Jackie didn't expect it to be this awkward. They were friends. Good friends, at that. Chatter between friends was mostly meant to flow naturally and without second thoughts. He'd been to her house plenty of times to drop her off, so this wasn't anything exactly 'new' to them.

But that was different, obviously. She couldn't help but think.

Still, she had to do something. At the very least, she had to say something. Anything. The silence was killing her.

"So…"

"So it took you 2 minutes." Eric said, chuckling. "You know, for a second there I thought you'd make it longer than 5."

Jackie looked at him with clear confusion on her face. "What are you talking about?"

Eric's face turned devilish at this. "I had a bet on how long it'd take you to go crazy if I made it awkward the first few minutes."

Jackie's steps came to a halt.

"A bet?" She bit back, appalled. "With whom, exactly?"

Eric covered his mouth with his hand, but the sound of a delighted chuckle couldn't be muffled. "Myself."

Jackie, for her part, wasn't pleased. She began walking again, this time picking up her pace a little, as if to get her point across. "Are you kidding me? What could you possibly win in that case?"

At this point, Eric couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "The satisfaction of getting on your nerves?"

And on her nerves he got. "You do not need to bet on that, Forman. It seems to come naturally to you."

"C'mon, Jackie. You hurt my feelings." Eric feigned, with a hand over his heart.

"Didn't know you had those."

"Are you projecting your issues onto me?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Is it working?"

"Not really. I can see right through your act."

"So clever of you, skinny jeans."

"I thought we had moved past that horrendous nickname?"

"I thought you didn't think it was horrendous anymore?"

"What did I do that would've even remotely given you that impression?"

Eric was sure he got her there, but she was witty. He had to give it to her. "Complain less than usual?"

He scoffed. "I never complain."

"I don't think you know what never means."

Eric was having too much fun for his own good. "And you do?"

"Are you trying to say I'm dumb?"

"Can you stop putting words in my mouth?"

"I can start putting other things in your mouth."

Eric almost choked on his own saliva. "What?"

"My foot, for example. It can be a companion piece to Red's foot in your ass." Jackie joked, smirking.

Eric's face turned into one of pure horror. "Seriously?"

"Will you keep being difficult for the rest of the day?"

"I'm the one being difficult?" Eric sighed. "Fine. From this moment on, I'll be on my best behavior."

"Thank you." Jackie grinned triumphantly. "On another note, you haven't told me what you have in store for me today. Care to share?"

Eric wasn't about to budge so easily. "I'd rather it be a surprise."

"C'mon, Eric. Tell me where we're headed so at least I know what to expect."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Fine, little devil. We're headed to the movies."

Jackie stopped dead in her tracks. "No."

Eric turned around to face her. "What?"

"No." She repeated.

Realization dawned on Eric's face. He decided to calm her down. "We're not going to see Star Wars." Jackie just kept her stare steady in response. "Nor any other 'geeky' sci-fi film. I promise you, you're safe."

Jackie breathed out in relief and resumed walking by his side. "Okay. Thank god."

Eric's curiosity was peaked. "What's with you and sci-fi movies? I mean," He made a slight pause for dramatic effect. "I know they're not up to standards when compared to your beloved chick flicks, but don't you think they're at least somewhat cool?"

"They're not my brand, Eric."

"Let's say they are not." Eric was undeterred. "So what? Never in a million years would I have thought you knew anything about Superman or Supergirl. What makes sci-fi films so different?"

"It's simple, Eric." Jackie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Uncle Ron can't read sci-fi films to me to put me to sleep."

"That's fair." Eric's jaw almost dropped at the bomb Jackie dropped so casually, but tried to hide it as best as he could. "But you're forgetting something really important, Jackie."

"And that is?"

"I am here!" Eric exclaimed, so cheerily that it also sounded fake. "We can watch sci-fi movies to put you to sleep. How's that sound?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Let's see how this goes first, SJ."

Eric's face turned into one of confusion. "SJ?"

Jackie smirked wickedly, turning to look Eric in the eye. "Skinny jeans."

Eric did a face palm. "I think I just realized I'm allergic to movies and dinner. Do you mind if I go back home?"

"So that was your plan, movies and dinner." Jackie realized. "A classic. I'm impressed, Eric. Truly."

