Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:07:41 +0000 From: Chris Salter Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 7 If you are under the legal age in your country/principality, don't read any further. Also, if the notion of two men together offends you in any way, go visit www.wikipedia.org or something and stop reading this. Disclaimer: I am in no means affiliated with Jake Gyllenhaal, nor do I wish to guess or claim to know his sexual preference or relationship status. What he does in his own life is his own business. But with that out of the way, enjoy chapter 7! Chapter 7: Chris looked up from his laptop to see Jake standing in the door looking at him. "Hey," Chris said, as he made eye contact. Jake leaned against the doorframe and stroked his hair with his left hand, "I guess I drifted off." "Yeah, you were out there asleep for about 2 hours." Jake smiled and readjusted his position on the doorframe. "Thanks for the blanket. It was nice of you." Chris closed the lid of the laptop before standing up, "It's the least I could do, you looked cold." Jake smiled warmly at Chris and locked eyes with him. The pair awkwardly stared at each other, nervously smiling for a few moments before Jake finally spoke up again, "I guess I should probably get going. You're probably sick of me squatting here." Chris stared down at his feet shyly. "I didn't mind you being here, your fun to be around." He then looked up for a moment, "But if you have stuff you need to do, I guess I will see you later." Jake pushed off the doorframe to stand on two feet once again, "It was a fun day, but I need to do some stuff, have to feed Boo and call Maggie." "Okay then, I'll walk you out." The pair headed towards the front door and Chris opened it for Jake. As Jake walked through the door he turned around, "Did you want to do something again sometime?" "Yeah definitely." Chris held the door open slightly as he stood outside, preventing an artistic escape by Fergus. "My friend Sarah is having a dinner party at her apartment Friday night, do you want to come?" Jake thought for a moment, he loved the idea of getting to know Chris in a social environment as well as meeting his friends, "Sure, just let me know where and when, and what would I need to bring?" "Wait here, I'll grab a pen" Chris said as he quickly ducked inside. A few seconds later he returned with a post-it pad and a black pen. He quickly noted down Sarah's Doheny Drive address and handed the note to Jake. "If you want to get there around 6:30 or 7, that would be great. I dunno, you don't have to bring anything." "Great!" Jake replied happily, "I will see you on Saturday then! Goodnight Chris!" Chris smiled and waved to Jake as he bounded down the stairs, "Goodnight Jake." He then made his way inside and locked the door. Chris arrived at Sarah's house at 6pm precisely. It was very rare for Chris to appear at a place late, due to his anal time scheduling methodology. Because parking was difficult in this area, he decided the best way to get there was via taxi. He jumped out of the taxi with a bottle of red wine. After paying the fare and dusting the grime off his white button up shirt and dark blue jeans, he set off down the street to Sarah's apartment. Sarah's apartment was located on a tree lined street, and the building itself resembled a brownstone building. Finally arriving at the large wooden door, he knocked loudly and was swiftly greeted by his friend Terry. "Hey you!" Chris exclaimed as he stepped into the door and hugged him warmly. "How have you been?" Terry exclaimed, leading Chris into the main sitting room of the apartment. There he found a small gathering of Chris and Sarah's friends. On the large white couch, Chris found Sarah's boyfriend Ben, an investment banker and someone who he had known for years. Seated next to Ben was Amy, Danny's sister and a good friend of Chris'. There was an empty spot next to Amy, obviously, where Terry had been sitting previously. Next to the empty spot on the end of the couch was Terry's husband Will. On the couch under the window was another of Chris' ex workmates, Kate. At this point in time, Sarah was nowhere to be seen. Chris smiled and acknowledged the others before quickly disappearing to find Sarah checking on the chicken cooking in the oven. "How's my little Nigella?" Chris joked as he walked through the kitchen door. Sarah walked over and embraced Chris, "I'm good, is he here yet?" Releasing Sarah from the hug, he spoke softly, "Not yet, I take it they don't know Jake is a friend?" Sarah smirked, "Honey, he's obviously into you, but no, they don't know." Chris quickly dismissed off the notion of an A-list celebrity having any romantic feelings for him. He then headed back into the living room to take engage in conversation with the others. Walking over to the mini-bar, Chris pulled out a martini glass as well as the cocktail stirrer, a bottle of gin and a bottle of vermouth. He quickly made himself a martini before taking a seat next to Kate and listened in on the conversation at hand. Occasionally he would look over at the door and then down at his watch, while taking small sips of his martini. "Hey, where's this date of yours?" Terry joked. Chris glared at him before replying, "He's not a date, just a friend." The word date caused Amy to focus in on the conversation suddenly, "What's this? You're replacing Danny already?!" She exclaimed in a mockingly serious tone. "Gah! I said he's not a date, just a friend of mine...that you've never met.....feel privileged!" Chris replied in a sarcastic voice. