Craig comes to a surprising decision regarding his sons; Brian ponders how to make amends with Justin. Will he be successful or not?
Craig stared straight ahead as he drove back toward the farm, his jaw clenched with anger. He had never been so humiliated in his life. What should have been a pleasant evening of diversion had, instead, turned into a potential free-for-all. If Vic and Justin hadn't reached his son and that Kinney boy in time, he had no doubt that they would have come to blows. Perhaps that wouldn't have been such a bad thing in a way; the Walkers' nephew seemed to bring trouble wherever he went, so seeing him hauled away in handcuffs to spend some time in jail where he probably belonged had a certain appeal to him. But in all honesty if the story he heard was true he couldn't blame only Kinney for what had happened. He was coming to the inevitable realization that his own son was as much to blame as the other boy - if not more so.
Jennifer glanced over at her husband's angry visage reflected in the glow of the dashboard, and knew Craig was furious; his fury was no doubt fueled by his embarrassment over being the brunt of ridicule at the social. Craig had never really felt like he had fit in with the townsfolk from the start; after all, what did a man trained to be an accountant really have in common with farmers who used their hands to toil the land instead of crunching numbers? She knew this incident, then, wouldn't help raise Craig's esteem in the eyes of the community, and she dreaded what was to come when they got home.
Taking a deep breath, she began, "Craig..."
But her husband instantly held up his hand. "I'm not discussing this with you right now, Jen," he dismissed her curtly; he glanced through the truck's rearview mirror to observe Jared sitting in the vehicle's bed through the sliding window. His son hadn't liked the idea of being ordered home like some puppy with his tail between his legs - especially when Justin had been permitted to come home with Vic, instead - but he didn't care. If Jared was going to act like a fucking baby, he was going to be treated like one.
"This is going to wait until we're home; and Justin's there, too. And I think it would be best if Emmett and Vic are called to the house to get their versions about what happened. I want this whole mess out in the open, once and for all."
"Well, for once I agree with you," Jennifer told him, her lips pursed together in irritation. She was fed up with Jared constantly interfering in their younger son's life. She didn't have to be reminded of how much they had come to depend upon Justin, and how much Jared had failed in his responsibilities to pitch in. When it came to pulling his own weight and helping the household out financially, Jared was more of a burden than a benefit. She loved her sons - both of them - but right now she felt more shame and disgust toward her older son than pride. "It's time we get some things settled between all of us."
Craig let out a heavy breath, the tension thick in the air as he tightly gripped the steering wheel. "Trust me, Jen; it will be," he promised her grimly as she nodded.
"Where IS that boy?" Will groused as he glanced over at the front entrance of the barn; Brian had told him and Sarah that he needed to use the restroom and would meet them out front after helping to load her canning jars and casserole dishes into the bed of the truck. That had been ten minutes ago, but he had not returned yet.
Sarah peered through the truck's windshield and wondered the same thing. "I'm sure he'll be along any minute," she assured her husband, silently hoping she was right. Justin had left several minutes ago with Vic and Emmett, and the rest of the Taylors had departed before that, so she couldn't imagine what Brian was doing now. For just a second, she allowed a little fear to creep into her mind that maybe Brian had just got fed up with everything and had bolted, but she knew he really had nowhere to go - and he had nothing with him except for the clothes on his back. So she didn't seriously think he would do something like that, at least she hoped not. As the minutes ticked by, however, the doubts were surfacing more and more like some unwelcome visitor.
Finally, after approximately another minute, she watched as the front door opened and Brian appeared in the glow of the overhead light. She couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face as Brian began to walk toward the truck with two stuffed animals clutched under his arms.
"What in the world?" Will growled. "We're in a hurry to leave, and he takes time out to go play games first? What is WITH that boy?" Just when he thought he saw some level of maturity in his nephew, he goes and pulls this kind of stunt.
Sarah grinned. "No, he didn't," she told him. "He and Justin played some games earlier out back, and those were the prizes they won. He must have gone back to retrieve them." She found that fact very sweet, and it served to cement in her mind just how much Brian did care about her young neighbor. Hopefully, he would have a chance to tell Justin himself that soon.
"How do you know that?" Will asked her while he watched open-mouthed as his nephew approached them.
Sarah smiled mysteriously, unwilling to divulge the true source of her information. "Oh, I have my ways," she simply told him as Brian walked up to them and, without explaining why he was carrying a stuffed cow and a stuffed horse under his arms, silently shuffled over to the rear of the truck and climbed in.
Sarah gave her perplexed husband a small pat on the arm and a tender smile before, shaking his head, Will started up the truck and drove off.
Emmett glanced over at his friend sitting across from him; it was hard to see Justin's expression, but he was decidedly quieter than normal. Em could practically carry on a conversation for the both of them with his non-stop chatter if he had to, but even he could tell that Justin had a lot on his mind. Not that he blamed him; between the race coming up day after tomorrow, Jared's manipulations, and what would no doubt be an unpleasant confrontation with his brother and parents when he got home, he knew Justin had a lot to worry about.
So when Justin suddenly spoke up just then, it was a little startling, especially when it came in the form of an apology.
"I'm sorry, Em," he heard Justin murmur from the other side of the truck.
Emmett frowned. "Sorry about what?"
Justin let out a breath. "Sorry about what Jared did to you. That was uncalled for. He can be such an asshole."
"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that now," Emmett replied dryly. He paused. "Sweetie, you didn't do anything to me. You have no reason to apologize." Using the plastic knife he had left stuck in the middle of his pecan pie earlier, he quickly cut a small sliver of the pie from what was left in the aluminum pan (after all, he didn't mind sharing, but he did have his limits), and held the small piece out toward his friend. "Have some pie," he told his friend.
Justin smiled a little at that comment, even though Emmett couldn't really see it. "No, thanks," he told him as Emmett shrugged before plopping it into his mouth. "I don't think pecan pie is going to help me right now."
"Baby, a piece of homemade pecan pie always makes me feel a whole lot better," Emmett insisted, but he knew what Justin meant. He sobered as he asked, "What do you think is going to happen when you get home?"
Justin sighed. "Nothing I'm looking forward to. I'm sure my father will throw his weight around and probably say that my brother has been falsely accused of what he did, and Jared will claim he was the hapless, innocent victim in the whole situation. He will no doubt try to blame Brian for everything that happened tonight - and probably get away with it, too, just like he always does."
"Surely not," Emmett murmured sympathetically as his heart went out to his friend.
"Don't be surprised," Justin warned him dejectedly. That was what he had come to expect when it came to him and his brother.
Emmett licked his lips as he swallowed the last of his pie and eyed Justin thoughtfully. "Well, I think things will be different this time," he told him resolutely. "My uncle Vic and I will both explain what happened; surely that will make a difference. He'll listen to my uncle; he trusts him."
Justin eyed him dubiously. "Maybe. But I'm not counting on it."
Em nodded; he was still feeling disgusted over how Jared had used him to hurt Brian AND Justin; he was going to be more than happy to help straighten the record out. What had he ever seen in that conceited boy, anyway? Yes, Jared was very good-looking, but he knew it, too. He had always prided himself on judging people more on how they looked on the inside and not the outside, and being a good judge of character. He had obviously failed miserably this time, however. Well, he would never make that mistake again, and he would never look at Jared in the same way, either. He recalled finding Brian earlier tonight all alone, and how forlorn he had looked, and he couldn't help asking Justin about it.
"Justin, why weren't you and Brian together when I found him out on the midway earlier? He seemed out of sorts somehow."
Justin frowned. "Out of sorts? What do you mean?"
Em nodded. "Kind of like he was distracted or bothered about something -even before I was the cause of it," he added wryly. "Why weren't you with him?"
Justin flushed as he recalled his and Brian's disagreement earlier, and what had led up to it; he could almost still feel Brian's lips on his as they had kissed. He could also remember how meaningless he had felt afterward, however, when Brian had implied that he had been paying attention to him all this time merely to get into his pants. That still hurt, even though after talking to both him and his aunt, there was a glimmer of hope that he had been wrong about that. He still didn't know for sure, though, and maybe he never would now.
"We...we had a disagreement earlier," he finally told his friend.
"A disagreement? I thought it might have been something like that. What kind of disagreement?"
Justin bit his lip; he liked Em, and considered him a friend, but they only saw each other sporadically. Just like with Brian's aunt, he wasn't sure if he was willing to discuss something so private with someone else. "Em, I really don't want to discuss it; I'm sorry," he murmured in embarrassment.
