Hey! Look! A new story! I actually started this at the beginning of May, and now, 60 pages later, I'm finally posting it. For those of you who were reading What Sarah Said, it is now complete over on my wordpress account (the address to which you can find on my profile).
Let me know what you think of this, if you haven't already seen it (where else, on wordpress).
PS Merry Christmas, and a very happy new year to all of you lovely people who read and Favorite and Alert and occasionally even review =]

Chapter 1

Eric had long since given up on writing the research essay by the time the gorgeous blonde walked into Kopio. So when she curled up in an armchair to sip on her hazelnut latte and read A Game of Thrones, Eric resigned himself to subtly watching her. She was mesmerizing in a way he couldn't even describe, stunning even in her winter attire, her long hair framing her face still flushed from the freezing temperatures outside. To his amusement, instead of putting the mug aside once she was done, she got up and ordered her second drink, and then her third. Around the time he figured she would be ready to order the fourth, Eric put his laptop aside and headed to the front to order it for her, asking that it be taken to her with a napkin he'd scrawled his number on. Returning to his seat, Eric watched the surprise on her face and waited patiently as she looked at the napkin and cast her gaze around, settling at last on him. Slowly, she gathered her things and threw them in her purse before heading over to stand over him.

"Hi," Eric offered but she wordlessly held out her hand, nodding towards where his phone was perched on the armrest. He handed it to her tentatively and watched as she pressed some buttons and handed it back, chuckling to herself as she spun on her heel and walked out. She'd programmed her number into his phone; Susannah Stackhouse. He called her the next day.

888

"So what are you in school for?" Eric asked, taking a bite of the huge cupcake and smearing some of the frosting on his nose. They'd already spent nearly three hours sprawled on the floor in the Humour section of the bookstore across the street, flipping through books and laughing their asses off. Now, Sookie laughed and wiped the frosting off with her thumb, an act that was perhaps a bit too intimate but which failed to faze him regardless. The levity of the moment faded, however, as she seemed to remember his question and her smile was replaced by a look of resignation.

"My diploma."

Was that her college alternative to post-secondary education? Eric wondered. She seemed smart enough, and driven enough, to be in university, so that made no sense. "Your diploma?"

"My high school diploma."

Eric froze, feeling like someone had dumped a bucket of water on him and then pushed him outside in the winter. "You're serious."

"As a heart attack," she grimaced. "Sorry."

"But you're not-" he began as another thought occurred to him. "Oh god, how old are you?"

"Eighteen as of October. I should have told you earlier."

"Yeah, probably, huh?" He shook his head, still shocked, and took a deep breath.

"I like you," she offered. "That's why I didn't say anything. I had a lot of fun today and I just didn't want to admit it to myself that it would all come to a screeching halt as soon as you found out."

He considered that. He'd had a lot of fun too; so what if she was in high school? How many high schoolers did he know that would be content with hanging out in a bookstore on a first date? Eric genuinely liked her, she was gorgeous and funny and engaging, and mature far beyond her years from what he had seen. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah, we're both graduating," she snorted.

"No, I mean it. You're an adult so it's not illegal, and you don't act like you're in high school. I don't see why it should get in the way of us dating. I mean, we obviously might decide later on that we're just done, but I don't think age should be a deal breaker here."

Sookie gave him a calculating look before smiling, "Alright."

"Alright," he smiled back. "I like you too. Will you go out with me again?"

"I'd love to."

So they did, a week later, this time opting to go to an amazing sushi place Eric insisted would change Sookie's life.

"Are you going to get me drunk on sake and take advantage of me?" Sookie teased and Eric feigned a deer-in-headlights look, a piece of sushi halfway to his mouth.

"Aren't you too young to drink?" He asked once her laughter had died down and she gave him a deadpan look of disapproval. He'd briefly feared that she wouldn't appreciate his age jokes but she didn't seem at all upset and even played along, which was probably a good thing because he couldn't even help himself.

"Watch it, old man. Don't make me kick your cane out from under you," she calmly retorted and took a sip of water.

"Oof, nice. Solid joke."

"Thank you, thankyouverymuch." Sookie inclined her head. "You know what, you may have been right about this changing my life," she added.

"You're welcome." In response, Sookie smiled and stroked her foot up the inside of Eric's calf. "Oh wow, you are grateful."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grinned, and Eric realized that in that moment he was happier than he had ever been, happier than she should be making him on a second date. The feeling only strengthened when she slipped her arms around his neck after dinner and let him deepen the kiss outside the restaurant. When it broke, Eric pulled back and felt something in him tighten at the light in her eyes because she truly mattered, in a way he hadn't anticipated. Nor was he sure it was acceptable, considering she was in high school.

"You're stunning," he murmured before he could stop himself and her cheeks darkened.

"Thank you. You're quite foxy yourself."

"You think I'm foxy?" Eric grinned.