"Are you being sarcastic, midget? I feel like you are."

Jackie laughed as hard as Eric had ever heard her. "No!" She denied, raising her arms for emphasis. "I'm telling the truth. Other boys didn't take me on dates like this so often. Not even Michael."

So she actually sees this as a date? Came the thought in Eric's mind.

Surprisingly, that made him feel lighter than he had in a long time.

"Other boys don't have the Forman charm, little devil." He said in a mock-confident tone.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have the Forman charm, geek boy."

Before he could think of something to keep the friendly banter going, Jackie noticed they had arrived at the mall.

"We're here!" She said happily, taking Eric's hand and guiding towards the entrance.

Eric looked at their joined hands and smiled.

xXxXxXx

"I can't believe you actually got tickets for Grease, Eric." Jackie said, sitting down and organizing their popcorns and snacks.

Eric sighed. "I just hope this is good. I can't stand musicals."

"You'll love it." Jackie grinned devilishly. "I know for a fact you're just a big softie on the inside."

Eric let out a small laugh. "Just don't go telling everyone." He told her, jokingly. "That's for your eyes only."

Jackie gasped softly at this revelation. The fact that there was a side to Eric that nobody else got to see made her feel warm.

"Your secret's safe with me." She replied in a whisper.

"I thought you sucked at keeping secrets?"

"I'm working on it."

"Let me know how that goes." Eric teased. "Pass the popcorn."

Jackie obliged. "How come there's no one else here?"

"The movie came out a while ago. Guess everyone who wanted to see it, did it already?"

"Sucks we won't be able to throw popcorn at them."

"Yeah, what a bummer." Eric agreed.

They fell silent for a few seconds.

That is, until Jackie felt something land on her hair. Popcorn.

She grinned widely. "Oh, Forman, it's on!"

After having a popcorn fight for a few minutes, the lights went out and the countdown began.

"Finally!" Jackie yelled in excitement, taking Eric's hand. "You'll love this, I promise."

"Just for fun," Eric smirked. "What if I don't?"

Jackie exuded confidence. "I'll be the one to buy dinner."

"I hate this movie."

"Ha ha," came Jackie's sarcastic retort. "Wait until we're done, and be honest."

"I'll give you my honest thoughts when we're done."

Jackie smiled triumphantly. "That's all I can ask for."

And so, the movie began and they fell into comfortable silence, save for a few giggles and sing-alongs here and there.

Halfway through the movie, Eric noticed Jackie was shivering.

He took off his jet black jacket and handed it to her. "Here, Jackie."

She didn't take it right away as he expected. "What are you doing?"

"I know you're cold. Just take it."

"But you'll be cold."

"Let me be a gentleman, Burkhart."

"Fine." She caved in, putting it on. "But only because you insisted."

"Poor Jackie, giving in to peer pressure."

"Says the pushover."

"Whatever happened to being n-nice?"

Eric did his best to cover his stuttering due to the cold, but Jackie noticed it nonetheless.

"Now you're the one who's cold." Jackie said, raising the armchair. "Are you up for cuddling duty?"

Eric shook his head. "No need. I-I'm not cold."

"So you developed a stutter in the short time we've been here?"

"I d-don't know w-what you're talking a-about."

"Sure you don't, tough guy." Jackie waved her hand dismissively. "I'll just lie on your side and put my head on your shoulder because my neck hurts so much."

"It does?"

"I think whatever gave you a stutter also gave me torticollis."

"This could be a healthcare disaster."

Jackie hugged him lightly. "Yeah, yeah. Let's worry about that when the movie ends."

Feeling warmer by the second, Eric chose to say nothing in response and enjoy the moment.

The only thing Jackie was able to concentrate on for the rest of the movie was Eric's boyish perfume.

xXxXxXxXx

"So, final verdict?"

"It was…" Eric trailed off, not wanting to reveal his thoughts so soon.

"Just tell me the truth, you're buying dinner anyway."

Eric gasped mockingly. "So you lied to me?"

"I just gave you a little bit of encouragement so you could enjoy the movie."

Eric rolled his eyes, grinning. "So thoughtful of you, little devil."

"Stop avoiding my question, Forman." Jackie pressed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "I can do this all day."

"Good to know you're having so much fun that you don't mind spending the rest of your day with me."

