Chapter 5: Daydreaming

xXxXx

"Hey, Eric, can we talk for a second?"

The question had slipped out before Jackie even realized what she was saying. The torchlight surrounding the pool swallowed them both in an intimate glow.

Eric turned to see the familiar voice that called to him. His voice caught in his throat as he took in the sight of her. Eric did his best to hide the fact that, if only for a split second, he thought Jackie looked beautiful.

"Uh, sure… I guess I've got some time." Jackie could tell he was just as surprised as she was.

She effortlessly gathered her coverup under her and sat down on a nearby deck chair. Eric stayed still for a bit longer before taking a seat just a few feet away from her. Jackie watched the light flicker against his green eyes, struggling to find something to say.

"So, Eric. Of all the guys in the basement, I never would have expected you to be the one to follow me out of the country." She batted her eyelashes in mock-flirtation.

"Well…at least I wasn't the one skulking around, watching people swim." He stammered a response, obviously trying to figure out where this was going.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just trying to figure out why you're here instead of stuck up Donna's ass like you always wanted to be."

I probably could've worded that a little better…

Jackie knew all about the final split up of the 'Golden Couple', of course. She was one of the first people to find out. She'd been more than a little happy that she wasn't the only one without a perfect happily-ever-after.

Eric was at a loss for words. He was staring at his hands, his thumbs rubbing at a non-existent spot on the navy trunks. Jackie couldn't tell whether he was about to laugh or cry, but his facial expression wasn't one that made her feel better.

"You know she left. Hell, you probably helped her pack. And yeah, I realize I spent way too much time jumping through hoops for her. But she decided I was somehow wasting her time. So excuse me for actually moving on with my life."

His words came off as harsh, but his voice was hardly any different from normal. If it hadn't been for the way his jaw kept tightening and his nostrils flared, Jackie would've thought that he was indifferent to all of it.

"I didn't mean it like that, Eric." Jackie spoke softly, hoping to keep the conversation from getting worse. "But I'm not wrong, am I?"

Why do I always have to be right? Why didn't I just leave it how it was?

"No. You're not. And on that note, I think I'm going to head on to bed." Eric stood up, and headed toward his room. All the peace and acceptance he'd built up over dinner was steadily crumbling.

Jackie watched him walk away, deep in thought as she watched shadows dance across the muscles of his back.

I'll be damned if Eric Forman thinks he'll get to stay mad at me this entire trip!

xXxXx

Where the hell did that come from?

Eric was still reeling from his brief conversation with Jackie when he got to the hotel room. As he opened the door, he was greeted by the faint sound of a running shower. Relieved that he wouldn't have to force a smile during a conversation with Megan, Eric threw himself onto his bed and tried – in vain – to fall asleep.

Megan eventually came out of the bathroom, accompanied by an impressive cloud of steam. Eric hear her humming softly and cracked an eye open. He saw that she was dressed in a soft blue nightgown, and that her hair was wrapped up in a towel.

How do girls do that towel thing?

Eric thought he must've been a pretty convincing fake sleeper because Megan didn't waste much time climbing into her own bed and flicking off the lamp that separated the two of them. In the dark, Eric's mind wandered much more freely than it had before.

He thought about Donna, and what she might be doing at that exact moment. To his surprise, Eric realized that he didn't care.

He thought about Megan, and Mitch, and the rest of his coworkers. He was happy to have found a job that took his mind off things.

He thought about Jackie. The midget. The She-Devil. The spoiled little girl that had grown up in his basement. The woman who seemed to always be one step ahead of the curve. Where does she get off bringing up Donna like that? Is she trying to ruin my vacation before the first day is even over?

Has she always looked so… What? No way. I'm totally not thinking about her like that.

Eric let out a low groan as he rolled over, hugging a pillow to his chest.

After waking up several times during the night, Eric stared at the red blur coming from the alarm clock until his vision came into focus. 6:23 a.m. That'll have to do.

Making sure to slide out of bed as quietly as possible, Eric tip-toed to the bathroom to take care of his usual morning routine. Thankfully, Megan was still asleep when he stepped back into the cool darkness of the main room.

