Disclaimer: I do not own the Flight 29 Down or any of its characters. They belong to their respective owners.
Two days later.
It was Monday.
After school.
Melissa was chatting with her friends in the school cafeteria.
"Hey Mel, where's Jackson?" Taylor snickered. "I knew the day before yesterday he had given you a ride home. You two are dating, aren't you?"
"No. We're just friends and I can't date with him," Melissa glared at Taylor. "He had told me that he just wanted to be friends with me because he wasn't ready for a relationship yet."
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched," Nathan giggled. "I think you two look good together."
"Yeah. You two are made for each other," Daley smiled. "You just need to wait for the right time."
"Come on, guys. Please forget it!" Melissa sighed. "I don't want to hurt my heart again."
Suddenly, Jackson came forward to the group.
"Wow! Speak of the devil and he doth appear!" Eric laughed.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jackson looked at his friends with curious eyes. "Are you talking about me?"
"Well… Just about you and Me-"
Before Taylor could finished her sentence, she was interrupted by Melissa.
"No! Nothing!" Melissa said loudly. "We're not talking about you. Really!"
"Well… Mel," Jackson cleared his throat, "can we talk?"
"Sure," Melissa nodded, "about what?"
"Not here. Can we go somewhere private?"
"Private? Why? What's going on?" Melissa asked, looking worried.
"Yeah, Jackson, what's going on?" Taylor asked while the others were giggling, except Melissa and Jackson.
"Nothing important. I just want to have a chat in private with Mel." Jackson turned to Melissa, "C'mon, Mel."
Melissa was surprised by Jackson's request. Nathan, Daley, Taylor and Eric looked curiously at Jackson, wondering what he was going to do.
"Alright," Melissa got up. "Guys, I'll be right back."
Then she walked out of the school cafeteria with Jackson. As they sat down on the bench under the tree, Melissa turned to Jackson, "So what is it?"
"Um… I wonder what you are doing this weekend. Do you have a plan?
"Nothing really. Maybe I just stay at home and do homework."
"Well… Would you like spend the weekend with me? I mean… I have a day off on Sunday so we can go somewhere… um… together."
Wait! Is he asking me out?
"Yes. Why not?" Melissa said happily. "That'd be nice. I'm looking forward to it."
"Me too. I'll send you an exact time later!" Jackson gave Melissa a familiar semi-smile. "Now I have to go. Bye."
"Okay. See you."
Melissa walked back to the cafeteria with Jackson's smile still lingering in her mind. Her friends was waiting for her at the table. They stared at her as she returned.
"Hey, Mel! What did he say to you?" Nathan asked. "You look so confused."
"Well… Just weekend plan." Melissa replied.
"Really?" Nathan and Daley uttered in chorus.
Melissa nodded to confirm.
"Wow! See?" Eric said excitedly. "Jackson is making a date with you."
"If Jackson and Melissa are dating, then our group will have three couples," Taylor clapped her hands. "That's fantastic!"
"Well… I used to hope something will work out with Jackson," Melissa sighed, "but now I don't expect anything."
o-O-o-O-o-O-o
That evening, Melissa received a text message on her cell phone and it was from Jackson.
"Hey Mel, I'll pick you up at 6:00 pm this Sunday."
"Okay. Got it."
Melissa wondered if Jackson was treating her like a friend or he started having feelings for her. She still didn't know what was in his mind but she was really looking forward to hanging out with Jackson that day. Anyway, she still loved him.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o
Sunday.
6:00 pm
The doorbell rang.
Melissa took a deep breath, opening the door.
"Hi, Mel," Jackson said, looking at her, "you look so great."
"Thank you, you too." Melissa gave him a friendly smile, almost too formally for two friends.
Jackson gave her the helmet and helped her onto his motorbike. Then he straddled the seat in front of her, putting his helmet on and started the motorbike.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" Melissa asked.
"We're going to dinner." Jackson answered.
"Great. Where?"
"You know what? It's a secret."
"Secret huh? Okay, then I'll see when I get there."
Later, Jackson stopped his motorbike in front of the Yummy Coffee Shop. He grabbed her hand to lead her to the outside table which had a full view of the street. The table had candles, food and drink on it.
"This table's waiting for you." Jackson said, pulling out a chair for her to sit down.
"Oh… Jackson…" Melissa blinked. "You ordered it?"
"Yeah. I've wanted to take you here for a while now. Of course, only you and me."
Did he mean anything by what he said? Melissa felt a blush burning in her cheeks.
"I love it. Thank you, Jackson," she gave him a happy smile.
The waiter came over to take their order and he gave Jackson a meaningful wink before he left.
"You really make me surprised, Jackson," Melissa said.
"It's not finished yet, I have some thing for you," he winked at her. "Just stay here. I'll be right back."
She nodded, smiling brightly. While she was wondering what he was going to do, she saw him on stage with the guitar.
