Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:04:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Christian Garcia Subject: The Gyllenhaal Encounter - Part Seventeen Disclaimer: The following story is fictional, purely made up. I do not know Jake Gyllenhaal personally and don't mean to imply that I know of his personal life or sexual preference so there. If you don't like Man/Man relatioships or if you're younger than 18 years old then don't go any further. Now that the legal stuff is out of the way, sit back, grab a snack and enjoy! +++ Jake spent the early morning in his bedroom. After waking up from a long ten hour sleep, he made his bed and stepped into the restroom to look at himself in the large over sink mirror; hoping to witness the effect the morning had on him and his appearance. Jake looked closely at the man staring back at him through the mirror. For a split second he had forgotten that it was his own reflection he gazed at since his appearance was unconventional in the morning. Jake leaned over the sink to take a closer look at himself, running his hand over the top of his head; noticing the length his brown hair had grown over the last few months. He reached over and took hold of the white toothbrush inside the small medicine cabinet to his left, turned on the sink and ran the rigid brush head under the heavy stream of running water that sloshed around the silver plug used to restrain the water from running down the drain. After taking a new tube of mint paste from one of the four drawers and squeezing a small amount onto the toothbrush, Jake began to clean his teeth. He moved his hand side to side and up and down, scrubbing his molars thoroughly and spitting out the excess spicy foam of paste gathering inside his mouth. He cupped his hands under the water, gathering a pool of the cool liquid and brought the small puddle to his lips, slurping the water into his mouth and swooshing it around his tongue. Jake tilt his head back, faced the white ceiling and gargled down the douse before spitting it out into the porcelain sink. He flashed a wide grin in front of the mirror to examine the wellness of his cleansing, noticing the small nick of off white shading that show where the dentist had filled in the crack he acquired during the Jarhead shoot. Downstairs, Maggie and Peter sat inside the spacious living room watching television while sitting dangerously close to one another. Peter wrapped his left arm around Maggie's shoulders while her right hand rest comfortably in between his thighs. The moment of comfort was abruptly interrupted by a loud sound signaling someone at the front door. Maggie took her eyes from the T.V. screen and looked at Peter. "She's here." Said Maggie. She moved slightly upward but settled when Peter signaled her to sit back down. He stood up instead and stepped over Maggie's legs in order to answer the ringing. Peter pulled the large white door aside and was greeted by a smiling, blonde haired woman standing before him with bags of all sizes scattered behind her. It was Kate who had gone to Los Angeles to oversee the construction of her cosmetic office. Earlier in the week, Maggie had agreed to allow Kate to stay in her house instead of a hotel. "Hi Peter!" She squealed joyfully, setting the purse in her hand down onto the floor and opening her arms; leaning forward to give Peter a warm hug. "Kate, how are you?" "I'm good. How are you?" "Good, good. Here, let me help you with those." Peter reached down and took Kate's bag then moved aside to allow her to step inside the secure home. "Maggie's in the living room and Jake's up in his room. You can go on in." "Thanks." Kate walked deeper into the house, looking in all directions for any signs of another beating heart. She stepped into the living room and Maggie turned to stand up from her seat after switching the television off. "Kate, you made it." Maggie straightened out her blouse and stepped in to greet Kate in a welcoming embrace. Jake skipped downstairs, his heavy footsteps could be heard inside the living room where Kate, Maggie and Peter were getting situated on the couch. He entered the room noticing the back of Kate's head and suddenly remembered she was stopping to visit on that day. Before stepping into the living room with everyone else, Jake took a deep breath in and smiled kindly. "Hey sleeping beauty." Peter watched Jake move into the room. Kate whipped around and looked in Jake's direction, throwing a wide eyed smile his way. "Hi, good morning." Jake sighed. "Morning? It's almost twelve." Peter teased, smiling blissfully. "Ah, you know what I mean." Jake brushed Peter off and went to shake Kate's hand then sat on the