Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 09:11:21 +0000
From: Chris Salter <chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com>
Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 21

Under the legal age? Illegal to view anything about homosexuality in your 
area? Offended by two men? If your answer is yes to any of these, please, 
leave now. www.encyclopediadramatica.com is probably more up your alley.

Disclaimer: I don't know Jake, don't claim to know him, nor do I wish to 
imply his relationship status, sexual orientation or sexual preference. This 
work is entirely fiction, nothing more, nothing less.


Chapter 21:

"Did you just say Jake?" Brenda asked as she slowly made her way back up the 
steps.

Jake was frozen in his position, he felt numb inside having his secret 
suddenly burst out.

"I uh..." Chris tried to think of what to say. He felt like a complete 
idiot. "It was a joke."

Brenda reached the top of the landing and stepped closer towards Jake, "You 
really are
Jake, aren't you?"

"What if I was?" Jake asked nervously. "Are you going to tell the media that 
you caught
me in a relationship with Chris?"

"My god." Brenda said calmly, "You really are." She then looked over at 
Chris before
returning her attention to Jake, "I could do that,"

Jakes heart stopped for a moment.

Brenda then continued, "But that would be cruel and heartless. And I'm not 
that kind of
person. I'm glad you're happy Jake. Your secret is safe with me."

Chris smiled in relief from Brenda's statement, "Thank you." He replied.

"I'll see you later boys." Brenda said as she looked at her watch and bolted 
down the
stairs.

Once out of sight, Jake moved back over to Chris and brought him into an 
extended
embrace, "I was fucking terrified for a moment."

"Because you could have been outed?" Chris asked.

Jake shook his head, "It's not that. To be honest I don't care about that 
anymore." He
then explained, "I was terrified for you. I think the media would tear you 
to shreds. I
don't want to see you hurt."

"I think I'd be okay, but we don't have to deal with that." Chris replied, 
still being held
within Jakes warm embrace. He nuzzled his nose into Jakes collarbone and 
squeezed him
tighter. "Maybe we should go inside."

Releasing Chris, Jake agreed and made his way to pick up his bags, "Perhaps, 
it's too hot
out here."

Chris fished around in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the door. 
Grabbing the
handle of his case, he pushed the door open and dragged the bags inside, 
quickly
followed by Jake.
The apartment was stuffy from being locked up for several days. It was also 
very still as
there were no animals running around. Chris immediately dumped his bags on 
the ground
and rushed over to the remote for the air-conditioner. Turning it on, Chris 
then made his
way over to the answering machine.

Checking the messages from his mother, Maggie, Amy as well as Lana, Chris 
decided to
call them in the morning. It was Sunday and he was planning to spend the 
rest of the
weekend alone with his man.

"God it's hot in here." Jake said as he made his way over to Chris. He 
pulled Chris into
his arms and passionately kissed him.

Chris surrendered to the embrace, however managed to waddle their combined 
forces
towards the air vent, which was blasting cold air into the room. "I tell you 
what, you stay
here and be sexy and cool down, I'll run down to the supermarket and grab 
some food."

"If you're sure," Jake replied, kissing Chris once more before breaking off 
and pulling his
shirt over his head. Tossing it onto the coffee table, he lightly rubbed his 
sweaty nipple,
enticing Chris playfully.

Chris smirked and lightly pinched Jakes left nipple while kissing him once 
more, "I'll be
about half an hour I think." He then picked up his keys and headed to the 
door as he
watched Jake pull his shoes and socks off before heading to the 
refrigerator.

Pulling the refrigerator door open, Jake quickly surveyed the contents, 
trying to find
something cool to drink. He finally grabbed a small bottle of Coca Cola and 
removed the
lid.

Like a typical commercial style, Jake downed the bottle while the sunlight 
glistened off
his sweaty body. Swallowing the contents in his mouth, Jake placed the 
half-empty bottle
on the bench top as he noticed an acrid smell coming from one of the 
containers.

