Lois, thank you for the beta...you are the greatest!
Chapter 24– A Waiting Game, Part 3
Wednesday Morning… (Day 24)
Brian walked into his offices and into a very heated discussion between Ted, Cynthia, and Cristina Silvestri. When Brian approached, all conversation stopped.
“Where is Justin?” Cristina demanded, as if realizing she had been dealing with assistants before, but now that Brian was here, she could get the answers she sought.
“He’s not here. If you must know, he’s probably in his studio.” Brian said calmly, nodding to Ted and Cynthia that he would handle this. Brian turned to walk toward his own office. Cristina, of course, immediately followed him and made herself comfortable in his office.
“Brian, I want to see Justin. I just want to talk to him.”
“Cristina, based on our previous meeting, I’m not sure you have anything to talk to Justin about.” Brian gently pointed out.
“Oh, you mean the ad campaign?”
“What else?”
“I’m a designer, Brian. My team and I developed the products with Eyeconics. My job was done at that point. Personally, I loved both of the campaigns that you and Justin created. Everyone did, but my father can be difficult at times.”
“It’s good to hear that you liked the campaigns. Can I offer you coffee?” Brian asked. Cristina shook her head no. “So tell me again, why you are here?”
“I wanted to see Justin. Let’s just say I’m fond of him. We have a lot in common. I was forced to lose touch with him before. I just want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
“Let it go, Cristina. That was a long time ago.”
Cristina thought that Brian’s remark was an odd comment. She started to get a sense of something but she couldn’t make the pieces fit. Her mind kept searching. Then she asked, “What is the problem?”
Then she caught a look from Brian…it was probably only an instant, but Cristina was an artist, with an artist’s eye for detail. Then she caught a glimpse of a photo behind Brian’s desk. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place for her.
She simply smiled and said, “So that’s it.”
“Excuse me?” Brian asked, trying to figure out what she was driving at, with her change of tone.
Brian noticed the distinctive change in Cristina’s demeanor and the fact that the person sitting across from him, now looked as if she knew the secret of the ages.
“Then, the rumors are true. You’re gay?” Cristina said with a smile.
“That’s common knowledge.” Brian confirmed. “Not that I can figure out why, on earth, that would interest you.”
“And for some reason you don’t want me to see Justin,” Cristina continued, reminding Brian of Melanie, making an argument in a case. Brian shuddered at the thought.
Brian was now intrigued with where Cristina was going with this. So he allowed her to continue without further interruption.
“Now I get it…you’re jealous!”
“That’s ridiculous!” Brian said in protest, knowing full well he doesn’t do jealousy.
“No, it’s true.”
“Of course not,” Brian continued to protest, although now that she mentioned it, his mind did flash back to the image of her and Maria practically draped over Justin. However, once again he remembered that Brian Kinney doesn’t do jealousy.
Cristina laughed and said, “Oh, I don’t blame you. Justin is quite special. He’s definitely worth fighting for. I let the ball drop three years ago. I don’t intend to make that mistake again.”
“What exactly did you want with Justin, Cristina?” Brian asked, now in full protective mode.
Cristina sensed the change in tone and decided not to play games. “Everyone else is tied up in meetings. They’re trying to figure out what approach to use to get you and Justin to change your minds and let us have the Collezione Fiero campaign.”
“Now, why would you think that?” Brian asked with a smile.
“I don’t think, Brian, I know.” Cristina pointed out, returning his smile.
“So is that why you’re here looking for Justin? Are you going to try to persuade Justin to change his mind?”
“No. I simply have a free day. I thought I could get Justin to show me the local art galleries or maybe the museum. Honest! Just two artists hanging out together,” she said, then she smiled too sweetly. “I know how Justin likes to hang out in museums.”
“And that’s all?”
“That’s all…and I want to try to persuade him to come to Milan.”
“And why would you want that?”
“Relax Brian. We’re simply friends with common interests. But make no mistake, he’s a friend that I intend to keep.”
