Heart Of Gold

End Of The Road

Jake sneezed three times in a row, trying to keep from jerking the steering wheel as he and Will drove down the road toward Gail's house.

With Christmas nearly upon them, one of Rose's work friends was hosting a party and the pine-scented air freshener Will had hung from the Mustang's rear view mirror was so strong it made the chances of ending up in a ditch rather than to the party in one piece more and more likely.

After one more round of sneezes, Jake had had enough. He chucked the air freshener out the window to Will's horror and took a deep breath of fresh air to clear his nostrils.

"Santa is adding you to the naughty list now," Will frowned. "That cost me a whole four bucks!"

"At least now we'll still retain our sense of smell when we get to the mall," Jake laughed. "That thing was burning a hole in my sinuses."

Will grumbled and turned on the radio. Bing Crosby filled the air and Jake tapped along on the steering wheel.

"You seem chipper," Will noted. "Things are better with you and Rose?"

"I don't know why but yeah," Jake nodded. "She seems lighter somehow, more positive. I don't know what changed but it's great to see her more like her old self."

"Maybe it's like they say. 'Time heals all,' and that crap."

"You should pitch that to Hallmark," Jake snorted. "Very touching."

Will swatted at him and Jake laughed. "But yeah, I don't know what it is but I think she's ready to move on. She's happier than I've seen her since Mike died." He paused, weighing his thoughts. "I was thinking, you know, now that she's back to normal maybe we can talk about next steps for us."

"Jake, my boy, I'm truly shocked. Don't tell me you want to settle down?"

"Not 'settle down,' per say," Jake explained. "I just ... I see our buddies back home moving in with their girlfriends and I think I'd like that. I want Rose to know that I love her, and I can see us having a future together – even though we're way to young to think about anything more serious right now."

"Still, that's pretty intense, man," Will said. "It's only been what, like a year?"

"Just about," Jake nodded. "But it's been the best year of my life and I want her to know that, even with everything that's happened, she's got a place to call home."

"Where would you go?" Will asked.

"I was thinking maybe we could start looking for an apartment to rent. Something little, with a backyard or a balcony so we can have people over for barbecues and drinks and stuff."

Will patted him on the back stiffly. "Well, if you're sure-"

"I am," Jake nodded.

"Then godspeed, man," said Will. "I'll miss you as a roommate but then again, I could turn the place into my own Playboy mansion. You've kind of been cramping my style."

"Oh yeah?" Jake laughed. "I thought Gail was more your style?"

Will punched him on the shoulder as they pulled up to Gail's house to pick up her and Rose for the party. The girls climbed in and they drove for about twenty minutes, to a wealthier part of town where the homes had white picket fences and pools in the backyard.

They climbed out of the car and Jake whistled, putting his arm around Rose's shoulders.

She smiled when he kissed her but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You okay?" Jake whispered.

"I'm fine," she brushed him off.

"You look like there's something on your mind," he said, puzzled.