couch. Peter sat down on the one-person lounger as Maggie swayed over and took a seat on the sofas arm. "Did you get in okay?" "Yeah." Kate smiled, sitting besides Jake, leering over him in an uncomfortable manner, causing him to slouch down in his seat and lock his fingers together over his lap. "The flight was unbelievable." "Yeah?" Peter asked. "If you want Jake can give you a shoulder rub to loosen you up. He has incredibly gentle hands." "Oh yeah?" Kate smiled. "Well I don't know about that but I was hoping to go get some coffee, maybe you want to come along." Jake turned to Kate. "Okay, sure." "Great." After a brief conversation with Kate, catching up on things and discussing future plans, Kate and Jake excused themselves from the others inside the living room and stepped out into the world. +++ The day was gently and calm outside. A steady breeze of cool air swooped past those walking down the sidewalk, throwing their hair and clothing up towards the sky. Few clouds hover over the sky causing small gray spots on the concrete floor where the sun's rays were blocked off by the smoky pillows. The city sang proudly; cars driving by with tremendous speed, birds chirped sweetly while flying over head without a single care in the world. Amidst the towns heavy flow, Jake and Kate sat at a round table outside the Coffee Bean cafe, drinking from their warm mugs and talking casually, undisturbed by the chaos surrounding them. "Are you excited about starting a career down here?" Jake asked as he set the small white mug down onto the glass table. He looked over at Kate who sat in front of him inside the steel chair with one leg over the other and arms folded in front of her chest. "Mmm-hmm." She hummed. "I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I have a few things in mind that make me think what if, you know? Like, what if no one comes in and I end up having to shut down as soon as we open?" "Don't say that. It'll turn out great, you'll see. This is Los Angeles after all. There could never be too many cosmetic surgery offices here." "Yeah." Kate chuckled. "You're moving down here right? I mean, you can't stay in New York and run a business in Los Angeles." "Yep, I was sort of hoping to look around some neighborhoods while I'm here. You don't happen to know any decent places do you?" Kate transmit a flirtatious smile over to Jake, causing him to smile sheepishly and dig his hands into the front pockets of his sweatshirt. Jake began to play with the packet of cigarettes in his pocket and decided to slide one out along with the small white lighter tucked away in his pants. "Can I have one?" Kate asked. "Yeah, sure." Jake held out the cigarette in between his fingers and reached back inside his sweater to grab another. After lighting up, he sucked on the end of his cigarette, feeling the smoke wrap around his lugs and squeeze tightly. He blew the remaining smoke out from his nostrils, sending it flying downward onto his chest. "Is it always this busy here?" Kate asked, blowing a plume of white smoke over her head. Jake nod his head while taking another drag. "Mostly. This is west Hollywood, shopping central." "Really? Do you come here often?" "Sometimes. I don't usually shop at the boutiques but they have the best restaurants here so..." Jake noticed Kate looking over her shoulder into the street, ignoring what he was saying. "What's wrong?" "There's someone over there looking at us." Jake turned to see who Kate was referring to. He saw a man standing down the block holding a large camera up to his face, his finger pushing down on the small button; snapping photo after photo. "Don't worry about it." Jake faced Kate again. "Why?" "Paparazzi. You might end up on a magazine or website tomorrow. The headline reading 'Jake Gyllenhaal and gal pal out for a romantic breakfast at Coffee Bea`." Jake used his hands to give across the fictional image of a headline title. Kate giggled and looked at the photographer one last time before focusing her attention over to Jake again. "Romantic, huh?" She smiled. Jake smiled back and smashed the burning tip of the cigarette onto a small napkin on the table, rolled it up and threw it away with the rest of the trash then asked "Do you wanna go now?" "Yeah, let's go." Jake and his friend stood up from the table and head back to the house to get Kate settled comfortably. +++ "So do you want to do it then?" Randy asked. "Yeah, it'll be good times." Christian replied. "Good, then it's set. Next Friday we'll go have dinner." "Sounds like a plan." "I'll talk to you soon, then." "Bye." "Bye." Christian heard the line click then the dial tone came over the phone before setting the headset back in it's