He was on the brink of collapse. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he couldn't help but wonder out loud. "Why is this so difficult?" Taking a bite of his homemade chocolate chip cookie, he kept venting. "Isn't America supped to be the easiest place to get a freaking job?"

It'd been three days since he made the decision to start looking for work. As it turns out, even when he was under the impression that America was, in fact, the best country to find a job when under the age of 18 and with little to no experience, he was beginning to realize that maybe, just maybe, living in a town as small as Point Place might be a huge obstacle.

He was still hopeful he'd find something sooner rather than later, though. "Let's see if there's anything that plays to my not-so-long list of strengths in the next page." He said as he turned the page in the newspaper's section of job adverts.

After glancing through it with blazing fast eye speed, he decided there was nothing he could apply to. "Don't know anything about construction, management, finances, or logistics." He let out a defeated breath. "I know you're somewhere out there, entry-level, appealing, and quiet job, and I'm gonna find you, even if it's the last thing I ever do."

A laugh came from behind him.

"Can't believe you're really busting your ass off to find a job instead of a new chick." Hyde said while taking a sip from his drink, looking over Eric's shoulder.

"Not everything is about 'chicks', Hyde. I need money, how else am I supposed to get the things I want?"

"Ask Red?"

They both laughed.

"Yeah, that won't work." Eric nodded in agreement at that. "You know, Forman, for what it's worth, I think it's the right thing to do."

"But you don't even have a job! How would you even know?"

Hyde laughed. "Because that way I might get to have the house to myself more often." The duh at the end of that sentence went without saying.

"Figures."

With that said, the sliding door opened very suddenly, revealing a sweaty Fez, who came in as he always did. "Hello my American uglies, what have you been up to?"

"Forget about us, man, what have you been up to?" Hyde covered his nose. "What's that smell?"

Eric couldn't take it either. "Smells like…"

"Dirt? Defeat? Horror?" Hyde chimed in.

Eric snorted. "I'd say more like all of those combined."

That wasn't enough to down Fez's spirits. "It's the most wonderful time of the year. I've spent the morning jogging around town, reveling in the beauty of the females of Point Place."

"What a funny way to say that you've been ogling our fellow townspeople," was Eric's reply. "Although, I commend you for keeping active, seems like that's not something all of us can do." He finished, staring pointedly at Hyde.

"I do keep active, Forman." Hyde retorted. "It's just not in any way that I feel comfortable sharing with you guys."

Eric winced. Fez, on the other side, perked up and took a look at the newspaper in Eric's hands.

"You're looking for work?" Eric nodded slowly. "I heard from Connie who heard from Stacey that they're looking for personnel at Alesha's Thunder Beauty."

Eric shook his head with a face palm. "Not the kind of work I'm looking for, Fez."

"And what are you looking for, exactly?"

I don't even know. He thought, silently, not that he'd ever admit that out loud. "Something cool? Or something that I'm good at, to begin with." He settled.

Fez scoffed, clearly offended by Eric's answer. "So you're saying helping other people be the best version of themselves isn't cool?"

Hyde couldn't resist and just asked, "Have you been reading these self-help books again?" He laughed a little.

"What!?" Fez gasped exaggeratedly. He stumped towards the door. "Good day."

Eric tried to fix things before they escalated further. "Fez, look -"

"I said good day."

He was out the door before any of them could even blink. Eric turned to Hyde with a small frown on his face. "You happy?"

Hyde just kept drinking from his cup, nonchalantly. "Trust me, it's better that way. At least when he comes over later, he'll have showered."

Eric said nothing and returned to the newspaper, sighing in exasperation. Hyde took this as an opportunity to voice his thoughts. "Relax, dude. Why don't you go to the comic book store and take a look at the new numbers?"

Eric's eyes shot up. "What are you planning?"

Hyde pretended to be shocked. "You're my friend. My bro. Can't I just want you to catch a break?"

"No." Eric wasn't fooled, not in the slightest. "But that doesn't mean you're wrong. Maybe I should go." He stood up and walked toward the door, not before grabbing an apple. "For the road." Then he stepped out.

Hyde relaxed immediately. "Can't believe that worked." Walking towards the phone, he smiled and shook his head. Then, he dialed and pressed it to his ear. "So… I got the house to myself…"

xXxXxX

"Hyde was right." Eric thought out loud. He agreed completely with what Hyde had told him earlier. Maybe what he needed was to catch a break and read some new comics. "Not something I'd ever expected to say."

