Midnight Blues // Jake Kiszka

three

Once the game started going (and Josh brought out the tequila), I was floating on a cloud. I had never had a group of friends that actively wanted to do things together. We were only a part of the way through the first round when someone's phone went off. Jake looked down at his phone and checked the caller ID, almost instantly excusing himself. I felt both relief and curiosity as he left, wanting to know who was on the other side of the call. I let my mind wander to what it would be like to have Jake on the other end of a phone call; it was like a 2000s teen movie. Laying upside down on the bed, twirling my hair, laughing. Most of all, just knowing that there was love waiting for me on the other end of the phone. I gave myself the benefit of the doubt for thinking up this scenario, because I had dreamt up this scenario with so many other people before. I hadn't always been the girl to actively go seeking a relationship, but as I kept changing cities and no faces were familiar, I started to long for some form of a home wherever I went. 

 I was shaken back to reality by Josh saying that it was my turn to pull one of the black cards from the deck. I pulled a card from the middle of the deck that sat in the center of the table, just as Jake returned to the table. 

"blank, don't try this at home!" I read aloud, placing the card in the center of the table for everyone to re-read if need be. 

I heard Sam and Joy giggling as I closed my eyes. I would occasionally peek through the slits between my fingers to look at Jake, gloom shrouding his expression. 

"Okay, we're ready." Josh said. 

I opened my eyes and collected the cards they had placed down, shuffling them in my hands. 

"Okay, we've got bronies, a whole thing of cottage cheese, a costco sized bag of jelly babies, goat skin thongs, a prescription for ecstacy, that 3 am low." I said. 

They all kind of sucked and I didn't have the heart to tell them. Their eyes were all on me, waiting to pick a winner. 

"I liked.. that 3 am low." I said, holding the card up. 

Everyone looked around at each other, Jake smiled at me, and took the black card meekly. 

**

I woke up in a cold sweat and checked my phone--it was 3 am. I peeled the covers off of my body, heading toward the door. I opened my door slowly, and tried to sneak as quietly as I could downstairs. The light was on in the common area. I went to turn it off, but noticed Jake sitting there, on the couch, with his acoustic guitar. He was scribbling in a notebook, which was perched on his lap. He jumped at the sight of me, dropping his notebook on the ground. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just coming down to get water when I saw the light on." 

"It's okay, usually nobody is up at this time. Just took me by surprise." 

"Okay." 

I wandered to the kitchen, grabbing a clean glass and filling it to the brim with water. I stood hunched over the kitchen sink, pushing the sweaty strands off hair off of my forehead and behind my ears. 

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, coming into the kitchen. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, just had a nightmare I'm a little shaken up about." I said

"Want to talk about it?" 

"Not really." I said. 

"That's okay. I'm going to make some hot chocolate, it usually helps me with my nightmares. Do you want some?" 

I nodded, "You have them too?" 

"Yeah," He said, pulling out cups and a big pot to make the cocoa in "usually when things are stressful." 

"I'm sorry, if you want to talk.." 

"Thank you, I don't like putting my stressors on others though." He smiled. 

"It's no burden, I promise, I just know that sometimes I want to talk to someone and I don't really have that option, so if you ever feel the same way, I'm here. It might help talking to someone who can relate." I rambled. 

"Thank you, I appreciate that. The same thing goes for you." 

Silence hung in the air, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was that tired silence that comes creeping in after midnight, when the sky turns an onyx color, and you get lost in thought. He handed me the cup of cocoa, placing the pot in the sink. 

"Would you give me your opinion on this song I've been writing?" He asked. 

I nodded and followed him into the common room. The dim lights dancing all around, the warm cocoa lacing my insides, and the soft hum of Jake's guitar was just enough to make me fall asleep right there, and I did.