"Are you kidding, I gave you my number because there was no way I could have worked up the courage to call you." Sookie smiled shyly so he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead, tugging her knit hat further down over her ears. It was so fucking cold but she was insistent on his not driving her home, or picking her up for that matter, so they'd been forced to say goodbye outside. He figured it was because it was only their second date and he was probably a bit too old to set her parents' minds at ease, so it didn't bother him. Yet.

"So I guess I won't be seeing you for a while, huh?" She asked. He had mentioned finals and the inevitability of the stress that would soon be blanketing his whole life.

At the thought of not seeing Sookie, Eric winced, "Probably not, but maybe we can go for coffee at some point? It'd force me to get out of the library."

"Sounds good to me. Why don't you text me whenever you need a break?"

"I can do that," Eric grinned and bent down to kiss her again. She tasted like the mint she'd had after dinner and he found himself wanting to prolong the moment.

"I had a really good time tonight, Eric."

"I did too. Damn my finals, inconveniencing my dating life."

"Damn your finals, indeed," she giggled. "So I'll see you later?"

"You will," Eric promised and wished her a goodnight before putting her in a cab.

888

No matter how many times Eric went through this ritual – this study nonstop, eat crap food, don't shower thing that happened every term – he never got over the crippling stress of it all. It was so terrifying to him to think about just how everything depended on whether or not he spent a whole day under the fucking artificial lighting of the Health Sciences library, going over formulas and theories and experiments. The difference, this time around, was the constant presence of the knot in the pit of his stomach that marked Sookie's absence. He fucking missed her, despite having seen her not too long ago – fuck, last week, actually. It got to the point where delving headfirst into his textbook no longer managed to keep his mind off of Sookie and, frustrated, Eric decided that maybe it was time for a break. After all, he'd been studying non-stop for five days, and he was starting to get that sluggish feeling he only got when he stopped going for runs and survived on food that wasn't real food, so a break longer than an hour was completely justified, right?

Satisfied with that, he dug his phone of the drawer he'd locked it in.

If you don't come and put me out of my misery, I just might do it myself.

At school. Miss me already?

Missed you five days ago.

You saw me five days ago :P

Missed you as soon as you were gone. Can I see you?

Sookie suggested coming over to cook him a real meal, and Eric agreed enthusiastically, checking his fridge to find it dismayingly barren.

We might have to go grocery shopping.

Whatever will get you outside, hombre.

Eric laughed at that. That reminded him; a shower was definitely in order. Sookie would be over in a couple of hours, probably looking great and smelling just as amazing as always, and he wanted to not be his greasy finals self. By the time she arrived, he was wearing dark jeans and a green v-neck sweater which, by the look Sookie gave him, he judged he looked great in.

"Hi, Beautiful," he sighed, feeling relief at the mere sight of her and cupping her face for a kiss. She tasted like sweet coffee, and looked even better than he remembered, dressed as she was in a knitted sweater and dark jeans. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was red from the extreme cold, so he couldn't really be held responsible for giving in to the urge to kiss the latter.

"Hey you. How much fun are you having studying?"

"So much fun," Eric responded dryly, bringing his mouth back to kiss her before realizing that she was carrying bags. "You brought groceries?"

"Yeah, I decided I didn't want to share you after all."

Eric couldn't help the smile that lit up his face. They spent the next several hours cooking and eating, and later snuggling on the couch as Romeo & Juliet played.

"I never really liked Romeo," Sookie mused thoughtfully.

"But, Leonardo DiCaprio!"

She giggled. "Oh no, don't get me wrong, he's a stone-cold fox. I just never liked how flighty Romeo seemed. His love for Juliet wasn't really based on anything and less than an hour before seeing her he was waxing poetic about some other chick. I don't know, I just never liked him."

"Just because he fell for her fast doesn't mean what he felt wasn't real," Eric defended softly, in a way that made Sookie's eyes flick to his with surprise. "On a slightly different note, I always liked Juliet as a petname. Or Jules, maybe."

"Huh, I'd never really thought about that. That would be cute," Sookie grinned up at him, a little surprised at this softer side he was showing. He smiled and bent to bring his mouth to her lips, repositioning on the couch so as to avoid contorting his body. Things inevitably grew heated and soon Sookie had him sitting back, his shirt tossed aside as she pulled his pants open.

"Sookie, I didn't expect anything when I invited you," he murmured between kisses and she smiled.

"Are you saying 'no' to a willingly-given blowjob?"

"Does anybody?" Eric laughed. She was sexy as fuck and he was painfully hard. Even with all his blood rushing to his dick Eric knew without a moment's hesitance that he wanted Sookie's lips on him.

"Are you clean?"

"Yes."

She paused, biting her lip, "Am I the only one?"

"I'm not seeing anybody else."

"Are you going to reciprocate?" She was still smiling, but they both knew she wasn't kidding.

"Of course." He never understood men's aversion to reciprocity. How goddamn lazy – not to mention inconsiderate – would you have to be to not return the favour?

"Then shut up."

