You wanna know something funny? Jacob/Jake was never really planned as a full character in this story but I liked him so much that I kept him in it. This story will tend to evolve as it is reviewed and updated but I will try to stay as consistent as possible. Thank you so much for all the reviews and reading my stories.


All I could do was stand there and stare at him. It was pretty ridiculous actually. I saw him almost every day all through my life and recently within the past three days, but the sight of him right in front of me still froze me on the spot. My mind was almost completely numb, but one thought did manage to make its way through the fog: At least I'm not slamming the door in his face.

"Um, Helga?" Arnold asked with a concerned tone. "Did you hear me? I said I brought some tiramisu for you."

I blinked and felt myself come back from my little mental vacation. He was giving me a cautious smile, more real than the grin he gave in the photo. His unexpected and sudden presence made me nervous. And what did I do when I was nervous?

"Yeah I heard you, bucko." I scowled, leaning in the door frame. "But I'm just trying to figure out what the heck you're doing here unannounced and uninvited."

Arnold's smile disappeared instantly. "Well, you did invite me earlier. Was there an expiration date that I wasn't aware of?"

No, of course, there wasn't. You can stop by anytime. I'll even give you a key. "You're darn right there was!" I yelled instead. "Any invite from me is a one-time only deal. You turn it down, that's it."

Arnold's scowl now matched mine. "I told you that I already had plans with Gerald! Why do you always have to be so selfish? You're not the only one I came back to see you know."

I felt my body jerk as if he slapped me. Selfish. Arnold had just called me selfish. I knew all along that he hadn't come back to the jungle just to see me, but the confirmation still stung. Arnold wasn't even looking at me anymore. His face was angry and he was looking down at his feet breathing heavily.

"Sorry." I blurted out. "I… I didn't mean-"

"I know," Arnold glanced up with a rueful smile, "you never do."

There was an awkward beat between us and neither of us said anything. Arnold didn't ask to come in again but he also didn't offer to leave. I realized that this meant it was my turn to make a move so I made a split second decision. I opened the door wider and walked inside, letting Arnold decide whether or not he wanted to come in. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I heard the door close and Arnold's footsteps behind me. I was so relieved in fact, that I completely forgot about one little thing…

"Hey, make sure you tell Olga that she's out of sodas." Jacob stepped out of the kitchen with the last can and stopped when he saw Arnold. His glanced at me, his lips curling into a teasing smirk. "Who's your little friend Helga?"

"Um…" I froze, suddenly feeling guilty even though I had no reason to be. Arnold stepped up beside me and offered him a polite smile.

"Hey, I'm Arnold," He said breezily. "Are you a friend of Olga's?"

"The name's Jake," Jacob stepped up to Arnold and held out his hand. "And I'm a friend of Helga's, not Olga's."

Arnold's polite smile remained on his face as he clasped Jacob's hand and shook it. And by shake I mean they gripped each other's hands so tightly that their arm muscles bulged. I took a moment to appreciate the new found muscles I spied in Arnold's arm. A brief fantasy of him wrapping those arms around me flashed through my eyes before I decided to finally come down to earth.

"Jacob works with me at the coffee shop," I explained to Arnold. "He brought over pizza so I wouldn't have to suffer through Olga's healthy, home-cooked meal."

"Well, I hope you saved room for dessert." Arnold smiled, brandishing the tiramisu he was still holding.

"I'll go get some forks," I said making a quick escape.

My heart was pounding as I rifled through the kitchen drawers. The joy of Arnold actually being in my house was shadowed by Jacob's presence. If there was one thing Jacob loved it was tormenting me. Usually, I could take it and pay him back in full, but around Arnold, almost all of my senses and witty repertoire went out of the window. By the time I came back into the living room Arnold and Jacob were sitting on opposite sides of the couch with the dessert on the table in front of them. Both of them were on their phones in total silence. I did notice that Arnold kept giving Jacob wary glances. Unfortunately, I couldn't even say it was out of jealousy. Even though Jacob acted like a child half the time, he was still a good six years older than me and covered with tats. Arnold was probably being a protective friend instead of a jealous ex.

"Got the forks," I said, tossing them onto the living room table. "Anyone need a plate?"

"Nah, I'm good." Jacob peeled back the plastic on the plate and dug into the tiramisu directly in the middle. Arnold frowned and I rolled my eyes.

"Jacob-"

"Jake." He corrected me with his mouth full.

"It's okay, Helga. I don't mind." Arnold, ever the peacemaker, moved over to make a spot for me on the couch. "Are you going to come sit down?"

"Yeah, yeah don't rush me," I mumbled irritably.

The truth was I was nervous. Jacob was watching me with a weird look in his eyes. Probably trying to figure out the funniest way to humiliate me. Or to pry in my business. I shot him a threatening warning look and sat down between him and Arnold.

"So Helga," Jacob grinned and my body went cold, "Is this the cute, adventurous ex-boyfriend Nadine was telling me about?"

"JAKE!" I shrieked jumping up.

"Helga?" Olga called from upstairs. "Is everything alright? You and Jake aren't roughhousing again are you?"

"No Olga we're fine! Just leave us alone, criminy!" I shouted, losing my temper as always.

A gentle touch on my hand made me jerk. I spun around to see Arnold gentle lace his fingers through mine and tug me back to sit down on the couch. I practically fell back on the couch, barely stopping a sigh from escaping my lips. The smallest touch from my old beloved still had the power to soothe even the wildest of my emotional storms. He even gave me a soft smile before turning his attention to Jacob.

"To answer your question, yes I am Helga's, um, ex-boyfriend," Arnold said with a small bashful blush. "I don't know about the adventurous part, but I did just get back from San Lorenzo."

