All The Charm

Chapter 3

(Friday)
“I can’t believe that Brian would want to have a family dinner.” Mel said as they drove over and parked in front of the loft.

“I know, but give him the benefit of the doubt,” Lindsay said as they made their way up in the elevator.

“I don’t care what…Oh My God.” Mel stopped in the doorway. She was shocked. There was new furniture and a large dinning room table set for everyone, even a high chair for Gus. But what shocked her even more was the fact that Justin was sitting on the couch sketching, and Brian was not only cooking but he was wearing an apron.

“Hey Bri.” Lindsay finally said, just as shocked as Mel.

“Hey.” Brian leaned over and kissed her and Gus. “Have a seat; you guys want something to drink?”

“Sure.” They said letting Gus down so he could find Justin.

“Hey Sunshine. Could you get them something to drink?” Brian yelled over his shoulder as Justin picked up and hugged Gus. “Sure Bri.”

Within another hour, everyone had arrived accept Charlie. They all noticed the extra place next to Brian with Charlie’s nameplate.

“Well let’s get this started.” Deb said. Everyone agreed.

Brian went to shut the door when Charlie burst thru.

“Sorry I’m late. But I had a meeting.” Charlie apologized.

“It’s OK.” Brian said giving her a kiss and shut the door.

Everyone just stared. Other than Michael, Deb, Vic, and Justin no one had met Charlie. Lindsay, Mel, Ted, Emmett, and Ben just stared. It was a little like looking at a female version of Brian.

“Hi, I am Charlie. Bri I have four accounts I want you to look at.” She said as she lifted her briefcase. “Something smells good. What is it?”

“Something you taught me how to cook.” Brian smiled, “Let’s eat.”

“Charlie, how do you know Brian?” asked Lindsay as Charlie sat down next to Brian.

“I have known Brian for, what thirty years. At least I remember and have pictures from thirty years ago.” Charlie said as they passed the food around.

“Thirty years? Wow, Brian I didn’t know you’ve had a friend that long. She’s even female. At least we know you haven’t fucked her,” Emmett said.

Michael stopped eating; Deb and Vic looked at Brian, who was looking at Justin and Charlie. “Actually, the have.” Michael said placidly.

“What?” Ted, Emmett, Ben, Mel, & Lindsay said in unison. Eating had stopped. Justine stared at Brian like he had never seen him before and he never wanted to see him again. Brian watched Justin. He hadn’t told him anything other than that he’d known Charlie for a while. Justin got up and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Charlie saw Brian about to get up and touched his arm, “No. Let me go and talk to him?” She got up and went to the bathroom, opened the door, went in and locked the door.

“Justin.” Charlie watched him sitting on the toilet crying. “Justin, were sorry. Brian should have told you about us. The only reason Michael knows is because he walked in on us.” Justin looked up.

“But why didn’t he tell me about you? Doesn’t he trust me? Doesn’t he…” He broke off looked down at his hands. What’s he think I am gonna do? Leave him?”

“Yes, but he does love you. We have an easy relationship, It is completely sexual one-way, and completely emotional another way. I will blame myself for the way he turned out. His view on relationships mirrors mine. On Wednesday when we went my apartment,” Justin looked up, not sure he wanted to hear this, “we kissed, but nothing happened. He actually felt guilty for kissing me. He loves you a lot, more than anyone. I am just one of his best friends and the last time we had sex was about six years ago. At which time we were both extremely high and drunk.”

“But if he loves me why can’t he just tell me? Why can’t he tell me about his past? He tells Lindsay and Michael that he loves them all the time, and they know more about him than I do. Why can’t he just tell me?” Justin looked so little as he said this, Charlie knew she had to have a talk with Brian and soon.

“He’s afraid. He feels that maybe you’ll grow tired of him and leave. He feels that if he doesn’t say it that It won’t hurt as much when it happens. He is wrong, Justin. He needs to tell you. I’m going to have to talk with him tonight. You can stay and listen if you want, but I am going to do it tonight when everyone else leaves, ok?”

