Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:52:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Christian G. <synful_romance@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: The Gyllenhaal Encounter - Part Nineteen

Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional. I don't know and don't
mean to imply that I know Jake Gyllenhaal and I don't have any knowledge
of his sexual preference. If you're under 18 (or 21 depending on where
you live) or don't like M/M relationship stories then turn back now.
Finally, don't post or take this story anywhere else with out telling me
first. I've seen stories from other authors on different sites with
others claiming them as their own. So sit back and enjoy!
                                      +++

Ashley ripped through Christian apartment in a mad dash almost knocking
down chairs and tables as she paced forward. Christian followed not far
behind with the same speed in his steps. They rushed around together like
a family fleeing from a burning home. It was chaos.
"Do you have the keys?" Ashley called.
"Yes, there in my pocket. Do you have my name tag? I can't find it."
Christian yelled back as he shuffled through the living room cushions;
lifting one after another in hopes of finding what he looked for under
them.
"Why in the world would I have your name tag?"
"I don't know. Shit."
"Come on! It's over here!" Ashley replied from inside the kitchen.
"What? You found it?!" Christian shot towards her and took the small
silver plate with his name engraved on the surface. "Where was it?"
"Does it matter? Come on, hun. I'm already 20 minutes late as it is."
"Alright, alright. Let's go." Christian rushed Ashley out the door. He
was giving Ashley a ride to work since her car had broken down the day
before and coincidentally, Christian slept in that morning and was
driving late himself. Just as Christian was about to close the apartment
door he heard the telephone in the living room ring off the hook an tried
to get back inside but Ashley took him by the arm and said, "Don't worry
about it. They can leave a message, we're late."
"Right." Christian nod and continued to lock up. They rushed into the
elevator and pressed the lobby button then waited impatiently as the
elevator car rode down sluggishly.
"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!" Ashley shoed Christian the second the
doors pulled aside. Christian led the way out of the apartment complex
and to his parking space besides the building then got inside, started
the engine, and drove out into the busy street. Christian swerved and
dodged the other traffic like in the fast chase scenes in action movies
except minus the fire, gun fire, and explosions. Unfortunately, the fast
and dangerous driving was no help to Ashley. She arrived at work almost
an hour late and filled with anxiety. Once she was inside the restaurant,
Christian revved up the car and head to the theatre to start his day.
The employee parking was partially full seeing as most employees worked
that day. Luckily there was one space available close enough to the
entrance as to allow Christian to salvage the few seconds of time he
grasped loosely. Running inside the theatre, Christian was met by Randy
hurrying him to get inside the locker room and change before Mr. Anderson
sunk his teeth into him for being tardy.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Christian hissed as he tore off the shirt from his
back and replaced it with the crisp white button down Tee. Afterwards, he
stepped into out into the lobby and picked up the broom and dust pan to
begin sweeping the floors and make Mr. Anderson believe he had been
working all along. After everything was done and over, Christian had
managed to creep past the manager with out an incident occurring between
them.
"Where've you been?" Randy asked inconspicuously from two feet away.
"I slept in and I had to give Ashley a ride to work."
"And that took you forty minutes?"
"Uh-huh."
The rest of the day it seemed as though everything was going wrong for
Christian. Whether it was a broken soda machine, a overflowing toilet,
heckling customers, or dealing with screaming and sobbing children who
had momentarily lost track of their parents. The frustration and fatigue
of work overwhelmed Christian to a point of actually wanting to give up
and walk out of the theatre but of course, he withstood the time he had
left and managed to do all his work duties with a happy face. Just as
things were beginning to look grim, Mr. Anderson called Christian over
with extreme urgency in his heavy and demanding voice. Christian put what
was in his hands down and cautiously made his way to the half open door
besides the men's bathroom. He stepped inside carefully, first one foot
then the next, and managed to close the door behind him with out
disturbing Mr. Anderson's focus on the stack of papers in front of his
eyes.
"Sit down, Christian." Mr. Anderson ordered, waving his hand weakly at
the empty plush chair before his desk.
Christian did as he was told and took a seat, crossing his legs and
fiddling his fingers over his lap nervously. "I'm caught." He thought.
