Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 10:18:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Mark <rahvin747@yahoo.com>
Subject: The Important Things in Life - chapter 4

Disclaimer : I don't know Jake Gyllenhaal and this is a work of fiction. I
know nothing about his private life and don't mean to suggest anything
regarding his sexuality either.

The Important Things in Life - chapter 4

Following our exchange, I couldn't help but feel that the evening was
marred. It was no exaggeration. Despite the fact that I had shamelessly
destroyed the lounge and my entertainment area, I also felt fatigued like
never before. After spending some time recuperating in the lounge with
Jake, I was overcome by a heavy exhaustion. Without any words, Jake helped
me to the bedroom. He stripped me down to my boxers and placed me beneath
the sheets, before tucking me in. I gave him the strongest smile of thanks
which I could muster, but it turned out to be far weaker than I could
anticipate.

Jake stood up and stripped down to his boxers too. As if to herald a new
level of physical exhaustion, it was the first time that I didn't have
enough energy to actively appreciate his awesome body. I glanced in his
direction, but my eyelids were heavy and resistant. I saw him walk out of
the room, and slowly the house became darker as he turned all the lights
off. He was back a few minutes later and he climbed into the bed beside me,
and held me in a soft embrace. It felt so good. I immediately gravitated
towards it.

I looked at him for a few moments longer, his face a mass of shadows in the
dark room. I could see his eyes glistening in the moonlight as they stared
at me, and the light bending around his tranquil smile. I smiled weakly.

"Goodnight, Jake" I whispered, and fell into a very deep sleep before I
could appreciate a potential reply.

I didn't resist the sleep. I was, after all, more tired than I had ever
been since I could remember. Yet apart from that, I wanted an escape. I
felt emotionally raw, as if I had been hung-up in the sun and flogged until
I couldn't stand it anymore. I had never told anyone what I had told
Jake. I felt many things. I felt intense relief that I had finally told the
most special person in my life, albeit under duress. I felt deep shame that
I had considered hitting Jake, but relief again knowing that I never
could. I felt loathing that I could become an irrational monster. I felt
guilty that I hadn't told him spontaneously, knowing how much he cared for
me.

I drifted through a dreamless sleep and woke up confused, the sun casting a
yellow beam across the bed. I felt refreshed, but was reminded of the
previous night by a dull ache in my hands. Looking at them, I shook my head
when I saw the cuts and abrasions littered over my knuckles. A small price
to pay to have such a huge load off my back. Turning to my left, I was
frustrated by the sight of an empty bed for the second time. I decided that
waking up without Jake next to me was officially now my least favourite
thing in the world. I sighed with longing, and at that moment I heard a
small rattle. Jake stepped into the room carrying a tray with a nicely
prepared breakfast on top. There was a small bowl with fruit and yoghurt, a
plate with bacon and eggs, a glass of orange juice, and most amusingly, a
milk jug with a flower in it. I laughed, half with surprise and half with
admiration. Jake was smiling too.

"See, I'm improving. You aren't even out of bed this time," he said laying
the try down beside me before sitting next to me on the bed.

I laughed at his cute attempts to ambush me with a surprise. He seemed to
be a classic romantic, which was very appealing. I smiled at him and ran my
hand down his shirtless chest. "Thank you," I said graciously, and he
leaned in and kissed me deeply.

When I broke the kiss he was still in the same position, his eyes closed. I
stroked his face, something I used to dream of doing. He leaned his head
into my caress yet his face remained serious, as if he had reallocated all
his senses into enjoying that moment. I lowered my hand and he opened his
eyes.

"I don't know how you do it, Kevin. You have a way of touching me that
brings me to my knees every time. I swear, one day it's going to kill me."

I laughed softly. I was merely touching what I wanted to touch, almost from
a selfish point of view. It would be an understatement for me to say that I
was happy that we were both benefiting from these moments.

"I know what you mean, Jake. Sometimes when you touch me I realise that I
haven't taken a breath until my lungs start to burn. Shit, half the time
I'm scared my heart will stop when you kiss me."