"Now who's the one putting words in the other's mouth?"

"So you're not having fun?" Eric pouted.

Jackie crossed her arms. "I'm not telling you anything until you tell me if you liked the movie or not."

"Fine, fine." Eric said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "I enjoyed it more than I'm willing to admit."

"I knew it!" Jackie celebrated, punching the air. "You were so engrossed in the movie that you barely made any jokes. It got its hooks on you right from the start."

"Don't push your luck, Jackie." Eric shook his head in amusement. "But I did like it a lot."

"That's enough for me." Jackie said, smirking at him. "Where are we headed next?"

"You already know we're going to dinner."

"That's why I asked where we were headed."

"Just let it be a surprise, okay?"

Eric's pleading tone did its job. "Alright, geek boy. But it better be a top-tier place."

"'Cause if it's not, it'll damage your reputation?"

"Good to see you're catching on."

Eric laughed. "Just walk, Jackie."

"And you said I was the bossy one." She retorted, but walked towards the exit anyway.

xXxXxXxXx

"Look, I'm just saying this could be a good first step."

"I don't know…"

"Why are you so against it?"

"I just don't see it working out."

"Tell you what," Jackie said, trying to come up with a proposal that would convince Eric. "I'd be happy to watch the most famous musicals with you, just so you can be a man of culture."

Eric had to bite his lower lip to stop the smile that wanted to appear on his face. "Let me get this straight," He replied. "Not only would I have to watch hundreds of musicals, but I'd have to watch them with you?"

"When you say it like that it sounds like torture."

Eric grinned. "Then I've just found out I'm a masochist."

That got a hearty laugh out of her. "I didn't know you had so much game, Forman."

"Well, you've never been on a date with me before."

That didn't get the reaction he expected.

Jackie's eyes widened and she froze, as if realizing the word he just used.

He began to panic in silence, trying to come up with a way to diffuse the current situation he put himself in.

After a few seconds, he couldn't come up with anything, so he decided to come clean.

"I'm sorry if I made things uncomfortable."

That got Jackie out of her daze. "No, no." She said, shaking her head. "It's fine."

"It's obviously not." Eric insisted. "I assumed you wanted this to be a date, but that's out of place."

Jackie bit her lip. "Eric..."

"No, seriously." He went on. "The other day I also made things awkward in the basement. You know, when we woke up." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I just wanted you to have a good time. I've been meaning to repay you for all you've done for me recently."

"You don't-"

Eric cut her off once again. "And we're just getting to know each other, and it's been great, and now I just had to go and-"

"I guess this turned into a monologue, huh?" Jackie asked, clearly irritated at Eric.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, you don't seem interested in what I have to say."

Eric raised his hands in defense. "I am!"

Jackie shoved him lightly. "Then why won't you let me speak?"

Eric closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You're right. Go on, please."

"Thank you." Jackie began. "For planning this, I mean. That's what I wanted to tell you, when you were busy babbling."

"Sorry."

"Can you stop apologizing?"

"Sorr – I mean, yeah. Sure."

"Moving on," Jackie let out a small laugh. "While I appreciate what you've done here, and I do, I have to let you know you didn't have to. You've also been a great friend to me ever since we made amends."

Eric nodded. "I've been trying my best."

"To great results." Jackie agreed. "If you must know, I enjoyed our time in the basement the other day, considering the circumstances. I only freaked out because I'm not used to waking up and seeing guys next to me."

"So I'm just 'guys' now? Whatever happened to great friend?"

"So you're just gonna keep interrupting me?"

"Sorr – Go on."

"First of all, you know what I meant." Jackie smirked. "Second of all, I was the one who dropped the D word first."

Eric didn't even try to conceal his confusion. "D word?"

"I implied we were on a date earlier, remember?" She asked, pointedly. "You were graceful enough not to comment on it."

Eric puffed his chest. "I've been telling you I am quite the gentleman."

"You are." She agreed. "Point is, we're having fun, or at least I am, don't want to speak for you." Eric tried to agree but she cut him off with her finger. "I don't want it to be awkward just because I'm hanging out with my friend who happens to be of the opposite sex and it always has to be a date."

"You're right." Eric nodded. "We just got over tough breakups. I guess I was nervous because I'm not sure if I want to date anyone yet."

