This is the last of the one-shots I wrote while on holiday and is inspired by Adele's 'Someone Like You'. I'll admit it turned out different to how I expected, but I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Southern Vampire Mysteries, nor do I own Adele's Someone Like You.
Someone Like You
"You don't have to do this, Sook." Amelia looked over to me and gave my hand a squeeze. "It's not too late to back out. You know Clare would understand. Everyone would."
I had spent hours getting ready and we were already in the taxi heading across London to the posh country hotel on the outskirts of the city that Clare and her soon-to-be-husband, Sam, had chosen as the venue for their nuptials. I had been determined to go, but I was now seriously close to chickening out, and Amelia's understanding wasn't making it any easier.
"I do, Mel. I need to see him."
She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't want you to be hurt any more than you have been already."
"I know. But maybe it will do me good to see him. Maybe it will be closure. Maybe we can be friends." I wasn't too sure on that myself, but it seemed the right thing to say.
She looked thoughtful at that comment. "Possibly. And really, I hope you can be. You've been clinging on to this for too long."
I knew that was the truth, but it hurt to hear her say so. I turned away from her and stared at the scenery as we drove through the streets of south-west London.
"Does he know I'm going to be there?" I asked her after we'd both been quiet for around ten minutes.
"No. And let's face it, not even you knew if you were going to be there before today." That was a very true point. "I don't really talk to him about you."
I gritted my teeth it order to keep myself from saying anything I may regret. I knew that Amelia was in a difficult position. Her and her husband Tray were good friends with Alcide and his new wife Maria, and I knew that they were both in a difficult position to remain friends with all of us. I had to admit that I'd felt a little betrayed by Amelia at first when she made it clear that she intended on being friends with both of us, but later on I understood her reasoning.
"Okay."
"Sookie …" she extended my name and sighed at the same time. "It's difficult for him as well. He didn't plan on hurting you."
"Yeah, well, he did."
She squeezed my hand in understanding. "I know Sook. But he's happy now; you want that don't you?"
In all honesty, at times I'd have preferred it if he was as miserable as I was, but I knew that wasn't the case. "I suppose," I said begrudgingly.
"It'll be okay, Sook. He's not going to make a scene today." I could tell that her words were a faintly concealed threat to me to not do the same.
"Have you seen Clare's dress?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"No, but she said it's gorgeous. It's apparently an A-line dress with a lace overlay…"
We spent the rest of the journey talking about Sam and Clare. We all used to be good friends, Sam and Clare, Amelia and Tray, Bill and Judith, Alcide and me. We'd be good friends since our teenage years, the eight of us being inseparable into adulthood. Sam had chosen Tray as his best man, but to avoid any awkwardness, Clare had chosen her brother's two daughters to be her bridesmaids.
Maria had essentially taken my place within the friendship group. The others all tried to remain friends with me, but all found it difficult, as apparently Maria was 'great' and 'really nice' and not one of them was able to say anything bad about her. The fact was that with the exception of Amelia, who had always been my closest friend, it was always very difficult whenever I was with one of the others as I was the only single one.
I had dated in the four years since Alcide broke up with me, but nothing had lasted longer than a few months. I'd even resorted to internet dating, but only managed to meet a bunch of complete losers and weirdoes. I'd heard rumours of people meeting the loves of their lives on the internet, but I had no luck whatsoever. And I'd certainly never felt confident enough to introduce said date to any of my friends – especially the ones that knew Alcide.
The weather on this September Saturday looked like it was going to be warm and sunny, and the taxi dropped us off in front of the gorgeous Georgian hotel just on the outskirts of the city. I brushed down the dress I'd spent hours choosing and fiddled with my hair. I'd eventually settled on a white dress with small red flowers. It was strapless and fitted around the bodice, but then flowed into an A-line skirt that came to my knee. I'd paired it with some scandalously high red patent heels, a red clutch handbag and a red fascinator clipped into my hair, which was half up and half down. If I was going to see my ex, I was going to make sure that I looked as fabulous as possible.
There were guests and staff milling around the hotel, and Amelia and I headed straight to the bar. I wasn't normally one to drink this early in the afternoon, but on this occasion, I felt that it was necessary.
"Are you okay?" Amelia asked me once we were inside.
"I'm okay. And this will help." I raised my glass of gin and tonic at her, and she rolled her eyes.
I looked across the bar and saw a nervous looking Sam sipping on a pint of beer, with Tray stood next to him. My eyes flitted across the group until I spotted Alcide. He had his strong arm wrapped around his wife, and was wearing a well-cut black suit, white shirt and a dark green tie. He looked as incredible as ever, his black hair slicked back a little, but shorter than I had liked him wearing it.
I didn't want to stare at him, but I couldn't help it. It hurt. It hurt seeing him after all this time. And he looked damned good: happy, tanned and at ease. He obviously wasn't remotely concerned about my potential presence at the wedding. And that made me feel even worse. I wanted him to feel at least a fraction of what I felt, yet obviously, he didn't. He was happy and in love and married.
And I wasn't.
None of the men I had been with since came close to him. I wanted to find someone like him, but no one measured up. No one matched his gorgeous smile, or his height and build, or his gentle nature. I didn't restrict myself for looking like someone who matched him physically, as that was quite a measure, but still, no guy I met measured up to him in my mind.
