Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 05:36:13 +0000 From: Chris Salter Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 16 If you're under the legal age or it is illegal in your country/principality/SAR then read no more. If the thought of two men together is also offensive, read no more. Disclaimer: I dont know Jake, and I don't claim to know him or his sexual preference, he's pretty and all, but really, it's his own business. This work is entirely fiction. Chapter 16: Chris got back to his apartment a little after 7. After parking his car, he slowly made his way up the stairs and made his way through the door. Feeling the stabbing pain coming from his head once more, he kicked his shoes off and shuffled his way over the stack of pill bottles on the kitchen bench. He quickly downed the various medications before heading back over to the phone. Picking it up, he quickly dialed Jake's number and waited for him to pick up. After several rings, it finally did. "Hey Chris." Chris smiled, "How did you know it was me?" "Just a wild guess," Jake chuckled. "So did you want to come over or meet at the cafe?" Chris really wanted to see Jake, but after hearing the news about Evan, he wasn't in the mood to go out. "Jake, I just got some pretty bad news, do you mind if we just did something here?" There was a brief pause on Jake's end, "I'll be there as soon as I can?" There was another pause, "What's wrong cutie?" Solemnly Chris replied, "I'll explain when you get here. Sorry hon." Jake let out a concerned snort on his end before announcing once more that he would be there shortly. He then ended the phone call. Replacing the handset on the docking station Chris switched the air conditioning on before heading into the bathroom to quickly shower. He was sweaty from the party as well as smelling of soot from the lab. Finished with his shower, Chris carefully pulled on a pair of jeans and another button up shirt. As they didn't require being pulled over his bruised head they were the perfect choice in clothing for the moment. He padded his way back out to the now cool living area and collapsed on the couch. The painkillers were beginning to kick in. Chris then reached over and picked up the remote to quickly channel surf, waiting for Jake to arrive. Several confusing infomercials later, the front door began to open up and Jake quietly stepped through. Chris smiled weakly as he saw Jake; he was dressed in a black V-neck shirt and a dark blue pair of jeans. He had a concerned look on his face. Jake swiftly headed over to Chris and lightly kissed him, "What's wrong?" He then sat down on the coffee table and held Chris' hands. Feeling his lower lip trembling, Chris finally replied softly, "My boss, Evan Fairchild, well he died this morning." "Shit, I'm sorry." Jake said as he quickly jumped off the coffee table and onto the couch next to Chris. Putting his arm around Chris' shoulders, Jake lightly kissed him, "Are you okay?" Chris shrugged and nuzzled himself into Jakes cologne scented shirt, "He was my mentor really. I guess it's just a shock." "That really sucks." Jake whispered as he held Chris closer to his body, "Is that why you want to stay in?" Closing his eyes as he rested in Jakes embrace, Chris agreed, "Partly, the other reason is, well. I feel like shit." He then moved his hand under Jakes shirt so he could play with the trail of hair leading down from his navel. "I just wanted to be close to you really." Squirming slightly from Chris' touch, Jake smiled and held Chris tighter. "When do you go back to work?" "A couple of weeks I guess." Chris replied as he shifted his body, so he could kiss Jakes neck. "Why?" "Well," Jake said as he gently pulled Chris' hand from under his shirt. "I would really like to introduce you to Maggie. If you want to that is." Sitting up straight, Chris smiled at Jake, "I'd love to meet her, I'm so happy you want to include me in your life." Leaning over to kiss Chris lightly, Jake explained, "I love you, why wouldn't I want you to meet my sister?" Smiling like the Cheshire cat, Chris held Jake in place before planting a kiss on him, "When do we go?" *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Jake quickly leaned over the side of his bed to slam his hand on the snooze button of his alarm. He slowly opened his eyes to acknowledge it really was 4:30am. His attention was then drawn back to Chris, who was just beginning to shift in the bed. Jake swiftly pulled Chris close to his body and kissed him on the shoulder, "Morning sleepyhead." Chris groaned at the notion of being awake so early, he then turned his head to kiss Jake. "What time is it?" "Early, very early." Jake replied as he pulled Chris out of the bed and into Jakes bathroom. He then pulled Chris into the shower to wake him up. A short