Thanks to my wonderful beta Lauinia :D
Disclaimer: I don't own, the Southern Vampire Mysteries belong to Charlaine Harris
I woke again the next morning to an empty bed. There was no goofy smile this morning. There was only coldness. I missed having his cool, strong arms wrapped around me and snuggling into his chest, feeling like nothing could ever hurt me. I never felt as safe as when I was wrapped up in my vampire. When we had been in London, he had said good morning or goodbye to me every day, even if he had to wake me up. When I dragged myself out of bed, having no desire to doze, I found Gran in the kitchen, making breakfast.
"Morning," I told her glumly. My head was pounding, which definitely wasn't helping my mood. I'd drunk the glass of water that had been left on my bedside table, but it hadn't done much to help. The painkillers I'd taken would hopefully begin to have an effect soon. Until then, I needed grease.
"Morning, Sookie. Your talk with Eric worked." I turned around from the dish of buttermilk pancakes I was helping myself to.
"Huh?" I grabbed a generous helping of bacon to accompany my stack.
"Manners. He stopped by the kitchen this morning to say hello and to ask my permission." I whirled around this time, my eyes as big as saucers. Gran didn't seem to notice. "It was so nice of him to ask if he could steal you away for New Year's Eve. I told him it was fine, after we'd had a family dinner of course." Gran finally looked up at me and saw my expression, which hadn't quite returned to normal yet. "Was that okay? I thought you'd want to go with him?"
"Oh yeah," I replied, recovering as fast as I could. My mind, in its degenerated state, had jumped far too much. "We were talking about it last night." I joined Gran at the table. "What do you have planned for today?" As soon as the bacon touched my tongue, I felt better. I didn't care if no hangover cures were proven to work, this one worked for me. Even if it was a placebo type effect, it still worked and that's all that mattered.
"Well, I thought you might like to go shopping for a new dress." I hadn't thought about what I would wear to Fangtasia. I'd had a quick glance through my sparse closet here yesterday to find some general clothes, but hadn't even thought to look at my more formal wear.
"That might be a good idea, but I haven't looked to see what I've got yet."
"Well, every girl deserves a new dress and besides, this is my treat. You have a new beau and you need to impress." She finished her breakfast and went to the sink to start washing up.
"Gran, it's Eric. There's nothing new about him. Besides, he's seen me in a lot worse than the dresses I have here."
"Oh, yes?" She really did live in denial.
"Old, ratty sweats and such. He seemed to like the dresses I have when he saw them before." I shrugged and grinned when she shovelled some more bacon onto my plate. I would definitely have to hit the gym when I got back to London. Just by stopping eating Southern food all the time I'd dropped a dress size. Shit. "Actually, I don't know if anything will fit."
"Exactly. And if Eric has seen these dresses before, even more reason to get a new one. We'll head into Tara's and then you can help me with chores to say thanks."
"Sure thing, Gran," I grinned.
That dictated how I spent my day. The morning was spent at Tara's boutique shop looking for a dress. I even bought myself new shoes and a clutch. The afternoon was spent helping Gran clean the house, even doing the chores that she didn't do very often such as washing the curtains. Together we got everything done. As the day progressed, we prepared and cooked a veritable feast for the three of us to enjoy. It was even more delicious than anticipated. I tried not to eat too much, not wanting to feel too full since I would hopefully be dancing the night away. I ended up packing up a lot in Tupperware for me to eat over the next couple of days.
When Eric arrived, Gran and I were still busy getting me ready. Gran had taken great delight when I'd asked her to help me with my hair. It seemed to be taking her back to my childhood when she would brush my hair every day. When Eric knocked, I had simply called out for him to come in.
"I will never get used to that hearing of his." Gran muttered as she heard the front door open a second after my, quite quiet, call. "Don't you dare come in here, Mister!" She added, practically yelling. "Sookie is not ready. You will wait in the kitchen." Gran went back to adding some extra waves to my hair. I was nearly ready, these were the last few touches.