.
"Sookie, can we talk?" I should have known that nothing good ever came after those words.
I'd just come home to the flat we shared, and Alcide had been waiting for me. He was sitting at the kitchen table, his back straight and his hands held together.
"Sure. What's up?"
He couldn't meet my eyes, and instead stared down and his hands, which were rested on the table. "I … um … I don't think this is working." He motioned between the two of us to make his point. "Us."
"What?" It had been like a punch to the gut and all the air from my lungs appeared to expel at once. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing wrong with us. And I thought he had been as happy as I had been. I was about to be proved wrong.
"You and me. I don't think this is working anymore."
I had been stunned; I was completely unaware that anything was wrong in our relationship.
"What? Why?"
"Sook, I'm not happy anymore. I don't think you and me are right together."
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I think we should break up."
That had been the death toll for me. I thought I was going to lose consciousness, and I was certain that my heart stopped beating in my chest.
"You want to break up with me?" I was on the verge of tears, and I knew the only reason they weren't falling already was because I was in shock.
"I think it's for the best."
"For whom?" I shouted at him, anger suddenly hitting me.
He closed his eyes briefly before looking back at me. I could see sorrow in his eyes, and I knew his mind was already made up.
"For both of us. We're not right together."
"Says you!" I shouted at him. "We can fix this. Just tell me what to do and I will do it." I was almost begging him.
"I'm sorry, Sookie. I don't think you and me are right together."
"You aren't the only one who gets to make that decision. Why can't we talk about this?"
"Because I'm not happy anymore. I haven't been for some time." His voice was full of sorrow.
"You should have told me! We could have fixed this!" I was already talking in the past tense, and I knew at the time that there was no changing his mind. Alcide had always been like that.
"No, we can't."
The tears were flowing freely from me eyes, and I made no attempt to wipe them away. I tried my best to keep my breathing under control, but I could feel an asthma attack coming on from my lack of oxygen.
"Sookie, please don't cry." He was begging me, but that only made me cry harder.
"Please …" I gasped between sobs. "Please don't do this to me."
"I'm sorry." He looked sorrowful as well.
"Why?
"I just don't think you and me are right." He tried to take my hand, but I flinched back from him. "This is about me. And I'm sorry that I'm being so selfish, but I'm just not happy anymore."
"I wish you had told me earlier," I said regretfully. "Is there someone else?" I asked after a few moments of silence had passed.
"No. I promise you that."
"So you're just throwing this away? Eight years, Alcide. You were my first. I thought you'd be my always."
"I never meant to hurt you."
"Well you're doing a really good job," I spat back at him.
"Sookie…"
"What?"
"Please don't make this harder than it has to be."
He had some gall. "I will make this as fucking hard as I want to. You're the one breaking us up after eight years together. I was happy; I had no idea that you weren't. You haven't even given me a chance to make this better!"
"I'm sorry."
"So you keep saying," I snapped. I stood up from the table and turned my back from him. My tears were still falling fast, and I wasn't sure how much more of him I could take.
"Sookie… I want us to be friends.
"Fuck you, Alcide," I hissed at him. "Get out." We'd been sharing a flat for around three years, but it was mine that I had bought using the money from my parents' life insurance.
"Sookie…"
"Don't. Just go."
"I already packed. I just … I don't want us to end on bad terms."
"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to rip my heart out!" I was being melodramatic, but I didn't care. I wanted him to be as hurt as I was.
"Sookie…"
"Go."
"I'm sorry, I –"
"Just go!" I yelled at him. He finally did as I asked, standing up from the table and peering down at me as I stood in the middle of my kitchen. I didn't meet his eyes.
I heard him sigh before he finally walked out of the kitchen to go and pick up his bags. I remained standing where I was, staring at the grain of the table in front of me. I heard him moving around the flat and picking up his bags. He came briefly into the kitchen again, but didn't say anything before he left.
It was only ten minutes later that Amelia turned up at my flat having being called by an apparently concerned Alcide. She listened to me as I sobbed, and held me long into the night, spending the night with me in my lonely bed.
.
Alcide hadn't noticed me staring at him, but Amelia had done. "Sookie," she scolded.
"What? It's the first time I've seen him in four years. He looks good."
It was also the first time that I had seen Maria. She was taller than me, with straight and shiny mid-brown hair that came just past her shoulders. She wore a dark green dress that seemed to match the colour of Alcide's tie, and matching shoes with a small heel. My shoes were definitely better than hers.
What did catch my attention was her glass of coke in her hand. Most others had a pint of beer or glass of wine, but she was drinking a soft drink. I assumed that maybe she was on driving duty, but when she turned slightly and I saw the ever so slight swell of her belly with her hand resting on it, I realised why. I couldn't stop myself from gasping.
"Sookie …" Amelia had obviously seen what I had done, and she placed a hand on my back.
"She's pregnant?" I asked, my voice no more than a whisper.
"Yes, she's just over three months along. Although they only told us last week. She's apparently already had one miscarriage, so they didn't want to tell anyone until she was past her first trimester."
Well that was a kick in the teeth if ever I needed one. "You could have told me beforehand," I said to Amelia.