charging stand on the living room side table. Christian and Randy have been having several small problems in their once loveable relationship ever since the trip back from Malibu. They've had small bickering arguments now and then but nothing that sent them over the edge. The flame still lingered between them but with slightly less power. The date recently planned was a way to, hopefully, rekindle the emotions that were starting to slowly but surely fade out. Even though Christian was having troubles with Randy, he had a way to escape since Jake and he got together every other day; sometimes meeting for moments of lustful sex and other times for the mere satisfaction of being at close proximities to one another. Unfortunately, one of those days happened to land on the night Randy planned the dinner for Christian. Randy drove out from his house one hour before he was actually supposed to meet Christian at his apartment. He was dressed especially for that occasion: new pair of dress shoes, black slacks and formal white collar shirt tucked neatly into his pants, a thin silver chain wrapped around his neck. The drive to Christian's apartment was long but the happiness and excitement Randy felt made it all worth while. He arrived at the complex parking lot and stepped out from his car, trotting joyfully into the building then into the elevator where he rode up slowly to the sixth floor. To him it seemed as though the night was perfect and nothing could go wrong. Little did he know that the night would turn out in flames and not the way he had expected at all. Randy exit the inside of the small room and walked to Christian's apartment door, ready to start his night. He straightened himself out before reaching up, making his hand into a fist and pounding it against the cream colored door. He waited for several seconds after knocking. Randy stood still, careful not to make a sound and hopefully hear signs of Christian approaching to answer and greet him warmly with a hug and maybe even a kiss on the lips. A moment of silence. Randy knocked again, still hoping for the response that he didn't receive the first time. Still no sounds coming from inside except for the slight tapping of Sargent's paws hitting the floor. Curiosity struck him like a brick to the head. Randy became concerned and decided to call out Christian's name. Still nothing, not a single man made footstep or clamor sounded from inside the empty apartment building. "Christian?!" Randy shouted into the door while jiggling the gold plated knob. His heart began to race at a rapid pace when realizing no one was inside. "Are you kidding me?" He whispered to himself, not believing the situation he had put himself in. Far off in a secure location, Christian was with Jake inside his large, black truck parked near a wooded area where Jake often took his dog Atticus for walks on the days he felt like keeping to himself. It was a gated park so he knew no one would be around at night except for the occasional man or woman walking with her small shaggy dog. They mostly stayed near the dirt trail leading around the hills so Jake and Christian were completely alone. Jake sat at an angle behind Christian in the back seat. Christian lay in between Jake's legs, his back pressed closely upon Jake's chest, the sweat and moister from their bodies acting as an adhesive; keeping them glued to each other permanently. Jake draped his right arm around Christian's neck, making sure he wouldn't and couldn't escape while gliding his left hand over Christian's stomach and bellybutton. Jake buried his nose into the back of Chris' head, taking in the sweet aroma of conditioner mixed with sweat creating a deadly mixture of perfume that act as an aphrodisiac for Jake. Christian could feel Jake's limp, warm penis press against his lower back every time Jake filled his lungs with air and exhaled deeply. He ran his left hand over Jake's left leg that was casually propped up on the black leather seat cushion and graze the tips of his fingers along the supple skin covering the muscles laying underneath, feeling the small and almost invisible hairs lightly covering Jake's legs. "Are you cold?" Jake asked. "I have a blanket under the seat." "Wow, you're prepared and everything." "Well, you know. I gotta come ready." Jake whispered into Christian's ear, his warm breath sending chills down Christian's neck and back. "Hmm." Chris smiled, gripping Jake's right hand with his own and pressing it against his bare chest. "Guess who's staying with me and Maggie right now" "You win, who?" "Kate." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. She's staying with us for a while." "Are you purposely trying to get me jealous?" Christian asked jokingly. "Why? Is it working?" Jake turned his lips upward into a smile. Christian whipped around and hoist himself up with his arms stretched out under him. Jake looked up at Christian with a crooked smile as he ran his hands over Chris' chest. "Is that your number one goal these days?" Ask Christian. Jake shrugged while licking his lips. Christian bent down and kissed Jake lovingly, sucking on his bottom lip and guiding his tongue in between Jake`s top and bottom row of teeth. Jake reached up and rest his hand on Christian's neck, running his fingers along the hair on the back of his head and tugging lightly. Christian moved down lower, taking in Jake's nipples into his mouth and biting down tenderly. Jake flinched at first but quickly became accustomed to the sensation of teeth gripping and tweaking his nipples. "It's pretty late. Do you want to start heading home?" "No, let's stay here all night." Christian whispered. "I would but I've got a date with Ashley tomorrow." Jake teased, looking down at Christian who was still working his tongue over Jake's areolas. "A date, very funny." Christian smiled back at Jake. Slowly, the smile began to fade. "A date." He whispered. "I was kidding." Jake replied. Just then Christian remembered what he truly had to be doing. He had completely forgotten about Randy and the plans they made a week earlier but Jake had that power over him; the power to make him forget everything around him just like Ashley had mentioned before. Christian's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach at that very instant. He shot up off of Jake and began to grab his clothes from the front passenger seat. "Whoa, wait. What are you doing?" Jake asked, concerned about the reason Christian suddenly exuded so much worry. "I was just fucking around when I said we had a date." "No, no. It's nothing to do with that." Christian tried franticly to find the collar of his shirt; wrestling to put it on. "Then what the hell is going on?" Jake sat up. "I have a date---with Randy..." Christian turned the radio on and looked at the green numbers flashing the time brightly in his eyes. "An hour ago, shit!" "What?" "Just---Can you drive me back to the apartment?" "Yeah, okay." After Christian dressed, Jake did the same and jumped over the arm rest and into the driver seat. He started the engine and the radio turned off for a moment but came back on when the truck reached a steady roar. They carefully drove away from the parking space and back into the main street. On the way to Christian's apartment, Jake looked over to see Christian biting his thumb nail and resting his elbow on the open window edge, his hair flaring around wildly as the wind blew sternly in his face, his eyes watching the world passing by outside. "I'm sorry." Jake hesitated. "What for?" Christian turned to him, lowering his hand from his mouth. Jake shrugged and glanced at the road then back at Christian. "For making you miss your... date." Christian smiled forgivingly and said, "Don't be. It's not your fault. It's mine for forgetting." Jake smiled and turned to face the oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Christian reached over and placed his hand behind Jake's neck, gripping his skin tenderly and massaging gently. Jake tilted his head back a little to feel Christian's hand working his neck. They arrived at the apartment building and Christian shot out from inside the car, not taking time to say goodbye. "Wait, Christian!" Jake called. Christian turned around and head back to the passenger side of the truck. "Yeah?" "Good luck." "Thanks." And with that, they parted ways. Jake drove home and Christian jogged to his apartment door. When he arrived at his building, he didn't see Randy but instead a white piece of paper folded neatly and placed into the door crevice. Christian reached for it and spread the paper with the name of the apartment complex boldly written on the top between his fingers so that his eyes could scan the note. "Christian- I came by but you weren't here so I went home. Looks like dinner is out of the question. Call me when you get this or when ever. Love, Randy." After reading the note, Christian sighed in disappointment and stuffed the paper into his pocket after pulling out his keys. He unlocked his door and turned the handle to be let inside. Christian tossed the key ring onto the table as Sargent dashed to his side. He was extremely mad at himself for leaving Randy out in the cold the way he did and wished he could hop into a time machine and go back an hour in order to fix things but, unfortunately, that kind of thing only exist in sci-fi movies. Christian leaned into the kitchen table