"Hey! Jackson!" Jackson turned around to see Melissa racing across the sand toward him.
"Hey," Jackson replied, smiling at her. She really is beautiful. He dropped the firewood he had in his arms and wiped his hands on his pants. "What's up?"
"Uum... well I just had... a... uum...well..." C'mon Melissa! He's waiting! "Well I just... I wanted to see... what... whatyou were up to." Nice. Real smooth, Melissa.
Jackson smiled. "Really?" he said, sounding a little amused.
"Yeah, I mean... well... taking care of a fire isn't that hard, and since you're the leader and everything I figured you were busy and maybe you would need some help, so I came here... to help." What was that! First you couldn't form a sentence, now you're rambling!
Jackson laughed. "Well, I don't really need any help, but if you want to walk with me or something, you can." He picked up the firewood again and walked off. Melissa followed. After a few minutes of wondering who would talk first, Melissa decided for them.
"So... how was your night?"
"It was pretty good, I guess. I mean, it was kinda hard to sleep with... you know, the whole storm thing. But it was a good sleep. I just wish that we didn't have to do everything from scratch; I mean, we spent so much time on everything and to have it be all ruined..." Jackson let his sentence fade off. They both knew; not only was their hard work blown away in one night, but they also had less of a chance of survival. Everything they needed was gone.
"Well... look on the bright side, at least no one's hurt." Jackson nodded. "Right. No one's hurt."
They fell silent again. SuddenlyMelissa spoke again. "D'you... d'you remember that night that Abby and Lex set up for us? About how we were dancing together?"
"How could I forget? It was only a few nights ago," he said, smiling at her.
Melissa smiled too, but licked her lips nervously. "Yeah... well... I'd just like to say..." breathe, Melissa. Breathe. Why am I so nervous? "I liked it. Dancing with you, I mean." She blushed and looked away furiously.
Jackson smiled at her shyness. "I liked it too. Sorry again for stepping on your feet so much," he added.
She laughed. "It's okay. I think the bruises are almost gone," she said in a teasing tone. Then she added, more seriously, "What if we never get off the island? What if we stay here for 50 years and nobody ever finds us and we die one by one-"
"Melissa, stop." Jackson said, dropping the firewood once again. Melissa looked really upset so he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't think like that. We'll get off. I promise."
Melissa took a deep breath and said what was on her mind. "I just... being on this island isn't that bad. It's really pretty here and everything. It's not like I'm homesick or anything, it's just... I wanna get back home... so we could... y'know..."
He did know. She wanted to get back so they could start dating. "Melissa..." He was at a loss for what to say. He meant what he said, that they would hang out when they got back, but he was still scared of her having a hold of his heart. Suddenly she looked up at him, stared into his eyes. Because his arms were still around her, her face was only inches away from his.
Jackson's mouth went dry. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. He didn't want to kiss her, but at the same time he couldn't resist. He found himself leaning down slowly toward her. He saw the look of surprise pass on her face but she didn't resist. He knew she wouldn't; after all, this is what she wanted.
But what did he want? He wasn't sure. All he wanted was to give his heart to her, but what if she gave it back to him in pieces? He tried asking Nathan about it, but he didn't understand. After all, people expected the girls to have commitment issues, not the guys.
Now wasn't the time to think about it. And so, his brain telling him not to but his heart disagreeing, he continued leaning down until his mouth was only millimeters away from hers.
and then.
he.
kissed.
her.