We looked at one another for a moment and smiled, and then I forced myself
to lower my eyes to the breakfast he had prepared. It was perfect. I
grinned again, and then started eating, rudely commenting with my full
mouth that it was the best tasting food ever.

"Damn, you can cook," I said in awe, drinking the last of the orange
juice. "I appreciate the gesture, Jake, but I have a small request. I've
woken up twice in an empty bed now, and I've decided that I hate it, and I
mean HATE it. So if you really want to make my day, let me wake up next to
you." I smiled, hoping that he wouldn't take offence in some way.

He smiled widely at me. "I'm glad you suggested it, Kev. I've had to tear
myself from the bed twice now, and both times I wondered if surprising you
was worth the cost of not seeing you open your eyes in the morning. Now we
can both be happy. Any other requests?" He had that wicked look in his
eyes, which could only mean the worst kind of trouble.

"Yes. Stop walking around without your shirt on. I'm sick of this goddamn
hard on of mine," I said angrily, but he laughed out loudly as we both
shared in the joke.

I took the tray to the kitchen and returned to find Jake sitting in another
lounge adjacent to the room which I had wrecked. I looked at the messed up
room for a moment, and flinched automatically. I heard Jake cough and my
head swung to focus on him, his eyes rescuing me from that moment. It was
yet more proof that he was trying to protect me from my own dilemmas yet
again. He was lazing on a long dark sofa, and I was more than pleased to
join him. Laying down next to him, I wrapped my arms around him and
embraced him tightly. I felt him tense up, and I drew back to see what was
worrying him. He had spotted one of my hands. Almost immediately he sat up
and took my hands in his and started examining them. His faced was pained
and filled with sorrow.

"Oh Kevin, I'm so sorry." He sounded deeply upset.

"Don't worry about it Jake. They look worse than they are. They'll be fine
in a few days. They aren't even painful." I lied at the end, mostly because
nothing I was saying was soothing his mood.

He looked up at me, and my breath caught. Tears glistened in his eyes, and
he seemed deeply anguished. "I should have stopped you," he almost
whispered. "I'm so sorry, Kevin. I could have stopped you from hurting
yourself, but I wanted to help you with your problems, and I didn't know
what they were. I should have fucking stopped you." He was upset, but he
seemed furious with himself.

I hugged him tightly. "What you did for me was the most genuine and
kind-hearted act which anyone has ever done for me. I hurt my own
hands. You were part of helping me, not harming me. I don't want you to
ever feel bad about it. Agreed?"

He nodded silently, and I thought perhaps that I hadn't been successful. I
ran my hands through his hair to try and distract him from his malignant
thoughts. He closed his eyes after a while, but I could see that he was
still troubled. Hmm... time for a distraction. Something of worth.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said boringly. He nodded again. "Come join
me," I added, causing his head to swing round rapidly and focus on my
face. He seemed almost scared. Unprepared? Surprised? I gave me a small
smile, and I knew that I had pulled him out of a guilt spiral which might
have ended badly.

I walked to the bathroom, and he followed in my wake. By the time I turned
around again, that feral look at entered his eyes again, and I felt my
heart leap. He was already visibly aroused. He closed the door to the
bathroom. It was an odd thing to do in an empty house, but it felt right to
close it. As soon as the door was closed, I pre- empted him and threw him
against the bathroom wall. He inhaled through clenched teeth as his back
touched the cold marble walls. If he thought he was the only one who could
succumb to overwhelming passion, then he was about to be rudely
disabused. I kissed him forcefully, almost aggressively. I wanted to taste
his soul. He groaned as I kissed his jawline, his rough stubble rasping my
lips. Our chests were close together, our groins pressing hard against one
another. I kissed down his neck and onto his chest, before softly biting
his nipple. His whimpers became high pitched and desperate, but I didn't
stop. I was feeling his chest and abs as thoroughly as I could, trying to
satisfy my insatiable hunger for his body. I ran my tongue down the small
canyon which his abs made until I hit his treasure trail. Nibbling at the
hairs on his stomach, I kissed down until I met the buckle of his belt. He
was panting as if he'd run a marathon, sweat covering his forehead and his
eyes closed with his head rested back against the wall. Unbuckling the
belt, I loosened his jeans and pulled them down in one swift motion. His
boxers were tented, his cock begging for release. I had wanted this moment,
but at the same time, I was scared to cross that line. It was a defining
boundary which took a relationship to another level. But with this guy, I
was prepared to go to any level. I pulled down his boxers quickly freeing
his restrained cock. It was an awesome sight, and not very different to my
own... seven inches cut resting in a neat patch of dark hair. I gripped his
dick in my hands and he groaned softly. I touched the tip with my tongue
and his guttural moans intensified as he started shaking his head in
ecstasy. This truly was a position of authority I might actually enjoy for
once. Slipping my mouth over his dick I started moving up and down his rock
hard shaft. It was unlikely that he would be able to hold on for too
long. His breathing was ragged and his mouth open in rapture. If I didn't
know better I would have pitied him... but I knew better and I smiled to
myself.

