You With The Sad Eyes (Prologue)
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The first morning he woke up in LA he checked for grey hairs in the bathroom mirror. Brian was twenty-five going on sixty-two.
He showed up for their morning briefing in sweatshirt and khakis, trying to rub what felt like giant sand grains out of his eyes, and Kevin just raised an eyebrow and murmured, "A bit too casual, don't you think?"
"I didn't feel like dressing up for you today," Brian said with a cheery air, snatching a bagel and a plate from the breakfast trolley before plopping into the near-by plushy recliner. Sometimes he wouldn't mind being a little more like Kevin, who was already in full suit and tie attire, but then the wires re-crossed themselves in his brain and he was rational again. "I'll go change in a minute, okay?" he sighed, when Kevin kept looking like he was valiantly resisting the urge to go find one of his own suits for Brian to wear. "It's just us right now."
Kevin reached for his coffee cup. "All right." As he took a sip he peered at Brian over the rim and handed him a piece of paper. "Came through the fax about half an hour ago," he told him as soon as he'd swallowed.
Brian looked over the very brief note from their secretary, her swooping signature slipping into their company logo just underneath. He rubbed the heel of his palm into the space between his eyes. "So how much do we have to switch around today?" he asked, distantly noticing how weary he already sounded.
"Not that much." Kevin shrugged. "I called Amanda right after she sent it over and she's going to move our ten-thirty to nine, so now we have extra time to prepare for lunch with Smith and Roberts if we need it. I don't think they're gonna make it easy on us, so you might want to - Brian?"
Brian watched the cold morning sun settle over the streets and buildings outside, wondered idly why the light didn't reach into this room when the façade was lined with wall-sized windows. Stores were raising their shutters outside and cars were backing out of their gated houses. Two guys were walking down the street, one of them kicking a soda can along the sidewalk. If he listened hard enough he could almost hear the bustling sounds of a city waking up. "What?" he asked, dropping his chin to his shoulder.
There was a pause in which Brian watched a silver Mercedes zoom right through a red light, causing a harmony of honking. "Maybe I shouldn't have insisted that you come with me this time," Kevin finally said, sounding cautious.
Brian rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'm an adult who can make my own decisions," he said, glancing at Kevin with a crooked smile.
Kevin had that small wrinkle of a frown that Brian knew all too well, because Kevin was thirty going on three hundred. "We both need to be alert this week," he said, leaning back against the couch. "I know it's been a rough year for you, but-"
"Kevin," Brian said, and Kevin paused at the note of his voice. Brian shook his head. "Give me some credit, okay?" he told him, smoothing out his pants as he got to his feet. The bagel was left uneaten on the coffee table, but he grabbed another one on his way out and threw, "I'll get changed and meet you in the lobby in twenty," over his shoulder.
"Yeah," Kevin said, and Brian didn't look back to see the frown he knew was still there. "In twenty, then."
One of the reasons why they were such good partners, besides trusting each other implicitly, was that in most ways they were complete opposites. Kevin was always preparing himself for the worst in any situation so he could be ready to act quickly, whereas Brian was more observant of what was going on around him and didn't worry until he saw something that wasn't up to standard. But contrary to Kevin's doomsday beliefs, Brian was a capable business man who had no problems separating his personal life from his work.
"Feel free to have your lawyers look over these," Kevin said at lunch, gesturing to the papers on the table, and Brian steepled his fingers together under his chin, keeping his gaze carefully neutral. From across the table, Smith and Roberts were clearly staying blank slates as well; one of them sipping at his water while the other was frowning in concentration. "Everything should be in order, but it never hurts to be sure."
"Absolutely." Smith nodded, bringing the papers into a neat stack and placing them next to his plate of foie gras. "We'll be going over them this afternoon and you'll have your answer by tonight."
Brian glanced at Kevin, who nodded. "I should add that you're welcome to come by the office any time you want, of course," Brian said, smiling at them both. He held out his hands. "We're always happy to show people what we're all about, and it's easier to do it where we can show you all these things instead of just telling you about them."
Smith nodded again, his smile clearly strained. Roberts was stirring his water with a spoon so the ice cubes clinked loudly against the glass. He hadn't looked up for the last five minutes.
"It's not an easy decision," Brian said shortly after.
Smith, his shoulders slumping briefly, shook his head in agreement. "We'll get back to you later," he replied, leaving it at that.
It was a day like all the others; conference calls, pouring over paperwork and going to one meeting after the next, everything conveniently held in the hotel's conference rooms and restaurants. All that had changed was the city, the people, and the hotel that he never seemed to step outside of.
It was dark outside. He and Kevin were once again alone in his hotel room, the dinner table buried under mounts of paperwork, when Kevin, voice heavy with the weight of the world, suddenly said, "Where are you going?"
Brian blinked at him, not understanding. Then he looked down and saw that he was standing. The screech he'd heard before must've been him pushing his chair back. Brian frowned, then looked at Kevin again. "Out," he said, shaking his head in a dazed whir. "Just … out."
"Brian," Kevin said, but Brian was already heading for the door, shrugging into his blazer on the way. "What about-?"
"Tomorrow." Brian turned around and threw his hands out in defeat. "Whatever it is, it can wait till tomorrow."
Part One