He'd been at the store for over an hour, taking a look at the new numbers that had arrived in the last week. It had taken a while to get in, there was a huge queue outside. It looked like they were having one of the busiest days of the month.

Once he was able to get in, he heard some kids asking the store employees about which comic books where the best to read for a first-timer or just someone who wasn't a hardcore fan but just liked to doodle in it every once in a while. Eric, being the geek he was, couldn't help but join the conversation uninvited. He'd recommended the new The Amazing Spider-Man run since it would be better suited for kids of such a young age.

He could still hear the young boys' words in his mind, like they were playing inside his head in a loop. "Wow, thank you. This is sick." He just smiled at them and told them it was no biggie. And really, it wasn't. He remembered the first time he read a comic book. It was like magic to him. Getting introduced to such badass characters, great and deep storylines, excellent action sequences, and whatnot. He liked that he could help others feel the same way he did, even if just by nudging them in the right direction.

Unbeknownst to him, someone at the store took notice of that and decided to approach him. "Hey, you?" said a redheaded man from behind him, touching his shoulder, indicating Eric to turn around.

He obeyed. "Hello. Do you need anything? Want any comic book recommendations?"

The redhead laughed and shook his head. "No, no. I actually wanted to ask you something but it's not comic-book related. Not directly, at least."

This got Eric confused. "Not directly? What do you mean? What can I do to help you?"

"I've been watching you help other customers find the right comic books for a while now. You didn't have to do any of that, but it seemed like you actually enjoyed it. And I know for a fact that you don't work here, given that I own this place." Eric froze at his last words and his eyes widened. "Unless someone's paying you and I'm out of the loop here?"

Eric shook his head vehemently. "No! I've just been trying to help my fellow nerds!" He spoke, somewhat loudly. All the other customers at store stopped reading for a second to look at him. "Sorry." He said softly, clearly embarrassed by his outburst.

"Hey, calm down, It's not like I'm mad." The man tried to reassure him. "I can't get mad at you when you're helping me sell a ton of these." He smiled at Eric and kept going. "Name's Marcus."

Eric realized that he was giving him his hand to shake. He obliged. "I'm Eric. Nice to meet you, Marcus."

"Likewise. How would you like a job here, Eric?" Marcus finally asked. "That something you'd be interested in?"

"What?" Eric practically screamed. "Are you serious?"

"I never joke about work."

Eric's face broke into the widest grin of his life. "I'd love to work here, man!" Then, a million questions popped into his head. He couldn't stop himself from asking them out loud. "What do the hours look like? Would this be a full-time position? I'm currently on vacation so I have no problem with taking a full-time job here."

Marcus laughed at Eric's obvious enthusiasm. "Hey, hey." He tried to soothe Eric. "It can be both part-time or full-time, you decide. Full-time would be 8 hours on weekdays and you'd get Saturday and Sunday off. Part-time is 4 hours, but you'd only get Sundays off."

"Full-time it is! For now at least. Would there be a problem if it changed once school's back?"

"Not a problem, kid. Especially if you keep up the good work you've been doing today." Marcus said. "Only this time, we'll actually pay you."

Eric felt like he was on cloud nine, but one more question occurred to him. The most important one, he thought. "What's the pay rate?"

Marcus smiled at him. "Oh, I think you'll find it to be very generous. We also include sales bonuses. Just trust me when I say that won't be a problem." He sounded so sure of himself that Eric didn't say anything, opting just to nod his head in acknowledgment. "Come by tomorrow morning with all your documentation, a copy of your ID card, SSN, and whatnot. I want you to start as soon as possible."

Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Yes!" He said, excitedly. "Sure thing Marcus! I'll go get them right away!" He shook his hand once again. "Thank you, I promise you won't regret this."

It was refreshing for Marcus to see someone so excited about a job at a comic book store. "I'm sure I won't. Now go, I'm sure your parents will be thrilled."

"How do you know?"

"Because I can't wait for my kid to stop bugging me about money."

Eric laughed and left the shop, eager to break the news to his family.

xXxXxX

"I have some news for you."

Red didn't bother to look away from the TV. "Do we have to this while the game is on? Can't you wait to piss me off until after?"

"I don't think what I have to say will piss you off, not in a million years." Eric replied, his face full of smugness, as was his tone.

