10:30 a.m. - Sit-A-Spell Restaurant

"Will you stop with the melodramatic sighing?  I swear, if I hear that coming from your lips one more time, Justin Taylor, I'm going to sew them shut!" Daphne hissed under her breath as they stood leaning against the back of the restaurant, taking their morning break. She felt sorry for her friend - truly - but the hang-dog look was starting to wear thin.

Earlier this morning, Justin had woke up her inadvertently when he had tried to slip back into their apartment after being gone all night. Fortunately, he had at least had the forethought to send her a text around midnight, telling her not to worry if he didn't come home. Of course, it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out the reason why, since she knew he was spending the day with the gorgeous man and his son who had been in the restaurant a few days earlier.   She had been positively giddy at the thought that finally, her friend was going to have a little fun for a change and just relax.  And his frequent texts to her earlier in the day seemed to substantiate her feeling, since they had been filled with lots of "LOL's," exclamation points, and happy faces to punctuate his messages. It was obvious Justin was having a grand time, and that photo he had sent her of him, Brian, and Gus dressed out in full desperado gear had been the icing on the cake, making her laugh out loud.  She had been so happy for him.

Now, though, she knew his wonderful day spent with the father and son had merely served to drag him down into the dumps again, since he had informed her that they had to return back home today.  She hadn't truly realized until then just how smitten Justin was with the other man - and, she suspected - with his son, too. All his talk had been "Brian this" and "Gus that."  She knew he was wonderful with children - always going out of his way to accommodate them and entertain them with whimsical, spur-of-the-moment drawings when they came to the restaurant to eat - but she thought he had developed an unusually strong attachment to this particular child, perhaps in light of not only his relation to Brian, but also having nearly suffered a tragedy when he had almost choked that day on his meal. Whatever the case, all she knew was that he was quite disconsolate over both of them leaving, and she felt helpless as to what to do. That didn't mean, though, that she wanted him wallowing in self-pity like he was now. Justin was much too talented, intelligent, funny, and beautiful (inside and out) to let that happen. There would be other men come along; he just couldn't see that at the moment.

She sighed as he gave her an apologetic look. She reached over to briefly squeeze his shoulder as she told him, "Look, I know you're feeling bad about them leaving. But there'll be others, Justin, trust me."

"Not like him," he murmured as he shook his head slowly.  It had been SO hard for him to leave Brian's bed this morning, and the warmth of his arms that had surrounded him for much of the night.  The sex had been fantastic, almost too incredible to adequately put into words.  He had confided in Daphne about that, at least in rather cryptic words. But what he didn't tell her was that it wasn't just the amazing sex that made him feel this way; it was being in Brian's company, sharing their thoughts and experiences...just living.  The time spent with the other man and his son had made him feel alive for the first time in a long time.  He hadn't felt this way since before his father had kicked him out of his childhood home a few years ago.  And he had felt so happy.  Now, however, it was all dashed to pieces.  Being with Brian's son, too, had reminded him of good memories of times he had spent with his younger sister, whom he used to play with and who he missed terribly.  When he had finally worked up the nerve at 17 to finally tell his father that he was gay, he had reacted so vociferously to his confession that he had given him an ultimatum: either submit to ‘conversion therapy' at the local church they attended so they could ‘heal' him...or find another place to live.  His father would not - in his words - allow someone with such a deviant lifestyle to live in the same household as his younger sister and corrupt her with his vile morality. 

Unable to accept his father's demand - and with his mother unable or unwilling to defend him adequately, no matter HOW much she loved him - he was left with no choice then but to move in with Daphne temporarily until he turned 18 and graduated from high school a few months later.  He would forever be grateful to her and her family for taking him in, feeding him, and essentially supporting him during that period. Thankfully, his parents had already been required to pay the last quarter's tuition at his private school in upstate Pennsylvania, or he probably would not have been able to finish out his senior year.

After graduating - a lonely, bitter time when he had missed his mother and sister most of all - he had decided that he needed a change in his life, a new horizon, a new start. So despite Daphne's parents' doubts, and admonishment that it would be hard to make a living at their age, he and Daphne had decided to set out in her used, rather beat-up van for parts unknown. Their initial intention was to drive south toward Florida and a warmer climate, with Daphne hoping to enroll in a pre-med program somewhere on scholarship due to her excellent grades, while Justin found a reputable, prestigious art school somewhere nearby. He, too, would try for a scholarship, although he suspected with his parents' considerable income, he would probably be unsuccessful.