Em was disappointed that Justin wouldn't reveal more about it, but he respected his wishes as he replied, "Well, whatever it was, Brian wasn't happy about it."
Justin forced himself not to read too much into that as he replied, "How do you know?"
Emmett shrugged. "I could tell. Jared kept mentioning to me what a violent, aggressive person he was. But he didn't appear that way to me. I mean, he was kind of a jerk to me and all, but I think it was mainly because he was worried about you."
Justin's heart began to pound as he repeated, "Worried about me?"
"Yeah. When I told him that you had already left - even though I knew at the time that it was a lie," Emmett hastened to confess, "he just plopped down on a bench and had the saddest look on his face, kind of like he'd just lost his puppy or something."
Justin snorted. "Yeah, or his favorite toy."
Emmett's mouth opened in epiphany then as he realized at least what Justin might be talking about. Apparently he felt like Brian was using him to get what he wanted. "I don't know," he told him. "I didn't get that impression, Sweetie. I think he was genuinely concerned about you and seemed disappointed that you had left. I think he wanted to talk to you."
Justin silently digested that piece of information, still refusing to see more in it than there was. "Maybe," he conceded at last. He sighed. "I'm not looking forward to when I get home," he repeated to Emmett as they neared the cutoff that led back to the farm. It wouldn't be long now.
"I know," Emmett murmured compassionately. "But Uncle Vic and I have your back. It'll be okay."
"Thanks, Em," Justin told him, sincerely grateful for at least that much, but that didn't really help to lessen his dread any. "I'm going to need it."
Brian followed his aunt and uncle into their farmhouse, wanting nothing more than to carry his embarrassing but precious cargo upstairs to his room and avoid any further discussion about what had happened. He didn't know what had possessed him to rush back to the midway and retrieve the prizes, but something urged him to anyway. Perhaps it was because of the pleasant memories that it had evoked; at least until everything went to hell later when he had put his foot in his mouth. He couldn't help silently continuing to soundly berate himself for what he had done regarding Justin, but it was too late to take it back now; he could only hope to make amends somehow. He just didn't know at the moment how he would do that, but he knew he had to try.
"Brian?" his uncle called out to him just as he reached the bottom of the staircase; he sighed in resignation as he placed his hand on the curved, wooden bannister knob, knowing he wouldn't be getting off easy as he replied, "Yeah?"
"I want your word as a man that you did not start what happened tonight between you and Jared," he told him quietly. "I know what I heard from Vic, his nephew, and the Taylor boy, but I want to hear it from you now."
Sarah stood several feet behind her husband and Brian, her eyes widened in stunned surprise. She had hoped that Will would not jump to conclusions, but even she was somewhat taken aback by his quiet statement. She had longed to tell Will on the way home the full reason why Jared and Brian had almost come to blows, but she ultimately decided not to, feeling that it might be seen as breaking a confidence between her and Justin. Perhaps, however, she wouldn't need to as she waited for Brian to respond. Would he answer in kind, however, or fall back on his previous defense mechanism of surliness and stubborn indignation?
Brian stared over at his uncle; the man was definitely an enigma. Gruff on the outside, damaged emotionally on the inside. It suddenly occurred to him, then; was he that much different than himself? He noticed his uncle eyeing him intently before he replied softly but firmly, "Yes, Uncle. I give you my word; I had nothing to do with it."
Sarah watched, somehow realizing this was a watershed moment for her two 'men' as Will simply nodded back at him. "Best be getting off to bed now, then," he told his nephew. "Six will come early enough tomorrow, and we need to head into town after breakfast for supplies before the chores are done."
Brian glanced over at his aunt standing several feet away before he nodded silently and turned to walk up the steps, the stuffed animals still clutched firmly under his left arm. A few seconds later, Will and Sarah heard the closing of Brian's bedroom door.
Sarah quietly walked up to her husband and placed her hand around his neck. "I love you, Mr. Walker," she told him as she gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and leaned her head against his.
"Don't go reading too much into it, Woman," he told her gruffly, but there was no sting in his voice. "I'm merely verifying what I saw with the boy."
Sarah smiled against him before she pulled back to look him in the eye, noticing Will keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. She nodded, knowing he would not want her to make a big deal out of it. "It's been a long day," she murmured. "I think we should get ready for bed, too."
Will nodded as he reached for her hand. She clasped it firmly, relishing the rare affectionate gesture as the two of them slowly headed upstairs toward their own bedroom.
Justin steeled himself before he, Vic, and Emmett walked up to the back door of the farmhouse, noticing the kitchen light was on despite the late hour; just as he thought, they were apparently going to hash this out now. He was grateful that Vic and Em had decided to come in with him when they got home. That might at least make his father not quite so volatile if the two of them were there as witnesses. It was little comfort at the moment, though, as he took a deep breath before opening the back door and stepping inside, his heart pounding in anxiety.
Just as he thought, his father, mother, and brother was all sitting at the table as he came in; all three looked over at him as he turned around to face them. He noticed his father's angry look first, followed by what appeared to be a certain amount of smugness on his brother's face and then sympathy on his mother's part as he hesitated, unsure of what to do, before Vic and Em followed him inside to stand on either side of him.
"Good," his father stated. "I'm glad Vic and Emmett are with you; that saves me the trouble of having to go find them," he explained, his lips drawn into a tight line.
Justin noticed a flicker of apprehension spreading across his brother's face as he realized it wasn't just going to be his word against his; this time there were additional witnesses to his duplicity and deceit.
"Let's go into the living room," Jennifer softly suggested as she pushed back from her chair and stood to the side expectantly.
Craig nodded brusquely as he stood up to join her, noticing his older son remaining in place. "Jared, you heard your mother. Get up."
Jared glared over at Justin before he grudgingly did as he was told, scooting back from the table as the chair made an unpleasant grating noise before he rose to his feet; without a word of greeting to the others, he turned to head down the short hallway toward the front of the house.
"Shall we?" Jennifer asked, her polite words sounding distinctly out of place in the middle of such high tension.
Vic nodded at her as he, Emmett, and Justin turned to follow her and Craig into the living room. Jared had decided to slouch in one of their overstuffed chairs - the one in the corner - as Craig and Jennifer chose to sit together on one end of the sofa. After a slight hesitation, Vic walked over and sat down on the other side of Jennifer as Emmett took his place in the other chair.
"Justin, honey, go get one of the kitchen chairs," Jennifer suggested to her son, but Justin shook his head.
"No," he told her defiantly. "I'd rather stand." He had no idea what was coming, but at least if he stood up the chances that he could leave quickly were greater than if he chose to sit. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned his back against the oppostie wall nearest the hallway, swallowing hard over the thought of what was to come. But he was ready to have it out; he was tired of all this bullshit.
Jennifer nodded as she turned to look at her husband. "Craig, do you want to begin?" she asked, wondering how long it would be before he exploded. She had seen his anger boiling just under the surface ever since they had left the social.
"Damn straight I do," he told her as he turned to look at Jared. "First of all, I want you to know that you embarrassed the hell out of me this evening, Jared. There is no excuse for that."
Jared's mouth fell open; that was the last thing he had expected from his normally supportive father. "What are you talking about, Dad? I was just defending myself!"
Justin couldn't help the huff of disbelief that escaped his parted lips. How could he still be maintaining his innocence? "You are unbelievable, Jared!" he shouted at him, his eyes flashing as he placed his hands on his hips. "You were the entire cause of ALL of it!"
"I was not!" he yelled back, feeling like he was being backed into a corner. "Kinney has a bad temper on him and he was charging at me! What did you expect me to do, just stand there and let him beat the hell out of me?"
"You're ridiculous, Jared!" Justin exclaimed angrily. "We all know that you started the whole thing! I saw it - I called out Brian's name and you sucker punched him as soon as he turned his head to look for me! That's not defending yourself; that's being a damn coward!"
"Justin, watch your language," Craig told him as Justin stared at him, incredulous. Before he could point out he wasn't the only one using profanity, however, to his slight relief he heard his father say, "You, too, Jared." His brother huffed in annoyance as Craig told him," Now I want to know exactly what started the whole thing in the first place." Jared, however, remained mute initially. "Well? I'm sure the Kinney boy didn't just walk up to you and pick a fight for no reason. He would have too much to lose with HIS record."