"Ah... Kevin. That feels awesome," he said with broken speech.

I intensified my efforts and his breathing became forced and
uncontrolled. He was close, but I didn't care. He lifted his arms and
placed his hands over his eyes, clearly struggling to absorb so much
pleasure at one time. He was groaning with pleasure continuously now, an
occasional incoherent word escaping from his lips every now and again. He
was emotionally overwhelmed, and I moved in to finish him off.  Licking his
shaft for all I was worth, I felt him tense and I knew he was right on the
verge. One final movement and I swallowed him fully, my nose resting in his
dark pubes.

Jake let out one final gasp. "Kevin!" he shouted desperately, as I felt him
slip over the edge. He groaned continuously and loudly as the first shot
from his dick hit the back of my throat, and continued, a ceaseless
onslaught unloading into my mouth that left him exhausted. He was shouting
with pleasure, gasping with every breath. After swallowing it all, I
finally pulled my mouth back and licked the tip of his cock, causing him to
let out one final whimper as he fell back against the wall, panting with
fatigue. Standing up, I gazed upon his face, but his eyes were still closed
and I could feel him exhaling heavily over my neck. He leaned forward and
rested his head on my chest and I heard him mutter something inaudible
after catching his breath.

"What was that?" I said curiously.

He lifted his head and looked at me in the eyes, his gaze still glazed from
the whole experience. He smiled weakly but the emotion he conveyed was
powerful. "I said, that was great," he breathed weakly.

"The pleasure was mine," I said smiling before kissing him. He needed to
come up for air every few seconds, his energy thoroughly sapped by yours
truly. It didn't diminish his passion, however, and he still climbed into
me with his lips as efficiently as ever.

"Now you do need a shower," I said lightly as I wiped away the drop of
sweat making its way down his left sideburn. He nodded but smiled. I
stripped down too, and I saw some newfound life kindle back into him as he
looked upon me for the first time.  Clearly he enjoyed what he saw because
he smiled devilishly and then looked into my eyes, his demeanour shouting
that of a little boy who'd found a new toy. I rolled my eyes but started
laughing all the same.

I turned the water on, and before long the place filled with steam as the
water poured down. Climbing in, Jake immediately seized me and kissed me
while I embraced his neck, pulling him in harder, our naked bodies pressing
forcefully against one another.  He clasped my hands in his and lifted my
arms up before kissing me hungrily, pushing my head back against the
wall. I ignored the small pang which I felt as he gripped my hands. He then
started to kiss my neck, and I thought that he intended to do what I had
just done to him. I was proved wrong as his lips ascended again and his
tongue slipped into my mouth. I then felt him lower his right hand and grab
my aching cock and start jerking it off. I leaned back and exhaled
loudly. He smiled once and I felt his hand quicken. Looking down quickly I
saw his hand rapidly making its way up and down my shaft, but I was
surprised to see that he was as hard as ever too.  I whistled softly
through my teeth, and he laughed. The guy sure had some fuel to burn. His
face grew serious again and he leaned into me again, the hot water running
over our bodies as we writhed in pleasure in the shower. His hand felt so
damn good, and combined with his kiss, I knew I was moments away from
losing it. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt a level of
pleasure unlike any I had ever before. An expression of anguish covered my
face. I couldn't hold it off any longer. I broke off the kiss and leaned
back.

