"You're sure you don't want the pink blouse?" Jackie asked, trying to persuade her client into buying a third piece. "I totally think the color would make your eyes pop. Not to mention that it would bring the outfit together."

The lady seemed to need a little bit more convincing. "You really think that? I'm not sure."

"Trust me, you won't find another blouse that fits you quite like this."

That appeared to do the trick, as the lady grabbed the hanger decisively. "You're a doll, darling. Thank you so much."

Jackie beamed in response. "No problem ma'am. I'm Jackie. When you come back, because I know you will, find me before you decide on anything."

The lady smiled back at her and went to the register, satisfied with her choice of clothing.

Jackie felt like she was about to explode. The excitement was palpable. One more in the bag! She thought while walking towards Michelle, one of her coworkers.

"I got another one, how are you doing?"

"Damn, Jackie, you're on a roll today." Michelle replied. "Where were you last winter? We could've used your superb selling know-how."

Jackie liked it a lot when someone stroked her ego, so she played along. "Just be grateful I'm here now."

Michelle let out a laugh. "Sure. I'll reap the rewards of your hard work. Thank God for collective KPIs."

"On second thought, maybe I need to have a talk with the HR department."

Michelle scoffed. "Good luck with that, shorty. People in that department behave like proper politicians."

"How so?"

"They sweeten your ear up but, when it matters, they don't do anything."

Jackie could detect the bitter tone, but debated whether to comment on it. After a short internal deliberation, she decided against it.

"In any case," Jackie said, in an oblivious-but-not-that-much kind of tone. "Let's hope sales continue to be this high. We all win."

"Gotta hand it to you, Jackie. When I first saw come through that door on your first day, I didn't take you for the 'team player' type of gal." Michelle said, leaning back against the counter.

"I've been told I'm full of surprises." Came the reply, smirking.

"Hope all of them are good."

"Most of them."

As much as Michelle wanted to stay put, bantering with Jackie for the rest of the day, a new client walked in. "New victim just walked in, wish me luck." She winked mischievously at Jackie before heading off to do what she was paid for.

Jackie took advantage of Michelle's eagerness to take care of the only client currently in the store to relax for a little bit. Friday had been hectic. She didn't think much of it when her coworkers warned her about this, but boy, oh boy.

She lost count of how many clients she had already helped by 10 a.m. After that, the morning, and time itself, became a blur. She took her lunch break around 1 p.m., joking a little bit with Michelle and the others.

Reflecting on her first week as a responsible, working individual, she was nothing short of proud of herself.

For someone who was spoiled for most of her life, she considered herself to be self-sufficient enough. She expected to need a short adjustment period when entering the sales clerk role, but her innate gifts shone through on the very first day. Her coworkers tried their best at making her feel at home, and her boss seemed to be a decent, family man.

What she thought would be the biggest hassle turned out to come easy for her as well: dealing with other people. Turns out, most people were very prone to persuasion if you used the right words and complimented them enough. Lucky for Jackie, she knew just how to disguise her 'bitchy' behavior behind hollow praise.

She adored the rush she got every time she got a client to spend some more money on the shop. It was very reassuring to her self-esteem. That, and all the praise she was getting from everyone, calling her the new star employee. She felt elevated, like she was capable of anything. It was a little silly, she knew they were just trying to ease her in, but she figured it was better to relish in it while it lasted.

I bet I can make Eric sell double the merchandise at the comic book store if I put my mind to it. She thought, full of confidence.

Then yesterday's exchange came into her mind. She could almost hear his words.

Clear your schedule on Saturday Jackie. I'll be here at 3 p.m. Wear anything you want.

"So weird…" Jackie thought out loud. "He didn't seem like himself for a minute there."

That sent her head spinning. Did he mean it like a date? It can't be. Then again, she assumed his only tactic was to play the surprise card and bail.

What should I wear? Where's he even taking me? Should I bring something?

Too many questions. Absolutely no answers.

