Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 19:38:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Christian Garcia Subject: The Gyllenhaal Encounter - Part Fifteen Disclaimer: I do not know or claim to know Jake Gyllenhaal and I don't mean to imply any knowledge of his personal life or sexual preference. REMEMBER: This story is just that, a story. Completely made up by the little people in my head. Now that that's out of the way, sit back, grab a snack and enjoy! +++ Jake stood behind Christian and spoke softly. "Hey Christian.". Christian looked at Jake as if he was big foot; not believing who he was looking at. "Jake." Sargent pounced on Chris' legs with the ball clamped tightly in his mouth. "Hey." "Hey, how are you?" Jake smiled, waiting for Christian's next words to tumble out of his mouth. "I'm good---you?" "Good, good. It's been a while." "Yeah." Silence surrounded them in it's black veil. "So what've you been doing? Last I knew you were working at the theatre, right?" Jake asked, trying to put a smile on Christian's face that looked as if he was looking for the fastest way to exit. "Yep, I'm still working there with Randy. They're working on remodeling the building right now so it's been closed for the past few days." Chris responded, flashing a polite smile every once in a while. "Randy? How's he doing these days?" "Good, he's good. We've been seeing each other a lot more lately." "Seeing each other like..." "Yeah, seeing each other." "Oh." Jake nodded, licking and biting his bottom lip. "Have you been here long or..." "No, just a few minutes. Sargent was getting restless in the apartment so I thought I'd take him out for some air. You?" "We just got here, too. Um, do you want to take a walk?" Jake asked Christian, unsure if him talking to Christian any longer was a good idea after all. "Yeah, sure. Come on Sargent." Chris slapped his leg several times with the palm of his hand; calling over Sargent who was running around a few feet away. Jake and Christian began on their journey through the park floor, the noon breeze hitting them tenderly as they walked. Boo and Sargent dashed about their feet, enjoying each others company and feeding off each others animalistic energy. "So did you enjoy the holidays?" Christian asked, looking down at his feet pounding down on dead leaves on the floor. "Yeah, it was fun. Maggie told me you came to the house on Christmas Eve, you dropped off the chain I gave you." "Oh yeah. I couldn't keep it after what had happened and..." "No, no. It's totally fine, I understand." Jake cut in, smiling. "Good. I, uh, saw you on T.V. the other day, the award show." "Yeah?" "Yeah, and Peter and Maggie. She looked amazing by the way." "Peter did look great." Jake said. Christian gave him a perplexed look but smiled when seeing Jake smile. "Sorry, it was too easy but yes, Maggie looked amazing. I sort of figured you'd watch since I remembered you said that you liked independent movies." Christian kept his head down, scoffed then said, "Did you watch the fireworks on new years?" "Yeah, I was in New York for that." "Oh really? Then you got to go to one of the big parties, huh?" "Yeah, it was fun. We stayed with Kate the time we were there." "Kate?" Christian asked the name ringing a bell in his head. "Park Kate?" "What? Oh, yeah. Kate, the girl we ran into here a while back. Anyways, Peter being Peter he tried get me to share the new year kiss with her." "Did you?" Christian asked. Jake shrugged and nodded. Another moment of awkward silence surrounded them. "Well, I better get going. I have some things to do at home." Christian stopped midway and turned to Jake. "Okay." Jake responded, half upset and nodded. "Oh, wait. I don't know if you were doing anything sometime later but maybe we can hang out again. I mean, if you want." "I can't I sort'a have something going on. A friend of mine is renting his friends beach house and a bunch of us are going to spend the week there." "Oh, right." "But why don't you come along? If you still want to hang out." "Seriously?" "Yeah, what's better than hanging out by the beach all day?" "Okay, sounds good." Jake smiled. "Great." Christian turned and began to walk away before spinning back and facing Jake. "It was nice talking to you again." The corners of Jakes mouth curled into a smile as he watched Christian call Sargent to his side and start walking to the outside perimeter of the spacious park. +++ It was two days before the trip to the beach house and Christian was spending it with Ashley at her house. They sat in the bedroom, Christian helping Ashley fold the laundry that she had taken out of the dryer only minutes before. Music played softly from the radio along side the television, playing the soundtrack of a lonely evening spent by two friends. Together they folded clothes, shirt after shirt and pants after pants. The room sat quiet, the world revolving at a tremendous speed under their feet and yet they stood as still as an old tree with its roots deep in the soil it sprout from. The pleasant sound of the instrumental song slithering out of the radio speakers was briefly interrupted by Christians voice as he said, "I ran into Jake the other day---at the park." He looked at Ashley standing besides him; watching for her reaction. She never lifted her eyes from the underwear she folded gently in her hands. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. I invited him to come with us on our upcoming trip." Christian held one of Ashley's shirts to his chest, folded the sleeves inward and with a flick of his wrist, folding the entire garment; placing it on the neatly stacked pile of clothing by his side. "That's great! Did you tell Randy?" Christian turned to Ashley with a befuddled look in his eyes. "No, why would I tell him?" "Why? Have you thought about how he would feel about it?" Ashley finished off the last few articles of clothing and went to place them inside her drawers. Christian was taken back by what Ashley had said to him. He was confused and nervous at the comments she had just made. Christian walked to where Ashley stood and tried to grab her attention away from what she was busy doing. "Do I have a reason to?" "Do you have a reason to." Ashley repeated, chuckling. "Of course you do, Chris. How would you feel if someone you liked brought over an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend around you." "Jake isn't..." Christian tried his hardest hide the past that still haunted him at times. "I know there was something going on between you two. I mean, the way you guys used to talk and act around each other. They way you completely ignored everything round you when Jake was around. It was all there." Ashley turned and went to reach for more clothes. Christian was stunned to say the least. He stood in place, not knowing what to say and not wanting to make a move, he just stood there, looking into the open space before him. "Does Randy know?" "Nope. When I asked you the other day about Jake I saw how uncomfortable you were. Every time he showed up on the television you would cross your legs or get into a different sitting position." Christian scoffed and looked at Ashley. "Got any suggestions?" Chris asked, referring to what he should do about the situation he was in. "Should I un-invite Jake?" "That's where I can't help you. You need to make up your own mind. You're a big boy with big boy underwear, do what's right." Ashley was right and Christian knew it. That was only one of the endless reasons why Christian needed Ashley around in his life. She balanced him out perfectly, offering sisterly advice when the moment was right