"Jake..." I panted and almost whispered. He never gave me a chance and he
pulled me back into and kissed me more eagerly than ever. As his tongue
crossed mine that final time, I moaned deeply into his mouth as I started
to come. I could feel thick ropes of cum shooting out of me onto his leg,
could feel the immensity of my orgasm as every muscle contracted
rhythmically without pause. Jake wouldn't allow me any air, and I was
forced to pull it hungrily through my nostrils, and exhale my shouts of
pleasure into Jake's throat. Suddenly Jake started moaning too, and I felt
him shoot onto my stomach, and continue unabated as if he hadn't done so
just moments earlier.  Eventually we broke the kiss, and I leaned back
gasping for air, with Jake leaning against my shoulder doing the same. So
much damn panting. I thought one of us was in for a coronary if we carried
on like this.

"We...," I tried to speak but swallowed in exhaustion. Trying again, I got
it right.  "We're dirtier than when we climbed in," I said. Jake laughed
into my shoulder, and I realised for the hundredth time how happy I was
whenever he was leaning his weight into me. I was more than pleased to
stand around like a concrete leaning post if I had to, so long as this guy
was resting against me. A few minutes later we worked up the energy to
actually clean ourselves off and shower properly, each of us taking turns
to clean the other. Climbing out, we dried ourselves. I watched Jake shave.

"You look so damn sexy like that," I said appreciating his masculine
disposition. The gleaming razor slipped up and down over his chiselled face
as he analysed the process in the mirror, all the while standing there with
a towel around his waist. Looking at the roof, I attempted some
self-control, and muttered angrily when I realised how useless my efforts
were. I could barely stop myself from jumping him right then and there.

"Is that the only time I look sexy?" he asked coyly, flashing me a smile,
half hidden by shaving cream.

I mumbled but took on an intellectual tone. "Well, as I see it, there are
levels of Jake sexiness. On a scale of one to ten, you usually sit between
nine and fifteen. This is a fifteen point five, I would say." Jake chuckled
to himself, and shook his head in amusement.

"You never cease to amaze me with your mind, Kevin. I pass the simplest
comment at you and you take it a few times round the dance floor. It's
great." We smiled at one another, hints of heat entering our vision
again. Damn me if I wasn't becoming a love-struck fool all of a sudden.

"There," Jake said abruptly towelling off his face. "Do I look
presentable?"

"It's difficult to judge while you're wearing that towel," I said evilly,
making my way to the basin to clean up my own face. Jake ruffled my hair as
I walked past him, and I ran my hand along his now smooth face, murmuring
in approval. He took his own turn analyzing me while I sorted out my own
face, but he said nothing, just centred his unflappable stare on my face,
the corners of his mouth sometimes rising slightly at times. What was going
on his head? Eventually I finished, and we walked out of the bathroom a
considerable time after we had entered it. Jake liked my taste in clothing,
and chose some casual white pants cut at knee level, and a great navy shirt
with white sneakers to walk around in... some stylish summer clothing, for
a bright clear day. I dressed in a similar way, but chose different
colours. I saw him pick out some sunglasses and a baseball cap, and I knew
that he intended to go somewhere. I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Let's hit the town," he said innocently. "Let's go explore... and we can
sit down and catch something to eat later."

"Sounds good," I replied. "Tell me where to go, and I shall obey."

"Now if only I could get you to say that more often," he rebutted. I
casually raised my middle finger, and he chuckled.

We left the apartment and headed for the car. "Your turn to drive," I said
throwing the keys to him. Catching them with his right hand, he put his
sunglasses on and grinned excitedly. "Just don't get us wiped out like
bugs," I added shaking my head in mock exasperation.

We drove off, Jake taking full advantage of the car's power, with me seeing
my life flash before my eyes as we sped around the corners at mad
speeds. "Trying to break the land speed record?" I asked anxiously. I felt
him slow down.