She sighed. "Would you still have come?"
"No."
"Well that's why I didn't tell you. Sook, you needed to see him. You've known him for such a long time, I really think it's about time that you talked."
"Maybe, but a heads-up on his pregnant wife may have been nice."
"You've already said that you wouldn't have come if I had told you that."
"You're meant to be my friend."
"I am, Sookie, you know that," her voice was gentle but firm. "But I'm also his friend and you've never been interested in talking to him before now."
I knew that she was right. In the few months after Alcide and I broke up, he had made an effort to speak to me, to make sure that I was okay. But I hadn't been, and I avoided him. The fact was that it had been far too painful to consider seeing him, and I didn't want him to see me as this weak and pathetic woman who couldn't get over her relationship breakdown. In the end, he stopped trying and we settled into an easy existence of avoiding each other. If he was going to be somewhere, I didn't go, and if I was going to be there, he didn't. Sam and Clare's wedding was the first time we had been at the same place at the same time since he left me in my kitchen.
"Hey, Sookie! You okay?" I was drawn from my thoughts to see that Tray had come over. He wrapped an arm around Amelia's shoulders and gave me a warm smile.
"I'm good," I lied. "How you doing, Tray?"
"All is good. Well, except Sam who's a nervous wreck right now!"
I smiled and looked to where Sam was standing now talking to Alcide. Except that this time Alcide spotted me. His face dropped momentarily when he saw me, before putting on a fake smile and waving slightly. It was a gesture noticed by Maria, and she too turned to look at me. I noticed her saying something to Alcide, who confirmed with a nod.
"Sookie," Amelia said gently, placing her hand on my arm and drawing my attention back to her. I purposely turned so that my back was to Alcide and his wife.
"It just …" I sighed and shut my eyes. "I still love him. And seeing him with her, and her being pregnant… It's all too much. I shouldn't have come."
It was Tray that spoke up. "Well you're here now, and if you run away now you're going to make it obvious how you feel." I was fairly sure it was obvious anyway, but I did understand his point. "Be strong, Sookie. You're a beautiful woman, and you deserve better than to mope over him."
I saw Amelia give her husband a smile in obvious agreement. I sighed and drained the rest of my drink. "I'm trying not to."
"I don't think you are, Sook," Amelia chastised. "You're stuck in the past and you haven't really tried to move on. You're trying to replace him with someone just like him, and you're not going to be able to do that. You deserve better."
"She's right," Tray piped in. "And maybe you do need to clear the air with Alcide. Maybe talking with him will help you move on. I'm sure if I have a word with him, he'll be willing to talk to you."
"Meaning that he doesn't want to?" I snapped back. "He was never normally the shy type."
"Come on, Sook. He's married and his wife is expecting their first child."
"He doesn't want to bring up the past," I observed.
"Pretty much. But he also doesn't want to see you hurt."
I didn't know what else to say, and luckily for me, Sam came over to pull Tray away as we were all taken into the room where the ceremony was to be held. Amelia and I sat towards the front on the brides' side, with Alcide and Maria a few rows behind us and on Sam's side. The ceremony itself was gorgeous, and Clare looked perfect in her ivory lace gown,
But weddings always made me think about what I had lost. When Alcide broke up from me, I had been hoping that he was on the verge of proposing to me. By that point, Amelia and Tray, and Bill and Judith were already married, and I was sure that we would be next. But how wrong I was. The fantasy wedding dress I had designed when I was seventeen and first started dating Alcide was never going to be any more than that: a fantasy.
The photographs outside on the grounds of the hotel were a little awkward, but nothing was said and Alcide and I pretty much avoided each other. But things only got worse when it came to Clare throwing her bouquet. All the single women (and our gay friend Lafayette) were lined up at the bottom of the steps, and Amelia had unceremoniously pushed me into Laffy's arms with no chance of escape.
I'd have preferred to have hidden at the back where there was no way that I was going to get anywhere near the bouquet of red and white roses. But Lafayette pushed me into the centre of the pack of women, and when Clare threw it straight into my arms I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
"Back off, bitch!" Lafayette snapped at one woman who tried to snatch the bouquet from my arms. Personally, I'd happily have let her have it, but the woman scowled and stalked off, leaving me with the bouquet and Lafayette making a big deal of it. Of course, Amelia ran up to me, and everyone around me squealed about how I was going to be the next one to get married.
Like that was going to happen.
I tried not to meet Alcide's eyes, but I couldn't seem to avoid him. He gave me a small smile, but it didn't meet his eyes. I wished I knew what was going on in his mind, and I made a few paces in his direction to have that much-needed talk, but when Maria joined him, I changed my mind and retreated back to the crowd. I handed the bouquet back to Clare and chatted for a while to her and Sam who were both glowing with happiness.
The wedding breakfast went off well, with delicious food and good wine. As Tray was on the top table, Amelia and I were on one side of the room with Bill and Judith, while Alcide and Maria were safely on the other side. It made me glad that Sam and Clare had so many friends, family and work-colleagues who were able to fill the gap between us.
