The sound of footsteps on the fire escape wakes you up from a deep sleep. It's still dark out. You sit up and listen harder. The steps are heavy and clunking. Not like Bro's usual silent steps. Possibly boots. His name flashes into your mind. You think its funny that just boots can remind you of him. Maybe its just because you never forget him. You shake your head and slide silently out of bed.
You fumble for a sword from the rack on your wall. Reaching slowly upward, you lay a finger on the light switch. And then you wait for the intruder.
When a shadow climbs onto your windowsill, you flick on the light. The sudden brightness blinds you and the mystery person for a few seconds. You recover first and blink at the boy half in and half out of your room. "Jake?" You ask, although you know it couldn't be anyone else. You would know that messy black hair and that crooked smile anywhere.
"Oh, hello Strider." Jake looks surprised that he was discovered. You lower the sword you were holding. "How did you know?" You frown. Was that a blush on his cheeks?
"Jake," You take a step toward the boy to help him inside. "You make as much noise as a sack of puppets dropped off the Empire State. How did you get here?" You didn't care about the reason. Just him being here was good enough for you.
"It was quite an adventure, I admit." The dark haired boy succeeds in getting over the sill and brushes himself off. "But I think it was worth it." He glances up at you over his glasses. You just raise your eyebrows, trying desperately to keep your cool.
"So why did you try to sneak into my bedroom at night?" When you said it like that, it was almost enough to make you blush. You sit down in your computer chair and run a hand through your mussed hair. Blinking groggily, you turn to stare at Jake. He sits on the edge of your bed. You try not to overanalyze that. And fail miserably.
Jake adjusts his collar nervously. "Well, I thought it would be nice... to visit you. Since we rarely get to meet face to face." He examines your floor. You resist the urge to cup his chin and tilt his face up to look you in the eye. Your hand twitches.
"So you snuck in. In the middle of the night? Why, English?" You're afraid of what his answer might be. You're too shy to just say you're so glad that he came and that you don't care if he snuck in. Jake was still acting shy and you couldn't quite put your finger on the reason. It was only through serious training and experience that your own face stayed blank. You were amazed he couldn't hear your heart hammering against your ribcage. It was night. You were alone in your room with Jake. And he was sitting on your bed.
"I was afraid of you saying no." Jake's voice got quieter so you lean forward in your chair. He looks up and seems surprised to see your face so close. "I wanted to see you so bad. And I thought you would think it was a normal game of fisticuffs if I snuck in. It sounds pretty stupid now..." Jake looks away again. Your feet move without consulting your brain first. You find yourself sitting next to Jake on the soft blanket.
"Hey bro, you didn't need to sneak in. I would have said yes." You smile, finally breaking your poker face. You wonder what other questions Jake could ask that you would answer yes to. Jake looks up at you. His green eyes were smiling. You glance at his lips then back at his eyes. He notices. Of course he notices. You mentally slap yourself.
But then Jake is kissing you and all your thoughts evaporate. You kiss him back, communicating the fact that you're ok with this. He reaches up to take off your shades and you don't mind because it's Jake. You relieve him of his glasses and take a moment to stare into his deep green eyes. He smiles and you forget about your poker face to smile back. This time you start the kiss and tangle your fingers in his dark brown hair. You notice it's a bit longer than usual. Jake lays his hands on your shoulders and a tingle moves down your spine. You break the contact of your lips to whisper in Jake's ear. "I've missed you."
He answers with a kiss.