and even when the situation didn't call for it. What ever happened, Chris knew Ashley would back him up 100%. After exchanging long, warm hugs, Christian decided to head home and wait for the following events to play out in front of him, waiting to see what nature had in store for Randy, Jake, and him. +++ The morning of the trip, Christian scurried around his apartment like a mouse trapped in a small box, trying to look for a way to escape. His room looked as if a bomb had exploded inside it's walls, throwing clothes and bags onto the now crowded bed resembling a mountain covered in shirts and jeans instead of snow or lush green plants. Sargent jumped on the bed and found a comfortable spot atop the mess, laid his head down and watched his owner run around. "Okay." Christian told himself. "I got shorts, jeans, shirts, shoes, sox. What am I missing?" He thought for a moment. "Underwear, underwear. I need underwear." He leaped over the mess on the floor and pulled out the only drawer closed, pulling out several a pair of briefs and boxers then threw them into the bag with the rest of his things. After picking up and cleaning a bit, Christian threw on his backpack over his shoulders and head to the living room where the phone started to ring off the hook. "Fuck." He sighed; having to take a detour on his way to the door. Christian picked up the cordless and placed it over his left ear while kneeling down to hook the black leash onto the loop on Sargent's collar. "Yeah?" "There's a Mr. and Ms. Gyllenhaal in the lobby waiting for Christian." The receptionist said. "Great, I'll be right down." Jake had called Christian earlier and asked if Maggie could come along seeing as how she could use a few days to relax after her constantly being in meetings discussing future movie roles. Christian hung up the phone and took his big suit case in one hand and held Sargent's leash with the other. He locked up the apartment and moved to the elevator in a rush, Sargent trotting at his side. The elevator touched down soon, doors pulled open and allowed for the quick exit of the small room. Christian walked a few feet and saw Jake and Maggie through the clear sliding doors of the building, Jake looking out into the street, blowing a plume of smoke out from his mouth and Maggie sitting on the small wall used as a boarder between people and the green grass; all their bags placed neatly off to the side. Christian stepped out from inside the apartment complex, Maggie waving at him once she noticed Christian. Jake turned his head, eyeing Christian after taking down his sunglasses and plucking the cigarette from his lips with his middle and index finger. "Morning." Jake smiled enthusiastically. "Hey, good morning." Christian replied, setting down his bag on the dirty, cracked floor but keeping his backpack on. Sargent sniffed at Jakes feet, trying to find out who the man was standing a few feet away. "Hi Maggie." "Hi Christian." She stood up off the cement wall and walked towards Chris with her arms ready to give a hug. "It's so nice to see you again." "Yeah, nice to see you too." Jake took one last hit from his cigarette and tossed it onto the sidewalk after flicking the remaining embers off the end with his fingers. He went and stood besides his sister, placed his hands on his hips and smiled a wide grin. Not too much later, a big white van pulled up to the curb with Christian's friend Miguel driving it, Ashley in the passenger seat and Randy sitting in one of the two rows of seats in the back. When the van came to a complete stop, Miguel and Ashley got out first but were soon followed by the sound of the side door sliding open and Randy stepping out into the morning breeze. "Everyone ready?" Miguel asked. "We should start loading up so we can hit the road." In the mean while, Randy walked over to Christian, giving him a hug and sweet kiss while still holding onto each other. Jake looked away, giving them privacy but also due to the fact that he didn't want to see what was going on in front of him. Christian pushed himself away from Randy, allowing the space between them to grow and stir as he pulled Randy over to Maggie. "Randy, this is Maggie, Jake's sister." "Hello." Randy replied, extending out his hand. "Hi, nice to meet you." Jake looked on as his sister greeted and shook the hand of the tall man. While they talked, Christian and Miguel hauled the luggage bags onto the back of the van and slammed the cargo door shut. "Alright, if everyone can proceed inside the vehicle we'll be on our way." Miguel cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. As soon as the six boarded the van they hit the road fast. +++ The ride was only an hour long from the apartment complex Christian resided in but it seemed forever since everyone kept falling in and out of sleep. Once again, Miguel drove and Ashley sat besides him in the passenger seat. In the row behind was Maggie on the left, her head pressed against Jake's sweater that she used as a pillow to rest her head on while she slept and besides her was Jake, sitting quietly. Finally, in the seat behind Maggie was Christian with Randy besides him, his arm around Christian's shoulders, his fingers slightly moving; grazing on top of the shirt that covered Chris. The road below them was smooth but inside everyone still gently swayed form side to side. In the middle of the ride, Christian looked out the window on his left, watching the endless amount of stores, homes, and people passing swiftly by. The entire world seemed as if it was moving backwards all the while the van staying in place. Every once in a while there would be a break and the view of the ocean on the background would come forward, showing off as the water glistened in the sunlight. It looked like if someone had decided to throw infinite amounts if clear diamonds onto a blue canopy. Jake turned his head slightly, watching Christian from the corner of his left eye and keeping his sights locked on him until Christian turned to him as well. Jake smiled and nodded then faced forward again, Christian returned the smile but kept his eyes on Jake; watching as he turned and looked out the window, seeing the same thing he did. +++ Christian's eyes snapped open as the car came to a sudden stop in the drive way of the enormous castle-like house sitting at the feet of a private beach. The first thing that came into Christian's head was how the house looked as if it was sitting in a large sandbox like a child would be doing in it's school yard. The over all grandeur of the mansion took everyone back as they poured out one-by-one from the belly of the large van. Christian was the last to step out of the car, stretching his arms over his head and extending his legs out under him. Sargent got a chance to run around for a moment before having to go into the backyard, Christian wasn't about to let him run around a house that didn't belong to him and especially one that looked like it costs thousands of dollars. Christian looked around as everyone moved around like ants around their sand mound. The wooden fence around the house looked as if it hadn't been re-painted in ages; the white paint flaking off and showing the bare wood underneath. Once everyone was handed their things, they moved up the four steps of the stoop connected to the white house and waited to be let in by the key holder Miguel. The inside was even bigger and greater than it looked form outside. The six scattered into the large and open living room. The hardwood floors were so clean you were able to see some of your own reflection in them. In the center of the room sat two long matching sofa