Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:07:05 -0800
From: firexity vee <4plexity@gmail.com>
Subject: collide part 6

Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction that describes the love between two men.  Times
have changed and a lot more people are more open about their sexuality.  If
you feel as if you've made a mistake cause you were really looking for a
conservative website, then by all means, exit.  You wouldn't really enjoy
what's about to come.  Or maybe you would.  I don't know.  Love is love,
and that's all it comes down to really.  But I digress.

It's been forever, but I'm still here.  Hope you guys like this chapter!

* * *

Collide
by rexie



"What?" asked Jacob, "you've been staring at me for a while."

"Nothing," said Lucas, "just thinking of how wonderful you are."

Jacob blushed and reached over the kitchen table to caress Lucas's hand.
"I think you're pretty wonderful, too."  For a moment, they just looked at
each other.  One thing that Jacob enjoyed about their relationship is
Lucas's way of expressing his feelings.  Everything was laid on the table
and Jacob liked the feeling of having no secrets with him.  It was nice.

"Stop," Jacob smiled.

"Stop what?"

"We're not gonna get anything done if you keep staring at me," said Jacob,
indicating their unfinished homework.

"Ah, but it was you who was looking at me," said Lucas.

"Well, you'll just have to stop looking so damn good, then."

Lucas laughed.  He loved the fact that Jacob had gotten much more
comfortable around him.  The last thing he wanted was for Jacob to look at
him in fear, so everyday, he made sure that Jacob knew that he was a good
guy, because he is.  Every night, he was haunted by his past actions.
Hurting Jacob was probably the worst thing he could ever have done and he
sometimes loathed himself for it.  Doubt would even find its way in his
mind.  Did he even deserve this wonderful being in front of him?  Maybe
not, but Lucas was prepared to do anything to make him happy.

"Are you still staring???" said Jacob after a while.

"Fine, I'll look somewhere else," Lucas chuckled.  He looked around the
room and decided to rest his eyes on a family portrait in the wall.  He
smiled at how cute Jacob looked when he was younger.  Lucas noted at how
much Jacob looked like his Dad.

"What are you looking at?" asked Jacob as he traced Lucas's gaze.

"Who's the fourth person in that picture?" Lucas pointed as he realized
that there was, indeed, another boy in the supposedly family portrait.

Jacob snapped back to his schoolwork and started writing fervently.
"Oh...that's just.....my older brother," he murmured, hoping to drop the
subject.

"You have a brother?!" asked Lucas.  He was still looking at the portrait,
finding the similarities between Jacob and his brother, so he didn't see
how much Jacob wanted to move on.  "What's his name."

"Uh...Jasper..." he almost whispered.

Lucas finally saw the reserved state that Jacob was in.  "What's wrong?" he
asked, worrying he said something wrong.

Jacob looked up and mustered his best fake smile.  "Nothing....we just
don't talk about Jasper much..."

"Why?" Lucas asked before he could stop himself.

"He...he left.  He left right after my Dad died.  He idolized my Dad very
much, so his death really affected him..."

"Do you know where he is now?" asked Lucas, his curiosity getting the
better of him.

"He's somewhere in LA," Jacob sighed.

Lucas didn't press on any further.  He stood up and leaned across the table
to kiss Jacob tenderly on the lips.  When they broke, Jacob was simply in
shock at how Lucas could pull off the most random things like that and make
him feel a million times better.  There were no words uttered for the
gesture spoke volumes.  He checked to see if Lucas was looking at him but
the boy continued working on his Physics homework.  Jacob just stared at
Lucas for a little while longer before continuing on his own work.

After a few minutes, Lucas broke the silence without even looking up from
his paper, "I love you, Jacob."

"I love you, too, Lucas."

