Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 23:35:13 -0700 (PDT) From: J Boy Subject: Jake & Josh: Finding Love Chapter 1 Jake & Josh: Finding Love Chapter 1 By: J-Boy DISCLAIMER: The following story is fiction. Please keep in mind that I do not know the sexual preference of Jake Gyllenhaal. Also, I do not personally know any of the characters mentioned throughout the story. NOTE: Hi! This is my first story here at Nifty. I have been reading the stories here for the past 4 years, and finally decided to put one out myself. Please keep in mind that I'm still new at this. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. So, drop me a line at jboystories@yahoo.com On with the story...ENJOY! The sun was rising over the Las Vegas valley, slowly creeping over the mountains and finding its way into my bedroom. I rolled over and covered my face with a pillow in hopes of refuge from the protruding light. "Josh you had better get your fat ass up!" "Josh..." I slowly made my way off the bed and walked to the door. Opening it I was greeted by the most disturbing sight anyone had ever seen, my best friend with a huge perky grin plastered across her face. "What do you want tramp?" "Ummm...for starters your stank breath away from me. Get up were gonna be late." "Coincidentally you look like shit this morning." I stated with a huge grin on my face. I didn't get a response- just the finger waving proudly in my face. I closed the door and went to take my shower. After every part of my body was clean, I started working on my hair trying desperately to make it look presentable. I couldn't help but smile at my reflection. Today marks the beginning of an exciting vacation for me and my best friend Andrea. We had been planning a road trip for months now, and after saving money for it we were ready to embark on our adventure. I finished cleaning up, got dressed, and stood by my bedroom door counting... 1,2.... *Knock!Knock!Knock!* "Josh hurry up!" I started laughing and opened the door. "Good morning sweetie" I said while leaning in and kissing Andrea on the cheek. "Oh, don't even try to kiss up to me slut. Go get your stuff so we can hit the road. We got a long drive ahead of us." "Yes mother. I'm already packed. I just need to grab my wallet and then Tahoe here we come baby!" **** Miles away... "Jake, you had better pay attention to the road." "Mags, just relax I got this okay." Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal were on there way for a nice sibling ski trip. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this Jake. I could be relaxing at home right now." " Look, I just need to get away from everything for awhile. I don't know I just feel...I don't know like I'm going crazy from everything." Maggie stared at her brother and even with his dark sunglasses on she could sense that something was really bothering him. It was then that she started to worry for her brother. She thought to herself that it has been so long since she has seen him happy. She thinks that her little brother might just be lonely. In some ways she felt responsible for his heartache. It was her hand that pushed her brother and Kirsten Dunst together after all. The thing she missed the most was her brothers' upbeat spirit and his willingness to confide in her. "What are you thinking?" Jake asked noticing the intense stare coming from his older sister. "Nothing just thinking I guess." Maggie replied turning her head to stare out the window. ****Elsewhere... Josh and Andrea had been driving for a couple of hours now, and though they found ways to entertain themselves they started to get bored and both couldn't wait to arrive at there destination. Andrea had eventually drifted off to sleep which left Josh to himself. Although he loved Andreas company, he was happy to have time to himself for awhile- Andrea had a tendency to talk too much. He reached for his bag in the backseat and pulled out some cd's to listen to. Without realizing it he started to sing along... You took my hand You showed me how You promised me you'd be around Uh huh That's right I took your words And I believed In everything You said to me Yeah huh That's right If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out Cause they're all wrong I know better Cause you said forever And ever Who knew Remember when we were such fools And so convinced and just too cool Oh no No no I wish I could touch you again I wish I could still call you friend I'd give anything When someone said count your blessings now 'fore they're long gone I guess I just didn't know how I was all wrong They knew better Still you said forever And ever Who knew Yeah yeah I'll keep you locked in my head Until we meet again Until we Until we meet again And I won't forget you my friend What happened If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out Cause they're all wrong and That last kiss I'll cherish Until we meet again And time makes It harder I wish I could remember But I keep Your memory You visit me in my sleep My darling Who knew My darling My darling Who knew My darling I miss you Josh was so deep into the music that he didn't even notice Andrea awake staring at him. As the song ended he was startled when Andrea spoke... "You still miss James huh." "How long have you been awake you cow" I stated while nervously laughing trying to hide any and all emotions felt from the song. Andrea felt a little hurt inside knowing that her best friend didn't feel comfortable enough to be open with her, but being the person that