couches that created a perfect ninety degree angle and inside that angle was a wooden coffee table showing off its hand carved legs proudly. All this laying in front of the wide chimney on the wall opposite the front door. To the left was a grand piano staying still on one of the corners, holding up a small vase and small picture frames. More vases, bigger in size, sat comfortable in two of the four corners of the room with tall blades of sea grass sticking up from the inside. On the wall to the right hung a large oil painting of a woman dressed in a red dress from the Victorian era, her neck adorned with a large red joule hanging from other smaller diamonds. The arched door on the far left of the wall containing the chimney lead everyone to the large dining room and kitchen. Besides the kitchen was another door that went into a small hallway where a tall staircase went up to the second floor of the house where the four bedrooms hid behind closed doors. In the back of the house was the wooden patio containing a medium sized fire pit in it's floor boards, chairs scattered around. All this space was extended when moving out into the private beach that hid behind the immense home. After the six chose a room to share, they decided to go out for breakfast instead of making something themselves. Over all, the first day was pretty lay back for everyone. They mostly sat around the living room, talking and laughing at the small things that happened in their lives but the next day was more eventful. Christian and Randy lay in bed together early in the morning, not wanting to get up but just lay there; letting the sin of sloth take over them. "Want to go swimming?" Randy broke the silence, turning to Christian and leaning on his right elbow. "What?" "Do you want to go swimming." "Right now?" Christian asked. "Yeah, why not?" "Because it's early and still a little foggy." "Fine then we'll wait until after breakfast. What do you say?" After thinking for a moment, Christian decided to give in since he was there to have fun and relax, he thought it would be a great way to have a good time. "Alright, after breakfast." Like promised, Randy went to put on his board shorts after eating in the morning and head out to the backyard with two towels over his shoulder. After a while Christian also came down from his room wearing only shorts and noticed Jake leaning forward on the kitchen island, spooning up some cereal from the deep, white plate in front of him. "Hey, you're just now eating?" Christian asked Jake, stopping for a moment to talk. "Yeah, just woke up a little while ago." Jake replied, standing up straight and cleaning the milk away from his lips with a thin paper towel. "Are you going in the water?" "Yeah." Christian looked out the big window over the kitchen sink that looked out at the small waves crashing onto the sand line. "Do you want to come with us?" "Nah, not now." Jake replied, smiling politely. "Alright, well if you change your mind..." "Yeah." Christian turned and walked to the glass and wooden doors then stepped out into the patio where Randy slid his shirt off and placed it on one of the chairs beneath the wide umbrella set in the center of a large circular table. Jake finished eating his cereal and went over to the sink to clean off the plate. While there he happened to look up and saw Christian walking to the shoreline with Randy close by his side. He washed up quickly and moved to the living room where Ashley sat by herself; her eyes buried inside the pages of a hardcover book. "Hello." She greeted Jake, momentarily taking her sight away from the book. "Hi, aren't you going into the water, too?" "Not me. Maybe later. Are you looking for Christian?" "No, I just saw him a little while ago. He's going for a dip." Jake sat down besides Ashley. "Is he with Randy?" Jake nodded and looked at the coffee table a foot away. "What about your sister? She awake yet?" "Yeah, Maggie's in the room putting clothes away, I think. Where's uh, that one guy, what's his name?" "Who? Miguel? I'm not sure. Probably out in the front porch." Ashley looked at Jake with something on her mind. She was about to ask him about Christian but decided against it seeing as how it wasn't her business about what happened between the two. Instead, only smiled and turned to look at the words in the book sitting deep in her palms. After a moment of sitting in the large living room, Jake went back into the kitchen and looked out the window once again, watching as Christian emerged out of the water and shook his head; hundreds of beads of water sprayed out form his moistened hair, falling at his sides and back into the sea surrounding him. Looking around some more, Jake didn't see Randy anywhere and decided to step outside. He pushed the door aside and placed his right foot out into the wooden floor under him, taking three more steps before finally seeing Randy a few feet to his right; running the towel over his head and chest, finally wrapping it around his shoulders. "Fuck." Jake thought to himself as a floundering feeling came over him like water comes over a high cliff. "Hey Jake." Randy exclaimed, cleaning his ears with the towel edge, his wet shorts creating a dark circle on the wooden floor. "Hey." Jake stood still, thinking whether to walk back inside or endure the long and awkward moment. Randy moved passed Jake, his feet leaving wet sprints on the wood beneath him. He disappeared inside for a second but came back out to sit down with a beer bottle clenched inside his fist. Jake stood in place, folded his arms and watched the waves roll in and drag back into the large body of water. He was relieved to see Christian slowly makes his way out of the water and to the dry sand; hoping to end the strange atmosphere he stood in with Randy. Christian got closer, pressing his palm on his forehead and pushing back the long strands of brown hair covering his forehead. "Already done?" Randy shouted. "What?" Christian shout back. "Already done?" Christian stepped up to the elevated platform and smiled. "I think I dropped my balls back there. It was so cold when I got out of the water." He joked, reaching across the table Randy sat behind and took the dry towel to dry his hair. After toweling off, he took a seat and waited for his wet trunks to dry. "Sit down." Christian pulled out one of the chairs and signaled for Jake to have a seat. "Did you guys have fun?" Jake asked. "You have a entire beach to yourself, how can you not?" Randy replied. "You have a point." Jake said, half mocking. Christian scoffed and shook his head, sensing Jake's taunt. He looked over at Randy taking in gulp after gulp from his cool beer and said "What time is it, do you know?" Randy shook his head and showed both his wrists; proving the lack of watch. "Oh well, I should probably go shower now anyways." "I'll go first since you're still dripping." Randy stood up and moved towards Christian, reaching for his chin and turning it to him; planting a short kiss on him before getting inside. "You're such a smart ass, you know that?" Christian snapped at Jake, smiling wide. "What?" Jake giggled, exposing most of his teeth. "What do you mean?" "You got a point." He mimicked Jake's comment. "I was telling him that he had made a valid point." Jake held his hands up innocently. Christian giggled and shook his head. "Bull shit." +++ Around dinner time, everyone gathered around the fire pit behind the house and set up a large grill off to the side to cook some burgers and hot dogs. The grill burned heavily, fire shooting up from the thin rods holding up the meat and grilled vegetables squired by a metal rod