* * *

Celestia High was changing.  The sight of Jacob and Lucas holding hands in
the halls served as the catalyst to everything else.  Their relationship
became the shining beacon of hope that everyone longed for.  All of a
sudden, Jacob and Lucas weren't the only gay guys in the school anymore.
Jacob's friend from Chemistry Zachary Wein publicly came out on his
Facebook and so did Skyler Riswee, the water polo champion.  There was a
pitcher on the baseball team that came out and the senior class vice
president Edward Reed turned out to be gay as well.  Gay girls also started
emerging from the darkness.  One of Erika's cheerleading friends was seen
making out with the Carpentry Club's president, Mallory Melbourne.

They all wanted the same acceptance that Jacob and Lucas received but not
all of Celestia was thrilled.  Genesis Linder and the few people who still
cared to listen to him was appalled at what was happening to their school.
They started harassing the gay guys who just came out but they soon
realized that they were sorely outnumbered by stronger people who accepted
the new change.

Jacob was surprised at how many people were in the closet.  So many guys
have come up to him to tell him that he was the one who encouraged them to
come out and be themselves.  Others even wanted to hangout with him more.

"So when did you first find out?" asked Zachary Wein one afternoon at the
cafeteria.

"I've always known," said Jacob, "I always knew that I was different from
the other boys.  It was just a matter of coming to terms with it.  Wasn't
it the same for you?"

"I guess... I realized that I liked how boys looked a lot more than girls,"
he smiled and saw that Lucas was approaching in the distance, "speaking of
boys..."

"Hey Jakey," said Lucas before kissing Jacob hard on the lips.  He looked
at Zachary and smiled, "Zachary!  How are you, man?"

"I'm really good," replied Zachary, "just talking to Jacob about boys."

"Uh oh," feigned Lucas, "I hope I was included in the conversation."

Jacob touched his cheek and said, "Who else would I be talking about?"  The
two of them kissed again, only this time, it lasted much longer.

"Uh, I'm still here," teased Zachary and Jacob stopped the kiss to laugh
with him.

Such was the way that Zachary became a closer friend to Jacob.

* * *

Riley didn't notice anything.  Or if he did, he didn't care.  He was much
too focused at the task at hand: Jacob.  It was ridiculous to even think
that Jacob would still want him, but in Riley's mind, and with the support
of someone else, he has decided to at least tell the boy how he felt.

The first step was definitely to break it off with Erika.  Their
relationship should have ended a long time ago but only now did Riley
muster up the courage to finally do it.  He invited her over for dinner one
night and cooked her favorite pasta.  Riley just finished serving the food
when Ben, the butler entered the dining room.

"Sir," he started politely, "Miss Erika is here."

"Send her in, Ben.  Thanks."  Riley sat in his seat and made the final
adjustments to the silverware.  This had to go as smoothly as possible.

"Hey sweetie!" squealed Erika as she bounced in.  She went straight to
Riley and planted a kiss on his mouth.

Riley broke it off.  "Hey, baby.  I cooked you dinner.  Why don't you sit?"

"Aw how adorable!  Thanks, Riley," she giggled, "I have the best boyfriend
in the world!"  Uh oh.  Riley felt a pang of guilt in his stomach.

"Yea...so how was your day?" Riley said, trying to distract her as they
both started eating.

"Ugh, you have NO idea.  First Mr. Roberts gave us back our exams and I got
a freaking A-!  I mean what the hell?!  I'm sure there was some mistake
there somewhere so I'm gonna have to talk to him tomorrow.  Then at lunch
Jane got a much shorter haircut that was SO not cute.  She looked like a
fucking dyke.  Well, I guess she is after that whole fiasco with the
carpentry girl.  Gross.  I hear they're dating now, too!  Can you believe
that?  A lesbian cheerleader!  She's so off the team next season.  Practice
was even worse---"

Riley played with his food as Erika managed to simultaneously talk and
empty her plate at the same time without any apparent breaks.  He knew that
the frequent nods and agreements would be enough to appease Erika in their
so-called conversation, so she kept talking during the entire meal, giving
Riley time to prepare for the breakup.  At last they were both enjoying two
slices of chocolate cake served by Ben and Riley could not delay it any
further.