"Just say that you lost track of time and couldn't make it to work on
time but you tried your best."
Mr. Anderson looked up from his wide table and sat back casually in his
leather chair, resting his left elbow on the arm wrest and placing his
hand over his mouth while tapping his silver pen on the hard desktop. He
kept his gaze on Christian for a moment before finally opening his mouth
to speak.
"Do you know why I called you in here?" Asked Mr. Anderson with a serious
tone of voice.
"No." Christian shook his head.
"I want to talk to you about your schedule."
"My schedule?" Repeated Christian, relieved that he wasn't going to be
ripped apart for arriving late earlier on.
"Yeah. Things are getting really busy these days and I wanted to know if
you mind having your hours change around a bit. I need more people to
work during the weekend and your name came up when I was looking through
the list of hopefuls."
"Uh, no not at all. That's fine."
"Great. I just thought I'd ask before doing anything because most of your
hours are the same as Randy's and I know you two are close and..."
"Nah, I'm sure I can do things on my own for a few days. I mean, we're
not gonna be working on completely different days are we?"
"No, no. Of course not. Just for half the time." Mr. Anderson crossed his
hand on the table and leaned forward smiling.
"Okay, I guess that's alright. I don't mind." Christian felt more at ease
now that he knew what Mr. Anderson wanted of him.
"Great. I'll let you know when your new hours begin and give you a new
schedule then. Thanks Christian."
"No problem, sounds good. Can I go now or do you have anything else you
want to ask or tell me?"
"That's it, thanks."
Christian stood up and gave his boss one last smile before opening the
door keeping him enclosed and stepping out into the outside again. He
quickly got back to work and continued on his normal schedule.
After work, Christian went over to The Ivy to wait for Ashley to finish
up her shift and give her a ride home. Instead of sitting and waiting
inside the warm and stuffy car, Christian crept out and walked around the
neighborhood for a bit to get some fresh air and just plainly think about
where he was in life and if he was happy doing what he was in that moment
of his early year. He got to thinking about Randy and Jake, wondering
what would be his best move. Should he break it off with Jake and live
his life open and freely with Randy or let go of him and live a life a
secret life with Jake who he adored dearly. Upon passing by a music store
window brightly lit by florescent head lights, he noticed a cardboard
poster right in the center of the display area showing a vast and bare
sandy landscape with black barrels of smoke churning towards the sky off
in the distance. In the center was a shaved head man in camo pants
standing with his naked back to the viewer, watching over the black
clouds a few hundred yards away and the rusty words "JARHEAD. COMING
SOON!" stamped underneath him. Chills scattered under Christian's skin as
he looked over the names of the crew on the very bottom of the picture;
Jaime Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard. All people he had come to
know earlier on. Christian laughed quietly to himself and shook his head
then moved on further down the street. It was as if someone had
strategically placed that Jarhead poster there when they saw Christian
coming, pointing him in the direction he should take when it came to his
personal life. Christian knew then and there what he had to do about his
situation.
It was nearly time for Christian to head back to the parking lot to wait
for Ashley to clock out of the restaurant. A bigger crowd of
photographers and on lookers gathered across the street from the
establishment, waiting and snapping pictures of any celebrities sitting
out in the front dining area, hoping to get the money shot. Since
Christian worked in that restaurant before he's had to deal with flashes
of light going on and even having to go out to ask some photographers to
back off of the grounds so seeing the swarm of patrons outside was
nothing new.
"Come on, Ashley. Hurry up." Christian whispered to himself as he leaned
back on the hood of his car and slid a cigarette from deep inside the
concave packet. He held the white and tan cigarette between his lips and
light it carefully, cupping the lighter flame with his free hand, sucking
the heavy smoke into his mouth and lungs then casually blowing it out
through the small opening in his mouth formed by his puckering lips.
Ashley fought her way out of the sea of waiting men and women wanting to
get inside. After cautiously crossing the street, she made it safely over
to Christian and the two got inside the car.
