The dimmest light emanates through the heavy red curtains waking Hyde from his deep slumber. He slowly opens his eyes, trying to adjust to his environment. He peers over at the clock hanging on the wall opposite him and groans when he sees how early it still is. He takes a moment before getting off the bed and over to the window where he pulls the curtains completely closed. The bit of streaming light is immediately replaced by darkness and as he turns back around, all he can see are shadows. A spectrum of gray and black filling a room he is unfamiliar with. His eyes, having adjusted to the light, struggle to make out the newly darkened objects around him. He stands still and looks around. He recognizes a dresser and a rocking chair over on his left and a small bedside table on his right, sitting comfortably in between the large bed and the door.
He can not see much but knows that there is a clutter of clothes sprawled on the floor around him. The events of the previous night still fresh in his mind. He sighs and starts walking back towards the bed, needing a few more hours of sleep before being able to function properly.
A short time passes before he is awakened again, this time by soft shuffling. He lays awake quietly for a minute, observing his lover move gracefully around the room, trying to clean up and pick up the scattered garments. He can't make out her features, but her shape intrigues him. The small curves on her body, the perkiness of her naked breasts, the away of her curls entice him and he is no longer sleepy. He continues to look on as she places the clothes on the rocking chair and walks into the small bathroom connected to the room. He sees the light coming from the small opening of the door and smiles when she starts humming a song they had been listening to the night before.
Surely the night was unforgettable for her too.
A few minutes later she emerges from the bathroom and he stretches his arm to the lamp on the bedside table and flicks the switch, filling the room with brightness.
"Steven," she shrieks, "you scared me. I thought you were asleep."
Hyde sits up on the bed, resting against the backboard. "I was" is all he says.
"It's a bit early for you isn't?" she says with a sly smile which secretly drives him wild.
"I could say the same for you" he answers. He rubs his eyes to adjust his vision. He wants to see her, focus on her naked form and admire every inch of it. No matter how often he sees her like this, he never takes it for granted.
"Well, you know what the say about the early worm" she says as she starts shuffling through the pile of clothes on the chair in search of her bra. She finally finds the small undergarment and slips it on.
"What are you doing today?" he asks groggily watching her get dressed.
"Got a few errands to do before work" she tells him as she slips her pants on. The black dress pants are a bit wrinkled from being rolled up under a stack of clothes. She tries to smooth them against her leg as best she can and furrows her forehead a bit when the tactic proves unsuccessful.
"I have a better idea" he says as he gets off the bed.
"Oh? What's that?" Jackie asks, her tone flirty.
Hyde walks over to her and wraps his arms around her small waist. He lowers his lips and places light kisses down from neck to her shoulders. His hand roams her body slightly, enough contact to send small shivers down her body and intrigue her. "You could stay here and we can have a repeat of last night."
Jackie turns around to face him and kisses him. It's a quick kiss, nothing too sensual but still to excite him. "You're cute when you just wake up" she says in a low voice once they part.
"Cute enough to make you stay?" he asks. His eyes are not yet fully opened and Jackie takes a step back to get a better look at him. In his groggy, half-asleep state, Steven Hyde is the most tranquil person she has ever encountered. This isn't his usual zen-mode where some part of him is still on high-defensive mode. As he is now, standing in front of her, his guards are completely down. He is free to say anything and everything that comes to mind without the worry that anyone around him will judge him. He can be sappy and romantic. He can tell her that he wants her to stay and she knows that he actually means it.
"You know I can't do that" she says. Immediately, she knows that tranquil Hyde is about to disappear. They always end up having this same argument, regardless of how great their time together leading up to it was.
"This again" he says as he takes a step back from her.
"You're the one who starts it every time. I have a busy day Steven, I can't stay here and argue about this with you" she says as she goes back to getting dressed. Hyde watches as she slips her sweater over her head and shakes her curls out afterward. Of course they're still in tact, because no part of Jackie Burkhart can be imperfect, even this early in the morning.
"At some point we're going to have to figure this out" he tells her.
"Yeah, not today though."
"When then Jackie?" Hyde walks over to the bed and sits at the edge of it. Still half-naked, he stares intently as she gets ready to leave him behind. One shoe on, followed by the other. With each piece of clothing she puts on, they are moving further away from any sort of resolution. He finds it interesting having the tables turned as they have, with him being the one begging her to stay and solidify their relationship. She's the one resisting now, pulling away from him every time the discussion comes up.
"Steven, what do you want me to say? We've gone over this before and you know why I can't stay. I thought we were on the same page."
"What page is that exactly?"
"Why are you making this more complicated than it needs to be? I can't stay and you know why. Don't make things harder than they need to be." Jackie walks over to the bed and kneels down on the floor between Hyde's legs. She grabs his hands and looks up at him. Her heart skips a beat when she sees his clear blue eyes staring back at her. He releases one hand and caresses her cheek. "I love you and I love being with you. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world, but I need us to both to understand what is going on here" she says. Hyde pulls his hand away and lets out a loud breath.
"I'm getting really tired of it Jackie" he tells her.
"I know baby."
"I'm serious" he reinforces.
"Steven, I know. We can talk about it next time I promise, but right now I have to go" she says before getting back on her feet and grabbing her coat from behind the chair where now only all of Hyde's clothes lay. She slips the sleeves on and then fetches her bag from the floor. She walks back over to Hyde who is still sitting at the edge of the bed and kisses him once more. "I'll call you later?" she says.
Hyde simply nods and watches as she starts walking towards the door. "Jackie" he calls out before she exits. He reaches over to the small bedside table just a few inches from where he's sitting and grabs a small, gold band. "Don't forget this" he says.
Jackie walks over to him, grabs her wedding ring and slips it on. She frowns and nods her head, "we'll figure it out Steven" she says unconvincingly.
"Sure" is all he says before she exits. He lays back on the bed, already annoyed at the thought of her going home to her husband.
They had to figure this out. Soon.
Author's Note: Dum Dum Dum... I tend to get ideas for stories and get a little obsessed with them until I can finally publish them and this one's been festering in my head for a couple of weeks now. Now that I see it I think it could potentially have an additional chapter or so, but for now it stands on its own. If anyone wants to take on a "what happens next" story, that would be cool too! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and til next time!