It was December 28th, almost Dannys birthday. You and Jake had taken the task of decorating the house upon yourselves. Sam and Josh were recruiting people to come to the party, and to bring booze and other goodies.
You stepped up on a stool to hang up some colorful flags, but being 5'2 you couldn't reach if you tried. "Jake, can you come help me?" you asked in an exaggerated sweet voice. Jake laughed "of course princess". He helped you get off of the stool, by guiding your hips with his hands.
This probably meant nothing to him, but it very much did to you. You had liked Jake for almost two years now, but you still hadn't told him. He has been your best friend for over 5 years, and you were afraid you'd ruin the friendship if you told him how you really felt about him. So you didn't.
Seeing him date a few girls over the years hurt you so much. You wished him well, and his happiness was your happiness. Yet you never liked the girls he introduced you to. They always screwed him over, one way or another. He deserved someone he could be himself with, who he could share everything with. The only person he was completely comfortable with was you.
You didn't notice he had asked you to give him the box of pushpins. "Gianna, are you okay?" he asked in a worried voice. "Oh yeah, sorry. What was the question?" you said still being kind of lost in thought. "If you could give me the box of pushpins..?" You walked over to the table to grab the box, not seeing the loose few pins around it. "Ow, shit!" you exclaimed as you felt one of the pins sink deep into your skin.
"Gianna!" Jake immediately dropped the flags and hopped off the stool to help you. A few drops of blood graced the table, and you quickly held your other hand under the wound so no more blood would get anywhere. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Jake asked in a worried voice, searching for your eyes. You looked up at him "yeah, I'm okay, don't worry" you replied with a halfhearted smile.
"Stay right where you are, I'll get a bandaid and some disinfectant." You couldn't help but smile as he rushed into the other room to get the stuff. Why did he care so much? It was just a little prick of a pin. You looked down and immediately felt panic wash over you, as you saw how much blood already had made its way out of your finger.
You felt yourself becoming unsteady, trying to grip the table. "Hey, I'm here, it's okay" Jake said in a soft voice as he helped you sit down onto the table. He stood in between your legs as he dabbed a cotton ball with alcohol on the small wound. You sucked air through your teeth and threw your head back. It hurt more than you liked to admit. "Oh what a pushpin can do..." Jake grinned. You looked at him and smiled.
"It hurts like a bitch, but I'm not one to whine." His touch was soft, softer than you've ever felt. The cotton ball was now soaked with blood, but at least the wound was clean. He opened up the bandaid and wrapped it around your finger. "Thanks, Jakey" you said with a smile. He hated it when you called him that. "No problem, Gigi" he fired back. He knew how to get to you, but you didn't make that very hard for him.
You gazed into his eyes, not really caring about the risk of ruining your friendship anymore. "I'm not just talking about this. I mean all of the times I got in trouble and you helped me get out. I really don't deserve a best friend like you...." your gaze averted to the ground as your cheeks flushed a deep pink color. He put his hand on your chin and guided your head up, so your face was facing his again.
"I don't usually do all of that stuff for friends, ya know..." he said with a small smile and a mischievous look in his eyes. "What do you mean?" My heart began beating a million miles per minute. Was he saying what I think he was? No way, that's not possible. "You see Gianna, I like you. More than you think." Your mouth fell wide open, your jaw almost falling on the ground. "Wh-" you stammered.
His strong hands softly grabbed each side of your face, bringing you closer. "The thing is..." he started as your lips were almost touching "I am in love with you Gianna.." his voice merely a whisper. "That's convenient, I think I'm in love with you too..." you replied with a grin. Jake chuckled at your response. "Then I guess you don't mind me doing this..." He closed the nearly inexistent distance between you, putting his soft lips on yours. This time it wasn't a dream.
