"Coup de Foudre" 138
Surprise!
Yes, I'm back! Brian and Justin and Gus meet up with Diane and the Hollywood Gang.
By Gaedhal
Los Angeles, November 2016
“They’re here,” said Diane Rhys. “Brian! Gus! Over here! Make room, you guys.”
Dorian Folco and his partner, Peter Marx, sighed and moved their chairs closer. It was already packed at Ruby’s, the most popular dinner venue in West Hollywood.
“We’re going to need another chair, darling. Brian’s brought a blond boytoy with him,” said Dorian.
“Hush! That’s his new boyfriend from Pittsburgh,” said Diane. “And he looks like a total cutie, so you guys better be good.”
“Do you think he’s heard about Jimmy?” Peter asked.
Diane rolled her eyes. “Astronauts on the Space Station have heard about Jimmy Hardy and his great ‘coming out’!”
“Wait,” Peter frowned. “You mean there’s still a Space Station?”
Dorian smirked. “My dear, it’s a good thing you are so decorative, because current events are not your forté! Now shut up and don’t let Brian hear us gossiping.”
Peter snorted. “Of course not! Gossip is too lowly for…”
“Greetings, serfs and vassals!” said Brian. “You may all rejoice, because Brian Kinney has returned!”
Diane jumped up and threw her arms around him. “Bridie! I’m so glad to see you! And you’re looking great!”
“Don’t lie, Lady Di,” said Brian. “I look like shit. But at least I have a good reason. I’m officially brain-damaged, so anything I say can’t be held against me.”
“Brian, you’re not brain-damaged,” Justin breathed. “So don’t keep saying that.”
“And this, peons, is my nursemaid, my mother hen, my self-appointed Guardian Angel.” Brian slipped his arm around Justin’s shoulders. “My boyfriend - how I detest the word! - Justin Taylor.”
“Justin!” Diane turned her attention away from Brian. “Welcome! I’m so glad to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I can imagine,” said Justin, laughing. “And I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”
“Enough with all this chatty bullshit,” said Gus. “I want my pretty little girl.” He elbowed his way past Diane to where her daughter, Mia, was sitting in a highchair. “Hey, Princess! Remember me?”
“Gus!” she clapped her hands. “Gus here!” Then she began banging her spoon against the tray.
“Now you’ve got her started,” said Diane. “She wants out of that chair, but then she’ll run all over Ruby’s and cause a rumpus.”
“Then let the Rumpus begin!” Gus pulled her out of the highchair. “She can sit on my lap, can’t you, Princess?”
“On Gus lap!” she crowed gleefully.
“It’s too bad you don’t live in L.A. anymore,” said Dorian. “Diane is always looking for a good nanny. That last one only lasted two weeks.”
“Carmel is back in town,” said Brian, settling into a chair, while Justin sat down next to him. “And since I’m selling the house, she could probably use something to take up her time.”
“I thought she was going to retire?” Justin asked.
Brian shrugged. “You know Carmel. She’ll be bored shitless after a couple of weeks. Did she say anything to you today?”
“Well,” said Justin. “She said she was already sick of hanging out with her niece and her husband.”
“There you go. You should give her a call, Diane. After all, she practically raised THAT one.” Brian nodded at Gus. “He didn’t turn out so badly.”
“I think that’s a fab idea!” Diane said gleefully. “So you’re really selling Ron’s house?”
Dorian frowned. “Diane! You said you wouldn’t start this.”
“I know,” Diane pouted. “But… I can’t believe you’re going to sell it! And leave Los Angeles! I mean, Brian! What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that my life is in Pittsburgh now,” Brian said. “Kinnetik is there, Gus is in school and doing great. And…” He glanced at Justin. “My life is there now. It was a beautiful ten years, but it’s time for me to get back to the real world and for me that’s the Pitts.”
“Oh, Bridie!” Diane sniffed and pulled out a handful of Kleenex.
“You’ll live, Lady Di,” said Brian. “And you still have a pack of queers at your beck and call. Right, fellas?”
