Diclaimer: I don't own Phantom Stallion or the lyrics.
Sam's POV
Jake was never much of a sweet talker. To be honest he wasn't much of talker at all. Some of my friends don't understand this. Their boyfriends are much more demonstrative with their feelings. Ryan was always lavishing Jen with compliments and Darrell has so many pet names for Ally. But, though I'd never tell Jen this, I often doubt Ryan really means them. Even if he does mean them, I still feel like they don't mean much. If you hand out compliments like candy on Halloween, how can they? And I'm while I'm a hundred percent sure Darrell's feelings for Ally are real, he has nicknames for everyone. Heck, he still calls me darlin' sometimes. So while calling me Brat and giving me a nodded or a half smile when he's proud may not seem romantic, I know their real. I know he loves me.
Another thing I love about Jake that I know other girls couldn't stand is the way he dresses. Maybe growing up together has just made us really comfortable with each other, but I really do love it that we don't have to dress up, then be all self-conscious about our appearances. Every day it's boots, jeans, flannel shirt over a tank top and of course the hat. I don't see why I should mind; most days it's what I'm wearing too. I couldn't imagine him dressing like most boys our age baggy shirts, droopy pants, and chains. I can't imagine it's very comfortable to be held by one of them; pressed into chains and basically against their underwear. No thank you. I'd rather feel soft flannel against my cheek and be enveloped by the scent of horses and pine.
Most wouldn't consider Jake the romantic type, no flowers, love songs, or poems. But, who really needs them and honestly I don't think I'd really want them. Not when we have long horseback rides, and effective, though often silent, communication. I know he loves I don't need him to prove it to me or anyone else.
There are no expensive dates for us either. Occasionally, we'll drive down to Claire's to get milkshakes and burgers. Money's tight for both are families. Jake's been saving every time dime for college. So, most of the time we do things for free; riding the range, swimming in the lake, or even just watching a movie at one of our houses. We always have fun, no need to spend money.
I think our most expensive date was a concert. It was a blast. I sang along with all the songs, but Jake refused to join in. I don't know if it was the crowd or just the fact that he can't sing. I've heard him sing along with the radio and saying he was off-key would be putting it mildly. The more I think about it the more I think it was a combination of the two. As I mentioned he does sing in the car and he doesn't seem to mind the crowds at his track meets. He's a good runner, clearly the best on the team. I go to every meet I can. Seeing him run, usually leading the group the entire time, makes me so proud, I often cheer till I'm hoarse.
I sometimes feel as if he doesn't get enough praise for all he does. He's an Honor Roll student; a star athlete; does chores at his own ranch; basically works full time at my ranch and is as close to a perfect boyfriend as you can get. I've considered trying to start a slow clap around him, but I'm fairly certain he'd just get embarrassed and then mad at me.
And we don't want that. I love it when he holds me. I just want to cheer, but that would also only lead to embarrassment and anger.
To sum it all up, Jake might not be Romeo, but I know he loves and shows it in his own ways. One of the ways is being his best at everything he does, well except singing. Still, he deserves some praise for that.
AN: I think it got a little weak at the end and no matter what I set out to write I always end up putting or at least trying to put some humor in there (Going to need to work on that). Let me know what you think. Once again I changed out my normal editing process to get this out before my challenge ends, so feel free to point out any mistakes and I'll fix them. To clarify the challenge ends 8/26/13 at midnight. We only need 6 more stories
