Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:55:06 +0000 From: Chris Salter Subject: How I Met Jake: Chapter 17 If you're under the legal age or it is illegal in your country/principality/SAR then read no more. If the thought of two men together is also offensive, read no more. Disclaimer: I dont know Jake, and I don't claim to know him or his sexual preference, he's pretty and all, but really, it's his own business. This work is entirely fiction. Anyway, on with the chapter. Chapter 17: "Pete, hey man." Jake exclaimed as he saw his close friend at the door. Continuing to clutch Chris' hand, he moved his free hand to briefly hug Peter. "Jakey," Peter replied as he hugged Jake. "How are ya man?" Stepping back to stand next to Chris, Jake replied, "Exhausted, but good." "That's good then, who's this?" Peter replied, knowing who it was already. Jake proudly lifted their hands up to show Pete, "This is Chris, my boyfriend." "It's nice to meet you," Chris said shyly. Hearing Jake refer to him as his boyfriend caused a tingle run up his spine. He also began to blush profusely. He then motioned to shake Peter's hand. Ignoring Chris' extended hand, Peter quickly hugged him, "It's nice to meet the guy Jake has been head over heels for." He then released Chris from his grasp, "Come in. Maggie is just putting Ramona down." Jake grasped the handle of his case and Chris did the same. They then made their way into the apartment. Nervously Chris looked around the apartment. It was quite large, yet it felt very homely, exactly how he imagined it. He then heard footsteps walking down the hallway. Noticing Chris' paranoid expression, Jake intertwined his fingers once more as Maggie walked closer. "Who is it Pete?" She asked as she came into view. She then stopped in her step. Jake smiled proudly as he saw his sister for the second time in less than a month, "It's me." Silently Maggie moved closer and stood next to Peter. "Maggie, this is Chris." Jake said as he watched her quickly look Chris up and down. Her eyes seemed to be drawn to her brother's hand. Chris continued shaking, he really hated being judged, but this was all part of the deal. Softly he decided to speak up, "It's nice to meet you Maggie." Moving over to Chris, Maggie silently hugged him tight. Chris nervously looked over at Jake, who simply shrugged his shoulders in a goofy way. Finally, Maggie opened her mouth as she let Chris go, "So you're the one who turned my little brother?" "I guess so," Chris replied nervously, "I think he turned himself though." Realizing what he just said, Chris mentally kicked himself. He then looked over at Jake who was continuing to shoot him goofy expressions. Seeing them made Chris smile. Finally dropping her stone cold fa‡ade, Maggie smiled, "It's lovely to meet you Chris." She then looked over at Jake, catching his comical expressions, "What did you tell him? That I was a total bitch?" "You mean you aren't?" Jake joked. After getting a glare from his sister, he then explained, "He's just a natural worrier. Wouldn't you be when you do what he does?" "That's right; you work in that crime lab, right?" Peter asked. Nodding his head, Chris pointed at the lightly discolored skin near his hairline, "It can be dangerous at times." He then smiled coyly. "Ouch, Jake told me about it." Maggie said as she looked at the diminishing bruise. "It looks worse than it feels really." Chris commented as Jake moved to his side. Wrapping his arm around Chris' wait, Jake commented, "I was pretty worried about him though." He then proudly kissed Chris on the cheek. "Where are we sleeping?" He asked as he looked at Maggie. "How rude of me," Maggie apologized, "Is your room okay?" "Sure Mags, that's great." Jake replied as he let go of Chris and picked up his bag. He went to grab the handle of his case, however Peter got to it first. Following Jake, with Maggie behind him, Chris entered a small bedroom containing a double bed. He dropped the bag next to Jakes and looked around. It was decorated very minimally, much like Jakes house. Obviously as he spent time in this room, he had a say on how it was decorated. On the bed was a plain white cover with several black pillows. The flooring was the same colored timber that was located in the rest of the apartment. "We'll let you guys get settled," Maggie said as she backed out towards the door, "We were thinking of going to a restaurant if you're up to it." "Sounds great Mags." Jake replied as he sat down on the bed. As Maggie and Pete headed out of the room, they closed the door. Now they were alone, Chris sat down next to Jake. Leaning his head on Jakes shoulder, he closed his eyes, "That wasn't bad." "She likes you, trust me." Jake said softly as he leaned his head on Chris'. After a few minutes, Jake kicked his shoes off and pushed himself up the bed, dragging Chris with him. Jake quickly flipped Chris onto his back and straddled his body, passionately French kissing him. He then skillfully moved his hands around the neckline of the shirt exposing Chris' chest. After stopping to come up for air, Chris asked, "What was all that for?" Jake chuckled and tried to ignore the large mounds in both of their pants, "I've been wanting to kiss you like that since reading that stupid