"--so like she was so totally lying to my face right?  Cause she went and
slept with him anyway!  I have no idea what's going on in her mind cause
he's not even that cute, either.  He's like---"

"Erika," Riley interrupted, "Erika we need to talk."

"About what?" she said, a little bothered by his interruption.

"Us."

Immediately, Erika knew where the conversation was about to head and she
didn't like it.  There has to be some way to avert this.  "Okay, how about
us in the jacuzzi later on?" she tried.

"No, I mean about our relationship."

"Okay," her pulse was rushing.  She knew this was coming but she refused to
believe that he would actually do it.  She paused to think about other ways
to distract him but Riley mistook her silence for compliance and continued.

"I feel like we've grown apart so much that it's like we're not even a
couple anymore," he said from memory, "the best thing to do now is just end
it while we're still ahead, so we could still be friends."

"No," she said firmly.  Erika was not about to give up her trophy.

"No?" Riley asked, a twinge of fear surfacing in his stomach.

"I don't want to break up," she said slowly, deliberately, "and I know you
don't want to break up either."

"Erika, I want to break up.  I've wanted to break up a long time ago, but I
thought we could fix it.  I thought I could...fix myself."

"Fix what?!  We were doing fine together!" she rose in her seat.

"No we weren't.  Maybe in your point of view, everything was fine and
dandy.  But I'm so unhappy in this relationship.  I know, there's got to be
something better than this."

"You can't just throw me away Riley!  I made you everything you are in
school.  ME!  If it wasn't for my friendship, you probably wouldn't be
football captain!"

She's crossed the line.  "You're deluding yourself Erika," Riley was
finding it hard to stay calm, "you were the one who used me to get head
cheer!  You used ME as your trophy boyfriend and I hated every single
minute of it.  We're done, okay?!  There's no other way I can put it."

Erika walked menacingly across the room and stood in front of Riley.  A
weaker man would have crumbled under her stare, but Riley held his ground.
"You are going to regret this day.  You're going to regret ever breaking up
with me.

Riley inhaled and whispered, "The only thing I regret was ever meeting you
in the first place."

Erika's face turned wicked.  She bit her lip and was on the verge of saying
something when she decided to simply turn around and stomp out of the room.

Riley sat there for a minute thinking about what had just happened.  He
replayed the scene over and over in his mind to make sure that he actually
did break up with Erika.  Once he was content that he was now indeed a
single man, he rose from his seat and picked up the kitchen phone on the
counter.  He dialed the number he wanted and waited for someone to answer.

"Hey, it's me....yea, I finally did it.  I broke up with her....not good,
she stormed out of here throwing threats at me....How?.... Are you sure you
can control it?.... Yea, you can come over.... Thanks, Penelope."

* * *

Riley watched outside his window as Penelope parked her Mustang across the
fountains.  Telling Penelope everything turned out to be such a great idea.
He remembered cornering her outside the gym doors the night of the
homecoming dance.  He was desperate to talk to someone and Penelope was
there so he went after her.

"Penelope!" he had said as he walked out of the gym doors, away from the
people dancing inside.

"Uh, hi Riley," she had said evasively.  "I was just about to leave,
Ethan's fetching his car."

"Please," said Riley, "I need to talk to someone."

Penelope wanted to avoid Riley but she saw his desperation and felt the
bond they've made over the summer tugging at her heartstrings.  She paused,
"Okay, what is it that you want?"

"Jacob...." he verbalized.

"What?"

"I want Jacob.... Penelope, you have no idea how much your friend affects
me so.  I've been so fucking stupid this whole time... Maybe you were right
that one time in the hospital, maybe I WAS trying to date Jacob.  I don't
even know.  I just.... seeing him with Lucas.... I can't fucking stand
it...."

Penelope was trying to read between his words trying to uncover a lie, but
Riley's eyes showed only the truth.  He looked so....vulnerable and
Penelope felt bad for him.  The lights of Ethan's car flooded them and
Penelope waved at the driver.  She motioned for him to wait before turning
back to Riley.  "Listen, Riley, Ethan's taking me home right now but I
definitely want to believe you.  I'll call you tomorrow night so we can
talk about it, okay?  Don't get yourself down too much.  We can try and fix
this..."