"Sorry," he said, clearly abashed, "I just suddenly feel energetic."

"Glad to hear it," I laughed. "I thought I'd half killed you in the
shower."

He looked at me and smiled. Smiling back, I could feel the connection
between us.  "You more than half-killed me, you wanker," he said, "but
that's one murder attempt I really enjoyed."

I blushed, but at the same time I chuckled foolishly. My cell phone rang,
and I flipped it open.

"Sanderson," I said seriously.

"Kevin, it's me," Kate babbled into the phone.

"Oh hey, Kate. What's up?" I asked gleefully.

"I'm in Miami too. Where are you? You guys want to meet up for a drink?"

"Sure, why not? We're driving to the hell knows where, but I'm sure we
could meet somewhere. Parrots? Sure... I know where that is. Half an hour?
See you then." Jake was glancing at me curiously, no doubt wondering what
was going on. I hung up.

"Friend?" Jake said.

"That's Kate. She's my personal assistant officially, but actually my best
friend in real life. She's so awesome. I can't wait for you to meet her."

Jake gave a small grin. "You haven't told many people about us, have you
Kevin?" I could hear the anxiety in his voice, along with his failed
attempts to keep it suppressed.

I placed my hand on his leg and squeezed it lightly. "Don't worry,
Jake. I've only told Kate, and she doesn't even know your name. I know how
important discretion is to someone like you. You'll never have to fear
that."

"I know," he said seriously, suddenly feeling the weight of being a
celebrity. "It's just that they look for anything to pin on you. They're
going to spot me sooner or later, but I'd rather it was later." He sighed
heavily.

"Don't worry," I said. "We have one another and that is what matters."

"Yeah," he said, apparently still distracted by the whole topic. I could
understand his fears. If my career went to ashes I could easily retire to a
life of luxury. Yet Jake's career was new and he was only starting to
spread his wings. If he was burned at the stake for his private life, it
would ruin him in almost every way. I had no problem with discretion. Hell,
the board didn't even know I was gay... actually almost no one did. And
screw the paparazzi if they didn't respect his private life. Or mine. I
didn't feel like that sort of publicity though, and I knew that Jake
positively feared it. We drove in silence for several minutes, both of us
caught in our thoughts. I realised that Jake was still pursuing his
original plan for the day.

"Sorry babe, I forgot to ask you something. Kate wants to me us quickly for
a cup of coffee or something at Parrot's. I don't mean to ruin your plans
but I'd like you to meet her." I spoke soothingly, not really wanting to
push him after this previous dilemma. He grinned though, and I instantly
felt relieved.

"No worries, Kev. It fits in kind of well. I just need to buy something
too, so I'll drop you off then come back as soon as I'm finished."

"You sure? I can go with you if you like?"

"Pretty sure. Just keep me a place at the table between you and your
girlfriend." The swine chose the best times to mock me. I punched his arm
softly and he laughed maliciously.

About ten minutes later he pulled up next to the coffee shop and dropped me
off. I could see Kate from a distance already. I watched Jake drive off and
saw a flash up the street. Peering into the distance, I saw a young guy
with a flak jacket and camera taking pictures of Jake as he pulled off from
the stop street. I shook my head in disgust. The bastards sure were
quick. How could they know he was here? They truly were like vultures
circling for the kill. Jake was right, we needed to be careful. I swung on
my heel and walked into the coffee shop. Walking up to Kate, I touched her
shoulder and hugged her warmly when she stood. For the thousandth time I
wondered what would have happened between us if I wasn't gay and she wasn't
married. Her hair was long and dark, it's silky sheen hanging down to her
waist and tied back with silver thread. She had a model's figure, was tall
and perfectly curved wearing a yellow dress which hugged her in all the
right places. I noticed some young guys leering at her. I loved her
finesse. She dressed impeccably every time I saw her, and her jewellery and
make-up was immaculate and never overdone. Style. That was Kate. Pure
style.

"Welcome back, lover boy," she said, breaking the ice.