So with high hopes and perhaps a little foolish stardust in their veins, they had set out as two pioneers seeking fame and fortune - only to get so far as southern Tennessee where Daphne's not-so-faithful van had broken down on the side of I-75.  If it had not been for the kindness of some strangers who had stopped to offer them a lift into town, Justin doesn't know WHAT would have happened. As it was, the mechanic had advised Daphne (once they had towed the van to the nearest gas station), that it would cost her the equivalent of a few thousand dollars to get a new engine put into the van, which was the only solution to getting back on the road again.

Unable to afford the considerable, unexpected cost - and too proud to contact Daphne's parents and (heaven forbid) his own to ask for some money, they had opted, instead, to sell the van for scrap and hitch a ride to the nearby tourist mecca of the Great Smokies to find employment for a while in hopes of eventually saving up enough to purchase another decent, used car that would allow them to continue onto their destination further south. 

Two years later, however, despite their best efforts, they were merely managing to get by month after month after paying their bills, food, and gas.  It was not the life that Justin had dreamed about or anticipated, but it WAS their reality; a reality that he couldn't change for the indefinite future.  Losing Brian, then, only made it even more painful.

Daphne couldn't help feeling sorry for her friend. Wow, he must have fallen hard for THIS one...  She had never seen Justin mope around so much.  "Well, if that's the case, then can't the two of you maybe maintain some type of long-distance relationship?  I mean, until you can see each other in person again." 

Justin sighed again.  "Sorry," he quickly mumbled as Daphne flashed him a ‘what did I tell you?' sort of look.  "But I don't even know where he lives - or have his phone number."

She eyed him with astonishment.  "You don't?" 

Justin shook his head.

"Why in the world not?  Neither one of them ever came up in conversation?  You never got his phone number, or found out where he lives?  Justin!" 

He eyed her helplessly.  "No!  I mean, we talked about what he does - he owns some advertising agency somewhere in the Northeast, I think." He thought back through all of their conversations as he admitted, "And I never found out what his last name was." He shook his head in disgust.  "Do you believe that?" 

"Well, that IS a little hard to believe," she concurred.  "But maybe you were too busy doing other things with your mouth to ask," she teased him. 

"Daphne, this ISN'T funny!" Justin insisted, not seeing anything humorous at all in his situation.  "And I'll have you know we only had sex once.  Although, we did kiss a lot," he added, his face turning red as he thought just how those kisses had made him feel.  The man certainly knew how to kiss; so much so that the kisses were almost as good as the fucking had been. ALMOST.  "And we talked a lot, too."

"Uh, huh," she replied with a grin. She sighed now as she noticed how miserable Justin looked.  "Look, you know where he was staying. Couldn't you try and call the place and see if they would give you his last name? Make something up, like you left something in his condo like your wallet, and you REALLY need to retrieve it."

"I tried that.  I called there about an hour ago, and was told Room 315 had already checked out, and the maid had cleaned the room and found nothing. They wouldn't give me any other information about him; they said it was confidential," he added, emphasizing the last word as if it were extremely distasteful.

Justin slid down the wall and plopped down dejectedly into a sitting position, Daphne soon joining him as they peered out into the grove of trees that abutted the back of the property.  "I'm so sorry, Justin," she whispered sympathetically.  "I didn't realize how much you cared for him until now.  Maybe he'll be back one day. You never know." 

But Justin shook his head.  "I don't think so, Daphne. He doesn't belong here, and he sounds so busy and important. Why would he want to?"

Daphne's eyes flashed. "Justin Taylor, quit short changing yourself! You're a wonderful person!  Funny, intelligent, artistic, compassionate..."

Justin turned his head to peer over at her, one side of his mouth lifting into a smile as he replied, "You forgot hot."

She hit him on the arm and laughed, relieved that she at last was seeing at least a partial smile from him.  "You flattery slut!" she remarked as she smacked him on the arm. Justin couldn't help grinning back at her now as she agreed, "Okay.  Hot, too."  Her smile diminished a bit as she added softly, "You are, Justin. You're beautiful inside AND out. And if this Brian ‘what's-his-name' doesn't realize that, then it's HIS loss." 

Justin reached over to grip her hand in his, so grateful for this young woman's help and support.  "Thanks, Daph," he murmured gratefully as his eyes lifted to stare into hers and he smiled.  "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled back at him.  "Well, I AM pretty indispensable," she replied smugly as he rolled his eyes.  She twisted her wrist, just enough to look at the time and sighed.  "Back to the grind," she advised him as she stood up and pulled him up alongside her.  "Come on."

"Daphne?"

"Hmm?"

"How about we take the bus into Gatlinburg after we get off?"

She shrugged. "That'd be okay, I guess. Any particular reason?"

