Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest!
Chapter 58 – The Remix, Part 1
Late Saturday Morning…(Day 48)
Melanie, Lindsay, Paul, and Brian
When Brian and Paul arrived at Starbucks they were surprised to find Melanie and Lindsay standing outside the coffee shop.
“So you missed me?” Brian began teasingly as soon as they got into the car, “You couldn’t wait to see me, huh? Melanie, you have no idea how touched I am,” he quipped, clutching his right hand to his chest.
“Will you shut up and drive, asshole,” Melanie fired back, “We were coming outside to call you again. We thought you had forgotten all about us.”
“I was trying my best, but Lindsay was with you,” Brian fired back, “You see, I was really looking forward to seeing her.”
Paul couldn’t contain his smile. “I see that things haven’t changed between you two. How are you Melanie? Lindsay?” he said, leaning over to give Lindsay a kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t pay any attention to them, Paul, how are you?” Lindsay asked with a warm smile.
“I’m sorry, Paul, it’s good to see you,” Melanie added cheerfully, “Even if you’re in the company of …”.
Brian felt he had endured enough, so he cut off Melanie’s impending tirade, mid-sentence.
“Sorry, I was late.” Brian related with a bit of genuine remorse. “I had to stop by to see Michael. Obviously, it took a lot longer than I expected,” he calmly relayed.
First Melanie and Lindsay took note of the apology. This was a major surprise for both of them, so they both made a mental note, but neither of them dared to say anything.
Then they next looked knowingly at one other, as each guessed what must of happened between Brian and Michael.
“How is Michael?” Lindsay eventually had the courage to ask.
“He’s not particular pleased with me at the moment. It seems that he has a problem with the fact that I formed a legalized domestic partnership with Justin,” Brian relayed nonchalantly.
Paul had to look over at Brian, trying to hide his surprise at how easily Brian just relayed the facts. Brian and Paul looked at each other and simply smiled. Lindsay and Melanie looked at each other again. Now they were completely shocked that Brian had relayed this most significant information so casually.
Without exchanging a word, both Melanie and Lindsay knew intuitively to tread carefully…this was a different Brian than the one that they were used to dealing with.
“So the rumors that I’ve heard are true,” Melanie quickly responded, “And you went all the way for the legalized domestic partnership. That takes a lot of balls for someone like you. But I couldn’t be happier for you and Justin. Congratulations for finally coming to your senses,” she said with a laugh. “When did this all happen?”
“Yesterday,” Brian related joyfully. “It just felt right.”
“Congratulations, Brian,” Lindsay managed to say.
“Thank you,” Brian said, happily accepting congratulations. “I know that you had some idea. I heard Gus telling you on the phone this morning, about the toasts we did last night.”
Lindsay laughed, “It took me a while to figure out what he was talking about. He talked about the bubbles tickling his nose; that’s when I knew, you were celebrating something.”
“It was after dinner,” Paul quickly said, “Jason and I convinced Brian and Justin to let us raise at least one glass of champagne to celebrate their new status. Nicky and Gus wanted to join in too, so they had sparkling cider. They had a ball.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You should have called us,” Lindsay commented with some hurt in her voice, “We would have loved to celebrate with you too.”
“Oh Lindsay, this wasn’t something we planned. It was just a spur of the moment thing after dinner,” Paul said to clarify things. “Now that you’re coming out for lunch, we can toast Brian and Justin all over again. Believe me, Gus and Nicky won’t mind in the least,” Paul said quickly with a laugh.
Lindsay began to feel better. Now she knew that she was not deliberately excluded from some aspect of Brian and Justin’s life. This was truly an impromptu event.
“You know how I feel about celebrations,” Brian said seriously. “I only celebrate achievements,” he said, and then he laughed. “But I guess the fact that I managed to get the blond to go through with this…is reason enough to continue celebrating.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Lindsay asked. “What does he have to lose?”
Melanie reached over and gently touched he partner to caution her, for Lindsay was about to head into dangerous waters.
“Sure I gave him the rights to everything that I own now or will own in the future, but he gave me the rights to everything he owns at the moment and everything he will own in the future too. That’s quite a lot when you think about it. I’m going to have a really lavish old age,” Brian added with a laugh. “Just wait until my partner becomes an internationally renowned artist. He’s going to be even more famous than he is now…not to mention that he’s going to be very rich. I’m going to be so pampered in a few years.”