They were going to fix it...and Riley felt a bit better that night.  He
watched Penelope drive away hoping against hope that she would remember to
call her the night after.

"Hello?" he picked up after the first ring.  This had to be Penelope.

"Start from the beginning," she simply said and Riley, after some
hesitation, told Penelope everything that's ever happened between him and
Jacob.  From seeing him at the party, to watching the sunrise with him, to
kissing him in front of Denny's.  Thoughts that he tried to stifle poured
out of him into the line and he never felt so relieved.

"--but now he's with Lucas..."

Penelope could not believe her ears.  She's had her suspicions about Riley,
but actually hearing about him talk about Jacob was enough to make her
trust the boy.  "So...what do you intend to do?"

Riley breathed deeply, "...I don't know..."

"Ugh, men.  Why do you always have to be told what to do when the right way
is glaringly obvious?" Penelope chuckled, "Okay Riley, well first you
definitely need to break it off with Erika.  If you're in a relationship
that you know is not working, you might as well end it.  Can you do that?"

"I...I think so," he hesitated.

"Um, strap on a pair and just do it, Riley.  Don't worry, I'll help you
control the fallout.  Knowing Erika, this breakup could turn really ugly."

A shining ray of hope.  "Okay," Riley said more confidently.

"Next, you're gonna have to accept the fact that you're attracted to boys.
I don't need no coming out party or whatever.  I just need you to embrace
it, cause honey, that's just who you are.  As cheesy as that sounds, you've
no idea how that could help a lot."

Riley gulped and clenched his fist.  He wasn't fucking queer.
"Alright....," he said sternly.

"We'll work on that part when we get there.  And the last part....I can't
believe I'm even gonna suggest this...."

"Why?" Riley asked, feeling that Penelope was about to bail on her.

"Jacob's my very best friend and you've no idea what it's like to see him
with Lucas.  He's so much livelier and everything.  It's like he's glowing
or something..."

Riley's stomach twisted into an awkward place.  Maybe this was a lost cause
to begin with.  "So...he's happy?"

"Yea, but the last step would be you telling him how you feel.  It might
disrupt what he has with Lucas, but he has a right to know.  And you have
to at least know where he is.  Or else you'd be wondering about it every
day for the rest of your life."

Those last five words stuck with Riley the whole night.  "The rest of your
life."  He couldn't even begin to imagine what the rest of his life would
look like right now.  When he was with Erika, his future had always been
clear.  But now, he felt so alone and in the dark.

"Okay," he finally said to Penelope, "let's do it."

Back in the present, the plan had been set into motion.  Penelope had
helped Riley prepare for his breakup with Erika.  She even thought of the
parting words that Riley memorized.  Riley didn't even know where he would
have been without her help, and he promised himself to buy her a wonderful
Christmas present as a sign of his gratitude.  He saw her get out of her
Mustang and start walking towards the door.  Riley opened it for Penelope
and she took off her jacket and went for the living room.

"Congratulations, Riley!" she beamed, "you are now a free man!"

Riley smiled at her infectious enthusiasm, "Thanks, Penn."

"Okay, so how long ago did it happen?" said Penelope, her face turning
serious.

"Um, about half an hour ago?" he measured.

"Perfect, we're going to do a preemptive strike.  Erika would probably plan
her move first before revealing the breakup tomorrow.  What's even worse is
that she's probably going to tell everyone that she dumped you."

Riley was excited about how Penelope was treating this as some sort of
strategic game, "so what should I do?"

"What you can do, is show me where you keep your computer."

"Right this way," Riley said and she led Penelope to his room where his
computer sat in the lounge area with the bookcases.  "How are you even
planning on controlling the fallout?"

