ʚ ɞ
Her train of thought stops as she hears scuffling up the driveway, figuring it is a friend of the Formans who is way too late to this party. She wipes her eyes and gets off of the car. She turns back to the house as she hears the footsteps approaching stop.
"Hey," the person behind her calls out. She turns around and faces him.
It's him. It's her Eric.
She freezes. She's breathless and at a total loss of words.
"Hi," he speaks to her again and takes a few steps closer. "It's me. I'm here."
Well, no shit! Would she really be feeling this way if he wasn't here standing in front of her? Her mind is racing, she can't pick out the words that she wants to say to him. So many different things running through her head. She wants to smack him, berate him for breaking her heart in a letter. Another part of her wants to run into his arms and never let go. She chooses to do neither. "Hey," she quietly says back to him.
"I- I'm sorry I'm late. I was looking at the wrong time, totally mixed up when I was leaving. I got on the last plane flying out. Had a layover in New York." he tries to explain to her.
"Oh? Sounds stressful." she nods at him. She doesn't know what to say. He can sense that she wants him to lead the conversation.
"I'm here for you, Donna." he cuts right to the chase. "I'm here because I missed you and I know I fucked up. Red was right, I am a dumbass." he grins, trying to make her smile. He can see that she was crying before he walked up. "I want to make things right again. I want you."
"It's not that damn easy, Eric!" she spits out. This was the first time she had said his name in months. It was hard for her to address him, it was hard for her to think about him. It made her heart hurt. She looks down at the ground and shakes her head. "I've been waiting here for you, and now the time is here when you're back in front of me. And I just.. Don't know what to do."
"Donna, we don't need to know right now. Listen," he takes another step towards her and places his hand on her shoulder, "let's just go inside and enjoy the party. We can worry about this tomorrow. I'm sorry."
"Ok.." she sniffles, and starts to grin. "Your mom's pretty drunk in there." There he goes, doing what he does best. He's only been back maybe five minutes, but he already made her feel so much better. He knows exactly how to console her when she is upset. She didn't realize how much she needed him. She can't help it but warm up to her skinny neighbor boy.
He leans over and glares through the glass doors into the house behind them.
"Looks like everybody's pretty drunk in there", he says, watching Fez attempt to climb on the coffee table. She turns around to see what is going on inside the house. Fez manages to get both feet on the table, but is soon met with Red threatening him to "get the hell off my damn table before my foot goes into your ass."
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Donna leads him through the sliding door and into the party. They are both standing in the doorway to the living room as Kitty looks up and notices him standing there.
"My baby!" she shouts, running over and enclosing him in a huge bear hug. He accepts her hug, already expecting it from the second he walked in the door. "Red, honey, he's here!" She calls out to her husband. He turns around and looks pleasantly surprised. Eric begins to pull back from the embrace, but is held in place by his mother.
"Already, Mom, I think that's enough" he tells her as his father approaches him.
"Didn't think you'd make it." Red slaps his shoulder. "Welcome to the party." Geez, everybody is actually drunk here. His mother's commotion drew the attention of their friends, who were all now standing very close by.
"Forman! You got your ass on that plane after all huh?" Hyde is the first one to greet him, and he pulls him into a hug as well. Hyde slaps his back and releases him. "Good to see you, man." he tells him, very genuine with a smile on his face.
"I, too, think it is nice to see you." Fez chimes in, obviously the most drunk out of the guys.
"Did you miss me?!" Kelso calls out.
"Michael, this isn't about you! This is about Eric!" Jackie snaps back at him, her arm wrapped around Hyde's.
"Damn, Jackie, I did not miss you!" her face scrunches up and she smacks his arm. Hyde moves to stand between them. He pushes Kelso to the side.
"Jackie's right, this is about Forman." an evil grin appears on his face, "Say, what do you guys think about going downstairs and having our own private party?"
"Oh, I am so in!" Eric exclaims, catching Hyde's hand for a high-five.
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Some more time passed while they participated in a circle in the basement. They made sure to grab some of the Formans' pricey liquor and were sharing that and a joint amongst themselves. Hyde was sitting on his stool with Jackie practically in his lap, Forman sitting on the lawn chair, Donna right beside him, Kelso on the couch, and Fez on the floor across from him (Donna took the ottoman to sit next to Eric).