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Chris noticed Amy beginning to stand up before he quickly jumped up and ran to the door. He quickly unlocked the door and let it swing open, "Hey, thought you were going to stand us up!" Chris whispered. "Sorry, the taxi driver couldn't find his way, then I ended up getting lost." Jake replied. He then handed Chris a bottle of white wine. Chris accepted the bottle and invited Jake inside. Before introducing him to the others, Chris decided to introduce Jake and Sarah beforehand. She was still hiding in the kitchen at the time. "Quick come in this way, I want you to meet Sarah." He then led Jake quickly past the open door of the sitting room and towards the kitchen. Once past the door Chris slowed down a bit and admired Jake dressed in a black dress shirt and black dress pants. Walking through the kitchen door he walked up to Sarah, who was pulling a stack of plates from a cupboard. "Sarah, this is Jake. Jake this is Sarah." Sarah quickly put the plates and walked up to Jake quickly hugging him. "It's nice to meet you Jake." For some reason, seeing Jake hugging his best friend made him feel slightly uneasy. "It's nice to meet you too; Chris has said good things about you." Jake replied, releasing Sarah from the embrace. "I should bloody well hope so." Sarah joked. She then looked over to Chris, "Dinner will probably be about half an hour more, the timer is completely screwed now." Chris smiled, "Well, I suppose that means more time to chat." He then lead Jake out of the kitchen. Sarah quickly grabbed her drink and hurried into the sitting room, wanting to see the expressions of the other guests. "Come on Chris, who's your date, stop hiding him!" Amy shouted. Chris rolled his eyes at Jake and headed through the doorway. "Everyone, this is my friend Jake." Jake slowly stepped through the doorway, "Hey guys." There was a sudden silence followed by a look of horror on the faces of the others, most notably Amy who sat in the chair with her martini glass motionless in front of her mouth. Chris smiled at the uneasiness of the others. He decided rather than sitting there the whole night with the others in star-shock, he'd make it a point to properly introduce everyone. Once everyone was fully introduced Chris asked if Jake would like a drink. "I'll have what you're having." Jake replied. "Excellent," Chris replied as he headed over once again to the mini-bar. He quickly made Jake a martini and handed him the glass. Chris then sat down on the couch next to Kate once more and indicated for Jake to sit next to him. As the group was engaging in a conversation regarding what was going on in their careers, Jake leaned over to Chris and whispered, "So, Amy is Danny's sister?" Chris turned so he could speak to Jake quietly without interrupting Amy's discussion, "Yeah, his younger sister. She was under the impression I was bringing a date here." Jake smirked, "You mean you didn't?" He then began laughing softly to himself. Chris gave Jake a strange smile and was about to make a sarcastic comment when Sarah walked into the room, indicating that dinner was now ready. The group began to stand up and file into the dining room followed lastly by Chris and Jake. "So what do you think of them?" Chris asked. "They're great. Seem like a good group of friends. I feel out of place though, everyone seems to know everything about each others lives." Jake replied softly. Before heading any further, Chris turned around quickly, "They're just trying to figure you out. Trying to work out if you're full of shit, or a genuine guy. I think you're a genuine guy, but the others can be overly picky sometimes." Jake smiled with a worried look on his face, then followed Chris into the dining room to find the others already sitting around a large round table with a white table cloth. Only three seats were empty, one between Terry and Amy, and two between Kate and Will. Following Chris, Jake took a seat next to him and smiled. He looked around at the group and realized the fun they were having with each other. "I hope we're up to Hollywood standards Jake.." Amy commented as she picked up her glass. Jake smiled, "No, you guy's aren't." He watched the others suddenly look at him before continuing, "You're better, you seem like a great group of people, you seem care about each other's lives and you don't have to worry about being watched every five minutes." After hearing Jakes comment, Amy quickly held her glass out, "Well here's to good friends." "To good friends.." The group toasted in unison. Sarah quickly appeared back in the room with a large serving plate containing Za'atar Chicken. As she had already brought the bread salad in earlier, the only thing left to serve was the chicken, fresh out of the oven. "Here you go guys," Sarah apologized. "Sorry it took so long, the temperature do-dad on the oven is buggered." She placed the server on the table before accepting the plates to begin handing out the meal. Once