Going Long (boyxboy)

Chapter 12- Detective Donnelly

A/N Jake's POV added 10-01-17

~Josh~

            Jake stood in front of me wearing the most serious expression I'd ever seen. I wanted to reach forward and smooth the worry lines away from his forehead, but I could never do that. Instead, I held my breath, waiting for his response.

            "Am I really?" he finally said, cocking his head to the side.

            "Are you really what?" I wasn't following, still so focused on the foreign look on his face. I didn't know his face could even make an expression that solemn.

            "Your best friend."

            "What?" I stepped back, sure my own face was making a never-before-seen expression as well. I'd never been so confused. Oh well. It was better than the crying face I'd almost been making before he came in the room. Fuck me if he saw me crying. I'd die of embarrassment.

            "Of course you are. What are you even talking about?" Jake had been acting like a crazy person all weekend, and I still had no idea why, but questioning our friendship? That didn't make any sense at all. We'd been best friends for more than half our lives. What could have possibly happened to make him doubt that? Was this about Sunny? Kelly and Bryce? What?

            "You said there are some things you just can't tell anyone. Does that mean you have a secret you're keeping from me?"

            My heart stopped. Literally. Did he know? How could he? Who would have told him? Sunny would never. She understood the importance of my secret better than anyone since she had the same one herself. My parents wouldn't. Kelly was a bitch, and resented Jake getting to stay in my room when her boyfriend couldn't stay in hers, but I couldn't imagine her doing something that horrible to me. Clay either. He may be mad I'd made him hit himself the other morning, but he was a good kid. Probably the most naturally nice person in our family. I just couldn't believe anyone who knew would have told him. And if no one told him, he may not actually know. Maybe he just suspected.

            My heart slowly started to beat again as I worked through the possibilities in my mind. That had to be it. He just suspected. I needed to feel him out. See how much he knew and how much he just guessed.

            "Everyone has secrets. There are things I've never told anyone at all. That doesn't mean you're not my best friend though. Surely you have secrets too." I sat down on the edge of my bed, hoping to ease some of the weird tension in the room.

            He crossed his arms over his chest and squinted at me, like he was looking for the lie in my words. I felt like a perp in an interrogation room with a detective. A sexy, adorably endearing detective with floppy hair.

            "So what you're saying is you have a secret." He was glaring at me now, laser beam focused on my face.

            "I'm saying everyone has secrets."

            His eyes narrowed even further. "Does Sunny know your secrets?"

            Fuck. I schooled my features into my signature blank mask. Damn Jake for making me lie to him even more. Why couldn't he just leave me alone to live my closet-case life in peace?

            "Sunny knows some of my secrets, yes. But not all of them." That was technically true. She may know my biggest one, but Jake knew literally everything else important about me. Sunny and I were just starting to get to know each other.