article at the airport." He then leaned in quickly and kissed Chris' nose. "Aw, well aren't you cute." Chris gushed. He then lifted his head up so his lips could meet Jakes once more. Jake then peeled himself off Chris' body before resting his head on Chris' chest. "I'm so happy you're here." Jake muttered as he closed his eyes. Resting his head on Jakes for once, Chris gently stroked the stubble on Jakes cheek. "I am too, I think." As he began to close his eyes, he suddenly felt his pocket begin to vibrate. He moved his hand towards his pocket; however, Jake quickly reached in and grabbed the phone, causing Chris to squirm. "Careful boy." Jake smirked as he pulled the phone from the lining on Chris' thigh. Amused by Chris' expression, he then flipped the phone over to see who was calling. "Who is it?" Chris asked, looking down at the back of Jakes head. "Danny." Jake said before he accepted the call. Kicking himself inside, Chris listened in to what Jake was having to say. Jake quickly sat up on the bed and placed his hand on Chris' stomach. "Yeah he's here." He then looked down at Chris with a grumpy expression, "In Brooklyn." After a few moments, he handed the phone over to Chris. "He wants to talk to you." Chris sat up on the bed and took the phone from Jake. "Hej?" "Hej yourself, why didn't you tell me you were in New York?" Came a familiar eastern American accent. "I didn't think you'd be interested actually." Chris replied as Jake began kissing his neck, attempting to distract him. "I was worried sick about you when Amy called about the explosion." Danny replied, "Can I see you sometime? Or are you too busy with Jake?" Slapping Jake away playfully, Chris focused back in on the conversation, "We're going out to dinner tonight. What about Friday?" He then looked over at Jake. Jake looked at Chris and mouthed, "Can I come?" Chris nodded and returned his attention back to Danny. "I can rearrange some things if you want to meet for drinks somewhere, bring Jake too. But I want to see you alone tomorrow, if I can." Danny asked. Partly wanting to keep the meeting tomorrow secret, Chris agreed only meeting Danny for drinks. "I'll call you tomorrow to finalize it, okay?" He then ended the call and shifted on the bed. Gently cupping Chris' face in his hands, Jake slowly moved in to passionately kiss his lover once more. He then broke off the kiss and questioned, "What's wrong cutie?" "Nothing really." Chris commented, gently running his index finger along Jakes stubbly jaw line. He then leaned in and kissed Jake once more. As Jake began to move his hand down Chris' back there was suddenly a knock at the door. Breaking the kiss he turned his head towards the door, "Come in." The door slowly opened and Maggie poked he head through the gap, "Sorry guys, the babysitter is here. If you want to hurry up." "We'll be there in a minute," Jake replied as she closed the door. He then returned his attention back to Chris, who was blushing profusely. "You're so cute." Jake commented before kissing him and bouncing off the bed and pulled a jacket from his bag. Chris peeled himself from the comfortable bed and straightened his shirt. Noticing Jake pulling a jacket out, he enquired, "Is it going to be cold where we're going?" Jake pulled one of his jackets out and threw it over to Chris, "It can get a bit chilly." Chris threw on the jacket Jake threw at him before following him out the door. As he followed Jake, he saw Maggie and Peter standing by the door. "You ready guys?" Peter asked as he reached for the door handle. Adjusting his sleeves, Jake looked up and replied, "Seems like it. You ready cutie?" Chris blushed at Jakes statement in front of Maggie, "Yeah I guess." "Great," Maggie said as she made the way out the door holding Peter's hand. Chris slowly followed behind; however he was stopped by Jake, who grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?" Chris asked, "I thought you wanted to be discrete?" Jake pouted slightly, "Can't I hold your hand until we reach the lobby?" Falling for Jakes pouting expression, Chris finally surrendered and allowed his fingers to intertwine with Jakes. They then walked proudly towards the elevator, which was being held open by the others. Once at street level the two couples made their way out to the street, Chris looked around for any form of transportation, "How we getting there?" He asked, genuinely confused. "There's a station down the road, we're going to take the subway, if you don't mind?" Maggie said as she turned towards the direction of the subway stop. Chris walked close to Jake, but at a comfortable distance, so also crossed his arms, so as to not garner unwanted attention. Chris watched as Peter put his arm around Maggie's shoulders just a few feet in front. He then looked over at Jake, "Aren't you all afraid of being spotted?" Jake smiled and kept his hands in his pockets, "No one really cares here. That's why I love New York." "I've never actually ridden on the subway before." Chris commented as they approached a large concrete staircase disappearing into the ground. "Come on, it's fine." Jake said as he started heading down the stairs. Once at the bottom, they made their way through the turnstiles and onto the platform. There were a few people