everyone had the chicken and a serving of the bread salad, Chris raised his glass to add another toast to the group, "To Sarah, and to good friends." Everyone raised their glasses and then began eating their meal. As Will and Terry began having a conversation with Kate about their upcoming adopt Chris turned his head to notice Jake was quietly eating his meal. "Hey, everything okay?" Jake nodded and quietly responded, "Yeah, I was just thinking about some stuff, plus this kind of makes me miss my sister. When we were living in the same city, we used to do this kind of thing all the time. Now she's in New York and I'm out here." Chris tried to lighten Jake's mood, "Well, you're here now, with the most entertaining and fabulous people on the planet, excluding your sister. We'll get you smiling again." Jake laughed and was about to respond to Chris when Amy interrupted his train of though. "Hey Chris, have you spoken to Danny lately?" Jake looked over to see Chris twitch slightly at both the comment, and the fact Amy interrupted their mini conversation. "Oh, yeah, I spoke to him on...when was it, Sunday?" Chris asked, looking over at Jake, who in turn nodded slightly. "He was in Vegas I think. I wasn't really listening, I got started a bit emotional." "Aw poppet, I'm sorry." Amy replied mournfully. Chris smiled weakly and folded a white cotton napkin on his lap. "It's okay, I'm okay now. Jake was there, so he managed to keep my mind off it." He continued to stare at his napkin. "Oh?" Amy asked, genuinely curious by what Chris meant. Chris was silent for a moment and was going to speak up when Jake interjected. "Well yeah, we ended up catching a movie." The table was silent for a moment, causing Chris to be more self-conscious. "I really feel bad about the whole thing Chris," Amy apologized. Chris quickly downed the remainder of his martini before picking up his fork again, "It's okay, Jake gave me some advice, and it seems to be working, I hadn't really thought about it until now." The group then continued eating and continuing a conversation about the upcoming adoption, again Jake smiled at Chris. "Thanks." Chris whispered towards Jake. Jake continued smiling, "Anytime.." he mouthed before listening back in on the conversation at hand. As people began to finish their meals the group sat around talking for a little longer before making their way back to the living room. There they all sat down on the couches and continued talking while also listening the music emanating from the stereo. After a short while Amy excused herself and disappeared out the kitchen door to grab a cigarette. Jake watched as she walked out and a few minutes later he stood up and also made his way outside. He made his way through the door and down into a small plant- filled courtyard. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he found Amy sitting on a small stone bench in the dim light. He sat down next to her and asked, "Can I grab a smoke?" "Sure." Amy replied as she held out the box and a lighter. Jake accepted the cigarette and quickly lit up. He inhaled the smoke, thought for a moment and then exhaled, he then bit his lip before speaking up, "Can I ask you something, Amy?" "Sure, what is it?" Chris had been sitting alone on the couch, listening to Will and Terry continue about their perfect life for about fifteen minutes. Deciding he couldn't handle listening to it anymore he quickly excused himself to use the bathroom and find Jake and Amy. Chris quickly went upstairs and went into the bathroom. He closed the door and made his way over to the toilet. As he was urinating he noticed the window was slightly open. He could hear two familiar voices coming from the courtyard. After flushing the toilet he washed his hands and began to head back down the stairs. As he got to the hallway, he quickly hugged Will and Terry who were leaving. Chris then made his way through the kitchen and opened the door. He slowly walked down the stairs and noticed the two figures were hugging each other tightly. Chris knew Jake was straight, but seeing him and Danny's sister embracing made him feel uneasy. He quietly coughed, took notice that the two released each other from the hug, and he then turned to head back up the stairs. Jake heard a cough coming from the bottom of the garden steps. He quickly turned his head to see Chris standing in the moonlight. Jake then saw Chris turn and slowly head back up into the apartment. "Thanks Amy, I'll try that." Jake whispered as he made his way to the backdoor. Once in the kitchen he looked around to see if he could find Chris. There was no sign of him. Jake then ducked his head into the sitting room to see Sarah sitting on Ben's lap and Kate sitting in an armchair with a glass of red wine in her hand. "Hey, you guys seen Chris?" "Oh I think he went upstairs to call a cab." Sarah replied, "I think he might be in my bedroom. First door on the left." Jake pointed up the stairs then replied, "Thanks." He then quietly made his way up the wooden staircase. As he reached the landing, he then walked towards the first door on the left and knocked softly. "Yeah, come in Sarah." Chris acknowledged, muffled by the thickness of the door. Jake slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door open. He found Chris