Jared appeared flustered by the intense stare his father was giving him, as well as the hard tone of his voice as he frantically thought of what to say. He glanced over at Emmett, who raised an eyebrow at him almost in a silent challenge. He knew he was quickly becoming boxed in, but he was desperate. "He...he was angry that I had rejected him earlier, and he was trying to get back at me through Justin."
"What? This isn't fair!" Justin cried out. "Brian's not here to de..."
Craig held up his hand. "Quiet, Justin! I want to hear what Jared has to say first, and then you'll get your chance." Justin shook his head in disbelief but held his tongue somehow as Craig pressed his other son, "Get back at you how, Jared?"
Jared licked his lips nervously and swallowed, knowing he was traveling down a dangerous, slippery path now. "Well, he thought he could make me jealous by coming on to Justin instead. And he threatened to hurt him if he didn't go along with what he wanted. I was only trying to keep my brother safe."
"Oh, my God!" Justin retorted. "You are out of your mind! Brian never did any of that!"
"Of course YOU would say that!" Jared argued as he snorted back at him. "You're too afraid to deny it - and you're too infatuated with him to care!"
"Boys!" Jennifer tried to intervene. "This isn't getting us anywhere..."
"I'm not going to stand here and listen to him LIE through his teeth!" Justin shouted back, completely ignoring his mother. "I've had enough of this! Tell the goddamn truth for once in your life, Jared! YOU were the jealous one because you got rejected, not the other way around! And you used Emmett to hurt ME!"
"Boys!" Craig snarled as he huffed in exasperation. "Quiet, both of you!" Jared and Justin glared at each other as Craig turned to Emmett. "Emmett, I want to hear what you have to say about all this."
Emmett stared over at Jared for a moment before he smiled slightly. "Gladly. Jared came up to me earlier today and told me that the Walker's nephew had been threatening to hurt Justin because he wouldn't, uh, he wouldn't do what he wanted him to do."
"See?" Jared said smugly, only to have Craig whirl around and fix an angry stare at him as he promptly shut up again.
"Go on, Emmett," Craig prodded him. "What did he want Justin to do?"
Justin's face began to turn red in embarrassment. Shit.
Emmett glanced over at his friend in sympathy, but he felt he had no choice. "Uh...he wanted Justin to have sex with him." There, it was out in the open now, for good or for worse.
Justin blew out a humiliated breath as he looked up at the ceiling. Could this get any worse?
Jennifer bit her lip; she wasn't happy about that possibility, but in all honesty it didn't surprise her that much, either. She had a feeling that there was a lot more to her son's relationship with Kinney than she knew; the fact that Justin had met the other boy late at night the other evening and the constant visits she had observed between the two of them near the horse racing track were evidence of that, although she knew Justin didn't realize she had seen them together out there. Her son was so young, though, and Kinney was so rough around the edges; what could they possibly have in common?
Craig's jaw clenched and his left eye twitched; those were the only obvious signs of his discomfort as he left out a deep breath. He was afraid that was going to be the response. "Okay," he told Emmett evenly. "So Jared enlisted your help to try and break them up before Justin got hurt?"
Emmett stared over at Jared as he nodded. "Well, that was the story, anyway," he admitted. "But that was before I found out the truth. Now I know he was just using me - and my feelings for him - to get back at Brian."
"And what is the truth?" Craig asked wearily; he had heard so many 'truths' by now, he didn't know WHAT to think.
Emmett gave Jared a haughty sort of look before he replied, "It's just as Justin said. Brian told me he never laid a hand on him. In fact, when I saw him earlier tonight and told him that Justin had left - I actually made that up because I thought I was trying to protect him," he explained to Craig, "he looked pretty upset about it. He certainly didn't try to slap me around. And besides; look at him! Does he look like he needs to pressure anyone into having sex with him? I mean, come on - the boy's the hottest thing I've ever seen, and trust me, I've seen a lot of them in..."
"Uh, that's enough, Emmett," Vic told him quickly before he got too carried away. "I'm sure Craig gets the idea."
"Oh. Well, where was I? Oh, yeah," Emmett continued. "I can read people really well, and this Kinney was being honest with me. The only time he got angry with me was when I accused him of threatening Justin, and he immediately knew who was behind the whole lie." He turned to look at Jared as the other boy glared at him angrily. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Jared Taylor," Em told him. "You were the only one who managed to bamboozle me. Well, as my Aunt Lula used to say, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Never again, Baby; you're nothing but ugly to me now."
"He's lying!" Jared insisted. "It's his word against mine! Are you going to believe him, or your own son?"
"What am I, Jared?" Justin suddenly asked from across the room as all heads turned toward him. "I'm his son, too!" he cried out, his eyes glistening with frustration. He shook his head as he looked over at his father, the words pouring out of him and representing months, if not years of repressed emotion. "Dad, for once listen to ME! Believe ME! I'm telling you the truth! Brian has never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do! And before you even ask, no, we have NOT had sex, not that it's anyone's business!" He brushed some tears away from his eyes in anger. "Why are you never proud of what I do? Why do you never appreciate what I've accomplished? Why does Jared never do any wrong?" He let out a heavy sigh before swallowing the lump in his throat. "Hell, why do I even try?"
He pressed his lips tightly together before slowly sliding down the wall to sit with his back against it, bending his knees and tilting his head down to cradle it in his hands, feeling utterly and completely exhausted. He didn't realize his father had quietly risen from his place on the couch to walk over to him until he felt someone's hand on the top of his head. Lifting his tear-stained face in surprise, he gazed up into his father's face as Craig extended his hand downward.
"Come here," Craig told him softly as Justin frowned slightly. Nevertheless, he did as he was asked just before his father unexpectedly swept him into an embrace and wrapped his arms around him. Justin stood there in shock for a few seconds before he slid his arms around his father and leaned into him, sniffling slightly as he laid his head against his shoulder. For just a moment, he was transformed into a six-year-old boy again, doing much the same thing that he was doing now after he had fallen from his horse that year and his father, having witnessed the accident, had rushed over from the nearby stable to comfort him.
"I do believe you," Craig whispered in his ear as he held him tight. "And I AM proud of you, Justin; so very proud."
Justin pulled back to look into his father's face; gone at least temporarily was all the hardness he had become so accustomed to seeing recently. The man looking at him was the one he used to remember seeing, back before times got so tough for them and Jared had changed from being an independent, free spirit into a spiteful, deceitful, and resentful good-for-nothing. Justin let out a deep breath before he replied, "You are?" He still couldn't quite believe it.
Craig smiled then and let out a breath of his own as he nodded. "Yeah, Justin, I am. And in case you ever have any doubts, I DO love you, Son; more than you probably know."
One side of Justin's mouth lifted up as he pointed out wryly, "Well, you have a funny way of showing it sometimes."
Craig chuckled briefly at that. "Yeah, I guess I do," he admitted before his face sobered. "I've...I've been under a lot of pressure, Justin. It takes a lot away from a man when he feels like he can't support his family properly. It's not an excuse for the way that I've treated you, I know that. But maybe it will help you to better understand it anyway."
Justin stood there for a few seconds before he nodded and broke away from his father's embrace, feeling a little awkward being on display in front of everyone, but his heart felt just a little lighter now. There was still the big problem of his brother, though. He looked over at Jared, who appeared clearly uncomfortable now. "What about him?" he asked his father.
Craig set his jaw, his face tensing a little as he turned around to look at his oldest son; the son that he had once felt so much camaraderie with as they had worked on all those cars together and the one he often raved about to his friends. The son that had become a bitter disappointment to him. It was as if he were finally seeing his older child with a set of new eyes, and finally opening up his ears to hear what his wife had been trying to tell him for some time now. And he found that he didn't llike what he was seeing or hearing. He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do.
"You have until the end of the month, Jared," he told him quietly. "You have until the end of the month to find another place to live." Jared's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief as his father continued, "Ever since you got out of school, you have contributed nothing to this household to keep this farm solvent, while your brother has shouldered most of the responsibility. You're an adult now, Jared, and it's time you learn the hard way that with age comes consequences. You can come out here to work on your car if you want and to visit with your mother and me, but it's time for you to find your own way in life."
Craig looked over at his wife, who appeared to be on the verge of breaking into tears. Jennifer nodded at him in agreement, however, as he told their son, "We'll always love you, Jared. But neither your mother nor I can look the other way any longer. I suggest you start looking immediately for somewhere else to live; you have two weeks."