Jackie arched her eyebrows in agreement. "Me neither, Eric. I'm just enjoying the ride that is getting to know Eric Forman."

"Let's see where that leads us?" Eric asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.

"I'd like that."

"That settles it." Eric let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Can I take you to dinner, then?" He asked, holding out his arm for her.

She took it with a wide smile on her face. "Why, of course you can, good sir."

And so they resumed their walk to the mystery place, unaware of four prying eyes.

"They remind me of us 40 years ago."

"You had that same look in your eye, Derek."

"And you also smiled at me like that, Dolores." Said the elder man, grabbing his wife's hand. "You still do."

The old lady rubbed the back of her husband's hand affectionately. "How long do you think it will take them to figure it out?"

"Not as long as us, hopefully."

They smiled at each other.

xXxXxXx

"I can't believe you brought me here!"

Eric could see the anger in her eyes. All he needed was a chance to explain why they were in front of The Hub.

"You're lucky I've been having a great time, so I'll give you five seconds to explain why on earth you chose this place."

Eric needed a few seconds to organize his thoughts. Jackie wasn't as lenient.

"Five…"

Eric took as much air as he could, in order to speak as fast as humanly possible. "I just thought it would be good to come here and start making good, new memories to replace the old ones. We need that. You need that."

To say Jackie was astounded by his reasoning would be a massive understatement.

"Eric, that is…" She trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Acceptable, I hope." He finished for her, clenching his fists and closing his eyes in anticipation.

"Sweet." She corrected. "Really sweet, actually."

Eric unclenched his fists in relief. He gave her the biggest smile he could muster. "In that case, let's go inside. Ladies first," He said chivalrously, moving aside.

Jackie couldn't hide her amusement at his antics. "If you keep this up, I might just start believing you really are a gentleman."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, but you refuse to take me seriously."

Jackie's gaze sharpened. "It's hard for me to take you seriously when you don't even take yourself seriously."

"Now you're just making up excuses." He said, waving his hand. "C'mon, find us a table, I'll go ahead and order."

Jackie nodded and sat down in the nearest two-seat table she could find. Looking at Eric's back and seeing him go back and forth with the cashier taking their order, she took a moment to reflect on how the day had gone.

They'd been to the movies, Eric had been perfectly good company with some well-placed jokes, some good fun with their popcorn, and being cuddled up against him didn't bother her in the slightest. On the contrary, she found herself quite enjoying it, and she knew he definitely didn't mind, despite his remarks.

The walk to The Hub had been pleasant as well. They finally cleared the air on what happened a few days ago. Remembering their conversation, she felt a wave of relief wash through her body. In her opinion, things with Eric had been sailing smoothly up until the basement situation, and she wanted to get it all back on track.

She figured that was why she'd been so surprised when Eric went to her place the other day, and even more so when he told her he was taking her out on Saturday.

In the end, it turned out she didn't have to worry about anything. They were friends. Things were progressing quickly between them, she could see that. She thought Eric could see it too. She felt more comfortable with Eric than she ever had with any other boy. Not even Michael could make her feel so at ease.

She supposed it was because Eric seemed to truly enjoy her company and friendship. Nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't trying to jump her bones, he wasn't after her money… In short, he had no ulterior motives.

He just liked her for what she was. It was refreshing.

"Jackie, are you there?"

She realized she'd zoned out. The first she saw was Eric's left hand waving in front of her, as if trying to get her attention.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I kinda zoned out."

"I can see that." He nodded. "Are you okay? If you don't feel comfortable here, I know a place that's not so far –"

"No!" She half-yelled, causing him to stop talking. "I mean, I'm fine, Eric. Really. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Eric huffed. "That's great, because I lied. I don't really know any other good place that's close in walking distance."

Jackie extended her arm across the table and shoved him lightly. "I should have told you I wanted to go." She shook her head in disapproval. "Just to see what you'd do."

"I would have found some not-so-sketchy place for us to have dinner at." Eric said, smirking.

Jackie shouldn't have felt so touched by his words. He was speaking in hypotheticals, and he was obviously having some fun with her.

Really, she shouldn't have.

But she did.

So this is what Donna had to get away from? A kind, caring boyfriend? She mused internally.