sitting on the bed with his mobile phone to his ear. "Are you calling a taxi?" he asked. "Trying to," Chris replied, looking more and more frustrated, "I guess because it's a Saturday night, they're all busy." Jake sat on the end of the bed next to Chris. "I can probably give you a ride, it wouldn't be that far out of my way." Chris, noticing he was number 25 in the queue, quickly ended the call. "I guess that would be okay. I'm kind of tired, so did you want to go now?" "I'm ready when you are." "Okay, now is good then, I'll just say goodbye to everyone." Chris replied, standing up from the bed and quickly walking down the stairs with Jake behind him. When he got to the hallway he quickly walked into the sitting room and said his goodbyes to the remaining guests. Jake followed and hugged Amy once more, he then shot her a nervous smile and then followed Chris out the door and onto the street. "I'm parked up here." Jake said as he pointed to the right. Chris then followed Jake to his black SUV parked on a side street. Jake unlocked the doors and Chris fell into the passenger seat. Jake jumped into the drivers side and started the engine. He then slowly made his way out onto the main street and set off towards Chris' apartment. The whole trip was spent without a word, with Chris barely being to keep his eyes open from exhaustion. Twenty or so minutes later Jake pulled into a parking spot directly opposite Chris' building. He switched off the engine and turned to see Chris was asleep. He slowly extended his hand and began to shake Chris' shoulder softly. "Hey, wake up, we're here." Chris began to stir. As he opened his eyes he looked to see Jake smiling at him. "Oh thanks Jake." He then unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. He slowly stepped out of the car, "I'll speak to you later Jake." Chris replied in a raspy tone. He then shut the door and began slowly stumbling towards the gate. Jake sat in the SUV for a moment thinking, before jumping out and walking up to Chris who was trying to find the right key with one eye open. "Do you mind if I come up? I really need to use the bathroom." Finding the right key, Chris finally unlocked the gate and pushed it open, "Sure. That's fine I guess" Chris responded diplomatically. Jake followed Chris as he slowly made his way up the stairs. Chris then unlocked the door and stumbled his way inside. "You know where the bathroom is." He then kicked his shoes off and made his way to the couch. "Thanks Chris." Jake said as he made his way to the bathroom. Once inside he shut the door and turned the tap on slowly. He stood in front of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror for a few minutes. After thinking a few things over in his head, he flushed the toilet, turned off the tap and slowly made his way back into Chris' living room. Noticing Chris was still awake, but barely lucid; Jake walked towards the couch and sat next to Chris. "Can I ask you something?" Chris shifted slightly on the couch before murmuring, "Yeah, she's single. I think she'd be quite discrete too...." "Who? Amy?! She is hot, but that's not what I wanted to ask you Chris." Jake once again shook Chris' shoulder, causing him to awaken slightly. Chris sat up slightly, "What was it then?" Jake hopped off the couch and softly sat down on the coffee table, making sure it wouldn't shatter under his weight, "I won't keep you up long I promise." Chris sat up further, "What?" Sitting silent for a moment while looking at his hands, Jake swallowed nervously and rubbing his now sweaty hands. "Have you ever met someone who you know is right for you?" "Well yeah, Danny." "Right, of course, stupid of me." Jake said nervously. "I mean, have you ever met someone who you know was right for you, but at the same time they were recently out of a relationship? Do you think something could ever come of it, or would they just be a rebound?" Chris opened his eyes fully and sat up, not entirely sure at what Jake was trying to point out. "I think it would depend on the situation." Chris replied, "I personally don't believe in rebounds, to me it's a pointless endeavor. What are you saying Jake? You're going to date Reese?" Jake continued to sit nervously on the coffee table trying to get Chris to follow his same nervous train of thought. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he finally decided to bite the bullet, "Look Chris, I have only known you for a week now, but..." Jake quickly crouched on the ground, gently placed behind Chris' neck and softly brought his lips to meet Chris'. ---Chapter 8 Coming Soon--- Well, finally something has happened, I hope you like where I'm going with this. I absolutely adore hearing from you guys, so if you want to chat or have a question or suggestions about the piece, I'm always open for a chat or email or whatever. If you want to mock,abuse,point and laugh, don't bother because I'm usually an expert in such techniques and can fight back, HARD. But don't let that scare y'all off, my contact is chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com (some of you have asked me about the meaning of it, if you don't know Francais, then use a online translation, but it is a long story to go into.) Thanks for reading guys, Chapter 8 shall be online soonish. Chris.