AKA "Who Are You And What Have You Done With My Lover"
“Home sweet new-home.” Justin chuckled. He had gotten everything settled and had all of his belongings shipped to LA. His smaller items were all at Brian’s apartment, thanks to Cynthia, and the bigger items and furniture were in storage, again thanks to Cynthia.
“Now, I hope you don’t like this place too much, cuz we have to move into the new house in a couple of weeks.” Brian smiled as he opened the door.
Justin was shocked as he looked around the apartment. True to Brian’s style, everything was clean and modern, but it was nothing like the loft had been. The loft had been like Brian’s lair, dark and sexy. This apartment, while it still held a sexiness that any space Brian lived in would have, was brighter and more chic.
“Did I just step into an IKEA catalogue?” Justin teased.
“Hey!” Brian grabbed the younger man around the waist.
“This is definitely not what I would have expected.” Justin looked around with a smile. “It’s so… LA.”
“Well, dahhhhhling, we are in LA, you know?” Brian drawled. “I’ve gone Hollywood.”
“What’s next? Yoga and wheat grass shakes?” Justin joked.
“What’s wrong with yoga and wheat grass shakes?” Brian asked, completely serious. “They’re both really good for you.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Brian Kinney?” Justin asked, looking at Brian strangely.
“What? I’ve always been body conscious!” Brian defended himself.
“Right, Bri.” Justin shook his head. “Now where’s the bedroom?”
“One track mind.” Brian chuckled, but he picked Justin up and carried him to the bedroom.
*****
“Brian? What the fuck are you doing up at five thirty in the morning?” Justin groaned, pulling a pillow over his head.
“I’m going to have a cantaloupe health shake, do my yoga, and go for a run.” Brian said. “It’s my morning ritual.”
“You have completely lost your fucking mind.” Justin tried to go back to sleep.
“No way, baby. You’re getting up and doing this with me.” Brian pulled the blankets onto the floor and then grabbed the pillow covering Justin’s head and smacked him with it. “Get up.”
“Briiiiiiiiiian!” Justin whined! “Let me sleep!!”
“Nope.” Brian pulled Justin up. “Throw on something you can stretch in. We’re starting with yoga. Since you’re a beginner, I won’t work ya too hard.”
“Have I told you lately how much I hate you?” Justin grumbled as he pulled on a pair of sweats and a “wife beater”.
“Come on, honey.” Brian smiled sweetly and pulled Justin into a big airy room with light colored hardwood floors, soft yellow walls, big open windows, and no furniture. On the floor were two long blue mats and a small bookshelf stereo.
“What is this room?”
“My yoga slash meditation room.” Brian said as he knelt to slip a tape into the tape deck.
“You – Brian Kinney – have dedicated an entire room in your apartment to yoga and meditation?” Justin asked in disbelief.
“Yes. I have.” Brian turned and looked at Justin. “And there will be a room like this in the new house too.” On that, Brian was firm and Justin didn’t question it. “I’ll be right back.”
Justin looked around the room and saw something he hadn’t noticed upon first entering the room. While the walls were soft yellow, they had an almost unnoticeable design in the yellow only a shade or two different. Justin looked at the strange design.
“What are you doing?” Brian asked as he returned to the room holding two tall glasses with what looked like milkshakes to Justin in them.
“What is this design?” Justin asked.
“Ahhh.” Brian nodded. “I forgot that the artist would notice that. It’s the symbol for OM.” He handed Justin a shake and began to drink his own.
“What’s in this?” Justin looked at the glass skeptically.
“Cantaloupe shake.” Brian said. “Drink it and let’s get started. I want to get in a few miles before we start unpacking your stuff.”
“A few miles?” Justin asked.
“Running.” Brian clarified. Seeing the look on Justin’s face, he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you come with me. I usually run with my neighbor, Sayrah.”
“Who are you?” Justin asked as Brian bent forward and pulled his chest against his knees.
“Come on, Justin. Stand like this.” Brian said as he took a standing position with his hands together at his chest. “This is mountain pose.”
“I can do this one.” Justin said with a smile as he mimicked the position Brian was standing in. They started moving through a series of standing poses, getting their bodies warmed up. “Man, this feels good.” Justin said, getting into it.
“I told ya so.” Brian smiled. He got down on his knees and bent his body backwards so that his hands were touching his heels. “Don’t try this one. You’ll hurt yourself.” He said to Justin.
“Ok.” Justin picked up his shake and took his first sip. “Mmm… it’s fruity.” He said, and then chuckled.
“Are we done now?” Justin, while he had enjoyed it, was feeling a little bit achy after some of the poses that Brian had him do. Go easy on me, my ass, Justin thought to himself.
“Yeah. Are you going back to bed?” Brian asked with a grin as he did some stretches to rest from yoga and to prepare himself for his run.