and pressed his face into his palms, thinking of what his next move was going to be. He sighed pensively and rubbed the back of his neck, still obsessed with the thoughts of Randy standing outside his door; hands in pockets and back against the wall. There was nothing he could do now except wait until the next day to talk with Randy and try to explain the situation as best he could. After walking into his bedroom, Christian began to undress; ready to fall asleep and await his fate tomorrow. He lay his head down on the white pillow and shut his eyes and when he opened them he realized that night was now day. It seemed as though he had just barely pulled the sheets over him and clearly that wasn't the case. Christian awoke to the sound of heavy knocking at his door. He grunt and lazily drag himself away from the comfort of his pillow to answer the pounding. He stumbled off the mattress, his vision still blurry and bright, taking small steps through the hallway in hopes of not crashing into the wall or stubbing his toes into the couch corners. He reached for the door handle and gripped it tightly while sliding over the small chain lock and disconnecting it from the wall. The door swung open to greet Randy who stood on the other side with his hands pushed deep inside his jean pockets. "Randy? What are you doing here?" Christian asked, squinting one eye and running a hand through his hair to try and flatten it. "Can I come in?" Randy replied coldly. "Yeah. Come on." Randy stepped foot into the apartment and shut the door behind him. "What's up? I was going to give you a call later on." "I couldn't wait until later. What was up last night? I came to pick you up and ended up standing outside your apartment for an hour and a half like an idiot." "Can we talk about this later? It's really early and I'm tired." Christian leaned against the back of the sofa and rubbed his eyes. "No. Where were you yesterday? You know I was looking forward to dinner with you." "I know, I know. I'm sorry but I completely forgot about the whole thing." "You forgot? How can you forget, we've had reservations since last week." "Did you really come all the way here to yell at me?" Christian tried to turn the tables around but Randy wasn't about to let that happen. "Yeah, I did. We had plans and you go, God knows where, and leave me wondering. What's that about?" "I already said I was sorry, Randy." Christian rubbed the side of his face. "I want an explanation not an apology." Christian stayed silent, watching Randy closely as he hooked his hands onto his hips and stood with side of his hip jilted outward. He couldn't tell him he was with Jake because that would send Randy for a loop and make things worse than they already were. The next thing that came into Christian's head was an elaborate lie. "I was with Ashley. She called me yesterday to come over because she needed help moving some stuff in her house around." He said, sounding as calm and relaxed as possible. "Ashley? Why would she be moving things around at night?" "She wasn't. After we finished moving her bedroom things I stayed a little while longer to hang out and then we started watching a movie she rented. I guess I lost track of time." Christian gulped. He watched for Randy's response, trying to decipher the message in his face. Randy shook his head and looked down at the floor. "Shit." Randy sighed. "I'm sorry. I should've known you were with her." Christian smiled, he knew Randy bought the lies he feed him. "Don't worry about it." Christian walked towards Randy, his bare feet hitting the cold floor, creating a light smacking sound on the wood. He took Randy in his arms and hugged tightly, resting his chin on Randy's shoulder. Christian was relived that he had gotten away with that blatant lie he had just told to his boyfriends face. There was nothing he could do now except pray that he didn't forget any other gatherings he and Randy planned in the future. Of course Christian felt terrible, he was human after all but all the sneaking around was beginning to exhaust and tire him. It was only a matter of time before he was found out and sentenced to a life of embarrassment. After their talk, Randy left the apartment and head down to the lobby to hopefully leave in a state of ease. Before getting into his car, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver cell phone and began to rummage through his phone book. He stopped on Ashley's name and number then, with his thumb, pressed the "SEND" button on the key pad. Randy held the phone to his ear, standing incredibly still; listening for the connection signal and ring tones. "Hello?" Ashley picked up. "Hey, Ash. It's me, Randy." "Hi Randy, what's