Jared continued to gape as his father as he shook his head. No, this can't be happening. "But...but you can't do this!" he protested as he looked over at his father in disbelief. "Where will I go? I don't even have a job!"
"Put your skills to use," Craig told him flatly. "You know how to break down cars forward and backward; find a way to turn that into a job." He turned to look at his other son; Justin appeared just as shocked as Jared was, but he was also looking decidedly worn out. "Best get up to bed, Justin," he told him softly. "You have a lot of work to do before the race."
Justin nodded as he father reached over and gave his shoulder a brief squeeze. Jennifer stood up as he prepared to leave, walking over to him to give him a hug. "Get some rest, Honey," she whispered to him as he nodded and, with a nod to Emmett and Vic, he slowly shuffled up the steps toward his room.
Craig waited until he heard Justin's bedroom door close before he turned back to address his other son. "And one more thing, Jared. If I so much as hear one word about how you have been harassing either Justin, Emmett, OR even the Walker's nephew anymore, I will drag your ass out of here immediately instead of giving you until the end of the month, do you understand?"
Jared relied on his last hope as he turned to Jennifer. "Mom?" he asked hopefully, putting every ounce of emotion into that one word.
Jennifer's eyes watered, but she refused to give in. It was time for some tough love. "I agree with your father, Jared," she told him to his dismay. "It's time for you to be a man now and own up to your responsibilities. Now go up to bed and think about what you've done - and what you need to do going forward."
Jared's face contorted into defeat as he glumly nodded, propelling himself to his feet. He stood there, looking over at his father one last time, before he turned and walked over to the steps, slowly ascending until a few minutes later, he closed his bedroom door.
Craig let out an audible sigh as he turned to Vic and Emmett. "Thank you for bringing Justin home," he told them. "And thanks for helping me to figure out the truth about what happened tonight." He grew silent for a moment before he told Vic, "I didn't want to have to do that."
Vic nodded. "Yeah, I know," he told him, realizing how much that had to cost his old friend. "But you had to do it, Craig. He was like a leech sucking the blood out of this family. And it wasn't fair to Justin..."
"I know," Craig interrupted him quietly. "I know it all now. I was just too dense to realize it before."
Vic reached over and grasped his shoulder. "Believe it or not, one day Jared will thank you for what you did tonight. You did the right thing."
Craig looked over at the chair that Jared had just vacated. "I hope so, Vic. I really hope so."
Next Morning - 6:30 a.m.
Justin felt the sun's rays on his face before he opened his eyes; he had collapsed onto his bed, totally drained last night, as soon as he had closed the bedroom door behind him and he had surprisingly slept the entire night through. He would have bet it would have been a fitful, restless sleep after what had happened earlier, but once his head had hit the pillow, he had fallen into a deep, exhausted slumber.
Now as his eyes fluttered open, he turned to stare over at his small bedside clock, realizing he needed to get up. He would have normally already showered, dressed, and been down to breakfast by now, but perhaps it was just as well. He was dreading running into Jared now after what his father had done.
That had been a shock. He would never in a million years have expected him to do that; but he awoke this morning feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He still didn't know how he was going to reconcile his responsibilities here at home with his dream to go to college, but at least by the end of the month Jared would be out of the house and he wouldn't have to worry about him constantly harassing him anymore.
Stretching his arms above his head, he twisted his body to rise from the bed and walk the few feet over to his dresser, pulling some clothing out before turning to tread toward his door; he was thankful not to hear any sound from Jared's room. Hopefully his brother was being true to form and sleeping in late like he normally did.
He was just about to turn the doorknob to exit when a flash of something black and brown caught his eye on the floor near the window. "No way," he whispered in shock as he placed his clothes down on the bed before walking over to pick up the stuffed horse lying on its side and stared down at it, his heart pounding in recognition. It had to be the same horse that Brian had presented to him last night out on the midway. But how did it get here?
He looked over at the open window and it was then that he knew; somehow Brian must have retrieved the toy and brought it home with him last night. "You crazy idiot," he murmured softly as he held it in his hands. He couldn't help smiling wistfully, though, over Brian's thoughtfulness. Obviously Brian had used his unorthodox method of communication when he got home last night and had somehow managed to lob the animal into his bedroom last night. He had been so mentally drained that he must have slept right through it.
At least it wasn't my shoes or more rocks, he thought to himself wryly as he idly stroked the horse's mane, his thoughts wandering back to the wonderful time he had had with Brian at the social. It had been so great, being with Brian and having fun. He seldom had time to simply experience joy any more, but Brian had managed to accomplish that last night; at least until they had had their argument. Now, however, as he thoughtfully gazed at the horse's face, his hopes began to rise that perhaps Brian's aunt had been right; he really did care about him.
He smiled, prepared to place the horse on his dresser, when he noticed what appeared to be a folded piece of paper stuck under the horse's bridle. Curious, he pulled the slip of paper out and opened it up to read it:
Come see Checkers and me down by the swimming hole after dinner tonight. We'll be waiting for you. ~Brian
So Brian apparently had retrieved both stuffed animals somehow. He impulsively hugged the horse to his body briefly, his heart hammering at the thought of seeing Brian again, before he walked over and propped it up against his bedroom dresser mirror, patting it once as if to make sure he really wasn't imagining it before he picked his clothes back up and headed toward the bathroom to take his shower.
One Hour Later
"Don't dawdle, Brian," Will reproached his nephew quietly as the feed store clerk rang up their order. "Get a hold of those feed bags and put them in the back of the truck; I'll be along shortly."
Brian sighed as he reached over and pulled off one of the 50-pound bags of chicken feed from the counter and slung it over his shoulder to carry it over to the front entrance; a few minutes later, his uncle was still shooting the bull with the wizened, suspendered man standing near the cash register as he placed the second bag on top of the first in the back of the truck bed. It was becoming obvious to him that the feed store was much more than just a place to load up on supplies; it was akin to the town barber shop. From the notes plastered on a bulletin board near the entrance advertising puppies for sale and the newest fertilizer, to the benches perched on either side of the door as you entered, and the area near the cash register counter, it was clearly a place to catch up with current events and the latest gossip.
Fortunately, the man his uncle was currently conversing with didn't seem to recognize him from last night's altercation; he had glanced over at him curiously for a moment with a cursory nod before he turned his attention back to his uncle with nary a hint of concern. It was just as well; until he could make things right with Justin, he was more than content to just lie low for a while.
He had walked over to the Taylor's farmhouse after his aunt and uncle had gone to bed last night, hoping he could somehow get Justin's attention and speak to him. But even though the window was open, and he called up to him as loudly as he dared, Justin either didn't hear him or refused to acknowledge his presence. Afraid that his parents - or even worse, Jared - would discover he was there, he had finally given up after approximately fifteen minutes and had elected to lob the stuffed horse into the open window and hope for the best instead.
Now as he stood leaning against the side of the truck waiting for his uncle to emerge, he grimaced as he thought back to his tactless comment last night to Justin and just how he could make it up to him. He thought the horse had been a nice touch, but he figured he would need to do way more than that. Why couldn't he just come out and say the words that Justin wanted to hear? But that was not his way; of course, living in this burg of a town wasn't his style, either, but he was slowly coming to grips with the slower pace and the lack of amenities he had come to take for granted before. As he thought back to the times he had spent with Justin, though, somehow he didn't miss all the conveniences nearly as much as he thought he would.
His eyes wandered a few storefronts down to a sign hanging under a green and white awning, and a small smile broke out on his face; glancing toward the feed store to observe his uncle still chatting away with the other man, he hurriedly walked down the sidewalk to the shop located several feet away, pausing to look through the glass display windows before deciding to enter. He really knew nothing about this sort of shop, but he figured the sales clerk inside would be able to help him.
A few minutes later, he carried a flat, rectangular box under his arm and placed it under the truck's passenger seat, hiding it just before his uncle emerged from the feed store.
Same Time - Taylor Farmhouse
Justin looked up from his place next to Headstrong as he heard a car motor revving; a souped-up car of some type was heading toward their home, the dust kicking up from the tire's movements. He frowned as he watched it slow down near the barn; he recognized one of Jared's friends, Doug Kesterson, emerging from the car and standing near the driver's side door for a few seconds before Jared came out of the back of the house, a large duffle bag slung over his right shoulder.
