#omfg this came out so much easier than my literati fest fic i'm working on

[alciavikkander]

just like honey | peyton x jake

this was three-quarters for @missgoalie75‘s birthday today and one-quarter because i really wanted to write jake/peyton interactions and it made it easier with a deadline to get it done by lmao. 

set in a roundabout s1/s2 setting where peyton works at the record shop in town and jake can’t help but visit her everyday. this is before they actually get to know each other.

disclaimer: title is from The Jesus and Mary Chain song by the same name. some dialogue is taken from the show. 

word count: ~2k

Some perks about working in the town’s record store were three things, in this order: free merchandise, big named bands mysteriously always seemed to roll through this tiny podunk town, and one of the more attractive basketball players from Tree Hill High School stopped in every single day.

And she’s definitely not complaining.

It started out small, really. Usually during her late afternoon shifts after cheerleading practice, he’d come in and roam the aisles, catch her eye a time or two, and no matter how much she liked to believe she was a badass, she blushed.

(One time he came in, his hair mussed up from the wind and his long plaid shirt lazily untucked, and started maddeningly searching for something, but she realizes with a soft laugh that he kept looking up at her while searching through the seldom used bluegrass section. He must have heard her cause he left quickly without a word.)

She knows him by association – he is part of the team that she cheers for after all – but for the most part she only knows his name is Jake and his jersey number also happens to be her lucky number: 7.

Not that she believes in luck. No, not at all.

-/-

His visits started getting longer and longer. He used to wander around for as little as a couple of minutes, and she always wondered why he went out of his way to stop in and never buy anything, but then he started staying 15 minutes, then 20.

They talked to each other a few times, small things in passing that didn’t take as much courage as actually getting to know each other. She would have to catch herself on the edge of prolonged eye contact or rubbing her fingers against his as she passed a record back to him.

She didn’t know if she could take it if she was simply reading too much into all of this.

-/-

About 7 months into working there, Peyton was given a raise and more time to help organize the store – new albums in the front and artwork on the walls – and she couldn’t help but jump at the chance. She was even able to create her own piece for the back wall next to the local bands section.

Perched on the top of a mid size ladder, she was bent over slightly making sure the canvas sat level on the protruding nail when she heard a scuffle behind her. “Nice view.”

She takes her time in turning around, part afraid she’ll fall if she whips too fast. “Thanks,” she says, the other part of her knowing he didn’t mean the artwork. She steps down off the ladder with a small smirk on her face and the ending of a husky giggle on her lips.

He stuffs his hands in his jean pockets, the fabric of his jacket bunching up around his shoulders as he moves closer to her as she puts the ladder away. “Didn’t see you at practice today.”

Crossing her arms, her eyebrows raise in surprise. “Didn’t think you noticed.”

“Oh,” he quirks an eyebrow, face turned towards her as they walk down the aisle between punk and blues. He stops to rummage through a bin, his nimble fingers moving quickly. He must play an instrument, she thinks, before shaking her head to get rid of a particularly heart racing image. “I always notice.”

Her mouth drops slightly, hanging open like a fish. “Um, well,” she coughs in embarrassment as he just turns back to her stares with soft eyes and a cute smile. “Uh, yeah, I talked to Brooke and Whitey about missing. It’s like my first absence in 6 months? Plus, I’m pretty sure they need me more here than they do there.”

His mouth stretching sideways into a grimace, he sucks air through his teeth. “Considering how much Brooke yelled today, I wouldn’t say that’s true.”

“Brooke always yells,” Peyton says, making her way back to the checkout counter.

Her eyes follow him as he moves to stand in front of her.

“True, but this time she got even louder than Whitey on game day. So…you know, bad.”

She hangs her head as she sighs. “Agh, crap.”

“Eh, she’ll get over it,” he says, waving his hand nonchalantly in air. “Anyways, I was here to, um, get that record you recommended the other day.”

She wracks her brain quickly, confused before it comes to her. “Oh! Psychocandy.” He stares uselessly. “The Jesus and Mary Chain?” He’s obviously lost, but he looks scared at the name. She laughs understandably. “Yeah, I know, but I’m on a huge 80’s post-punk kick right now. So, just…trust me.”

She runs to get the album, tucked out of order between Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. She reminds herself to recommend those to him later, too. They’re both silent while he pays, the rustling of the thin black plastic bag the only noise being made. As he leaves, his foot propping open the door, she says, “Oh, and it just so happens that the best track is #1.”

-/-

She put her number in the bag that day before he left, quickly scribbled on the back of one of store’s business cards. ‘Call me at my real number,’ it said, a stark underline separating the words from the numbers.

They’ve been talking for several weeks now, him coming by the store asking for new recommendations – which she’ll give with a kiss to his cheek –  or texting her that she looked good at practice that day. A smile never fails to grace her face.