“I see that you’ve planned this well,” Paul quipped. “Your future is secure. Of course, you still have to share Justin with Gus.”
“Yes, that’s true…” Brian quietly acknowledged.
“What is that?” Lindsay asked. “What is that about sharing Justin with Gus?”
“You know how Gus feels about Justin,” Brian proceeded to relate. “Gus thinks that I did all of this, so that Justin would belong to both Gus and me forever. I tried to correct his perception, but his little six-year-old mind doesn’t seem to get it,” he continued with a laugh.
“Nothing unusual there, Lindsay! Nicky feels the same way,” Paul added. “Nicky and Gus even insisted that they keep Justin company in his studio this morning. They both managed to get paint everywhere; they’ve never been happier,” he added with a laugh.
“I see Justin’s technique hasn’t changed. I don’t know how he manages to get any paint on the canvas,” Lindsay teased with a laugh. “Gus used to be so neat with his art. Now he’s copying Justin’s messiness too. I don’t know what to do about it,” she relayed with mock exasperation.
“Not to mention he now has to wear Brian’s shirt whenever he does anything artistic,” Melanie added with a laugh.
“Don’t mention the shirt,” Paul interrupted, “That’s still a sore subject with both us.”
Lindsay couldn’t resist laughing as she saw the pained expressions on the faces of both men. “Don’t worry… you two will get over it.”
“I’m so glad that Justin finally agreed to invite us out to the house. You know that Lindsay and I have been dying to see it,” Melanie said gleefully.
“Wait until you see it,” Paul said with a laugh, “It really is a mansion, but once you get inside, it has a cozy feel. It’s really very different than the loft.”
“Yes, in the house, Justin and I have to carry cell phones so we can find each other,” Brian teased.
“Knowing you and Justin,” Paul teased, “I find it hard to believe that you two are ever far enough apart to need them.”
“Are you done?” Brian asked, trying to fake a glare.
“Not quite,” Paul continued, “And wait until you meet Thomas and Teres.”
“Paul!” Brian said.
“Sorry,” Paul remarked, trying to sound apologetic, but failing miserably.
“Thomas and Teres?” Lindsay asked with renewed interest.
“They were supposed to be the caretakers. But with Justin getting ready for shows and my travel schedule, they’ve somehow managed to take over our lives,” Brian said with a sigh, “You’ll see what I mean when you meet them. I’m convinced that Thomas never sleeps, and Teres just told Paul, Jason, and me that our planning skills left much to be desired. We tried to explain to her that we do this for a living, but for some reason Teres didn’t seem to be at all impressed. Now you see what I have to put up with,” he continued to complain.
Once again, Lindsay and Melanie couldn’t contain their laughter.
At that point, Brian started to slow down to turn into the driveway at Bri-tin.
“We’re here,” Paul said joyfully, “Now as Brian drives into the driveway, take a minute and take it all in,” he quietly suggested, clearly acting as an experienced guide.
“Paul, aren’t you done yet?” Brian turned to him and asked with mocked annoyance.
“Not quite,” Paul replied with a smirk.
Lindsay and Melanie couldn’t help smiling at the banter between the two old friends. However, they both immediately followed Paul’s suggestion and took in their first view of the house. They were absolutely stunned into silence by what they were seeing. Melanie was not surprised by the grandeur, but she was impressed none-the-less. Lindsay, on the other hand, was simply overwhelmed by the house.
At first, Lindsay found it difficult to breathe when she remembered that this was the house that Brian bought as an engagement present for Justin. And if the rumors were true, this was the house where Brian asked Justin to marry him a year ago. For Lindsay, in a lot of ways, this house was symbolic of their union.
Then Lindsay began to remember things she had tried to ignore in the past, and she felt like she was beginning to understand, just how much Brian loved Justin. And the artistic spirit within Lindsay went completely romantic, as she sought to understand the symbolism…and the size and scope of the house made sense…when you realize that the house had to try to contain all the love that Brian felt for Justin.
In that instant, Lindsay finally got it all. And seemingly without her knowledge, a solitary tear made its way down her cheek.