September 28th, 1980

It was Jackie's 19th birthday, and the Formans were having a party at their house to celebrate. Jackie was in a black, flowing dress that only served to emphasize her glamour. He just stared at her, laughing and talking to Donna and Kelso, holding Betsy in her arms.

"My girl is so beautiful." The thought came with a rush of pride.

It wouldn't faze anyone if he just walked up to her, and wrapped his arm around his waist. He'd just approach them and touch her to listen to the conversation. She'd take his hand and something would expand inside his chest, threatening to break his Zen.

But that vision was quickly shattered as he watched Fez come up to her and do exactly that, touching her and taking her hand. The very sight of it physically repulsed him. His grip on the beer Forman had handed him got tighter. He found himself fighting an urge to walk up and grab her from Fez, pulling her into his own lap and making everything in the world aligned again.

The fact that she was still with Fez was something that Hyde couldn't comprehend. Why would the most beautiful and amazing woman in the world choose to be with a pervert commoner such as Fez? He'd bet on the relationship lasting a month at longest, coping with the existence of it by the hope that he'd have her back in his arms soon enough.

On January 1st, he had prayed that he'd have her back by Valentine's Day, promising the universe to shower her in gifts and give into her materialistic views of love for once. He wouldn't like it, but he'd do it every year for the rest of his life if it meant he could have her again. But when Valentine's Day rolled around, Jackie ran into the basement, beaming about the necklace Fez had bought her. It was like an anvil had dropped on his body. He didn't want it to be real.

But it was real. She was Fez's girl now, but he would never stop wishing she was his. Even if he screwed it up. Even if he'd never deserve her again. Strippers and nurses, burns and pushing into creeks. Fez would never hurt her as he did.

Jackie had tried to be amicable with him. Talk to him, watch TV with him. But every word she said to him made him want to shut her up by covering her mouth with his own.

Hyde was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of a fork tapping against a glass. He looked up from the pea-soup colored chair.

"Excuse me, friends and family. We have news." Fez announced to the group. He turned to Jackie. "Take it away, my love."

Jackie stepped forward, her smile shining brighter than anything he'd ever witnessed. With one hand behind her back, she used her free hand to squeeze Fez's hand and turned towards the waiting stares of everyone in the room.

Wordlessly, she lifted the hand behind her and showed a shimmering diamond ring sitting on her left hand. "We're getting married!" She chirped.

The world ceases to spin.

As the cheers erupt, Hyde gets up from the pea colored chair to hug Fez and Jackie, holding on to her a second too long, before silently retreating to the basement.

—

"Hey, what are you up to? You slipped away pretty fast."

He looked up from the TV to see Jackie walking down the stairs, her long black dress flowing behind her. Her curled hair coiled up into a bun, he wanted nothing more than to let it down and run his fingers through it.

When he didn't answer, she tried again, "Michael drank way too much, so Fez went to drive him home. Can I watch with you?"

Hyde grunted in response. She awkwardly sat on the couch across from his chair.

He can't stop himself from asking. "Why did you say yes?"

She looked at him, shocked. "What?"

"When he proposed to you. Why did you say yes? Jackie, we both know he's not who you want to be with." The words are out before he can filter himself.

"Steven, this isn't an appropriate conversation to be hav-"

"Just answer."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "You know I've always wanted to be married, Steven."

He can feel himself losing control. "So- you said yes to someone you don't love just for the idea of marriage? Jackie, that's bullshit." He seethed.

"Maybe so, but I did what I thought was best for myself. You need to respect that, Steven." She paused, looking down at her hands in her lap. When she spoke again, it was almost a whisper "Besides, the person I did love wasn't willing to commit."

He breathed out. "Take a chance," he told himself. "Don't be an asshole, just this once."

"What- what do you think would've happened if just one thing had been different? With us."

She gazed up at him. "I guess we'll never know. But we had too much wrong with us."

"I guess, but we were something while it lasted, don't you think so?"

"We did, didn't we? But I should be going, Fez will be home soon." She touched his hand as she got up. "Bye Steven."

"Jackie. Wait," he called out hoarsely. She turned to face him. "Kiss me."

Her eyes softened. "Steven, that's not-"

"Please." He begged her. "I know I screwed it up. I know it's too late for us, you're gonna be with him."

She took a deep breath as he continued.

"I just want a goodbye kiss. I'll let you go; I'll never bother you again. You can tell Fez, or not, I don't care. Just kiss me."

If someone told him last year that he'd be standing here, begging a girl to kiss him one last time, he probably would've laughed in their face. He'd tell them that he'd never be so weak, so vulnerable. He'd say that he was no Forman. But here he was, losing his girl to Fez, practically pleading her to give him one last touch.

Before he could process her reaction, she touched both sides of his face and planted a soft kiss on him. It was like the light at the end of a tunnel, like the sun was coming out after days of rain. It was like coming home.

Her lips tasted like cherry and champagne. They were so soft and he felt more alive than he had in over a year. His hands wrapped around her waist.

And then it was over. It all came crashing down too quickly, and the familiar numbness came back over him. His fingers came up to touch his lips.

"Steven, can I tell you something?" She asked.

He felt a glimmer of hope arise in him again, after all this time. "Yeah?"

"I think it would've been fun. If you'd have been the one."

"Yeah, it really would've been."

She smiled up at him sadly. "You understand why we can't though, right?"

"I guess I do."

"Okay." She took a deep breath as she grabbed her coat. "See you later, Steven."

He watched as she walked out into Fez's arms and collapsed back into his chair.

"It really would've been sweet." He said aloud to himself in the empty basement.