“Oh, she’s a First Rate Fag Hag, no doubt about it,” said Peter.
“I detest that term,” said Dorian.
“Fruit Fly, then,” Peter said.
“Oh, Dori!” said Diane. “You’re so predictable. I know I should have married you when I had the chance. You would have made the best ex-husband!”
Brian snorted. “You mean you might have caught him on a day when he wasn’t gay?”
“I’m not gay,” Dorian insisted. “I’m bisexual.”
Everyone at the table laughed at that, including Mia.
“Yeah, I have a friend who banged a bull-dyke for Jesus about 15 years ago and he’s still screaming about being bisexual,” said Brian. “No one believes him, either.”
“You’re all just bi-phobic,” Dorian proclaimed grandly. “I’m European and we understand fluid sexuality much better than you rigid Americans.”
Peter patted Dorian’s hand. “I understand you, honey. And if you want to have a threesome with some starlet in one of your movies, I’m willing to give it a go. After all, I was married to a woman myself. My high school girlfriend.”
Justin listened with interest. “How long did it last?”
Peter winced. “Until I saw her cousin at the wedding reception. We did it in the men’s room while she was getting ready to throw the bouquet.”
“Now you sound like Brian!” Diane cracked. “He never could resist a cute waiter! No offense, Justin.”
“None taken,” said Justin. “Since I was a waiter myself.”
“There you go,” said Brian. “And speaking of waiters, let’s order. I’m fucking starving!”
Ruby’s was a fun spot, but the food wasn’t its biggest attraction. It was mainly noted for being the place in West Hollywood to see and be seen - and to trade all the latest gossip, of course.
Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy. That’s all everyone was talking about.
“It was no surprise to me,” said Brian, pushing away the remnants of his congealing spaghetti carbonara. “Jesus. I knew I should have gotten the bacon burger. Anyway, almost from the minute I came out here, Ron was warning me not to let Jimmy get me backed into a corner. Jimmy was his best friend, but he had no illusions about what Jimmy was capable of.”
“But to be so public about it!” Diane marveled. “Tess must be freaking out.”
“I doubt that,” said Brian. “Tess is no fool. I’m sure she has an expensive shark of a lawyer and she’ll take Jimmy for everything she can get. And more power to her!”
“And this new guy! No one knows who the hell he is,” said Peter.
“I know who he is,” Brian said. “He’s my ex-physical therapist. Jimmy met him in Pittsburgh.”
Dorian blinked. “What on earth was Jimmy Hardy doing in Pittsburgh?”
“Chasing Dad,” said Gus. “I think Mia is out like a light, Diane.”
“Poor baby! It’s getting late,” said Diane, scrambling through her Hermès bag for her keys. “As much as I hate to miss all the dirt, we better head home. You can update me tomorrow, Dori. And can you text me Carmel’s number, Bridie? I can at least ask her if she’d be interested in nannying for Mia.”
“Will do, Lady Di.”
Diane kissed all the boys and then Gus carried Mia out to her car.
“Gus is going to miss his sister,” Justin said quietly.
“I’ll make sure they see each other,” Brian vowed. “I don’t want him to lose touch with her like he has with Jenny Rebecca. That’s his other sister,” he explained to Dorian and Peter. “When Gus’s mother Lindsay and her partner split up, Melanie moved to Florida and took her kid. Since then it’s been hit and miss.”
“I didn’t know you had another child,” said Dorian.
“I don’t. Jenny is the daughter of my friend Michael. Melanie rejected my sperm.”
“Her loss,” Justin added.
“I want to know more about this physical therapist!” said Peter. “The word is that he’s… well, that he’s a major beauty!”
“That much is true,” Brian admitted. “He’s hot as Hades. He’s also a nice, naïve kid. I’m afraid Jimmy will chew him up and then spit him out when he’s finished with him.”
“Danny’ll land on his feet,” said Justin. “I don’t think he’s as naïve as you think. But I hope he has a good lawyer, too!”