After the meal, I looked down at my watch and saw that it was only six. Personally, I'd have loved to have slipped away, but I had promised Amelia that if I attended I'd be there for the whole day and night, and it would be a long, lonely taxi journey back to my West-London flat. I'd not been able to stay in the flat that I'd shared with Alcide, and sold it only a few months after he moved out. I had to admit that I made a good profit on the place, and put the extra money towards a new, bigger apartment just off the stylish King's Road.
We all sat down in the lounge of the hotel, Amelia, Tray and I sat together and drinking some much-needed coffee for a pick-me-up before the evening's festivities kicked in. Clare and Sam had disappeared to their room for a 'lie down' and the rest of us nibbled on their chocolate wedding cake. After a while, the newlyweds joined us once more and we were led into the large bar of the hotel where the evening reception was being held.
"You know you should talk to him before you both get too drunk," Amelia commented as we headed into the bar. She certainly had a point.
"I know. I wanted to talk to him earlier, but I don't feel comfortable doing so while Maria is around."
Amelia gave me a wicked grin. "You only had to ask. I'll distract her with baby talk, and you can nab Alcide."
She did just that, subtly pulling Maria away from Alcide so I had my chance to talk to him. I spotted that he was alone, and took my opportunity. "Hey, Alcide," I greeted as I came up behind him. He turned quickly and looked down at me, a confusing expression in his eyes.
"Sookie … how … how are you?"
"I'm okay."
"Really? I mean, no one really talks about you. I don't know how you have been."
I sighed. It seemed that our friends had been keeping Alcide in the dark as much about my heartbreak as they had with his happiness. He was searching my eyes and waiting for an answer. I knew that he wanted to hear that I had been fine, but I wanted to be honest with him.
"Honestly, Alcide? No, I haven't been great. I've been surviving and I've been missing you."
He looked like I'd punched him, and he closed his eyes briefly. "I never meant to hurt you, Sookie."
"Really? Because leaving me after eight years together was a sure-fire way to do just that. What did you think, that I'd been pleased you decided to leave me?" I paused briefly, but I didn't expect him to answer. "I thought you were it for me."
He took a deep breath. "Sookie, we were together from the age of seventeen; I've known you since we were both six years old. We were just kids when we got together, and those kinds of relationships don't last."
"No, apparently they don't," I said bitterly.
"I just … I didn't want you to make a mistake in marrying the first boy you slept with."
"Don't you bring this around on me!" I snapped. "I would have perfectly happily have married you. I'm not the one who wanted to fuck around before marrying." I glared at him, my teeth clenched.
"Sookie …"
"Don't."
Neither one of us said anymore, but neither one of us moved away either. I was aware that we were alone, the people that had been near Alcide obviously leaving to give us space to have this long overdue conversation.
"I want you to be happy," I eventually said to him. He turned back to him, and I could see that his eyes were full of emotion.
"I am."
I attempted a smile. "Good." I turned to move away from him, but he grabbed my arm to stop me. I always used to feel warmed by Alcide's touch, but not this time.
"I want you to be happy too," he stated.
"Yeah, I'd like that too."
His eyes softened as he looked at me. "Sometimes … sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it just hurts instead." I'd remembered him saying something similar once before.
"I know."
I turned my back and walked away from him, passing Amelia and Maria on my journey to the bar. I shot Amelia a look that said leave me alone, and I went to sit and think. I ordered a drink and sat on a bar stool fiddling with my fingers and staring at the wooden surface.
"On the house," a deep male voice said, which was odd considering I had ordered my drink from a blonde female.
"It's a free bar," I said, looking up at the tall blond man who was smirking at me.
"For you maybe, but someone still has to pick up the tab, and you look like you need that." I'd noticed that the gin and tonic I'd received was larger than the one I had requested.
"That obvious, huh?"
He smiled. "Want to talk about it?"
I noticed that he had a slight accent, and if I had to pin it down I'd say that he was Scandinavian. He certainly looked it with his naturally blond hair and pale blue eyes. I had to admit that the man was definitely good looking, with a handsome face, strong neck and long straight hair that was tied at the back of his neck. He was also wearing a well-cut and expensive dark grey suit, with a pale blue shirt, which was open at the collar, and no tie.
"Clichéd much?" I asked with a smile.
He shrugged. "I'm a good listener."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't think you want to hear about my problems." I looked down the bar and saw quite a few other people waiting for drinks. "And anyway, you have a busy bar, I wouldn't like to keep you."
"The others can manage it," he said dismissively of his colleagues. He came out from behind the bar and pulled up a stool next to mine. "So talk."
"No offence, but I don't feel comfortable spilling my secrets to a stranger."
He held out a large hand to me to shake mine, and I reluctantly gave him my hand. I couldn't deny that his hand was warm, and his touch felt strangely comfortable. "I'm Eric Northman. Originally from Upsala, Sweden, I'm thirty-two, a Scorpio and single. I speak four languages, have two Labradors named Mango and Chutney, and I play basketball in my spare time, although I'm not very good."
He kept hold of my hand, and I gave in. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I'm twenty-nine, cancer, single and an actuary for an insurance company. I'm born and bred in London, and I have two British Blue cats called Dante and Randall. I love watching films, I suffer from a peanut-butter addiction, I'm allergic to kiwis and I have over two hundred pairs of shoes."
He smiled, shook my hand and finally let it go. I had to admit that I missed the contact.
