Meanwhile, back in Pittsburgh, Brian also sighed. It was finished—he smiled and closed his laptop. If only Justin knew what he had done!
Heading downstairs, he saw a piece of paper by the phone—an extra copy of Justin's flight itinerary, in case Brian was so inclined to care.
Paris, Brian wondered. Why would Justin go to Paris, unless—?
It dawned on him what had happened. He'd been so engrossed in his computer work that he didn't realize Justin was home—he hadn't even been aware that Justin had kissed him on the cheek in an effort to let him know he was back!
His eyes filled with tears. Some husband I'm going to be, he thought, when I can't even let my Sunshine know how much I missed him!
There was only one thing to do. Heading to Woody's, Brian hoped to drown his sorrows.
When he got there, it seemed Woody's had become the new hangout. "Brian!" came the call, as everyone waved him over. Sitting down with a heavy sigh, Brian ordered a strong drink.
"So, have you heard from Justin?" Michael wanted to know.
"Well, he's not in New York anymore," Brian sighed.
"He's home?" Debbie asked. "He certainly didn't let me know!"
"Well—no," Brian replied. "He's not in New York, but he's not home, either."
"Where'd he go?" Emmett wanted to know.
Brian sighed again. "He went to Paris."
"Paris?" Michael was surprised. "What's he doing in Paris?"
"Probably trying to get me off his mind," Brian sighed.
"What do you mean?" Ben wanted to know.
Brian sighed again, explaining everything, up to the itinerary he had found. "I guess he thought I was too busy to care that he was back."
"You weren't—were you?" Debbie wanted to know.
"Of course not," Brian replied. "He means the world to me!"
"Sounds like you need to call and explain everything," Debbie suggested.
Call—or—
"I—I've got to go," Brian said. "I'll—I'll call you guys later." Heading back to Britin, he arranged his own flight to Paris.