“Nah. I think maybe I’ll go out on the balcony and paint.” Justin said with a smile. He was sure that this was the first time in his life that he was wide-awake at 6:15 in the morning.
“Mornings are the best here.” Brian said with a grin as he chugged down the remainder of his shake.
“I think I’m going to give Emmett a call this afternoon. He said we’d do lunch when I got here last time I talked to him.”
“Now, that’s one Pittsburgh Princess who has gone completely LA.” Brian led Justin into the living room so that they could continue their conversation while he got ready to run. “He drives this big boat of a convertible, and it’s pink.”
“I was reading in TV Guide that he has a huge collection of sunglasses… They’re his passion.” Justin chuckled as he watched Brian slip on socks and running shoes.
“I should be back in an hour or so.” Brian leaned down and kissed Justin gently. “Sometimes Sayrah likes to stop for a yogurt and some granola at the café down the street. If we do, do you want me to call you to join us?”
“Sure.” Justin agreed. “Can I ask you something before you leave?”
“Yah.” Brian stopped and looked at his lover.
“Do you ever eat anything that isn’t from a health food store?” Justin, while he had grown out of his pizza and pop phase, was still a junk food lover at heart. Brian laughed at the pained expression on the younger man’s face.
“Don’t worry, young grasshopper.” He teased. “I still eat normal food. And I have a feeling that I’ll be eating more of it now that you’re here.”
“Well, now that we’ve got that settled.” Justin smiled. “Have a nice run.”
***
“Hello?” Justin answered the phone assuming that it was Brian.
“I’m looking for Brian.” A snotty male voice came over the line.
“I’m sorry, he’s out for a run right now. Can I take a message?” Justin still had all of the high middle class manners that his parents had bred into him.
“Who is this?” The voice demanded.
“Why do you ask?”
“Why are you answering Brian’s phone? He never let’s tricks answer the phone.” The man seemed more than a little bit annoyed.
“I’m not a trick.” Justin said firmly. “I’m Brian’s partner.”
“His what?” The man started to laugh.
“Listen, can I take a message, or do you want to call back later?” Justin was irritated and wanted nothing more than to hang up on the man without another word.
”Tell him Matt called.” The guy chuckled once more before hanging up the phone. After pressing the “END” button, Justin sat staring at the phone. He couldn’t help but wonder who “Matt” was and why he knew so much about Brian.
Several minutes later, the phone rang again. “Hello?” Justin said more cautiously this time.
“Hey, honey.” Brian said with an excessive amount of sweetness in his voice. “Come on down here. Sayrah is threatening me with death if she doesn’t meet you in the next ten minutes.”
“Alright. I’ll be right down.” Justin replied before clicking off the phone. He slipped on a pair of sneakers before heading out the door.
***
“This CAN NOT be him!” The blonde woman sitting with Brian, who Justin assumed was Sayrah, exclaimed. “He’s far too adorable to fall for the likes of you, Brian.”
“Justin, this scary woman sitting with me is Sayrah Hartford. Scary woman, this is Justin Taylor.” Brian introduced with a laugh. He and Sayrah were sitting outside sipping on strange green drinks while munching on plain yogurt with granola sprinkled on top.
“Nice to meet you.” Justin said. He looked around for a spare chair but, before he located one, he found himself in Brian’s lap. “Don’t spill that green shit you’re drinking on me.” He warned.
“Aww… I love having you sit in my lap too, baby.” Brian teased. Justin was amazed at how laid back Brian had become. He had noticed it when they were in Connecticut and in Toronto, but had assumed it was because he was on vacation.
“So, Justin, it’s so great to finally meet the man who tamed Brian.” Sayrah was very beautiful with long cornsilk hair and big blue eyes.
“Tamed?” Justin chuckled. “I sure hope not.”
“Ooh! I love it!” Sayrah giggled. “I never thought I’d see the day where my neighbor did the domestic thing.” She proceeded to put on a pouty face. “But who am I going to run with once you move?”
“Ely?” Brian had a naughty glint in his eye. Sayrah reached over smacked him in the arm.
“Don’t even joke about that.” Sayrah pouted again. “Ely is creepy.”
Brian just laughed and switched his attention back to Justin, who was in awe of Brian’s new laid back, go with the flow attitude. “Do you want something to drink or eat?”
“Uhh… can I just get orange juice?” Justin asked, seeing that everyone around him was drinking strange colored drinks.
“You can probably get and orange carrot mixture.” Sayrah said. “Let me get it so you two lovebirds can be alone for a minute.” Brian pulled a bill out of his wallet and handed it to his friend.
“Whatcha thinkin’?” He asked Justin playfully.
“Seriously, who are you and what have you done with my lover?”
“Am I that different?” Brian asked with a smile.