His eyes locked onto his brother's for a moment as Jared turned to notice him standing near the stables, until, with a defiant sort of look, he swung the bag higher onto his shoulder and walked to the car, slinging it into the backseat before he turned and headed over to the passenger side to get in. The other boy slid behind the steering wheel, and a few seconds later the car fishtailed in front of the house and then accelerated much too quickly back toward the main road, disappearing out of sight a few minutes later.
Justin let out a melancholy sigh; apparently Jared had decided to leave earlier than the end of the month. He hadn't even seen him since last night and now he was gone to who knows where. How he wished it had never come to this; despite all the grief his brother had wreaked upon him, he was still his only brother and he loved him. In a way it was a relief to have Jared gone, but it left him with a profound sense of sadness nonetheless. He wondered if they would ever be able to patch things up, but for now he had other worries to deal with.
A soft chuffing noise next to him made him turn his attention back to more urgent matters. "Okay, boy," he murmured as he reached up to soothingly stroke the side of Headstrong's head. "We'll get going." He quickly jumped up into the sulky's seat, slipping on his helmet and grabbing the reins to give them a quick tug. Soon he and Headstrong were trotting rapidly around the track; as usual, Justin was soon focused on his practice as he and the horse continued to cycle around the oval path, thoughts of Brian, Jared, his college aspirations and the shifting relationship with his father temporarily pushed aside as he strove to concentrate on his goal tomorrow. It was the same every time he practiced for a race; it was as if he and Headstrong were one unit, both of them fused together. By now he could anticipate every move Headstrong made on the track, what every shake of his head meant, and whether he was tired or getting his second wind, merely by the sounds and motions he made. It was one of the reasons why he and the horse had been so successful at the betting tracks.
As soon as he was done a few hours later, however, and Headstrong was grazing placidly in the nearby paddock, Justin couldn't help thinking about Brian and what he might have had to deal with once he got back home after the social last night. Had his uncle wound up blaming him for what had happened? Or had he actually listened to him and believed what he and Emmett had tried to tell him? Hopefully he would find out tonight when he met with him. And yes, he had decided that he would seek out Brian at the swimming hole after dinner, just like he had asked him to do in the note.
Brian continued to be such a contradiction to him; cocky, arrogant, and brash at times, but also thoughtful, unpredictable, funny and sweet at other times. Was it possible that he really had just not known how to express his feelings toward him last night and had not meant for it to come out the way that it had? The words had hurt, certainly. But he also knew that he felt something special toward Brian, and he thought he had sensed some of the same feelings in him. All he knew at that moment was that he had to give Brian a chance to explain, and the relative seclusion provided at the swimming hole seemed like the perfect place in which to do it. In a way, too, it was fitting that they meet back at the place where they had had their first private encounter.
Time seemed to go by torturously slow the rest of the afternoon. Justin spied Brian way out in the back part of the Walkers' property atop their old tractor for a while when he was practicing earlier, but he had been too far away to make eye contact with him; the next time he had rounded the track, Brian had disappeared from view.
Now as he headed into supper, his mind was occupied with thoughts of their pending rendezvous and he was starting to feel nervous; his stomach was tied up in knots and he felt almost nauseous with anxiety. Swinging the backdoor open, he was greeted with a sort of wistful smile by his mother, who was taking out some homemade rolls from the oven.
"Hi, honey," she called over to him softly. "Go wash up; I'm just getting the table set." She wiped her hands off on her apron as she reached over to retrieve a basket lined with a red-and-white checkered towel to place the warm rolls inside.
Justin nodded, noticing three places set at the table. It seemed odd to not have a fourth one where Jared normally sat. "Where's Dad?" he asked her.
"He'll be along shortly," she told him. "He's out in the barn." She sighed. "He's been out there most of the day."
Justin studied her carefully, trying to interpret what she wasn't saying. "Mom...I saw Jared leave this morning with Doug. Was he...?"
She nodded her head, her face etched with sadness. "Yes, he decided he didn't want to stick around until the end of the month; he's going to be staying with him, at least for a while."
Justin bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Mom."
Jennifer brought the rolls over to the table and placed them down before reaching to gently grasp Justin by his shoulders. "Justin, you have nothing to be sorry for; Jared brought all this on himself. I'm sorry it had to come to this, too, but don't you dare apologize for what happened. Jared needs to grow up and act like a man. We weren't doing him any favors by allowing him to get away with what he did; it's time for him to take responsibility for himself. And if it took this for Craig to finally realize everything you do for us around here - and to open his eyes - then it turned out to be a good thing."
Justin nodded, still not quite convinced. "I never wanted Jared to leave," he lamented softly. "I just wanted him to stop feeling like we were constantly in a competition." He inhaled a shaky breath and let it out before he told her, "I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, when Jared and I were real brothers. I'm not sure that will ever be possible again now."
Jennifer's heart broke at the forlorn look on her son's face; she couldn't help pulling Justin into her arms as he nestled his head in the crook of her neck and slid his arms around her slender waist. "I know, Justin. Only time will tell. For now, I think this is for the best - for all of us."
They pulled back as Justin nodded at her. "Want me to go get Dad?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, you go wash up; he should be in soon. I saw him a few minutes ago and waved at him to let him know supper was ready."
Justin nodded once more as he turned and headed down the hallway to the downstairs half bathroom. Shaking her head sadly, Jennifer finished setting the rest of the supper dishes down onto the table just as Craig opened the backdoor and walked in.
"Hey, Jen," Craig replied softly as he walked up and kissed her on the cheek. The two of them had spent about an hour last night discussing what had happened and had finally managed to clear the air about a lot of issues. Their marriage still wasn't the one they had first had as newlyweds, but last night's discussion had gone a long way toward hopefully repairing some of the holes that needed to be patched.
"Hi, Honey," she said with a tired smile. "Justin's washing up for supper; why don't you do the same?" He nodded, but paused for a moment before he told her, "I don't know what to do with Jared's car out there."
She nodded. "I figured that was probably what you had been working on most of the day. Do we really have to make a decision about it now, though?"
"No," Craig admitted. "But I don't feel right just letting it sit there." He sighed as he pushed his hand through his hair. "I wish in a way he had stayed until the end of the month, so we could all try to work out some sort of solution. But in another way, I'm kind of relieved that he didn't. Does that make sense?"
She nodded. "Yeah, perfect sense."
"I worry what he will live on now."
"I know," she agreed as she placed her hands on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and stared down at the empty place where Jared normally sat. "But we had to do it, Craig."
"Yeah, I know," he acknowledged sadly, his anger having dissipated since last night to be replaced by regret. "But I just wish there had been another way." He was about to go, when out of the corner of his eye he saw his youngest son returning from down the hall; he noticed Justin seemed to hesitate as their eyes met, and he felt a sense of remorse over having put that expression on his face. Last night had opened his eyes to a lot of things, one of which was how much he needed to make sure this boy knew that he did love him and appreciate him. It was hard for him to express those feelings aloud - it always had been - and it had seemed somewhat unnatural to verbalize it to him last night, but seeing his youngest son so broken and so convinced that he didn't love him had made him realize how badly he had been treating him and how much he needed to make it up to him.
He forced himself to relax his expression and smile at his son as he told him softly, "Come and sit down, Son; your mom has supper waiting." Justin nodded as he walked toward his father, who reached over to squeeze his shoulder as he passed him on the way to wash up. It was a brief gesture that might have gone unnoticed any other time, but to Justin it spoke volumes.
The dinner was spent pleasantly enough; all three kept their conversation to 'safe subjects:' the warmer-than-normal weather recently, the local drive to have a new park installed on the edge of town, the latest Cincinnati Reds ball scores; it was a common pasttime to listen to the game on their radios at night while they sat on the back porch, and at least gave Justin and his father something to discuss rather than the situation with Jared. Finally, it was inevitable that their talk would focus on the big race tomorrow at Red Mill. In response to his father's inquiry, Justin assured him that Headstrong was prepared for the event and had had a strong workout earlier. And while no one could certainly guarantee what would happen at any race - their being too many variables that were out of their control - Justin was confident that both he and Headstrong were as ready as they would ever be.
Jennifer glanced over at her son's partially-consumed dinner and frowned a little in concern; it wasn't like her son to not have a good appetite. Perhaps the events of last night were still bothering him, even though Jared was no longer there and Craig had seemed to go out of his way to pay special attention to him this evening. "Justin, you didn't eat much," she observed. "Is anything wrong?" Even before a race, Justin typically had no problems finishing off his meal, especially when it involved some of his favorites that she had went out of her way to cook tonight, including fried corn, apple fritters, and pork chops with gravy.