She was determined to show Eric just how much she valued him, and to let him know that it was absolutely not his fault.

Her loss.

"You would have, wouldn't you?"

"That's Eric Forman for you, Burkhart." Eric replied, giving her a goofy grin. "That's what you signed up for when you came to the basement looking to make amends."

"If I'd known, I would have done it much sooner." She told him without thinking.

Eric was surprised by the honesty in her words. "The timing was perfect, Jackie." He said, trying to be reassuring. "We've been there for each other ever since."

Before she could say anything else, their order was ready and Eric got up to grab it. She was thankful for the timing, given that she was certain she'd get emotional and ruin the mood.

When Eric came back to their table, she noticed he had ordered her favorite. It caught her off guard. She didn't remember ever telling him what it was.

"How did you know this was my favorite?" She couldn't keep her curiosity at bay. So sue her.

"I didn't." He said, taking a bite of his fries. "I took an educated guess. Glad to hear I hit the jackpot."

He somehow managed to surprise her once again.

He is so…

Jackie shook her head. It was not the time.

"Figures you'd get the nastiest burger on the menu." She said, changing the subject not-so subtly. "That'll give you a heart attack, you know."

It took Eric all his might to swallow the bite he took. "If I die here and now because of this burger and these fries, I'll die a happy man." He said, sipping his coke. "Besides, it'd be a great final day for me."

Jackie smirked, knowing the meaning behind his words. "Is that so?"

"Yes." He said, sipping his drink once again. "This is the best burger I've ever had."

"Oh, so it has nothing to do with my amazing company?"

Eric stuck his tongue out at her. "I don't know about amazing…"

Jackie threw one of her fries at him. "It must be, since you seem to be unable to get enough of me."

Eric gave her a pointed look. "I don't know what you're going on about."

"So why exactly are you always walking me home?" Jackie asked, knowingly glancing at him. "Because I think," she said, leaning close to him. "You're just trying to spend some more time with me."

Eric's bite went down the wrong way.

After a few seconds of rough coughing and catching his breath, he could see Jackie with a smug grin on her face, and her arms crossed defiantly.

He had no clever comeback to that, so he decided to cave in.

"That's it," he started, trying to sound serious. "Let it be known that I'll walk you home today only because I'm afraid you'll get lost, not because I actually like it."

That was an admission of guilt if Jackie ever heard one, so she let him have it.

"My knight in shining armor."

Eric scoffed. "Your food will get cold."

Relishing her victory, she dug right in.

After a few minutes, there weren't any crumbs of food left, having been devoured by Eric and Jackie as if they were starving wild animals. Both of them had their bellies full and huge grins on their faces.

Jackie rubbed her belly in circles for a few seconds. "Why does greasy and unhealthy food have to be so good?"

"Everything that tastes even remotely good will end up killing you." Eric replied. "Embrace it instead of running from it."

It was Jackie's turn to scoff. "Eric, you can't be serious. You know I can't eat too much of this, I have to take care of my figure."

"Yeah, yeah. Every once in a while won't kill you, though."

"Except that it will." Jackie insisted. "If I get fat, that'll be the end of me. Socially speaking, at least."

Eric frowned. "I thought you didn't care about that anymore?"

"Whatever did I do to give you that impression?" She said, mocking his question from earlier.

"Friends shouldn't really care about your looks."

"I know that," Jackie said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm not talking about friends, I'm talking about potential boyfriends. If I got fat, I'd be invisible to the hot guys."

"The right guy wouldn't care about that, either." Eric said, boredom evident in his voice.

He is so…

She interrupted her train of thought, remembering how he used to openly say he was superficial. "If I remember correctly, you care about it." She said, leaning forward slightly. "So you're not the right person to say that."

Eric threw his arms up in defeat. "I was like that." He conceded. "And look where that got me."

"On a date with me?" Jackie said, coyly.

Eric saw through her joke and let out a hearty laugh. "Sure thing."

Jackie took the moment to glance at her watch and saw that it was already past 10 p.m. They had been hanging out for over 7 hours, and she somehow felt like it wasn't enough.

Seems like I'm the one who can't get enough of him. She thought.

Still, she had to get home early if she didn't want to get in trouble.