"What the hell is that?" Jake asked as he pulled the small Chinese food box 
from the
shelf. He opened the lid to see a small colony of fungi setting up home on 
the noodles.

Making his way to the bin under the sink, Jake poured the contents down into 
the bin,
eliminating the vile smell from the apartment. He then headed back to the 
fridge to find
any more decomposing foodstuffs.

His task of emptying Chris' fridge completed, Jake then closed the door, 
grabbed the
bottle and padded his bare feet back towards the baggage.

Dragging the suitcases into Chris' bedroom one by one, Jake then made his 
way back
towards the couch and collapsed, grabbing the remotes in the process. Making 
himself at
home, Jake flicked the TV on and began channel surfing. Allowing the past 
few days'
events to get the better of him, he slowly closed his eyes and began to 
sleep.


*** *** *** ***

Walking slowly up the long footpath to the large white house, Jake felt 
nervous, he still
loved Chris with all his heart, but things had drawn them apart for many 
years. Jake had
tried to put the events of the breakup behind him, but even after 10 years, 
Chris was still
the only person occupying the special area of his heart.

Walking up the three steps towards the door, Jake double-checked it was the 
right address
before pressing the doorbell. He waited for several moments before he heard 
movement
approaching the door.

As the door unlocked and began to open, Jake found himself sweating 
profusely. Finally,
the door opened completely revealing the man he had loved, standing in a 
dark pair of
pants, a white t-shirt and a dishcloth over his right shoulder.

"Jake, Hi." Chris said, with a slightly shocked tone. Jake was looking 
slightly older, but
still as handsome as ever.

"Long time no see." Jake replied nervously.

Standing aside in the doorway Chris motioned, "Come in," Once Jake was in 
the door he
gently hugged him tight before releasing him. "What are you doing here?"

Jake nervously put his hands in his pockets to prevent himself from 
immediately jumping
Chris, who was looking older, yet more adorable than ever. The 15 years 
since they first
met had done wonders to him. Realizing he still hadn't replied to Chris, he 
finally spoke
up, "I was doing a promotional thing for this movie. Then I remembered you 
live just
outside Portland, so I thought I would escape the media for a while and hunt 
you down."

"That's sweet of you, how are you doing these days?" Chris replied as he led 
Jake into
the living room. "Any man on the horizon, or woman?"

Jake laughed at Chris' comment, "Nah not really, I've been pretty busy with 
work." He
then turned to see a young boy shyly walk up to Chris and hide within his 
arms.

"Jake, this is Kenan, my son." Chris said as he held his son within his 
arms. "Kenan, this
is Jake, a friend of mine."

"Hi Jake." Kenan said shyly as he looked the strange man over.

Jake smiled as he saw Chris with his son, he held onto him protectively 
which sent warm
feelings throughout Jakes body. "It's nice to meet you Kenan."

"I'll be out the back in a while okay?" Chris said as he looked down at his 
son, "Go set
up the goals and find the soccer ball okay?"

The child got up and walked out of the room, "Okay Dad."

Once Kenan had departed the room, Jake looked back over at Chris, "He's 
adorable."

Chris smiled proudly, "He is, but he's completely shy, a bit like me around 
his age."

Jake smiled as he tried to imagine Chris being a child who never spoke more 
than 2
words to strangers, "Is it just you two here?"

Chris shook his head as he stood up and began to make his way back towards 
the kitchen,
"Katy, my daughter, she's at a friends place at the moment, but since James 
died, I've
been alone with the kids."

"I heard about that, I was going to come see you, but I didn't think it was 
appropriate."
Jake commented with a saddened tone, "How long has it been?"

Chris' shoulders lowered slightly as he replied, "Since the accident? Nearly 
two years."

Pulling Chris into another hug, Jake apologized, "I'm sorry. I wanted to be 
there for you,
but I didn't know what to do." He then turned to see Kenan running around 
the backyard
by himself with a soccer ball, "I'd better let you go," He then pointed 
towards the large
expanse of grass in the backyard, "He looks like he's found the ball."