"So, now that we know each other, you can tell me why a beautiful woman is sitting on her own at the bar looking miserable. You in love with the groom or something?" He was joking, yet he was disturbingly close to the truth.
"Not the groom, but one of his friends," I admitted for some reason. "We were together for eight years before he decided I wasn't right for him."
He looked thoughtful. "He'd be the tall dark-haired bloke with the green tie?"
I turned around and followed his eye-line to where Alcide was stood. "Um, yeah, that's him. How did you know?"
He shrugged. "Just from the way he was glaring at me."
I snorted. "Well I can't see how it's any of his concern. He's the one who dumped me four years ago and is now happily married with a kid on the way."
"He's obviously an idiot."
"I'm sure he had his reasons." I had to admit that this conversation was surprisingly cathartic.
"You say you're in love with him…"
"Yes."
"After four years?"
"I –" I didn't know how to answer that one.
"Are you sure it's not just the idea of love that you miss. The idea of being with someone?"
"What?"
"Four years is a long time to still be in love with someone. Have you tried to move on?" I didn't need this from some barman I had just met.
"Excuse me …" I stood up, but he placed a hand on my arm, and my eyes shot straight to his.
"I didn't mean to offend you, but it strikes me that maybe it is being in love that you miss rather than him."
"Do you have some kind of degree in psychology or something?" I spat back at him, picking up my clutch bag with my free hand in an attempt to leave.
"No, I don't."
"Well mind your own business then."
He seemingly ignored my snipe at him as he remained held onto me, and I couldn't quite bring myself to pull my arm away from him. "I know because my wife of five years left me eighteen months ago for another man."
Well that shut me up. I could see a vulnerability in his eyes, and I stopped struggling against him. But he was still holding me.
"I'm sorry."
He sighed. "So was I for a long time. I didn't want to move on. But my sister forced me into therapy and I learned some things from it."
"So you're imparting your knowledge," I said with a smile.
"Quite. That'll be three hundred quid."
"Wow, that's some expensive G and T."
"The best kind," his eyes were sparkling once more.
"It's just … well this is the first time I've seen him since we split. We have mutual friends, but we've pretty much avoided each other since we split up."
"Not the healthiest thing to do. One of the things my therapist did was make me see her and talk about things. It helped enormously. But I can see that you've done that tonight."
"You saw me talking to him?"
"Of course. I noticed you when you arrived."
"Oh really?" It shocked me that I was flirting with him. It was something I hadn't done in a very long time..
"Certainly, I haven't been able to keep my eyes off you." I swallowed thickly at his flirting. "Care to dance?"
"Aren't you going to get in trouble with your boss for abandoning the bar?"
"No."
"No?"
"Nope." He popped the 'p' and gave me a smug look.
"And why not?"
He leaned down to whisper into my ear. "Because I am the boss."
"You run the bar?"
"Kind of."
"Kind of?"
"I own the hotel, Sookie."
That stunned me. "You own this place?"
"You seem to enjoy repeating what I say."
"Well that's because you seem to enjoy taking your time over the information," I snapped, but not viciously.
"Mmmm, feisty aren't you." He leered at me, and I could feel my face flush. "You're not as sweet as you look, are you."
"Maybe I am," I joked.
"I'd like to find out."
"You …"
"About that dance?" he bowed slightly and held out a hand to me.
I didn't know whether to accept or not. I was certainly captivated by this man, and I couldn't deny that he was good looking. But then there was Alcide. What we he think about me dancing with another man. And should I even care what Alcide thinks?
"I'm not asking you to marry me," he said when I hadn't responded.
"Fine. Yes." I held out my hand to him and he took mine in his.
"You'll marry me?" he said with a sly smile.
"What? No, I'll dance with you." I could feel my face flush. "Forward aren't you?"
"Well you do need someone to marry since you caught the bouquet."
"You saw that? Stalker much?"
"Like I said, I've struggled to keep my eyes off you. You're a beautiful woman, Sookie Stackhouse."
I didn't know what to say to that, and simply followed him to the dance floor. He stopped in the centre and waited for me to join him, facing me and placing one hand on my hip and one further up my back. I did the same, placing a hand on his waist and one on his chest in between us.
"You okay?" he asked as we gently swayed to the music. In all honesty, I had no idea what was being played, but I had to admit that I felt strangely at ease in his arms.
"I'm good," I said with a smile, meeting his brightly blue eyes and seeing that he was grinning down at me.
"Fancy a little dirty dancing?" he asked with a smirk. "Your ex hasn't taken his eyes off you, so we might as well give him a show."
I'm sure it wasn't healthy to want to make Alcide jealous, but I probably wouldn't get too many other opportunities, and I had to admit to being very open to the idea of getting a little closer to Eric.
I didn't answer, but moved my hand from Eric's impossibly hard chest and placed it on his muscled back. He pulled me closer to him at the same time a more upbeat song started playing, and we danced together in perfect rhythm, his leg slipping between mine as we gyrated together. He was a good dancer for someone so tall. Alcide had been an appalling dancer, all arms and legs flailing everywhere like a giant spider on roller-skates.
