Why Bother?

Joanne was sitting on the couch, studying for a test, when she heard a knock at the door. Rising to answer it, she opened the door expecting Eve, since that was the only person she knew who arrived randomly at her house. Instead it was Jake. Jake, who hadn’t been to her house since their first date. Jake, who she hadn’t told her parents about yet. Jake, who looked flushed and upset.

“What is it?” Joanne asked worriedly, seeing his expression. She moved aside to silently invite him into the house. “Is everything okay?”

“I didn’t see your parents’ car in the driveway,” he said softly. “Are they here?”

“No, they’re out-” Joanne started to say, but was cut off by Jake taking her face in his hands. She melted against the door as he pushed against her. His mouth was needy and demanding, unlike any way it had been before. Reluctantly, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back. “Jake, what’s going on?” she asked nervously.

Biting his lip, Jake looked at Joanne and immediately felt regret. He had no right to barge in on her and act like this. It was just that he felt so strange today…

“I’m sorry, Jo,” Jake said softly. “I didn’t mean to…” Patiently, Joanne stood there, waiting for him to continue. It was obvious she was expecting some sort of explanation. As Jake looked into her trusting eyes, his heart dropped to his stomach. He had already said too much – done too much – to back off from telling her. “How long are your parents going to be gone for?” he asked softly, taking her hands in his.

“Um…” Joanne seemed to be hesitating.

“I’m not trying to have sex with you,” Jake said plainly, but when he heard Joanne giggle, he realized how ridiculous his statement sounded. “I mean, I was just asking because I have something important to talk about with you.”

Hearing the serious tone in his voice, Joanne’s hand immediately moved to Jake’s cheek. “They won’t be home for hours,” she said softly. “They at a friend’s house for a barbeque or something. Jake, come in,” Joanne invited him. “Please…”

Following Joanne into her living room, Jake looked around. All about him were signs of just how close Joanne’s family was: photographs of family outings, framed awards from Joanne’s youth, books half read, lying all about. He wondered for a moment if he should even bring Joanne into the middle of his issues.

Taking his hands, Joanne led Jake to the couch and sat down, pulling him down beside her. He seemed uncomfortable, his eyes darting everywhere, making Joanne do the only thing she could think of. Slowly, she closed her eyes and tilted her head, bringing his mouth towards hers. She was afraid she had done the wrong thing until she felt him reach his arms around her and pull her closer. They kissed like this for several minutes, softly and nervously, until finally Joanne pulled away, stroking at Jake’s cheek.

“Tell me why you came here,” she requested. Looking at her concerned eyes, Jake gave her a small grin, knowing he couldn’t lie to her.

“I came here to tell you the truth.” His eyes looked serious, and he seemed to almost be shaking. “My dad got arrested last night, for drunk driving.” Seeing the shock in Joanne’s face, he forged forward. “But that’s only part of what I came to tell you. The night you stayed at my house, I lied to you. I told you he didn’t drink often, but he does. He drinks all the time, and when he does, he can get violent. Even when he’s not drinking, he can get violent.”

Listening intently, Joanne’s eyes were filled with sympathy and concern. Jake told her how he let his father take out his aggressions on him, so that he would stay away from Eve and their mother. He told her about years of bruises, split lips and black eyes. He explained that often the assaults were completely unprovoked. It was difficult and embarrassing for Jake to admit all this, but he did.

Looking at the boy that had been so kind to her for the past month, Joanne was filled with regret for not knowing what to say. “I’m so sorry, Jake…” she began, but he cut her off.

“I didn’t come here to make you feel bad for me,” he told her softly. “I just… I spoke to Eve this morning, and she agreed with me that you deserved to know the truth. I mean, you are a very important person in both our lives.”

Reaching over to squeeze his hand affectionately, Joanne’s eyes were glassy. “Do you know what’s going to happen now? With your dad, I mean?”

Sighing, Jake shrugged his shoulders. “He gets arraigned and should be released on Monday. He automatically loses his license for six months, and he faces fines and up to a year in jail, although since this is his first offense, he probably won’t get any jail time.” Seeing the surprise in Joanne’s eyes, Jake gave her a small smile. “I may have spent a few hours on the internet last night,” he told her.

“So losing his license… What does that mean for you? And is this going to affect his job? Is he…” Joanne paused, looking nervous. “Is he going to be around more now?”

Shaking his head, Jake didn’t know what to say. He had thought about these things too, but he could not figure out the answers. “I hope not,” he admitted softly. “He’s going to be home on Monday, and he’s going to be in an awful mood, I know that much.” He didn’t have to explain what that meant for him. He could see by the tears that escaped Joanne’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks that she already knew. “Come here,” he put out his arms, and Joanne curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest.

They sat quietly, holding each other close, for several minutes. “It’s terrible, what you’ve been through,” Joanne finally whispered softly. “You are such a good person…”

Kissing the top of her head, Jake stroked Joanne’s arm lightly. “I’m okay,” he told her softly. “I actually feel a lot better now that I have told you. I don’t like keeping things from you.”