time later Chris stumbled his way down the wooden staircase, finding Jake stuffing something into his hand luggage. "Do you want me to drive?" Chris said as he looked around for his keys. "It might draw less attention." Jake zipped the bag back up before standing to attention, "If you want to, I doubt many people would be waiting at the airport for the off chance I will be there at the crack of dawn." Chris laughed and picked up his keys. "You ready?" Jake looked around his quiet house, it felt slightly unsettling, everything was still and as Kirsten had agreed to baby-sit his pooch, it was feeling very lonely. "I suppose." He then pulled on his thin jacket and helped Chris out the door with the bags. As they were only going to New York for a few days, they had packed moderately. Chris opened the back door of his SUV and slowly began placing the bags inside. As he put the last bag inside, he touched his head lightly and sat down on the bumper. "You okay?" Jake asked as he placed his hand on Chris' shoulder. Chris' large bruise was mostly gone; however, he was still plagued with the occasional headache. "I've got some pain killers in the car; I might take them, if you want to drive maybe?" He then held the keys out for Jake. "Sure, if you trust me." Jake said as he took the keys from Chris. After Chris made his way to the passenger seat, Jake then turned towards the drivers' side. Jumping in, Jake searched around for the ignition. "Just put your foot on the brake and press this." Chris said as he pointed at a large black button surrounded by a silver ring. "Right," Jake replied sheepishly as he started the engine. After hearing the familiar purr of the diesel engine, Jake adjusted the seat before slowly driving down towards the gate. As they were traveling early, the traffic wasn't too severe. They arrived at the parking lot of the airport a little over an hour later. After finding a cart, they duo then made their way to the United Airlines desks. Chris looked around nervously as he noticed a couple of people pointing towards Jake. However, his attention was then drawn to the woman behind the check-in desk. "Can I see your tickets please?" The woman asked, oblivious to the A-lister in front of her. Chris quickly looked over at Jake, "You have got them right?" Pulling a folded piece of paper from his backpack, Jake quickly handed it to the woman, "Sorry about that." "That's okay Mister...Salter?" Shaking his head, Jake pointed at Chris, "That's Chris, I'm Jake." He then looked over as Chris smiled. They finished checking in their luggage and headed to the security checkpoint. After passing through they headed through the terminal. Being early in the morning, very few people were around, compared to the normal crush. As there were only a few people milling around their gate, Jake decided to just risk it and sit down near the window. Chris carefully put his bag down on the floor in front of Jake, "I'm going to find some food okay?" "Sure, I'll be here." Jake replied as he then diverted his attention to their plane being loaded with luggage. Chris waddled his way to the cafe and ordered a latte for Jake and hot chocolate for himself before looking heading to the bookstore near their gate. Holding the latte cup under his cup in one hand, Chris began surveying the various shelves of magazines. All of a sudden, something caught his eye. "What the hell?" He muttered. He picked the magazine up and stared at the front cover. After staring at the photograph of Jake, Lila and himself in the park, Chris read the headline to himself, "Jake, a battered man and a baby. Find Jakes best kept secret inside." Chris stuck the magazine under his arm and continued looking through the various shelves, picking up a book full of simple quizzes. He then made his way to the register. Waiting in the short queue, Chris eventually was summoned to the register to pay. He looked nervously around as the woman looked at the front cover of the magazine searching for the barcode. "Is that you?" She asked as she looked at the cover then up at Chris. Chris blushed and replied, "Yeah it is." "Oh wow, what's he like?" She asked as she indicated at the screen as to how much money Chris owed her. Placing the drinks down on the counter, Chris fished out his wallet and replied, "Jake? He's alright I suppose." After giving Chris the remaining change, the woman continued, "I'm sure he is. I hope your head is better soon." "Thank you," Chris said as he shoved his wallet back into his front pocket. "Hey, say hello to Jake for me." The woman said as she placed the magazines into a bag. She then handed it to Chris. "Will do, thanks!" Chris replied as he made his way out of the store. He then headed back towards the area where Jake was sitting. He handed the latte to Jake and sat down next to