"Man, I can tell you guys that I definitely missed this," Eric says as he takes another hit from the joint Hyde had rolled just for him. "To the last day of the 70's!" He holds up a red solo cup filled with what he believed was scotch. They all held up their red solo cups filled with drinks only desperate teenagers would enjoy.
"To the 70's!" Fez called out. "Hey, why am I all the way down here?" Fez noticed he was sitting on the ground when he couldn't reach his cup up to tap the rest.
"Sorry, man, sometimes foreigners gotta sit on the floor." Kelso says sympathetically. Fez nods, seeming like he understands that that must be the reason.
"Kids! It's five minutes until midnight, come up here! I'll even let you guys have some champagne!" Kitty calls down the basement steps.
"Coming right up, Mrs Forman!" Hyde shouts back to her. Eric puts out his joint on the ashtray, looking forward to coming back down to finish it later.
"Do you think they're going to be able to smell it?" Eric says, slightly paranoid. He is a little on edge as they got caught on the day he left for Africa.
"Forman, man, they are all so wasted. Besides, when have they ever?" Hyde claps his shoulder, reassuring his friend they will be fine. The gang makes their way up the basement steps and are greeted with Kitty handing out flutes filled with champagne. The ball drop is being displayed on the television. There was a banner at the top with the countdown 'till midnight, only three minutes and seven seconds. Donna thanks Kitty for the champagne and moves further into the living room, towards the TV. Eric clings to her side.
"Man, only three minutes until the '70s is over. It's been quite the ride." Eric says to her, trying to prevent an awkward silence between them.
"Yeah, I can't believe it." she smiles at him, allowing him to place his hand in hers. He smiles at her and lifts his flute to his mouth and takes a sip.
"I don't think I like this," he jokes with her. He'd put up with various cocktails mixed together to make some sort of franken-drink, but won't tolerate champagne.
"Between me and you, I don't think I like it either," she pretends to take a sip. Kelso and Fez were standing right in front of the TV, and Red promptly told them if they got him his way one more time, they were getting kicked out of the house with "both of his feet in both of their asses."
"Ladies and gentleman, that was the last "foot in ass" of the '70s!" Hyde calls out, lifting his glass towards the crowd. Him and Jackie were standing on the steps together, overlooking the room. That was their spot, they found it to be a little sanctuary in a crowded room. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, and she held onto his hand lovingly. Donna was very surprised, and sort of disappointed, to see this very public display of affection. They had just gotten back together this morning. But, who was she to judge, as she was holding hands with her ex-boyfriend?
As the countdown on the television turned to sixty seconds, the crowd of people began to countdown with it. Slowly but surely, the clock made its way to midnight, its way to the end of the decade.
"Five, four, three," Donna turned to look at Eric, "Two, one! Happy New Year! Happy 1980!" As the room burst out into cheer with the new year, Donna planted a New Year's kiss on his lips. Taken slightly aback, he welcomed the kiss and reached his hand up to grab the back of her head. They were now enveloped in their own public display of affection. It was like they were off in their own little world for those seconds they spent kissing. Nobody had noticed, as each person in that room was celebrating one way or another, whether it be kissing their own partner, blowing a noisemaker, or some other sort of gesture. She pulled back from the kiss and looked him in the eyes.
"Happy New Year, Eric." she whispered to him, placing her free hand on his chest. She couldn't believe she had done that. It must've been a mixture of the alcohol and pot that took control of her senses.
"Happy New Year, Donna." he whispered back, still holding the back of her head. He pushes his forehead into hers.
"C'mon, what do you say we get outta here? Too many drunk people." she grins at him as she pulls his arm to lead him to the kitchen.
"Donna, we are drunk people, too." he lowers his voice, "and they only high people." He follows her into the next room. He notices the large display of food his mother had set aside in the kitchen.
She lifts her finger, "we're tipsy people. But, very toasted people," she giggles.
"How did I not see this when I came in?" he says, picking up a tortilla chip and dipping it in salsa. The post-smoking hunger was getting to him. He starts to pick up various snacks and starts munching down. "Cookies! I love cookies," he says, reaching towards the plate filled with the cookies Donna had decorated.
"Yeah, I helped your mom out earlier with these." she says, leaning against the counter by the sink. "I surprisingly wanted to spend time with her."
"Surprisingly?" he questions her, finishing up the cookie.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just been a little tough around here with you gone. She sort of blamed me for you leaving. That's all." she says, looking at her shoes. She didn't mean to bring that up. She didn't want him to feel bad.