"I'm fine, Mom," he assured her, not willing to discuss the real reason why he couldn't eat; he was just too wound up at the thought of seeing Brian again to have much of an appetite. "I guess I'm just feeling a little stressed out." He paused for a moment, watching his father drink the last of his iced tea, before he told them, "Uh, I think I'll head down to the swimming hole and take a swim; maybe that might relax me."
She smiled over at him, knowing how hard these past few days had been for him. "Sounds like a good idea, Sweetheart; just don't stay out too late."
Justin rolled his eyes. "Mom..." Would she think of him as a child forever?
"Your mother's right, Justin," Craig agreed; he strove to keep his voice level as he reminded him, "You have a big day tomorrow before the race. You know how you are when you don't get enough sleep beforehand."
Justin sighed but nodded in understanding as he rose from his seat at the kitchen table and carried his dishes over to place them in the sink. "I won't," he told him as his pulse began to quicken in anticipation over the thought of soon seeing Brian again. Wiping his hands off on a nearby kitchen towel, he hurried down the hallway to head upstairs and grab his swimming trunks; in record time, he was out the door and headed toward the winding path that led to the swimming hole.
As they watched their son go from their place at the table, Craig asked his wife softly, "You know he's probably not going to be down there alone."
"I know," Jennifer told him, somehow sensing the same thing.
"I still have a bad feeling about that other boy; he's much too grown up for Justin. You don't know how much I had to bite my tongue just then not to ask him whether or not he was meeting up with that boy and to tell him he couldn't. I still think he's a bad influence on him."
"Craig, I'm concerned at well," she confessed, "but we have to trust him; Justin's very mature for his age."
He looked at his wife with one raised eyebrow. "He's still just a boy, Jen, and not a very experienced one, if you catch my drift. Whether or not he was to blame for what happened last night, I still say Kinney is only after one thing, and I hate to see Justin get hurt." He didn't stop to consider how ironic it was that up until now, next to Jared he had been hurting his son most of all. But he was resolved to change that now; he just hadn't realized how hard that might be.
"Yes, I know," she told him quietly as Justin disappeared out of sight. "But he knows what he has to do to protect himself. We BOTH have to trust him. He has to make his own mistakes - and his own way in life. There's bound to be some hurt with the joy along the way."
Craig eyed her with surprise. "So you're not worried about this other boy's motives? You heard what was said last night. That boy is going to pursue Justin until he gives in, whether he forces him to or not; you know that's bound to happen. Doesn't that bother you at all?"
Jennifer sighed. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't," she admitted to him. "But we can't protect him forever. And I may be wrong, but I really feel that Brian genuinely cares about him."
Craig snorted softly in doubt as he rose to take his dishes over to the sink. "I'm not convinced of that." He let out an anxious breath. "But I hope you're right, Jen; I hope you're right."
Justin clutched his swimming trunks tightly in his hand, almost crushing the piece of clothing as he neared the swimming hole; the closer he got to his destination, the more nervous he was becoming. Part of him was telling him he was out of his mind, and that he would get his heart broken (as if it hadn't been bruised already). The other, tenderer side of his heart wanted to believe Brian felt differently about him than all the other boys he had been with.
Just before he came into the clearing, he took a deep breath to steel his resolution. He would NOT be a pushover here, he told himself firmly; yes, Brian was sexy as hell, knew just what to do to get his body all fired up, and could do things that were downright sweet at times. He was a good listener and seemed to know exactly how he was feeling. But he could also be extremely exasperating, tempestuous, and unnerving - a very dangerous combination in his mind.
Taking one more breath and letting it out, he tentatively walked out into the clearing near the pond, glancing around for Brian. His face fell slightly as he saw no one around. Had he arrived too early for their rendezvous? Or was Brian not even coming at all? Had he changed his mind?
Just then, his heart lurched as he heard a soft, silky-sounding voice nearby. "Hello, Justin." He turned slightly to observe Brian emerging from behind the same, hollowed-out tree that he had hid his clothes in before, his replica of Checkers clutched in his arms. The irony wasn't lost on him as he received a tongue-in-cheek smile from the other boy. For once in his life, Brian seemed unsure of himself as he stood hesitantly a few feet away, staring at Justin so intensely that he almost made him feel like he was just as exposed as before, even though he was fully clothed now.
Justin couldn't help smiling briefly despite his promise to himself as Brian picked up one of the stuffed animal's hooves and waved it at him in greeting.
"I would moo, but I'm still learning cow language," he told him with a smile, relieved to have some of the tension broken. It was good to see Justin laugh, even if it was temporary. His smile faltered a little as Justin nodded back at him; all of a sudden, he felt uncomfortable as hell. Any other time, he would be totally at ease with him.
"I wasn't sure you would come," he admitted to him as he stood there, his muscular arms wrapped tightly around the animal. It was almost as if he were using the stuffed cow as armor; perhaps in a way he was. He couldn't help staring at Justin; even when he wasn't trying to be irresistible, he was. At the moment, his hair was windblown, and he was wearing a pair of dark, denim jeans, his familiar pair of well-loved sneakers, and a short-sleeved, black tee shirt that read, There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. Brian thought he looked amazing as usual as he gazed into Justin's eyes and was finally rewarded with a pink tint blooming on his cheeks.
"I wasn't sure I would, either," Justin murmured truthfully. He peered over at him silently for a moment before he spoke again. "You were over at the house last night."
Brian flashed him a smile. "I worked hard for that horse. Almost as hard as YOU work out with Headstrong."
Justin snorted. "I hardly think so. But I admit you do have good pitching skills." He let out a deep breath, suddenly weary of this game. "Brian, why did you ask me here?"
Brian's smile faded as he stared into Justin's face; he could tell he was still somewhat hurt over what had happened last night. It was his job to set things right now. He slowly dropped the cow to the ground as he approached him. "You already know the answer to that question."
Justin's pulse quickened as Brian walked closer; just being around Brian made it hard to breathe at times. He was wearing a pair of dark-blue, tailored jeans that accentuated his long legs, black boots, and a white, sleeveless tee-shirt worn under a brown and white checked shirt that was hanging open with the shirttails out. Justin thought he was magnificent. "Maybe," he conceded as he peered over at him, Brian's eyes boring into his. "But I still need to hear you say it."
Brian nodded, feeling unexpectedly anxious. Why was it so important that Justin believe him? Deep down he knew the reason, but this was all such unfamiliar territory; hell, he had felt like a fish out of water ever since he had gotten here. But Justin made him feel less isolated, less like a pariah in this unfamiliar land. He made him feel like he was special. Justin made his heart feel emotions he hadn't even been sure he was capable of feeling. For just a moment, he realized how the Tin Man must have felt in the Wizard of Oz. Who would have imagined - Brian Kinney has a heart...
He swallowed hard; it was now or never. "Why don't you go sit over there on that log?" Brian suggested, nodding his head over at a large, downed oak tree lying on its side; the tree had been positioned there for so long that the bark had long worn off, providing a smooth surface just perfect for sitting on.
"Where are you going?" Justin asked in alarm as he watched as Brian turned and began to walk away. "Brian? I thought you wanted to talk to me." Now he was just going to leave?
Brian turned around and placed his hands on his hips with barely-disguised impatience. "You can be the most stubborn person, Justin Taylor. Will you please just do as I asked? I'm not going anywhere."
Justin eyed him cautiously, wondering just what he was up to, before he finally turned and trudged over to the downed oak tree and plopped down in frustration to sit on it with a grunt. He watched as Brian walked over to the hollowed-out tree that he had previously hidden his clothing in and pull out what appeared to be a folded up horse blanket of tartan grey and red.
Justin rolled his eyes. How subtle... "Brian, what the hell? I am not going to lie down on that blanket with you," he told him flatly. Did he think they could just go from their argument last night to having sex? Did he think he was that easily manipulated? One look at him and he couldn't wait to peel all his clothes off and let Brian do whatever he wanted with him? Well, he had news for him. He may be attracted to him, but he wasn't about to do just take everything lying down - literally. This boy had some serious explaining to do.