“Thanks.” Justin gave her a small smile.

“No prob, I just love him too much to see him throw this away.” She said. “Lets throw some cold water on your face and get composed. Give him a kiss when we get back out, it will make him feel better.” They laughed.

Meanwhile at the table.

“Fuck you Michael” Brian was seriously pissed. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Brian it’s ok. Justin will be fine.” Lindsay said as she patted his arm.

“I agree with Brian, Michael. That was completely uncalled for.” Emmett said, with Ted, Vic, and Deb all nodding in agreement.

Michael was mad. It wasn’t his fault. “Well Bri, if you hadn’t wanted it to turn out this way then you should have told Justin.”

“Well I didn’t think you would open your big mouth. What happened years ago I might add, between me and Charlie, stay between me and Charlie, until I had planed to tell Justin.”

They stopped the conversation when the bathroom door opened and Charlie and Justin came out. Justin walked over to Brian and kissed him. Charlie took her seat. Brian stared at Justin as he walked back to his seat and then over to Charlie, who said, “We’ll talk later. Let’s finish dinner.”

They finished dinner telling Charlie stories of Brian being Brian over the past five years. Gus, who usually didn’t take to new people well, demanded that Charlie hold him. About an hour after Michael’s statement, they all thought it was time to leave.

“Well thanks for coming.” Brian said as everyone got their coats.

“Well I have to say I was scared especially when I saw you cooking, but it was good.” Mel said smiling for once at Brian. Brian smiled back, “Everything will go back to normal tomorrow.” They all laughed.

“Bye, Lins, bye Sunny boy.” Brian kissed them both, and they left.

Michael left with out saying anything, Ben following, “Thanks Brian.”

Deb, Vic, & Emmett hugged Justin. Deb hugged Brian, “See you tomorrow morning.” And they all left with Ted.

“Alright, we are going to talk. Justin you can stay or go. But if you stay please stay in the bedroom,” Charlie stated, Justin nodded. He wanted to stay. He grabbed his CD player and one of his sketchbooks and went into the bedroom.

“Sit.” Charlie said from the couch where she was sitting.

“Now you’re going to listen to me and not say anything until I’m done.” Charlie looked at Brian, who nodded. Charlie reached for Brian and pulled him into her lap. He leaned back into her in between her legs. Justin saw then they were facing him. It was a picture perfect moment. He started sketching. Brian felt Justin’s eyes on them and he heard the pencil moving across the page, he chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?” Charlie asked as she thought they were going to start this conversation.

“He is sketching us.” Brian Laughed, as did Charlie when she looked up at Justin. That is where she should start.

“Brian tell me how you feel about Justin. No bullshit. Tell me. He can’t hear you.” Charlie felt Brian tense at what she was asking. “Please hurry you are wrinkling my Armani suit.”

Brian chuckled at her remark and knew she was only trying to lighten the tension he felt, “I…”

“You what? Why don’t we start at why you love him and then maybe we can say it? What attracts you to him, other than his ass? It is perfect you know.”

“Yeah, it is. His mind, for one. He is probably one of the smartest people I know other than you.” She laughed. He continued, “I tell you how we met? He was seventeen, standing under a streetlamp next to Babylon. He looked so innocent; I just had to have him.”

“Man you picked him up to fuck and he has lasted for three years? Jesus Brian, you must have felt something to pick him up off a street corner.” Charlie laughed.

“Well,” Brian ignored Charlie’s laughing, “we get back to the loft, I thought he was going to run back out. Fast-forwarding we end up in bed and I am giving him a hand job, and the phone rings. It’s Melanie saying that Lindsay had the baby. I told him to get up and out. I found out he was only seventeen and he couldn’t go home so I took him with me. I am still not sure why.”