“Yes.” Justin replied emphatically. “I’ve never seen you so comfortable in your own skin.”
“I guess that’s what LA does to you.” Brian shrugged. “Are you complaining? Do you want me to go back to being the heartless shit that everyone in the Pitts loves to hate?”
“No. You’re just going to take some getting used to.” Justin shook his head.
“What do you want to do today? I only have three days until I go back to work, so we should spend time together now.” Brian took another sip of his green drink.
“Shopping?” Justin suggested. Upon hearing the word, Brian’s eyes lit up.
“Why, darlin’, I thought you’d never ask.” He cuddled Justin closer as Sayrah returned with the dark orange beverage.
***
“I like Sayrah. She reminds me of a young, giggly Lindsay.” Justin said after he and Brian showered together and they were getting ready to go shopping.
“Yah, Sayrah is cool.” Brian agreed. “We started running together a couple of years ago.”
“Oh! Someone named Matt called this morning.” Justin said. “He seemed a little suspicious of me.”
“Matt is a dick.” Brian groaned. “I fucked him a couple of weeks before I went back to the Pitts for Vic’s funeral and now he won’t leave me alone. He wants me to be his boyfriend.”
“He laughed when I told him I was your partner.”
“Oh shit.” Brian groaned even more now.
“What?”
“I just hope that your saying that will keep him away instead of making him even more zealous.” Brian pulled on a pair of white linen pants and a tight chocolate colored t-shirt. “How do I look?”
“Like a surfer.” Justin laughed.
“A surfer wearing Ralph Lauren? Not likely.” Brian scoffed. He dug around in the closet looking for a pair of shoes as Justin pulled on a pair of light weight khaki pants and a loose fitting baby blue shirt. As Brian pulled a pair of brown leather sandals out of the closet, he looked over at Justin and laughed. “Here we are, the surfer twins.”
“You started it. All my clothes have always been light, and BEFORE you used to always wear dark clothes.” Justin shook his head.
“Dark clothes get very hot here in Sunny California.” Brian sat down on the bed and pulled on his sandals. “Now, let’s go shopping and see what we see.” He took Justin’s hand and pulled him out of the apartment.
When they got down to the parking garage, Justin looked around. “Where’s the Jeep?”
“You’re kidding right?” Brian looked at him like he had two heads.
“Don’t tell me you don’t drive a Jeep anymore!”
“That’s mine.” Brian pointed his alarm remote and the lights on a little silver Mercedes flashed.
“You drive a Mercedes convertible?” Justin asked in shock.
“Isn’t it hot?” Brian grinned and rocked on his heels.
“I think I need a drink.” Justin sighed as they walked over to the car. Brian took the top down, intent on showing Justin LA for the first time the right way.
“There is no other way to cruise Rodeo than with the top down.” Brian laughed as Justin made a face and then he hopped in and started the engine.
***
“I’m exhausted.” Justin said, dropping his packages on the floor and dropping himself onto the couch. “Who knew that shopping could take so much out of you.”
“Well, those bitches on Rodeo can be trying… until they see the Platinum credit card.” Brian laughed and wiggled his way onto the couch with Justin.
“Bri?”
“Yes, dahling?”
“Can we order take out?” Justin opened his eyes and looked at Brian pleadingly. “No more weird things. I want chow mein, pan fried shrimp, fried rice, deep fried chicken balls, and the biggest fucking egg roll in this city. No more granola, no more shakes. I want a nice, cold beer with my meal.”
Brian laughed. “I’ll order it.” Before Brian could dial the phone, it rang in his hand. He groaned, praying that it wasn’t Matt, and answered it. “Kinney.”
“Hello. Ummm… Is this my daddy?” Gus’s sweet voice asked on the other end of the line.
“Hey, Sonny Boy. How ya doin?” Brian asked, a smile coming to his face at the sound of his son’s voice.
“Daddy! Did Mommy tell you that ALL of us are moving to Los Angelemelas!!” Gus’s excitement was more than evident.
“Yes, your mommy told me that.”
“Did she tell you that Mama found us a house that we can live in? Mama said it’s near you and Justin and that we can all be a big happy family.” Gus’s words were coming out of his mouth so fast that Brian almost couldn’t understand him.
“No, Gus, she didn’t tell me that.” Brian breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to deal with the munchers and the little boy living at his place just weeks after he and Justin moved in.
“It’s true, Daddy! Uh huh!” Brian could picture Gus sitting in the overstuffed chair in the living room of Mel and Linds’ house in Connecticut nodding his head emphatically.
“Well, I can’t wait to see you, Buddy.” Brian said sincerely. He did, truly, miss his son and couldn’t wait to have the boy living, at least, in the same time zone.
“Me neither, Daddy!”
To Be Continued….In Part 6, Gus and the Mommies move to LA