while Randy tried desperately to keep the ground meat from burning. The fire pit outdoing the grin with its enormous flames dancing around dangerously close to the plaster edges and off to the side was Sargent tied to one of the pillars holding up the second half of the house, his loud barking echoing around the beach. Jake and Maggie sat side-by-side while Miguel and Ashley sat to their right. Christian came out from the kitchen with two beers and a soda in his hands. He moved to Jake and handed him a bottle filled with the alcoholic beverage and signaled for him to move his feet down from the concrete and allow him to pass through. "Thanks." Jake replied, taking the beer and holding it in his lap. "Maggie." Christian held the second bottle of beer loosely by the neck. "Oh, no thanks." "Come on, it's nice and cold." "No, no." Maggie smiled, shaking her head in defiance. "Peer pressure, peer pressure." Jake deepened his voice and teased his sister. "Alright, alright. Fine." Maggie gave in and took the beer from Christian. Christian sat down besides Ashley and twist off the soda bottle cap, taking a short sip from the mouth and swallowing the cool liquid. "Burgers are ready! Who wants the first one?" Randy yelled out. He served up the food and everyone ate happily. After dinner they sat and talked around the roaring fire that spit up small embers like fire flies disappearing into the night sky. The night music created from the waves crashing into the sand down the beach sounded proudly, filling everyone's ears and sending subliminal messages of relaxation to their brains. One by one, people began to disappear inside the house; crawling into bed and closing their eyes. Jake, Ashley and Christian were left outside as they cleaned up the mess left behind. Chairs scattered about carelessly, dinner plates with half eaten hot dogs and hamburgers, and the fire half dead. Christian brought buckets full of salt water from the ocean to dump onto the fire, stirring the embers and ashes; hoping to put it out safely. "God, it's really late." Ashley looked at her watch and yawned. "Yeah? If you want we'll finish cleaning up, you go get some sleep." Christian replied, stacking up cup-after-cup. "Are you sure?" "Yeah, go ahead." "Okay, good night, hun." Ashley moved to Chris and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the lips. "'Night." Ashley then went to Jake and hugged him as well. "Good night." He said. She went and got into the house, leaving the two men outside to clean up the small amount of litter left. "So, are you having fun?" Christian asked. "Cleaning or overall?" Jake replied, setting the chairs into their places around the two tables. "Overall." "Yeah, it's nice here. The place is incredible plus everyone's been really welcoming and friendly, you know?" "Yep, you still haven't gone swimming though." Christian smirked. "So what?" "So we're only here for a few more days and that's it. We leave soon and you'll sever have the chance to go take a swim in complete privacy." Jake looked at Christian with loving eyes and bit his bottom lip gently, smiling. He reached down, took hold of his shirt and pulled it up over his head revealing the warm skin that lay hidden underneath. Christian saw this and became confused, not knowing what Jake was doing on that cold night. Before he knew it, Jake was walking down the patio steps onto the sand and started to walk down to the shore line. "Where are you going?" Christian yelled out. Jake completely ignoring him. "Jake! Where are you going?!" Christian dropped what he was doing and followed Jake into the darkness. He caught up to him a few feet away from the water, pulling his shorts down and kicking off his sandals. Jake stood bare, only a pair of light boxers covering him even when the wind blew light clouds of frigid air in his direction. "What are you doing?" Christian asked, semi knowing what Jake was thinking but not willing to admit it to himself. "Now or never, you said." Jake replied, running into the freezing water and diving head first into one of the incoming waves. "Shit!" He yelled out loud after resurfacing. "It's fucking cold!" "Yeah, no shit!" Christian yelled back. "I meant go swimming when it's warm and there's sunlight, not when it's dark and cold!" "Come on!" Jake leaned back into the water and allowed himself to fall deep into the waves, letting them take and carry him to where ever they desired. "No!" "Come on!" He repeated. After seeing Christian stand completely still, Jake got to his feet and trudged along the ocean floor, forcefully pushing his legs to move. He reached Christian dripping wet and took him by the wrist; pulling him down to the roaring water. The more Christian protested and tried to pull away the more Jake tightened his grip; he was going to make him get in the water by any means necessary. "What the fuck, Jake?" Christian said, trying desperately to flee. Jake stopped and turned to his captive. "Either you get in willingly or I pull you in." Jake said, water drops running down his neck to his chest and further down, the hair on his chest flattened on to his skin by the water. "I am not getting in right now." "Yes you are. Now let's go." Jake clipped his hands to his hips, more water drops eased down his face. Christian had no way out, he rolled his eyes and slid off the hooded sweater and shirt he wore along with the loose fitting jeans wrapped around his hips and legs, tossing them to where Jakes clothes lay on the sand. He and Jake then walked to the water, jumped in and got used to the cold temperature once inside. They spend a little more than half hour inside the cold water, diving in and splashing about, forgetting about how cold the atmosphere they were in felt to their warm blooded bodies. Christian was the first one out, his feet digging small craters into the soft sand; leaving a trail for Jake to follow once he was ready to exit. Christian stood in his wet underwear, looking around for a boulder or bush to change behind but couldn't see far off into the distance since it looked pitch black to his eyes. Christian scanned the open water and noticed Jake with his back turned to him, diving deeper into the ocean and decided to change out in the open. He quickly slid down his underwear and reached down for his pants, pulling up the left leg then the right until he was completely covered from the waist down. Turning back around, Christian saw Jake approaching fast, his eyes locked on him and a crooked grin on his strong face. Had he noticed Christian as he undressed or was the smirk on his face a product of the spontaneous late night swim? Either way, Christian couldn't be too upset since it was his idea to change out in the open and in front of Jake like that. Jake stood with Christian at close range, the smart smile still lingered on his face and his entire body covered with beads of salty water creating a road map of his body, Jake's chest extended and contracted fast. "I'm going back to the house." Christian said, detouring his eyes away from Jakes. Jake nodded and watched Chris turn his back and begin on his way up the path leading to the house. Jake walked into the cool home, holding his wet boxers folded neatly in his hands and walking into the kitchen where a dim light still showed. He walked further into the doorway and saw Christian pouring steaming water into a small blue mug set on the rectangular island in front of the sink. "Making coffee?" Jake asked. Christian looked up from what he was doing and saw Jake staring at him with a kind smile. "Yeah, do you want some? It'll help get you warm again." "Sure, thanks." Christian