“Wow. You took him to meet your son for the first time? Man you must have felt something for him.” Charlie looked down at Brian. She realized his love went deeper than he even thought possible. “Well what changed?”

She felt him tense. Brian’s voice cracked, “I shouldn’t have gone. My thirtieth birthday was the same week as his prom. He asked me to go and I said no, but somehow I ended up going anyway. We danced in front of everyone. We left and planned to meet up later at the loft because he was taking Daphne home. Then Chris Hobbs, who was some ass whole from his school, came up behind him and hit him with a baseball bat. He was too far away from me to stop him. Justin was in a coma and then he was in therapy, I just couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t remember the dance. He couldn’t remember the fact that what I did showed him that I loved him.” Brian started to shake. Charlie wrapped her arms around him in support.

“He moved back in with me. He had first moved in with me when his dad kicked the shit out of me and Justin told him that he wasn’t going home again. Anyway his drawing hand had been damaged from the hit to his head. I helped him by buying that computer.” He pointed to the computer in the corner. “We had a bump when he thought that I took him in because I felt guilty. But I couldn’t tell him that I did it because I love him so we made up these rules: one- no tricks twice, two- no names or numbers, three- home by three am, and four- no kissing on the mouth other than each other. Then I fucked up I guess. Too many things went wrong, I couldn’t tell him I loved him, so I pushed him away and he left me for a fiddler who he had been cheating on me with.”

“Bri, that’s your fault that you broke up on the first place, but I know it’s hard to change habits after so long. If you love him tell him before it is too late.” Charlie said. “Just think about it Brian. I fell for someone and didn’t tell them until it was too late. He died in a car accident. We had been seeing each other for four years. I don’t know if I will even love again but I’ll know what to do next time. You have been given two chances already; soon you’re going to run out of them.”

Justin who had finished his sketch had been listening to them talk. He knew he shouldn’t have been but he was. He watched as Brian stood and pulled Charlie into a hug. Justin saw Brian pull back and kiss her. Brian leaned over and whispered something to Charlie who nodded. Brian turned and walked into the bedroom. “Justin can you come into the living room?”

Justin stood and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Brian walked back in and sat at the opposite end of the couch. Charlie sat on one of the bar stools watching them.

“Justin, I…I wanted to tell you something that I should have told you a long time ago. There are certain things I would have changed if I could go back that I am sorry for.” Brian looked down at his hands while Justin looked over at Charlie who was smiling.

“Justin, I…” He looked at Charlie, who nodded and smiled, “I love you Justin, always have and I always will.”

Justin turned and smiled at Brian, who looked worried about his reaction. “Brian, I love you too.” Justin launched himself into Brian’s arms and kissed him. They pulled back breathless.

“Charlie, do you need a place to crash?” Brian asked, Justin looked annoyed at the question, he was thinking of making love to Brian the man who loves him.

“If you guys don’t mind. I had a little too much to drink.” Charlie saw the look on Justin’s face, “But you two can fuck like bunnies or whatever it is you do. Just give me your walkman.” Justin laughed. “I’ll probably pass out the minute I lay my head down anyways.”

Brian went into the bedroom and got a pair of sweats, a wife beater, and a blanket for Charlie.

“Thanks, Have a good night guys.” They went into the bedroom. While Brian went into the bathroom, Justin looked into the living room and saw Charlie changing. He realized why Brian thought she was sexy. Brian came up behind him and whispered, “Like what you see?”

“Umm, she is sexy for a female. I can understand what you see in her.” Justin said nervously.

He turned and went to get in bed. Brian went over to check on Charlie, who had more or less passed out. “G’nite Bri, have fun. Hehe.”

“Sleep well Charlie, you always were more philosophical when you were drunk.” He kissed her forehead as she fell asleep. “Lets celebrate.” He attacked Justin. When they finally fell asleep around 4am, they were sedated. Brian realized he didn’t need anyone else but Justin. He knew Charlie had been right and that he felt better. He was in love. Life was good. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.