Ice Fairy; The Friends - 6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Jake’s POV

(Thursday)

“Another day in paradise.” Jake muttered as he made his way home from the worksite. He’d spent another lovely day full of hovering over lazy subcontractors who were less than hidden when calling him horrible nicknames such as the devil, demon, fucktard, and the like.

No one at work knew Jake was gay; he kept his private life just that. But there was only one worker who knew how things really were and he found it tough as hell to walk onto the site today and see Ryan putting up trim and not want to lean on him and let it all out.

However, this was Ryan’s last day on this particular job. He’d be off work for about 11 days… which would make things unbearable. Ryan was so lucky; he was marrying the love of his life. Jake couldn’t take the seething jealousy in his soul anymore.

So… he just yelled at everyone and left. End of day for him. His brain was in the toilet and he wanted to drink so much that his lunch would join it soon.

Just as Jake pulled up in the driveway, his phone buzzed and he glanced down at who it was.

Colby

At first a rush of adrenaline bolted though him and he wanted to answer it; but part of him stopped himself.

“Whoa…simmer down, Jake.” He told himself out loud.

Dammit, he wanted to answer it. He hadn’t heard a peep from the guy since their breakup call the day before.

What could he want? To get back together? To say he’s sorry and wrong and every other thing under the sun?

All Jake could do was stare at the phone like it’d become an alien object. Finally… it stopped buzzing altogether and he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Silence.

Then the phone buzzed again… but a different screen showed up. Colby had left a voicemail.

With his heart firmly lodged in his throat, Jake tapped the screen to retrieve the fresh message and held onto his steering wheel just for something to keep him stable.

When he heard Colby’s voice, he gasped a little and had to shut his eyes.

“Jake, it’s me. Colby. Listen, yesterday I did something I hated and ain’t real proud of and I doubt you even wanna talk to me anymore or whatnot; but I need to talk to you; it’s real important. I don’t blame ya if ya don’t want to; but I’m askin’ you if ya even just like me as a buddy anymore to just lemme talk your ear off for a spell. I hope I hear from ya soon. Bye.”

Wow, that was the longest message Colby had ever left. Probably in his entire life.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Jake opened his eyes and had to blink away what wanted to be tears in his eyes.

He was so filled with hope that his Colby would come back to him; but could he put his heart out there on the line again? Jeff had broken it thoroughly, but Colby was not Jeff. Not even close.

“I gotta…” he mumbled, with his strength coming to bear. “I gotta hear what you have to say, baby.”

His hand shook as he held up the phone again and scrolled with his thumb to the call log and Colby’s number. His large thumb hovered over the number for not even a second before he firmly pushed it.

The phone rang once, then twice, and finally a connection; a live one.

“Jake?”

Just hearing his name in Colby’s voice and ‘in person’ made him smile.

“Hey, I just got your message.”

Okay, so he got the call too, but couldn’t bring himself to answer it; but that was all semantics.

“I just left ya one. Jake… I know you probably hat e my guts now; but we gotta talk. I know I messed up somethin’ fierce; but I wanna fix it, Jake.”

So did he, all the way. He wanted to just forget all the problems they’d had from the beginning and focus on the hopefully shared love and making it a real relationship at long last.

“How?” was all he could muster up to utter.

Besides, it was long past time for Colby to do the talking.

“I sealed up some bad feelins’ I had and got ‘em outta my life. I had to see that girl one more time just to tell her off. We busted each other’s hearts and it weren’t fair to neither of us.”

Jake felt his free hand ball up into a fist. He was angry that Colby had gone to see his ex; but really, why? He was a free man and could do and see whomever he chose. But the fact that it was her burned under his skin.

“Oh?” was his brilliant response. “What happened?”

Colby huffed in his ear. “Not too much ‘cept that Sam had the same idea and he was getting’ yelled at too by her. Holy shit she’s pregnant!”

Purely by accident, Jake hit his car horn and scared the hell outta himself even more. His heart was racing and he had only one thought go through his mind.

“Holy shit, Colby! Is it yours?”

Now, given the situation, that likely wasn’t a fair question to ask. They’d been broken up for nearly a year, that is, Colby and Amber were. But her devil’s tongue could talk him into anything he bet.

“No! It ain’t mine!” Colby shot back.

A bolt of relief made Jake sit back in his truck and let out a huge sigh of relief.

“So she found someone else.” Thank you, Captain Obvious.

“Uh, yeah she did. Gonna get hitched and everythin’.”

Holy crap. So not only did his ex move on with someone else; she was also carrying his child and he put a ring on it. And of course neither Colby or Sam knew anything about it. Knowing Sam was there made him feel better; though he knew that Brett didn’t know; but it wouldn’t matter.

“Damn. I’m sorry, Baby.”

Calling Colby baby came so naturally to him it just slipped out.

“Baby?”

Shit, of course he picked up on it. Granted, Colby wasn’t the sharpest round of cheese in the place; but he could pick up on things.

“Yeah, so I called you “Baby”. You were my guy up til yesterday.” He tracked the design on the steering wheel with his index finger; wishing very much that it was Colby’s sweet, handsome face or better yet, his body.

“I know, and I busted us up for the lamest reasons I ever thought I’d say. At least with her…. I knew why. ‘Cause I like guys. I like you, Jake.”

Just hearing those words was almost like hearing a prayer being answered. The be all end all would’ve been if Colby said he loved him back; which he hadn’t yet.

“I like you too, Colby. You know that. Hell, I love you.”

He felt very on display and vulnerable. This phone call could end in disaster again and he knew his heart couldn’t handle that. Hell, yesterday and today had been tough enough.

“I got real strong feelins’ for you too, Jake. Honest I do. I wanna love you so bad…”

Want to? How could he not just make that leap and just come right out and say it? What was holding him back now?

Jake talked himself down though.

Easy guy, easy. Let ‘im figure out his own heart in his own time. Just don’t stop lovin’ him. He’s on that edge and I ain’t gonna push him over it.

With a good measure of self control, Jake replied. “I understand, Colby. No pressure, okay? I know I put a lot of it on you and you don’t need it. You know how I feel; I’ll just keep telling you that and hopin’ one day you’ll feel the same.”

There, that wasn’t pressure, was it?

“Just gimme a lil’ more time, Jake. I know I can feel it again. I got hurt real bad…”

Very true and yes he did and Jake had been destroyed by Jeff; and it took years for him to recover. He’d back off Colby for sure.

“You take your time, Colby. Love is too important to just throw out there. People use it like sayin’ ‘pizza’ or somethin’. It’s too precious to waste. When you feel it, say it. If ya don’t, then don’t.”

He heard a relieved sigh on the other end of the line and he smiled.

“Damn, ain’t that the best advice I ever heard.”

Jake grinned wider. “It was good, wasn’t it?” he teased. “I mean it though. Look, we’ll see each other tomorrow night at the rehearsal. I can pick you up if ya want; we can talk more after the dinner.”

“Yeah! I’d like that.” Colby sounded cheerful and chipper; something Jake hadn’t known him as in….well. Ever.

“It’s a deal then. I’ll pick you up at 4:30.”

“See ya then.”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Jake.”

“See you later, Colby.”

Jake ended the call and as soon as the screen turned black, he ran his fingers down its smoothness. He wanted so badly to get back together with Colby he could feel it; but not yet. Not just yet.

Tomorrow night awaited them. The rehearsal dinner. Good food, friends, and lots of chances to talk. It’d be at Caleb’s parent’s house too, which was good neutral territory.

Now to just wait til tomorrow.