poured another cup of hot water and took the coffee grounds from the tin can inside the pantry. "Milk?" He asked Jake who was still leaning against the doorway with his arms and legs crossed over each other. Jake nod his head slowly and moved towards Chris before being handed the mug of hot coffee. They moved into the large living room that glowed dimly from the light emanating from the dying chimney fire the others had started before going to bed. Christian sat on the floor in front of the couch facing the fire while Jake moved to the big steel basket in the corner filled with shopped pieces of logs. He brought some in his arms and gently placed them on the fire; feeding the flames once again. After, Jake turned around and sat besides Christian, sipped the warm brown liquid in his cup and set it to his side. "Night swimming, something I will never do again." Christian said, smiling and staring deep into the fire. "It's your fault. You're the one that said I should go swimming. I wasn't about to go alone." Jake replied. "You didn't have to go at night, either." "You got to admit, it was pretty fun. I mean, the whole spontaneous thing." "Yeah, I guess you're right." Christian admitted. "So, uh..." Jake stuttered, finding the right words to use. "It's late." Christian scoffed and turned to Jake. "Yeah?" "Well, I mean, Randy's probably expecting you soon." "Do you have something to say?" Christian asked sternly, his face serious and sour. "What? No---" "Stop pussyfooting around it. Do you want to talk about it or not?" "What are you talking about, Christian?" Jake was obviously confused by Christian's sudden outburst of scolding anger. "About our fall out." Jake sat quietly, staring into the fire ahead. His jaw muscles contracting and showing through his thin layer of skin. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, we're here, now. Say what ever you want. Get it out." Still no response from Jake. After a moment, Christian was about to give up until he heard Jake say "I hated you so much after that day." Christian turned to Jake. "After I left the apartment I went home and was so pissed off at myself for getting involved. But after a few weeks I realized that the two months we spent together were my best, I wouldn't take them back for anything." Jake's confession sent chills up Christian's back. He didn't realize how Jake had felt until that very moment when Jake had began to spill his heart. "I hate seeing you and Randy together." "I guess I should admit that the time afterwards wasn't the best for me either. It was hard trying push the memories and thoughts to the back of my head but I managed to do it and then when you came over at the park everything rushed back and hit my like a speeding train." Christian placed the coffee up to his bottom lip and gently tilt the mug to pour the liquid into his mouth. Jake looked at him with intensity, trying to hold back his emotions but failed miserably as he felt his hand rise from his lap and travel up to Christian's chin. Christian trembled when feeling Jake's fingers touch his skin, slowly lowering the cup away and looking over to the silent man to his right. He saw Jake's eyes as they stared lovingly, calling him to come near; putting Christian in a unbreakable trance. Jake moved in closer, keeping his eyes locked onto his target. Christian lifted his right hand up and stopped Jake from coming closer; thinking of Randy but the urge to place a passionate kiss on Jake was overwhelming and uncontrollable. Jake moved his hand away and tilted his head to meet his lips with Chris'. Taking Christian in his hands and delivering romantic kisses on the corners of his mouth, Jake slowly shifted his entire body towards Christian and this time used both hands to hold onto the nape of Chris' neck, keeping him still and safe. Christian kissed back gently but Jake did most the work, running his lips over the opening of Christian's mouth and slipping his tongue in between his lips to meet the wet organ inside. For a brief moment, the two men had become a rare form of species connected at the mouth, transferring saliva from one body to the next in the most loving of ways. They continued on this way for minutes but Christian took initiative and pulled away from Jake's grip. They sat still, the crackling of the fire surrounding them and filling the room. The kitchen lights switched on causing Christian to pick up the coffee mug at his side and act as if nothing had happened. Randy emerged from the bright room and stood in the living room's doorway. "What are you doing still up?" He asked. "Drinking coffee." Christian replied. "I can in after cleaning up got something to drink." "What are you doing here?" Randy looked down at Jake taking a drink from his cup. "Same." Randy nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Before turning the lights off, Randy looked over and noticed a pair of wet boxers folded neatly and laying on top of the marble counter. Randy tried to ignore what he had just seen and flipped the light switch down then walked back up the long stairs to the second floor. Back in the living room, Jake and Christian still sat in silence, insure of what to say next. It was in that exact moment that they both realized that it didn't matter how many times they kissed or held each other, they could never be happy in the way that they would like, they could never give themselves entirely to one another and it killed them inside. The next day Christian woke up to the sound of drawers closing and shoes hitting the hardwood floor. He opened his eyes slowly, allowing time for his eyes to adjust to the morning light sneaking through the sheer window curtains. Christian turned in bed, rubbing his eyes and groaning at the early morning. He focused and saw Randy sitting at the foot of the bed, leaning down to tie his shoes. "Where are you going?" Christian asked, pushing his hair away from his face and flattening it above his head. "What time is it?" "Ten-thirty-seven. We're all going to get some breakfast. You better hurry up and change if you want to go." "Fuck. I'm still half asleep." "Shouldn't have stayed up late last night." Randy looked back at Christian. "I'll bring you back something if you want." Randy stood up and left the room. Christian sat in the white sheets pondering the reason for Randy's comment. Not thinking too much into it, he stood up and left to use the bathroom on the other side of the room. Everyone left a few minutes later and Christian was left alone, or so he thought. He went into the kitchen to try to find something to do but could find nothing except for cleaning up the kitchen counter tops. After running a clean cloth around the kitchen for a while, Christian stepped out into the back porch to see how Sargent was holding up. Christian saw him laying down next to the food and water bowl, his eyes watching every step Chris took towards him until finally springing up on all four legs and trying to run, the leash causing Sargent to stand up on his back legs. Christian inched himself closer and ran his fingers over Sargent's back and head, showing signs of affection. Sargent's head suddenly turned to look behind Christian, someone or something grabbing his attention. Christian looked back and saw Jake standing behind the screen door in the kitchen, looking down on them. Jake stepped out and sat on the outer rim of the fire pit that held a pile of ashes and amputated logs. "You shouldn't sneak up on people." Christian turned back to Sargent. "Why didn't you go to get breakfast with the others?" "Woke up late. Maggie didn't go either." "Why not?" Christian stood up