I smiled and bared my teeth, and took a seat opposite her. "You're so evil,
Kate. You just wish you could sample some of this lover boy."

She smiled and toyed with her wedding ring. "I already have a piece of man
to occupy my time, honey." We both laughed. I ordered a cappuccino. "So,
where is he?" she asked.

"He said he needed to go pick something up, but he'll be back soon, I'm
sure." I sounded like I was trying to convince myself, because I realised
Jake hadn't said when he would return, only that he would.

"Who is he?" she asked bluntly.

"Jake Gyllenhaal. You know, the actor?" I said trying to explain.

"Of course I know who he is," she said in a mortified tone. "Is he really
coming back, or is Brad Pitt waiting in your swimming pool at home?"

"You slag," I said laughing. "I'm serious! Why would I lie about this?"

She flicked her hand dismissively instead of replying. She looked at me
with serious eyes. "Kevin, I know you hate this speech of mine, but you
know what I'm going to say."

I looked down into my cappuccino and played with the cream. "I know," I
said morosely. "You're a good friend for not just playing along, Kate, but
Jake is different.  And I know for a fact that I've never said that to you
before. He's the most fascinating and wonderful guy I've ever met. He's
helped me so much already. Even made me face things I don't want to face
with anyone." I showed her my hands, and she gasped, but linked the two
subjects quickly. "I really love him, and I mean love in the true sense of
the word - and I believe he feels the same - unless I'm way off. Shit. My
heart aches when I think of him, which is always. I haven't been this happy
for years.  Maybe ever."

She looked at me with her large eyes, her face open and accepting. Smiling
warmly, she took hold of one of my hands. "That's great, Kevin. Your eyes
tell me he's different, and the eyes can't lie. I'm really so happy for
you." I could see her blinking away some impending tears. She really was
happy for me, and probably a little embarrassed for questioning Jake's
motives.

"Any decent news from the company? Not BS like Torman dishes out?" I asked
grumpily.

She chuckled at the insult. "Well... Atama said..." she trailed off and
turned around.  My face had brightened as soon as I saw him enter the
coffee shop. I saw him scan the place for me, and I raised my hand to catch
his eye. Success! I loved the transformation which came over him when he
saw me. It caused my breath to catch every time. He smiled widely, but his
eyes were still veiled behind those dark shades.  He made his way over to
us. I stood and patted his back as he got close, careful to behave in
public.

"Hey," I said warmly.

He removed his sunglasses. "Hey," he said, his eyes betraying his
discretion.

I looked at him for a moment longer, and my eye caught Kate shifting
around.  "Sorry," I said to Kate. "Kate, this is Jake. Jake, this is Kate."
He stuck out his hand to shake hers, but she pulled him into a hug, raising
her feet to embrace his much taller neck.

"Pleased to meet you, Kate," Jake said, his face suffused with redness. I
laughed loudly. That's my Kate.

"I've heard so many good things about you," she said to Jake.

"Really, I've heard so little about you," he replied wittily.

She glared at me. "Well, Kevin is useless in some areas. What is a fine
looking dish like you doing with a loser like him, anyway?"

Jake shook his head, angry at himself. "I don't know. I was about to ask
you the same question. What do you think, Kevin?"

I regarded them flatly, obviously affronted at being the target of mass
pummelling, but inside I was amused. "It's simple, Jake. Every big company
CEO needs a bitch and a bastard. I had the one, now I've got the other."

Kate's mouth hung open in shock, but Jake immediately cracked up and leaned
against Kate. She joined him moments later.

"That's Kevin for you," she said giggling.

"I know," Jake said. "I love this guy!"

Kate glanced at me for a moment, and I rolled my eyes at her. She could be
irritating if she wanted to be. We finally sat down. Jake ordered what I
was having.

"So tell me about yourself, Jake," Kate said opening the conversation.

"Well, I'm an actor... cut it out Kevin," he muttered when I placed my hand
over my mouth in horror. "I've got a short break at the moment. Some of my
projects were pretty taxing, so I asked for some time to recover before I
jump back into the game."