Red stole a glance at him and noticed that Eric had a glint in his eyes that wasn't there before. "Alright, Eric. Spill. And make it quick, this game might end up being one of the all-timers and I don't want to miss even a minute of it."

Eric sat down beside him in the couch before responding. "I got a job."

Red's jaw dropped as he glanced at Eric.

A squeak came from upstairs. "Yes, honey!"

Eric didn't react, not surprised by his mother's obvious happiness. "I was starting to wonder when she'd decide to make her presence known."

But Red said nothing and went back to the game, which made Eric really nervous, so he started rambling. "A full-time position at the local comic book store. I was there earlier and helped a ton of people buy the comic books that suited them the most for what they were looking for. Turns out the owner was there the whole time and watched me "help him sell a ton", or so he said. He told me his name and offered me a job there. Wants me to start as soon as possible. I'll be there -"

"I knew you could do it."

Huh?

Red was looking at him with what seemed like pride on his face. It was a look that Eric had only seen a few times. "Huh?"

"It was only matter of time." Red continued. "Even if I don't understand what makes those drawings so popular, you surely do. The fact that you'll now be earning money with that just shows that you're finally growing up."

Eric was thrown for a loop at this father's words. Is that a smile on his face?

"Plus, that just means you're one step closer to finally moving out of the house." He said, drinking the last of the beer in his hand.

Eric rolled his eyes. "So that's what you were smiling about."

Red scoffed. "Of course, boy. Why else?" He gestured towards the kitchen. "Now, go over there and bring your old man another cold one, this one's out."

By now, Eric knew the true meaning behind what his dad had said. He was obviously proud of him, he was just unable to express it. Eric figured that was just one of the side-effects of growing up in his time. You can no longer fool me, Red. I'm familiar with your game.

Saying nothing, he just got up and headed to the kitchen, with the biggest smile his face could hold.

xXxXxX

Eric was ecstatic. He tried laying down on his bed, reading some comics, watching a movie. Hell, he'd even tried to read a book about customer service, thinking it'd be of help now that he would be working at the comic book store, to no avail. His mind was racing, thoughts going a mile a second. Trying to sleep had only made it worse, given that every time he closed his eyes, he'd just start thinking about the million things he could stumble upon on the job. How would he react if a rude customer approached him? Would he respond in kind? Should he not? Would it be unprofessional?

Ugh. I need to clear my head.

"Mom, I'm heading out!" He yelled from the door.

"No problem sweetie, just take out the trash while you're at it, will you?"

It was the least he could do, so he yelled back affirmatively and headed out.

He found that taking a walk calmed him down and let him relax to a degree that nothing else could. It made him feel like an old man at first, but he slowly began to embrace it. The walks to Jackie's house came to mind. Those had been great. She lived in a great neighborhood where he felt safe. Not to say that Point Place was a dangerous town, but rich families always stood on a league of their own when it came to these kinds of things, for obvious reasons.

This is amazing. No wonder old people like to start their days with 30-minute walks. I think I can make a habit out of this. He thought, smiling a bit.

At this point, he'd been walking for close to 25 minutes with no set destination in his mind. He felt like wandering around, letting him go where the wind would take him. Feeling way better than when he left home, he resolved it was time to get back, he needed to sort things out for tomorrow morning. That was his plan, at least. Until he saw something that seemed familiar out of the corner of his eye.

Wait, I've seen that porch before.

Of course he had seen that porch before. How did he end up in her neighborhood?

I haven't seen her in a few days. He thought. Is she okay? Would it be weird if I rung the bell?

He walked to the door, standing a couple of feet away, still debating internally whether he should ring the bell and make his presence known, or just go and wait for Jackie to swing by the basement.

Eric kept raising his hand and lowering it back down, unable to make up his mind. Maybe she just needs time to herself? God knows we've been hanging out more than usual lately. Don't want to overstay my welcome.

In the end, he didn't get to make a choice.

"You're gonna stand there all day, geek boy? Honestly, it's starting to creep me out." Jackie's clearly-amused voice brought him back to the real world. She was staring at him from her bedroom window.

Think fast. He urged himself, trying desperately to come up with a plausible explanation as to why he spent the better part of 5 minutes just standing on her porch like a stalker.

He ended up voicing the first thing that came to his mind out loud. "How long have you been watching me stand here like a clown?" He asked, looking down the whole time, too embarrassed to face her.

