waited a long time - a jake kiszka fic

one

- "pocket! you're here!"

josh bellowed, using his favourite nickname for you, jumping up and down while you dropped your numerous bags to the floor. once you were completely free of your belongings, he held his arms out excitedly, wrapping them around you and squeezing tighter than you preferred. but you let him do it, because it had been a year and you had missed your best friend.

"ribs-cracking!" you choked, only half-joking. he soon let you go, not without giving an extra squeeze.

various voices travelled through the familiar house, a slow record playing in the background of their conversation. as you turned the corner into the family room, you saw josh's family and friends huddled onto the worn sofas, chatting happily and drinking wine.
hollers of welcome sounded as they saw your face. you felt your mouth curl into a bright smile and you flopped onto a sofa next to his sister, who immediately wrapped her arms around your torso.

once the excitement of your entrance died down a little, you got comfortable with ronnie still attached to you, laughing softly at her refusal to let go.
"ron, you better let go soon, i need a hug too!" sam claims, crossing his arms in feigned anger.
"i missed you all so much, you'll get your hug soon. how are my favourite rockstars?" i ask, looking around the room, noticing only one of josh's brothers was in the room. where was jake?

jake was always an enigma to you. you had essentially grown up with the whole family, and knew each of them very well. all except jake.
he's always been reserved, hard to read. sometimes he seemed to like you, be flirty and touchy with you, but then he would go cold and not speak to you for days.
he is the polar opposite of his twin brother- and
you never knew where you stood with him.

your uncertainty with jake is only amplified by the undeniable fact that you were in love with him. seriously, irrevocably in love with him. you were surprisingly good at hiding it, but it still drove you crazy to be around him, to have him even look at you. he may not speak to you much, but you were entranced whenever he did.

after a while of catching up and joking with your favourite people, you felt the familiar call for a cigarette. you excused yourself and went outside to find your favourite smoking spot. behind the garden shed, far away from the house so karen couldn't catch you.

as you approached, you were surprised to find a figure already stood where you wanted to be, cigarette dangling from his mouth. jake. a flutter of nerves in your stomach made you achingly aware that you couldn't leave. his face didn't change, but he inclined his head and shuffled over to make space for you.

you pulled a cigarette out, looking over to see jake studying your face intently. he leaned over and lit it for you, making your pulse quicken with the change in proximity.

you two had done this for many years, sitting in near silence, hoping to not get caught by his mother. it was almost always your favourite thing to do when you were back home, but you would never admit that to anyone- not even josh.

you let a cloud of smoke leave your mouth before shifting your feet anxiously.
"so you're back?" jake asked quietly, so quiet you almost missed it. you smiled softly.
"yep. i enjoyed travelling but i missed home and you guys." you look at your feet, trying to avoid jake's intense stare as you speak.
"we missed you too, a lot." he too looked at his feet when he spoke, and your eyes took in every part of his face; you hadn't seen him in person for over a year and you wanted every detail of his face seared into your mind forever. his brown eyes, thick eyebrows, pointy nose, the small scar on his forehead.

he brushed his hair away from his face, giving you a small smile before standing up and throwing his finished cigarette into the pot you kept to dispose of them. he left swiftly, leaving you a little speechless, but that was how he was- you could never tell if he liked you or not.

after finishing your cigarette, you make your way back in and enjoy the first night reunited with your family.