Escape || an LGBT+ story (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 39

'Nick.'

Nick, who is just preparing a drink for a customer, turns around and finds, to his great surprise, Jake standing in front of him.

'Hey, you're back already?' He hands the drink to the customer and turns back to Jake, who seems a bit down. 'Everything alright, buddy?'

Jake nods. 'Just tired.'

'Wait a second.' A customer is waiting, Nick handles him quickly and turns back to Jake. 'I can give you the keys if you want.'

Jake shakes his hand. 'I don't want to be alone.'

'There's definitely some girls who would love to go with you.' Nick remarks.

Jake shakes his head again. 'I want to go with you. Home.'

Even though Nick knows Jake doesn't mean it that way, his heart still skips a beat. 

'I will just wait for you here, alright?' Jake says.

'Alright.' Nick says. 'Want anything to drink?'

Jake thinks about it, then nods. 'Ice Tea, please.'

Ice Tea?

'On my way.' Nick says, feeling a bit giddy all of a sudden.

While preparing the Ice Tea, a lot of thoughts run through his mind. 

Jake goes with a girl but comes back in no time, saying he doesn't want to go home with a girl. And orders Ice Tea instead of alcohol.

Is he really changing his habits?

The Ice Tea is ready for consumption. Jake is sitting at the corner of the bar. Nick walks over to him and hands him the glass. 'Your Ice Tea, sir.'

Jake grins. 'Thank you, barman.'

Jake sits there for the rest of the night. When it's calm, Nick walks over to him and gets him a drink and chats with him for a while. Jake is mainly looking at Nick, following his every move with great interest. Nick feels a bit uncomfortable at first but gets used to it soon.

Jake is indeed tired. Around eleven, he starts to doze off, and at a quarter past eleven, he is asleep with his right arm over the bar and his left hand under his head. The events of today must have cost him a lot of energy.

'Funny, I've never seen that guy sleep here.' his colleague Beau -who is a real beau by the way- remarks. 'Usually, he'll find himself some hot chick within several minutes, and now he has wasted his entire night staring at you. But I guess you weren't interesting enough to keep him awake.'

'I don't get it either.' Nick says, still perplexed.

At 12 AM, Nick's shift is over. He is replaced with Sarah.

'Ooh la la~' she says when she sees Jake. 'What is he doing here at this time of night?'

Nick shrugs. 'I have literally no idea.'

'You're making progress, Nicky~' 

Nick smiles shily. 'Oh, would you shut up?'

He walks around the bar to Jake. 'Jake, we're going home.'

Jake groans and buries his head in his elbow. 'Nick~'

'Come on, let's go home. Then you can continue sleeping.'

'Hm, hug.' Jake says in a sleepy voice.

'Yes, we can hug at home.'

'Now. One hug. Or I'm not coming...'

'Okay, okay.' Nick pulls Jake in his arms swiftly and then helps him up, before letting him go. 'Let's go now.'

'Hm.' Jake holds onto Nick's arm all the way home. In the apartment. Nick pulls Jake to his room, where he drops on the bed.

'Shouldn't you change first?' Nick asks.

'Mn.' Jake groans, impatient. So Nick pulls off Jake's shoes and then his own.

'Are you really going to sleep with your clothes on?' he asks, taking off his own clothes.

Jake yawns. 'I'm too tired. You can help me.'

'Then sleep with your clothes on.' Nick says. Nick says. He lays down on the bed in his boxershort. 

Jake giggles and grabs Nick's waist to pull him closer. 'This is uncomfortable, help me.'

'You can sleep like this just fine, Jake. It's not my problem that you are so lazy.'

'But what if I get a boner? I'm wearing skinny jeans, that would hurt.'

'If you have the audacity to get a boner while I'm next to you...' Nick says in a threatening voice. 'If you're horny, you should've just hooked up with some girl. What's with you tonight?'

'I was just not in the mood.' Jake mutters, cuddling closer. 'I just want to be with you.'

'What the f*ck.' Nick laughs, but his heart is beating really loud. What's with that guy today?

'Jake, you have to learn to be independent too.' he mutters. 

'I'm trying.' Jake says. 'But you're the only one who accepts the less perfect versions of me as well. I'm glad I'm changing... but it scares me too.'

He is suddenly so open about his feelings. What is this?

Nick wraps his arms about Jake's slim body. 'That's okay, Jake. You're doing really good. And I'm with you, you know that.'

'Hmn.' Jake's arms slide around Nick's waist. It's silent for a while, then he giggles quietly.

'What's so funny?' Nick asks.

'Where our friendship is going...' Jake says in a drowsy voice.

Nick is grateful for the dark, because Jake can't see him flaming red face now.

'W-What do you mean?' he asks quietly.

But Jake has fallen asleep already.

***

Word count: 841

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Yes, I am updating a lot today. It's my last day before school starts and I'm not sure how much time I will have for updating when that hell begins again.