"Man, really? I'm sorry. I'll have to talk to her."
"No, Eric, it's fine. Really." she says, grabbing his arm. She doesn't need him starting arguments with his mother on the day he got back, especially on her behalf. That won't make her Kitty's relationship any better.
"Are you sure? You know you're not the reason I left." he says, placing a hand on her waist.
"Positive." she nods. She looks into the living room, hoping maybe the party would be dying down by now. She isn't that lucky, she sees Kitty handing out another round of drinks. She wants somewhere to be alone with Eric. The kitchen will be empty for only so long. She knows she can't go down to the basement, their friends are there. They can't go upstairs, Red will put an end to that right away. She doesn't need to be his first "foot in ass" of this decade. "Wanna go over to my house? Lot quieter." she asks him. He nods in agreement and lets her pull him over there, too.
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When he agreed to going over to her house, he did not expect her to lead him into her bedroom. She closes the door behind them and moves towards the center of the room. She was comfortable in there, knowing that whatever they say will stay between them. She kicks off her shoes and sits down on top of her bed. He kicks his off as well next to the door. He isn't sure where to go from here, and opts to sit at her desk. He pulls the chair up so it is facing her bed.
"Geez, Eric, you're allowed to sit on my bed. You've been naked in this bed!" she jokes with him, slightly disappointed he didn't want to sit next to her.
"That I have," he grins, and moves over to the bed instead. He got the message that that is where she wants him next to her. He is sitting down criss-cross at the foot of the bed while she is leaning against the headboard, facing him with her legs drawn to her chest.
"So, tell me everything that happened while I was gone," he asks, starting the conversation.
"You must already know everything, I know your mother was sending you weekly letters." she responds, not knowing if he wants to know about her specifically or just, like he said, everything.
"Well, she sent everything in her perspective. I know all the neighborhood gossip thanks to her. I want to know what happened to everybody. My Mom wouldn't know all of that."
"Geez, where do I begin?" she says, looking up at the ceiling. "You left, what, in May?"
"April 30th."
"Okay, let me think. Right after you left, Kelso moved to Chicago. He's a rookie cop living with Brooke and Betsy. She is just the cutest little girl. She's going to be one next month. Well, this month. End of January." He nods, taking in the information. His mother did tell him this.
"Jackie and Hyde were still broken up. They just got back together not even 24 hours ago. You'd never believe it, she was going to sleep with Kelso! But, then Hyde showed up with a ring. It was a whole big fiasco. I was hearing about it for weeks." He sort of knew this, as it happened right as he was leaving. He didn't know about them getting together, though. Hyde wrote to him the most, even more than his mother, but very rarely did he mention Jackie. Hyde was a private guy, he didn't like to open up much about his love life. Eric knew Hyde wrote most of his letters while he was high, but knew he was drunk whenever he wrote about Jackie. Hyde usually never let himself get to the point of being drunk, just a little buzzed. That's how Eric knew that Hyde was really in his feelings.
Donna went on to list different adventures that their friends went on, the silly plans they arranged together. They drove down to Six Flags one weekend, where she had to sit in between Hyde and Jackie in the El Camino. Jackie was not going to sit next to Hyde, but she was especially not going to sit in the bed. She made Donna act as the buffer, and both Hyde and Jackie refused to talk to each other. They would tell Donna to tell the other one what they thought, as if they weren't sitting inches from each other. God, that drive was hell. She spoke about Jackie's failed dates, how Fez continued to chase after Jackie, and how Jackie still turned him down every time.
She spoke a lot about visiting Brooke and Betsy a lot. She had become very close with Brooke, as they had already been acquaintances for many years. She loved spending time with Betsy, dressing her up, and just being the coolest aunt she could be. She was still hurt that she wasn't chosen to be her godmother, but Jackie used that title with pride. Both would take turns taking Betsy for a night or weekend, babysitting if Brooke or Kelso needed it.
Kitty also spent a good amount of time taking care of Betsy, as Kelso or whoever was watching her would usually stop by with her. Kelso had really grown up and matured into the role of being a father. While everybody was surprised, they were proud to see the man that he had become. Granted, he still had his moments, such as attempting to set off fireworks in his bathroom, or mistakenly gluing himself to his squad car. Afterall, he was still Kelso.
