Chapter 189:  I’m Hung Up On You

            “How could you, Dan!  Goddamn it!”  Robert balled him out, while the two men were inside Robert’s bedroom, and Dan stood near the bed as Robert paced back and forth across the carpeted floor.  Robert had in the clutches of his palm that article that Ryan had attracted for the newspaper and hadn’t given to him earlier.

“Robert!”

“Brian and I are friends, Dan!  But fuck!  He’s your spouse!  How could you do this to Brian and me!  Fuck you, you damn bastard!  You fucking damn faggot.”  Robert blasted as he balled up those society pages and threw it at Dan (hitting him in the face with it).

“Robert!  I’m sorry!”

“Sorry!  Did you say you were SORRY!  We all know what Brian… oh, excuse me… your HUSBAND would say to that… don’t we?”

“Robert, let me explain.”

“Nothing to explain, Dan!  Just pack your shit and get the fuck out of my place and go back to the Pitts.  In fact, go to HELL instead!”

“Robert, I didn’t mean to deceive anyone.  I love you.  It was just that our timing was bad.”

“Bad timing!  Is that all you chuck this up to be, Dan – bad timing?”  Robert was absolutely appalled with Dan’s attitude.

“That was a lousy way of putting it I admit, Robert, but I do love you.”

“And Brian?”

“No.  I don’t love Brian – never did.  I’m in love with you.”

“Why the fuck did you marry him then?”

“I dunno.  Maybe I married him because the sex was good or something, and fuck… he’s terribly handsome and he has a lot of money,” Dan piteously fretted but honestly answered, as he flopped his butt down on Robert’s bed.  “It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time because before now I never knew or believed I could feel the way I feel when I’m with you.  I’m so in love with you, Robert, and I know you feel the same way about me.”

“But you’re married, Dan, and to a man who is a lot more than just an ex-client to me.  Brian and I were good friends, Dan, and you knew that.”

Dan simply dropped his head in shame and incessantly shook it worrisomely side to side.  Robert could clearly see then how disgusted Dan was with himself.  Robert then stopped his pasting, and exhaustedly dropped down on the bed and sat next to Dan.

“Dan, don’t you realize the seriousness of this situation?” Robert calmly asked him.  “You caused me to betray one of my best friends by cheating with his spouse.  That’s something I would have never done to Brian (knowingly).  And how could you do that to him and be so cavalier about it?  It seemed to me that you barely blinked an eye that day I came to Brian’s loft, discovered you there, and we jumped immediately into the slack together, and did it on the spur like that and inside your wedding bed.  So, I would have never thought in a million years that you were Brian’s damn spouse, because you seemed so nonchalant about the entire ordeal.”

“That should tell you something right there, Robert.”

“Oh really?  What… that you’re despicable SLIME!”

“No, I’m not despicable slime, because it’s not as serious as all that.  What Brian I had between us was… rather… umm… it was NOTHING, actually.  I mean to talk about things happening on the spur – that’s how Brian and I got married – on the spur.  It was one of those Vegas trip things.”

“One of those Vegas trip things, Dan?”

“Can you imagine, Robert, how many people actually do that – go to Vegas for a weekend, get drunk out of their fucking minds and then go to one of those open-all-night chapels, and wake up the next day lying side by side in the same bed and discover themselves hitched.  That’s exactly how it happened.”

“Really?  Then why didn’t you two just get it annulled the following Monday?”

“Well, Brian actually insisted that we do exactly that, but I was kind of curious about what married life is like (in general), so I convinced him to stay married to me, and he said it was alright provided I agree to sign a prenuptial.  But, Robert, I’m not in love with Brian nor is he in love with me.  We were merely playing house together, so the marriage was just a mere shaggy dog story.  And besides, although Brian tries to hide it, anyone who is around him for more than ten minutes can clearly see he’s still hung up on his ex-husband,” Dan paused a moment, and then said, “And I’m hung up on you, Robert.”

“But what about Brian?  The last I wanted to do was betray or hurt my friend.”

“Don’t worry about that, Robert; and trust me when I say Brian won’t be hurt, because he doesn’t give a shit about our marriage.  Justin Taylor is the only thing he cares about.’

*****

            “So,” Emmett didn’t seem the least bit shy about pulling the difficult issues out of the bag and spreading them across the table.  “Umm… Brian and Justin… what does it feel like being ex-spouses and married to other people, but now sitting here at the same table feasting together (like this)?  I bet this is some kind of reunion, isn’t it?”

“These days, Justin and I are business associates, Emmett, so Justin and I being inside the same room together might not be as big of deal as you might think.”

“Oh, I see.  It just that everyone seemed so stunned when I brought Justin here with me tonight.”

“That,” Brian replied, “Is because although we conduct business together, we don’t socialize with each other, simply because we both are married to other people now.”

“What a pity,” Emmett expressed in his usual flamboyant uninhibited way.  “I always thought Justin and you were such a dynamic couple.  I still say you were my best clients ever.  I thought you two would be hung up on each other forever.”

“Yeah, Mr. Honeycutt, and leave it to your less than subtle craftiness to reunite these two tonight, but I think the wedding planner should at best zip it up are put a lid on it (for now),” Michael blatantly warned Emmett to shut up.

“Pew!  Someone has a way with words,” Emmett fired back at Michael.

You are my sunshine… my only sunshine…

“Hmm… saved by the bell,” Brian humored when his cell rang and he answered it, and a strange expression veiled Justin’s countenance just then because he was amazed that Brian still hadn’t changed his ring tone in all that time. 

