Title: That Long Hot Summer
Notes: Annie did a fantastic job on the beta of this chapter, thanks hun.
Chapter 5
The basement was suddenly silent, as Chris closed the door behind him and Fez, leaving a momentarily stunned Hyde all alone. With a short huff, he picked up the discarded pool cue and continued the game Chris had abandoned.
He circled to the other side of the table and absentmindedly watched the red ball roll over the felt surface. Trying to make sense of his feelings for Jackie had always been complicated. For so long she had been the annoying little girl that had attached herself to Kelso. Then, one day, she wasn't so little. And a little while after that, she wasn't so annoying either.
But she was always attached to Kelso, that hadn't changed.
Which made his position harder.
He remembered the day it started; wasn't after the prom or their date. Wasn't even after he took the rap for the pot, but he could see why everyone thought so. No, it was after that completely innocent kiss on his birthday. He couldn't believe that one kiss on the cheek could burn for a week.
Turns out, Mrs. Forman was right; he did kind of like her.
And he became very good at hiding it. As long as they didn't spend too much time together, he was fine. Didn't do anything stupid. It was those moments when they were alone that did him in. The times when she wasn't with Kelso, they were the dangerous ones.
Like this summer.
Which is why he resisted letting her tag along and join the group. He made a promise, after that disaster with Donna; friends girls were off limits, no matter how hot she was or how stupid the friend. He was not going to go through that again. Jackie would always just be the girlfriend of Kelso. Nothing more. It's the way it had to be.
With a resounding thwak he sent the eight ball careening into the corner pocket. His resolve stronger, he headed up the stairs to find Jackie and put an end to this crazy misunderstanding.
Before it got too out of control.
~*~
Hyde wandered through main floor of the house. He half hoped Jackie would come storming around the corner, fire in her eyes, and demand to know why he would let people think they were an item. It would save him a lot of hassle, but he knew that if anyone did say anything, she would assume it was about her and Kelso.
He finally found her; sitting on the living room couch, feet propped up on the coffee table.
"Steven! There you are." Jackie looked up from her spot on the couch, a large smile on her face.
"Jackie, are you drunk?"
"No" she replied indignantly. "I've been having a civil conversation with these nice people." She looked beside her, only to notice the other two occupants of the couch were slumped together, asleep. When did that happen? She wondered.
Hyde raised an eyebrow and tried to control his laughter. "Was it something you said?"
"Shut up!" She sputtered between giggles. "They were awake two seconds ago!"
"Uh huh." He laughed even harder when one of the other occupants of the couch shifted positions and Jackie wound up with their head on her shoulder. She tried, without any luck, to push the sleeping intruder off and finally looked up at Hyde for help.
Wordlessly, he offered a hand and with a gentle tug, pulled her off the couch. Any other time he would have let go and let her find her ground. But this time, he held onto her as she stumbled slightly, her other hand reaching out for his chest in an attempt to stabilize herself. At the first contact he froze; all of the good reasons for staying away were pushed into the background. He looked down and saw, through her curtain of dark hair, her moisten her lips and felt her fingers unconsciously kneed his chest. "Maybe a bit tipsy." She admitted; as she continued to stare at his dark cotton t-shirt.
He looked around and finally noticed the groups of people milling about, all within earshot. "We need to talk." He said and without letting go of her hand, he led her through the room and into the den; the only place that he knew would be empty. He closed the door and ran a hand over his face in an attempt to stall the inevitable. By the time he got his thoughts together he realized Jackie had been talking since they entered the room.
"Jackie." He tried to break into her monologue.
"…and everyone's so nice; they keep saying the best things about me and Michael."
"Jackie--"
"Even people I've never met before are congratulating me."
Hyde stopped. Please tell me she didn't tell them about the engagement. "Why are they congratulating you?" He asked hesitantly.
"For having such a wonderful boyfriend." She looked at him, confused.