"Nice," she said nodding. "So you allowed yourself to be dragged down
here?"

"He came of his own volition, Kate. He wasn't dragged as you put it," I
cut-in slyly.

"That's for sure," Jake said before taking a sip of his coffee. I winked at
him.

Kate snorted rudely. "You two are about as conspicuous as two rabbits going
at it on an open farm."

"An interesting analogy, wouldn't you agree, Jake? Perhaps I can arrange
it. You interested, Jake?" I said seriously.

"Say the word, Kev," he said sexily.

"Enough!" Kate said with fake outrage. "Damn! Some of this is not easy for
us straight desperate women to hear." Jake and I laughed. "Anyway, I need
to go. I have a flight at two. And you guys are going to make me sick up
anyway."

"Aw..," I pouted when she announced her departure. "Thanks for coming,
dear. It's always nice to see you. I don't know when I'll be back at work,
but try and prevent it from going to the dogs if you can."

She hugged me, and then hugged Jake again... obviously using any excuse to
make contact with a hottie like Jake. Kate was an innocent person, but she
made full use of her small desires when they appeared. I smiled down at my
shoes.

"Great to meet you, Jake. I approve fully," she said looking at me, before
hastily making her way out.

"Let's go," I said, placing some cash on the table. We walked out and Jake
guided me to the car, which was quite a distance away. The place was packed
though. It was a miracle that no one recognized him, and that scummy
photographer seemed to have vanished.

We climbed into the car before heading back to the house. I was surprised
that Jake didn't want to go shopping somewhere, or sit on the beach, or
anything. He obviously had something up his sleeve. "She's great," he said
suddenly, his smiled as wide as it would go, tormenting my heart with
emotion yet again. "I expected it from your friends, Kevin."

I rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, babe. I was really proud to
introduce you two."

We arrived back at the house in no time. I took off my shoes, and
discovered Jake sitting with his feet in the pool. I went and joined
him. He handed me a box, wrapped in the form of a gift.

"For you," he said sweetly.

I opened it eagerly. It was an exquisite Tagheuer watch. It really was the
most beautiful watch I'd ever seen. My eyes were wide with admiration. I
examined the back... J&K. I felt all the heat rush into my head. He really
was the most amazing guy ever. "Thank you," I said placing my arm around
his shoulder and hugging him. I leaned my head into the crook of his neck
and I felt him caress my cheek silently.  Jake and I had a unique
relationship where we actually managed to say more without words. He could
feel my gratitude, and he smiled with peaceful bliss. We sat there for a
very long time, feeling the cool water sail past my feet as they rubbed
against Jake's. Feeling the heat of the sun and the warmth of our embrace,
the smell of our passion, and unseen feel of our love for one another. Once
again, I was so grateful just to feel so at peace with myself, and so
utterly complete. There was nothing else I wanted in the world.

Jake's phone rang. He muttered and stood up. He looked at the number on the
phone, and a hunted look appeared on his face, not far from open fear. The
phone rang a few more times.

"Hello?" he said warily. "Oh hi," he continued, his voice as hard as
stone. I could hear the furious shouting from the other side of the phone
even from where I was sitting.

"Why would you do that?" he said shocked, his face suddenly pale and
fearful. I stood up, concern painted across my face. Something was amiss
here.

"No, Kirsten please... can't we..." he tried to continue, but the caller
hung up.

He slowly closed the face of the cell phone, and sat on the deck chair near
to him. He was visibly trembling. He leaned forward, his head between his
legs, his hands on top of his head. What was going on here? I sat next to
him and placed my arm around his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Jake?" I said anxiously. I could feel him shaking, and he
was breathing quickly. He didn't reply.

"Jake? Who was that? What's wrong?" I said more forcefully, flagrant panic
entering my own voice. The guy was terrified. He didn't reply, but when I
saw a tear hit the hot surface of the pool area, I knew that something
serious was going on, and I was going to find out what.

End of Chapter 4.

Thanks for the comments once again. I appreciate all of them, and try and
reply when I can. Please e-mail any comments to rahvin747@yahoo.com.