"Everybody, I'm going to perform my new song," Jackson said. "It's called 'You Make Me Changed'. It's about friendship and how friends make you happier."
Then he played the guitar, singing his heart out. The customers clapped as he sang the rest of the song. When the song ended, everybody cheered loudly.
"Thank you, I just want to say that this song was inspired by my friend," Jackson said, turning his gaze toward Melissa. "She was the one who was right by my side when I was in trouble. So today I sing this song for her and I want to say something to her. Melissa, thank you for being my friend."
Melissa looked at him, she couldn't believe that he had composed the song for her and now he was singing it at the coffee shop where he worked.
Jackson got a round of applause when he finished. The whole room turned toward Melissa when Jackson came toward her and flashed a smile at her.
"Do you like it?" Jackson asked as he sat down.
"I really love it," Melissa replied, looking embarrassed.
"You know what, I don't do this to everyone. Only for you."
Only for me? What does he mean by that?
"How sweet, Jackson!" Melissa said. "Thank you so much!"
"It's nothing. When I like someone I'll try to make them happy. And I like you…" he said as he saw she was looking at him with bewildering eyes, "I mean in a friend kind of way."
"Yes, sure," she started to giggling, "we're friends."
"What're you giggling about?"
"Well... nothing. You're just so serious."
Jackson started giggling too and then they talked about their past experiences on the island, their present lives, as well as their future goals. Afterwards, they left the coffee shop. Jackson took Melissa's hand and walked toward his motorbike.
"Hey Mel, there's another place I want to take you. It's nearby."
"I guess you won't tell me where it is. Secret again, right?"
"Yes. But trust me. You'll be surprise."
"Okay. I'm impatient to know where it is."
"You should be. It'll be worth it. Let's go."
When they were on the motorbike, Jackson suddenly sped up and Melissa held him tightly. He was in complete shock when he felt her body against his back as well as her arms circling around his waist. He must admit that he really liked those feelings despite he had to try to control his feelings and concentrate on riding. Whenever Melissa seemed to loosen up a bit, he'd speed up to let her head fall against his shoulder and her arms tighten around him. Melissa sat behind Jackson and started to enjoy the motorbike ride, inhaling his manly scent. She had a feeling that Jackson seemed different tonight. She smiled contentedly to herself, wishing the road trip would last as long as possible. They continued riding through several streets, then they stopped at the hill path.
"I've never been here before. Where are you taking me?" Melissa asked, looking around.
"We're almost there. Just up this path and you'll know."
"What? It's up in the hill?"
"Yes. But don't worry, just 15 minutes and it'll be worth the trek." Jackson took Melissa's hand. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course." She replied, walking with him, "I totally trust you. Always."
Then Jackson took Melissa went up the hill. They ambled along the hill path, passing through some trees. The sound of water got louder as they approached the end of the path. Suddenly, Melissa was stunned by a beautiful sight. Waterfall! It was a waterfall. The flowers next to it were swaying gently in the wind. The water glided smoothly on the edge before tumbling down the mountain.
"What a wonderful place!" Melissa exclaimed. "I never knew that there was such a beautiful place, so near to where I lived."
"I'm very glad you like it," Jackson said.
"Thanks for bringing me here. How do you know this place?"
"When I was young, I usually wandered the city and I found this place and I came here whenever I was sad."
They sat on the grass, watching the waterfall with their feet dangling above the water. Melissa was amazed by the view from the hill. She started to enjoy the sensation of touch when wind blew onto her face. Jackson watched her, she was so beautiful, he couldn't help but his heart was beating like crazy. They stayed silent for the next few minutes then Jackson decided to say something to break the silence.
"So, how do you feel?" he asked.
"Great. I love hearing the waterfall pounding the rocks."
Melissa replied as she turned to look at Jackson. Their eyes contacted for a second and she saw he had a slight smile on his face. Suddenly, he leaned over and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. She just hoped he wouldn't see her face clearly in the dark because she was blushed.
"I had a lot of fun with you tonight… um… I… I think maybe…" Jackson stumbled over his words.
"Maybe what?" Melissa asked curiously.
"Maybe…" he cleared his throat, having a hard time finding the words, "may be we could hang out again?
Really? He wants to hang out with me again? Does that count as a date?
"Sure. Why not?" she said, giving him a sweet smile.
They chatted for an hour, having a such great time together. When they noticed that it was almost midnight, they decided to go home. While they were walking toward Jackson's motorbike, two men jumped out of the bush. One guy was fat and the other guy was tall. They came toward Jackson and Melissa.
"I guess we're getting lucky tonight," the fat man said.
"Hey teenagers!" the tall man shouted. "Give me your money! Now!"
"No way!" Jackson walked in front of Melissa. "You guys! Leave right now!"