"Sorry to be a buzzkill but I really have to get home, Eric." She said, getting up from her chair. "Last thing I need right now is for my parents to be on my case."

"I hear you." He agreed. "Which is why I have to walk you home. Last time you left and I didn't go with you, Red acted like I was communist scum."

"Really?"

"I'm exaggerating a little bit, but not by much. You know how old-fashioned he can be." He explained, shaking his head a bit.

"Let's make your dad proud, then."

Eric threw his head back in laughter.

xXxXxXx

"We're here."

The walk home had been relatively uneventful, just a continuation of the mindless conversation they had going before they left The Hub. Still, both of them had found it to be particularly short this time around, which caused them to be hesitant to say goodbye.

"We are." Eric couldn't find any other words to say.

The awkwardness in the air was palpable at that point. Eric was staring at the floor, pacing a little from side to side and holding his hands behind his back, clearly unsure of what to do next.

Jackie decided to put him out of his misery. "I should probably go inside."

"You… You should." Eric said, sounding unsure.

Jackie felt a little irritated at the way the day was about to end, but figured that she couldn't give him an earful because she felt somewhat awkward as well.

"I will." She said, firmly. "Thank you for today. I had a pretty good time."

"Me too." He nodded uncontrollably. If things weren't as tricky, she would've found it endearing. "A great time, yeah."

She gave him a shy smile and started to walk towards the door.

After a few seconds, she heard him speak, his voice barely above a whisper. "Jackie…"

It was all she needed to turn on her heel and throw herself in his arms, making them both almost stumble backwards.

Almost.

"Jackie?" He questioned softly, catching the strawberry smell emanating from her hair.

"Thank you, Eric." She finally spoke. He could feel her breath on his neck, tickling. But he had to keep his cool. "It's one of the best dates I've ever been on, and it turned out it wasn't even a date."

Eric smiled into her hair. "Like I told you, I wanted to do something nice for you. You deserve it."

They fell into silence after that. All Eric could (or wanted to) do was cherish the moment.

"How can you be so considerate?"

That caught him off guard. Nobody had ever said that about him, not that he could remember. "What?"

"You've been there for me, cheering me up, giving me advice, celebrating my wins, however small they've been." She elaborated. "Now you gave me one of my best days in a while, along with a pretty good excuse to start going back to The Hub."

Eric didn't know what to say to that, so he thought it best to be honest. "I'm just trying my best, Jackie."

His answer wasn't enough for her. "That's just it, Eric. Why?" She pressed, looking up and staring him in the eye intensely.

"That's what friends do." He said, not intimidated by her crushing stare. "Real friends, at least."

That rendered Jackie speechless, he could see it. Her eyes widened for a split second, but she made no motion to step away or to continue questioning him.

He didn't dare move, either.

So that just left them staring right into each other's soul. Alone. Under the radiant moonlight. In her front porch.

Until they were interrupted by a voice coming from inside the Burkhart residence.

"Jackie, is that you?"

Her mom.

That caused them to get back to reality, realizing that their noses were almost touching. Jackie shrieked and jumped out of his arms, landing a few feet away from him, for good measure.

For Eric, everything happened so fast that he didn't even move an inch, opting to look in the direction the voice had come from.

"Yeah!" Jackie yelled, suspiciously loud. "It's me, Eric was just about to drop me off."

"Right." Her mom replied, lowering her gaze, as if sensing something was amiss, but said nothing.

Jackie turned to Eric. "I… I'll be seeing you?"

Thankfully, Eric had found his voice by now. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."

With that, Jackie began walking towards the door, noticing her mom had left it open, but was no longer standing there.

She got to the door as quickly as she could, and looked back at Eric for a second, giving him a rare, goofy grin.

Seeing him just standing there, waiting for her to be in the safety of her home, gave her an idea.

"Eric," She called, trying to get his attention. "Do you mind if we made this a weekly thing?"

Eric gasped, never expecting Jackie to ask such a thing from him, but felt giddy nonetheless.

"Of course." He agreed, chuckling. "See you next Saturday?"

Eric could swear he saw her face glow, but maybe that was the effect her smile had on him. Anyhow, he could see she was more than pleased with his proposition. The thought sent him to cloud nine.

"You bet."

With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving him on her front porch, wondering where the hell he could take her next.