Straight to Number One
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“You’re not planning on taking over my old life, are you?”
“I was thinking more of remodeling, adding a little warmth to the place. Putting up some bead curtains, a tie-dye tapestry, maybe a few beanbags…”
Brian groans. “I swear to God, Sunshine, if there’s a Big Mouth Billy Bass over the TV the next time I go back-”
Series
- Part 1 of Straight to Number One
- Part 21 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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I cover the mouthpiece and swivel my chair around to face my husband, who is folding socks and bopping his head to something with a heavy beat I can hear leaking out of his headphones. “Hey.”
He doesn’t respond. I throw a pad of Post-Its at him.
He looks up. “You could just walk over here and tap me on the shoulder like a normal person,” he says, putting the headphones around his neck.
“Can’t be bothered,” I say, grinning. “Also, if I ever turn into a normal person, please have me committed.”
Series
- Part 2 of Straight to Number One
- Part 22 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
Even before Brian gets to the café, I have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to ask me - no one flies their assistant first-class across state lines just to meet a new team for an office that doesn’t even exist yet - so I order myself a pain au chocolat and a New-York-expensive cappuccino and mentally finalize my list of demands while I wait.
Series
- Part 3 of Straight to Number One
- Part 23 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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A few weeks before the date I’m pretending doesn’t exist, Justin starts pouncing on me every chance he gets - more than usual, I mean - and dragging me off to the nearest private or semi-private location so we can fuck our brains out. We both know what he’s doing, but I’ve never been in the habit of turning down sex this good (and fuck, is it good).
Series
- Part 4 of Straight to Number One
- Part 25 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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I’ve just finished hanging the last print for my exhibit in the graphic-arts show that opens next week when a tall, skinny woman with a long ice-blond ponytail walks into the gallery. She sees me and Daph and heads right for us, stiletto heels (Louboutins, I think) clicking.
“Do you know her?” Daphne says.
I take a closer look at the woman. “I don’t think so.”
Series
- Part 5 of Straight to Number One
- Part 26 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
When Justin tells me that he’s gotten his memories of the prom back, I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. I pull him against me and wrap my arms around him, tight as I can, the way I used to in the early days after the bashing when the smallest things could terrify him.
Series
- Part 6 of Straight to Number One
- Part 27 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
I don’t tell anyone else until two weeks before I leave for two reasons: one, I get teary-eyed enough on my own while packing without everyone else choking up every time they see me, and two, I don’t want Teddy to think I’m moving because of him, even though I sort of am.
Series
- Part 7 of Straight to Number One
- Part 28 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
Things really start getting weird on the morning that Cynthia stalks into my office and slams the latest issue of Pink onto my desk.
“Did you see this?” she says, seething. I haven’t, as it happens, but she doesn’t wait for me to answer.
Series
- Part 8 of Straight to Number One
- Part 29 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
When I open my door to see Sam, Frances, Justin, Brian, and a skinny blond lady who I’ve met, like, once - Brian’s assistant or something, I think - I’m not exactly surprised, because my general rule for when weird shit starts happening is to expect it to continue.
Series
- Part 9 of Straight to Number One
- Part 30 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
At this point, I consider myself to be an expert in all things Brian Kinney. It took years, but I’ve developed a finely tuned ability to read his facial non-expressions and interpret emotional declarations disguised as insults even better than Michael can (he’d probably disagree, and he’d be wrong). So when Brian starts acting a little distant and introspective all of a sudden, I’m pretty confident that I know what the reason is: either the big new contract he’s been working on isn’t going well, or he’s fixating on the non-progress on the Pendergrass thing.
As a result, I’m totally flabbergasted to find out that I’m not even remotely close to being right when, as we’re having dinner one night, he puts down his fork and says, “What would you think about getting married?"
Series
- Part 10 of Straight to Number One
- Part 31 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
Justin’s big break comes almost exactly at the moment that we both accept that it’s never going to happen. Resourceful as always, he’d been able to ride his ArtForum buzz into a reasonably successful career doing commissioned work and the occasional gallery sale up until now, but that probably doesn’t count as conquering the art world.
Series
- Part 11 of Straight to Number One
- Part 33 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
“He’s sensitive, and kind, and handsome, and he likes gardening and collecting old books,” I say, and sigh. “He’s perfect.”
Justin looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “Not to be cynical or anything, but is this what I was like after I first met Brian? Because if so, I have no idea how anyone put up with me.”
I slap him on the arm for that, but only lightly, because I have to admit that he has a point.
Series
- Part 12 of Straight to Number One
- Part 34 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
For some godforsaken reason, Justin has decided that he wants to help Emmett cook for what we’ve told everyone is the pre-show-opening party, which means that the responsibility of corralling our very loud and disorganized family falls entirely to me. They’re all at the hotel, which is a start, I guess, but Jennifer has to go back for her purse and Lindsay and Melanie are still getting the kids ready (Gus has had a crisis over his outfit, apparently, which probably shouldn’t make me proud but it does) and Michael is so happy to SEE me that he’s absolutely no help at all, so I give up after about five minutes and just go sit in one of the cushy lobby chairs with a glass of cucumber water, watching the chaos unfold and wondering how the hell I’m going to get everyone to the condo before next week.
The things I do for love. Honestly.
Series
- Part 13 of Straight to Number One
- Part 35 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded
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Summary
On our last morning in Provincetown, Brian wakes up earlier than usual. I’m snuggled up next to him, warm and comfortable, body aching with sweet echoes of exertion, when he rolls onto his side, blinking drowsily before pulling me in for a long sleep-soft kiss.
Series
- Part 14 of Straight to Number One
- Part 36 of Soundtrack Trilogy, combined and expanded