Jacob nodded and flashed me another look. "Huh, that's funny because Helga never mentioned you."

I felt Arnold's hand stiffen, but then grip mine a little firmer. "She didn't? Well, I'm not really surprised. Helga doesn't open up to people unless she really trusts them."

Jacob's eyes narrowed and he shoved another forkful of cake into his mouth. Arnold also scooped up a bit of cake and ate it, leaving a small amount of whipped cream on the corner of his mouth. He turned to smile at me and held up another bite on his fork.

"Aren't you going to eat any?" He offered.

"Uh-huh," I mumbled still distracted by his lips. I almost didn't notice when it held the fork up to my lips until the sweet scent of coffee wafted up my nose. I opened my mouth and Arnold gently placed the fork in my mouth. The sweet taste of vanilla and coffee overtook my taste buds.

Jacob's gave a forced laugh. "You'd think we'd get sick of coffee flavored desserts by now eh Helga? You know, since we've been working at Hill-O-Beans and stealing food there for more than two years now."

"Actually, Helga loves tiramisu," Arnold said practically shoving another forkful into my mouth. "Remember that café I used to take you to, Helga? You ordered the tiramisu once and you never wanted to order anything else."

"Yeah I remember," I chuckled. "You took me there to grovel for my forgiveness after this huge fight we had."

Arnold laughed. "Yeah we had a lot of those back in the day didn't we?"

"Yeah, it's easy to get in a fight with Helga," Jacob said conversationally. "But what's really hard is getting her to laugh. And getting her to laugh at you doesn't count."

"Trust me, Jake, I've known Helga long enough to do both."

Arnold and Jacob kept polite smiles on their faces but the tension hung thick in the air. Oh my gosh, is Arnold jealous after all? The thought seemed preposterous, a crazy figment of my imagination. But for all their polite smiles, Arnold and Jacob might as well have been scowling at each other. It made sense for Jacob. Despite his British upbringing, he was a bonafide jerk at the best of times. But for Arnold to stoop to his level was something else entirely.

Jacob's phone rang just then and he checked it with a small frown. "Uh, I forgot that I was supposed to meet with my pops. I should probably get going."

I snickered. "Yeah better run home to daddy before he disinherits you. Then how could you afford your emo black hair dye?"

Jacob punched me in the shoulder and got off of the couch, taking the remaining tiramisu with him. He stopped on the threshold of the living and turned back to give me one last smile.

"Oh and Helga," His black eyes glittered mischievously, "make sure you and your little friend don't make too much noise. Don't want to disturb Olga do you?"

"Get out of here!" I screamed and threw one of the couch pillows at him.

Jacob's laughter echoed through the hallway and out of the front door. I flopped back against the couch again and blew my hair out of my eyes. Arnold leaned back against the couch as well, so close that I could smell his shampoo or body wash or whatever it was. It made my heart beat and a small smile made its way on to my lips. His arm came behind me, not quite draping it across my shoulders, but on the couch back.

"So your friend Jake is some character," Arnold said casually. "How long have you two known each other?"

I shrugged. "He was working at the coffee shop before I got there. Sort of trained me and showed me the ropes. Hope he didn't bother you too much. He's sort of a-"

"Jerk?" Arnold gave me a half smile. "Nah, he wasn't too bad. I've met worse guys."

"Ha ha so have I."

We sat in silence for a minute. Then another minute. By the third minute, I was getting downright annoyed. Why did the heck Arnold come here in the first place if he wasn't planning on talking? I didn't do well with these awkward silences.

"So…" I prompted. "You gonna contribute actual conversation or you just gonna sit there and dent my couch cushions?"

Arnold laughed. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Oh?" I turned my body so I was facing him, my long legs tucked under me. "Tell me, what's going in that football head of yours?"

"Your letters. The ones you wrote and kept instead of sending to me?"

Well, that was unexpected. A sweat broke out under my armpits. "What of them? You don't need them now do you?"

"I would like to read them." Arnold insisted.

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. The letters were mostly tame, just about what happened around Hillwood while Arnold was gone. But a lot of those letters also contained personal family stuff, and of course, every single letter had the undertones of my undying love for him. Not exactly something for the ex-boyfriend to read. Some of what I was thinking must have shown on my face because Arnold sighed and gave me a pleading look.

"Helga," He brushed his fingers against my cheek sending shivers down my spine. "I would really like those letters, Helga."

I looked into his green eyes and found myself lost in his innocent gaze. My mouth went dry and my chest tightened. I was on the verge of saying yes, but then I forced myself to look away. Focus Helga girl, focus! I mentally slapped myself.

"I can't." I finally managed. "They're sort of personal and sort of therapy. I should probably just throw them… away…"

The words died on my lips as I felt Arnold clasp my hands firmly in his own. Electricity shot through my body like the time I licked a nine-volt battery. I glanced back up to see him giving me a pleading, but cautious smile.

"Please don't throw them away," He begged, "I really, really want to read them. So I can, you know, get to know you again. So it can be like I never left you."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, turning to ridicule- my oldest and most faithful friend. "You're joking, right? Those letters aren't me Arnoldo, they're who I used to be. If you want to get to really know me now, you're going to have to have to put in the actual work."

And don't think you're going to get off easy just because we have some history, buster. I thought it, but I didn't say it out loud. Truth be told, I felt proud of myself for not just falling into his arms, but that didn't mean I wanted to scare him off either. But Arnold was already laughing.

"That's okay, being friends with you is always work."

Friends. Again, another verbal slap in the face. But Arnold's expression was warm so maybe there was something beyond friendship?

"Right." I smiled thinly. "Friends."