him. There were a few more people taking their seats near the gate. "What did you find?" Jake asked before taking a sip from the coffee. "I don't know if you will like this," Chris replied as he pulled the magazine out of the paper bag, "Check this out." Jake scanned the front cover of the magazine, "What's my best kept secret?" "I dunno, I just saw the cover and bought it." Jake looked over at Chris and smiled, "Okay let's have a look." He then began flicking through the magazine to find the article. "Oh that's weak." Chris swallowed more of his drink and replied, "What is it?" Letting out a small chuckle, Jake then read the first paragraph to Chris, "Is Jake ready to settle down with new girlfriend Reese Witherspoon? At a local couples baby shower, Jake was seen walking with a male friend....." He smirked and looked over at Chris, "A male friend hey?" "I guess so," Chris replied softly. He then took another swig from his drink. "What else have they got to say about you? Anything about the male friend?" Jake continued to flick through the article, "They just say how I'm dating my little co- star. It's quite amusing actually." He then looked back over at Chris who was staring blankly out the window, "Aw, they think you're someone's battered boyfriend." "Maybe I am, I don't seem to remember how it happened," Chris joked. Jake laughed and closed the magazine; he then threw it on top of his backpack. "It's none of their business anyway." Chris smiled and looked around as more people began milling around the gate. He was getting a little apprehensive, as he would seen be on a journey of no return in terms of their relationship. His daydream was then suddenly interrupted by a female voice over the speakers. "Good morning, United Airlines flight 20 will be boarding in 5 minutes, thank you for your attention." Hearing the announcement, Jake leaned over to place some stuff in his backpack before looking over at Chris, "You okay?" Nodding his head, Chris replied in a groggy tone, "Yeah, just nervous I guess." After a short delay, the passengers were finally allowed to board, as Jake had booked two First class tickets, they were amongst the last to board the plane. They approached the flight attendant near the door. "Good morning, you're in seats A and B in row 3. Thank you for flying with us Mr. Gyllenhaal." Shuffling his way towards their row, Chris slid into the window seat and dumped his bag on the floor in front of his seat. After fishing out his trashy puzzle book, he then buckled his seatbelt and looked out the window as Jake finally sat down. "Going to test your IQ level?" Jake asked as he pulled the seatbelt from under his butt. Chris smirked and slapped the book, "Something like that." He then returned his attention to staring out the window, watching the various people fussing about under the aircraft. He then rested his head on the bulkhead and closed his eyes. Jake plugged his headset into the arm of the seat and began flicking through the various channels, occasionally glancing over to see Chris dozing off. Feeling the plane pushing back, his attention was then drawn to the flight attendants giving their standard safety display. After acknowledging the existence of the demonstration, Jake leaned over to Chris, "You tired?" Chris opened his right eye and looked at Jake, "Huh?" He croaked, "Oh yeah, I'm exhausted still. Can you make sure I don't fall asleep?" "Sure." Jake replied as he looked past Chris and through the window, watching the scenery roll by as the plane taxied to the runway. The plane made one final turn before firing its engines and began rolling down the runway. As the plane began to lift its nose off the runway, Jake leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. The bright sunlight streaming through the cabin window caused Chris to stir a short while later. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the bright blue sky outside. After stretching, Chris turned his head to see Jake leaning his head on the headrest with his eyes closed. "So much for waking me up," Chris muttered to himself. Noticing there was no movement in the curtain behind them, Chris looked around the first class cabin to see the person sitting in the aisle opposite was sleeping, and the couple in front was busy talking about business. Subtly, Chris shifted his hand, slid it under the armrest of Jakes seat and lightly held onto the soft, yet manly hand that was resting there. Slowly Jake began to open his eyes; he looked down at his hand and smiled. "Sorry, I was supposed to wake you up, wasn't I?" Noticing a flight attendant making her way down the aisle, Chris quickly changed position, thumbing through the magazine tucked into the seat pocket in front of him. "Yeah, but it's okay. I was having fun watching you sleep." Jake smiled