"See that wasn't so hard, was it?" Eric smirked down at me once we left the crowded dance floor and took up residence by the bar. He indicated to one of the servers to bring us both new drinks. I couldn't help but notice that the blonde lady who had taken my drinks order earlier smirked at Eric as she handed us our drinks. And she had remembered that mine was a gin and tonic.
"A friend of yours?" I asked, trying (but failing) to keep the jealousy out of my voice.
"And if she was?" he shot back, knocking me off guard. He stared at me expectantly and waiting for my answer.
"Um, no reason." I attempted a smile at him.
He raised an eyebrow yet didn't comment. "Pam," he called to the blonde female.
She huffed and begrudgingly walked over, giving him a look that certainly said something, although I wasn't too sure what.
"Sookie, I'd like for you to meet my twin sister."
As soon as he said that I could see the resemblance between them. And it wasn't just looks, but in mannerisms as well. She said something to him in what I presumed to be Swedish, which he answered and gave her a sharp look.
"I'm not normally here," he said to me after taking a sip of his beer. "We have a boutique hotel in central London as well, which I run. But Pam needed extra bar-staff tonight as a couple called in sick, and since I wasn't busy I agreed to help out."
"And a great job you're doing," she snarked while serving someone I didn't recognise.
"So I am keeping you from your job," I said to him. "I apologise, Pam."
"Don't be. I can't blame him." She ran her eyes over me, and I felt like I was being considered for lunch.
"Pamela," he warned.
She snapped back something in Swedish, before swinging her hair and going to the other end of the bar to serve someone else.
"The two of you own two hotels?" I asked him, ignoring the stare she'd given me.
"And a third in Devon, but we don't get to spend too much time there. Our dad was a hotelier, and when he died a few years back from a heart attack he left the hotels jointly to Pam and I to run. My ex-wife tried to take some of the hotels with her when she left, but they had been left in such a way that they couldn't be split. It was worth seeing the look on her face when she found that out."
I realised that Eric, like me, still had some unresolved emotions concerning his ex, and it made me realise how we had that in common. And more than that, how I'd actually like to see more of him to see if we shared other common interests or personality traits. That was something of a surprise to me, as I'd really not shown interest in anyone since Alcide left, but this man had blown all that out of the water.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm better off without her. Just as you're better off without him." He nodded his head to the side, and I again saw Alcide staring at the pair of us.
"I don't understand why he's staring at us," I whispered to Eric. "He's the one who dumped me and is now happily married." I wasn't able to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
"Maybe he's just realised what a fucking idiot he was to let you go. And you deserve better."
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"Such as?"
"Me."
"You think you're better than him?"
He leaned in close to my ear. "Oh, I can assure you I am." It didn't take a genius to work out what he meant.
We were interrupted by Alcide, Tray and Amelia coming up to us. Amelia gave me an apologetic smile, and it was obvious that them coming over was Alcide's idea rather than Amelia's. particularly when my friend gave me a thumbs up and mouthed 'he's hot' at me.
"Want to introduce us to your new friend?" Alcide asked. He emphasised the 'friend' in a somewhat disapproving manner.
I somehow resisted the temptation to say something bitchy. "Sure. Guys, this is Eric Northman, owner of this fine establishment, along with his sister Pam." I pointed in Pam's direction, who simply raised an eyebrow. "Eric, meet my friends Amelia and her husband Tray, and Alcide." I realised the way I'd said it suggested Alcide wasn't a friend, but realistically, that was the case.
Eric smiled and went into shake all their hands. It didn't escape my notice that there was some tension between Eric and Alcide, and both men rose to their full heights and no doubt squeezed the hell out of the other's hand. I got the impression that Eric managed to come off on top, but I rolled my eyes and gave Amelia a smile.
"Nice to meet you all," Eric said with charm.
"Likewise," Alcide growled while still eyeballing Eric.
"Sookie tells me that your wife is pregnant… Congratulations."
Alcide clenched his teeth, before spitting a 'thanks' back at Eric. I didn't understand what the hell was going on. Only an hour or so ago, Alcide had wanted me to move on and be happy, but here he was being an absolute arse.
"Alc, can I have a quick word?"
"Sure."
He looked a bit taken aback, and I saw Amelia give me a nod to suggest it was the right thing to do. It was Eric who didn't look impressed.
"I'll just be a few minutes," I said to Eric, placing a hand on his arm. With that gesture he seemed to relax, but I felt his eyes on me as I walked away.
"What is this, Alcide?" I asked him when we were alone.
"I don't like that guy."
"You don't know him!"
"Neither do you." I simply rolled my eyes. "You were telling me earlier how much you miss me, and now you're bumping and grinding with some bloke you've just met?"
"Don't you dare!" I snapped at him. "You don't get to judge me. And yes, I do miss you. I miss what we had, but I think people were right in saying that I needed to see you again. I wish you all the best, Alcide, I really do. You're married, you have a child on the way. And maybe I have been moping around for too long. But I like talking to Eric. He's the first man I've met since you left that I have found a connection with. I'm not jumping straight into bed with him. We've talked and danced, that's it. He split from his wife a year and half ago in similar circumstances. She left him for another man so he knows what it's like."
"I didn't leave you for anyone else."
"I don't know if that makes it better or worse," I admitted.
Alcide sighed and looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Sook. I've been an arsehole."