Ashley sighed and pulled the seatbelt down over her shoulder and buckled
it into the secure latch by her thigh and sat still. "How was work?" She
asked, lowering the sun visor and looking herself in the small
rectangular mirror.
"Could `a been better, yours?" Christian turned the key and started the
engine.
"I'm sorry, babe. My day was great actually. I got to be a server
instead of bust girl so I'm happy." Ashley turned to Christian, smiling
wide and lifting the visor back up.
The drive out of the street was complicated due to the millions of other
cars trying to get passed as well. Drivers honked their horns hastily as
they demanded the right of way but none were willing to allow the others
to exceed. Christian managed to wedge the nose of his car in between two
others and slowly eased himself through the heavy traffic and into the
main road.
"God damn it! This fucking light is taking too long!" Christian hissed
and slapped the steering wheel as he and Ashley waited for the red street
light to turn green.
"Calm down. It'll go eventually."
"Can't we get one fucking light that actually works in the damn city?"
"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Ashley wondered, concerned over
Christian outbursts.
"Yeah I---I'm probably just worn out from work or something. It'll be
good to get home and lay down."
"Was work that bad?"
"Hmm? No, I'm just making a bigger deal about it then it really is.
Sorry."
Christian pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex and cut
the engine off before stepping out into the early night with Ashley by
his side. The sound of chirping crickets echoed through the sky like a
dolphins sonar cutting through the ocean bed in search of other dolphins.
The steps into the secure walls of the compound were short as the two
made their way into the illuminated lobby where the well dressed
receptionist sat behind a large oval desk, answering and making phone
calls. Christian walked passed her with a wave and smile and stood
outside the elevator doors to await the cart that would take him and
Ashley to the apartment upstairs. While they waited in silence, Ashley
noticed the bold and serious frown on Christian's face and decided to
nudge him gently to try and erase the sour look from his face. Christian
smiled and looked forward again after adjusting himself before receiving
a playful pinch on his side courtesy of Ashley. The silver elevator doors
slowly opened with a ding and the two stepped inside.
Christian stumbled through the front, giggling and slapping Ashley's
hands away from his sides as they fought for dominance over his body.
"Ah, home sweet home." Ashley sighed and let herself fall into one of the
many empty chairs sitting around the wooden table besides the kitchen.
Sergeant rushed over with his pink tongue hanging out from the side of
his mouth and gleefully pounced on her legs.
"Want something to drink?" Christian asked as he was half way inside the
refrigerator, moving around the insides; searching for something cool to
serve.
"Got any water?"
"Sure do." Christian returned with two water bottles between his fingers.
"Here."
"You're machine is beeping." Ashley replied, twisting the bottle cap open
and taking a swig from the plastic container.
"What?"
"The answering machine. It's making a sound."
Christian went over with his water bottle still resting on his lips;
gulping down waves of cool liquid. Ashley was right, the answering
machine beeped softly and the message light flickered rapidly besides the
speaker. After pressing down on the message button, Christian heard a
beep and the automated voice came on.
"You have one new message and two saved messages." The feminine robotic
voice said. "First new message sent at 12:53 P.M."
"Christian? It's mom. I have some important news I need to talk to you
about. If you're home then pick up, please." The second voice speaking
sounded more human like and familiar. Christian's ears perked up when
listening to his mother over the speaker. "You know I don't like it when
you ignore my phone calls."
"Who is it?" Ashley asked, now standing besides Christian.
Christian placed his hand up; signaling Ashley to hold on while he tried
to hear the message.
"Well, alright." The voice continued. "Please call me back. I'll be here
all day so... call me." The sound of the phone being set down went out
then silence.
"End of message. You have no more messages. If you would like to check
your messages plea---" Christian stopped the machine from finishing in
mid sentence and turned to Ashley.
"Who was it?" She asked again, this time more eager to get an answer.
"My mom. She said she needed to talk to me about something," replied
Christian, concern showing heavily in his voice.
"Your mom? I thought she never called you."
"So did I."
"Are you going to call her back?"
"Yeah, I'm curious as to what she has to say." Christian picked up the
phone and dialed his mom in Jersey.
Ashley stood silent as she watched her friend hold the receiver to his
ear.