Jackie tried to be reasonable. There was absolutely no reason for her to believe that Eric meant to ask her out on a date. They've been recovering from tough breakups, if one could call them that. Maybe he just wanted to show how thankful he is for these last few days? That seemed to be her best bet.

Her mind circled back to last night's closing thought: Shehoped it was just a chill outing between two friends. In her opinion, both had to learn how to be by themselves again in order to be happy with a partner down the line.

Not that she disapproved of Eric as a potential date. Not that she wanted Eric to be a potential date.

If she were to come clean with herself, she had already come to terms with the fact that Eric Forman was an attractive young man. A geeky one, sure, but he also was funny, smart, and loyal, among plenty of other things.

But they were just starting to become friends. She didn't need any more drama in her life, especially not at a time when she was exploring what it meant to finally grow up. She also really wanted to know what it would be like to have Eric Forman as a good friend. If these past few weeks were anything to go by, it'd be pretty awesome. Or so she hoped.

Let's just hope it's not awkward, I need to get past the basement situation. She thought.

xXxXxXx

TUESDAY –

Eric woke up feeling truly rested for once. It took him a few seconds to be somewhat aware of his surroundings, noticing he was in the basement. The TV was off. He glanced at the door and saw the sun was already coming out. So around 6 a.m., maybe?

He figured he'd make the most of his time before heading to the comic book store for his first official day, so he tried to stand up right away.

Which failed, miserably, but it made him notice the weight leaning against his right side, which in turn caused the events of the previous night to unfold right before his eyes. He remembered Jackie helping him with the necessary paperwork, then sitting down to watch TV with her to unwind, then the story about her uncle Ron, and then how she thanked him, what she had said about him.

When the weight of everything that had happened the previous night came crashing down on him, Eric began to panic in silence.

Eyes widened, breathing quickened, heart raced, palms sweat.

He was trying to think of a way out of his current predicament, one which, preferably, Jackie didn't wake up and notice that they had slept together on the couch, in a very cozy, not-so-friendly position.

In fact, he was thinking so goddamn hard he missed the way his arms were moving frantically, making Jackie bolt wide awake.

For Jackie, things came back way quicker than they did for Eric. Waking up and seeing she wasn't home, she instantly knew she had fell asleep on the basement's couch.

What she failed to notice, however, was that Eric was sitting beside her, mouth agape.

"Looks like Eric just let me crash here for the night." She said, rubbing her eyes. "Wonder what time it is."

"My guess is around 6 a.m."

Jackie screamed in utter panic.

Eric found it profoundly amusing, but he had to shush her if he wanted to keep his butt intact. "What the hell, Jackie! Keep your voice down, everyone's asleep!"

Jackie didn't relent. "Exactly," she said, lowering her voice a little bit. "What the hell, Eric? Do you honestly expect me to be cool when you almost gave me a heart attack?"

Eric shook his head. "Stop overreacting, I just answered your question."

"I was talking to myself!"

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"You –"

"Okay, okay." Eric cut her off. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm as confused as you are."

Jackie took a deep breath to calm herself and slouched back onto the couch, which caused her to fall into Eric's embrace quite smoothly.

This is nice. She thought, sighing inwardly.

Her arms fell around Eric's lap, which he didn't quite mind, if he was being honest. He felt like they fit perfectly. And he didn't exactly mean just her arms.

He figured he could lighten the mood with his masterful sense of humor. "I thought I got out of cuddling duty after last night?"

Jackie raised her eyes, staring at Eric's face. "Tell me you're not comfortable and I'll move."

Eric didn't respond, deciding to just stare back at her.

That's when it hit her. How close their faces were. How close they were. Just the two of them. In his basement. With everyone asleep, which probably meant they could do anything they wanted without being interrupted.

Her breath hitched, which he noticed and tried to play it cool, but his body stiffened slightly against his will.

Which Jackie must've detected, because she jumped out of the couch.

