Just another night at Woody's with the gang, or is it?

B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J ~ ~

May 2013

Brian walked into Woody's and sauntered over to where his friends were sitting. With Justin were Ted, Blake, Michael, Ben and Emmett. "Hey, guys."

Michael inquired, "Where've you been, Brian?"

"I had to co-sign a car loan for John. That beater of his finally gave out, so he's buying a new used car."

"You're such a good uncle to those boys." Emmett said.

"Well, somebody has to look after them."

Justin said, "John should be more than grateful, after he falsely accused you of molesting him years ago."

Brian's mind filled with emotion, although it never showed on his face. He was torn between his desire for Justin and the worry of being hurt all over again. They had been on a roller coaster relationship from the start and losing Justin to his life in New York and another man hurt the most. Now Justin was back and flirting with Brian like nothing had ever happened. It was too much. He looked intently into Justin's face. "Yeah, I hate it when people hurt you and then later want something from you like nothing ever happened." He stared at him long enough to know that he understood his hidden meaning.

Justin started to defend himself. "I'm not … "

"C'mon Mikey, let's play pool." Brian turned to Michael and put his arm around him.

Michael racked up the balls and Brian retrieved two cues. They began to play. Brian was playing with noticeable force, sending the balls flying all over the table. Justin watched from the sidelines with a puzzled expression, like he was trying to understand his comment earlier. Michael asked, "So, Brian. How's it going otherwise? How's Kinnetik?"

"Great. Super busy."

"Are you going to go to the King of Babylon contest this weekend?" Michael asked.

"I'll see that it starts off OK, but then I'll probably take off."

With a smirk on his face, Justin said. "I remember when I won. Gosh that was … ten years ago?"

"More like twelve."

"Right, twelve." Justin smirked. "And then I stole that trick out from under you…"

"Yeah, the good old days." Remembering that night's event didn't enhance Brian's mood any.

The game continued with Michael making chipper comments and Brian giving curt answers. Justin seemed to sense that conversation wasn't working, so he circled the table, like he was developing a new plan of attack. He flirtatiously brushed by Brian a couple of times and offered to buy him a drink more than once. Brian could read all of the signals Justin was sending. Who does he think he is? He breaks my heart and then expects me to hand it to him again. Normally, it'd be flattering, but the attention just enraged him. After the last ball was sunk, Brian went to the washroom.

As he was zipping up, Justin entered the room. He smiled as he said, "How many times did we fuck in this room, eh?"

Brian shoved Justin against the wall and pinned him there, his hands on his shoulders. "What the fuck do you want from me?"

"Want? I don't know."

"Well, figure it out. You can't just keep popping into my life and expect me to jump every time."

"OK, then. Go out with me. Let's date. Let's fuck."

"And how the hell am I supposed to know that you're not going to leave again? You've done it before. First Ian…"

"Ethan."

"Whatever. And then L.A., New York and Payton." Brian turned away.

"I shouldn't have left you for Ethan." Justin stepped toward Brian. "As for New York – that was a mutual decision."

Brian smirked. "… that was mostly you."

Justin protested. "But we talked about it and agreed that …"

Brian was having none of the excuses. "And Payton?"

"When you and I said that we couldn't do the long distance relationship thing, I needed to have someone."

"And another guy convinced you he'd be with you forever and you bought it."

"Yeah, maybe. Payton and I had something special for a while." Justin looked down.

"And now you're back here sniffing around me. You can't expect me to just take you back like that." Brian snapped his fingers.

"I don't expect that. I'm enjoying hanging around with you and the guys. If we can get together, great. I would like more than just a friendship with you." Justin wanted Brian to clearly understand where he stood.

Brian paced as he thought. Not again. I can't get hurt again.

Justin grabbed Brian and turned him so that they were facing each other. "Just remember this." He kissed him hard, pulling Brian's head close to his. Their mouths opened with the passion of the kiss. Brian's tongue couldn't resist the sweet taste of Justin. As they pulled apart, Justin said, "We were great together once, we can be that way again."

Brian could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He was afraid of losing control. He just stood there and stared.

Justin said, "I'll take off, but I'll be seeing you around when we're with the guys. I'm not giving them up because we don't know what's happening here. Later, Brian."

Brian watched him leave and kicked the door to one of the stalls, leaving a dent. He was enraged and confused. He still had feelings for Justin, despite their time apart. But he didn't want to have his heart broken all over again.

