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The sporadically occurring annual get-togethers Albert and Jake had were not unusual. Typically, they went out to eat, maybe stayed home and watched a movie, or went out with their own small group of friends.
All of that, however, abruptly came to an end. After COVID struck, they were forced to rely on pointless discord calls or the occasional facetime because they could no longer physically see each other. They failed to recognise the value of their previous encounters. That glimmer of happiness for the latter was definitely absent in 2020 and 2021.
Therefore, the flight to Jake's state was immediately scheduled when the main strict restrictions were thankfully lifted. Even though Albert knew it was just a simple meet-up after two years of not having any physical contact, he felt like it was much more. As he left the airport after landing and getting his luggage, he could feel his heart thumping. He had to remove his cap in order to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. He wasn't sure if it was simply the anxiety of having to see your best friend after a two-year absence and worrying that the conversations would be awkward, or if there was something else at play. He pondered whether Jake would greet him with a hug.
After the flight took off, Jake sent him repeated texts to check on him and see if everything was okay. Even though he was aware that the flight would only last a short time, he was nonetheless anxious. He informed Albert of the type of vehicle he was riding in, but Albert was already aware. He had all of their previous encounters imprinted in his mind, and even the sight of a car resembling the one he drives made him jump.
In the parking lot, Albert cast a wide-ranging glance. He bit the inside of his cheek as he experienced a flare-up of his nerves. He spun his head around at each sound of footsteps. Standing in the middle of a sizable parking lot with a suitcase, he probably looked so ridiculously awkward.
“Hey, dude.” A hesitant, nimble voice spoke, and he ended his sentence with a small laugh. Albert turned his head abruptly. “Oh, fuck.” He grinned dopily when he saw Jake standing right in front of him. Without giving him a chance to respond, he immediately gave him a hug. He looked him over as he withdrew. “I missed you so much, what the hell?” In an amusing way, they both glared at one another. "The restrictions seemed to last forever,” Jake said.
They found it extremely difficult to look away from one another.
“Do I have something on my face, or...” Jake scratched his face in agitation. “No. I missed looking at you.” As he leaned in for another hug, Albert responded while attempting to hide his grin. “You can look at me all you want later. Also, your suitcase is gonna roll down that slope.” Jake laughed and looked at his suitcase as it travelled across the parking lot. Albert swore under his breath as he frantically reached for the handle. He could tell that these next few days were going to be annoyingly endearing when he saw Jake's stupid, smug face. Following Jake to his car, he rolled his eyes.
The trip to his home was unexpectedly quick. Before Albert truly realised he was seated next to his best friend, it took some time. By “some time,” he meant a few drinks. The past few years have seen so much change that it has seemed surreal. Who was he to say no when Jake asked Albert if he would be willing to have a few drinks and just catch up? Even though they communicated frequently while in quarantine, there were inevitably some topics they neglected to cover.
They spent a lot of time discussing content creation and the successes of their channels, but Jake forbade them from discussing any work-related subjects. He wanted to know about Albert. He was curious about how he felt about the entire virus situation, how he handled it, how he felt throughout it, and about his love life, and about him, and... fuck.
They were really drunk.
Before it hit them like a truck, they were unaware of how much they had consumed. They were acting much more dramatically than usual and exhibiting personalities other than their usual demeanours of calm and composure.
While Albert was aware that Jake was sappy and emotional when intoxicated, he also understood that he was entirely in the same situation as Jake. He began to lose focus and drift off more frequently, but he paid close attention to everything Jake said. Realising how much he cherished Jake's voice, he had an epiphany. He really, really liked it.
“I really like your voice.” He vocalised.
Jake laughed. He set his glass down and slightly fluffed his hair. He was keenly aware that the humidity in the room was making his hair feel a little tangled. “Oh, yeah? You wanna know something I like about you?” Albert hummed in response.
“I like you .”
Albert's eyes were half-lidded and glossed over as Jake pointed at him. Jake grinned as he noticed the reddish tint on his face. “I like you too. I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you are.” A small wobble in Albert's voice accompanied his smile as he answered.
Jake shook his head dramatically. “No, like, I really like you.” Albert arched his brow and peered around. The burn in his throat caused him to cough a little after taking a small sip of his beverage. “Me… too?” Jake glared at Albert while squinting. He looked fucked out, big time. He wasn't sure if he was being entirely serious about his understanding or just making a joke about it.