“Hey, Robert!”  Brian exclaimed, and then he sardonically remarked, “What a delightful surprise.” 

“Robert?  That wouldn’t be your old physical therapist Robert Mansfield?”  Justin inquired.

“The one and only,” Brian replied, an then he stayed on his cell and incessantly nodded, while he quietly listened, and Justin and Michael wondered what was that caller saying to the business mogul that had him so inaudibly absorbed.

“Hey everyone!”  Brian announced after his call was concluded, and he stood up and started clearing the table.  “It’s getting sort of late, so I think everyone have better clear out of here.”

“Yeah, I second that,” Emmett said as he tossed in his napkin, stretched and stood up and stepped away from the table.  “Come on guys,” he said to Michael and Justin, “We better leave.”

“Umm,” Justin hesitated to get up right away, and instead he stayed seated and said, “I hate to just eat and run, Brian, and leave all the clean up for you to do all by yourself.  You know I can stay a few minutes and help you, if you’d like?”

“Thanks, Justin, for offering, but you should go home to your husband right now.  He might be missing you.”

“Clay’s not here in Pittsburgh with me, Brian,” Justin said, but might’ve said it with just a little bit too much enthusiastically, and then he immensely calmed and then said, “But…umm… yeah, you’re right though.  I better get going.”

“Take care,” Brian said, “See you at our next meeting?”

“Yeah, you’ll see me there,” Justin said, and then he turned to Michael, “Are you coming too?  Do you need a ride?”

“Sure,” Michael answered.

“Well, let’s all get going,” Emmett encouraged in his usual cheerfulness.

Brian then walked everyone to the door and let the other three men out of his apartment.

“Later, Brian,” Justin said one last time. 

“Later.”

The elevator was already on that floor and the three men crowded up on the small elevator and it took them down and Brian closed the door quickly after, took his cell out again and then called his husband.

“Yeah, Brian?”  Dan dispiritedly answered his cell.

“So, when is my prodigal accidental spouse, coming back this way again?”  Brian demanded to know but so flippantly.

“I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning, Brian,” Dan mumbled.

“See you then,” Brian said sharply, and then he disconnected with his spouse, and called his son Gus immediately after.

“Hi, daddy!!!”  Gus’s voice was such a cheery delight.

“Hi, Sonny-Boy.  How’s everything?”

“Good – really good, daddy, and when are you coming to see me again?”

“How about I come over tonight, Gus?”

“Yippee!”  Gus merrily roared.  “And tonight’s a really good night too.”

“Huh?  How come tonight’s so special, son?”  Brian asked.

“Daddy-Justin is here.”

“Oh?  Daddy-Justin’s been staying there with your moms and you?”

“Yeah.  So hurry over, daddy.”

Brian wasn’t too sure he should visit his son while Justin is there.  “Gus, can daddy have a rain check?”

“Nooo,” Gus did an immediate 180 as he sadly protested.  “I want to see you now, daddy.  I haven’t seen you in about a week.”

“Umm… let me speak to your mommy Lindsay, Gus… and whatever you do, don’t put the other mommy on the line with me,” Brian commanded.

“Okay, daddy, but you are still coming to see me tonight – right?”

“I will see you tonight, Sonny-Boy, (one way or the other) but for now put your mommy… Lindsay… on the phone.”

“MOM!!!!!”  Brian heard Gus shout, and then heard Lindsay snapped at him.  “Gus, how many times have I told you not to shout through the house like that?  Hi, Brian.”

“Hi, Lindz.”

“What do I owe this pleasure?”

“Gus wants to see me.”

“And, so… then just come right…” she paused. “Yipes!  You don’t want to do that because Justin is here.”

“Yeah,” Brian said defenselessly, and didn’t make any qualms about it.

“Brian, maybe someone should tell Justin and you that there is a such thing as people being amicable to each other after a divorce.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, Lindsay.  But I think that could be most admirably accomplished if I keep off Justin’s toes and out of his face.”

“Brian, Justin and you are a pertinent part of Gus’s life.  I don’t think that will ever change.  So, for his sake you got to get used to being in the same room together, and if you two really need chaperoned like a couple of horny-ass teenagers – Mel and I are here.”

“MELANIE!  Do you have to mention her?”

“She’s my wife, Brian.”

“Arghhhhh!”

“So are you coming over or not?”

“Well, I actually asked to speak to you (hoping you’d bring Gus to me).  What about it, Lindz; can you bring him here?”

“I could, but I won’t.”

“Why not?”

“Two reasons.  Number one – because we are pretty much settled in for the night, Brian.  Mel and I were just about to take our bath, and both of the boys are in their pajamas already.  However, your son really wants to see you tonight, so you better get your balls over here.”

“But Justin…” Brian tried to protest, but Lindsay cut him abruptly off.

“That brings me to reason number two.  Brian, like I mentioned earlier, Justin and you are the two most important men in our son’s life, and he needs to know that those two men are harmonious with each other.  Gus needs to see that from time to time.  So I order you once more – GET YOUR BALLS OVER HERE, Brian, so I won’t have to chop them off next time I see you.”

“I can’t.”

“You’ve better because I’m telling Gus you are on your way; and Brian you don’t want to disappoint your son, especially not so soon after that two-year disappearing act you pulled.”

Brian then heard Lindsay shout out: “Gus!  Your father is on his way over!”  She then hung up.

“FUCK!”  Brian frustratingly cursed out loud.