Suddenly, the fat thug charged at Jackson with a knife. Jackson dodged that guy and gave him a fast and powerful roundhouse kick in the ribs, he howled in torment and collapsed to the ground. At the same time, the other thug ran over to kick Jackson on his back. Jackson crashed down onto the dusty ground, he got up instantly while the tall thug charged at him as well. Melissa saw it and she picked up a stone, throwing it at that thug. The stone hit him right in the chest. While the thug was holding his chest, Jackson threw a punch his face and the thug felt on the ground. The other thug used all of his leftover strength to charged at Melissa. Jacksons saw it, he ran to Melissa and pushed her aside to protect her from the thug's knife. The knife grazed Jackson's arm but Melissa was safe. Jackson looked furious, he gave the thug a sharp punch to the jaw to knock him out. The thug stared at the river of blood that had appeared out of his nose and gum, dropping his knife at the same time. He pulled up his comrade and they fled without knives behind. After that, Jackson turned around and he saw Melissa was in shock.
"Mel, are you alright?" he put his hand on her shoulder, asking nervously. "Tell me Mel, did they hurt you?"
"N-No… No-Nothing... I'm okay…" she stumbled over her words, "What about you?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry," he handed her the helmet. "Let's get out of here."
Melissa nodded and climbed onto the motorbike. Then Jackson started riding and brought Melissa back to home.
"Are you feel better now?" Jackson asked as he walked Melissa to her houses.
"Um… I think so."
Melissa nodded and looked at him. Now under the streetlights, she just realized that Jackson was injured.
"Oh no, Jackson, you're bleeding. Sorry, I didn't see you had a cut," she said nervously "Should we go to the hospital?"
"No," he shook his head, "I'm still alright."
"I'll take care of your wounds," she grabbed his arm, "I won't let you leave here like this."
"Wait, wait, it's just a graze, nothing serious," he shrugged, "I'm old enough to fend for myself."
"No, it's not only a graze. You have a cut in your arm and there're many grazes on your face. I repeat, I'll take care of your wounds," she said firmly, "I won't let you leave here like this."
"What?" he asked, looking surprised. "But I'm fine, just a little blood…"
"Not another word!" she said emphatically.
Jackson looked at her and he found that her eyes were red and her lips pursed. It was the same look she had gave him when he had been sick on the island. He knew she was really worried about him, then he couldn't help but gave her a reluctant nod.
After entering Melissa's house, Melissa helped Jackson clean and disinfect his wounds, she covered his cut and grazes with bandages. While she was leaning closer to treat a graze on his face, her cheeks flushed as she realized how close they were. Suddenly Jackson broke the awkward silence between the two of them.
"Mel, I'm so sorry for what happened," he said with a sigh.
"It's okay, you don't have to say sorry," she replied. "It's not your fault."
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, looking up at her.
"Yeah. I'm fine," she said softly, "just a little scared and…"
Before she could finish her sentence, Jackson pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her in a tight hug.
"I'm really worried about you," he whispered.
"Me too," she muttered, hugging him back.
After a few minutes, he just hold her and she must admit that she missed the warmth of his hug and she loved the feeling when his arms were wrapped around her so much. His blue eyes gazed into her when they pulled apart, his face was only a few inches away from her.
"Mel, there's something I really need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I used to wonder why my heartbeat so much faster whenever you was next to me," he took a deep breath, "but now I know what I didn't know."
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking puzzled. "I…"
"Shhh, just listen me. Okay?"
She nodded and he continued.
"Although I'm sure of how I feel for you, I wasn't brave enough to admit it. I was afraid of the risk of being hurt again, the fear of losing what I have..." he paused, gazing at her, "that's why I rejected your feelings for me. I'm sorry."
"I know… love can't be reluctant, right?" she said quietly. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me."
"But Mel, you know what, when the thug charged at you, I think I may lose you, I was scared, really scared if I won't see you anymore..." he took her hand and kissed it, "at that time I just realized how much I need you."
Melissa froze. Everything stopped while she heard those words. She just stared at Jackson, she couldn't believe what she heard at all.
"Is it true?" she asked quietly. "Is it how you truly feel?"
Jackson nodded, looking at her eyes. "You're so different from the other girls. I must have had those feelings before we were rescued out of the island. The whole experience with you on the island had made me fall for you but I just didn't realized. Mel, do you still love me?"
Tears fell from Melissa's eyes, she rose to embrace Jackson tightly.
"I didn't know if you felt the same way. I didn't want to get my heart broken again. But I can't stop thinking about you," Melissa whispered, barely enough for him to hear, "I still love you, Jackson."
They broke apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes.
"I just remember that I haven't told you the most important thing of all," Jackson said as he wiped her tears, "I love you, Mel. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Melissa smiled and gave him a nod. Without any hesitation, Jackson leaned close to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently and sweetly. Melissa kissed him back, pulling him closer as she ran her fingers through his hair. She was always in love with him but she didn't expect him to love her as she loved him. But now, in the first moment when they kissed, she knew that he felt exactly the same way she loved him.
At that time, it felt like everything around them had slowed down.
At least, they finally had each other. What could be better?
- END -
Please read and review this story!
Hope you'll like it.