up?" "Nothing much. Listen, are you busy at all right now?" Randy asked, looking up at the many windows and balconies covering the entire face of the large tan building. "Uh, no not really. Why?" "Can you meet me at the coffee shop on E Street in, like, ten minutes." "Is something wrong?" "No, no. nothing like that. I just want to ask you a few things." "Okay, sure. I'll be there." "Thanks, bye." Randy flipped his phone off and placed it back into his pocket in order to open his car door. Randy sat behind the steering wheel for a moment after turning on the engine then turned back to make sure there were no other cars behind him as he backed out of the parking space. Like promised, Ashley walked into the coffee shop on time. The smell of fresh brewed coffee filled the entire building, sending subliminal messages to the brain; making anyone who walked into the establishment want a tall cup of the dark, hot liquid. Ashley looked around for a brief moment, scanning the faces sitting at different locations inside the shop until finding Randy's familiar grin in the crowd. She made her way through the maze of chairs and tables to greet him warmly. "Hi. I got here as fast as I could. What's going on? You said you wanted to ask me something." "Yeah, I'll try and be quick. I don't know if you need to be somewhere right now." "No, it's okay. What do you want to know?" "Alright." Randy paused "Was Christian with you last night?" He was sure she was going to confirm Christian's story but needed to make sure. Ashley thought for a moment, finally shaking her head from side to side. "No, he wasn't. Why?" "He wasn't? Not at all?" "No." Randy took a blow to the stomach. He brought his hands to his face and cupped his nose and mouth, sliding his hands downward as he sighed. He realized all Christian had told him early was completely fabricated. He felt like a fool. "Are you going to let me in on the charades? What's going on?" Ashley asked. "Christian and I had planned to go out last night only he wasn't in his apartment when I got there to pick him up." Randy explained, leaning back into the chair and crossing his arms over his chest. The first thing to pop into Ashley's head was a still shot of Jake, this caused her to feel goose bumps over her body. "Oh." Ashley responded nervously. "Well, I mean, that could mean anything, you know?" "Yeah." Randy leaned forward onto the stone table and propped his elbows up, holding himself in place. "You haven't noticed any sudden change in his characteristics have you?" "How do you mean?" "Like, he's different. He's been acting strangely ever since we got back from Malibu. We've been bickering and arguing over the most stupid little things lately. He hasn't told you anything? Talked to you about any problems he might have that he's not letting me in on?" "Not that I can think of. Sorry." "Hmm, seems like everyone's apologizing these days." Randy smiled politely. "Maybe you just think he's changed. Could it be in your head?" Ashley asked. "Yeah. Maybe---I don't know." Randy gaze out the front building windows, watching small children walk by with their parents or guardians fighting to keep up. "Anyways, thanks for coming down here." "Yeah, it's totally fine. I hope everything turns out okay." Ashley began to stand from her seat, taking the small bag she has brought in with her. Randy nod and smiled. " Me too." He stood up and escort Ashley to the large door with the green "EXIT" letters glowing brightly overhead. +++ Jake, Maggie, Peter and Kate all walked around the neighborhood in hopes of bringing Kate a few days of relaxation before she was due to get back on a plane and jet set to New York. The day was spent mostly walking the streets, shopping, showing Kate some points of interest and strolling through the park grass. Maggie and Peter sat on one of the many steel benches scattered around the park floor, their green coat of paint peeling profusely in the arms and legs of the seats. They watched as Jake took Kate to his side and walked her around the green grass. Maggie could see Jake pointing and describing certain parts of the area in an attempt to introduce Kate to the neighborhood. As she watched on, Maggie couldn't help but notice her brother becoming playful around Kate; Jake ran his hand on Kate's lower back and sides as they walked further out. There was nothing wrong with this except for the fact that Kate was receiving the signals clearly; gently bumping her hips with Jake's and even brushing the back of her hands with his. After a moment of sight seeing, Jake and Kate returned to the place Maggie and Peter reside in. Both in high hopes, smiling from ear-to-ear as they inched closer. "Are you