Jackie needed to find excuses for her rather uncharacteristic behavior. "I – I have to go!" She all-but-yelled, picking up her things and planning to make a run for the door.

Eric scrambled to get up, intending to follow her out. "Wait! It's still early, do you want me to go with you?"

That was the last thing Jackie needed right now. "N – no! I can fend for myself just fine."

"I'm pretty sure you can't."

"Eric," she said, her voice ice cold. "I can go back home on my own just fine."

Ouch. Eric couldn't tell exactly why, but that stung. "Okay," he conceded. "Just let me know when you get there."

"Okay."

Eric sat down and Jackie saw this as an opportunity to head out. Right before closing the door behind her, she let out a small whisper. "Good luck on your first day."

Eric didn't miss this, despite having the impression that she hadn't meant for him to hear it, but said nothing in return.

"That was awkward." He said, voicing his thoughts out loud. "Was it because of me? Did I make it awkward?"

Then he remembered Jackie was the one who leaned onto him after she woke up. And last night too, for that matter.

"Maybe she regrets it?"

Although to be fair, he couldn't pinpoint what "it" was exactly.

Having no time to maul over it, he resolved to head upstairs and change into what his mother called his 'better' clothes.

But he didn't expect to run into Red in the stairs.

Red looked at him dead in the eye, blocking his way. "So you're done playing house?"

"What?"

Red wasn't in the mood to play games, so he changed his tune. "Is she still here? Jackie?"

Eric shook his head. "No. She left a few minutes ago."

Red smacked his son on the shoulder. "You let her leave on her own?"

Eric stood still, doing his best not to show the pain he was feeling. "She wanted to go home on her own."

Red face palmed. "What did you do?"

Eric looked offended. "Why do you have to assume I did anything?"

Red crossed his arms. "So you didn't?"

Eric stopped and thought for a second. "I don't know…?" He trailed off.

Red seemed unfazed by his response. "Unbelievable." He said. "She's the only decent one of the bunch."

"I agree."

"Make it right." Red kept going. "And go change, we don't want you to screw it up on your first day on the job." He stepped aside, allowing Eric to keep climbing up the stairs. "Although I definitely wouldn't put it past you."

Eric rolled his eyes from the top of the stairs. "Gee, thanks for the fatherly advice."

"All the advice you need is the warning that I'll put my foot in your ass if you get fired."

Eric laughed and said nothing, opting to just go inside his room and change.

xXxXxXx

Eric was ready. He was ecstatic, nervous. At the same time, he felt like vomiting. He figured he'd lay down for a couple of minutes to calm down.

But he felt something foreign in his bed, so he pulled the sheets back.

And saw Hyde there. In all of his naked glory. And so he screamed.

"What the hell, man?!"

Eric waved his hands around in despair. "Cover up! Grab the sheets and cover up!"

Hyde did what he was told.

"Care to explain why you're sleeping in my bed? Naked?!"

Hyde shushed Eric. "Could you lower your voice?"

Eric was out of himself. "Just explain!"

Hyde threw his hands up in defeat. "You weren't here so I thought I'd sleep on your bed." He explained. "That's it. There's nothing more to it."

Eric put a hand on his head, massaging his temple. "So we're just gonna pretend you're not naked?"

"It's way more comfortable."

Eric's proverbial light bulb lit up. "I need my camera."

Hyde laughed. "I made sure nobody will ever see me like this." He said, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Good luck finding it."

Eric groaned. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You know I like you, Forman. You're good."

"I can't imagine what you'd to me if we weren't friends."

Hyde had to agree. "Me neither."

"Can you just leave? And burn the sheets. I don't wanna lay on them ever again."

Hyde didn't protest. "Fine." He replied, wrapping his body inside the sheets and going for the door.

That's when Eric thought of something that was far too important to let it slide.

"Wait," he said, trying to catch Hyde's attention, doorknob in hand. "Has this happened before?"