Jackie let out a big, earnest laugh. "Long enough." Eric's face turned a funny shade of red upon hearing that, having no comeback. Jackie just took the chance to keep teasing him. "I know I've been MIA for the last couple of days, but I never thought you'd come looking for me."

Eric snorted. "Would you believe me if I told you I ended up in your neighborhood by chance and then decided to check on you?"

"No." Jackie replied quickly, almost without thinking. "Mostly because you didn't check on me, seemed like you wanted to but weren't so sure about it."

Eric had to give her that. "Fine." He decided to go with full honesty this time. "I was debating whether to ring your bell or not. Figured you'd want time to yourself and all that."

"So thoughtful of you, Eric. My hero." She said, mockingly.

"Next time I won't even think about ringing your bell, little devil."

He noticed Jackie lowered her gaze. "Yeah. I'll just throw a rock at your window." He said, smirking.

Jackie's eyes perked back up and a smile crept slowly to her face. "Are you trying to turn this into a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing?"

"What? I-I'm not—"

"Relax, geek boy." Jackie let out a laugh that sounded more like a tiny grunt. "I wouldn't want to end up near-dead and then have you kill yourself, only for me to then kill myself out of the pure sadness in my heart."

"Is this you mocking me? What kind of sick and twisted story is that?" Eric asked, incuriously. "Didn't take you for the morbid type."

"Are you really asking me if Romeo and Juliet is actually a thing? Really, Eric. I can't believe you berate me for not reading Spider-Man yet you don't even know the gist of Shakespeare's magnum opus."

Eric shook his head. "So now you're telling me you're into theater?"

"It's Shakespeare, Forman. It's like not knowing who Superman is."

"Okay, okay. I might have to take a look at it and see what all he fuzz is about." Eric said, in hopes of getting out of the eye of the storm. He took it upon himself to change the subject. "So what will it be? Won't you join me down here?"

Jackie's grin turned devious. "I don't know, skinny jeans." Eric winced at his new nickname. "I'm sitting here, in the comfort of my cozy bedroom, what do you have to offer?"

"Great conversation skills and good-but-not-that-good jokes? Is that enough for you, Your Majesty?" Eric asked, rolling his eyes, resisting the smile that wanted to form on his face.

"I don't know about great…" Eric said nothing, giving her a pointed look. Jackie sighed dramatically, clearly enjoying this to a fault. "Fine, fine. Give me 5 and I'll be down there with you." She flashed him one last quick smile and shut her window.

Eric just stood there, looking at the now-lonely window. "Didn't expect that to go so well." He told himself with a hint of sarcasm. He couldn't stop smiling nonetheless.

5 minutes later and true to her word, Jackie was now standing by Eric's side, wearing an outfit that screamed I-tried-but-also-maybe-I-did-not. Eric thought it fit her perfectly.

Jackie was the first one to speak. "So, did you have anything in mind when you decided to step into my porch?"

"Not really? I was actually about to head home when you caught me. Oh, that's right!" Eric paused, trying to keep his cool. "I got a job."

"I'm so sorry for you, Eric. You don't need to feign excitement."

"But I am excited!" Then he remembered Jackie didn't know he'd been looking for work. "I've been looking for a job for a few days now, just remembered I didn't get the chance to tell you."

Jackie offered him a smile. "Then I'm very excited for you. But also sorry."

Eric grinned. "Why, thank you, devil. I figured it was time to earn my own money again, especially since that gift I gave you wasn't exactly cheap."

Jackie's face brightened up a little when he said that. "So you're telling me you got a new job just to buy me more stuff?"

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion?"

"I'm still not hearing a no from you." Jackie kept teasing. "Anyway, where will you be working? What's your position?"

Eric breathed in, ready to rant about his new job. "At the comic book store, no less! I stopped by earlier and helped a bunch of people pick the right comic books for them, and the owner watched me in action the whole time!" Eric's enthusiasm was contagious, Jackie couldn't hold back her grin anymore. "He offered me a job on the spot, I'm assuming it will as store clerk? We didn't really get into it that much, I left as soon as possible in order to break the news to my parents."

"I can't believe you finally got the job of your dreams. Maybe the next time I shop there I'll get a discount?"

Eric couldn't hide his surprise. "Next time?"

"You never know. There's still a bunch of stuff you don't know about me, skinny jeans."

Eric let out a groan. "Can you not call me that? Geek boy was more than enough."