"And what about you?" he asked her. While Donna continued to fill Eric in, she never mentioned what she was up to. He'd really only asked the question to know about her. Besides, he had known most of this stuff already, between notes from Hyde and his mother.
"Me? Why would you want to know about me?" she joked, very glad he had finally asked specifically. She shifts slightly and is now sitting criss-cross like him. This gives her a sudden tinge of nostalgia, she can remember sitting criss-cross like this across from him for so many years. This was their set up in the treehouse in his backyard, with only a flashlight between them to see. This is how they sat whenever they had deep conversations, like in the cruiser after an argument, or, like right now.
"C'mon, Donna, you know that's why I asked," he tells her, placing a hand on her leg. She looks down at his hand and smiles. It's like he had never left, the level of comfort she feels with him.
"Ok.. Well, I got a boyfriend." she awkwardly grins.
"But, you broke up?" he asks.
"A week ago. It was getting to be too much for me," she stops.
"That's it? Nothing else happened?"
"Well, I dated Randy for about two months. I wasn't super close to him. He was sorta like you, except a lot less funnier. He also wasn't as cute as you are," she smirks. She was flirting with him now! He starts to blush, and urges her to continue. "He, uh, was at the party. I guess your mom invited him. He was over by my dad. Well, not with my dad, but over that way. At the bar," she tries to explain. She wants to be honest with Eric, as she knows if Eric had an ex-girlfriend at the party, she'd definitely want to know. "I didn't speak to him, though. You know I was with you the entire time. I don't know if he knows who you are."
"Donna, we kissed," he grins. "If he has been in my parent's house before, he knows what I look like. He definitely saw us together." A big smirk emerges on his face. Hell yeah, her ex-boyfriend saw them reunite. Burn!
"Maybe. Who knows," she moves on, realizing Randy must have seen them together. She didn't want to hurt him, that must have been like rubbing salt in the wound. Hopefully he will understand that was not her intention. "He works at Grooves with Hyde. Oh, did you hear WB gave Hyde a massive role in the company? He's gonna move him out to New York?"
"No, I didn't," he responds, slightly upset Hyde didn't mention that in his hundred letters he sent. Maybe he didn't want him to know. "Don't change the topic here, missy, we're talking about you here."
"Right," she says. She starts to think some more, and realizes she forgot to mention the inevitable: she's leaving in a week. How was she going to bring this up now?! Casually, hopefully. "Well, everybody's moving around. Kelso's in Chicago, Hyde's going to the east coast, I'm going to Madison." Was that casual?
"You're going to Madison?! When?!" he questions her, actually upset this wasn't mentioned earlier.
"I'm leaving next Friday, classes start the following Monday. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she tried to explain to him. "It totally slipped my mind."
"No, it's fine," he winces, "I guess I should tell you I'm going back to Kenya."
"You're going back there? I thought you had come back home? Does anybody know?"
"I'm here on a break. I had been arranging this for a while, they just approved it yesterday. Donna, I need to stay there for a year for my scholarship. I did it for eight months. I'm going back in two weeks, and then come home in the third week of May. For good, I promise." he reaches out and grabs her hand. "And, no, nobody knows. You're the first person I've told."
"Wow." she takes a deep breath in. She wasn't expecting that. She starts to grow mad at him again, and reminds herself she's doing the exact same thing to him. Leaving each other.
"But, hey, when I come back, you'll be done with the semester, so you'll be back home. I'll enroll at Madison, we can live off campus in an apartment together. Just like we always talked about," he talks quickly, trying to remediate the situation. Try to make it sound like it's not that bad. "It'll all work out, Donna. I wouldn't lie to you."
A tear begins to fall down her face, and he lifts his hand to wipe it away. She looks at his hand, and then up to his eyes. He's moved closer to her to try to console her. She moves her eyes to look down at his lips, and lunges forward to kiss him. He moves his hands to cradle the back of her head as he deepens the kiss. Her hands begin to explore his body and both of their hearts begin to race out of control. As she starts to untuck and unbutton his shirt, he pulls back and looks her in the eyes.
"Donna, are you sure you want to do this?" he asks her, overwhelmed by her sudden change of emotion.
"I love you, Eric," she says, moving her head to kiss down his neck. She needed him.
"I love you, Donna," as he starts to help her strip of her clothes as well.
Neither of them had expected their night to end that way, and will never, ever forget it.