"Something like that." I agreed. "Are you going to introduce me to Maria?" I'd noticed that she was keeping a close eye on Alcide and me.
He smiled and seemed to relax. "Sure." He turned around and beckoned for her to come over. "Sook, I'd like you to meet my wife. Maria, this is Sookie."
She gave me a genuine smile and held out her hand to me, which I took in my own. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sookie. I've heard so much about you from Alcide and all the others." She shrugged slightly and I realised how difficult it must have been for her. I knew I would struggle to feel welcome if I had been in her shoes.
"And you. And congrats with the baby." She beamed a wide smile and placed a hand on her belly.
"Thanks. We're both really excited."
Alcide moved to stand behind her, his arms wrapping protectively around her and placing his hands over hers. They did look happy and in love, and strangely, I didn't feel jealous. Instead, my eyes rose to where Eric was standing chatting with Tray and Amelia, and looking like he had known them for years.
"He's fit," Maria said as she noticed me staring at Eric. Alcide grumbled something under his breath, but his wife simply elbowed him in his ribs.
"Yeah. But I don't really know what will come of it."
"Well there's only one way to find out." She gave me a warm smile.
The three of us walked back over to where Amelia, Tray and Eric were standing, and Eric smiled down at me. I didn't know where this was going, and I felt strangely nervous about what the future would bring. But it was time for me to pull up my big-girl panties and not be so scared. Eric was definitely hot. He was also kind and considerate, had a good job and seemed interested in me.
"So…" Eric said at the end of the night when the taxis had arrived at the hotel to pick us up to head back into London.
"So…" I agreed.
"I'd like to see you again," he said casually while leaning against the bar. However I could tell there was a little tension in him as he searched my eyes for an answer.
I smiled. "I'd like that."
I'd been hoping he'd ask me if we could see each other again. Although after a stern talking to from Amelia, Judith, Clare and even Maria, I had been told in no uncertain terms was I allowed to leave the hotel without asking Eric the same question.
He gave me a warm smile and gently took my chin between his thumb and finger to tilt my head upwards. I moistened my lips in anticipation, and he placed a soft yet flirty kiss on my lower lip. It only left me wanting more, and I pulled him back closer to me and planted one on his lips as well.
"You're making this very hard, Sookie," he said in a sultry voice into my ear.
"Excuse me?" I said, pulling back slightly to meet his eyes.
He gave me a devilish grin. "This. Letting you leave," he explained. "But other parts are hard as well." He winked at me, and I felt myself flush. "I have a night off on Monday if you'll let me take you out."
"Sounds good," I said with a smile.
We'd established earlier on in the evening that we only lived a few tube stops away from each other, so meeting up wasn't a problem. We exchanged numbers and he agreed to call me with the details the next day. Or later that day, anyway, as it was two in the morning.
Amelia, Tray and I had to share a taxi with Alcide and Maria on our way back to West London, which I still found a little uncomfortable, but it was already a lot better than things had been earlier on in the day, and all of them seemed excited about my pending date with Eric. Once we'd dropped the couple off at their flat, Amelia went into full-on screaming mode about the potential of Eric, and warned me in no uncertain terms that I was not to screw it up.
Luckily, I didn't come close to needing her advice.
.
"God, I am too fat for this!" Maria groaned. She'd been complaining of swollen feet, a bad back and reckoned her unborn daughter had been doing the Riverdance on her bladder for the past month. "There is no way that I am ever having sex with Alcide again. He's going to have to get very used to his own hand."
I rolled my eyes. It wasn't the first time I'd heard her say that either. "You'll be fine. Just take all the drugs they offer you."
"Says you all skinny and glowing. I look like a beached whale."
"You look gorgeous. And you're about to be a mum."
Her face softened. "I know. It's crazy that in a few short weeks I'll have a baby to look after."
"You mean aside from Alcide?"
"Good point," she smiled.
Over the six months since Sam and Clare's wedding, I'd made an effort to become friends with Maria, and I was even on good terms with Alcide as well. It had certainly been strained at first, but given time and some work on all our parts we were able to put the past behind us and move on.
"Are you and Eric thinking about kids?" she asked me.
"After the way you've complained about it for the last few months? Not a chance!"
In all honesty, Eric and I had discussed kids, but neither one of us were ready. We assumed that maybe at this stage we were both a little too selfish to want to bring someone else in to disrupt what we had.
"It's not that bad," she conceded. "What do you think Amelia has planned for us?" Maria asked me after a few moments of silence.
"I dread to think. But knowing Amelia it's not going to be pleasant."
"We could easily ask the taxi driver to turn around and take us to McDonalds. I'd kill for a Big Mac right now."
"Tempting as that is, we'd both have to go on the run for the next year to escape her."
It was only a few minutes later that we arrived at the venue, and the driver helped the heavily pregnant Maria out of the cab. I could almost see the relief on his face that she hadn't gone into labour in the back of his taxi.
"Ready?"
"Why not."
I helped Maria into the bar and followed the signs to the back room where our do was being held. As soon as we entered there was a huge cheer from the forty or so women who were crammed into the room. There were tables of food around with comfy looking beanbags and sofas around, balloons hanging from the ceiling and two large banners on either side of the room with a table of gifts underneath: one which said 'Baby Shower' and one which said 'Hen Party.'