“Tess can always give him a referral. Funny how things turn out,” Brian mused. “Ron would definitely laugh his ass off about all this.”
“The last laugh will be on Jimmy… I hope!” Justin said.
“And speaking of Ron,” said Dorian. “I wish he were here, because I’d have some good news for him - and for you, too, Brian.”
“For me?”
“Yes,” said Dorian. “That gay comic book, ‘Rage.’ Didn’t you have something to do with it?”
“Brian was the inspiration,” said Justin. “I always thought he should play the part in the movie instead of Connor James.” Justin looked at Brian, who shrugged. “But then the studio canceled it, so it’s a moot point.”
“Yes, and Brett Keller let the option lapse,” said Dorian. “About a year ago Ron told me that he was trying to pick up the option on ‘Rage.’ He thought the time was finally right for a gay superhero. He thought he’d be able to get the movie made as an independent project, so he wouldn’t need to jump through all the studio hoops that tripped up Keller.”
“Ron never said anything about this to me,” said Brian. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Dorian confirmed. “I was working on it with him. He… he wanted it to be a surprise. He knew how happy it would make you. And your friends, the ones who created ‘Rage,’ they’d get another substantial payment for the rights.”
“Shit,’ Brian whispered. “I knew Ron was working on something, but he never told me it was ‘Rage.’”
“When he died,” Dorian continued. “I decided to resume the process. And now I own the rights. I’ve hired an excellent gay screenwriter, Barkley Archer, to do the script. I’m hoping we can start filming in England by next fall.”
Justin looked at Brian questioningly. “Why England?”
“Because we can get funding there,” said Dorian. “And I prefer filming in London. It was my home for many years and I’m comfortable there. This is going to be a different kind of ‘Rage’ than Brett Keller had in mind. This isn’t going to be about special effects. It’s going to be darker, more focused on the relationship between Rage and J.T., more of an indie feel. And with a British cast there should be no trouble finding actors who are willing to play gay and do the sexual scenes as required. No use being timid. It’s no longer 2004. I think I can make ‘Rage’ the way Ron envisioned it - finally.”
“I can’t believe it,” Justin breathed. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
Dorian frowned. “And why, may I ask?”
Brian laughed. “Because Justin is one of the creators of ‘Rage.’ He and my friend Michael. Michael wrote the stories and Justin illustrated them. And… he’s the original J.T. - Justin Taylor.”
“Son of a bitch!” Peter exclaimed so loudly that the guys at the next table turned around to look. “It figures! So… you’re the kid who was Brian’s boyfriend before Ron. The infamous blond twink heartbreaker!”
“He was the kid,” said Brian fondly. “Now the man. And he’s still a heartbreaker.”
“No, Brian,” said Justin. “No more heartbreak. I promise.”
That’s when Gus returned. “Diane wants us all to come over to her house for Thanksgiving! Can we, Dad? Can we? I know we were supposed to leave tomorrow, but can’t we stay a couple more days? That way I’ll get more time to be with Mia.”
Brian looked at Justin. They had been planning to go to Jennifer’s house for Thanksgiving and then over to Deb and Carl’s for dessert.
“It’ll be fine, Brian. I’d like to stay, especially if Gus will get to spend more time with his sister. My mom will understand.”
“It’s a deal, Sonny Boy. And you gentlemen?” He raised his eyebrows at Dorian and Peter. “You’re coming, right?”
“We’ll be there,” Dorian sighed. “Peter can’t roast a turkey to save his life.”
“But I can bring a pie,” said Peter. “I’ll order one from Jones’ - they have the best apple pie in town!”
“Only one more thing will make it the perfect Thanksgiving!” Brian proclaimed.
“What’s that?” asked Gus.
“I’ll invite Jimmy and his new fiancé, Danny Mitchell,” said Brian. “It’ll be one big happy family!”
“Oh, Brian!” said Justin.
“Suck it up, Twat,” Brian smirked. “It’s a new game now. And we can make the rules.”
