Big 40
Justin pulled the pillow over his head in a lame attempt to drown out the cell phone ringing on the nightstand. After a minute or so, the phone finally quieted, only to start up again seconds later. Justin listened to the first few bars of "Forever Young" before dragging himself out of bed, cursing Brian all the way. He looked at the time before answering.
"What do you want, Brian? It's three in the morning."
"I'm in Tijuana." If Justin had been paying attention, then he would have noticed that Brian sounded just this side of frantic. But he wasn't paying attention so he just rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're in Mexico. You're having the time of your life. You're going to live there for the rest of your days. You told me all about it when you called two hours ago, at one in the morning. Of course it wouldn't occur to you that I'm actually trying to sleep here. I have to work in the morning. I have important people to--" Justin's angry tirade was cut off by Brian.
"Goddamnit, Justin, I'm trying to tell you something!"
"And I'm trying to tell you something."
"I'm in Mexico."
"I know." There was a short pause. "Are you still high?" Justin asked as an afterthought.
"You have to come get me."
"It's Monday, Brian. I have to be at work in six hours. Why don't you just fly back?"
"I'm out of cash. It's Monday?"
"No credit cards?"
"Would I be calling you if I could get out of here on my own?"
Justin sighed and sat down on the bed. "I guess not, but what am I going to get out of this? I'll be skipping out on work and important meetings just to help you out."
"Don't make it sound like you're punching the clock or something, Justin, because you're not. You're just going to your studio to paint. And the only meeting you have is lunch with Daphne."
"Nonetheless, I'd be doing something for you, so you have to do something for me. That's how it works, Brian."
"Justin if you don't--"
"You know, I'm still pissed at you about the whole birthday thing. I shouldn't even be talking to you."
"We are not talking about this over the phone. I'm trapped in Mexico, and I'm not going to listen to you throw a hissy fit."
"Right. I'm hanging up now. Have a nice little vacation. Fuck a hot guy for me." Justin pulled the phone away from his ear as if to hang up, only to hear a panicked shout from the other end.
"Justin! Wait!" Justin brought the phone back to his ear. There was a short silence before Justin sighed.
"Turning forty isn't the end of the world, Brian." He could hear the older man scoff and he could almost hear the eye roll that he was sure followed.
"Like you would know."
"You didn't have to go all asshole-Brian on me."
"I wasn't an asshole."
"You didn't include me in your birthday plans. You called me a 'ball and chain.' And you said it would best if I moved out of the loft for a week or so while you partied your birthday away. 'Get lost, Justin' were your exact words, I believe."
"Like you even listened. I didn't really say 'ball and chain,' did I?"
"I listen to everything you say, Brian."
"Where are you right now? In the loft, right? I couldn't get rid of you if I tried."
"Lucky you." There was a long pause.
"So are you going to come get me or what?"
"Only if we stay for a few extra days. I need a vacation."
"We might have to anyways."
"You're paying, right?"
"Of course."
"Not to change the subject or anything, but how the fuck did you end up in Tijuana?"
"I have no fucking clue."
XXXXXXXXXX
Justin called Michael from the cab on his way to the airport.
"What happened last night...wait, I mean the night before last." Because yes, it had in fact been over 36 hours since Justin had last seen Brian, and to think he hadn't even missed him. It was nice to get away from the old ball and chain once in awhile.
"Why? Did something happen to Brian?" Michael only sounded slightly worried.
"He's in Tijuana."
"What?!"
"I'm guessing you know something about all of this."
Michael began his story and Justin could see things getting wavy, signaling an oncoming flashback. "Well we all went to Woody's, you know, like we had planned, just me, Brian, Ted, and Emmett. It was like any other night out with the guys. We didn't want to make a big deal out of his birthday, but Brian was taking it pretty hard. He was outpacing all of us. There was no stopping him. Believe me, I tried. Sometime during the night he found Trixie. I can't believe she's still dealing." Justin sensed Michael was about to veer off-track.
"On with the story, Michael."
"So Brian was wasted and somehow we got onto the subject of what we did during our spring breaks. Once, when Brian was in college, we went to Tijuana. Brian got it in his head that we should go again. I declined, because Hunter was visiting for the weekend. So we all kept hanging out. After an hour or so, Brian started getting sulky. Something about not being able to fuck anyone because the wife would get pissy and wouldn't put out for days. Even if he never told the wife about it, the wife would know, because he always knows everything."
Justin was pleased Brian had finally acknowledged that he was all-knowing. Although he was a bit disturbed by the wife comments.
"He was pretty incoherent after that so I decided it was time for us to leave. Brian still wanted to go to Tijuana, but I told him we had to go home. He wouldn't get into my car though. Finally, Emmett said he would take him. Brian was all for it, called Emmett his new best friend. I just assumed Emmett was going to take him home."
"Michael, Michael. Have you learned nothing in your very advanced age? Emmett is offered a free trip to Tijuana. Will he accept? Of course he will. Fuck, even I would." In fact, that's exactly what Justin was doing right that minute.
"I gotta go, Mikey. I'm at the airport." Justin hung up.
XXXXXXXXXX
Justin sat next to the window in first class on a passenger flight headed directly to Mexico, where a rental Lexus was waiting for him. All paid for with Brian's emergency-super-secret-credit-card, hidden in an envelope taped to the ceiling of Brian's closet, that Justin had found years ago.
Brian was being all kinds of secretive about his exact location within Tijuana. He wouldn't tell Justin until the young man was within city limits.
"Where the fuck are you, Brian?"
"El Hospital de Esperanza."
Justin didn't need his one year of high school Spanish to understand that. He felt his stomach drop. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"It's nothing too serious. My leg is just broken."
"Not too serious? It's your leg, Brian! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you.
"Right. I'll be there soon." Justin hung up the phone. That man was just unbelievable. And frustrating. He got all panicked because he turned forty, got wasted, ran off to Tijuana and got himself seriously hurt. Then he didn't tell Justin about it. Instead he let him play little games over the phone instead of just saying, "I'm in a hospital in Mexico. I need you to get me." Justin swore he'd never understand the man.
XXXXXXXXXX
Brian was lying in a hospital bed. His left leg was in a cast and elevated. Justin walked into the room, toward Brian.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me." Justin reached the side of the bed." Just because you're hurt doesn't mean you're off the hook. Sit up." Brian did as he was told, and Justin began fluffing his pillows. "I'm still kind of pissed about this birthday thing." He sounded concerned. "Thirsty?" Brian leaned back against his fluffed pillows and nodded silently. "Turning forty is no reason to go crazy." Brian didn't disagree as Justin pulled a bottle of water from his messenger bag, opened it and held it to Brian's lips as if his arms and hands weren't working. "Are you comfortable? Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"A blowjob would be nice."
XXXXXXXXXX
Several minutes later, a disheveled Justin and an exhausted Brian were crammed together on the small hospital bed.
"So whatever happened to Emmett?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? He met the love of his life a few hours before I fell down the stairs at some club and broke my leg. His name is Raúl, very attractive."
"How long do you think it'll last?"
"I don't know. I'd give it another 24 hours." Justin nodded. That estimate seemed about right for Emmett.
"You know none of this would have happened if you had just stayed home for your birthday and fucked me into the mattress."
"Is that right?"
"Yeah. It is."
"I'll remember that when I turn 50." There were a few minutes of silence. Justin could feel Brian's body tense. "I do not want to turn 50."