Looking up, Joanne’s face was still filled with sympathy. “If there’s anything I can do…”

Smiling, Jake looked into her eyes. “You can kiss me,” he told her. Joanne smiled back and leaned up to press her mouth to his. His kisses were no longer needy, nor nervous. They were now warm, moist, and comfortable. One of his hands stroked her neck, and one of her hands pressed against his chest. Neither was expecting more to come of this; they just wanted to kiss each other for a few minutes.

At that moment, the front door opened. “Joanne, honey, we’re home,” Joanne’s mother called out. “Vivien’s sister went into labor during the barbeque, so we…” She stood in the entry to the living room, looking at her daughter on the couch. “We, um, we came home. You’re father’s getting something out of the garage. Who’s this?”

They had managed to disentangle themselves and separate a little when they heard Joanne’s mother enter the house, but with their mussed hair and awry clothing, there was little doubt what had been going on. “Mom, this is my, um, my friend. Jake,” Joanne was blushing wildly. “He just came by to, um, talk.”

Looking over at the dark, handsome boy, and then back at her daughter, Joanne’s mother nodded. “Okay,” she said slowly, in a controlled voice. “Well, why don’t you come in the kitchen with me, and we’ll get some drinks.” She walked out of the room without waiting for a response.

Rising quickly, Joanne looked over at Jake. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed. Joanne just gave him a small smile, ran her fingers through her hair, and headed towards the kitchen.

Pulling a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge, Joanne’s mother placed it on the breakfast nook. “So Jake’s a friend from school?” she asked as she reached for some glasses.

Biting her lip, Joanne watched her mother pour the lemonade. She wasn’t meeting Joanne’s eyes. Not wanting to make this any worse with lies or omissions that would eventually come out anyway, Joanne sighed and then began. “Jake goes to school with me, yes. But he’s also Eve’s brother.”

Looking up with surprise at this revelation, Joanne’s mother stopped pouring. “Eve’s brother?” she repeated. “So, whenever you are at Eve’s house…”

“No! I mean, not exactly,” Joanne tried to explain. “Eve is my best friend, and a lot of times I’m over there, Jake isn’t even home.”

“And when you spent the night?” her mother asked nervously. “Was he there then?”

“Yes,” Joanne admitted in a small voice.

“So, that night that you stayed there, were you there as Eve’s guest, or as Jake’s?” her mother questioned. Looking down at the tiles, Joanne said nothing. This was enough of an answer for her mother. “I see. So you two are… dating?”

Looking up and meeting her mother’s eyes finally, Joanne nodded. “We’ve been together for about a month.”

“A month?” her mother seemed to be losing her cool. “And you’re sleeping with him already?”

“No, no, we haven’t… I haven’t…” Stammering, Joanne felt her face grow hot. “No, we haven’t slept together. I’m not ready, and Jake’s okay with that.”

Looking quite a bit more relieved, Joanne’s mother let out a sigh. “Well, that’s a bit of a relief,” she admitted, giving her daughter a small smile. “He’s, um, he’s very good-looking, isn’t he?”

Her face breaking into a grin, Joanne nodded. “And he’s really nice, too. You’ll like him.”

“Well, let’s see if that’s true,” she said, picking up two glasses. “Grab those drinks, and the four of us can sit down and talk.”

“Okay,” Joanne said, reaching for the beverages. “And thanks, Mom, for being so cool about this.”

“We’ll see how cool you think I am after I’ve gotten a chance to grill your friend,” he mother told her. Joanne just laughed and followed her into the living room.

-----

“Your parents are really nice,” Jake told Joanne as she walked him out to his car.

“They have their moments,” Joanne agreed with a grin. The afternoon had actually gone really well, and her parents had asked Jake to stay for dinner. Putting her arms around his neck, Joanne looked up into Jake’s eyes. “However, now that they know about you, I have the feeling we’re going to have less freedom than we have had until now.”

“And what exactly would we need freedom to do?” Jake asked in a low voice as he ran his hands over Joanne’s back. “Surely it’s okay if I do this, right?” Slowly, he leaned down and kissed Joanne. His lips were soft and his tongue parted her lips to enter her mouth. Joanne shivered as his tongue massaged hers, his mouth warm against hers.

Pulling back, Joanne smiled up at Jake. “I think that’s okay,” she said. “However, ever actually getting around to that blow job…”

“You are a very mean girl,” Jake smirked. “Have I told you that?”

“I think so,” Joanne grinned back.

“You keep teasing me like that,” Jake leaned his forehead down to hers. “And you’re going to regret it.”

“Is that so?” Joanne giggled.

“Yes, that’s so,” Jake laughed. “Anyway, I should go.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Joanne asked, her voice suddenly more serious.

“I will be,” Jake told her. “But would you be able to hang out tomorrow? Before my dad gets home, and my house turns into hell?” Looking into his eyes, Joanne nodded. She felt so bad that he had to deal with all of this. But he made her laugh again a moment later. “You know, now that I think about it, I think a blow job would be just the thing to get me through this difficult time…”

Squirming out of his grip, Joanne cracked up. “You are a bad man,” she said.

“Is that a yes?” Jake’s eyes were sparkling now.