Brian and Cristina stood there staring at each other. Brian realized he had just gotten a glimpse of the steel beneath the carefully crafted artist exterior. For some reason, a part of him couldn’t wait for this whole Belluss Occhiali/Eyeconics deal to be over and for Cristina Silvestri to return to Milan.
Brian buzzed Cynthia and asked her to call Justin for Cristina to see if he was available to spend time with Cristina visiting museum and art galleries. Cynthia was forced to leave a message as her call rolled into voice mail. As Brian had suspected, Justin had his cell phone turned off when he was in the studio.
“Cristina, be sure I have all your numbers. We promise to have Justin call you as soon as he we hear from him.”
“Thanks,” Cristina said with some disappointment as she fished out a card and wrote something on the back.
“Please be sure that he calls,” she once again emphasized.
She walked back into Brian’s office. She simply stood at his desk and waited for him to look up. When he did, she looked him directly in the eye and smiled.
“Thanks so much for you help.” She said sweetly.
“You’re welcome.” Brian tried to smile and then immediately returned to work.
Cristina turned to leave and then turned back once more. “And Brian, you realize this isn’t over,” she said and waited for Brian to look up again.
Before he could say anything, she was gone. Brian smiled.
***
A few minutes later, Cynthia appeared. “I left all of Cristina’s phone numbers on the voice mail to Justin’s cell phone. I also sent him an email.”
“Yeah, he’s probably in the studio. Even when he’s in New York, he usually doesn’t answer his cell when he’s painting,” Brian said with a smile.
“Cristina is very demanding, isn’t she? And, she really wants to see Justin,” Cynthia pointed out.
“Yes, she does,” Brian quietly acknowledged.
“The Silvestris are hard to deal with, but their fondness for Justin is unmistakable. You can just see it, even with the language barrier.”
“Is this your feminine intuition or your overactive imagination?”
“Either way, you know I’m right.”
“Of course,” Brian finally conceded with a smile and once again returned to the project on this desk. Cynthia, however, wasn’t leaving his office just yet.
“Brian, how are you doing after yesterday’s meeting?” she asked with intense concern.
“I’m fabulous. Can’t you tell?” he said sarcastically. “Seriously, I’m ok. Thanks for asking.”
“And Justin?”
“Fine…why?”
“I talked to Ted this morning. He explained things to me. Now what are we supposed to do?”
“We go ahead with business as usual. I just have to be sure that the Silvestris don’t interfere with Justin and his painting. I have done enough of that already.”
“Why are the Silvestris trying to reach Justin?”
“If Cristina is to be believed, they think they need his cooperation in order to be allowed to have the campaign.”
“Why Brian? Didn’t they notice that you’re CEO of this company?”
“I may own the company, but Justin was the one who pulled the campaigns away from everyone. So they must figure Justin and I have to agree on this.”
“Is that true?”
“Justin was right. It would have been a waste of time to create any new campaigns. Once we started down that path, it would have turned into a slippery slope. Justin is very protective, but he knows how much I want this account. I think he will support whatever decision I make. But I would hate to be someone trying to change Justin’s mind about anything. We both know how stubborn he can be. Still, as much as I want the account, I only want it under certain conditions.”
“Such as?”
“The Silvestris go back to Italy and never try to contact Justin again,” Brian said resolutely. Cynthia immediately burst out laughing.
“I saw the way daughters were draped over Justin. Don’t they know he’s gay?”
“According to Justin that doesn’t seem to matter.”
“I can understand that. You have to admit he is hot,” Cynthia teased.
“Cynthia, don’t you have work to do at you desk.”
“I’m leaving.” Cynthia said with a smile. “But you know I’m right.”
***
A Few Hours Later…(Day 24)
In a restaurant across town, two friends are meeting. “All right Cristina, I agreed to meet you for lunch under the condition that we wouldn’t talk about what happened yesterday,” Justin insisted.
“I just wanted to make sure that our friendship was ok,” Cristina insisted. “I know that you can separate business and personal stuff.”