straight, slapping his legs; trying to get the dog hair off of his pants. Jake shrugged and smiled. Chris walked back into the house, Jake following, closing the door behind them. "Do you want me to make something to eat? It'll probably be a while before they get back." "No, I'm good, thanks." "Jake!" Maggie called from upstairs. Her calls becoming louder and sounding closer. "Jake!" "Down here!" Jake yelled back. Maggie strolled down to the kitchen where her brother and Christian stood and greeted good morning. "I'm going to take a quick shower, okay?" She said, her small mouth turning up into a smile. "Yep, I'll be right up to lay your clothes out on the bed for you." Joked Jake, smiling innocently. "Very funny." Maggie gave Jake a cheeky grin and head back upstairs. "You two are incredible." Christian laughed. "Do you always talk to each other like that?" "Like how?" Jake moved closer to Christian who was leaning back onto the counter top digging into his lower back. "Like, I don't know, it's funny watching you two communicate for some reason." Jake licked his bottom lip, holding his tongue between his mouth for a second and put it back into it's place. He walked up to Christian with bad intentions on his brain. Christian stood still as Jake greeted his lips with his own, holding onto Chris' hips and tugging lightly. Christian backed away and turned his head. "No one's here." Jake whispered. "Maggie." "She's taking a shower." "She can come down sooner than expected." "She wont." Jake insisted and kissed him once more. Christian gave in and kissed back, wrapping his hands around Jake's neck. "Let's go to the guest house." Jake said in between kisses. Christian stopped and smiled, nodding his head from left to right. "Why?" Christian debate whether or not to go, he weighed the pro and cons but the pro's over powered the bad. He sighed a sigh of frustration, finally giving Jake a smile of agreement. They walked out of the main home and creped a few feet away into the guest house besides the big, white mansion. The two walked into the miniature home decorated elegantly in sea shells and star fish. The walls were a light blue, accented with small wave-like paintings on the walls. Jake locked the front doors and lowered the window blinds to keep their privacy. Christian took Jake by the waist and pulled him back towards him, Jake's back and ass to Christians chest and groin. Christian slid his hands under Jake's light shirt and squeezed on his hips, feeling the light trail of hair heading down, disappearing into the shorts Jake wore. Christian slid his fingers inside the waist band, the shivers sent up Jakes legs alarming him in the best sense. Lower and lower his hands moved until touching the pubic hairs surrounding the base of the limp penis. Christian watched Jake's face show the feelings Jake felt then kissed Jake from behind. Jake quickly turned around and took Christian, cupping his face in his hands and breathing heavy in his mouth. They stood together for a moment, holding one another and breathing hard; realizing what they were planning on doing. Jake's fingers took hold of the zipper on Christian's jeans and lowered it furiously then stuck his hand inside, feeling Chris' cock in it's resting state. Christian sighed and closed his eye, briefly falling into a daze as Jake's fingers handled his penis with intimate care. Jake's hand pointed downward, his fingers massaging Christian's scrotum and slowly moving up the penis shaft that now stuck out from the zipper opening. Jake took his hand away for a moment only to undo the copper buttons holding the pants on Christian's waist. Christian looked down at Jake's fingers working the buttons and swallowed hard when his jeans fell to his bare feet. Christian stepped out of the pants and reached down to take his shirt off. Jake stood off in the side, bringing the cargo shorts down to his flip flops and kicking them off. After they were both bare and sporting erections that seemed to keep growing at the sight of each other naked, Christian pushed Jake onto the foot of the neatly done bed and smiled when Jake fell on his back. Jake propped himself up on his elbows and watched Christian come near, kneel at his feet and place his hands onto Jake's inner thighs, beginning to polish his skin. Christian's hands moved upwards, feeling every inch of the man laying before him, taking time to completely search the manly body and feeling the thin leg hairs brush lightly on the palm of his hands before placing one hand on the bed; holding himself up while his other hand gripped Jake's hardened cock and worked it with great intensity. Looking up to see how Jake was reacting, Christian saw him tilting his head back, eyes shut and mouth semi open; grunting softly. Christian noticed a drop of pre-cum start to form on the small slit where urine usually escaped and rubbed his thumb over the clear liquid; smearing it over the pink head and making it wet. Jake opened his eyes again and sat up, taking hold of the arm holding Christian up, bringing him up over his body. "I want you up here with me." Jake whispered and pulled down Christian by the neck to meet his lips. They kissed while their stiff cocks pressed together in between them, leaving small stains of clear fluid marked on each other. Jake wrapped his arms around Christian, falling to his lower back and over his bare buttocks; pulling him down by his ass and squeezing every now and then. Jake then leaned forward, sitting upright with Christian kneeling in front of him, still kissing passionately and putting them in a position where Chris was facing Jake and straddling his strong legs. Jake moved his mouth away from Chris' lips, bringing it down to the nape of his neck and even lower still, laying kiss after kiss onto Christian's shapely chest, circling his tongue and dragging it over the exposed nipple surrounded in a thin layer of tiny hairs. He continued to suck on Christian's nipples for a few minutes, Christian's hands running up Jake's neck and over his shaved head; caressing him tenderly. Christian reached down in between Jake's legs, taking his prick in his hands and stroking it, making more pre-cum ooze out onto his fingers. More and more grunts escaped both their lips as they serviced each other in the most loving of ways. Tongues smacking onto skin, groans coming from deep inside their throats, lips slurping up the taste of men in heat, all this filling the room and entering their ears, sending signals of pleasure and ecstasy to the brain overheated by thoughts of perversion. "It's been so long." Jake panted as he felt Christian's grip tighten around his stiff dick. "Oh God, it's been so long." "I know, I know." Christian whispered. He got off of Jake's legs and kneeled on the floor again, taking Jake in both his hands this time. After playing with him for a bit, Christian opened his mouth and leaned forward, taking in the mushroom head of Jake's waiting cock. "Ah, fuck!" Jake's groan was louder this time, more barbarian and animal like. He leaned back onto the bed mattress and crossed his arms over his face; unable to stand the sensation of having his dick sucked on by someone. The thought of that someone being another man only added to the fire that burned for Christian. Christian created a circle with his lips, perfect for Jake's cock to slide in and out of. Jake uncovered his face soon enough to see Christian's head bobbing up and down between his legs. He placed his left hand over Chris' head, running his fingers deep in his hair and pushed him down further on his penis while gripping the bed sheets with his right fist. Christian