"So I get to be a midget and a devil but you don't get to be skinny jeans?" Jackie smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I get to have all of it?"

"And I get none?"

"Exactly."

"Why don't we head over to your place and I help you sort everything out for tomorrow?" Jackie asked.

Eric's eyes widened just a bit. "You'd do that for me?"

"It's not like me to waste an outfit as good as this one by hanging out alone in my room."

"And here I thought you just decided to wear the first thing you saw."

"Stop being a smart-mouth and start walking or else I'll have to leave you behind." Jackie didn't wait to hear his reply and started marching toward the street.

"C'mon, Jackie! Where's the fun in that?" He asked, mimicking her.

She glanced back at him and smirked. "I get to have all of it?"

xXxXxX

"Holy moly."

Eric was nothing short of exhausted. His day had been hectic. After getting copies of everything he thought he might need tomorrow, the sky had gone dark. Jackie held up her end of the bargain, helping him in every possible way. He couldn't be more grateful.

They were currently hanging out on the basement, having recently said their goodbyes to Fez and Hyde, who were going out to a new disco that was all the rage in Point Place. Jackie had said she'd love to go with them since she was quite the dancer, but all the 'errands' she and Eric had to run had worn her out completely.

"Next time we'll all go, okay?" She'd said. Eric just mumbled something unintelligible in agreement.

That's how they ended up in their current position, both slouched in the couch, staring at the TV but not really paying attention, their dinner long forgotten.

"You're welcome, you know."

Right. He hadn't said anything to her yet. "Are you a mind reader or something? I swear I was just thinking how grateful I was for your help today."

"Sure you were." She said, sarcastically.

Eric leaned forward, locking his eyes to Jackie's. She seemed surprised by this, he could tell, but she made no move to get away. "I mean it. I would've shown at the comic book store tomorrow with nothing but my ID. Never knew how much paperwork I needed to do. Red handled that the last time for me." Eric said, voice devoid of any malice. "Gotta say, you're way better company." With this, he gave her a little 'tap' on her forehead and leaned back into his original position. "Thank you for everything."

Jackie didn't expect the tap she got from Eric, which, along with the thanks she got, brought her mind to a screeching halt. "It was nothing, Eric. You would've done the same for me."

Eric snorted. "No, I wouldn't have."

Jackie's face changed to one of pure shock. "Wow. That was harsh, even for you, Forman. I guess honesty is the best policy." She made a motion to get up, but was stopped by Eric's hand on her wrist.

"It's not that I wouldn't want to do it. I just wouldn't know what to do in the first place if it were you."

Jackie's eyes drifted to his face and her gaze softened ever so slightly. "Does that mean you're admitting I'm the smarter one here?"

"Why do you keep putting words in my mouth?" Eric asked, laughing. "Sit back down, devil. I know you're spent too. Have a rest, you've done more than enough to earn it."

Jackie silently agreed with him and obliged. He kept talking. "Besides, it's not like getting up and leaving the basement would be enough to get rid of me. You know I can't let you go back to your house by yourself. It's dark out there."

"That's sexist, you know."

Eric looked appalled. "How come?"

"You wouldn't be doing that if I was one of the guys." Jackie retorted, giving him a look that told him he wouldn't win this 'battle'.

Luckily, Eric had the perfect answer to that. "What if I told you that I enjoy walking you home? That would make it not-sexist, right? Because, well, you're right, I wouldn't walk any of the guys home, but it's just because they're not as fun to be around as you are."

"Can you give me 40 minutes to get my camera and come back and say that again? I want to keep it for posterity."

"No." Eric shook his head. "If you tell anyone else I ever said that, I'll deny it. It'll be my word against yours."

Jackie smirked. "Fine by me. It can be our dirty little secret."

Eric could swear his face turned blue. He felt it. Did his breath hitch? It most likely did, because Jackie took notice of something, and seized the opportunity to tease him about it. "What's up, geek boy? Cat got your tongue?"

"N-no. Just tired."

"Sure you are."

Eric wanted to wipe that smirk off her face at any cost, but he suddenly was reminded of something.

"How come you know the meaning behind the House of El crest?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He also figured it would be the perfect chance to change the topic. "You said you wouldn't be opposed to telling me some other time. I'm invoking my "some-other-time privileges."

A look of surprise flashed on Jackie's face for a millisecond, but he schooled her features really quickly. "I did say that."