She comes to learn he’s got a daughter, a 2 year old with wisps of blonde hair and his brown eyes if she goes by the badly taken picture he showed her. He said he couldn’t afford professional photos, so he tried his best with a disposal camera and a stuffed animal to get her to laugh.

One time he sent a picture of Jenny while she was at work. She’s napping with her mouth open and her bunny rabbit’s ears are stuck in her mouth and it causes something akin to love to bloom in her belly and she laughs so hard she blows soda out of her nose as her boss looks on with a funny look on his face.

-/-

Peyton knows whisperings of the dirty details of how Jenny came to be, but she’s not willing to put him in that position just yet. She knows how it feels to have things come out that you’re not ready to confront.

For now they talk, and they flirt, and they lean on one another when life gets tough but nothing more.

-/-

Brooke can tell right away that she’s hiding something, and she’s right. Peyton hasn’t exactly jumped at the chance to tell her best friend about this new slow moving development.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Maybe because I didn’t want to, she thinks, the rustling of their pom poms mixes in with the cheers of the crowd and the squeaks of the players sneakers on the court.

“I don’t know, I just haven’t thought about it.”

“It’s so obvious he likes you, like he stares at you during practice all the time.”

She catches Jake’s eye as he sits on the bench waiting his turn to play. He smiles softly with that look in his eyes and she can feel the tell-tale sign of goosebumps rising up along her arms.

Her friend continues to prattle on beside her as they raise their hands in the air and twist. “Lucas said he was going on about some record he got the other day.” Brooke turns to her with an eyebrow raised. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Peyton rolls her eyes, her mouth pursing into a barely contained smile.

“Oh my god, you do! You gave it to him!”

“No, he bought it. Big difference.”

“Whatever. At least now we know there’s a reason behind his lovesick puppy dog eyes. Look at you using her musical wiles to get him all riled up.”

They clap their hands, shouting a quick cheer when Nathan scores yet another shot. “We’re just friends.”

Brooke shimmies her shoulders, a glint in her eyes. “For now.”

She looks back to Jake as the buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. He gets lost in the crowd as everyone screams in victory.

-/-

The following Thursday he comes by at the end of her shift, five minutes to spare, holding a baby carrier by his side. Jenny coo’s when she sees Peyton, and she has admits it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen.

She’s counting the till as he sets the carrier on the counter and rests against it. “Sorry, I’m late. We,” he says, reaching forward to rub Jenny’s cheek softly, “had a doctor’s appointment and it went longer than I thought it would.”

Laughing, she places the extra money in the zippered bag to put in the safe in the back. “Well, considering you come in unannounced almost every day and we don’t actually make plans, I think you’re good.” She shuts down the register, making sure it’s locked. “Is she okay?”

“Oh, yeah, she’s fine. Just a check up.”

“Good,” she says, wrapping her leather jacket around her shoulders and grabbing the money bag. “Um, give me a second and we can go? I just have to put this is in the back.”

Ten minutes later they’re walking down the sidewalk after stopping for coffees at the kiosk on the corner that seemingly never closes. Jenny is still in her carrier between them, fast asleep.

They come to a stop next to her car that was parked down the street. Peyton rests her ass against the passenger side door.

“Thank you, you know, for walking me to my car.” He smiles and nods in appreciation. “And for the work visits. They’ve kind of been the best parts of my day.”

“Really?”

She laughs, bringing the cup to her lips to take a sip. “Yeah, I mean Brooke comes too, of course, but it’s mainly to scream about something new in her life and then leave. You know, as one does.”

Jake looks down at his feet, gently hoisting the carrier up higher on his arm so as not to wake Jenny. “About that, I, uh, I’m gonna have to stop coming by.”

Her smile vanishes instantly. “Wait, what?” She stands up off the car, back rigid. “Why?”

He looks guilty. “It’s just, you know, we’ve gotten so close and–”

Eyebrows scrunching in annoyance, she interrupts him. “Okay, you know what–”

“And I want to ask you out. Friday night.”

She stops her ranting, looking at him, expressionless, before a smile tugs at her. “That’s tomorrow.”

“Like I said earlier, I was a little late.” Shrugging, he steps closer, the tips of their shoes barely touching. “I talked to my parents, they agreed to watch Jenny. “

Peyton whispers, “Oh.” Licking her lips, she nods slowly before raising her eyebrows. “Kinda presumptuous, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

She laughs, smile wide at how quickly things changed. He leans in closer, tucking her hair behind her ear. A rebellious curl escapes and rest at the corner of her eye.

“By the way,” he lowers his voice to a whisper, “you smell insanely good tonight.”

Her heart skips a beat as she looks down, embarrassed. He backs away, a small smirk on his face before saying, “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” she says, staring after him.

This is all new for her, and it scares her, but she’s learning to live with that fear.

And he seems like the perfect person to do that with.