Brian sighed as he walked closer. "Just open it," he softly urged as he placed the folded blanket in Justin's hands. Justin frowned as he got a better look at it; it was definitely a horse blanket, but in addition to being folded, it was secured with a plain, black ribbon. He could also feel something hard and flat tucked in between the folds of the material. "What is this?" he asked curiously.
Brian quietly sat down beside him. "Open it," he entreated softly as he watched Justin place the item on his lap and pull the ribbon to loosen it. He held his breath anxiously as Justin unfolded one flap and then the other to display the contents inside: a fine quality, red leather art sketchbook emblazoned with a stallion on the front cover. Two large brass latches held the book firmly closed together. It was absolutely incredible.
Justin sat there speechless as Brian began to fret that he had made a mistake; his words tumbled out in a nervous sort of jumble now. "I hope you like it; I don't know anything about art books, but I thought it was perfect for you. I got you some art supplies, too," he told him. "They're back at the farmhouse in my bedroom. The lady at the art supply store in town helped me pick out what to buy for you, but I chose the sketchbook myself. I saw it in the window and thought it was meant for you."
Justin lovingly brushed his fingers over the embossed photo of the proud-looking horse displayed on the cover as Brian frowned with concern over his silence. "The saleslady told me it was one of the best books they carry," he explained. "But if you'd like to exchange it for something else, I kept the receipt..."
Justin shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat. "No," he managed to croak out in a choked voice as he gazed down at what was his dream sketchbook; he had gazed on that exact, same book so many times at the art supply store before that he had lost count. The rounded edges and sewn binding spoke of its high quality and craftsmanship, and he knew inside it held some handmade watercolor paper that was thick enough for whatever medium he decided to use for his drawing. There would be no way he could have ever afforded something this extravagant for himself; practically all his winnings went back into the family budget, leaving him with precious little extra spending money except for a modest allowance. This - and any other art supplies - would never have been possible for him.
"Justin?"
He turned his head to peer over into Brian's eyes locked on his. "It's...it's exquisite," he whispered, his eyes glistening. It was even more beautiful out of the display window. "How did you know?"
Brian shook his head, relieved that Justin apparently approved of his selection, but he was still a little confused. "Know what?" he pressed softly. "How much you would like it?"
"No, not that, not exactly," Justin responded as he looked back down at the treasured gift. "This is the same sketchbook that I would look at every time I passed the art store window." He ran his fingers over the smooth leather as he lifted his gaze to peer back over at Brian. "But there was no way I could ever buy it for myself." He placed the package down carefully on the log next to him as he told Brian, "It's as if you read my mind. How do you do that?"
Brian smiled slightly. "Do what?"
"Know what I need, what I want."
Brian stared into the beautiful face. "I know what I want, too," he whispered huskily as he reached to grasp Justin's hand; the skin was soft but slightly calloused on the underside, no doubt evidence of Justin constantly holding onto Headstrong's reins as he practiced. It was the hand of someone who worked hard at what he did. "Justin, I'm sorry about what I said last night. I never meant for it to come out the way it did." He lowered his gaze to avoid the luminous, blue eyes boring into his as he admitted, "It's just that I'm so damn attracted to you that it's hard to not want to be with you in every sense of the word." He lifted his head to chance gazing into Justin's face, hoping he wouldn't see rejection there. Brian reached over with his other hand and placed it under his chin. "But it's more than that. I do care about you; probably a lot more than you know." He leaned his face in closer as he whispered, "I...Justin, fuck, I want to kiss you so much..." His eyes traveled slightly downward to admire the full lips just begging to be ravaged, and his entire body tingled at the thought of that - and more... He lifted his eyes back up to see Justin flush in reaction to his actions.
His face warming at the sultry tone of Brian's voice, any doubts Justin had about how Brian felt about him quickly began to ebb away. "Brian..." he whispered as Brian's eyes challenged him to deny what both of them were feeling.
Brian's hand slid around Justin's neck to pull him in even closer; he gazed into his eyes, making sure this was what Justin wanted, too, before he finally pressed their lips firmly together. Their arms slid around each other's backs of one accord as Brian tilted his head to clamp his mouth even tighter over Justin's to deepen the kiss more, his tongue sliding out to demand a response. He thought he heard a whisper of a sigh before Justin's lips parted slightly in acquiescence and his tongue crept inside to steal a taste.
Time seemed to stand still as they continued to kiss, the only sounds being heard the light rustling of the trees above from the warm, soft breeze blowing, an occasional screech from a hawk or a 'pip' from a nearby squirrel. Neither boy paid the distinctly bucolic sounds any mind, however; they were much too caught up in their passion.
Justin's hands slid inside Brian's open shirt and roamed up his chest to brush against the older boy's nipples through the thin, cotton fabric; he heard a sharp intake of breath in reaction, which emboldened him to do some further exploring. His hands crept further upward as he pushed Brian's open shirt from his shoulders; Brian released his hold on Justin long enough to allow the fabric to fall downward to the ground before he reached over to slide his hands under Justin's shirt. He had to feel that smooth, warm, pale skin under his fingertips.
A few seconds later, Brian's hands gliding up the bare skin of his chest caused Justin to pull back, startled. When had Brian managed to snake his hands inside his shirt? He had been so caught up in their kiss and his own adoration of Brian's toned skin to even notice. They stared into each other's faces now, both reflecting the desire burning inside of them as Justin anxiously licked his lips, his heart thumping so hard. He knew he was playing with fire here; just one more minute and he understood he would be reaching the point of no return. How he had continually longed for this day in his dreams at night! But now that it seemed to be happening, he was scared out of his mind. Would he disappoint Brian? After all, anyone that looked like him had to have had all kinds of experience. Was he even ready for this?
Brian stilled his hands on Justin's skin. "What?" he asked softly; Justin's own hands were still lying, palms down, on his chest; Brian could feel Justin's body heat permeating through his thin tee shirt like a slow, smoldering fire.
"Brian...I've, I've never done this before..."
Brian reached his right hand up to cup Justin's cheek. "I figured as much," he told him gently, no hint of ridicule in his voice as he brushed some errant hair back from Justin's forehead. "Is this what you want?" Am I who you want? He thought he knew the answer; God, he wanted Justin so badly right now. But it had to be Justin's decision.
Desire rushed through Justin in response to Brian's touch and the concern in his voice; he was nervous as hell. Would he be able to satisfy Brian as a lover? What exactly did he know about that? But as he closed his eyes to heighten the feeling of Brian's gentle touch on his face, he knew there could only be one answer. His eyes slowly fluttered open to observe Brian gazing at him expectantly.
He bit his lip. "Brian..." he whispered out his companion's name as Brian slowly stroked his cheek and held his breath. "Yes. I want you..."
Brian nodded in relief; if Justin had rejected him, he wasn't sure what he would have done. He curled his hand around Justin's neck to urge him into another kiss before, finally, he pulled back to rise from the log to stand next to the other boy.
Justin stared into his eyes, his breath coming out in small pants of anticipation as he watched Brian reach down and carefully remove the sketchbook from its fleece covering and, placing it back down onto the log, look around for a good spot in which to place the blanket onto the ground. He spied a small area nearby obscured by some cedar trees that surrounded it, providing just the perfect amount of privacy and seclusion for their first time. Walking over to the area, he unfurled the blanket as it slowly settled down onto the grass-covered ground and then he returned to stand next to Justin, silently extending his hand downward in invitation.
Brian bestowed a gentle smile of reassurance on him before Justin placed his hand in his and Brian pulled him up to stand next to him. Never taking his eyes off him, he walked backward with Justin toward the blanket several feet away, stopping only when he reached the small grove of trees.
Brian gazed, dark-eyed, into Justin's face for a moment before he dropped his hand to allow Justin to pull his shirt off; a few moments later, the shirt fell to the ground as Brian reached for the hem of his own tee-shirt and quickly pulled it up over his head to join the other one; he noticed Justin's eyes evolve into a darker shade of blue as he walked a little closer to him. His fingers longed to yank the rest of Justin's clothing off so he could revisit the beauty he had first seen that day not so long ago when he had found Justin skinny dipping in the water, but he knew he needed to take things slowly with him.
So instead he opted to slide his arm around Justin's bare waist and pull him closer to steal one more kiss; a kiss that Justin all too willingly allowed as his own hands slid up Brian's now naked chest to settle on his collarbone.