got up to breathe then licked the underside of Jake's dick head with the tip of his tongue, flipping it up and down like a snake smelling out something warm to eat. Jake felt his balls contract and a pressure building deep inside him. He shot up off the mattress and took Christian's head in his hands, tilting it back and swallowing his mouth, not wanting to come too soon. Christian crawled up to his feet and let himself fall onto Jake, both falling back onto the mattress below. Foreplay had gone on far enough and Jake wanted to feel himself inside of Christian, he wanted to feel Christian wrapped around him. After a few kisses, Jake turned Christian on his right side and ready himself behind him. Jake took hold of his own erection, aligning it perfectly with Christian's anus and hooked his hand under Chris' left leg; bringing is up to his side after Jake inserted himself inside Christian. The overall insertion was easy since the saliva Christian had left behind still lingered, mixed with pre-cum. Christian felt Jake deep inside his bowels, pulling out and sinking back in gently. Hi gripped his teeth and held back painful yelps as Jake began to speed up slightly. "Ah, ah, ah..." Christian sighed every time Jake pummeled his ass with his pelvis. "Am I going too fast?" Jake said, not stopping. "No, no. It's good, keep going." With Christian's permission, Jake continued on and picked up pace, fucking Christian harder. He let go of the back of Christian's knee and took hold of his cock that was swaying up and down with every shake of the bed. Jake held on tight, letting his hand act as way for Christian to reach climax. Time stood still while the two made love. With out warning, Christian started to blow the thick white semen onto Jake's fingers, the dick in his ass pressed firmly against his prostate, making climax much more intense. Christian brought up Jake's hands to his lips and cleaned off the excess cum with his tongue, swallowing the warm jizz webbed around Jake's fingers. Jake placed his mouth up to Christian's ear, breathing hard he said, "Oh, shit. I'm going to come." "Do it." "I don't have a condom." Jake became concerned. "Just pull out right before." Jake kept the rhythm and he was going at and tightened his leg muscles, pulled out of Christian's ass and started to masturbate on top of his leg. Christian reached behind him and massaged Jake's balls as Jake spilled his seed onto Christian's side. Once Jake squeezed the last drop from his now tumescent penis, he tried to catch his breath. Both now lay in bed breathing heavily, trying to get their heads to stop spinning around the room; they were coming down from the high they were just on. The guest room, once neatly done, now sat in mayhem. The bed sheets looked as if a hurricane had just hit and clothes were thrown around the floor. Jake lay on his back while Christian lay his head on Jake's chest, his right hand fingers sliding gently over Jake's arms propped up behind his head, caressing him lovingly. Christian could hear Jake's heart beat, his head rising and falling when Jake would take a breath in and out. "How are you feeling?" Jake asked, running his hand through Christian's hair and speaking with his mouth close to Chris' forehead. "Good...sort of." "Why sort of?" "I don't know, maybe because this is what I tried to avoid. We're falling back into it and I'm a little scared of what might happen but at the same time I'm ecstatic." "Are you saying you're happy to be here with me?" "Is it such a shock?" Christian asked smiling. "A little bit. I mean, what ever happened to you not wanting to be, how did you put it, left in my back pocket?" Jake teased. "Eh, I was stupid and---I don't know---I just wanted to be your number one priority." Christian got up and rolled off of Jake's chest then laid on his back. "I guess my dad never hugged me when I was little or something." Jake smiled wide and propped himself up on his right elbow, looking down at Christian and asked, "What about Randy?" "He hugged me enough." "No, what are you going to tell Randy?" Christian shrugged and placed his hands behind his head, letting out a sigh of thought. "I should tell him the truth but I'm scared of what he might say or do. I really like him and it's not fair of me to be sneaking around like this. He's probably out in the house right now thinking I'm in the bathroom or something. I have to think about some stuff and reconsider other things." Jake leaned down again and kissed Christian, wrapping his fingers around the strands of hair on Chris' neck. Christian held onto Jake's sides, running his palm along the hump where his shoulder blades stuck outward with every movement of Jake's arms. His hands slid down and took hold of Jake's strong chest, gliding his fingers over the nipple and feeling the small dark hairs on his skin. After a moment, Christian forcefully pushed Jake back onto his back and laid over him, their legs intertwined, their feet pressed firmly together; exchanging body heat in between the sheets. Christian kissed his way down to Jake's belly button, stopping when his lips reached the base of the now warm and softened penis. Jake reached down to take hold of Christian's hair, he held it in his fingers and pushed it behind Chris' right ear; allowing a clear view of the face causing him so much pleasure. "I need to find a way to get rid of Randy." Jake teased, running his fingers over Christian's head. "Don't be hurtful. Randy's a good guy, he's got a great sense of humor and he's smart. Give him a chance." Christian laid his head on Jake's stomach, reaching up to feel the nape of Jake's neck, rubbing tenderly. Jake placed his hand on Chris and ran his fingers along the outside of his arm. "Yeah, smart or not I still can't stand seeing you with him." "What about you? All those girls you have your arm around in those magazines and on T.V., it's not something I'm wanting to see when ever I walk passed a newsstand on the street and you know that here in L.A. that's all there is on the street. Seems like celebrities are all over and people can't get enough." "There's a difference. Those girls are just friends and Randy's your boyfriend." "Hmm..." Christian smiled, bringing his head up to look at Jake and crawled up to kiss him tenderly. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here." They got off the bed and started to clean up; changing the sheets they rolled on minutes ago and cleaning themselves. The time they thought was being spent together, alone and secure was obscure. While Jake locked doors and shut window blinds at the beginning, he had managed to forget one of the windows on the opposite side of the room. That window remained open the entire time and Maggie stood outside with her ear standing on edge. After she was done showering, she noticed the house was still and couldn't find Jake or Christian anywhere inside so she looked out in the back and front yard, still not being able to see them. As she searched, Maggie happened to hear voices coming from the guest house and gravitated towards the miniature building standing off in the side. The closer she got the louder the voices seemed to sound until she could hear everything clearly through the open window screen. When Maggie heard the bed squeak and rustle about, she used that as her mark to head back to the main house. Maggie was clearly confused thinking about what she had just uncovered about her younger brother. What hurt the most was the fact that Jake was keeping a secret from her since they rarely kept anything from one another. Even when they were younger, Jake would come to her if he had something