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The End Done Right
by Vamphile
Chapter Three
Brian grabbed a cart and braced himself, he hated grocery shopping and doing so with Justin was going to be a lesson in patience, he already knew that about him.
He headed off to the left, and Justin grabbed the cart and pulled in the other direction. “All the frozen food and refrigerated stuff in on the left, you have to start on the right or the ice cream will be melted before we get to the checkout.”
“Who said we’re buying ice cream?”
“Brian, this way” Justin pulled the cart
“Christ, you really are a good little housewife”
“And you love me for it” Justin stood on the bottom of the cart and leaned over to kiss Brian. They moved on to the produce section.
“You know” Justin said “that was probably a bad idea”
“The grapes” Brian asked, “I thought you liked grapes.”
“Not the grapes you dope, the kiss, we’re not exactly on Liberty Avenue anymore”
“No we’re not” Brian said as he walked around the cart and pulled Justin closer, “but that’s not going to get me to stop kissing you”
“Brian” Justin giggled as he felt the hot breath on his neck.
“Fine” Brian said, “no touching” and he continued to walk the produce section, tossing a few things into the cart, pretending not to notice Justin pouting behind him.
“I didn’t say NO touching”
Brian turned back and pulled Justin closer again and whispered in his ear “I don’t do anything halfway”
Justin nibbled his earlobe and whispered back “and I love you for it.”
They meandered through the aisles buying everything a kitchen might need, spices, oils, flour, sugar, all the basics, and while doing so they were chatting amicably about the house.
“So, we should really have the bathroom remodeled” Justin said
Brian raised an eyebrow, but listened
“We should get a double headed steam shower”
“Is the honeymoon over already? You can’t stand being close to me in the shower?”
A customer pushed her cart by them and gave them an odd look, Justin leaned in closer to Brian and kissed him again “I love being close to you in the shower, but at some point, we may have to admit that we do need to get clean and leave said shower”
“We did, we did that today”
“Once all the hot water was gone”
“How does this make a double shower head steam shower thing you’re talking about more efficient as far as time goes?”
Justin scrunched up his face trying to come up with a reasonable excuse for wanting one and finally he found it “Because I want one!”
Brian laughed, “that is the best reason you’ve given me yet…I’ll call the contractor tomorrow.”
“Really?” Justin was literally jumping up and down like a little kid.
“Yeah, really, the house needs a lot of work, ugh” Brian rolled his eyes “and furniture, I think we’re gonna have to buy some furniture”
Justin laughed, we defiantly need at least a sofa and a bed…or if not a bed a second pillow, I can’t drool on your shoulder every night” he blushed at the memory
Brian stood stock still, his breath was suddenly shallow, but he shook it off, it was just a moment, but seeing the boy blush, he had forgotten he still did that, it was something he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to.
“Yeah, we need to get you a pillow” If it were up to Brian, the kid could drool on his shoulder every night, but he could see the basic common sense in having more than one pillow on a bed for two.”
“And the stables”
“What about them?” Brian asked
“Well, I figured they’d get the best light, so I could put a studio up in the stables, but it has to get done kind of fast, cause I have got to get some work done. Or I guess I could just rent a space somewhere.”
Brian smiled, not ready to reveal all the houses surprises just yet. “We’ll get it done fast”
While unloading the groceries and trying to decide where everything should go the continued to amicably chat about possible renovations.
“Really, that’s Gus’s room?”
“Yeah” Brian replied, “at least I always figured it was”
“Then why is your bed in it?”
“It was the very first door at the top of the stairs”
“And the boxes in the parlor?”
“Parlor?”
“Yes, that’s the official name for a formal sitting room, which is what that’s supposed to be”
“Oh, well, the boxes are there because.”
“Let me guess,” Justin cut him off “it was closest to the door”
Brian smiled, “got it in one”
“So, you switched from Jim Beam to single malt scotch, and other than that, have made not a single change in your life or this house?”
“Oh I made changes to my life, just no changes to the house, and Christ, my decorator called daily for three weeks before I finally had to tell him to fuck off… um, Justin, I think we’re gonna need a new decorator”
“You tell lots of people to fuck off, surely you can apologize”
“I’m not so sure, he caught me at a really bad time”
“Brian, what did you say to him?”