~ ~ B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J

A couple of weeks later Justin got a call from a gal named Michelle. She was looking for someone to do some web design and 'flash' art for the company where she worked. She had seen Justin's portfolio and she was very interested in talking to him.

"Sure, I can come in. What's the name of the company?"

"Kinnetik. We're an ad agency that's …"

"I know Kinnetik." He smiled to himself. He decided to give her the simplified version of his 'history' there. "I interned there years ago."

"Oh, OK. Oh, yes, I see that here now on your résumé."

"Would I be able to do some of this work from home – telecommute?"

"Sure. Our last guy did just that. He was only here about once a week. So, are you interested in doing this work for us?"

He thought about it. Even with a healthy bank account, he would like a steady income. He wanted to buy a house and a job would help with his mortgage application. "Sure. When do you want to see me?"

~ ~ B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J ~ ~ ~ ~ B/J

The next day Justin put on his best suit and went to meet with Michelle. He brought his laptop and showed her his digital portfolio.

She said, "I'm impressed. This work, combined with the fact that you've worked here before, makes you a perfect fit, Justin."

"Great."

"I'll have you talk to our CFO and president, just as a formality."

Justin smiled. "Sure. Sounds good."

Michelle led him up the hall towards Brian's office.

Cynthia saw him and jumped up to greet him. "Justin, oh my God. It's been forever!" They hugged.

"Cynthia, hi. You look great!"

"Sorry to hear about your mom."

"Yeah, thanks. And thanks for the flowers."

After they exchanged some pleasantries, Michelle cleared her throat, "Justin, can you come with me?" She motioned toward Brian's office. He nodded and followed her in.

Michelle spoke as she entered. "Brian, Ted, you might remember a former intern, Justin Taylor?"

Ted chuckled. "Hey, Justin what brings you here?" They shook hands.

"Michelle phoned me about being your new web and flash designer." Justin looked nervously at Brian. He didn't know how he'd react to 'the ubiquitous Mr. Taylor' popping up there again. He was pleasantly surprised, though, when Brian began to smile.

Brian stood up and shook Justin's hand. "And here we are again."

Justin wanted to make sure that he understood the situation. "She called me. She saw the work I did for 'Most Wanted Gallery' and some other sites. My resume is out there. I didn't …"

"I get it, Justin. You don't have to explain. Let's see your work." Brian motioned towards the laptop that Justin was holding.

After a quick review with the guys, Michelle said, "His work is fantastic."

Ted agreed. "Yes, great."

Brian nodded. "We'll be calling you to let you know, Justin."

Ted stood up and ushered Michelle towards the door. "Michelle, there were some budget numbers I wanted to go over with you. Justin, nice to see you again." He got her out the door as she waved and made the 'call you' sign as she was going.

Justin snickered a little at Ted's rather obvious move to leave him and Brian alone. He turned toward Brian. "Thanks for looking at my work."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've seen your stuff." They both chuckled at the intentional pun as the tension between them seemed to fade. "No, really, you've accomplished a lot with your computer design and I know Michelle has wanted someone to do work like that for us for a couple of months."

"I can work remotely, so you don't have to see me around here if you don't want to."

Brian sighed and sat behind his desk. He studied Justin before he spoke. "I'm not sure how much I want to see you."

"If you don't want me to have the job, I'll find something else and …"

"No, if she wants you, you can have the job."

Justin was relieved to hear that. "Thanks, Brian."

"This whole thing is giving me an incredible feeling of déjà vu." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But, like I've said to you before, don't expect any special treatment."

Justin nodded. "Yes, I understand."

Brian stood and motioned Justin out. "So, if that's all …"

Picking up his laptop, Justin turned to the door. He had to know now how he stood with Brian. "Maybe we can meet up for drinks or something sometime?"

The tension returned a little as Brian closed his eyes before speaking again. "We have to start over from scratch and you have to work your way back into my good graces. It's not going to happen instantly. It'll take work."

Justin was glad to be able to at least establish that. "OK."

Brian said, "The next time I see you, then, I'll pretend like I've never met you."

"Sure, then we can take it from there. I won't seek you out, but we're bound to run into each other at some point."

Brian nodded. "All right." His phone rang and he looked at the caller I.D.. "I've got to get this."

"'Bye. Thanks." Justin smiled and walked out of the office. He was happy for the prospect of a new job and even happier at the notion that Brian had left the door open, as it were, for re-establishing a relationship.

They 'meet' again, only this time …