Yes, I'm back! Brian and Justin and Gus meet up with Diane and the Hollywood Gang.
By Gaedhal
Los Angeles, November 2016
“They’re here,” said Diane Rhys. “Brian! Gus! Over here! Make room, you guys.”
Dorian Folco and his partner, Peter Marx, sighed and moved their chairs closer. It was already packed at Ruby’s, the most popular dinner venue in West Hollywood.
“We’re going to need another chair, darling. Brian’s brought a blond boytoy with him,” said Dorian.
“Hush! That’s his new boyfriend from Pittsburgh,” said Diane. “And he looks like a total cutie, so you guys better be good.”
“Do you think he’s heard about Jimmy?” Peter asked.
Diane rolled her eyes. “Astronauts on the Space Station have heard about Jimmy Hardy and his great ‘coming out’!”
“Wait,” Peter frowned. “You mean there’s still a Space Station?”
Dorian smirked. “My dear, it’s a good thing you are so decorative, because current events are not your forté! Now shut up and don’t let Brian hear us gossiping.”
Peter snorted. “Of course not! Gossip is too lowly for…”
“Greetings, serfs and vassals!” said Brian. “You may all rejoice, because Brian Kinney has returned!”
Diane jumped up and threw her arms around him. “Bridie! I’m so glad to see you! And you’re looking great!”
“Don’t lie, Lady Di,” said Brian. “I look like shit. But at least I have a good reason. I’m officially brain-damaged, so anything I say can’t be held against me.”
“Brian, you’re not brain-damaged,” Justin breathed. “So don’t keep saying that.”
“And this, peons, is my nursemaid, my mother hen, my self-appointed Guardian Angel.” Brian slipped his arm around Justin’s shoulders. “My boyfriend - how I detest the word! - Justin Taylor.”
“Justin!” Diane turned her attention away from Brian. “Welcome! I’m so glad to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you.”
“I can imagine,” said Justin, laughing. “And I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”
“Enough with all this chatty bullshit,” said Gus. “I want my pretty little girl.” He elbowed his way past Diane to where her daughter, Mia, was sitting in a highchair. “Hey, Princess! Remember me?”
“Gus!” she clapped her hands. “Gus here!” Then she began banging her spoon against the tray.
“Now you’ve got her started,” said Diane. “She wants out of that chair, but then she’ll run all over Ruby’s and cause a rumpus.”
“Then let the Rumpus begin!” Gus pulled her out of the highchair. “She can sit on my lap, can’t you, Princess?”
“On Gus lap!” she crowed gleefully.
“It’s too bad you don’t live in L.A. anymore,” said Dorian. “Diane is always looking for a good nanny. That last one only lasted two weeks.”
“Carmel is back in town,” said Brian, settling into a chair, while Justin sat down next to him. “And since I’m selling the house, she could probably use something to take up her time.”
“I thought she was going to retire?” Justin asked.
Brian shrugged. “You know Carmel. She’ll be bored shitless after a couple of weeks. Did she say anything to you today?”
“Well,” said Justin. “She said she was already sick of hanging out with her niece and her husband.”
“There you go. You should give her a call, Diane. After all, she practically raised THAT one.” Brian nodded at Gus. “He didn’t turn out so badly.”
“I think that’s a fab idea!” Diane said gleefully. “So you’re really selling Ron’s house?”
Dorian frowned. “Diane! You said you wouldn’t start this.”
“I know,” Diane pouted. “But… I can’t believe you’re going to sell it! And leave Los Angeles! I mean, Brian! What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that my life is in Pittsburgh now,” Brian said. “Kinnetik is there, Gus is in school and doing great. And…” He glanced at Justin. “My life is there now. It was a beautiful ten years, but it’s time for me to get back to the real world and for me that’s the Pitts.”
“Oh, Bridie!” Diane sniffed and pulled out a handful of Kleenex.
“You’ll live, Lady Di,” said Brian. “And you still have a pack of queers at your beck and call. Right, fellas?”
