Chapter 11

The morning came quickly for the double date. Melissa and Jackson were waiting on the couch for their dates to arrive. There was mostly silence between them. Melissa didn't talk much since she was nervous about the double date. She wasn't sure why she even suggested it. She just blurted it out to cover up her thoughts about Jackson and Monica.

I hope she's not nice,Melissa thought. What am I saying? I'm so mean!

Then they heard a knock at the door and Jackson went to open it.

"Hey," he said. "Come in."

The person who walked in was Monica. To Melissa's disappointment, she was pretty. She had medium brunette hair and her body type was average.

Jackson sure knows how to choose them,Melissa thought.

"Hi! You must be Melissa," Monica said.

"That's me," she said, standing up.

"It's so nice to meet you! I brought over some blueberry muffins for the both of you. Jackson told me how much you both liked them."

I guess she is nice after all,thought Melissa. I should stop thinking of him now. She's perfect for him and I have a boyfriend. End of discussion.

"Oh, how sweet of you. Thanks," she said and then she went into the kitchen to put the muffins away.

Then another knock came and Jackson opened the door to find Derek.

"Hey, man," Derek said.

"Hey," replied Jackson.

"So you ready for this double date thing?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Jackson, is that Derek?" Melissa shouted from the kitchen.

"Yeah," Jackson yelled back. "Come in."

Once Derek walked in Melissa came up to him and gave him a hug. Then she gave a quick kiss to him.

"Aww... you two look so cute together," Monica said after witnessing their greeting.

"Thanks," Melissa said with a smile.

"If everyone's all set, then we should head out to Eric's store," Jackson said.

Eric was sitting behind the cash register and waiting for the first customers of the day to come. Suddenly he heard the bells over the door jingle and looked up. He saw Jackson and Melissa walk in. He gave them a welcoming smile, but then he saw two other people following them and his welcoming smile turned into a confused one.

"Hey, guys. Glad you could make it," he said, walking up to them.

"Hey, Eric! Your store looks so good!" Melissa said, as she hugged him.

"Yeah, man. Looks great," Jackson said, as he shook Eric's hand.

"Thanks. It means a lot to me right now that you guys are here."

"It's no problem. You're our friend. We're happy to be here," said Melissa.

"So did any of the others stop by yet?" Jackson asked.

"Nope. I don't blame them though. They're pretty busy. Nathan and Daley are too busy with their lawyer stuff. Taylor has her own shop to run. As for you two, you guys really don't have real jobs like us so you have a load of time on your hands."

At Eric's comment, Jackson and Melissa gave him a glare.

"Hey, I was just kidding. Share the love and happiness. No need to hate."

"Melissa, check out this Viking hat!" Derek said from the other side of the store.

"Coming!" she said. "I'll be back."

After she left, Eric said, "So... she's dating Derek McAndrews?"

"Yeah."

"Chief, why haven't you made your move yet? You should tell her about how you feel now before she's gone."

"Eric, I told you. We're just friends. Melissa will never be 'gone' because she'll always be around. Plus, I think they really like each other and I have my own girlfriend."

"Whatever you say, man," Eric said and then he turned to Monica, who was checking out some hats. "And who is that?"

"That's Monica. She's with me."

"Dude, I might think that you belong with Melissa, but nice choice. She's pretty hot."

"Watch it, Eric. She's my girlfriend. Remember that," Jackson said, as he placed his hand on Eric's face so he would stop staring at Monica.

"Yeah, sure. No problem. Just do me a favor and leave her number for me. If you finally realize your feelings for Melissa and break up with Monica, I'll be there to comfort her."

At that, Jackson just walked away. He went up to Monica and put his arm around her. He looked back at Eric with a devilish smile.

"Jerk," Eric said under his breath.

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After an hour of trying on different hats and goofing around, they all decided on what they wanted. Derek got a Viking hat. Melissa got a cowboy hat. Jackson got a classic hat, like the ones Frank Sinatra wore. Monica got a cap that said 'SCORCHING' on the front.

When they were all in front of the cash register, Eric said, "Wow, you all look great. That cap especially suits you well, Monica."

Monica gave a giggle and said, "Thanks!"

After Eric met Jackson's death glare, he said, "So who's paying?"

"I'll pay," Derek said, as he opened up his wallet.

"No, I'll do it," Jackson said and he also opened up his own wallet. "So how much?"

"Jackson, relax and let me take care of it. I don't mind."

"No, it's all right. I don't mind either. Plus, you're the guest. I'll take care of it."

"Seriously, man. I don't mind. Let me take care of it."

"Do you think we'll be here all day?" Monica whispered to Melissa with a smile.

"I hope not. I'm getting really hungry right now," Melissa whispered back. "Hey, guys. How about one pays for the hats and the other pays for the lunch?"

"All right. Sounds okay with me," Derek said. "So I'll pay for the hats."

"It's okay. I'll pay for the first bill," Jackson said, as he gave Eric fifty dollars.

"Finally," Eric said under his breath and then gave Jackson the change.

"Okay, so what do you guys want to eat?" Melissa asked.

"I'm craving for some seafood right now," Derek said.

"Oh, we can't. Melissa's allergic to seafood," Jackson replied.

"Thai?" Monica suggested.

"Can't. The food is too spicy for Jackson to handle," Melissa replied.

"So what do you two suggest?" Derek asked.

"Pasta," they said at the same time.

"Then, pasta it is," Monica concluded.

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