Raising her eyebrows, Joanne started walking back towards her house. “It’s not a no,” she called over her shoulder, and smiled when she saw his eyes widen. “Goodnight, Jake,” she called as she walked into the house and shut the front door.

-----

Jake and Eve’s mother had taken a valium and laid down mid-afternoon, so Jake, Joanne, Eve and Mark were able to hang out together in the living room. Eve and Mark were curled up on the couch, and Jake and Joanne were lying on the floor. They had rented some movies and were just spending some quiet time together.

Joanne felt Jake move closer to her and put his arm around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. “How are you?” he whispered into her hair.

Glancing over her shoulder, Joanne studied Jake’s face. “I’m good now,” she said softly, settling back even further against him. “What about you?”

“Whenever I’m close to you, I feel good,” Jake replied, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Joanne closed her eyes as she felt Jake whisper soft kisses over her throat, jaw and ear. His lips were soft and his breath was warm.

“If you two are going to make out,” Eve called from the couch. “Go into your bedroom already. We’re actually trying to watch a movie here.”

Letting out a giggle, Joanne opened her eyes. “Want to?” she whispered.

Looking surprised that this was an option, Jake quickly agreed. He rose and offered Joanne his hands, helping her rise. “Um, don’t let mom in my room if she wakes up,” Jake told Eve with a grin. “In fact, tell her I went out.”

“Ew, just go do your thing,” Eve smirked, glancing at Joanne and Jake before focusing her attention back on the television.

Closing and locking the door behind him, Jake quickly reached for Joanne. “I didn’t think I’d get a chance to be alone with you today,” he told her as he slid his arms around her waist. “I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Leaning up, Joanne wrapped her arms around Jake’s neck. “Oh, I think you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised today,” she told him before pressing her lips to his. Taking his lower lip between her teeth, Joanne nibbled lightly before sliding her tongue into his mouth. As their kiss deepened, they stumbled toward the bed and fell back onto it, Jake’s body covering Joanne’s.

Slowly, Jake began moving his mouth down to Joanne’s neck. Before he knew what was happening, he felt Joanne pulling at his shirt, and as he leaned up to remove it, Joanne took off her own shirt and bra. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he let his body fall forward again. His lips planted soft kisses on her throat and chest, and his tongue eagerly teased her nipples.

Joanne was letting out soft whimpers at his caresses, but got herself together enough to push Jake up. He laid on his back and Joanne climbed on top of him, pressing her lips to his before allowing her tongue to trace wet trails over Jake’s skin. His body flinched a little as Joanne’s teeth grazed his nipple, but when he felt Joanne reach for his belt buckle, he stopped her.

Looking up at Jake curiously, Joanne waited to hear what he had to say. “Jo, listen, you don’t have to do this. I was just kidding yesterday about… I mean, I don’t want you to do this because you feel bad for me.”

Giving Jake a grin, Joanne shook her head and continued undoing his pants. “I’m not doing this because I feel bad for you,” she told him, unzipping his pants and pulling them off him, along with his boxers. “I’m doing this because I want to.”

Jake was ready to object again when Joanne took his erection in her hand and gently began stroking him. He let out a soft moan instead, which unintentionally got louder when Joanne leaned down to lick the pre-cum off the tip of his length. “Sorry,” Jake blushed when Joanne glanced up at him. “I didn’t mean to be so loud.”

“Just keep it down a little,” Joanne smirked before nervously taking Jake’s head into her mouth. Holding onto the base lightly, she moved her head down, taking him further into her mouth. Hearing a contented sigh come from Jake, Joanne figured she must be doing something right, and she pulled her mouth back up his length.

Feeling Jake slide his fingers into her hair, Joanne let him guide her pace as she got more comfortable with what she was doing. Several minutes later, she felt his legs tightening and heard him tell her to pull back, because he was going to cum. Instead, Joanne continued what she was doing and only jumped a little when she felt Jake’s hot liquid pumping into her mouth. Swallowing it, Joanne wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and climbed up beside a panting Jake.

Looking over at Joanne, Jake reached his hand over and stroked her cheek. “That felt incredible,” he told her. “But I really hope you didn’t do that because you felt bad for me.”

“I didn’t,” Joanne smiled at Jake, moving herself over until her head rested on his shoulder. “I did it because I care about you. I did it because you’re kind and patient with me, and I wanted to repay you for that. But mostly, I did it because I wanted to know what it was like to make you feel that good all by myself.”

Wrapping his arms around Joanne, Jake kissed the top of her head. “Well, then, thank you,” he told her. “That was wonderful. But it’s always wonderful to be close to you.”

Lying there silently for a moment, Joanne traced her fingers idly over Jake’s chest. “I don’t know if you want to talk about this right now,” Joanne looked up nervously. “But are you going to be okay with all this stuff going on with your dad? I mean, okay physically… and emotionally?”

Combing his fingers through Joanne’s curly hair, Jake bit his lip. “I’m going to be okay in the long run,” he told her honestly. “It’s just going to kind of suck. But I have to tell you, knowing I’ve got you here helps.”

“Oh, I’m here,” Joanne buried her head under his chin. “For as long as you’ll have me, I’m here.”

“How does forever sound, then?”

“Perfect. Forever sounds perfect.”