Justin stared straight ahead, watching the thick blanket of trees sway in the wind.  "Yeah," he told her as he continued to fix his sight on something that was in his heart, rather than in his physical line of vision.  "I'd like to ride the sky lift up to the top of the mountain and look at the view."

Daphne frowned, knowing there was more to Justin's wish than he was revealing. But she didn't think it was wise to question him about it at the moment, so instead she nodded.  "Sure," she told him with a smile as he turned to her and nodded. 

Taking Justin by the hand, she opened the back door as the two of them disappeared inside. 

One Week Later - Pittsburgh - Offices of Kinnetik

Brian absentmindedly twirled his Montblanc pen in his hand as he sat at his desk. His laptop was open to a page of research on his newest acquisition target - a security alarm company by the name of Steel Trap, a homage to Pittsburgh's nickname as the Steel City - but his mind was occupied elsewhere. Actually, to his consternation, he had found his mind returning to the same place over and over again for the past week: to a certain, beautiful, creative, and slightly mischievous blond he had only known for a few days. 

As he slid open his top right-hand drawer, however, and peered down at the photo staring back up at him, he couldn't help smiling in recollection.  It was almost a distant memory now; that day.  Not only was his son back up in Canada for the time being, but the man who had fascinated him so deeply in such a short time was out of his reach, too.

Oh, he could contact him easily enough, he supposed, even though he didn't have his cell number. He knew where he worked - in that dreadfully hokey, country restaurant. But was that wise?  What would it prove?  What good would it do, either? He didn't think he would ever go back to that place again. And there was no way their paths would ever cross professionally speaking.  So he shouldn't dwell on it anymore...right? He had a lot more important things to take care of at the moment, like winning this multi-million dollar account. And he would be successful; there was no question of it. 

Taking a deep breath - not realizing what it signified - he forced himself to turn his attention back to the business at hand; not wanting to focus on what his heart was so desperately missing. 

Four Months Later...Daphne and Justin's Apartment

"Justin?  You home?"  Daphne glanced around the shared space, noting the quiet.  Justin had mentioned earlier that he would stop after his shift to grab some groceries - it being his month to use part of his paycheck to pay for them - so he must not have arrived home yet.

Dropping her keys down onto the small table situated next to the door, she took a moment to grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge before walking over to their worn but still quite usable couch, upholstered in shades of brown, cream, and green.  The velour fabric would not have been her choice, but the cost had been quite attractive when they had found it at the local thrift shop, and they had offered to deliver it. So it had served them quite well, considering. 

As she sat down and reached for the remote lying on the coffee table in front of her, her eyes fell upon her roommate's sketchbook that Justin carried everywhere; well, everywhere except for work. She knew he spent a great deal of time (when he had it), sitting on the back porch overlooking their view of the Smokies, lost in thought as he sketched the latest scene that had caught his mind's eye.  As she flipped open the pages, she noticed he had sketched several new ones.  "Oh, Justin," she murmured sadly, her eyes glistening with sorrow as she noticed it was the same subject he had been sketching for months now:  a certain, handsome brunet man and his son.  She had to admit - they were amazingly detailed sketches, and so true-to-life. Even though she hadn't accompanied them during their time together, she recognized several of the locales, and knew how authentic in detail Justin had made them.  "You need to move on, and forget him." 

Daphne sighed as she slowly closed the book.  Yes, Justin had ‘moved on,' at least in a way. He mechanically went through the motions each day of working, doing his job impeccably as he always had. In fact, both of them had received a small raise in the past month due to their excellent service to the restaurant's customers, and the manager was even talking about possibly making Justin a ‘head server' in charge of other wait staff.  But Daphne knew that Justin's heart wasn't in a restaurant career.  His passion lay with his art, and their interrupted journey had definitely stymied that plan. Did that mean that Justin had to stay stagnant where he was, however?  Surely there was SOME solution.  Justin was much too talented to let his creativity go to waste.  Drawing cartoon characters on disposable placemats for children did NOT constitute an ‘art career.'

Biting her lip in thought, she reached to grab her laptop, flipping it open and starting it up.  Clicking on her browser, she quickly got to work.

A Month Later...

"Daphne!  Oh, my God! Get in here!"

Daphne about jumped out of her wooden chair on the back patio as Justin screeched at her.  "What? Are you okay?" she asked as she hurried inside through the open door. Their landlord frowned on them leaving the door open when the heating or air conditioning was running, but it had turned quite chilly for the end of July, especially up in the higher elevation where they lived, so they presently had the system completely turned off.  Both of them enjoyed the moderate temperatures when they could just throw open the windows and enjoy the cool breeze from the thousands of trees that stretched out in front of them as far as the eye could see.