"Simple, by calling people and sending a few messages.  The rumor about the
breakup needs to come out now or else it would be too late.  What's even
more important is that everyone needs to find out that YOU broke up with
HER."

"Why is that more important?"

Erika rolled her eyes and laughed, "I just told you.  Erika's going to make
it seem like she broke up with you.  If, come tomorrow, everybody already
knew that you dumped her, then her credibility is pretty much damaged and
less people will believe her.  Whatever lie she comes up with will be
received with a grain of salt."

"That's brilliant," Riley praised.

"I know, right?  I know all about sexual politics."

"What should I do?" Riley asked, offering his help.

"You sit on that couch," she pointed as she reached for something in her
bag, "and start reading this."

Riley sat down and caught the magazine that Penelope threw at her.  He read
the cover and frowned, "People's 100 Sexiest Men Alive?  What is this?"

"The next phase.  You need to come to terms with it, Riley.  It's not like
I'm asking you to all of a sudden come out to everyone.  At least be
comfortable with who you are."

"What should I do with it?" Riley was holding the magazine up like it was a
dirty diaper waiting to be thrown away.

"Look at the pictures, dummy.  Pick out the hottest guys you see."
Penelope took out her cellphone and started dialing.  "I'm gonna call some
people..... Jane!  Hey, how's it going?... I know, I wanted to be there,
too, but I promised Ethan we'd watch a movie tonight.... How's the dinner
so far?... Is every one of the cheerleaders, there?.... Nice," she winked
at Riley, "Listen, did you hear the latest news?.... Well, I heard from a
trusted source that Riley just dumped Erika!................... I know!
Can you believe it?..... Yea, that's probably why she's not there,
either.... I heard that it was cause she couldn't make Riley happy, or
something like that.....Maybe. You could be right.... Hey Jane, I gotta go,
okay?  I just wanted to tell you the news.  Say hi to the girls for me!"

"So?" Riley asked, curious.

"The cheerleaders are having a dinner thing tonight so it was the perfect
place to plant the seeds.  They haven't heard anything yet so that's good."

"Okay, great."

"Although!  She told me that she heard from someone that you guys haven't
been like....uh, 'together' since she started planning for the summer
party."

"Yea, that's right..."

"Okay, well that totally supports our rumor.  I gotta call more
people... Why aren't you reading the magazine?!" Penelope started dialing
again and Riley turned his attention on the periodical in front of him.

He started flipping through the pages and looking at the faces and the
bodies of the 100 sexiest celebrities featured.  Many of them retained his
attention only because he wanted to admire how their sculpted bodies looked
like.  However, he couldn't really see himself with any of them at all.
They were sexy that's for sure, but he had no idea what they were like.
Then he started thinking about Jacob.  He thought about the fragrant scent
of his hair, the grace of his movements, the smile that could launch a
thousand ships....  In his mind, Jacob was beautiful, and maybe having
thoughts like that made him gay.  He wanted Jacob, and that's pretty much
it.

"Jacob!" Penelope screamed to her phone and Riley, all of a sudden, looked
up, "did you hear the news?.... Wha?--already?... Wow, that traveled
fast..... Okay, well I just thought you should know.... Say hi to Lucas for
me.... Bye!"

"Why did you call Jacob?" Riley asked curiously.

"Cause he's with Lucas," she said cautiously.

"And?"

"Here's a little known fact about guys: they're much bigger gossips than
women.  I figured Lucas would tell his football friends and from there,
pretty much the majority of the guys would have heard about it.  The gays
we already have."

"What gays?"

"Jacob found out from Zachary, who found out from Mallory, who found out
from Jane.  I'm pretty sure the gay community is now well-informed."

Riley's heart was pounding.  Would the news of his newfound freedom affect
Jacob in any way?  He didn't know and couldn't even think about it at all.

All he could do now was hope.

* * *

"They're broken up?" asked Lucas after Jacob hung up the phone on Penelope.