she is she again prodded... "You didn't answer my question sweetie. How are you? We haven't really talked about what went on with you and James, and that was like months ago." "Andy there is no James and me anymore. I just like the song ok. Jesus I am so over that right now." I stated jokingly, again trying to hide any emotions. I know that Andrea knew what I was going through but at the moment I just didn't feel like opening up to anyone. More than anything I just wanted to move on with my life. I wanted to be happy again. So there the two sat in silence: Andrea unsure if she should continue probing for information and Josh hoping that she wouldn't. "We're here sweetie." I said trying to wake Andy up. "About time. Are you sure your 23 hun cos you sure drive like a senior citizen." "Oh so we got jokes after some sleep huh." "Hun I can't help it if I'm naturally hilarious." Andy said while rolling her eyes. We got our stuff and headed into the lobby of the resort we were staying at. Andrea of course had so much crap that I ended up carrying most of it. I don't know what the hell she packed but there was so much of it. "Everything but the kitchen sink dear." I remarked while rolling my eyes. "Hey it takes work to look this good and judging by your looks...you could use some work hun." Andy retorted while leaning in to lay a kiss on my nose. I parked our stuff against the lobby counter and greeted the receptionist. A petite little thing she was, with wavy blonde hair and the brightest smile I had ever seen. "Hello there! My name is Julie" Of course it is I thought smiling. "Hi how are you. Check in under Andrea Truman." Andy chimed in noticing that the wheels were turning in my head, which is not always a good thing. "Okay...hmmm...Truman....Truman" Julie kept repeating while she scanned her computer for the reservation. "Is there a problem with the reservation?" Andy asked politely. "No...no...I'm sure the reservation is here somewhere. I'm sorry for the wait this will just take a minute." I got bored so I walked around the lobby looking at the different pictures on the wall. I turned to look at Andy and noticed that she wasn't looking my way so I made a mad dash for the doors. Stepping out, I was engulfed by the cold breeze. I pulled on my beanie and took out my cigarettes, lit it up, and took a long, deep, much needed drag. I was relieved and scared to be alone at the same time, for being alone meant that my thoughts will take control and start walking down a path that I was tired of walking on. It's funny how you try so hard not to think of someone or of a situation, and yet your thoughts always seem to zero in and focus on the very thing you're trying to forget- in my case accompanied with painful memories. I shook myself out of my trance in time to notice a black SUV pass. "Nice ride." I thought to myself. Just then Andy decided to make her presence known by swiping the cigarette out of my hand and taking a deep drag as she walked off. "Let's go pretty boy. Our cabin is ready. The bell boy will bring our bags for us." We arrived at our cabin but stopped to continue smoking. "You know this shit will probably kill us right." Andy said laughing her infectious laugh. "We should be so lucky." I replied laughing. "Always so morbid" Andy said while pinching my ear. I grabbed the key from her and inserted it in the door knob. To my surprise the door wouldn't open. "Umm...I think this is the wrong key." I said turning to Andy "Lemme see" And said rolling her eyes. " Heres the problem, this key is for cabin 4A and were in 4B." "Figures blondie would mess up. I guess I'll go get the right key." I said while trotting down the steps that led up to the cabin. "Don't get lost Frodo. The fate of the world rests on your girly shoulders." Andy remarked, which earned her a flip of the finger, causing her to smile. I made my way into the lobby and found Julie. "Hi there, is everything okay with the cabin?" Julie asked as she saw me approaching, her smile still bright as ever. "Hi...ummm...we seem to have the wrong key to our cabin." I stated while handing her the key. She looked it over and then checked her computer. "Oh my gawd! I am like so very sorry but there appears to be a mix up. I accidentally gave your cabin key to the patrons in 4A and you there's." Julie explained. "Ummm....thats okay...so how do we fix this?" I asked "Well how bout you just go on back to yer cabin and I'll send someone over to straighten this out." Julie answered. I couldn't help it; I just had to laugh as I walked back to our cabin. I kept thinking about the shit hitting the fan once I told Andy what had happened. I guess our relationship works out that way: She gets mad and I get to laugh about it. I finally made it to the cabin but did not find Andrea there at the door. I called out her name but got no response. Perplexed, I ascended the steps, sat down on the bench, and took out my cigarettes. Upon lighting my cigarette, I heard voices coming from within our cabin. I killed my cigarette and reached for the door. It was unlocked, so I walked in. I was shocked to find Andy sitting on the couch with some woman. "Josh, hey did you get lost or something. So what's going on with the keys?" Andy asked as soon as she noticed me. "Ummm...blondie mixed up the keys or something but there supposed to be sending someone over to straighten everything out." I replied while nervously eyeing this female stranger inside our cabin. "Oh, I'm sorry! Josh this is Maggie. Maggie this is my best friend Josh." Andy said noticing my nervousness. I walked over to Maggie extending my hand. She held up her beautiful, very feminine hand for me to shake as Andy continued.... "Maggie and her brother apparently were given the key to our cabin. So, I guess we have theres." "Umm...correction. We used to have it. I gave it back to blondie, but hopefully someone should be over soon with your key." I replied while studying Maggie's face. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but she looked so familiar. Just then, what I guessed to be Maggie's brother walked out from the hallway. I was immediately taken aback by how good looking this guy was. He walked over to where I was standing, hand extended out to greet me. "Hi there, my names Jake, listen thanks for letting us chill here while we get this situation worked out." I don't think I heard a word this guy said to me. I was to entranced by how handsome he was, and how strong yet gentle and warm his handshake was. Time seemed to have stood still for me, because everything else in that room faded away for what seemed like an eternity. Just then I was brought back to reality by the sound of someone knocking on the door. I released Jakes hand and went to open the door. It was the bell boy with our bags and the key to Jake and Maggie's cabin. I tipped the guy and thanked him. Turning to everyone I held up the key and said, "Well wadda ya know blondie got the key." I gave the key to Jake and bid farewell to our surprise guests. As soon as the door shut I jumped on the couch and grabbed Andy. "Okay....tell me everything! How the hell did Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal end up in our cabin?" I asked excitedly. "Oh man. I thought you were gonna blow a gasket or something. I didn't want to frighten them by getting all excited and shit. For a minute there I thought you didn't recognize them....that is until you saw Jake." Maggie replied with a knowing grin. "Ok to be honest I thought Maggie looked familiar, but it wasn't until Jake appeared that I realized who they were. I probably would have got all nervous but I was just in shock by how gorgeous he looked in person." I admitted. "I don't know there I was just innocently smoking my cigarette, when god took pity on my soul and sent me two celebrities." Maggie explained while dramatically raising her hands up to the heavens. I rolled my eyes and told her, "Stop being so dramatic!" "Okay, so yeah I just sat there and they waved at me before trying to get into there cabin. I guess they couldn't get in either so I walked up to them and asked if they had the same problem we did. We figured it out, so they gave me the key and I invited them to come in and warm up while you went and straightened everything up. Besides, I thought it'd be hilarious to see your reaction when you returned." Andy explained between fits of laughter. "You bitch! I wasn't obvious was I?" I asked silently hoping for the response I wanted. "Let's just say it was funny and that you probably scared the shiet out of poor Mr. Gyllenhaal." Andy answered while laughing as I turned several shades of red. "Well, I'm gonna go freshen up." I announced as I made to leave the living room. "Yeah, 10 bucks says you don't wash your hand." Andy laughed. "I don't have to stand for this." I stated rolling my eyes. There was a moment of silence as Andy and I stared at each other holding in our laughter. Then, we exploded and yelled in unison, "But I'd bet you'll lay down for it!" I shook my head and grabbed my things and made my way to my room to freshen up. When I emerged from my room Andy was nowhere to be seen, so I walked out to the deck and sat down on the bench to enjoy a quick smoke. I sat there in silence until I heard the door to Jake and Maggie's cabin open up. Jake walked out and walked across the adjoining deck between the two cabins and sat next to me on the bench. "Hey what's up." Jake greeted as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Nothing much just chillin." I replied trying not to show how nervous I was. Jake just nodded and looked out into the clear blue sky. I couldn't help but stare at him out of the corner of my eye. God he was so handsome. "So what you guys doing for dinner. Maggie and I were wondering if you guys wanna go out and grab a bite to eat with us." Jake stated looking at me with the most intense blue eyes I had ever seen. I shifted my eyes down to my feet, which was shaking nervously. "Ummm....sure sounds like fun. I'm sure Andy would love to as well." I replied without looking up. Jake got up and patted my shoulder. I looked up nervously and was met with his beautiful infectious smile. "Okay so we'll meet out here like about eight?" Jake asked. "Eight it is." I replied. Jake nodded and walked to his cabin door. I watched every step that he took until he turned, smiled, waved, and went in to his cabin. I slowly took a deep breath and thought to myself "I need another cigarette." I sat there for the longest time kicking myself for being so nervous around Jake. I was mad at myself, because ever since my breakup with James I never allow myself to get too close to people. I have a tendency to keep to myself and then I get real nervous around people. I thought about it more and promised myself that I was going to open up more and make friends. Besides I thought, "Jake and Maggie seem nice. They don't seem to be into themselves and I'd probably never see them after this." With that, I went into the cabin to let Andy know about dinner. **** Jake and Maggie's cabin... Jake walked into his cabin and sat down on the floor in front of the couch. He sat there just staring deep into the flames coming from the fireplace. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice his sister leaning on the doorway staring at him. "Hey bro. You ok?" Maggie asked, concern showing in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm good. Hey I invited Andrea and Josh to join us for dinner." Jake replied, still gazing deep into the fireplace. "Hmm...really? Wow! I'm surprised." Maggie stated. "Why? What are you surprised about?" Jake asked still not moving his gaze from the fireplace. "Well, lately you haven't exactly been the social type. You practically ignore all of our friends, even Mom and Dad when they call. Ever since..." "Ever since what!" Jake exclaimed, now glaring at his sister. "Nothing..." Maggie stated, obviously shaken by her brothers outburst. "No...continue. Mags if you got something to say then out with it!" "Fine! Ever since Kirsten left you!" Maggie yelled before clamping her hands over her mouth. Silence filled the room, as if total darkness flew in and engulfed everything except Jake and his sister. Neither one knew what to do or say. Jake just continued staring blankly at the fireplace. Tears started to stream down his face, Maggie noticed this and slowly made her way towards her brother. She sat down and pulled her younger brother into her arms. They both cried freely and were comforted by each other. Although Maggie felt relieved to see her brother open up and let his emotions out, she also felt sad for her brother and the pain he was going through. Then just as quickly as he opened up, it was over. Jake stood up and bent down to kiss his sister on the forehead. "Sorry for blowing up Mags. I just have some things I need to work out by myself. Anyways, I'm gonna go get ready for dinner." Jake stated then left the room. Maggie sat there awhile thinking about her brother. She felt so helpless and just hated seeing her brother in pain, and in such seclusion. She got up and went to get ready for dinner as well. **** Josh and Andy's cabin... Josh stood in front of the mirror in his room going over the clothes he had picked out to wear: Dark blue jeans, Black sweater, and his favorite hat. Satisfied, he fixed his hair and went to check on Andy. He reached her room and noticed the door open with the lights off. Surprised, he walked out into the living room to find Andy sitting quietly sipping some wine in front of the fireplace. "I can't believe that you are all dolled up and ready before me!" Josh exclaimed. "Yeah I know. Since when do you take that long to get ready?" Andy asked with a mischievous grin. "I dunno...I didn't even realize." "Could it be were trying to look good for a certain someone tonight?" "Oh please, like that will ever happen. Come on silly lets get outta here." Josh stated, clearly embarrassed. The two friends walked out the door and locked up the cabin. They made there way to Jake and Maggie's cabin and knocked. They were greeted by a smiling Maggie. "Hey there. Come in! Sorry my brother is still getting ready." Maggie said as she motioned for us to come in. "So, where we going for dinner?" I asked to make conversation. "I'm not sure. Jake is the one planning this, and I can't believe he's taking this long. He usually is the first one ready." Maggie stated as she offered us some wine. Andy took it upon herself to kick my foot and flash me an evil grin, which was received by a glare. Just then Jake emerged from the hallway with a smile on his face. "Hey guys. Hungry?" Jake asked as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Famished. You know what I find weird Maggie." Andy responded, turning to Maggie- who looked confused. "These two `men' took longer than us to get ready tonight." "That's right what is up with that?" Maggie asked playing along. "I dunno, but the funny thing is we still look so much better then they do." Andy declared as she and Maggie started giggling and high-fiving eachother. Jake and I just stared at each other and rolled our eyes. He finished up his wine and walked toward me; putting his arm across my shoulder he pulled me outside while saying, "So, Josh you hungry? Let's go eat and leave these two here." I was still a little nervous around Jake but decided to play along. "Yeah let them fend for themselves." I said as we walked out. Maggie and Andy stared at each other and then jumped off the couch chasing after us. The ride to the restaurant wasn't too long, as we made light conversation getting to know each other. Well, actually the girls were doing most of the talking; Maggie turning from the front passenger seat to talk to Andy, while Jake drove silently. I sat there following the girls' conversation while glancing at Jake from time to time. He had such a magnetic pull about him and it was driving me crazy, to say the least. "We're here ladies and gentlemen." Jake declared as he parked his SUV. It turned out that the black SUV that had passed me outside of the lobby belonged to Jake. We walked into the restaurant and were escorted immediately to a secluded area. As we were getting comfortable, I noticed that Andy had the hugest grin on her face. I looked in the direction she was staring and started to laugh, causing Andy to break out in laughter. Jake and Maggie just sat there confused; trying to figure out what was so funny. "What's so funny?" Maggie asked with a curious smile. Andy started laughing again, which left me to