"Mom? Mom, it's me, Christian. I got your message. You said you needed to
talk to me... I know it's early there but I just got home from work... I
know, I know..." Christian rolled his eyes at Ashley and smiled. "Mom
why'd you call?... Uh huh... You're kidding!" Ashley listened in trying
to get sound bites from the phone. Christian stunned facial expressions
led her to believe that he and his mother were talking about something
very important. "You're not going, right?... Well I'm not... No
I'm---Fine, fine. I'll call you in the morning to let you know when I'll
be there... Yeah, bye... I love you too... Bye." Christian hung up the
phone and set it down again.
"What? What's up?" Ashley questioned.
"Umm, my mom called to tell me that my dad is getting re-married and he
wants my mom and I to attend the reception." He spoke with such distress
and let down. It wasn't the fact that his father was re-marring but the
fact that he wanted Christian and his mother to attend the wedding as if
everything was alright between them all those years after the divorce.
"That's great... isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Then why don't you sound more excited?"
"Because." Christian moved to the kitchen table and sat down. "He expects
us to go---Just like that. He's never tried to call me once to see how
I've been. Not once has he tried to mend things with my mom."
"How do you know? Maybe they've become friends if nothing else. I mean,
you have been away for, what, two years now? And who knows, maybe he
extended the invitation out to you because he wants to patch things up
between you two."
"Yeah, Maybe."
"Don't worry, hun." Ashley gripped Christian's shoulder and squeezed,
comforting him the best she could. "Call your mom back tomorrow like you
told her and get everything set to go to the wedding. When is it anyway?"
"This weekend. Saturday."
"Well, remember. Think positive. Don't come to conclusions about anything
until it actually happens." Ashley bent down and wrapped her arms around
Christian's neck from behind the chair and pressed her cheek against his.
"Yeah."
"Okay. Now take me home. I'm tired and need my beauty sleep."
Christian smiled and stood up, releasing himself from Ashley's hold and
heading to the door with her by his side.
                                      +++

Jake woke up the next morning. Slowly coming to as his eyes gingerly
flickered open to the sight of a dim room surrounding him. Rays of light
stained one side of the room as the sun made its way inside through the
slender openings of the window blinds. He rolled over and took the watch
sitting ontoo of the bedside drawer and squint his eyes, trying to make
out the small numbers inside the circular face.
"Shit." He groaned when seeing the numbers 10:12 A.M. and swallowed hard.
Feeling the ball of saliva run down the back of his dry throat, the taste
of the mouth wash used to clean his teeth still lingering fresh on his
tongue. Jake sat up in bed when hearing Peter laughing downstairs with
Maggie. Butterflies suddenly inhabited his stomach when remembering what
he had planned on telling Peter that day. Every minutes passing felt like
an extra hundred pound weight being dropped onto Jake's chest as he sat
with his back against the headboard and eyes staring blankly ahead. Soon
thirty minutes had flown by and Jake still had not made a single move.
"Well, better get this over with." Jake thought as he let his feet fall
over the beds edge and onto the carpet below. He regretfully eased out of
his room and downstairs to join the others eating breakfast.
"Hey, good morning." Maggie said as Jake stepped down from the staircase.
"Morning." Added Peter. "Breakfast?"
"No thanks. I need a little time to wake up first." Jake took a chair out
from under the table and sat down.
"You have a party last night? There were plates and dishes everywhere
when we got home." Peter smiled, scooping up a fork full of scrambled
eggs.
"No. Me and Mike came back here to make dinner and I guess I forgot to
clean up. Oh, I heard the news. Congratulations on the engagement."
"Thanks." Peter smiled, whipping away the excess orange juice on his top
lip.
"Have you told mom and dad yet?" Jake said, turning to Maggie sitting
opposite of Peter.
"No, not yet. But I want to tell them so please don't go and call them
with out me knowing, Jake." Maggie pleaded.
"I won't. But, I do think this special occasion calls for a small
celebration. A guys day out maybe."
"Sounds good. You're treat?" Peter added.
"Of course. We can talk and stuff." Jake bounced looks off of Maggie and
Peter. Once again nervous by what he wanted to `talk' to Peter about.