milling about, none taking any notice of the three Hollywood stars that just entered the vicinity. It didn't take long for the train to arrive. After standing aside to allow the passengers to exit, they then boarded the train and stood in a small huddle near the opposite door. The doors promptly shut and the train then began to move. Five stops later, the train finally pulled up at their destination. Pushing through the crowd milling around the open door, they then headed up the stairs towards the Manhattan street level. "Wow, it's so busy." Chris commented as he looked at the people hurriedly making their ways back home. Maggie, who was walking next to Chris, turned her head, "Have you been to New York before?" Chris nodded his head, "I've been here once, but it was only for a few days. A weekend actually." He continued to watch as people were quickly pushing past the group, focused on their own lives. Peter finally broke his vow of silence, "We're here." He then made his way over to open the large black glass door. Maggie stepped inside first, followed by Chris, then Jake and lastly by Peter. Despite the fact the night being young, the restaurant was already full of laughing and happy groups of people. Maggie made her way over to the woman behind a small podium, "Hi, we had a reservation under Gyllenhaal." The woman, dressed entirely in black, with the exception of a large pearl necklace, looked up from the reservations book, "Table for 4? Ah yes, there we go." She then picked up several menus and led the group to towards the back of the restaurant. Arriving at the table, the four took their seats. Chris looked around the restaurant, it was a little rough around the edges, however, it had a certain amount of chicness about it. The paint on the walls was beginning to chip away in places, the floorboards looked very rough, however, this was juxtaposed with the crisp white tablecloths and fine glassware. His attention was then drawn to Jake, who was seated next to his staring with a doe-eyed smile. A young waiter wearing a tight black t-shirt and pants then quickly approached the table and introduced himself, he then continued, "Can I get you guys something to drink?" Maggie looked around at the three boys before piping up, "I think champagne would be appropriate?" Jake and Chris blushed simultaneously. "Not a problem, I'll be back in a few moments." The waiter replied before he hurried off. Folding his arms on the table, Jake leaned in towards Maggie, "Champagne?" "Why not?" Maggie replied, she then extended her hand and warmly placed it on Chris', causing him to jump slightly, "A celebration I guess. You introduced us to your man, and I like him. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time." "Thank you for making me feel welcome," Chris replied between gushes. The waiter then returned with the bottle, as well as four flutes. He then took their meal orders before, once again disappearing. Quietly popping the cork, Jake emptied the contents of the bottle into the four flutes before placing it back on the table. He then looked over at Maggie and smirked. He held up the flute and toasted, "To our men." He then shot Chris a cheeky grin. Simultaneously Peter and Chris looked at their respective partners before joining in the toast. Chris took a sip from the champagne before placing the flute on the table. "Excuse me, I need to find the bathroom," he said as he pushed the seat back to stand up. "Sure," Jake replied as he watched Chris disappear towards the area where the restrooms were located. Heading upstairs, he encountered a small waiting room with a few couches. He then spotted the door leading to the men's room. Chris made his way inside and did his business. As he was washing his hands, he felt a vibrating in his pocket. Drying his hands, Chris quickly pulled the phone out and looked at the screen; he then accepted the call, "Hey Danny." "Can you talk now?" "Yeah, hang on." Chris replied as he headed towards the door, "I was in the bathroom. When did you want to meet me?" "Can you meet me at my office around noon?" Danny pleaded. Chris sat down on the couch, "Sure, what's wrong?" "I just want to see you. But I guess I should let you get back to your dinner." "Okay then. Danny." Chris replied as he stood up. Danny cleared his throat gently, "Goodbye Chris, I love you." Smiling at Danny's comment, Chris replied, "I love you too, see you tomorrow." He then ended the call and made his way towards the staircase, bumping into Peter, who was standing on the ledge. Peter shot Chris a strange look as he slowly made his way up to the bathroom. ---18 soon--- Dum dum dummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. What happened? Oh noes?! What will happen? Stay tuned for the next enthralling episode of.......... Yeah okay, it's 2:30am and I've lost my mind. Love hearing from you guys, you rock! MSN is still being a bitch, so I really apologise for that. I may have to get around to opening a new account somewhere else. Feel free to drop me a line at chezmoi_ou_cheztoi@msn.com I will reply, assuming I get it! Also, I've started uploading stuff onto the webgroup before putting them on nifty, so feel free to check it out. http://groups.msn.com/HowIMetJakeCafe Thanks guys, Chris