Taking the next step

Jacob closed the door behind him, doing his best to remain silent. He tried not to speak much when he was away from home. Lately, though, those periods of time had begun to stretch out longer and longer, and it was getting to the point where he often couldn't remember the sound of his own voice.

He sat down on his bed and unloaded his backpack, rolling his shoulder to relieve the tension that had begun to build up in it. He wasn't sure why he was so tense lately, but it was beginning to be a problem. His shoulder was in pain, and it was difficult to move it, meaning that he couldn't very well lift his hand above his head. His other arm was fine, but it was still problematic.

Jacob closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, audibly sighing. He wondered to himself why he had so much trouble dealing with where he was in his life. The people around him would kill to have the opportunities that came easily to him, but he was uninterested. He found no joy in the life that so many others dreamed of. He found, instead, little more than pain, emotionally and mentally.

Just then, a knock came on his door. Jacob stood up, confused. No one ever knocked on his door. Slowly he went to it, and pushed it open. On the other side stood Kate, a childhood friend of his, whom he had liked for years but never had the courage to tell.

"Hi, Jacob," Kate said awkwardly. "Look, I just... I was in the neighborhood, and... Well that's not really true, I was..."

Jacob stood aside and pushed the door wider open, silently inviting her into his room. She smiled somewhat nervously at him and stepped inside, and Jacob closed the door behind her. "Can I help you?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I..." began Kate. As Jacob looked at her, he could see the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks, and wondered why that was. "Truth be told, I saw you walking up here," Kate finally blurted out. "I was kind of... I wasn't following you, at least not at first, I just kind of spotted you from a ways away by happenstance, but then you looked so unhappy, so I just, I had to, and I ended up here, and..." Kate drifted off, unsure of what to say next.

"I'm fine," Jacob lied. He was used to doing it. "I'm just kind of tired, I guess. Rough night, you know? It happens."

"Oh... Well, I was wondering..." Kate drifted off again, this time her head moving away, as if she didn't want to look him in the face.

"Wondering what?"

"...If I could help."

Jacob blinked, surprised. "You want to help me?"

"Of course I do, Jacob!" Kate exclaimed. "I'm your friend. I want to be here for you. You don't seem happy, and I hate that, and I want to be able to make you smile, and..." Kate stopped abruptly, realizing that she was saying more than she wanted to.

Jacob looked at her, contemplating. "...You're right," he said after a while. "I haven't been happy. I don't know that you can really help, though."

"Please, Jacob. Let me try."

"I don't really know that I want to talk about it."

"You don't have to."

Jacob looked at Kate, surprised. "If I don't tell you, though, how are you going to help?"

Kate moved forward, abruptly wrapping her arms around Jacob and pulling his body to hers. "Let me hold you, Jacob," she whispered. "Let me give you comfort."

Jacob's arms slowly slinked up and around Kate's waist. "Alright," he whispered back. "I can do that."