Author's Note: Hey, who fails at life? Yeah that would be me. I am so sorry, I have had the worst writers block in addition to my terrible procrastination problem, basically I have had a good portion of this finished for close to a year and just stopped. I open it from time to time trying to figure out how to finish it. Hopefully this was even a percent worth the wait. Thank you to all who reviewed at favorited, I can't even believe it.

"How could we possibly like each other? We just met." She shot back at him, making eye contact for the first time since he crossed over to her side of the table.

"It's simple Melanie, very simple." As Jack opened his mouth to continue his explanation he was interrupted by the clearing of a throat.

The duo turned to face the culprit who was clearing their throat to find Henry standing at the head to the table holding their plates and shooting them a stern, almost fatherly look that made both Jack and Melanie sink down into their seats in embarrassment. They looked at each other and Jack gave his companion a reassuring smile, one that she returned gratefully before turning back to Henry to see the look still strong in Henry's eyes.

"This is a family restaurant, you know. I can't have you two kids making out in a booth." Henry said, even now holding their plate and not softening his glare at the teens.

Melanie looked shocked by what he had just said. Making out? Hardly! I would never…Okay so maybe I would. She thought to herself as she tried to muster up the courage to say something to him, instead she received a soft squeeze on her shoulder from Jack, she looked into his eyes seeing a softness that seemed to soothe her.

Jack straightened up in his seat, keeping his arm still slung behind Melanie and cleared his throat, making eye contact with their waiter. "Funny," He started. "Because I could have sworn that the entire time we've been at this so-called 'family restaurant' you have been undressing my friend with your eyes. Now if you could kindly put out food down before it's cold and leave so I can get back to the conversation we were having. Thank you."

Henry huffed putting their plates down on the table in front of them. "Some conversation." He said under his breath but the teens caught what he sad, unsure if they were meant to hear his words or not.

The two teens looked each other in the eye, Melanie chewed on her bottom lip bashfully as Jack bit back a laugh. Both looked between one another and their food not saying a word, neither one entirely sure of what to say or even do for that matter. Melanie was completely embarrassed by the whole scene that had unfolded.

Jack cleared his throat and was the first to speak, "I think, um, I think I'm going to go back to my side of the table." He struggled to get the words out without laughing, he pointed over to the empty booth across from them when he finished speaking.

As he began sliding out of the booth Melanie gently grabbed a hold of his arm, he whipped his head back in confusion, her eyes meeting his. She looked at him, still blushing but with an almost-smile playing on her lips. He tilted his head, unsure of what exactly she was doing.

"Stay." She whispered, not as a question, not as a demand, she simply said the word.

That was all Jack needed, he sent her a million dollar grin, one that made Melanie melt on the inside, but she refused to let him see the affect he had on her and simply nodded. Adjusting himself in the seat once again he found the perfect spot. Out of the corner of his eye Jack watched Melanie as she adjusted herself and her plate before her, smiling as she obsessively placed it in the perfect place. He saw her look over at him questioningly but he said nothing, just followed her previous actions of moving his plate before him before eating and she went along with him in suit.

The pair ate in silence, only looking over at one another every few minutes, trying to avoid the other one's gaze. After they ate Henry placed their check on the table in a huff, following a short argument over who was paying for what, Melanie begrudgingly let Jack pay for the whole thing. They slid out of the booth and Jack placed his hand on the small of her back, where they both felt it belonged and left the restaurant but not without Jack shooting Henry a smug look. He smoothly led Melanie back to the car with his hand still on her back.

Melanie turned around against the door as Jack was starting to walk around the front of the car to the driver's side, without thinking she grabbed his hand before he got too far from her. He looked at her questioningly, she looked just as surprised as he did, biting her lip, Jack internally groaned, he hated when she drew attention to her mouth like that.

"Thanks for, uh, standing up for me back there, well sort of, you know…with the waiter and everything." She paused and sighed imagining how stupid she must sound to him. "It was nice of you and um, yeah. Thank you."

Jack smirked his trademark smirk but there was a kindness in his eyes that was not missed by Melanie. He leaned closer to her smirk still perfectly in place, moving a stray piece of hair behind her ear he whispered to her, "It was my pleasure."

And in a millisecond he was gone, over to his side of the car. She couldn't help but smile, her heart was still racing, she heard the lock click signifying that she could get in, sliding in with her palm resting on her chest feeling her heartbeat finally beginning to slow. While putting her seatbelt on she snuck a glance at Jack to see that he was staring at her with no expression on his face.

