Mother Knows Best

Characters: Jake, Naomi, Jake/Heath implied
Rating: PG
Prompt: 024-Happy – 100_Situations LJ Community
Word Count: 1,782

Summary: Jake makes an announcement to his mother. Sequel to One Simple Request.
Disclaimer: None of this is real. Absolutely not. I’m borrowing Jake, Naomi, and others for pure entertainment purposes and will let them kindly go back to their lives when I’m done.

Health flew back to New York several days later. He couldn’t put off going back home any longer if he wanted to audition for a part in a new movie. It was a fact as actors, there were going to be times they won’t see each other. Jake knew this, accepted it, the truth didn’t make him feel any better. Because, hell, he was going to miss his baby. They’d resolved their differences and he couldn’t wait until he’d packed up his stuff to move in with Heath.

Jake’s head was hanging up there with the stars. Nothing could destroy his exuberance, the joy he felt, the knowledge Heath actually came after him. It was an accident, really. Circumstances forcing their emotions to the surface and let out exposed, when their reconciliation should’ve been private.

It was more than Jake had ever wanted or expected from Heath. This public acknowledgment. What he wanted was simple. Ordinary things, like waking up and going to sleep with Heath. Maintaining a home together. Cooking for Heath (he could to stand to gain weight.) Discovering all the idiosyncrasies one couldn’t know without living together.

Jake was looking forward to the move to New York. “Yeah.” He punched the air with his fist, brought it down, and wrapped the fingers around the steering wheel as he cruised down the LA highway. He loved the over-crowded, gritty city, but he would miss LA, friends and, family. Jake would have to call Maggie and tell her little brother would become a permanent fixture in NY. Could hear her reaction. It’s about fucking time.

There was one person Jake wasn’t too thrilled in telling the news. His mother. His father he could depend on for support. Stephen knew about Heath and Jake’s troubles. Said he didn’t understand the dynamics of men falling in love with men, reminding Jake about the difficulty his gay friends had just staying together. But he loved his son. Thought Heath was okay. He’d also told Jake he knew about burying pain. “Drinking yourself into a stupor won’t change a damn thing,” Stephen had told Jake. “It’s kind of interesting, though. The shit you guys are going through isn’t much different between man and woman.”

The drinking didn’t help.

If it weren’t for hanging out with Matt and Lance, and Matt’s crude remarks, “Hey Bro, I do believe you’re trying to steal away my thunder. No one drinks me under the table.” And no one sat around, alone and nude in an apartment, banging on the drums either. Jake got the point. Move on or do something about the situation. Being drunk and bike riding don’t mix well. Still, he’d told Matt, he didn’t have a drinking problem. He had a boyfriend problem.

Eyes on the road, Jake’s hand slid down to pick up the ringing cell phone. “Hello,” he said, after pressing the call button.

“Are you free now, dude”

“How the hell did you know?”

“Got a call,” Matthew said on the other line. “Told me he saw you and Heath at LAX.”

“Word gets around fast.”

“You know it. Still can’t believe in what you guys did at my place. The buzz is rapid.”

“Do I detect a problem here?” Matthew had been nothing but a friend to Jake, although, he said a few uncomplimentary remarks about Heath.

“Not me. You know me. Whatever floats your boat. Believe in doing what feels good. Like I told Heath, you got to be careful. Not everyone as sweet and as accepting as me.” Matthew laughed.

“It’s not my problem. Either they deal or they can leave me the fuck alone.”

“I hear you, bro. Look. I called to see if you want to ride.”

“When?”

“Lance is planning a trip tomorrow. Since I know loverboy has gone home, I thought you’d be interested.”

“Hold on.” Jake maneuvered the car in the traffic driving onto the exit ramp.

“Okay,” said Jake. “You do realize Heath isn’t going anywhere. Do you think you can handle it?”

“Just tell him to keep his snarls to himself. I’m not after your gorgeous ass.”

Jake bursts out laughing. He had to grip the cell phone to keep it from slipping from between his fingers. Thank God, the red light caused him to brake the car. “Maybe he has the right to be snarly.”

“Cold day in hell. Your ass maybe beautiful but I prefer them soft, rounded, padded with just the right amount of meat. Hard assed muscles don’t do shit for me.”

Jake decided he’d better pull over to the side of the curb before he had an accident. “Man, you’re fucking sick.” Jake couldn’t stop laughing. Between the chuckles, he said, “Tell Lance I’ll be there.”

“Got it. The three musketeers are back together again.” Then Matt gave Jake the details for the meet up.

Naomi was in the kitchen spooning coffee into the coffee maker. She turned around and seeing Jake, Naomi smiled. He grabbed her by the shoulders and plopped a big kiss on her cheek.