“Oh, she’s a First Rate Fag Hag, no doubt about it,” said Peter.
“I detest that term,” said Dorian.
“Fruit Fly, then,” Peter said.
“Oh, Dori!” said Diane. “You’re so predictable. I know I should have married you when I had the chance. You would have made the best ex-husband!”
Brian snorted. “You mean you might have caught him on a day when he wasn’t gay?”
“I’m not gay,” Dorian insisted. “I’m bisexual.”
Everyone at the table laughed at that, including Mia.
“Yeah, I have a friend who banged a bull-dyke for Jesus about 15 years ago and he’s still screaming about being bisexual,” said Brian. “No one believes him, either.”
“You’re all just bi-phobic,” Dorian proclaimed grandly. “I’m European and we understand fluid sexuality much better than you rigid Americans.”
Peter patted Dorian’s hand. “I understand you, honey. And if you want to have a threesome with some starlet in one of your movies, I’m willing to give it a go. After all, I was married to a woman myself. My high school girlfriend.”
Justin listened with interest. “How long did it last?”
Peter winced. “Until I saw her cousin at the wedding reception. We did it in the men’s room while she was getting ready to throw the bouquet.”
“Now you sound like Brian!” Diane cracked. “He never could resist a cute waiter! No offense, Justin.”
“None taken,” said Justin. “Since I was a waiter myself.”
“There you go,” said Brian. “And speaking of waiters, let’s order. I’m fucking starving!”
Ruby’s was a fun spot, but the food wasn’t its biggest attraction. It was mainly noted for being the place in West Hollywood to see and be seen - and to trade all the latest gossip, of course.
Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy. That’s all everyone was talking about.
“It was no surprise to me,” said Brian, pushing away the remnants of his congealing spaghetti carbonara. “Jesus. I knew I should have gotten the bacon burger. Anyway, almost from the minute I came out here, Ron was warning me not to let Jimmy get me backed into a corner. Jimmy was his best friend, but he had no illusions about what Jimmy was capable of.”
“But to be so public about it!” Diane marveled. “Tess must be freaking out.”
“I doubt that,” said Brian. “Tess is no fool. I’m sure she has an expensive shark of a lawyer and she’ll take Jimmy for everything she can get. And more power to her!”
“And this new guy! No one knows who the hell he is,” said Peter.
“I know who he is,” Brian said. “He’s my ex-physical therapist. Jimmy met him in Pittsburgh.”
Dorian blinked. “What on earth was Jimmy Hardy doing in Pittsburgh?”
“Chasing Dad,” said Gus. “I think Mia is out like a light, Diane.”
“Poor baby! It’s getting late,” said Diane, scrambling through her Hermès bag for her keys. “As much as I hate to miss all the dirt, we better head home. You can update me tomorrow, Dori. And can you text me Carmel’s number, Bridie? I can at least ask her if she’d be interested in nannying for Mia.”
“Will do, Lady Di.”
Diane kissed all the boys and then Gus carried Mia out to her car.
“Gus is going to miss his sister,” Justin said quietly.
“I’ll make sure they see each other,” Brian vowed. “I don’t want him to lose touch with her like he has with Jenny Rebecca. That’s his other sister,” he explained to Dorian and Peter. “When Gus’s mother Lindsay and her partner split up, Melanie moved to Florida and took her kid. Since then it’s been hit and miss.”
“I didn’t know you had another child,” said Dorian.
“I don’t. Jenny is the daughter of my friend Michael. Melanie rejected my sperm.”
“Her loss,” Justin added.
“I want to know more about this physical therapist!” said Peter. “The word is that he’s… well, that he’s a major beauty!”
“That much is true,” Brian admitted. “He’s hot as Hades. He’s also a nice, naïve kid. I’m afraid Jimmy will chew him up and then spit him out when he’s finished with him.”
“Danny’ll land on his feet,” said Justin. “I don’t think he’s as naïve as you think. But I hope he has a good lawyer, too!”
