Ethan couldn't believe that Justin had left him. He had been sure that the blond would never be strong enough to strike out on his own. He and Justin's relationship had begun as a convenience. The blond was a decent lay, gave excellent head, and took great care of Ethan, cooking, cleaning, and hosting parties for him. On top of that, he paid for more than his share of the bills. Justin always felt like he owed Ethan some debt of gratitude, and Ethan liked to encourage that. It meant that he reaped greater rewards.

Over their three years together, Ethan had come to care about Justin, though, of course, never more than he cared about himself. The fiddler was always keeping score, making certain that he always came out ahead, that what the blond gave him was greater than what he gave back. That was just his nature. He never sacrificed himself for anyone or anything, and he never gave for the joy of giving. However, whatever feelings he had developed for Justin quickly disappeared once the blond had gone off with his lover. Now, all that remained was bitterness, anger, and a keen desire to balance accounts. He figured that Justin owed him for this humiliation, and big, and Ethan planned to cash in as much as was possible.

Ethan couldn't close his and Justin's joint bank account, but he could drain it of all but a nominal amount. And that's exactly what he did. As soon as Justin and his lover had gone, Ethan quickly dressed, headed to the nearest branch ATM, and withdrew as much as he could. He had to make several transactions, but he managed to withdraw the few thousand Justin had been saving, leaving but a paltry couple hundred in the account. Ethan laughed and thought, "You can have all happiness you desire, Justin, but it's gonna cost you!" He still felt that the blond owed him, but his savings was a decent down payment. He'd collect the rest of his due later, after he'd determined the best course of action. Before then, he'd need to work off some of the tension he'd been feeling since finding Justin's lover in his apartment. He headed to Jonathan's place. He needed to replace Justin as soon as possible, and his sweet but shy lover was the perfect choice. After all, he'd been perfectly willing to drop everything and suck Ethan off whenever Ethan could get away. He didn't suck cock quite as well as the blond, but the result was the same, so it didn't really matter.

Justin was blissfully ignorant of his ex-boyfriend's treachery. He and Brian held hands as they walked to a nearby park to finish their breakfast. Justin hadn't walked out in the open like this in a very long time, but he wasn't afraid or freaked out in the slightest. Brian made him feel so safe, safer than he'd felt since before the bashing. Safer than he'd felt since before he'd come out, if he were honest.

As they sat eating muffins and drinking their caffeinated beverages, Brian asked, "So Sunshine, what's next?"

Justin exhaled slowly. Hesitantly, he replied, "I'm not sure. I guess I should find a new apartment."

Brian offered, "If money's a problem, I could help out."

Justin smiled. Brian was so kind. Just another reason he was smitten with the brunet. He said, "That's okay. I have a few thousand saved. That should more than cover first and last month's rent anywhere I'd want to live."

Brian inquired, "So what sort of place are we looking for?"

Justin wrinkled his nose adorably, or so Brian thought, as he contemplated the question Brian had posed. After a few minutes, he replied, "Well…I'm not too picky, but I wouldn't mind a place with big windows on the east side of the building, so I'd have lots of natural light."

Brian asked, "For your painting?"

Justin smiled and answered, "Yeah."

Brian said, a hint of excitement in his voice, "I'm eager to see your work. I have zero artistic skill, but I have an eye for beauty (he leaned in and nudged Justin's nose) and a deep appreciation of fine art."

Justin flashed Brian a million-watt smile. It was such a treat to be with someone who was interested in his art, who respected it.

Justin was so absorbed in his thoughts that he was caught off guard when Brian pulled him into his lap and kissed him. Once the shock had worn off, he kissed the brunet back eagerly and even started rubbing his growing erection against Brian's.

Brian ended their kiss and whispered in the blond's ear, "Why don't we go back to the loft? We can continue where we left off this morning."

Justin giggled. He asked in mock seriousness, "But shouldn't we go apartment hunting?"

Brian chuckled and replied huskily, "Well, we could…but I have this crazy urge to suck your cock…"

Justin laughed nervously and blushed. His pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight.

Brian continued, "I want it to last, too, so I'll have to fuck you first. After that, we can look at housing ads, well, if you haven't passed out from exhaustion by then."

He picked up the now trembling blond and carried him to the jeep.