explain. "Maggie don't take this the wrong way but your bag is what we were laughing at." "My bag?" Maggie asked, still confused. "Oh it's a gorgeous bag. It's just that we kind of have this inside joke about Prada bags." I said. "I wanna hear it!" Jake stated excitedly with a smile on his face. "Well, I started....Andy, what is the difference between like and love." I started. "Hmmm...I like my Sketchers shoes but I love my Prada bag." Andy continued. "But I love my Sketchers shoes." I stated. "That's because you don't have a Prada bag!" Andy finished before we both broke out in laughter again. Jake and Maggie sat in silence with smiles on there faces, still confused. "You guys ever watch '10 things I hate about you'?" I asked "I think so. Is that where that's from?" Maggie asked "Yeah I know it's dumb, but ever since we saw that movie we can't help but repeat those very lines to each other and laugh our butts off." Andy explained. "Oh" Maggie said. "You guys are weird." Jake said laughing. The rest of the dinner was nice, each of us enjoying the company of one another. Jake and Maggie really took an interest to us, and kept asking us questions about our lives. Andy, being the talkative person she is, was telling her life story- as well as mine. For the most part I just sat back and enjoyed myself, jumping in from time to time in the conversation. Before we knew it, the restaurant was closing so we had to leave. We got to the cabin at around midnight, all of us tired and wanting our beds. We bid each other good night and went into our respective cabins. Andy went straight to her room after kissing me goodnight. I changed into some pajamas and lay down on my bed. The events of the day kept replaying in my head, causing me to stay wide awake. I sighed, and got out of bed. I pulled on a jacket and walked silently out of the cabin, as to not wake Andy. The freezing night air greeted me immediately as I stepped out of the cabin. I lit up a cigarette and sat on the bench with my feet pulled to my chest to try to keep warm. It was really dark out, except for the outline of snow building up on the ground and at the base of some trees. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, drifting off into different thoughts. I started singing lightly to myself, stopping only to take a drag of my cigarette. I was pulled back to reality at the sound of a door opening and then closing. "Andy I'll be in soon ok. I'm fine, you should get some rest." I stated with my eyes still closed. "Ok I'll be sure to let her know." responded the voice- not of Andy but of Jake. My eyes shot open and looked at the dark figure approaching the bench. It wasn't until Jake sat down on the bench, that his face was illuminated by the moonlight. "Sorry, I thought you were Andy." "No prob I'm sure Maggie would be just as motherly." Jake responded "She does love you. I mean that was very apparent over dinner tonight. You guys are lucky to have such a close relationship." I stated "Yeah were very close." Jake said as he lit a cigarette. We both sat in silence just enjoying the serene quietness of the night. I should have put some clothes other than my pajamas and a jacket, because I was freezing my ass off. "So, you couldn't sleep either?" Jake asked, breaking the silence. "Y...e..a...h." I answered, my jaw shaking uncontrollably. Jake laughed as he moved closer to me. He opened up the warm blanket he was covering himself with and wrapped it around my shoulder. I was shocked and nervous, but the warmth from the blanket as well as Jakes body just felt too good. I warmed up and became very nervous sitting there, so close to someone I did not really know. Jake didn't seem any different, just smiling at me every now and then. I slowly removed the blanket around me and stood up. "Thank you. I should be heading to bed now. I'm really tired." I said as I made my way to the door of my cabin. "Yeah. Ok. Well, goodnight Josh. I really enjoyed dinner tonight. Maybe we can do it again." Jake said as he stood up. "Sure. That'll be great. Goodnight." I said nervously before waving and closing the door. I leaned against that door for what seemed like forever. It felt really good to be close to someone. There was something about Jake that amazed me, like the way he smiled. I have to admit that it felt good under that blanket, being so close to him. Wait, what was I thinking? Jake was just being nice. He saw that I was freezing, so he shared his blanket with me. That's it. That's all it was. Leave it to me to read too much into something. I was tired. I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted to rest my thoughts and fall into the peacefulness that usually accompanied a deep slumber. I walked into my room and slid under the covers. I curled up into the fetus position and closed my eyes. **** Jakes Cabin... Jake was lying in bed looking up at the ceiling. He thought about the day's events and of Josh. He found himself attracted to him, but felt that he shouldn't let his feelings show. Besides, he didn't even know if Josh was gay. He was tired of keeping everything to himself. He wanted desperately to share his secret with someone, but didn't know how to. Jake felt more and more lonely. He closed his eyes and let the tears run down his cheeks, as he drifted off to sleep. There ya go! I hope ya'll enjoyed reading the story so far. Again, please keep in mind that I'm still new at this. Please email me any and all comments or suggestions. Thanks for reading. ~J-Boy~ jboystories@yahoo.com