and looked into Chris' multi colored eyes, "That's cute, yet creepy." "I aim to be creepy." Chris joked. He then caught the eye of the flight attendant heading back down the cabin, after waving his hand to get her attention he asked, "Can I get some coffee?" Jake quickly added his order before the flight attendant fluttered off to fetch the coffee; he then leaned over to Chris, "I thought you didn't drink coffee?" Smiling at Jakes quirky expression, Chris replied, "I don't, and I'm sure I'm going to hate airline coffee more than usual, but I really need something to wake me up." Raising an eyebrow, Jake coyly replied, "I'll give you something to wake you up tonight." Letting out a hefty laughter, Chris continued to stare into Jakes mischievous eyes, "Settle boy. We're still on the plane. Plus, I'm not sure your sister would like it much." The flight attendant then waddled down the cabin carefully holding two coffee cups and handed them to the two boys. She then excused herself. Jake watched as Chris gagged down the coffee, "We'll see I guess. I know she's going to love you." Chris blushed and quickly gagged down the rest of the black sludge. He then turned his attention to filling out his pathetic puzzle magazine for the remainder of the flight as Jake flicked through the various audio channels. It was just after 4 by the time Jake and Chris made their way out of the terminal in New York. Chris quickly looked around for the taxi stand, yet was interrupted by Jake. "Here, I got us a driver." Jake said as he acknowledged the man in the black suit standing near the back door of a black sedan. "Good afternoon Mr. Gyllenhaal." The man acknowledged as he picked up Jakes bags. He then made his way over to the trunk of the sedan and lifted the lid. He then looked over at Chris, "Good afternoon." Chris went to lift his bag off the cart before it was swiftly taken from his hand, "Afternoon, oh thanks." Jake then motioned for Chris to slide into the back seat of the car before joining him in the car. Chris looked nervously over at Jake as the driver shut the door, "I'm fucking terrified." "Aw, you're cute." Jake replied as he quickly leaned over and kissed Chris on the cheek. The driver then began to open his door and jump behind the wheel causing Jake to lean back in the seat again. After starting the engine, the driver quickly drove out of the parking spot and towards Brooklyn. "Is this it?" Chris asked as the car began to pull up outside a large apartment building. Jake, who was proudly holding Chris' sweating hand, smiled and looked over at Chris, "Yeah, we're here." As soon as the car was stopped, the driver jumped out and opened Chris' door. "I'll just get your bags, gentlemen." Releasing his hand from Jakes, Chris shifted his way out of the seat and onto the sidewalk. Jake was quick behind. Chris looked around the surroundings; they were standing outside a large brick building with a green canopy over the front doors. Either side of the doors was several large potted plants. The street was fairly quiet, for New York. There were a few people hastily walking on the sidewalk towards the intersection with the busy avenue. Placing the bags on the sidewalk, the driver then helped the couple towards the front door where they were met by the doorman. "Thanks we got it from here." Jake said as he grabbed the handle of his suitcase. "Have a good day sir." The driver replied before turning around and heading back to the street. Jake slowly led the way through the foyer towards the elevator. As the door opened, he made his way inside, followed by Chris. Pressing the floor number Jake stood calmly in the elevator as the doors shut. "I hope I make a good impression," Chris nervously commented. Jake warmly put his arm around Chris and kissed him again, "You're so fucking cute when you're nervous." As the doors opened at the right floor, Jake grasped Chris' shaking hand and led him and the luggage out of the elevator. Chris followed Jake slowly down a carpeted corridor. Every step he took caused his heartbeat to increase significantly. As Jake knocked on the large red door of the apartment, Chris' heart was reaching hummingbird speed. Hearing a commotion coming from the other side of the door caused Chris to tremble slightly. "Help." Chris whispered. Jake intertwined his fingers with Chris' as the door began to open... ---17 soon--- Hope you liked it. I did it again though. I love suspense! Anyway, the next chapter will be up in a few days. I love hearing from you guys, MSN is still being an assmonkey, so I still may not reply! Try and try, something might get through. I love talking to you guys, if you wanna drop me a line with comments, queries or general chattering, I can be contacted at chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com Thanks guys!