"Great. After Maggie and I get back from the store we'll go."
Jake nod his head and stood up, sliding the chair back underneath the
table cloth. "I'm gonna go change. I'll see you later then." Jake turned
around and walked back upstairs and into his bedroom.
Maggie and Peter stepped out of the house after breakfast to begin their
short period of time together before Peter got back with Jake so they
could start the male bonding/engagement celebration. Peter was excited to
finally be promised to his long time girlfriend Maggie and was awaiting
his time with Jake since they were now going to become more than just
friends. They would someday be brothers by law. Maggie was also overjoyed
by the engagement but a cloak of fear still half covered her due to the
fact that she knew why Jake had really invited Peter for a day out. She
knew Jake was ready to come out but still worried for her brothers well
being. Maggie didn't think Peter would act hastily towards the news about
Jake's homosexuality since he had done movie roles in the past involving
gay men and had no trouble playing one himself. Plus, even if he did,
what was Peter going to do? End the engagement and leave Maggie? There
was no chance of that happening since he and Maggie were completely and
eternally devoted to each other. Back at home, Jake got ready for his day
out and with every passing minute his anxiety level come up one notch.
His heart beat raced and his palms became moist the more he moved around
the house; cleaning and getting things straight and organized. Jake was
about to take a big step in life and he was scared and excited all at the
same time. To keep himself busy, Jake went out and ran errands around
town then spent hours walking around the dog park with Atticus and Boo at
his side. Like always, his furry companions brought him a sense of peace
and warmth when he spent time with them. Outside the sun was bright and
caring so Jake's sense of time slipped away from him. As he enjoyed the
outdoors and company of his dogs, Jake received a phone call from home.
It was Peter asking about his whereabouts. He and Maggie had arrived at
the house minutes earlier and now were waiting for Jake to join them.
Jake let Peter know that he was on his way as he and the two animals
walked out of the gated park.
"It's about time." Peter said as Jake walked through the front door with
Boo in his arms and Atticus galloping behind him and into the shaded
house.
"Sorry." Jake apologized and set Boo down on the tile floor. "We should
get going."
"Wait. Aren't you going to change?" Maggie asked.
"I already did."
"Well you got dog hairs all over your sweater."
"It's fine." Peter cut in. "Come on, Jake." Jake and he walked outside
and into Jake's car after saying good-bye to Maggie and after her
whispering "good luck" into Jake's ear.
Jake gripped the black leather steering wheel with his wide hands as the
car traveled down the highway at a steady speed. Peter sat in the
passenger seat with his legs stretched out under the glove compartment
and his left arm reaching forward to turn the dial on the radio while his
right rest on the window's edge. The radio gargled it's words together
while Peter franticly changed the endless amount of radio stations,
trying to find the perfect song.
"How are you going to find what you want to listen when you can't even
hear what's on?" Jake wondered, keeping his eyes on the road before him.
"You just drive. I'll take care of this. So... Where exactly are you
taking us?"
"You'll see. Leave everything to me." Jake smiled defiantly.
"Alright. I'm a little worried now. You better not be going to some place
in East L.A."
"Don't worry, Pete. I got this. Trust me."
"There they are. Those famous two words." Peter replied sarcastically.
By the time they arrived at Hollywood Blvd. the sun was high above their
heads. The streets were only slightly crowded compared to the weekend
when most tourists flocked to the city to experience the silicon
atmosphere. Jake pulled into the sidewalk parking spaces in front of a
large and simply decorated building and switched off the engine.
"Here we are." Jake cooed.
"Wow, you went all out."
"Yeah, well, It's a special occasion."
"Alright, let's head out." Peter opened the passenger door and stepped
out into the pavement. The flip-flops on his feet almost sliding off when
stepping forward. Jake led the way into the great doors separating the
outside from the sophistication of the world inside the restaurant. Upon
pushing the stained glass doors aside, the two friends were bum-rushed by
a cloud of cool air grazing past their bodies. Following the burst of air
was a tall and slender man holding several leather-wrapped menus under
his folded right arm. The name tag pinned close the attractive mans vest
read 'Julian'.