“Tess can always give him a referral. Funny how things turn out,” Brian mused. “Ron would definitely laugh his ass off about all this.”
“The last laugh will be on Jimmy… I hope!” Justin said.
“And speaking of Ron,” said Dorian. “I wish he were here, because I’d have some good news for him - and for you, too, Brian.”
“For me?”
“Yes,” said Dorian. “That gay comic book, ‘Rage.’ Didn’t you have something to do with it?”
“Brian was the inspiration,” said Justin. “I always thought he should play the part in the movie instead of Connor James.” Justin looked at Brian, who shrugged. “But then the studio canceled it, so it’s a moot point.”
“Yes, and Brett Keller let the option lapse,” said Dorian. “About a year ago Ron told me that he was trying to pick up the option on ‘Rage.’ He thought the time was finally right for a gay superhero. He thought he’d be able to get the movie made as an independent project, so he wouldn’t need to jump through all the studio hoops that tripped up Keller.”
“Ron never said anything about this to me,” said Brian. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Dorian confirmed. “I was working on it with him. He… he wanted it to be a surprise. He knew how happy it would make you. And your friends, the ones who created ‘Rage,’ they’d get another substantial payment for the rights.”
“Shit,’ Brian whispered. “I knew Ron was working on something, but he never told me it was ‘Rage.’”
“When he died,” Dorian continued. “I decided to resume the process. And now I own the rights. I’ve hired an excellent gay screenwriter, Barkley Archer, to do the script. I’m hoping we can start filming in England by next fall.”
Justin looked at Brian questioningly. “Why England?”
“Because we can get funding there,” said Dorian. “And I prefer filming in London. It was my home for many years and I’m comfortable there. This is going to be a different kind of ‘Rage’ than Brett Keller had in mind. This isn’t going to be about special effects. It’s going to be darker, more focused on the relationship between Rage and J.T., more of an indie feel. And with a British cast there should be no trouble finding actors who are willing to play gay and do the sexual scenes as required. No use being timid. It’s no longer 2004. I think I can make ‘Rage’ the way Ron envisioned it - finally.”
“I can’t believe it,” Justin breathed. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
Dorian frowned. “And why, may I ask?”
Brian laughed. “Because Justin is one of the creators of ‘Rage.’ He and my friend Michael. Michael wrote the stories and Justin illustrated them. And… he’s the original J.T. - Justin Taylor.”
“Son of a bitch!” Peter exclaimed so loudly that the guys at the next table turned around to look. “It figures! So… you’re the kid who was Brian’s boyfriend before Ron. The infamous blond twink heartbreaker!”
“He was the kid,” said Brian fondly. “Now the man. And he’s still a heartbreaker.”
“No, Brian,” said Justin. “No more heartbreak. I promise.”
That’s when Gus returned. “Diane wants us all to come over to her house for Thanksgiving! Can we, Dad? Can we? I know we were supposed to leave tomorrow, but can’t we stay a couple more days? That way I’ll get more time to be with Mia.”
Brian looked at Justin. They had been planning to go to Jennifer’s house for Thanksgiving and then over to Deb and Carl’s for dessert.
“It’ll be fine, Brian. I’d like to stay, especially if Gus will get to spend more time with his sister. My mom will understand.”
“It’s a deal, Sonny Boy. And you gentlemen?” He raised his eyebrows at Dorian and Peter. “You’re coming, right?”
“We’ll be there,” Dorian sighed. “Peter can’t roast a turkey to save his life.”
“But I can bring a pie,” said Peter. “I’ll order one from Jones’ - they have the best apple pie in town!”
“Only one more thing will make it the perfect Thanksgiving!” Brian proclaimed.
“What’s that?” asked Gus.
“I’ll invite Jimmy and his new fiancé, Danny Mitchell,” said Brian. “It’ll be one big happy family!”
“Oh, Brian!” said Justin.
“Suck it up, Twat,” Brian smirked. “It’s a new game now. And we can make the rules.”