"Yes, Adele." Eric replied. My Gran was the only person who really had any control over Eric. Yes, he would do what I wanted, to please me or if he wanted to anyway. Gran however, seemed to be able to make him do anything she wanted. It was actually hilarious to see her bossing him around.
"Good boy. Now Sookie, I think you are ready." She placed the curler down on the vanity, making sure that it was switched off. I stood up to look at myself in the mirror. I had to smile at my reflection. "You are beautiful." Gran stood beside me, her arm around my waist. I couldn't help but think how small she was. I didn't remember her only reaching my shoulder.
"Thank- you." I kissed her cheek, having to stoop since I was wearing heels.
"Now, you go and have a good night with that man of yours."
I walked into the kitchen to find Eric leaning back against the counter, looking at something intently on his phone. When I walked in, he glanced up, his phone instantly forgotten. I heard Gran walk up behind me, but I didn't pay her any attention. My eyes were all for my vampire. He looked delectable, all in jet black, from his shiny shoes, dress pants and button down shirt. The shirt was of course open at the neck, showing off a few inches of his chest. I could just see the eagle talon.
"Hi," I greeted him, stepping closer so that I could kiss him. I purposefully kept it chaste, knowing we weren't alone.
"You are beautiful," he whispered in my ear as he drew me in for a hug and another kiss.
My new dress was such a dark blue that it looked black unless in the correct light. It was all flowing lines yet tight enough to show off my small waist. The ribbon straps that flattened over my collar bones were enough that I wasn't self-conscious about having to keep the dress pulled up. It ghosted my knees, the perfect length for swishing when I moved. The shoes gave me a few inches of extra height, meaning that I could actually see over his shoulder with straining.
"Not too shabby yourself." He smiled, flashing fangs.
"I think we had better get going since we are driving. Adele, I shall see you tomorrow. Have a pleasant evening."
After our quick goodbyes, we got in the truck that I'd been using to get to Fangtasia. Eric had flown to my place so that we could take the car and I would be able to drive back in the morning. The drive was spent in comfortable silence, each of us lost in thought as we stared out of the windows. Eric was of course driving. He held my hand the entire way above the centre console.
With only a couple of hours to go until midnight, the parking lot at Fangtasia was already packed when we arrived. We pulled into the spot reserved for Eric near the staff entrance and completely avoided the queue at the door. Instead, we just used the back entrance.
"I just need to check something." I had already walked past Eric's office when he spoke. I'd continued walking as he made sure the door was locked.
"Oh, okay." I retraced a few steps and waited by the open office door as he clicked through the computer that was already running.
"You know, my office smells like you now." He didn't bother looking up from the computer screen as he spoke. I felt a blush colour my cheeks.
"Sorry." I shrugged my shoulders, unsure what else I could do.
"Do not apologise, did I say it was a bad thing?" This time he did glance up.
"Well, no, you didn't."
"Exactly. Okay, everything is sorted." I stretched out my hand for him, which he quickly took.
"What were you doing?" I kissed his cheek just before we stepped out into the hallway to head to the main bar. With the sound proofing I couldn't hear any of the chaos that I knew was occurring on the other side of the wall.
"I was correcting some playlist choices for tonight. I had a feeling Pam would have added in a few gag songs." We reached the door and I pushed it open. Immediately the sound assaulted my ears and the stuffy smell of too many warm bodies dancing filled my nose.
I hadn't seen Fangtasia open for nearly two years. If anything, it seemed to have grown in popularity. Humans and vampires were having a good time, dancing away the final part of the year. It wasn't just the vampires on staff at the bar either, there were too many of them for that to be the case. We made our way slowly over toward the bar, which was being staffed by several people to meet the demand. The progress was slow since I was making the path; I lacked Eric's ability to make the crowds part. He however, seemed content to follow. I had a feeling he was probably watching my ass.
"I'll have a bloody margarita," I told the bar tender. He had magically appeared in front of me as soon as he'd spotted Eric standing behind me. At Fangtasia, that was an order for a strawberry margarita, they added a little extra red food dye to make it look a little darker.