Jake was gonna start speaking, but was instructed to keep quiet by Albert, who then picked up his glass, downed a sizable amount of his beverage, and held up a finger. In a gesture of friendship, Albert entwined his middle and index fingers and said, "Okay, you like me," He awkwardly formed a finger heart using his two fingers. “or you like me.” Jake nodded and pointed to the finger heart. “Yeah. Like that.”
They both awkwardly took a sip from their half-full glasses while there was an odd silence between them.
The first to speak was Albert. “Dude, we’re so drunk, what are we doing?” As he attempted to comprehend the situation, he sort of laid his head on Jake's shoulder to hear him better. He was definitely going to wake up with a hangover.
“I don't know, but I know I really like you.” Jake reiterated, biting his lip as he pushed away the beverages. He was aware that their drinking for the evening was over. “I know you like me.” The rapid beating in Albert's chest and the onset of a headache both caused him to mumble. As the alcohol continued to permeate his body, he noticed a warming in his cheeks.
“Do you like me, too?” Albert looked up at Jake as he inhaled and slowly turned his head to face him. He was slouching on his shoulder and blinking slowly while fighting the urge to yawn.
“Maybe.”
Jake observed him repressing a smile.
“If I kissed you, would you kiss me back?” Albert's eyes widened in response to Jake's abrupt question, and he grinned faintly while dodging eye contact. “Woah, that went from zero to one hundred really quick.”
“...Would you, though?” Jake asked, clenching his teeth.
“I mean… yeah.”
Albert's response made his heart race wildly. Because of the intoxication, his anxiety would have naturally increased, making him much more likely to panic, but he was way too focused on the immediate situation at hand. Albert was right in front of him, looking just so… attractive .
When Jake gave him a direct look, Albert pursed his lips and smiled while trying to hide it. He couldn't help but stare at him as he looked into his eyes; he wasn't sure if it was because of his drunkenness. Everything about him—his eyes, his hair, his everything. He didn't know why he didn't express his gratitude to him more frequently. Like himself, he had a slight reddish tint to his cheeks, which he carefully noted. Jake was also examining his face, which he saw. To show his intense focus, he tilted his head and arched his eyebrows.
“Does that mean I can kiss you?” Jake slightly repositioned his arm so that it was brushing Albert's forearm as he spoke with more assurance. The grin on Albert's face was impossible to remove. “Yes.” He nodded eagerly as he spoke.
Despite not being the most ideal movie kiss, Albert leaned in when he saw Jake do the same. As the alcohol on their breath entwined, the drunken aspect of the kiss gave it a more genuinely human feel. Albert could feel Jake's smile as they were kissing, and he couldn't help but laugh a little bit through his nose. Although there may have been a few teeth-to-teeth encounters, it was a passionate, yearning moment full of intense desire and love.
This felt right. It felt so, so correct.
To catch his breath, Jake withdrew, and then he laughed out loud. When Albert observed Jake doing the same, he mimicked his behaviour by licking his lips. “Jake, did you know that... drunk—sober, no, sorry. Drunk actions are sober… actions. I think... I read that online once.” With thought, he scowled.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Jake inquired, his cheeks aching from all the smiling he'd been doing lately. Incoherently high on love, Albert mumbled something and ignored what he had just said. He quickly reconnected their lips and kissed once more, this time refusing to let go of him and only separating for a split second to take a breath.
“You’re so… gay .” Albert laughed foolishly as he teased. Jake concurred by humming. “Also, I’ll sleep with you tonight, yeah? I’m gonna have such a massive hangover in the morning.” Jake rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, who’s the gay one now? You like sleeping with dudes, huh?” Albert averted his gaze and dismissed the remark as he fluttered his eyes shut.
He understood how exhausted Albert was. He typically becomes exhausted after a drinking session. Jake got up and dragged Albert to his room before cleaning up all the empty glasses and setting a bowl next to the bed just in case.
After cleaning up, Albert was already completely drifting in and out of consciousness when he entered his room. “Are you not asleep yet?” Jake inquired, perched on the edge of the bed and sipping a large amount of water from his bottle. Alongside Albert's side of the bed, he also placed one on the floor. “I was waiting for you to get in so I could sleep.” Albert spoke as he turned around to face Jake's back.
His grin was contagious. “Well, I’m here now. So, sleep.” After muttering an affirmative response, Albert shut his eyes and dozed off. Without looking at the clock or setting an alarm, Jake turned out the light. He was only aware of the darkness and the existence of his now… boyfriend?
Boyfriend. He has a boyfriend now.
The ideal boyfriend, in his opinion.