AN: Can Eric handle his new roommate? Bigger surprises are right around the corner.
Chapter 4: Better Than The Song
xXxXx
After they had checked in, the group went their separate ways to get unpacked. Eric did everything he could think of to keep the awkwardness to a minimum.
"You know, I never really saw myself coming to a place like this. Africa was pretty cool, but it was far from a vacation." Eric tried to get a conversation going.
"I know what you mean," she sighed. "After my parents split when I was little, vacations were pretty much out of the question. But it's all good now." She shot Eric a smile, and he had absolutely no idea what to say to that.
Well, this is awkward.
Eric spent a laughable amount of time staring at his hands while he and his new roommate unpacked their suitcases. He'd occasionally glance across the room at Megan, and the contents of her luggage made him even more nervous.
Bikinis, sundresses, and lacy undergarments that Donna wouldn't have been caught dead wearing.
Oh my god… This is nuts! Princess Leia is my roommate, and I'm supposed to keep my cool?
Megan noticed Eric's glances. "So, Eric, you're going to come swimming with the rest of us, right?
Eric recalled the group's plan to unwind after the flight. "Uh, yeah. I wouldn't mind relaxing for a while." Besides, how could I pass up an opportunity to see you in one of those bathing suits? He shook the thought from his mind and finished unpacking as Megan stepped into the bathroom to change.
When she came out, Eric saw that she had slipped into a lime green bikini. The suit hugged her modest curves well, and he thought she had stepped right off the cover of a magazine.
"You better go change quickly, Eric," she said, batting her eyelashes. "I'll need a hand with this sun-tan lotion."
xXxXx
The large, rectangular pool proved to be the perfect place for Jackie Burkhart to read the handful of fashion magazines she had brought. Reclining in a white deck chair, she felt the gentle Caribbean breeze raise small bumps along her thighs.
This really is paradise! Maybe I can take my time enjoying this peace and quiet before meeting up with that group from Kenosha…
She was wearing the black and pink swimsuit she'd bought specifically for this trip, even though she wasn't planning on swimming just then. Instead, she'd thrown on a simple floral coverup, a fashionable wide-brimmed hat, and some large sunglasses. Even in the simple moments, she had to look fabulous. She ordered another piña colada, easy on the rum, from a waiter. These drinks are damn good! Even better than the song makes them out to be.
Jackie went on flipping the pages of her periodicals when she heard the sound of a cheerful group step out of the large doors from the lobby and onto the pool deck.
Eyeing the group from over the top of a magazine, Jackie watched from her deck chair as a familiar-looking set of people began to make their way down the steps into the water.
A chubby, boisterous man splashed his wife. A pair of girls close to Jackie's age giggled as they floated out across the shimmering water. A handsome man lent a hand to a very voluptuous woman as she eased herself down the stairs, attempting to keep her strong curls dry.
Standing near the edge of the pool was a woman who, compared to the others, seemed out of place. She was tall and slim with unbelievably perfect skin. Jackie didn't know whether to hate her and try to become her best friend.
But standing behind the offensively gorgeous woman, applying lotion to her shoulders ever so carefully, was none other than…
"Eric Forman?" Jackie murmured the confused question to herself. What on earth is he doing here? Is he with the model? When did he start working out?
Jackie was surprised at herself for even thinking about such a thing. But without realizing it, her eyes drifted once again to his bulkier form.
Eric was wearing a simple pair of navy blue trunks. They ended just above his knees and didn't look too shabby. He was very intently working the lotion into the woman's back, and Jackie was more than a little surprised to see his newfound arm muscles flex in the process.
She then watched as he joined the others in the pool. Hidden behind a magazine and her shades, Jackie watched curiously as Eric swam around. He joked with the handsome man, and tried in vain to seem cool in front of the tan woman he'd walked up with.
Maybe it was out of curiosity. Maybe Jackie just liked to be dramatic. It didn't matter. When Eric ended up resting against the edge of the pool just in front of Jackie's chair, she saw an opportunity and took it. Jackie leaned forward, pulled her sunglasses down to expose her eyes, and cleared her throat to get his attention.
"After all these years, you still don't know how to be smooth with a woman? I'm almost disappointed, Eric."
xXxXx
What on earth is she doing here? It just doesn't make any sense. Of all people to run into, why does Jackie Burkhart have to be the one to make the cut?
Eric was beyond dumbstruck. His jaw had hardly left the ground as he watched Jackie walk over to greet his boss. He didn't hear all of their exchange but he did make out "we talked on the phone" and "tagging along". It was enough to make his stomach turn.
"Whoa, man! Who's the fox? She looks pretty familiar." Mitch asked noisily before taking a sip of his beer.
Eric couldn't find any words. Jim Kirkland turned toward his employees and said a few words. "Everybody, this little lady is Jackie Burkhart. You may recognize that winning smile from our local news channel. She's come all the way down here from Kenosha too, and she'll be hanging around with us during our stay." Everyone except for Eric happily greeted her.