"Coming right up. Evening boss." The bartender moved down the bar to sort out a drink and I noticed him putting a bottle of blood in the microwave for Eric as well.
"Do you recognise him?" Eric asked as we waited for the drinks. He was speaking directly into my ear so I could hear him clearly. I looked at the vampire bartender and thought about him. Recognition dawned on me; he had been here the last time I had been at Fangtasia nearly two years ago. "When you are not around, we can keep them." He kissed the sensitive skin just beneath my ear. "Do not scare this one away. I do not want to have to replace a bartender too." He nipped my earlobe this time and I laughed, leaning back into him as I did so.
"Here you go." The bartender, whose name I didn't know, placed Eric's bottle and then my glass down in front of us. He walked away before I could even tip him. I knew better than to try and pay for my drinks here, but I usually at least tipped.
"He seems nice." I replied. I took a sip of my drink and let the refreshing drink slide down my throat. It was just how I liked it; the frozen variety and heavy on the tequila.
"He is." This was from a very familiar drawl. I looked sideways to find Pam standing next to me dressed in a gorgeous vampiric black and red dress that left little to the imagination. She was stunning. "Now, you better drink that up. I have a date with you on the dance floor." I did as she asked and left Eric's arms to dance with my friend.
That was how I spent the next couple of hours. In between dancing with Pam to the songs that I actually knew, I got drinks at the bar with Eric. My vampire spent quite a bit of time talking with local vampires; it seemed most of the vampires in his area were present tonight. There were many familiar faces in the crowd that I had known from working for Eric. I did manage to get him out on the dance floor for a few of the slower numbers. His hands constantly wandered, a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he tested how far he could get.
The music was turned down slightly as the countdown started, until at the ten second mark it was switched off. All of the waitresses worked quickly to distribute party poppers to all of the guests and even to Eric. The little plastic bottle filled with confetti looked ridiculous in his hands, yet he smiled at me, showing me that he didn't care. The DJ for the night took the microphone and led the crowd in the countdown.
"Ten, nine, eight..." I stood in front of Eric, enveloped in his arms. I couldn't hear him counting down. To a vampire as hold as him, another new year didn't mean all that much when he'd already seen more than a thousand. Beside us I could see many happy couples and groups of friends drunkenly counting down. "Seven, six, five." Somewhere in the room an overzealous guy let loose with his party popper too soon. The bar tenders moved to the bells they used to call last orders. "Four, three, two." I twisted around in Eric's arms, keeping our bodies pressed together. His face was all I could see. "One." His arms tightened around me.
"Happy New Year!" The shouting chorus resounded around us, yet it was the soft words from my vampire that I focused on.
"Happy New Year, Lover." I barely had time to get my words out before our lips met. His hands were fierce on my back, keeping me pressed in to him, as though I had any intention of moving away even a fraction. I kissed him back, letting my tongue explore his mouth. Expertly, I teased us both, running my tongue over his fangs yet not quite enough to draw blood. The party raged on around us and the music picked up again, as loud as ever, but I didn't pay it any attention. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling myself up slightly. His strong hands worked to pull me up even further until we were level. Still we explored, loving each sensation.
When he finally let my feet touch the floor again we parted. My hands instantly rested against his chest for support; my knees were weak. My eyes opened and laughter instantly burst out. Eric's head was covered in the paper string confetti of party poppers. It rained down over his shoulders. I glanced down and found that it covered my arms too and my shoulders. The people around us had gone back to enjoying the night, but the veritable pile of party poppers around us was enough to fill in what had happened.
"Happy New Year!" I said again and then pulled the string to my popper which I had remarkably managed to keep hold of. It exploded over Eric's head, adding more multicoloured paper to his hair.
"I will get you for that," he teased even as he brought up his own popper. I blinked, partially steeling myself. I didn't hear anything. The only thing that told me it had gone off was the tickling sensation as the paper rained down on my skin. "Come here." He grabbed my hand, throwing the waste plastic to the floor, and pulled me to him again. He dipped me back, leaning over me and brought his lips down to mine.