"Apparently," said a flustered Jacob.  He didn't know how to handle the
news and was choosing not to over analyze it too much.  He put his thoughts
on the night ahead with Lucas and tried to forget about Riley.....Riley
who's probably torn up because of the breakup....Riley who needs comforting
to prepare for the fallout....Riley.....

"Hm," pondered Lucas, "I wonder why."  In the back of his head was a theory
that formulated right after he heard the news.  Lucas chose to ignore it.
Doubt would come later on.

"Nevermind them," distracted Jacob, "where are you taking me?"  He looked
ahead and realized they were fast approaching Valhall Ave.  As it was a
Friday, the streets downtown were packed with cars.  It was taking them
longer to get to wherever Lucas was planning on taking them.

"I'm taking you to the Olympus Bar," Lucas announced and immediately Jacob
shivered.

"What???" he knew what going to the Olympus Bar meant: meeting Mr. Hart.

"I've told you a million times, Jacob, he's fine with it.  He just wants to
meet you, that's all."

"Meet your dad, Lucas?  You've no idea how nerve-wracking that is.  Am I
supposed to be all 'Hi I'm the boy who turned your son queer'?"

"Jacob, you did not turn me gay," he laughed, "and he would not think
that."

"But Lucas..."

"I told you it'd be fine," he assured Jacob as he parked the car on the
curb, "ever since my mom left, it's just been the two of us, you know?
He's told me himself that the only reason why he works so hard is so that I
could end up happy.  It's you that makes me happy and he just really wants
to meet you."

"I'm just...nervous is all," said Jacob.  In reality, he was frightened.
He could not imagine someone to be so accepting as Jacob's father so he
doesn't trust it to be real.

"I'll be right next to you...holding your hand."  He grasped Jacob's hand
and gave him a look of deep reassurance.  He wasn't about to let go.

Jacob melted, "alright....I guess."

The place was poppin', as Penelope would declare.  The Olympus Bar and
Restaurant was basically where Celestia's parents went to to have a good
time.  Lucas walked in as if he owned the place, which he pretty much did.
The hostess smiled at him and led the way to the secluded booths near the
back, bypassing the other patrons waiting to be seated.  Lucas was most
definitely vip.

"Thanks Angie," Lucas smiled as they both settled into the comfortable
booths.  He shifted the candle on the table to the side so he could reach
over and hold Jacob.  "It's going to be alright, Jakey."

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" said a pretty waitress who
approached their table after Angie, the hostess, left.

"I will have hot cider please," said Lucas, "and my friend Jacob over here
will have a cup of hot cocoa."

The waitress noted the drink orders and Jacob saw her look at their
interlocked hands.  She smiled at Jacob.  "Shall I tell your dad that
you're here?"

"Yes, please, thanks Laura," said Lucas casually.

The next few minutes passed in silence.  Lucas merely stared at how cute
Jacob looked when he was nervous while Jacob played with Lucas's hands
while shiftily looking around.  When their eyes would meet, Lucas would try
his hardest to convey reassurance through his gaze while Jacob took
strength from it.

From across the room, Lucas's father was carrying a tray with the drink
orders.  He paused for a little bit and just marveled at the amorous aura
that emanated from the booth he was approaching.  He had seen Jacob before.
In fact, the boy had no idea how much he had been a part of his younger
life.

"Lucas!" he announced as he arrived on the table, "son, you're finally
here!"  He set the drinks down.

Lucas stood up and gave his dad a hug.  "Hey, dad."  The two men sat in the
booth across from Jacob, and Jacob could do nothing but just sit there and
notice how very similar they looked.  Even though Mr. Hart was in his
forties, he still looked like he had a few wild parties left in him.

"And, Jacob," Mr. Hart said as he shook Jacob's hand from across the table.
"Glad you finally came.  I've been wanting to talk to the boy who is making
my son sing every morning" He chuckled.

"Hello, Mr. Hart," Jacob started shakily.  He felt Lucas nudge his leg from
under the table.  "It's nice to meet you."

"Please, please, call me Charlie," Mr. Hart said good-naturedly, "and it
may surprise you to know that we've actually met before."