Things didn't get much better for Eric when the entire group eventually dried off and made their way to the restaurant inside. Jim had asked Jackie to tag along, and she was more than happy to oblige. Somehow – by either bad luck or a devious scheme – Eric found himself sitting at the corner of the group's table; Megan was sitting to his left, and Jackie was directly across from him, looking like she might devour him with that peppy smile of hers.
This is like something out of a nightmare! It was bad enough that she's staying in the same building, but now she's going to be with us all week… Eric imagined all the ways the little she-devil could make this trip miserable for him.
"So, Jackie? Are you from Wisconsin originally?" It had been Megan to speak up, much to Eric's discomfort.
"Well actually, I'm from this little town called Point Place. But I'm living in Kenosha at the moment." Jackie grinned at Megan's question, and raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Eric.
Mitch, who was listening from a couple seats over, chimed in. "Isn't that where you're from, Forman?"
Eric had really been counting on it taking longer for his coworker to piece things together. "Well yeah, sorta-"
"Oh yeah, Eric and I have known each other for years. Actually, you could say that we were even friends growing up." Jackie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at the group.
When were we ever friends? Sure, we bickered. And joked around with each other. And gave each other advice and support every once in a while. But that's not what friends do – right?
xXxXx
The stream of questions continued to fly as the group enjoyed freshly caught seafood, and Jackie was more than happy to tell them all stories that involved Eric and the old basement gang. She came to the realization that with their old friends scattered on the wind, and Donna happily out of his life, Eric had decided to just put his past behind him.
The group of vacationers had been in the cozy restaurant for almost two hours. They'd discussed everything from business and the weather, to Mitch's upcoming wedding. Eileen and Marsha talked about how their dating lives were going. Megan seemed especially interested in hearing about Jackie's youth in Point Place. The two women talked more to themselves, unintentionally leaving Eric right in the middle.
"You know, my teen years were a lot of fun. Eric's parents practically raised me for a while. I made a lot of great memories, but there were some things that weren't as fun to go through..." Jackie trailed off. Megan looked at her with sympathetic eyes and Jackie felt at ease again.
"I made the mistake of dating guys that I thought I could fix. Like, Michael Kelso. He was my first real love, but it took becoming a father for him to learn how to appreciate the value of a woman. And don't even get me started on Steven." Jackie was starting to feel like she could really open up to Megan.
"I know what you mean, girl. My high school years were spent with guys who only wanted one thing." Both women let out a laugh of understanding.
Jackie thought about all the different relationships that sprung up and died down over the years. "None of those guys ever really wanted the same things I wanted. Sure, I enjoyed all of the physical stuff. Who doesn't? But they weren't trying to build a solid foundation with me, and I kept getting burned because of it."
Megan reached over the table, and over Eric's empty plate, and placed her hand on Jackie's. "I know we've only just met, but I can tell that you deserve so much better than you've gotten in the past. There's a guy out there who can give you those things. You just haven't found him yet."
Who is this girl? She's either my long-lost sister, or my fairy godmother. Hell, she may just be a bit of both!
xXxXx
Eric had been slumped down in his chair for the majority of the ladies' conversation. Once he realized he wasn't involved in any way, he just sat back and tried not to listen to what they were saying.
Something about Jackie's words caught Eric's attention, though. Hearing her talk about why her previous relationships failed made him reflect on the last, final breakup with Donna. He traced the dark wood grain on the tabletop with his finger as he questioned whether their relationship had ever been a good one.
He'd known for a long time that they had only been together out of convenience. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. But when she told him it was really over, he had just placed the blame for their split on himself and decided to move on with his life. Now, Eric wondered if maybe it wasn't anyone's fault. Maybe it worked out the way it was supposed to.
I'm honestly not sure if I ever loved Donna. She was the 'girl next door', the lifelong friend who felt familiar and safe. There weren't many times we were on the same page, though. Maybe we didn't break up because I wasn't free-spirited enough. We just weren't the right people for each other at all.
Eric snapped out of his daze when everyone started to get up from the table. As he stood up and pushed in his chair, Megan leaned over and said, "I just love Jackie! She's so down to earth!"
Down to earth. Megan must've met a completely different Jackie Burkhart than the one I grew up around.
It was now pretty late in the evening, and clearly time for everyone to go their separate ways for the night. Eric had stepped back out by the pool deck to collect his thoughts when he heard his name being called from behind him.
Jackie was standing next to one of the deck chairs, her doe eyes shimmering from the light of a few tiki torches. "Hey, Eric, can we talk for a second?"
xXxXx
AN: Holy crap, this was fun to write. I'm trying to get into more of a groove with the pacing of this story.
Anyway, let me know what you think about it! Read, Review, and Enjoy :-)