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Alex walked towards the edge where he found Jake, sitting on the side. Jake smiled at him, and motioned for him to sit down.
Given everything that happened, between Kay, and the sendings, Alex should be excited to have his best friend back, and things go back to normal. Everything was as it was before that day in The Vault, anyways.
Unfortunately, re-living the worst memories you’ve ever had didn’t make it easy. He was strong, but it hurt, not to mention he had a nagging feeling he was missing… something. He wasn’t sure. It was difficult to remember.
The thing most on his mind was when he was on the island, with Jake.
When Jake rejected him.
It hurt, and until now he hadn’t been able to really process it. Silverpine, and The Vault came first. But now that he had a moment, it truly hurt.
It wasn’t like the first time.
Jake was different. He cared about him… unconditionally. A true friend, even if he didn’t feel the same. It still hurt his heart greatly, and he needed to be honest with Jake about it. It was only fair.
“So, it’s over.” Jake started, looking at Alex from the side.
“Guess so. That was terrifying.”
“You’re telling me. When I was stuck in my memories, it felt like a dream I couldn’t wake up from. All I wanted was to wake up, and see the real deal. It made me realize a lot. I take a lot of things for granted. My family, Rieko, everything.” Jake said, looking solemn. He turned towards Alex, sitting cross-legged across from him, before continuing to talk. “Can we talk about that day on the island?”
“Yeah. I was hoping we could.” Alex’s voice shaked. His heart pounded. He was terrified at what he could say. ‘Sorry Alex, we can’t be friends.’, You’re weird for liking me, and I don’t want to be around that.’
As Alex’s mind spun, he tried to compose himself and say what he needed to say.
“I want to give you my friendship, Jake. I want to give you everything. But I can’t do that. It’ll take me some time, but it’s okay.” Alex said.
He was lying, of course. It wasn’t okay. He couldn’t blame Jake, but it broke his heart. He wasn’t okay. Not now, anyways.
“Alex, I wanted to talk about it for a reason.” Jake spoke, voice low. “Remember when I was talking about taking things for granted?”
“Yeah..”
“Well, that includes you. When I first got trapped, I worried I would be there forever. I worried a lot about missing my family, or Rieko, Nora, or the whole town even. But the thing that was on my mind most?” Jake paused, choosing his words carefully. “It was you. I worried I wouldn’t see you again. If we couldn’t have another drink. Or another sleepover. Or another conversation just like this one.”
He paused, and grabbed a rock from the edge, and turned it over in his palms. The breeze lightly blew on Alex’s back.
“I had to realize that had I taken it all for granted? If I was going to die… would I have regret not being more grateful?... Then I realized why my thoughts kept going to you. Why I couldn’t shake off these feelings. Maybe there’s more to it. So when you came and rescued me… I knew.” Jake stopped, and Alex observed he was shaking.
For the first time since Alex knew Jake, he was genuinely worried. He seemed terrified.
“I can’t explain it, but I never viewed you as someone I liked… like that. You were just Alex. Until I realized that maybe Alex means more than how I feel about my friends. I can’t explain it, but you’re home to me. And… I want more of that.” Jake finished, on the verge of losing his composure.
Alex was stunned, and he felt the same. He felt right at home with him. Alex looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers, before looking up again.
“So what does this mean?” He asked.
“I want to be Alex and Jake, like we’ve always been. But maybe this time, we’re Alex and Jake with a little more to it” Jake said, his blue eyes looking at Jake, timidly.
Alex didn’t respond. He caught Jake staring at his lips, and leaned in. Jake reciprocated, them finally touching after long last.
It was like a static shock, sweet, and simple. Alex tasted a flick of mint, and loved every second of it. He closed his eyes, interlacing his fingers with Jake.
He broke contact first, looking back into his icy eyes. Jake looked flustered, his cheeks rosy and warm. Jake spoke first.
“That was everything I thought it would be.” He said in between labored breaths, clearly in overdrive due to the kiss.
Alex smiled, and got closer to Jake. They turned back towards the cliff edge, dropping their legs over the edge. Jake leaned his head on Alex’s, smiling.
“I think Alex and Jake has a good ring to it.” Alex said quietly, staring at the incoming stars.
“Me too. Mom and Dad are going to be shocked.” Jake said, muffled.
“Worried about them?”
“Maybe a week ago, yeah. But after everything, i’m not afraid of much. Especially with you by my side.” Jake squeezed Alex’s hand tight. The gesture made Alex’s heart beat faster.
They said no more, and just looked at the stars. For the first time since Alex can remember, he felt at peace.
Alex was home, after all.