Eric was nearly to the door to go outside when he looked down and saw a small slip of paper. It had clearly been pushed under the door. He picked the paper up and brought it close to his face to read it.

The side he was looking at simply said 'Eric' , with a heart dotting the 'i'. He flipped the paper over and read a short note.

Sorry for last night.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the week.

See you at breakfast!

- Jackie

Eric traced the swirly signature at the bottom with his thumb, doing his best not to read into the message too much.

xXxXx

It was a little after 9 a.m. when Eric was shaken from his sleep. Mitch was standing over him, looking both concerned and amused by the sight in front of him.

"Forman, man, wake up! Have you been out here all night?"

Shit! I must've dozed off on the pool chair… Did I miss breakfast?

Eric shook his head as he sat up. He realized that the note had been lying on his chest as he slept. "Nah. I just came out here to get some fresh air.."

"Whatever you say, dude. The ladies wanted me to come over and make sure you're alright. We're all heading in to get some breakfast."

Looking over at the hotel's large outer doors, Eric now noticed Megan and Mitch's fiancee, Hillary, watching the two guys with concerned looks. Mitch gave the ladies a thumbs-up and they stepped inside.

"Come on, man. Let's get in there before before all the coffee's gone." Mitch reached out his hand and pulled Eric to his feet. He couldn't help but laugh as Eric tried to rub the sleepiness from his eyes.

Inside, the two men found that everyone was following the same seating arrangement as the evening before. Eric couldn't help but feel like it was all a set-up.

Why else would I have to sit across from Jackie again?

xXxXx

Jackie was being poured a cup of coffee when Eric came through the door following his friend. She thought he looked a little worse for wear, but knew he'd get over it if the attention wasn't on him all morning.

"So how'd everybody sleep? I don't know about you guys, but that was the best night's sleep I've had in a while." Jackie gave a satisfied smile to the group at her end of the long table.

Megan, after taking a sip of the fresh coffee, chimed in, "I slept pretty well, too. Though now I'm worried that I snore, and poor Eric preferred to sleep out by the pool than listen to it."

Eric tried to assure her that there was no snoring to worry about, but it was pretty clear that he was struggling to come up with a decent reason for why he was sleeping outdoors.

It looks like it's Jackie to the rescue, as usual.

"I'm sure Eric was just taking a walk to enjoy this amazing weather. Hearing the waves come in on the beach, and feeling that warm breeze probably makes for a great night's sleep. Hell, I may have to try sleeping outside at some point."

Eric looked at Jackie in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she – the she-devil of Point Place – had kept the events of the previous night to herself. There was hardly any time to think about it before the conversation moved on to other things, including what everyone had planned for the day.

The Kirklands were planning on going into the city to do some shopping, while Eileen and Marsha had read in a brochure about a nearby lagoon that was perfect for snorkeling. Jackie mentioned wanting to go to the beach, and made it known that anyone on her end of the table was more than welcome.

Mitch's ear perked up at the mention of the beach, and he turned quickly to Hillary. "What do you say, baby-cakes? I've never swam in the ocean before. Maybe we could find some cool shells while we're out there."

"I'll do anything you want to, honey-bunch." They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed right there at the table. Everybody else became suddenly interested in the food on their plates.

Eventually, Megan looked back up at Jackie and said, "I wouldn't mind tagging along with you, Jackie. I'd really love to chat with you some more." The two women had large grins on their faces.

The only person who hadn't given any indication of his plan for the day was Eric, who had been stirring his cup of coffee with a spoon for much of the discussion. It had occurred to him that the excitement he'd felt about spending this awesome vacation with his beautiful coworker had all but vanished. Jackie just had to come along and bring up things that Eric wanted to stay in the past. Sure, she was right about some things, but that didn't give her the right to just come into his life and point it out…

He was pulled back to reality when a hand reached across the table and pulled the spoon from his hand. Following the hand up to the face of the person it belonged to, Eric's eyes met Jackie's for the first time all morning. Her gaze left butterflies in his stomach.

"What about you, Eric. Are you coming with us? Or are you going to spend all day daydreaming?" She pointed the spoon at him accusingly, but her giggling put him at ease.

Eric downed the well-stirred coffee before saying, "It doesn't sound like I have much of a choice. The beach it is!"