guys hungry?" Jake asked. Maggie looked at Peter and nod her head. "Yeah, should we go grab a bite to eat now or wait until later?" "Let's go now, I'm starving." Peter replied, uncrossing his right leg from his left knee. "Shit, we better go then because Peter gets cranky when he doesn't eat." Jake teased, keeping a straight face. Peter looked at Jake, taunting him with a childish grin. The four moved out of the park and into a diligent street bombarded by frantic men and women on cell phones and various other devices. Their entrance into a small bar-and-grill came unnoticed by the other patrons eating happily by the window looking out into the busy sidewalk. The four sat down and enjoyed a marvelous meal served to them by the frantic and ninja-like waiters swooshing by with such grace and beauty. After taking a short breather, they began to head home since time seemed to pass by faster than usual. While walking, Kate thought it would be a good idea to show them the site of her future business. It was still in it's ruins but one day would become Kate's vision of wealth and opportunity for her as well as for others. Everyone was proud of Kate for approaching this next step of her life with comfort but Maggie and Jake had a stronger sense of accomplishment on their behalf since they knew Kate when she was just starting to think of a career in medicine and now that it was actually taking flight, they felt like they had seen one of their babies take it's first step. Night fell around them soon, darkening the sky to allow the glimmering stars to glow bright over their heads. Maggie, Jake, Peter and Kate all arrived home and gave in for the night. +++ It was the night before Kate was scheduled to leave Los Angeles. She was not returning until after her office was completely done with and seeing as things in the world were often unpredictable, no one knew exactly when that would be. Jake declared that they should all head out for a night of partying to send Kate off on a happy note. No need to vote since everyone was pretty much on board with Jakes plan. During that evening, Jake, Maggie and Kate scrambled about their rooms in a whirlwind; finding the perfect outfit to meet the night in. Peter arrived a short while later dressed casually in jeans, a white button down T-shirt and black blazer covering his strong back. Jake meet him at the door also dressed in a casual manner. After a moment of manly bonding between Jake and Peter, Maggie and Kate walked from down the hallway to greet the boys inside the living room. "We all ready to go?" Kate asked jovially. Jake and Peter looked up at the sound of Kate's gentle voice "Wow." Jake smiled, his eyes fixated on the woman standing besides his sister. "You look beautiful." Gulping hard after realizing the words that had slipped from his lips. "Thanks." "Excuse me, Jake? Do you mind picking your tongue off the floor before someone slips on it?" Peter joked. Jake playfully shoved his hand against Peter's chest in an attempt to make him quiet down. "Let's go before a fight breaks out." Maggie cut in. The four friends stepped out from the house and into Jake's black SUV. The line leading into the club was outstretched around the corner. Tired adults stood in frustration as the line hardly moved an inch from the last place it had been minutes before. Since this particular spot was one of Jake's favorite places to go and party, the owner had placed him on a special list only for those important visitors who frequently inhabited the room so getting inside was no trouble. The only trouble was getting through the sea of paparazzo's waiting near the door to snap pictures of different celebs walking in and out of the club. "Jake---Jake! Peter---Maggie---Peter!" The camera men called. The friends were in no mood for pictures, all they wanted to do was get inside and start the night off right. Of course, the photographers didn't take kindly of this and some booed when they entered the club. From outside, the place looked like any other four-wall building but inside was much, much different. It was styled in the morocco way with large and elaborate rugs used as wall decorations. The floors tainted with a maroon color that matched the low cushions used as seats lining the walls. Near the comfort cushions where small wooden tables holding a white candle that burned brightly. Over head was a row of candles surrounded by thin tin sheets with different shapes cut into it. The music playing in the other room was dulled by the wall separating the building in two. The dance hall was in contrast to the lounge area since it contained no seats at all. It was mostly bare with the exception of the large platform where