I didn't care, that once again, we were in a crowded bar. Nobody around paid us any attention now that the music had started up. Adrenaline surged through me as I convinced my body to trust Eric like my mind did; I wasn't going to fall. When he pulled away slightly, it was only to place one more open-mouthed kiss on my throat. Slowly, he eased me back up to standing. My breath was coming in small pants and I could feel my heart thudding in my chest.
"Eric," I whispered, leaning in close. "Can we get out of here?" I let my fingers trail across the bare patch of his chest where his shirt was unbuttoned.
"Of course." It might have just been my mind playing tricks on me, but I thought his voice had gone a note or two deeper. I kissed his cheek before settling back beside him.
On our way to the staff door we came across Pam. Actually, she was leaning against the door with her arms crossed. She had an amused smirk across her face. Her lipstick was also smudged. It seemed she'd found someone to kiss at midnight too.
"Going somewhere?" She drawled.
"We're going to call it an early night," I replied while Eric seemed to be just staring at his progeny.
"That party is only just getting started. We're going until six." I had known this. Even without the feelings Eric had roused in me at midnight, I had not planned on staying that long.
"I'm still on London time," I lied. We all knew precisely where Eric and I were going. Since Pam was just being annoying for the fun of it, I launched myself at her. "Happy New Year, Pammy!" I wrapped my arms tightly around her, swaying as I hugged her.
"Hmm. What have I said about calling me Pammy?" I simply laughed at her and hugged her a little tighter. Eventually she returned the movement. "Have a good night. Make sure you make this year what you want it to be and see it with who you want to be with." She whispered into my ear as she held me close. I knew what she was telling me. She was telling me to go after Eric.
"Goodnight, Pam. Hands off my woman," Eric laughed as he extricated me from Pam's arms. It didn't escape my notice how he softly ran his thumb across her shoulder even as he shoved her away.
As soon as the staff door was shut behind us, sealing out the sound of the bar, I spun around. "How about a stop by your office?"
When I awoke in the morning, Eric's arm was still wrapped possessively around my waist, his hand resting between my breasts. It seemed even in vampire sleep, he was insatiable. I stretched out languidly, easing my aching muscles. This was how I liked it, waking up like this. The bed was still cold, Eric didn't have a body temperature, but I wasn't alone. I felt loved and treasured. I carefully touched the necklace around my neck. Gran had tried to get me to take it off last night as it didn't go with the dress very well. I had flat out refused. When I had told her why, she had gotten misty eyed.
I reached for my phone on the bedside table, not quite leaving Eric's arm. I found a message from Amelia telling me to call her as soon as possible. I had texted her at midnight her time but hadn't gathered a response. The rest of my unread messages were the usual greetings to which I quickly replied. There was also one from Jason trying to make plans for the last night that I would spend in Louisiana. I would deal with that later, instead I called Amelia.
"Sookie!" Amelia screamed as she picked up the phone. She was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear slightly. It was a good job Eric was dead to the world, she would have woken anyone sleeping normally.
"Hey, Ames. What's up?" It would be early evening her time. She sounded far too excited for the day.
"You will never believe what happened at our party last night!" She was squealing again. I couldn't help becoming excited with her; she was contagious.
"Tell me!"
"Well, you know how we changed our plans." Instead of going out in London and watching the fireworks from the park like she normally did, she had stayed in with Tray. Of course, she'd had a few friends around and her father was supposed to have come up for the party. I hummed, telling her to continue. "Well, Tray proposed!"
"Oh my god!" I squealed right back at her. Elation bubbled through me. All I wanted to do was throw my arms around her and jump up and down together. "You said 'yes' right?"
"Duh! Oh my God, Sookie, I'm engaged! I can't believe it." Her voice rose another octave as she spoke until at the end she just made a happy little scream.
"How did he pop the question?"