“It was simply a business decision, and we’re not going to talk about it,” Justin protested.
“I just wanted to hang out with you, and to try to persuade you to come to Milan.”
“I like that idea. I can hardly wait for my career to go international. I hope to someday show my work in the galleries of Europe. But that’s going to take awhile.”
“I know it’s going to happen. You’re very talented.”
“Thanks.”
“But, just because you aren’t having a show there doesn’t mean you can’t come to visit. I want to introduce you to some of my friends. I would be the envy of everyone. Of course, I would have to share you on your visit with Maria. You know how pushy she can be.”
“You two are as bad as Molly and me, but Molly’s just a teenager. I had hoped that things would change as we got older,” Justin smirked. “But after watching you and Maria, I’m not so sure I can expect that anymore.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this…it never completely changes,” Cristina confirmed with a laugh.
“Well, I guess we had better get going. I really am curious to see those new exhibits.”
“Me too.”
They spent a pleasant afternoon together, just two artists hanging out and viewing the exhibits.
Afterwards, Cristina headed back to her hotel, while Justin decided to stop in at Kinnetik.
“Hi Cynthia, is Brian available?” Justin asked upon entering Kinnetik.
“He’s in on a conference call. Did you reach Cristina Silvestri?”
“Yeah, she and I had lunch, and then we went to see the new exhibit at the gallery. Don’t worry, I stayed away from the topic of the campaign.”
“I wasn’t worried. You showed us yesterday that you could handle anything they might try to throw at you.” Cynthia said with a laugh.
“I guess I should go. Tell Brian I’ll see him at home.”
“Why don’t you wait a minute? He’s been in there awhile. I think he is just about finished.”
A few moments later, Brian walked out of his office and smiled upon seeing Justin.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I got your message that you were having lunch with Cristina. What have you done now? Do you have anything you want to tell me? Are we going to have to get in the hot tub as soon as we get home?” Brian teased. Justin blushed slightly, and Brian smiled at the reaction.
“All that I know is that they want the campaign. But I wouldn’t discuss it,” Justin explained.
“You know they all think that you’re the key to getting me to change my mind. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they all keep leaving messages for you.” Brian warned.
“You once said: Tell them that they can’t have something and it just makes them want it more,” Justin said, reminding Brian of his own words from a year ago.
“Don’t tell me you remember that?” Brian mused.
“Why wouldn’t I remember? It was true when you opened Babylon. It appears to be true for ad campaigns as well.”
“So it does,” Brian reflected. “Did Cristina talk to you about Milan?”
“Yeah. I explained that I would like to visit there someday.”
“And you will. So how is the painting going?”
“Pretty well. I thought I would spend time in the studio tonight. I have finishing touches to add to two paintings. I know that you have a lot of work to do. By the way, I have to stop off to see Michael though before I head back home?”
“Don’t tell me it’s time again for another issue of Rage?”
“You know Michael! His mind is always working on some storyline or other. He has a rather active imagination. Well, I better get going.”
“See you at home,” Brian said, emphasizing the remark with a gentle kiss.
“Oh, my agent called this morning. It seems that Catherine set up a bunch of appointments so it looks like I’m going to have to go to New York next week.”
“For how long?”
“From what she said, just a few days…maybe a week. She kept saying we don’t want people to forget my name, while I’m painting away here in Pittsburgh.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Brian reluctantly agreed, trying to smile. “She doesn’t know yet that you’re unforgettable? I’m going to have to call her.”
“Brian!” Once again, Justin blushed at the remark. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Later.”
“Later.”
Once Justin left his office. Brian sat back at his desk and tried to figure out how he was going to get through a week with Justin back in New York.
Brian’s thoughts once again returned to the letter:
We choose what we’ll do with the time that has been given to us.
Can’t we simply choose to find some way to share a love without sacrificing a life? Can’t we find some compromise? Can’t we find some way to be together?
‘It’s only time’ isn’t good enough, Brian.
This is the moment for which our Talisman of Time was forged. Now is the time!