the DJ spun his records and danced along with the others below him. Jake and Peter went off to get the girls a drink while Maggie and Kate mingled with the others in the room. After returning, they entered the second room where the music was much louder and heavier. The atmosphere there was unlike anywhere else. Lights scanned the heads of everyone in the room, shooting from one side of the room to the next, illuminating everything for a split second. The crowd all danced about with partners and by themselves. Men hit on unsuspecting women but were shot down except for the occasional suave man here and there. Peter and Maggie separated from the group and head to the dance floor to join the others in the trance-like state the music put them in. "Do you wanna dance?" Jake asked after sucking the clear alcohol through a thin red straw. "What?" Kate yelled back. "I said do you wanna dance?" This time Jake shouted at close range. "Okay." The two walked into the crowd, disappearing into the sea of men and women happily grinding together. Jake and Kate danced at close range, holding their cups high so they wouldn't get knocked around by the fast paced movements of the other people. Jake placed his hand upon Kate's waist, holding on loosely as they moved in unison to the music's fast beat. Later on, Maggie and Peter met with them on the dance floor and pulled them aside to take a seat in the morocco inspired room. Everyone inside there were more calm than in the dance floor. Mostly casual conversations went on, not much dancing. "Jake! Come with me to get another drink." Maggie told her brother. "I'm still not done with mine." He replied, holding his glass up to show her. "I am. Come with me." "Alright." Jake stood up from the cushion seat and followed behind Maggie on her way to the bar. They came to a stop halfway there and Maggie turned to Jake. "What?" Asked Jake. "I saw you and Kate." "So?" "So stop sending her mixed signals." "What are you talking about, Maggie?" "You're playing around with her. We both know you're not interested but she doesn't. She thinks you really like her as more than a friend." "No she doesn't" Jake brushed Maggie off. "Jake, she told me last night that she thinks something might be developing between you two." "Are you serious?" Jake smiled. "Yes, now stop being so flirtatious with her because you're setting her up." "Look, I really appreciate the warning but..." Scoffed Jake. "I know what I'm doing, okay? Trust me." Maggie looked Jake in the eyes. She knew that when Jake said "trust me", it usually meant that he knew what he was doing. "Fine." Maggie gave in. They walked back to the others and sat down. "Where's your drink?" Peter asked. "Oh, they didn't have any more of the kind I like so I didn't get another one." The night wore on. Hours flew by at a rapid pace and soon it was near 1:00 A.M. As they got ready to leave, Kate pulled Jake aside to speak with him in private. "I want to thank you." Kate said, leaning into Jake's ear. "For what?" "For letting me stay in your house and also for being so sweet and giving." "Don't worry about it." Jake smiled. "It's the least I could do." "Well, I wanted to give you something." "What's that?" Before Jake could react, he felt Kate press her lips onto his. She wrapped her soft fingers around his neck and pulled him in closer. Jake became lost in the moment and started to kiss back slowly. His hand wrapped around Kate's small waist and held her tenderly. Kate pulled away shortly after and studied Jake, transmitting signals of love and thanks through her eyes. "Um---" Jake failed to reach the right words to use. "You're welcome?" Kate smiled wide and kissed Jake again. Off in the distance Maggie looked on, watching Kate plant kiss after kiss on Jake and him not doing anything about it. She warned Jake but now it had gone too far. She sighed to herself and asked Peter to fetch the two so they could be on their way. The four friends exit the club and once again they were bombarded with paparazzi chasing their tails, trying to take the one perfect shot that would make the pages of The Star or People Magazine the next day. If only they had been inside the club a few minutes earlier, they would have caught one of Jake's intimate moments and used it as a headline in the next issue of the gossip magazine that paid the most for the picture. +++ I won't take up too much. Thanks for reading and for the emails. A lot of you were concerned about this chapter and to be honest, so was I but now it's up here and I hope the wait was worth it. Once again, thank you! MSN Group - http://groups.msn.com/TheGyllenhaalEncounter/_whatsnew.msnw E-mail - synful_romance@sbcglobal.net -Christian