. It just seemed to fit there. But if you don’t like it, we’ll be glad to move it, you know that.” “That all seems fine, Em.” “Gregory said to tell you that your mom emailed him your computer file with all the interiors of the house. So all you have to do is let him know what other rooms you want to furnish, and he can handle getting the rental furniture for you, especially the remaining bedrooms and the dining room. Once Emmett had finished his report, Justin mentioned that he needed one more favor. “Emmett, Gus has a riding lesson on Thursday, can you get him a cowboy riding outfit for the occasion.” “Oh, Honey,” Emmett replied, “You mean Brian is actually going to trust me to dress the little prince. Oh my, I have the vapors,” Emmett said, fanning himself. Brian had been trying to ignore the whole conversation, but suddenly when he heard Justin’s last request, he knew it was time for him to intervene. So he took the phone from Justin and took control of the situation. “Emmett,” Brian demanded, trying to sound as forceful as possible, “No pink, no orange, no feathers, and no lace. Have I made myself clear? We don’t want my son to scare the horses, now do we?” Brian teased with a smile. “Oh Brian,” Emmett said, letting him know he understood. Brian laughed as he returned the phone to Justin. Justin was just about to hang up, knowing now that everything was just about ready, when Emmett had one more thing to add. “The pool was filled, and the water has been heated to proper temperature,” Emmett added. “Just in case you and Mr. Wonderful want to take a dip. Of course the view of pool boys made the whole day worthwhile. I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.” “Wow, Emmett you have taken care of everything,” Justin said with a smile. “Thank you.” “Glad to do it for you, Sweetie. I’ll see you later.” By the time Emmett’s report was complete, the food arrived. Both Justin and Brian suddenly realized they were hungry. While they were eating, they did try to bring each other up to date on the day’s events so far. Brian thoroughly enjoyed Justin’s account of his time in the art department. Justin’s eyes lit up as he talked about the project boards, and Brian loved to see Justin so happy. However, Justin was not pleased to hear about Brian’s encounters at Debbie’s, but he didn’t say anything. Justin made a mental note to talk to Lindsay and Melanie at the first available moment. Justin had decided it was time for things to change. It was time for Melanie and Lindsay to see that Brian had changed.