His only answer was a door slam.

"Great." He sighed. "I'll have to shower a hundred times later tonight."

Before he could dwell on the subject of his nonexistent privacy and possibly having come in contact, albeit indirectly, with Hyde's naked body parts, he heard a voice calling his name. "Eric, honey!"

His mom.

"Come down! Breakfast's ready." She said. "You don't want to be late on your first day! Steven, you come have breakfast, too!"

She was right.

Even though his morning turned out to be a little bit more hectic than he would've liked, he still noticed that Jackie didn't call to tell him she had gotten home safe.

xXxXxXx

NOW – WITH ERIC –

Eric loved Saturdays. Now that he was working full-time on weekdays, he'd found a new appreciation for the weekend. He figured, when he got his own place, that'd be the time he'll get to do chores and run errands around his place, so he really treasured Saturdays and Sundays now. All good things come to an end, or so they say.

His favorite moment of Saturday mornings was, without a doubt, having breakfast with his family. Hyde was quieter than usual, which definitely meant he was up to no good, but Eric chose to play dumb. Kitty kept smothering him, calling him her little baby, but he noticed subtle changes in her demeanor when speaking to him. Some kind of motherly respect, he thought.

Same thing went for Red. His snarky and overall rude attitude was still present, as it would always be, but it had somewhat subsided since Eric began working at the comic book store.

"Come on, boy. Eat your vegetables, or do you want to find out what it feels like to have them shoved up your ass?"

Well, maybe subsided wasn't the right word. More like it was now directed to Hyde instead of him. He was grateful either way.

"Yeah, eat your vegetables." Eric chorused, taking a bite.

"What are you blabbering about?" Red scoffed. "Eat your vegetables, too or you'll get the same treatment!"

Eric choked on his food trying to reply. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"Leeching off your parents even though you're an adult now."

"Hyde also does that!"

Kitty chimed in. "So if he jumps off a bridge, you'll follow?"

Eric laughed. "Depends," He said, rolling his eyes. "What's at the bottom of the pit?"

Hyde smirked. "You're asking the real questions, Forman."

"Stop the chitchat!" Red said, slamming the table slightly. "Some of us are trying to eat."

"C'mon Red, don't be like that." Kitty said, sitting down with the rest of the family. "What are your plans for today?" She asked, looking at her boys.

Hyde was the one to answer first. "I'm hanging out with Leo."

Eric's interest was piqued. "It's been a while since I've last seen him. Say hi for me."

"Yeah, it has." Hyde agreed. "Wish I could say the same about Jackie."

Eric coughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hyde knew he had him in the palm of his hand. "What are your plans for today?"

Eric went quiet.

Kitty couldn't stand the silence. "So?" She demanded. "I trust it isn't anything stupid?"

"You trust wrong." Red said, ironically.

Accepting he had no escape, he went for a half-truth. "I'm going to the movies today."

Hyde wasn't about to let it slide and have Eric leave the room unscathed. "Alone?"

Eric decided to stick to his guns until the very end. "What's so wrong with going to movies by yourself?"

Hyde snorted. "Didn't your mom teach you it's not graceful to answer a question with another?"

"Ask her yourself. She's right here."

Unfortunately for Eric, Kitty agreed. "Steven is right, honey. That is in poor taste."

Then something that Eric, or nobody currently in the table could've predicted. Not in a million years.

"Let the kid be, you two." came Red's retort. "That's perhaps the only acceptable way to relax that he's found, don't take it away from him."

Eric was flabbergasted.

"If you ruin it for him, he might just have to find something stupid."

And there is it. I knew it was too good to be true. Was the only thing in Eric's mind.

He decided to take the opportunity for what it was, though. "Yeah! And neither of you wants that, trust me." He said. "With that said, I better get going. Got a whole thing planned." He continued as he placed his dishes in the sink.

From where he was standing, it seemed like they collectively (and silently) decided to let him off the hook, so he bolted without saying as much as a simple bye.

