Hollywood Nights//Jake Kiszka

Sixteen

You stare out your window, out at the L.A. skyline. You can't believe that you'll be leaving it behind soon. You look up at your calendar. Only 2 weeks until you leave for the tour.
This fucking tour. All your life you've been waiting for something like this to happen. It was getting to the point where you would have literally died for an opportunity like that. Now it was all coming together so quickly, and you should be happy. But instead, you're dreading this tour.

The last thing you want to do is see Jake again. You feel like you don't even know him. Like he lied to you the whole time you were together. Since he left you've been trying to understand why he would do something like that, but you had nothing. What kind of person leaves out that kind of information when they meet someone and connect with them? And then leaves them without a trace? Maybe when I'm rich and famous I'll understand, you think.

You hear someone knocking at the door. "Come in!" You say. You were expecting Becca but it's Cal who walks into the room. "Hey," he says, and sits down on the bed beside you.

"Hey," you brush your hair behind your ear.

"What's going on?"

"I was just wondering why you've been holed up in your room for so long. I was a little worried," he smiles shyly and turns his head away from you.

You're touched by his concern for you. "You're so sweet. Thanks for checking up on me," you smile at him and place your hand on his arm.

"Do you need to talk about anything? It seems like you've been sitting in here thinking for a while," he looks over at you, still with his shy little smile.

You consider his offer. "Actually, yes, talking would be nice."

"Alright, I'm listening."

You take a deep breath. "I just don't understand how you can give so much of your time and energy to a person, and have them give that same time and energy to you, and then you start to think that they really care about you, and then you start to have feelings for them, and then one day they fucking walk out of your life and never come back. And you never hear from them again. And you just have to accept the fact that they never cared. Even though you want to believe with all your heart that they did," you have to swallow to keep tears from flowing down your face. "I'm sorry," you look over at Cal. "That was a lot."

"It's okay," he smiles and places his hand over yours. He takes another minute before he speaks again. "Um, you don't have to answer, but is it that Jake guy that you're talking about?"

You nod and blink back more tears.

"You really miss him, huh?"

"Well," you pause. You might as well come clean. "Jake's not who you think he is. He's a musician. A famous one. And it might just be his band that we're touring with in 2 weeks." You look at him, wondering how he's processing this information.

He looks shocked. "Holy shit," he shakes his head. "So you have to see him again after he put you through all this?"

"Pretty much, yeah," you nod. "And I'm dreading it."

"You don't deserve that, Y/N. You're an amazing girl and you deserve a guy who thinks so."

You finally smile. "You really think so?"

"Yes, absolutely. You're amazing, Y/N." He stares into your eyes, and you stare back. He surprises you by biting his lower lip. You find yourself wondering what it would be like to kiss him. He's one of the sweetest guys you know, and maybe he's right. You're tired of longing for some guy who doesn't give a shit about you. A guy you never really knew.

You inch closer to Cal and take both his hands in yours. You keep moving closer until your foreheads are touching. He stares at your lips, and then looks at you.

"Y/N, can I-"

"Yes."

Next thing you know his lips are on yours. It's the most beautiful, amazing feeling. You can finally forget all the pain Jake put you through. You're moving on, though you never thought it would be with Cal, one of your best friends. You're glad it's happening, though.

You both stop to take a breath and you stare into each other's eyes.

"That was perfect." You smile.

"You're perfect," he smiles back, and kisses you again.