Eric waited for her to continue.

She didn't.

"Well? Will you keep me waiting all night? I can do it, you know. You're the one who needs to get back home in a few hours tops."

"Okay, okay." Jackie said, shifting a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. After a few seconds, she settled in, putting her head on Eric's shoulder, slightly leaning her body against him.

"Comfy much?" Was all Eric could say. He was too sleepy to care and guessed she was, too. I'll get that story out of her and then walk her home.

"Yes," Jackie replied. "Now, where to begin…"

"Try the beginning?"

Jackie rolled her eyes, clearly amused by his words but trying her best not to show it. "My uncle Ron was a huge Superman fan. When I was little I used to stay over at his place more often than not and, believe it or not, apparently, I didn't like the common bedtime stories." She smiled at the memory. "One day, I saw him reading a volume of the very first Superman run and asked him if he could read it out loud for me. That did help. It made me sleep like a baby."

"So you woke up dozens of times in the middle of the night, crying and screaming?"

Jackie smacked him in the head. "No, silly. He said that was the first time he ever saw me sleep so peacefully. After that, it became a tradition. He'd read a few of them for me, eventually introducing me to Supergirl and all these other characters. That's how I know about 'El Mayarah'. These are some of the best memories I have of my childhood."

Eric couldn't believe she was sharing something that she seemed to hold dear and close to her heart. He reckoned it was time to be 100% serious.

"Really?"

"Yes. My uncle Ron was great. He tried to be around as much as possible and always wanted to know how I was doing. You know, keeping tabs and all that." Eric could Jackie start to tremble a little bit. "He did more for me than my own parents during that time. Besides feeding me and giving me a place to sleep, that is. And he did that every time he got the chance."

The last words were spoken with the force of a whisper, but Eric heard them as if Jackie were screaming right in his ear.

Eric tried to lighten the mood a little. "He sounds awesome. Do you get to see him often nowadays?"

It had the completely opposite intended effect.

"He died a few years back, right before we moved here." Jackie managed to get out, in between sobs.

Eric noticed and turned into a wreck. What do I do? Were the words playing again and again in his mind. Panicking, he did the first thing he could think of.

He hugged Jackie tightly. "I'm sorry, Jackie." Before he could stop himself, he began rubbing her back with one hand, the other holding the back of her head.

Jackie melted into his embrace. "I didn't expect him to leave me so soon." She said, sobbing desperately. "My parents are hardly ever home, then he passed away, now Michael left with my so-called best friend…" She trailed off.

Eric just kept rubbing her back, deciding the best course of action was to let Jackie speak her mind.

She leaned back and looked at Eric dead in the eye. "Am I that bad?" She asked with her mouth in a small pout.

Eric shook his head profusely. "You're not." He reassured. "I promise you, you're not. We've been over this, your past attitude might not have been the best, but it takes everything to figure that out and change it."

"Then why does everyone leave?"

"Your uncle didn't leave you," Eric replied, now grabbing her by the shoulders, trying to make her see just how serious he was about all of it. "Not by choice, at least. I'm sure he'd still tuck you in and read bedtime comics to you if he were still around."

Jackie's crying had subsided and she offered him a small smile, which encouraged him to keep going. "Besides, I'm here for you, so not everyone leaves you. I won't."

Her jaw dropped, clearly affected by what he'd just said. "Promise?" was all she could say in return.

"I promise." Jackie launched herself at him, hugging as tightly as she could, trying to take it all in, to make sure this wasn't some kind of sick stunt her brain was playing on her. "Come here, little devil. Let's get comfortable. I'll even let you lean into me again."

She'd never say no to that. Considering her current state, that is.

So they laid back on the couch, Jackie leaning into Eric's side, her head on his shoulder once more. They said nothing, the sounds of the TV filling the comfortable silence.

After a few minutes, Jackie heard some light snoring. Glancing at Eric, she saw his eyes were closed. He fell asleep. I must have worn him out, emotionally at least.

She glued her eyes back to the TV in front of her and took comfort in knowing no one would hear what she was about to say, which made it a hundred times easier. "Thank you, Eric. You've been nothing short of amazing." She sighed contently before continuing. "No one's ever done something like this for me. I'm grateful we got our sort of second chance at… Whatever this is."

Finding peace in the quiet, she fell asleep shortly after that.

She never got to see the sleepy but nevertheless joyful grin that formed on Eric's features.