Amelia came up to me and gave me a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you, Sook. You deserve each other."
"For the record, this was Amelia's plan," Pam, my future sister-in-law, said as she pulled me away from Amelia. "Although I'll warn you now, you may not want to tell Eric about everything that is planned for tonight, I know what he is like." She gave me an evil wink and I began to really wish that Maria and I had taken the wimps way out and not showed up. I'd have been more than happy to curl up on the sofa of the house I shared with Eric, but since he was on his own stag-do in Stockholm, it was not an option.
Some people had said that things between Eric and I had moved too fast. Alcide certainly being one of them, and my brother Jason had his concerns. But I knew it was right and so did Eric. We had met in unusual circumstances, but through each other helped the other heal from our own heartbreak. We were honest with each other right from the start – sometimes brutally so – but that only seemed to make us stronger.
We worked well together physically – and the sex was incredible – but we suited each other's personalities and complimented each other. We both worked hard in our respective careers, and not seeing enough of each other was the reason that after only being a couple for two months Eric asked me to move into his house with him. I rented my flat out as a 'just in case', but I was certain I would never need it, and it was a good source of income.
Eric, being the romantic that he was, had whisked me away to Venice for Valentine's Day, clearing it with my bosses behind my back and taking us to a gorgeous and romantic boutique hotel just off St Mark's Square and by the Grand Canal. I had been completely stunned, and even more so when later on in the evening while we were in a restaurant so expensive they didn't list the prices.
The restaurant was only small, and all the tables were in all twos and filled with other couples. We'd had a gorgeous starter and main course, and just before ordering dessert, Eric asked the waiter something in Italian and some soft cello music started up. I hadn't even noticed the cellist in the corner of the room before that.
I didn't know what was going on, but when Eric slipped his hand inside his suit jacket and pulled out a small blue velvet box I knew what he was about to do. I'd felt the tears form instantly in my eyes and he moved to the side of the table on one knee and opened the box in front of me.
"I love you, Sookie. I think I may have loved you the second I set eyes on you. And I know we haven't been together for long, but I can't imagine living without you. So what I need to ask you, is will you marry me?"
There was really only one answer I was ever going to give, but for only the second time I saw some nervousness in his eyes.
I gave him a huge smile. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" I leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips while everyone else in the restaurant cheered and clapped, shouting in their own various languages as I devoured him.
"Later, lover," he'd whispered into my ear before slipping the ruby and diamond platinum ring on my finger. Of course it fitted perfectly and I loved it instantly.
"It reminded me of the dress you wore on that first day," he informed me as we shared a huge yet gooey warm chocolate dessert with mint-choc-chip gelato.
We didn't get much sleep the night after that, and I couldn't believe that it was possible to be as happy and in love as I was. I thought I had loved Alcide, in fact, I thought four years after him leaving me that I still loved him. But I wasn't close to loving him. What I had with Eric was so much more. He had become my best friend and my partner, and I hated being apart from him.
And when we both returned to London, we realised that we didn't want to wait to get married. It was also a ploy to stop Amelia and Pam taking over the wedding, and both were severely annoyed with us when we announced we were going to marry at the end of March in the hotel Eric and Pam owned in Devon.
Which was the reason that the baby shower Amelia had spent months organising for Maria turned into a joint hen-party as well. It actually seemed to work out okay since we had a lot of mutual friends, and I didn't want anything too big. I had to admit that the night was good fun. We all – bar Maria – drank far too much, and Amelia had taken the liberty of hiring three incredibly fit strippers. Of course, they were nothing on Eric, but I wanted to keep that to myself.
We also had a woman from Anne Summers come in and show us all manner of dildos, toys and devices that made all but Pam blush. It seemed that the woman was shameless, and Eric had told me that she was impossible to embarrass. I decided then and there that it would become my personal mission to do so.
But I was happier than I had ever been and looking forward to marrying Eric. He'd slotted in easily to our friendship group, and despite their initial dislike of each other, Eric and Alcide ended up getting along. I was relieved when Eric came home from Stockholm in one piece as I'd been concerned about him being left alone naked and tied to a lamppost, and I had threatened Tray that if he did so, I would castrate him.
.
"Fuck, I love you Mrs Northman," he groaned as he filled me completely and held my hips in place so I wasn't able to fuck him as I wished to.
"And I love you my husband. Now let the fuck go of me." I'd been desperate to fuck him all day as he had looks absolutely incredible in his suit.
"Not a chance."
Eric somehow managed to flip us over with him still inside me and pin me to the bed. He placed soft kisses along my neck while I wriggled beneath him to try to get some friction.
"Thank you," I said when I realised that I wasn't going to win this battle with Eric.
"For what?" he asked, his pale blue eyes meeting mine in between kisses and nibbles. I don't think he realised it, but he had started gently thrusting into me.
"For being you, for being exactly what I needed even though I didn't know it myself."
He placed a lingering kiss on my lips. "You were meant for me, Sookie. You're my one. Now hold on."
And with that he started to thrust into me. Hard. Sex with Eric had always been quite something, but the time we consummated our marriage was definitely in the top five of all time fucks. But I was happy; happier than I had ever been. And I owed it all to this man.