"Come and join us," Chris replied as he motioned towards the large French 
doors. "We
can always do with an umpire."

Jake smiled at the notion of being included in Chris' life once more. "Okay, 
I'd love to."
He then followed Chris towards the backyard.


*** *** *** *** ***

"Hey wake up," Chris said softly as placed the shopping bag on the coffee 
table. He then
leaned over and gently placed a kiss on Jakes lips.

Stirring from his slumber, Jake smiled slightly and returned the kiss. "You 
been back
long?"

Gently stroking the hair on Jakes chest, Chris replied, "Just got in, you 
seemed pretty out
of it."

"Yeah I think I was. I was having a strange dream actually." Jake said as he 
sat up
slightly on the couch.

Moving off Jake's inviting body, Chris then turned his attention to the 
shopping bags on
the coffee table. He picked them up and asked, "What were you dreaming 
about? You
looked so cute; I was watching you for about five minutes."

Following closely behind Chris, Jake waited for the bags to be placed on the 
bench top
before pulling his man into his arms and kissing him once more, "It was 
about you. It was
sad, but sweet."

"Aw poppet. Why sad?" Chris asked as he became fascinated by the facial hair 
on Jakes
chin.

Hugging Chris once more, Jake explained, "It was in like 15 years or 
something like that,
we weren't together anymore, but you had a family."

Chris stared into Jakes eyes, "We weren't together? Who was I with?" He 
liked the idea
of having a family, but not the idea of having a family without Jake in his 
life.

"Some guy called James, but he died or something like that, you woke me up 
before it all
became clear." Jake explained, "You wanted me to join you in the backyard to 
be the
umpire while you and Kenan played soccer."

"That's so cute," Chris said as he held Jake tighter and tighter. "So you 
came back into
my life?" He loved the feeling of his clothed chest against Jakes cool, bare 
skin. He then
nuzzled himself into Jakes neck and kissed the collarbone gently.

"It looks like it," Jake replied as he giggled from the feeling of Chris' 
lips. "I don't see
myself going anywhere soon though."

Smiling still, Chris sighed at Jakes comment. He loved Jake with all his 
heart and he
loved the idea of being with Jake for the long haul, even if it meant 
dealing with
paparazzi and fans. "Did you want dinner soon?" Chris asked.

"Whenever you want to, cutie." Jake replied, letting go of Chris.

Chris made his way over to the bags and pulled out a container of chicken 
breasts and a
package of spices. "I can get these started now, and have them later."

"What is it?" Jake asked as he examined the olive colored substance in the 
container. He
pulled the lid off and sniffed it, "It smells like moth balls..."

Chris laughed to himself as he recalled the first time trying to hunt the 
spice down. He
felt like a complete idiot in the Turkish supermarket searching for the 
spice and mistaking
various nuts for the item. Years down the track, it still made him smile, 
"It's Za'atar. That
thing we had when you came to the dinner party. I remember you saying you 
liked it."

Jakes eyes widened, "Oh god, I loved that stuff." He then took another sniff 
from the
container, "It's strange to think this shit makes it taste so good." He then 
replaced the lid
and placed it on the bench top. "Can I help at all?"

Pulling more supplies out of the magician style shopping bag, Chris handed 
Jake a small
bag of tomatoes and a cucumber, "Do you want to chop these up? I'll do the 
chicken."

"Sure," Jake replied as he looked around for a knife.

Chris smiled and pulled the top drawer open, revealing various sized knives. 
"There
should be a bowl around in one of the cupboards, just throw it in there." 
Chris said as he
pulled the remaining items out of the bag before scrunching it up and 
throwing it into the
trash.

He then turned his attention to the chicken. Pulling a Ziploc bag from the 
cupboard, Chris
threw the chicken breasts inside before pouring a small amount of oil in, 
followed by the
spice. He then tied it up and turned his attention to heating the oven.

"Is that it?" Jake asked as he continued chopping the tomatoes, "I think I 
got the wrong
job in this task."