Back in his fortress of solitude, where he felt most at peace, where he could unashamedly be himself, he started panicking.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" He asked frantically. "Oh right, nothing!"

His mind was a total mess. What am I supposed to wear? Where are we supposed to go? What are we supposed to do?

Eric knew and accepted that this was on him and no one else. He had more than enough time to plan this… outing between friends and decided to do nothing with it.

"On second thought," he kept going, out loud. "This doesn't have to be something to freak out over."

And he knew he was right. He never explicitly said it was a date. It could be a simple, no nonsense outing between two people that get along well, care about one another, and appreciate each other's company.

Otherwise known as 'friends'.

"Yeah, take it easy, Forman." He voiced out loud, trying to calm down, trying to appeal to his more rational side. "I'm sure she doesn't expect anything fancy. Why even would she?"

Unless she does.

"But why would she?"

Because I told her to wear something nice.

"That's true."

"Just take her to the movies and then to dinner and stop talking to yourself!"

Eric yelped. "What the fuck?!" I really need to start paying more attention to my surroundings! What's that, like the fifth time this past few days?

Red didn't even flinch at his foul mouth. "Movies. Dinner. That's something I'm sure even you can understand."

Eric was infinitely grateful to his dad for his unexpected wisdom. "That's… That's a classic. Fool proof, even!" He was beaming now. "Thanks, dad!"

Red waived his hand dismissively. "Just stop talking to yourself. And no foul words in this house, either. Not until you're a real adult." With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

"Who would've thought?"

Red's voice could be heard coming in from the outside. "What did I just tell you!"

"Sorry!"

Eric sprang into action. Now, let's take a look at my options…

xXxXxXx

Jackie had left work early in order to be ready by the time Eric got to her house. It hadn't been hard at all to convince her boss to let her leave early, considering the impact she'd made in her short time working there. Her coworkers were supportive too, especially Michelle, bless her heart.

In the time that had gone by after getting home, having a quick lunch and showering, picking her clothes and whatnot, she hadn't had the chance to process that she was, in fact, a tiny bit nervous about all of this.

"It doesn't have to be awkward." She told herself, in hopes that externalizing her inner worries would dissipate them or, at least, ease them a little.

"It doesn't have to mean anything." She continued. "I'm sure it doesn't, it hasn't, and it won't."

Deep down, though, she knew she wasn't really sure. She wouldn't feel the need to convince herself otherwise if she was.

That wasn't the only thing she wasn't entirely sure about. Taking a fifth look at her outfit, she wondered for the umpteenth time if it was appropriate, considering she didn't even know where they'd be heading. She decided it was best to for an all-around look that would fit anywhere and not make her feel over or underdressed, but that meant she couldn't realize the outfit's potential to the max, which made her feel… incomplete.

She kept bringing positive thoughts to her head. Or at least, she tried her hardest to. They were friends, they would have a great time (that was the one thing she was sure about), and things would continue to be great between them. The basement situation notwithstanding.

Her mother dragged her out of her own head with her voice. "Jackie, there's a boy at the door, says he came to see you." She said, smiling coyly. "Said his name was Eric."

Jackie's eyes widened. "He's here already?" She glanced at the clock. 3:01 p.m. "Wow, not one to make a lady wait."

"A quality every great man must have." was her mother's reply.

Jackie nodded. "Thanks, mom. I'll be right down."

"I'll let him know," was the last thing Jackie said before the door was shut again.

"Okay," Jackie said, breathing in and out. "Here goes nothing."

And she headed downstairs with a big smile on her face.

xXxXxXx

A/N: I know, and I'm sorry. I decided to make the date its own chapter, seeing as how the story really will kick off after (or during) it. The first 7 chapters were a sort of excruciatingly long prologue, I guess? I'm still drawing it all out, but I'm feeling more confident about this each day. Thanks for reading, comments and reviews make my day.