“Hi, mom,” he said, putting elbows on the kitchen counter behind him. “What’re you doing?”

“What does it look like, smartass?” She grinned indulgently. Her eyes narrowed searching Jake’s face. “Do you want a cup?”

“Sure.” Jake walked over to the island in the middle of the kitchen. He grabbed a stool, sat down, watching his mother work.

“What brings you here early in the morning?”

“It’s almost eleven,” he said, his fingers fidgeting with a saltshaker.

“Unless you’ve stayed overnight, we don’t usually see you till the evening.” A cabinet door opened and down came the plates. Naomi brought them over and sat them down on the island. She headed over to another part of the countertop and picked up a cake dish. Jake could see he was in for a treat.

It appeared as though Naomi was bringing out the ammunition, the let’s get Jake warm and fuzzy. She knew how much he loved German Chocolate cake. The creamy chocolate went straight through his veins like a shot of good feel, almost as good as Heath nurturing a certain part of his body. She knew he had cut back on eating junk food.

“The look on your face,” she said. “It’s dreamy. What’s going on?” Naomi cut a large-sized slice of cake and handed to him on a plate.

“It’s a fabulous day. Haven’t you been out yet?” He got up to get the silverware while she brought over steamy hot coffee.

“Uh huh. You’re up to something.” Naomi sat in the stool next to Jake. “And to answer your question, of course, I’ve been out. Who else is going to walk the brats?”

“Ah. My babies. How are they?” Jake settled back down on his stool.

“Atticus and Boo are just fine. I swear, Boo, is worse than a child. You’ve spoiled that dog rotten. I think he forgets he’s a dog.” Naomi said, grumpily.

“You know you love Boo Radley.” Which was true. Naomi was the person who kept his dogs whenever he was out of town or involved in a project.

Jake closed his eyes at savoring the taste of creamy chocolate filling up his palate. Double dose of caffeine, a natural induced high. Delightful, he groaned. Would be nice to share with Heath imagining the chocolate being put to good use. Down boy.

“It must be good.” Jake’s eyes flew open and stared at his mom. “You’re purring. So tell me and stop keeping me in suspense.”

He let out a deep breath and then tasted the cake one more time, letting it remind him how good he felt, how it was with Heath last night.

“Where’s Dad?”

“In the study. Stop prevaricating, Jake. It doesn’t become you.”

He put down his folk and used his legs to twist him around on the stool to face his mother. She sat waiting with her fingers wrapped around the coffee cup. Large eyes, big and worldly, sharp, as though she knew Jake had something important to tell her.

So he went for the juggler and told it straight out. “Heath and I are back together.” And waited for the fallout.

“Umm… Not so surprising. You look happy. I haven’t seen joy on your face in months.”

“There’s more,” he said, putting a hand on her arm. “He asked me to move in with him.”

That took her for a surprise. Her eyes grew wide. “He did, did he.”

“Yeah,” Jake said, cautiously. He wondered why she hadn’t started the normal lecture on how this relationship with Heath would destroy his career and would make him miserable.

“I didn’t think he would go that far.” There was a look of dismay on her face. “Where are you going to live?”

“New York. Mom. I know you don’t approve of Heath and me. I wish for you it could be different but that’s not the way it’s going to be.”

Naomi turned completely around to face Jake. She ran a finger down the side of his face. “My concerns were not about you and Heath. I worry about you. Worry about your career. Had I been too liberal in raising you. Do you understand the consequences of your choice. Jake, I can’t help wanting to protect you.”

“I know.” And finally, he realized where his mother had been coming from. She didn’t dislike Heath. “You’re going to have to let me go, found my way in life.”

“My baby is growing up.”

He kissed the palm of her hand and covered it between his larger hands. “Are you okay with this?”

“I guess I am. Didn’t know it would go so far with you moving in with him.” There was a gleam in her eyes as though she was more aware than he realized. Her easy acceptance after the many disagreements. Her manner in caressing him as though she was apologizing for contributing to his unhappiness.

Jake slid off the stool and hugged his mother. Perhaps too tight because she said, “You’re going to break an old woman’s bones.”

He laughed bringing relief to the tension in the air. “You’re not old,” he said, sitting back down on the stool.

“Go on. What do you know. I’m your mother.”

“A cool one at that.”

Mother and son settled down to finish their dessert. Jake groaning between bites of cake and sipping coffee.

The phone rang. His mother got up and answered the landline. Jake watched as the smile on her face faded, as her face turned pale.

“That was Kelly.”

Ah, his publicist. “What did she want?”

“Jake. She said she has been receiving death threats about you.”

End ( for now)

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