"Preeeeeeeeeeeeetty much." Chris replied with a smile. He then leaned over 
and kissed
Jakes cheek, quickly followed by a series of kisses on Jakes neck and 
shoulder. "I just
like watching you cook, it's so cute."

"I wouldn't mind doing it more often." Jake commented as he threw the diced 
cucumber
into the stainless steel bowl. He then looked over Chris, who was slicing a 
lemon in half,
"What's that for?"

Crushing the lemon into another small bowl, Chris replied, "It's part of the 
dressing." He
then threw the crushed shell into the sink before turning his attention to 
emptying the
contents of the Ziploc bag into an oven tray. He then pulled the oven door 
open and
shoved the tray onto the wire rack before slamming the door shut once more.

Completed with his culinary duties, Jake rinsed the knife under the sink 
before washing
the acid off his hands. He then wiped his hands on his jeans before, once 
again taking
Chris into his arms, "Have I told you I loved you lately?"

Smiling at Jakes overwhelming cuteness, Chris kissed Jake softly before 
replying, "Not
within the last 5 minutes." He then leaned in again once more and kissed 
Jakes nose, "I
was beginning to get worried."

"Well then," Jake said softly as he pulled Chris tighter, "I love you 
Chris."

Chris continued to smile, "I love you too Jake." He then brushed his hand 
lightly down
the chest on Jakes chest before leading him back to the couch, "It will be a 
while before
it's done."

Flopping onto the cold couch caused Jake to yelp slightly as his bare skin 
came into
contact with the smooth black leather. Waiting for Chris to pull his own 
shoes and socks
off, Jake then pulled his man close to his body and kissed him once more.

Resting his head against Jakes, Chris thought for a moment about the 
conversation earlier
before asking, "You don't see yourself going anywhere soon? What does that 
mean?"

"Well," Jake replied thoughtfully, "I know we haven't been together long, 
but I could
easily see myself with you for a long time." He then turned his head while 
Chris changed
position to look him in the eye.

"Like, forever or something?" Chris asked nervously.

Noticing Chris' nervous appearance, Jake explained himself, "I don't like to 
say things
like that, it kinda puts pressure on a relationship." He then kissed Chris 
lightly on the
cheek, "But the thought is definitely in my head, I don't want to let you 
go."

"To be honest," Chris replied, "I had thought about it to, I just didn't 
want to say
anything incase it scared you off." He then jumped onto Jakes lap and kissed 
him
passionately.

Breaking the kiss off after a few minutes Jake continued, "Part of me would 
want my
little dream to come true, you know. Minus the dead boyfriend and 
heart-broken Chris."

"That's really sweet Jake." Chris replied, still straddling Jakes lap. He 
then thought for a
moment, deciding to change the subject before it got too confusing for this 
early stage of
the relationship. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Going home I guess, you must be sick of me." Jake replied with puppy dog 
eyes.

"I can drop you off there if you want, but I would love if you stayed for a 
while longer."
Chris said, jumping off Jakes lap. "I'm going to grab a quick shower okay?"

Jake began to move from the couch, "Sure, I'll check on the chicken cutie." 
He then
smiled as he watched Chris waddle into the bedroom.

---22 Soonish---

Well, I don't really consider that a cliffhanger, do you?

Hope you liked that development. I hope the dream thing made sense. I had 
some reservations about putting it in, but I felt it was needed.

Love hearing from you guys, and I love that I have a bunch of people on my 
group now! I'm quite shocked that many people are reading it, plus the 
others that aren't reading, WOW. I'm humbled.
http://groups.msn.com/HowIMetJakeCafe is where it's at, pictures, a few 
chapters ahead and yeah, come have a chat.

If you're not up to joining, or just want to drop me a line, 
chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com is where I can be found. Assuming your email 
actually goes through, I would normally respond! It's great to hear from 
y'all. David, I'm glad I got you hooked on Blue Cafe. I really need to do PR 
or something! mwahaha

Anyway, thanks for reading guys, love you all.
Chris