As Daphne rushed inside, she stopped dead in her tracks. Justin was clutching a sheet of paper in his hand, and a large, brown envelope in the other, white as a ghost.  "You're scaring me, Justin. What IS it?" 

"I...I...don't understand," her friend finally stammered, his mouth hung open in stunned shock. 

"What?" she pressed, her brow narrowed with concern.  "What is it?  Is it from your parents?"

Justin snorted.  "Yeah...right." They both knew that was next to impossible; besides, Daphne could tell it was an official-looking business envelope of some kind.  He finally gave up trying to formulate intelligible speech as he simply said, "here," and thrust the letter at her. 

Daphne took it from his hand and unfolded it to read the contents, immediately noticing the top of the letterhead:  Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts, Office of Financial Aid.  Her eyes grew large and her heart began to pound in excitement as she read the contents:

Dear Mr. Taylor:

It is with great pleasure that we announce you are the recipient of our Fred Livingston Artistic Endowment Award this year, based upon the credentials you previously submitted. This award, generously funded by a posthumous grant from the Fred Livingston Foundation, will provide you with a full scholarship for entry to the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts.  The specifics are described in detail in the accompanying paperwork. Please read all the information carefully to familiarize yourself with the procedure to redeem your scholarship.

We were highly impressed with both your scholastic achievements, as well as your creative talent.  Welcome to our institution! We look forward to meeting you, and expect great things from you in the future.

Sincerely,

Grace Kellerman,

Financial Aid Director

Daphne's face lit up with a joy that almost rivalled her friend's surprise as a huge smile broke out on her face.  "Shit!  Congratulations, Justin!" she screamed as she grabbed him and swung him around, both of them doing a little jig of jubilation. That is, until Justin realized something and quickly came back down to earth.

Breaking away from his friend, he told her sadly, "This had got to be a mistake, Daphne. They must have me mixed up with someone else.  I didn't apply there!"

"But it was one of the schools you always said you wanted to go to," she pointed out cautiously.

"I know. But I never had the chance to apply anywhere, remember? After the van broke down, I never thought it would do any good."  He gazed down at the letter Daphne had handed back to him, still flummoxed.  "I never thought about applying for any grants, anyway."

"Why not?" She asked him, not yet willing to confess what she had done.  Inside, though, her heart was doing somersaults of happiness for her friend. This was the most exhilaration she had seen from Justin in a long time; the most happiness since that man, Brian, had gone back home and taken his son - and Justin's heart - with him. 

Justin shrugged.  "I never really thought I would have a chance. Do you know how many students apply for admittance in these places, let alone obtain a full ride to them?"  He shook his head.  "No, this can't be right."  He sighed.  "I'd better call them and tell them they made some kind of mistake. Damn."  His shoulders sagging, he reached inside his jeans pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He was about to press the buttons to dial the number when Daphne interrupted him.

"Justin, wait!  No, it's NOT a mistake. It really IS for you."

 Justin frowned at her, totally perplexed.  "Daphne, what are you talking about?"

She sighed.  It was time to confess.  "I sent in the information for you; about a month ago.  I sent an application to that school, as well as three other schools you always told me you were interested in, including that one down in Tampa - along with a portfolio of your work as an email attachment."  Justin had constantly dreamed about attending the Tampa Art Institute, among others.  It would have been nice to spend time lying on the beach in between their classes, Daphne conceded, if he had been awarded a scholarship there.  And there was a prestigious pre-med program nearby, as well. It would have been perfect.  But for whatever reason, this school in Pennsylvania had been the only one to properly recognize Justin for the amazing talent that he was, and she had a backup plan for herself.  For now, Justin's happiness and his future was more important to her.    

Justin stared at her in astonishment.  "You did what?!"

"You heard me." She smiled at him.   "I knew you wouldn't do it for yourself, so I did it FOR you.  So don't you see?  It IS for you! Justin, don't you understand? You've won a full grant to go to art school!  That's what you've always wanted!  I know it's not exactly the place we wanted to live...but there's always spring break, and the summer..." 

Justin stared down at the paper, reading it and rereading it until his brain finally registered that this was NOT a trick or a fake; it was REAL.  The scholarship even included room and board, all his required textbooks, and yes, even a generous allowance for art supplies he would need.  It was almost too much to comprehend.  He stared over at Daphne, who smiled back at him wistfully.

"I...I don't know what to say, Daph," he whispered, his voice choking.  "You did this all for ME?"