With Sookie's gorgeous lips wrapped around his cock Eric let his head fall back, his fists clenching in the material of the couch as she gave him the kind of release he could only hope to match with his hand. He made sure Sookie got hers as well, with his fingers buried in her warmth and his mouth latched on to her breast as she gasped and moaned her way through her orgasm. Afterwards, as they lazily kissed, Eric noticed that it had gotten dark outside.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Why, do you want me out of here?" Sookie murmured with an adorable smirk.

"Not even a little bit. Won't your parents worry?"

"Nope. Besides, tomorrow is Saturday."

"Then, will you stay over?"

"And just sleep?" She asked pointedly, since she'd made it clear she wasn't ready for sex.

"And cuddle. And other stuff," he added with a little wink that made Sookie blush.

"Okay."

888

"Is it because of the age thing?" Sookie asked two months later, knees drawn up to her chest under the sheets. Eric was sitting across the bed, looking mildly uncomfortable in his underwear despite wanting her, desperately.

"I think so. It doesn't bother me, usually, but it just occurred to me just how long ago I was eighteen and that just freaked me out." He frowns, "sorry."

Sookie considered that. She didn't like that her age was still an issue, but then again it hadn't been that long since they started dating; and it's not like it had been an issue since their first date, nor did he ever treat her like she was a child, so it wasn't that he saw her as being too young. Just too young to fuck. Sookie sighed. "You wouldn't be my first, Eric," she offered and that seemed to interest him.

"How many?"

"Two."

"Tell me about your first."

She smiled, seemingly amused. "My best friend all throughout junior high was this guy that I'd liked for ever, but I never told him because I valued our friendship too much. We ended up going to different high schools and we lost touch, but we ran into each other at a party at the end of grade eleven. Turns out, he'd always liked me too, but didn't tell me for the same reasons. We ended up spending the whole night together and around sunrise, we uh… we did it in his car."

Eric released a choked laugh. "A regular Casanova, huh?"

"Pretty much," Sookie laughed.

"Do you regret it?"

She thought about it for a second, "No. He was someone I trusted for a long time, and spending time with him was amazing. And he was nice enough, and the sex was good enough."

"How magical," Eric smiled, but not in a sarcastic way.

"It could have been a lot worse, from what I hear," Sookie shrugged. "I obviously didn't romanticize the idea of my first time, otherwise I wouldn't have slept with some guy I hadn't seen in two years."

"This is true."

"What about you?"

"How many, or how was my first time?"

"Both."

"Four. I was also in the eleventh grade. It was with uh, my girlfriend of the time."

"Did you love her?"

"No. She didn't love me either though, she just wanted someone to sleep with."

"Oh, and you were the ideal candidate for that?" Sookie teased, a light in her eyes.

"A fine-looking well-endowed gentleman with an engaging personality such as my own? Naturally." She burst out laughing, hysterical and infectious until Eric joined her. When they calmed down Eric was sitting much closer, and Sookie leaned forward to press her lips to his.

"I'm cold, Eric. Help me warm up?"

Chuckling at the line, Eric slipped his tongue into her mouth and guided her to straddle his hips once his boxers were off. "Sookie, you're…"

"Stunning? I know." She chuckled breathlessly when his hands travelled to tweak her nipples. "That feels really good."

"I was going to say breathtaking but that works." With that, Eric brought his mouth into the mix and Sookie gasped at the unexpected pleasure, rocking her hips against his erection. He really was huge, Sookie thought again, wondering how things were going to work logistically. Neither Bill nor Preston had been that big, but neither one had ever turned her on as much as Eric could with just one look so Sookie was optimistic.

"Eric, condom."

"Fuck, okay." In one smooth move Eric rolled her underneath him to reach into the bedside table for a little foil packet that he handed over to Sookie. "Put it on me," he ordered quietly and Sookie felt the heat of it in the pit of her stomach. Ripping open the foil she slid the latex on him, watching his face carefully as she experimentally pumped him.

"Eric?" she whispered, feeling her cheeks burning as he was preparing to push in.

"What is it?"

"I'm just, really nervous," she lowered her voice even more.

"I promise I won't hurt you, Jules."

The petname hit her low in her gut, and instead of contemplating what it meant she made an executive decision. "I trust you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he entered her body, and pulled back to watch the look in her eyes when she gasped out loud. Legs locking around his hips, Sookie kept a hand anchored in his hair as he began moving and used the other to traverse his body. Eric's groans in her ear became all she focused on as the pleasure washed over her, over and over again until it became a continuous flood of bliss and she fell apart in his arms. He had his moment right after, calling out and relaxing into her warmth. Sliding down to avoid crushing her chest, Eric rested his head on her sternum and sighed when she threaded her fingers through his sweaty hair.

"How are your nerves now?" he murmured, rubbing a thumb over her nipple and lifting his head to smile at the sound of her laughter.

"That was really good," Sookie observed once the laughter died down. "That was- Can we do that again?"

"We can do that again," he nodded, reaching to bring her hand to his lips. "We're doing that until I run out of condoms. And then we're running out to get more condoms," he added, moving even further down to pull her legs apart, smiling at her shrieks when he tickled her.

A/N: Moved fast, eh? If you likee, the second chapter is already up... on wordpress.