"Welcome!" He greeted Jake and Peter joyfully. His wavy hair slicked back
professionally and a manly fragrance of aftershave mixed with cologne
seeped from his skin and clothes. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hi." Jake started. "Can we possible have a table for two somewhere near
the back?"
"Of course. If I can have your name, please?"
"Sure. Uh, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard."
"Okay." Julian wrote down the names into a large folder book on top of a
short booth stand. "And if I can just say I'm a huge fan of yours Mr.
Gyllenhaal. I've seen all your films."
"Thank you." Jake smiled sweetly. "That's so great to hear. Thanks for
being a fan." Once again, Peter felt completely forgotten. It wasn't
anything new since every time he was with Jake and someone was to come up
to them, he always seemed to be invisible.
"God, I hope I don't get fired but I'm also a huge fan of yours, Mr.
Sarsgaard."
"Really?" Peter was stunned.
"Oh yeah, I loved 'Shattered Glass' and 'Boy's Don't Cry' although you
were a little vicious in that one."
"He didn't have to do much. He was just being himself." Jake teased.
"Thank you, Jake." Peter added sarcastically.
"Well, if you have a seat a waiter will be right with you in just a
moment to take you to your table."
"Thank you." Said Peter before he and Jake sat and waited on the large
cushion bench planked up close to the entrance hall.
"So, are you excited about being engaged? Your bachelor status is down
the drain, man."
"Nah, I know. Everything's great though. I love it."
"Well welcome to the family." Jake smiled.
"Thanks." Peter giggled. "You said at the house that you wanted to
talk---What about?"
"Uh, well... I'll tell you a little bit later." Jake stuttered nervously.
"Why later? Just tell me now."
"No. I'll tell you later."
"Fine." Peter replied.
Just then another waitress came back and called out their names. Jake and
Peter stood up and followed the waitress they'd come to know as Sarah to
the back of the restaurant like they had asked. Sarah showed them to a
small square table besides a large abstract painting of a woman's
distorted face done with dull oil colors. Their table was secluded from
the general public since Jake feared someone else hearing the news he was
going to reveal to Peter later on.
"Can I interest you in the chef's specials?" The well dressed waitress
asked kindly while she delicately placed a menu in front of both men.
"Sure." Peter smiled.
"Well there are several lunch specials this afternoon. First we have the
smoked salmon gullet which includes smoked salmon sitting over a lemon
sauce and spinach leaves. It's lightly drizzled in the chef's secret
sauce and covered in a thin layer of wheat grass. We also have the simple
grilled chicken breast smothered in a creamy four cheese tomato sauce---"
"I'll have that, the chicken." Peter cut the waitress off as his mouth
began to salivate when she described the dish.
"Okay." She wrote the order down then looked at Jake.
"Uh---I'll get the smoked salmon."
"And to drink?"
"Water." Jake and Peter corresponded in unison.
"Great. If I can have the menus please. I'll be right back with your
drinks." Julie smiled and turned to walk away.
"So what's the news?" Peter asked.
"I told you I'd tell you later---After we eat."
"You're making me want to know now. It must be something important."
"I guess you could say that." Jake smiled knowingly.
Their drinks orders arrived and later so did their lunch. Everything was
extravagant and amazingly set up. The food looked impeccable and the
atmosphere was tender. Jake and Peter ate happily, making small talk as
they went along. Jake was bursting with nervous anticipation as minutes
went on and the food began to wither down. It was now or never.
"Alright. Lunch is gone, water's gone. It's almost time to head back now
what is this you want to talk about Jake?" Peter asked impatiently.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait a little while longer? Maybe we can
go---"
"Jake." Peter cut him off. "Come on."
"Okay." Jake sighed. "Well remember when Kirsten and I broke up and you
tried to set me up with your other friends?"
"Yeah."
"And you know how I always denied being or trying to be with Kate?"
"Uh huh."
"Alright. Truth is I didn't go on those dates and didn't try to get
together with Kate, not because I didn't like here, but because I, uh..."