“I honestly don’t remember exactly, but there was an implied bestiality reference, and a mention about finding nicer crap at target than what he could provide”
Justin doubled over with laughter. In the several changes the loft had gone through over the years Justin had run into Brian's decorator on a few occasions. He made Emmet look straight, and like a Spanish telenovella seem low key on the drama, Justin couldn’t stop laughing as he pictured the mans reaction to Brian telling him that target had nicer stuff. When he finally wiped his eyes of tears he pulled it together long enough to agree “we’re gonna need a different decorator…or”
“Or?”
”Or, we could do it ourselves”
”Fuck that”
Justin approached Brian, leaning into him, kissing his neck, and whispering, “it could be fun”
“Lots of things are fun, haggling with contractors and furniture suppliers are not on that list, plus you have to concentrate on your show, and I still have a business to run, we’re getting another decorator, I’ll have Cynthia find someone”
“Shit, Brian, I have to get art supplies, I’m gonna have to rent a van, there’s no way it’ll fit in your car”
“Justin we’re in the suburbs, we’re gonna have to get you a car period”
“Okay, we’ll get a second car but I’m paying for it”
“The fuck you are”
“Why cant’ I pay for my own car?”
“Because I don’t’ want some piece of shit leaking oil on our lovely driveway or breaking down on the turnpike all the time”
“And of course I’d buy a piece of shit. Brian, do you have any idea how many canvasses I sold when I was in New York, or how much they went for?”
“Yes, I do, you sold all 14 that were ever up for sale, at an average cost of $6500.00 per piece, after taxes, and gallery commissions your net worth is somewhere in the area of fifty thousand dollars, almost enough to pay back your school loan, but hardly enough to buy a car and the supplies you’ll need for the show.
Justin stared at him
Brian shrugged “Ted’s your accountant, and teddy works for me”
“So he broke client confidentiality?
“No, I just searched his files”
“So you were checking up on me”
“All the damn time”
Justin wanted to be mad, but he wasn’t.
Justin pouted, “you’re going to ask me to pay back the loan rather than buy the car and supplies I need?’
“No, but you do need that money for art supplies, and…”looking Justin up and down, “some clothes that are NOT covered in paint. I’ll tell you what; we’ll buy the car together. You make the down payment, and I’ll cover the payments”
“Fine, but only because I’m gonna need a lot of supplies, they want at least 40 pieces done by October, and I’ve got a few already planned, in multiple media”
“Shit, Brian, I’m gonna have to rent studio space, there’s no way the stables could be done in time”
“You’re right, the stables will never be done in time, but come here”
“Where are you taking me?”
Brian tucked two fingers through the waist of his pants and pulled Justin forward. They walked through the kitchen to the utility room, with a washer and dryer and huge sink, beyond that was another door; Justin hadn’t paid any attention to this space when he had been examining the house. He had ducked his head in, noticed a laundry room and ducked his head back out. But Brian led him through the door into the most beautiful space he’d ever seen.
“They called it the sun room, but I had it renovated a little, it was going to be your wedding present”
“The room was perfect, warm tile floors, and light coming in from every angle.
“Look” Brian pointed out, the shades are on a remote, so you can vary and filter the light anytime you want, plus, Enormous amounts of storage, a huge sink, and my personal favorite feature…”
He led Justin further into the depths of the room where there were already a few easels and some un-stretched canvases waiting for him. In the corner next to the large industrial sink was another door, and inside was a small bathroom, with a shower, a full steam shower that shot from twelve different points along the wall
“This way, you don’t have to traipse through the house covered in paint.”
Justin was in tears “you did this for me?”
“I do everything for you, I thought you were on to me about that”
“I thought I was, but you keep fucking surprising me”
”so, do you think you can work here? There’s a stereo in the corner, and…”
Brian’s verbal tour of the room was truncated by a passionate kiss from Justin.
Justin turned on the new shower, and got the water as hot as he could stand it, and then he dragged Brian, clothes and all into it with him. And together, they christened the new shower, and then the new studio space. And when they were sure they were completely exhausted, they threw their wet clothes into the washing machine, and then christened the utility room.
Brian found the pack of cigarettes he’d rescued from his jacket pocket, they had been protected from the shower by the leather of his jacket. He lit two and gave one to Justin.
He sat on top of the washer, Justin hoisted himself onto the dryer and they sat together in silence for a few minutes.
“So tomorrow, we buy a car.”
“Justin smiled, and today, we go back out and buy a pillow”
Brian groaned but he knew there was no getting out of it…
”Right, as soon as you can walk again, we’re off to shop for a pillow, a waterproof one.”
Justin blushed again, and Brian talked himself down from christening the hallway outside the utility room.
They spent the rest of the day catching up on the little things in Brian's life since the non-wedding incident.
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