Flushed with desire, Justin stared into Brian's eyes as they pulled apart several seconds later; he reached one hand tentatively up to lightly brush his fingers across Brian's lips as Brian's eyes dilated almost to a shade of dark chocolate.
"Lie down," Brian quietly urged him, thinking that perhaps that might be less intimidating to Justin the first time. Justin's tongue flicked out to wet his dry lips, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Brian, as he finally nodded and moved to do as Brian requested. He gazed up at Brian through hooded eyes a few seconds later from the blanket as Brian kneeled down by his waist and, his eyes locked on Justin's, reached over to unsnap the lone button of his jeans and slowly pull the zipper down.
Brian could see the prominent bulge through the fabric, indicating that Justin was just as aroused as he was; a pair of white briefs was evident underneath. His breath hitched in his throat as the significance of this moment hit him; how he had fantasized about this, ever since he had first laid eyes on Justin floating so sexily on the water!
His gaze lifted to meet Justin's and he noticed his blue eyes following his every move; he could hear soft pants escaping his lips.
Forcing himself to still his movements, he whispered, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Justin." He longed to tell him that he would never hurt him - and he wouldn't, not intentionally anyway - but he knew that would be a lie if he did. He knew the first time could hurt like a motherfucker, and he was done being less than candid with him.
As if he read his mind, Justin asked a little anxiously, "Will it hurt?"
Brian reached down to lightly stroke the side of his face in reassurance with the back of his hand. "I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, it will; at first. But once you work through the pain, trust me; it will be more than worth it." Justin swallowed hard but nodded against his hand as Brian gazed down at him; shit, this boy continued to take his breath away. Just the thought of seeing him totally naked under his scrutiny was making him hard as hell. If Justin backed out now...well, he didn't even want to consider the possibility. But as a testament to how much he was beginning to care deeply for him, he knew he needed to give him one more chance.
"You sure about this, Justin? You can still say no." Although it would fucking kill me...
Justin's heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings as he gazed up at the sexy boy kneeling beside him; he had seen Brian shirtless before, but he still couldn't help admiring the firm skin of his chest and his lightly-muscled arms. And his hands - just the touch of his fingers on his skin made his body tingle at the thought of what they might soon be doing to him elsewhere. He was both scared but also exhilarated at the thought of Brian inside his most private place; a place no one had ever been before. At the mere thought of it, his cock grew even harder and begged for the release that only Brian could provide for him. This was not going to be some jack off in the shower, or a wet dream fantasy that God knows he had experienced numerous times before; no, this was going to be the real thing.
"Brian, yes, God, yes, I want it. I want to know what it's like - with you."
Brian smiled a little, mainly in relief but also to reassure him as he demanded softly, "Raise your hips up." Justin lifted his pelvis just enough for Brian to curl his hands around the waistband of his jeans and briefs to slowly slide them down the slender legs; Justin's cock sprung immediately to attention, thick and proud under Brian's inspection. It was even more glorious than Brian had remembered, and he couldn't wait to taste it. He licked his lips almost subconsciously as Justin's face turned red.
"Don't be embarrassed, Justin," Brian immediately told him as his eyes locked onto his lover's. "You're fucking incredible," he explained sincerely, which just made Justin's face flush even more. "I think I know just how to take the edge off, and then we can really get down to business," he advised him huskily as he reached to curl his right hand around the silky, hot shaft, flicking his thumb over the slit that was already leaking pre-come. He used it to lubricate Justin's cock as he slowly began to slide his hand up and down, watching Justin's eyes widen in stunned arousal.
Justin gasped at the amazing sensation of Brian's hand sensually stroking him to perfection. It was so much more intense than anything he had ever done to himself, and it was almost indescribable: like a supernova on steroids. Something told him that even if he had all the experience in the world with other guys, nothing would compare to being with Brian.
"Feel good?" Brian asked him, his voice sultry as he stared down into the luminescent, expressive, blue eyes. He really didn't have to ask Justin that out loud, however; all he had to do was look at his face to know he was in nirvana at the moment.
All Justin could do was bite his lip and nod his head slightly as he curled his toes under in reaction; he could feel the pleasure radiating from every nerve in his body. Brian smirked knowingly as he began to slowly increase the pressure and speed of his movements, hearing small murmurs and whimpers of appreciation escaping the perfect, pink lips of his companion. He knew it would only take a few more seconds before Justin reached the point of no return, and then they could proceed onto the rest of their 'festivities.' He couldn't want to find out if the feisty spitfire who constantly sparred with him verbally was just as passionate in the throes of sex.
"Brian..." Justin struggled to get his name out as his breathing quickened and he felt his pending climax; he dug his fingernails into the blanket as it bunched under his touch, his body subconsciously arching up slightly as Brian continued to pump his hand up and down his cock until, finally, he cried out in uncontrollable pleasure and arched slightly off the blanket, shooting his come over Brian's hand, chest, and neck. Brian pumped his shaft a few more times before he finally released him, bringing his hand up to get his first taste of Justin's warm essence and finding it akin to an intoxicating combination of some sweet and salty ambrosia.
Sucking the come off his fingers one by one, Justin's face turned red over Brian's unabashed action; he had never seen someone so comfortable with his sexuality before - not even Jared - and it was like a whole new world was opening up for him. He lay there, feeling boneless and limp, wondering if Brian had made him feel this good merely by giving him a hand job, how was he going to feel when he fucked him? Maybe he would merely suffer a heart attack from the mind-blowing sensations and simply die of uncontrollable ecstasy instead. Either prospect at the moment seemed pretty damn good to him as his eyes traveled down Brian's face to his chest.
"Brian..." he whispered, his voice choked with need.
Brian peered down at him, his eyes raking over the pale, smooth skin, now slightly tinged with desire. God, this boy was amazing. He couldn't wait to memorize every inch of him. "Yes?"
"Your pants; I want them off," was the shy but firm command as Justin met his gaze evenly.
Brian smiled, impressed with Justin's forthrightness despite his lack of experience. "I thought you'd never ask," he told him. Taking a moment to use a corner of the blanket to clean himself off, he rose to his feet. He noticed Justin's eyes following his every movement as he unsnapped his jeans and dug into his pants pocket to retrieve a couple of condoms and a small tube of lube to toss them down onto the blanket before pulling the pants and a pair of tight, black briefs down his legs to settle at his ankles. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he noticed Justin lick his lips as he pulled off his boots and socks and tugged the rest of his clothing off to lie in a discarded heap near the blanket.
Now there were no more barriers between them as Brian stood there, his cock jutting out heavy and hard, a blatant sign of his desire for this boy who had mesmerized and intrigued him from the moment he had first seen him by the fence that day. He watched as Justin held out his hands toward him in silent invitation before he walked over to kneel back down on the blanket beside him and take him in his arms. He slid his hands around the slender back, his fingertips stroking the smooth flesh under his touch as he held onto him tightly. He could feel Justin's heart racing against his chest as he rested his head briefly in the crook of his neck. Pulling back slightly to look him in the face, he whispered, "Fuck, I want you, Justin. Last chance; I can't hold back any longer. Tell me now; tell me this is what you want, too." Never before would he have cared about any other boy's needs; it would be take and take and take some more until he got his thirst quenched. But with Justin, it was different; it was special. It was so much more.
"You know I do," Justin sputtered out breathlessly as he reached down between them and boldly squeezed Brian's cock for emphasis, evoking a groan from his companion. His body thrummed at the incredible sensation of holding Brian in his hand, the skin so hot and hard to his touch. He sucked in a breath over the realization that he was the cause of it. "I want this - I want you - inside me. I want you to teach me." Remembering what Brian had done for him earlier, he boldly slid his hand up and down the silky flesh, causing Brian to let out a ragged breath of repressed desire and quickly capture the roaming hand in his own.
"Shit, Justin!" he growled at him as he grasped the hand firmly in his. "Keep that up and I'll be over the edge before we start."
Justin turned bright red but nodded as Brian let go of his hand to rise back up on his knees and reach down to lightly trail his fingers along Justin's arm, watching him shiver under his touch before he whispered quietly, "Spread your legs, Justin." He gazed at the expanse of wiry, golden pubes framing the large, thick cock that he had just had the pleasure of indulging in, and he was momentarily tempted to steal another taste of it with his tongue this time, but he had more urgent needs to attend to first.
"Well, then...," Brian whispered as he stared into Justin's trusting eyes. "Get ready to learn."
A/N: Thanks as always to my beta, Boriqua522.:)