Lucas and Jacob both looked at Charlie, mild surprise painted on both their
faces.  "When was this, dad?" asked Lucas.

"Oh a long time ago," Charlie reminisced, "when we first moved back to
Celestia, you and Jacob here actually played all the time."

Jacob's curiosity took over his nerves.  "Really?  I don't remember...."

"I'm not surprised.  You boys weren't even in pre-school yet.  But enough
about the past.  So Jacob, how's your mother?"

"She's alright.  I'm just glad she's not sick anymore..."

"Yea," Charlie's eyes glazed over, "that's great."

"She's working at the hospital again," filled in Lucas.

"That's good."  Charlie paused.  "So, Jacob, Lucas mentioned you were
actually scared of being here," he chuckled, "afraid I was going to
interrogate my son's boyfriend?"

Jacob smiled, "it wasn't like that, sir.  It's just...well I just found it
hard to believe that you would be so accepting of us being together."  He
said what he felt, plain and simple.

"Why is that?"

"Lucas is your only son...and, well, my father--"

"Your father would have wanted nothing but your happiness, Jacob,"
Charlie's face was serious.

"I suppose..." answered Jacob, though in his mind he doubted every word.

"Charlie," interrupted the waitress named Laura, "the Levines are about to
leave and would like to say goodbye."

"Tell them I will be with them shortly," said Charlie.  "Well, I guess I'll
leave you two alone now.  Jacob, whenever you're hungry just come over and
I'll have the cook make you something on me, okay?  These doors will always
be open for an Alexander."

"Thank you, Mr. Hart," smiled Jacob as he shook Charlie's hand again.  "Um,
I mean Charlie."

"There you go," he chuckled, "Lucas, I'll see you later son."  He winked
and motioned towards Jacob, "or maybe I won't."

"See?  That wasn't so bad," said Lucas after his father had gone.

"I guess..." said Jacob, "did we really use to play together?"

"I don't know, I mean if we did, I don't remember it at all."  Lucas paused
to remember.

"Okay, so when do you first remember ever seeing me?" asked Jacob
curiously.

"The summer before I became a sophomore.  You were about to be a freshman."

"Really?  Where?"

"Your....your dad's funeral." Lucas said slowly.

"You were there?" Jacob asked, surprised.

"My dad and I were.  I mean I've seen you before that in middle school and
everything, but it was the first time I ever actually like 'saw' you."

"What do you mean?"

"You were crying... Like, I don't know what happened but I really wanted to
run over to where you were and hug you.  I mean, I was already having
thoughts about guys before that but when I saw you then....you were so
vulnerable...."

"Wow...I wouldn't have known you were there, really."

"I know," he held Jacob's hand, "and then school started and I immediately
recognized you from the crowd.  I've had a crush on you ever since."

"A crush?" Jacob asked, wide-eyed, "on me??"

Lucas kissed the back of Jacob's palms.  "Who wouldn't have a crush on
you?"

Jacob blushed.  Right in front of him was this wonderful guy who was
clearly in love with him.  He knows that he feels the same way too, but
maybe not as much.  He also knows that in the back of his mind, all he
could think of was Riley.

All he could think of was that Riley was vulnerable and he needed to run
over to where he was and hug him...

Lucas saw something in Jacob's eyes.  Something that made him doubt the
strength of their relationship.  The news of Riley's breakup would
definitely change some things and Lucas knew that.  Whatever happens,
however, he was prepared to fight for the boy who made him sing every
morning.  He wasn't about to lose the best thing that's ever happened to
him....

* * *

To be continued [hopefully sooner, rather than later].

***

It's been a year since I posted the first chapter here on nifty and it
makes me feel so grown up reminiscing about the first comments i got about
it.  I do want to apologize for how ridiculously slow I've been updating.
It's just block after block after block.  Anyways, I want to wish you all a
Happy New Year!  I hope this year, all of us will find love like Jacob.

4plexity@gmail.com if you want to talk to me.  =)