"What?" She asked, slightly amused and tilting her head.

He shook his head, laughing. "Nothing." He saw her raise her eyebrows in question. "Well, it's just…today has been…weird. You hated me one minute and you're on a date with me the next." She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her. "Don't you dare say it wasn't a date because it was and you know that it was, even if it's just deep down."

She let a half smile grace her face as he spoke. "I wasn't going to deny that it was a date." He quirked his eyebrows. "Okay, so I was, but not before I told you that I never hated you, I just found you irritating."

Jack let out a hearty laugh. "So does that mean I get a kiss when I drive you home?" He asked in a half serious, half joking manner.

"Maybe. If you play your cards right that is, Mr. Mercer." She surprised herself with her flirtatious tone but chose not to second guess herself, instead she looked into his eyes and smirked mischievously then she faced forward, looking out the windshield she saw Jack silently chuckling out of the corner of her eye as Jack started driving away from the restaurant. suddenly Melanie spoke again, "I changed my mind about surprises. Some of them are good."

Jack snapped his head toward her and tilted his head questioning what she had just said silently. "What do you mean?" he asked not turning his eyes back to the road.

She paused momentarily before speaking trying to find a way to word it. "I mean…earlier, when I said I hate surprised and you gave me shit about it. Not the restaurant,, which was supposed to be the surprise, it's not that I didn't like it but just not that surprise but you, you're a good surprise, unlike everything else."

"Did you, Melanie Peterson, just compliment little ol' me?" Jack said feigning shock with his over his heart. He chuckled with Melanie playfully hit him on the chest, in return he took her hand and held it. "Violent aren't we, Mel?" He asked still not letting go of her hand, in fact, he interlocked their fingers.

Melanie had to force herself to ignore the electric feelings shooting through her whole body from Jack's hand holding her's. "Only for you Jack, darling." She managed to shoot back at him in her normal voice and batting her eyelashes.

He took her hand along with his up to his heart. "Mel, you just make me feel so special." He said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "You're only violent for me and you've given me a nickname? Wait…does that violence mean you like it rough then?"

"God, do you ever shut up?" She asked removing her hand from his only to hit him with it and moving too quickly for him to take her hand again. "If I were to give you a nickname 'darling' would not be at the top of my list. I'm just saying."

"But you do like it rough?" He laughed when she hit him yet again. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Jack watched as she heavily sighed and crossed her arms in a huff and glared out the front window. "Now don't be like that, Mel. You know I was only kidding with you and you know it. Come one, smile. I can tell that you want to." He looked over at her and she was already looking at him with a half smile shaking her head. "Now care to tell me where the fuck I'm going? Or we could aimlessly drive around, whatever."

"Right, I actually just live up the road a few blocks in one of those newer developments." She said pointing forward toward rows of newer houses. They continued driving in silence for a few more minutes before she directed him to her house. Jack's car idled in front of the house that Melanie pointed out as her's. She bit her lip as she looked at him. "So, um, would you like to come in?" She asked awkwardly fiddling with her seatbelt before taking it off completely.

"Sure. If I can call my mom to check in that is." Jack said without realizing how childish it sounded, he looked out his window, embarrassed that he still had to check in with his mother when he was almost eighteen, embarrassed that he let the words slip out without thinking. He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to avoid her eyes by looking down at the seat of the car, he didn't want her to think he was a total dork if she didn't already.

"Aw, you're so precious. Of course you can call your mom!" He groaned and glared at her soon as the word 'precious' left her lips. She laughed and put her hand on tip of his that was still resting on the steering wheel. "No, I mean it, I think it's great that you call your mom. My parents could care less where I am." She stopped noticing her sister looking out the front window staring at the duo. "My sister on the other hand, can't seem to find another hobby." She said jutting her thumb in the direction of her sister who widened her eyes noticing that she had been caught, she shut the curtains in a violent fashion hiding behind them. Jack and Melanie laughed and she pulled on his hand. "Come on. I promise I won't call you precious anymore."

He shook his head and he couldn't help but smile this girl was all sorts of odd and he kind of liked it. "Fine." He sighed unbuckling his seatbelt and removing the keys from the ignition with his free hand. "But you can call me whatever you'd like, Mel." He added with a wink.

He tugged on her hand gently pulling her out his side of the car. She let herself be pulled out of the car by him after closing the door she took the lead into her house, still holding onto his hand. The pair both tried to ignore the electricity shooting through their bodies at the contact.