She grinned.  "Well, for me, too.  I was getting sick of you being in the doldrums all the time!  Do you realize this is the first time you've really smiled since..."  Her voice trailed off, afraid she was dredging up bad memories. But to her relief, Justin's eyes were shining with excitement as she smiled back at him.  "That's why I did it," she murmured sincerely.  "I want you to be happy, Justin. That's all that matters. And I want everyone to discover what a wonderful talent you have."

"But what about you?" he asked her.  What about your dreams and hopes?"  He sighed as reality hit him again.  "How will I even get up there? I mean, I don't have much here that's worth even taking, but I have a few things I would want.  We don't even have a car..."

"Yes, we do," she told him to his great surprise.  "I mean, we will," she explained.  "Just as soon as we find a decent used one in town." 

He frowned, wondering how many surprises he could handle at one time.  "What?  How?  Unless you're hiding a huge wad of cash in a mattress somewhere, we don't HAVE any extra money for something like that. Otherwise, you'd have fixed up the old van."

Daphne averted her gaze, uncomfortable.  She had promised herself she would tell Justin the whole truth...

Her look of discomfort didn't go unnoticed by her friend.  "Daphne?" he probed quietly as he stared over at her. At last, she turned her gaze to look at him.

"I...I contacted my parents and asked them to loan me enough money to buy a used car. When they found out I was coming back home to stay - they were only too happy to do it." 

Justin eyed her, dumbfounded. "You...You're going back to live with your parents?   I thought you wanted to break things off with them, to live independently?  You told me they were always trying to treat you like a kid."  Justin would always be extremely grateful for Daphne's mom and dad taking him in when he needed some place to stay; they had almost become surrogate parents to him during that awful time. But he also had enough first-hand knowledge to know that they worried constantly about their only child, and as a result they were highly protective of her.  It had about killed them when Daphne had moved out, and to this day they continually texted her, called her on the phone, and emailed her to make sure she was okay. The only thing that didn't make them drive down here frequently to check up on her was the fact that they knew he was rooming with her, and they knew he would watch out for her. But moving back in with them seemed like a distinctive step back.  "Daphne, you can't do that," he told her quietly. 

She sighed, her lips pressed together in determination.  "Yes, I can."  She told him resolutely.  "It'll only be temporary," she reassured him.  "It's only until I can find a pre-med school and live on campus."  She snorted.  "You don't think I would stay there, permanently, do you?  I thought you knew me better than that!"

Justin laughed.  "I do. That's why I asked."  His face turned more serious as he added, "You're not doing this for you, Daphne.  Shit. You're doing this for ME."  He shook his head, still trying to absorb what was happening.  "I still can't believe you did this.  My God.  You know what this means to me." 

Daphne nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. She was so happy for Justin. But at the same time, she was going to miss him terribly. She would have to look into pre-med schools around Pittsburgh.  "I know," she whispered as Justin walked closer and pulled her into a fierce hug.  "Daphne..." he murmured, choking up.  "I'm so excited about this...but I'm also afraid," he confessed as he clung to her.  "What will I do without you?" 

The two pulled back to stare into each other's eyes. They had been there for each other since they were kindergartners.  Through good times and bad, thick and thin, when things were easy and when they were impossibly difficult.  Justin couldn't imagine her not being there to confide in, or to tell his most secret thoughts to. Daphne was like his security blanket, his ballast when his life threatened to topple him over into an endless abyss, and his cheerleader when he was uncertain of the path his life was taking, and when he questioned his abilities.  How would he go on, then, without her?

Daphne smiled through her own tears.  "Justin, you're such a strong person.  Look what you've already been through, and what you have survived!  You will be just fine.  You hear me?  Don't you EVER doubt that!"  She sniffled as she wiped her eyes with her left hand.  "Besides, don't think you're getting rid of me THAT easily.  I will be sending you texts, emails, and calling you until you can't stand it anymore.  After all, my parents taught me well."  She grimaced.  "Forget I said that."

Justin couldn't help laughing at her expression.  "I'll never grow tired of that, Daph," he told her softly. Taking a deep breath, he blew it out between partly-open lips as he told her, "I will never forget what you did for me.  All of it.  And don't think you will get rid of ME, either," he warned her.  "I plan on being the man of honor at your wedding, and I fully expect you to name your first child after me - AND for me to be the kid's godfather, too...Doctor."

Daphne smacked him on the arm with a giggle.  "Oh, you are SO full of yourself!" she exclaimed as he grinned back at her.  She reached over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.  "Come on," she urged him as she disentangled herself from his embrace and grabbed his hand. "We have a car to buy."