on his mind or a problem he couldn't talk to his parents because it was either too embarrassing or may cause him to get into trouble. They always had each others back but now it seemed as if Jake was in it alone. Thinking back to their childhood, Maggie couldn't come up with one situation where Jake seemed to be attracted to another boy let alone giving off any sign of him possibly being gay. Maggie walked into the house and went up to the room to think about what she should do. After contemplating whether or not to confront Jake she decided to go along and talk to him about it the first chance she got. She didn't want Jake to feel like he needed to hide anymore and if it meant letting him know that she was going to be there for him then that was what she was going to do. There was a sudden clamor on the first floor, Maggie thought it was Jake and Christian and head down but was surprised to see Ashley, Randy, and Miguel walking through the front door. "Hey Maggie." Ashley greeted her smiling. "Hi." Maggie replied, running a hand through her short, wavy hair, also putting on a happy face. "Where are the boys?" "Um, I'm not sure, actually. I just got out of the shower and haven't seen them." Maggie lied. Randy heard Maggie's respond and became suspicious. He walked through the kitchen and out to the patio in the of the house; looking around for the two missing men. After walking down the stairs leading to the beach, Randy turned to his right and saw Christian walking his direction with Sargent running freely at his side. When they met up, they walked back into the house together and noticed Jake sitting on the large couch besides Ashley and Miguel, Maggie was nowhere to be seen. It turns out that while Jake and Christian walked out of the guest house, they saw the large van already parked in the driveway and decided to split ways; making their actions inconspicuous to the others. Christian ran to the back yard and took Sargent off his leash then walked around for a bit, hoping to make it look as if he'd been out all along, taking a short walk with his furry companion. Jake on the other hand walked directly into the house, his excuse being that he had gone out for a second to go for a morning walk and stretch out his legs. Christian and Randy sat down on the free couch while Jake, Miguel and Ashley inhabited the second identical sofa. Maggie came downstairs again, walked into the living room and leaned down to whisper something into Jake's ear. Christian watched closely. "Yeah, sure." Jake said before standing up and heading out of the living area with his sister by his side. Jake and Maggie stepped out into the sunlight of the outside patio and walked down the stairs to the sand below. The waves, larger this time, crashed onto the floor causing a roaring sound to echo off the large rocks. "It's a beautiful day today." Maggie started, making small conversation. "Yep, really sunny. It's perfect." "Peter sent me an email and said Kate called the other day. She asked if it would be okay for her to come stay with us for a few days." Maggie watched for Jake's reaction. "Oh yeah?" Jake smiled. "That's great." "Yeah, I think she's really excited to see you again." Jake turned to Maggie. "Don't tell me you're playing cupid, too." "What do you mean?" "Never mind." Jake giggled, turning to look ahead again. Maggie hesitated for a moment; choosing her words wisely. "Jake, I know." "Know what?" A smile still lingered on Jake's face. "About Christian." Maggie stopped and noticed Jake's smile fade as he also came to a halt in front of her, his face turned to stone the more Maggie stared into his eyes. There was nothing he could say or do except bite his lip. "I heard you two earlier in the guest room." "You were eavesdropping?" Jake asked. "No, not at all. I was looking for you after I came down from the shower and went outside then that's when I heard you and Christian talking inside the room." Jake sighed and scratched the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Are you disappointed?" "Of course not. I'm more upset at the fact that you hid it from me." "I'm sorry but I couldn't tell you because I didn't know how you would react." "So there's no question about it? This is who you really are?" Maggie asked. Jake nod slowly and looked out into the ocean. "Okay." "That's it?" Jake asked. "Just like that?" "Jake, you know I love you and that's not going to change no matter what. There's nothing you can do to make me love you any less. Sorry but you're stuck with me until one of us dies." Maggie smiled slightly, in return putting a smile back on Jake. "I guess I'll have to try harder." Jake teased, holding back the tears that he felt coming on. "I love you too, Maggie." Jake and Maggie met half way in a warm embrace. Jake could finally breathe a sigh of relief when realizing his sister understood and was there for him. "Are you going to tell Peter?" "No. You'll tell him when you're ready. Just be careful how you and Christian act around him, you know he loves snooping around if there's something to snoop out. Speaking of which, how long have you and Christian been seeing each other?" "Since the 'Jarhead' shoot. We saw each other on and off since then and I think we were starting to advance into something a little more serious but things didn't go quite right and we stopped talking for a while." Jake explained their story in detail as if it were a fairy tale he'd heard a thousand times before. "Um, then after a month or two I ran into Christian at the park and that's the first time we began to actually speak again. I came to find out he and Randy had started dating and, well, here we are." Maggie was surprised to hear that this was going on didn't know how to react at first. Sadness covered her in it's cold hands when thinking about how Jake must be feeling about being there with the person he used to like and his new flame. She turned to her brother and wrapped her arm around his waist then laid her head on top of Jake's shoulder. Thinking back, she realized that there were moments when she could've caught what was happening. For instance, Jake suddenly inviting Christian with him to certain places and only knowing him for several days or seeing how Jake always found a way to bring Christian's name up in conversations. She smiled to herself and shook her head. They got back to the patio behind the grand house and stepped up onto the steps carefully then made their way inside. For the next few days, Jake and Christian got together as many times as possible, at least when no one was looking or paying attention. They were once again up to their old ways, not spending a single minute with out the other one in the room. It felt good to both of them to be able to have moments of freedom with each other but knew that things weren't perfect in their own little world and they weren't going to be for the next couple of days. +++ Hello everyone! I know, I know. This took me for ever to post but it's finally here after several things going wrong. Not to worry, it's here. I hope you all liked this latest part of TGE. Emails are still completely appreciated and desired so drop me a line about the story, Jake, or anything you feel like talking about. I'm sure you already know my email but if not, here it is: synful_romance@sbcglobal.net Come and stop by The Gyllenhaal Encounter group at: http://groups.msn.com/TheGyllenhaalEncounter/_whatsnew.msnw One last thing. Don't forget to head over to my good friend Avy's group: http://groups.msn.com/TheGyllenhaalChronicles/_whatsnew.msnw and check out her story 'Jake's Cowboy' if you already haven't. -Christian