Oh, thank god. For weeks Jackie had been telling everyone in town that she was engaged, he had to thank some higher power that she had chosen this night to finally shut up about it. With a deep breath he pushed her down onto a plush leather chair, and prepared for the worst. "Jackie, these people have never met Kelso."
"Of course they have...everyone's been talking about us."
"Yeah. Us." He gestured between them. "You and Me." She still looked up at him, a blank look in her eyes. "They think I'm your boyfriend." He finished bluntly.
She almost laughed at the idea, but one look at Hyde's face made her think twice. She leaned back into the chair and looked around, disbelieving. It was a ridiculous idea, exactly how much did he have to drink? She was just about to tell him how insane he was acting, when a niggling thought took hold in the back of her mind. Something she couldn't quite place…
And then it clicked.
All of the comments, the strange looks and thinly veiled hostility from some of the girls. The sweet girl who said they looked good together and it was obvious they were in love…all of it for Steven.
She wondered how everyone could be so confused. Shouldn't it be obvious that, at best, they tolerate each other? That they had nothing in common? She was popular and a cheerleader and shouldn't be seen with scruffy guys like him.
On the other hand, it seemed fitting, because she knows what it feels like to be in his arms. That sometimes, when she's all alone in bed, she thinks back over that night, just to preserve the memory.
She couldn't deny that it would be so easy to give into the lust. Even tonight she felt herself slipping.
"Jackie?" Hyde reached down and touched her lightly on the shoulder. As if in a daze, she looked up and noticed his eyes, I wonder when they got to be so blue. With a start she realized where she was and hastily stood up and put some much needed distance between them. Lines started to get fuzzy when they were too close.
"That's crazy. Nobody would ever think I would go out with someone like you." She raised her eyebrows in a look of certainty that begged for him to disagree.
"Really?" He questioned and slowly started to close the gap between them. He cocked his head to the side and looked at her. "Everyone here thinks you are." By this time they were only inches apart and for every step he took forward she would back up. Until, with a startling thump, she was pressed up against the den wall. He reached out and gently touched her jean covered waist to steady her. "Maybe they know something you don't." His breath warmed the sensitive skin of her cheek.
She couldn't explain what was happening. A sudden defenselessness washed over her, she couldn't move, didn't want to move. This wasn't happening. She struggled to find some…any determination to push him aside and walk away. Stroll back into the crowd of people congregating in the front of the house.
But she couldn't. And she didn't.
She stayed there, motionless, waiting for him to make a move. Half hoping he would lean in and kiss her. So she could feel the warm touch of his lips on hers. By instinct she parted her mouth slightly, a sign from her traitorous body. A body that never fully forgot the feel of his kiss and longed for the chance to relive the experience.
He continued to stare down into her eyes, he had a slight smirk on his lips, like he knew she wasn't as opposed to his actions as she let on. The light touch of his fingertips burned through her clothing, and with an agonizing slowness he tilted his head to fully close the gap between their two mouths. She found herself closing her eyes in anticipation of the contact.
But before she could feel the warm tingle of a first kiss they were interrupted by a sharp intake of breath coming from the now open doorway.
"Oh…jeeze…sorry." Jennifer apologized when she saw who she had walked in on. She liked this couple and from the looks of things she had obviously interrupted the start of something hot. "I didn't think anyone…uhh." She looked around and pointed towards the kitchen. "I'll just go back…in there."
"No!" Jackie let out a sigh of relief and pushed herself away from the wall. "What did you need?"
"Are you sure?" Jennifer questioned. She liked her new friend from Point Place. Jackie was a lot nicer than some of the girls she had been introduced to. Like that skank Pam Macy and her idiot boyfriend…whatshisname, the model. Now there were two people destined for dumbness.
"Positive." Jackie patted her on the arm and ushered her out of the room. As they turned the corner she risked a quick glance into the den, expecting to see Hyde's triumphant smile over her wanton actions. Instead, she saw him release a deep breath and run a hand over his face and through his hair.
At that moment, she knew; this wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
…Continued in Chapter 6, where we move it to the drive-in.