Jake paused, sliding his fork along the surface of the large plate in
front of him. He watched Peter closely to see if he had any idea about he
was just about to tell him.
"Because you what?"
Jake scoffed nervously and said, "I'm not, um---I'm gay." He felt goose
bumps surge through his skin once the word `gay' was announced. Jake
and Peter sat in silence, watching each other with strong concentration.
Peter smiled and began to giggle uncontrollably.
"What?" Jake asked. "What's so funny?"
"Did Maggie put you up to this?"
"No---What? Pete, I'm gay."
"Stop it. You're pulling my chain."
"I'm not. You're not listening to me, alright. Just stop for a minute."
Jake became more irritated.
Peter's laughing face slowly became serious the more Jake stared at him
with solemn eyes. "You're fucking with me." Peter asked.
"I'm not."
"Gay?"
Jake nod his head. "Yep. I didn't want to---"
"Maggie knows?"
"Yeah. She has for a while."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Peter asked.
"I wasn't sure how you'd react."
"Did you think I would react hastily?"
"Sort `a."
"But you know I have no problem with the gay lifestyle. Why would you
think I would react a certain way especially when something is about you?
We've known each other for a while now and you're like my brother even
though we'll be considered brothers legally someday." Peter smiled,
comforting Jake.
Jake laughed under his breath and licked his bottom lip. He was extremely
happy now that his `secret' was no longer hidden inside of him like
buried pirate treasure. It was a tremendous weight lifted off Jake's
shoulders and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief now that his
close friend new and was okay with him.
"You don't think any differently of me?"
"Of course not. I mean now everything seems to come together. But what
about Kate? She thinks you like her as more than a friend."
"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna call her tonight."
Their waitress came back and picked up their plates and asked if they
wanted anything else. They declined her offer and asked for the check to
be sent to the table so they could pay for the meal. The waitress retreat
with the tray full of plates and let the two friends to continue on their
conversation.
"I hope everything goes well."
"Thanks."
"So when did this happen? Did you always know?"
"No, no. Just recently discovered it myself."
"How? Were you watching a porno one night and couldn't get off until you
saw the guy or what?"
Jake threw his head back and laughed out load at Peter's comment.
"Um---No. Not exactly." He giggled some more. "Uh, a friend helped me a
little."
"A friend. Do I know this friend?"
"Huh?"
"Do I know this friend?"
"Yeah. Sort `a"
"Who is it? Mike?"
"Mike? God no."
"Then who?" Jake stared at Peter with smiling eyes. "Who?!"
"Christian."
"What? Christian?!" Peter shot back in surprise. "You and him all this
time?! Geez, Jake. Right under our noses."
Jake laughed. Sarah came back with the check inside a small leather
colder and placed it in the center of the table. Jake took it and signed
the paper then handed his credit card over so it would be used to pay.
After receiving a generous tip, Sarah gave the card back to it's owner to
let him and Peter leave the restaurant. It was two hours passed when the
two men left the place and head for home to let Maggie know how
everything went. The drive was full of questions coming from Peter.
Questions involving Jake's personal and sex life. He was curious as to
how Jake managed to keep everything under wraps from him and everyone
else.
"How'd it go?" Maggie asked as Jake walked through the front door.
"It went great." Peter cut in, closing the door behind him.
"Is everything out in the open?"
"If by 'everything' you mean Jake then the answer is yes." Peter joked.
"That's good!" Maggie replied gleefully, throwing her arms around Jake.
"Don't excited right away. There's still Kate to worry about." Jake
exclaimed.
"Don't worry. It's going to be fine."
Jake let go of his sister and got on the living room phone after dialing
long distance to New York. All-in-all, everything had gone the way Jake
had hoped. Peter and Maggie knew of his complete life and now there was
only the matter of telling Kate but Jake was on such a high that he
didn't really mind what she would have to say. Jake couldn't wait to go
and tell Christian about how things had happened.
                                      +++

I'll keep this short.
As always, thanks for reading. I appreaciate it very, very much! Thanks
for the emails and words of advice. I hope you enjoyed this new
intallment of the story and continue reading.
E-Mail - synful_romance@sbcglobal.net