"He was actually romantic, for once." We both laughed. One of Amelia's biggest relationship grumbles was that Tray didn't have a romantic bone in his body. He loved her dearly, he just didn't have a clue about what she needed sometimes. "We were all hanging around, I didn't suspect anything. We put the countdown on T.V. and then at midnight, instead of everyone yelling out, he dropped down on one knee. He promised to love me, and told me how I made him so happy. Then he asked 'would you make me happy forever and be my wife'. I can't believe everyone knew!" My heart tightened at that last statement. Everyone had known. I hadn't known.
"That's amazing, Amelia," I told her honestly. Despite my own feelings, I was truly happy for my friend. She deserved this.
"I have something to ask you. Well one thing important and then lots of things about what's happening with you." I laughed as she rambled.
"Ask away." I pushed Eric onto his back and settled down into his side. I honestly didn't find it weird anymore when he slept like this.
"Will you be my maid of honour?" My gasp revealed my shock. "You're my best friend, Sookie. I want you there with me." I didn't even have to think about my decision.
"Of course I'll be your maid of honour. I love you, Amelia."
"I love you too." She paused for a second and I could hear her drinking something. "Now remember that love when I grill you. What's going on with your and that hunky piece of man meat?"
I burst out laughing. It was a very good job that Eric couldn't hear her; his ego didn't need inflating anymore. "Amelia!"
"What? I told you to remember the love! Don't bring me down from my high." I could hear the pout in her voice.
"Are you drunk?"
"Maybe. We didn't really sleep at all, so I'm probably still drunk. God, tomorrow is gunna be painful. I just can't bring myself to care. Now, spill." I knew better than to argue with her. She would keep pestering me until I answered.
"Well, let's put it this way, I'm in his bed right now." I gave her a quick overview of our New Year's Eve and the past couple of days. I rolled over to face my vampire. His face was completely relaxed, his jaw slightly open.
"Wow. So are you two officially together then, or what?" That was a much more complicated question.
"I don't know." I replied honestly, feeling my insecurities building up.
"What do you mean you don't know? Sookie, you're in his bed. You flew across an ocean and a continent to save his ass. How can you not know? I was hoping for better after our last conversation." She huffed. I could just imagine her folding her arms across her chest and tapping one foot.
"It's complicated. We're together while I'm here, he's made his schedule as free as possible to spend every evening with me. We haven't really spoken about what happens when I leave. I don't know what will happen. Nothing has really changed from when he left London. I suppose things will go back to how they were." My beautiful morning was gone. There was still residual happiness for Amelia, that wouldn't go away, but bitterness was also rising. She managed to get everything; she loved her work, was close enough to her family and she was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. Whereas I lived near my friends and beloved work yet thousands of miles away from my family and the man I loved.
"Well un-complicate it. You love him. He loves you." I hadn't even mentioned to her what I thought I had heard Eric say. "You need to make it work. I'm not going to have you moping around while we make plans for my wedding."
"I know, Amelia. I need to do something." In the background I could hear Tray shouting for her followed by several mumbled voices.
"Look, I got to go. Tray's family is here. Let me know what's happening and I'll meet you at the airport." We both knew no matter what I would have to go back to London at least for a little bit.
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too."
I stayed cocooned up in the sheets for quite a while. I hadn't gotten that much sleep the night before, yet I couldn't get my mind to rest enough to sleep. Amelia had told me to un-complicate things and I simply didn't know how to. The situation in its simplest form was that I wanted Eric. However, I couldn't leave it like that. I had to admit that it seemed Eric wanted me too. I had to stop lying to myself about that part; the man had professed his love to me. Granted, it was while he thought I was asleep, but he had still said the words which were a big deal coming from him. There was also the slight matter that we lived on different continents and neither of us could move easily. It made a hell of a lot more sense for me to move back; I had family, friends and Eric here. But I also had my life in London; friends, work and I loved my life. I had to seriously think about whether I was willing to risk it all to move back home for the man I loved.
I was contemplating everything over the next few days, whenever I got a moment alone. There actually weren't that many of them. I had lots of people to see and I wanted to spend as much time with Gran as possible before I had to leave. All too soon the day came when once again I had to say a tear-filled goodbye. I had said my goodbye to my friends the previous night at Merlotte's so it was only Gran and Jason left. It didn't make it any easier.
"Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" Gran told me as she squeezed the air out of my body with her surprisingly strong arms. Her eyes had been glistening all day and now the tears actually fell. "I want you to let us know as soon as you land. We need to make sure you're okay." She held my face between her hands, making me look into her eyes as I promised. "It's been wonderful having you home for a week. I wish you could stay longer." We had been over this several times in the past couple of days. I wasn't staying any longer, no matter how much I wanted to. I had responsibilities back in London and my flight was already booked.
"I know, Gran. I'll miss you too. Now give me another hug." I pulled her back into my arms, holding her tightly. She smelled like home and family. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She kissed my cheek and finally stepped back, the tears falling in streams down her face now.
Jason stepped forward and pulled me into a massive bear hug. "Well, Sis. It's been great seeing you. Have a safe flight. Remember to have some fun once in a while, you're too uptight." I slapped him round the back of the head for that comment, albeit softly. "Love you." He whispered the words in my ear, making my own tears leak.
"Love you, too." I gave him one final squeeze and then turned around to get in the car. Eric was already in the driver's seat, giving us some privacy as we said our goodbyes. My luggage was safely stowed away in the trunk.
"Are you ready?" Eric asked as he took my hand in his. His cool skin was comforting and I gripped on, seeking strength.
"As I'll ever be." I turned around in my seat and waved with my free hand until we reached the end of the driveway. Jason had already started steering Gran back indoors with an arm around her shoulders. "Gah," I sighed as I faced the road ahead. "Why is this so painful?" I wasn't expecting an answer, so I was shocked when Eric spoke.
"Because you love them." I wiped the tears from my eyes as I stared at him. He was, of course, right. I was also leaving once again without knowing when I would next see them. No one had made plans to visit, although I now knew that I had to make a bigger effort to at least return for a vacation.
"I thought you didn't understand love?" I asked, referring to something he had once told me in the heat of an argument a long time ago. I had known it was bullshit even back then.
"I changed my mind." He smiled softly, still not taking his eyes from the road.
The rest of the journey into Shreveport was spent in silence. This time I would be leaving from the small local airport and flying up to New York to head back to Heathrow. I also wasn't actually leaving on the red eye like my family thought. Eric had convinced me, and it hadn't taken much persuasion, to spend one final night with him at his apartment. I would be flying out just before dawn, which gave me nearly twelve hours before I had to say what I anticipated to be the hardest goodbye of all.
The familiar buildings of Shreveport began to show up quickly on the horizon and soon we were zipping through the city. I was still lost in thought, even as I took in the sights. I hadn't decided what I was going to do. I was returning to London. I was coming back to Louisiana, at some point that was a given. I just didn't know whether I would be coming back for good or for a visit. I knew that Eric and I couldn't keep going on like this, stealing a week together here and there. It wasn't fair on either of us.
It was that thought that had made me decide to do something about it. Tonight would be the night for a decision. I was going to ask Eric one very simple question and his answer would change a lot of things. Over the past few days, I had decided that I was willing to risk everything for Eric. Although I was risking my life in London, it wasn't as if I wouldn't be happy back at home and I could always move back, or perhaps even try another new city. However, if Eric didn't give me something to work with, I wasn't willing to risk everything. I couldn't justify packing up my life to move back on hearing him say 'I love you' while he thought I was asleep. Therefore, tonight would be a very big night.
We left my luggage in the car since I wouldn't need any of it. I just took my purse with me. The ride up to Eric's apartment was quick and full of companionable silence. His cool arm was draped around my shoulders, keeping me flush to his side. Everything inside was exactly the same as it had been on New Year's Eve. The magazines hadn't even moved. He really hadn't been spending much time in his apartment.
"Would you like to order some food?" He asked as he made his way through the apartment.
"Sure." Eric disappeared into his bedroom, presumably to change. I was already dressed as comfortable as I could get. Sweatpants and a hoodie were my attire, the same thing I always wore, if I could, for flying. I didn't see the point in dressing up if you were just going to sit down for hours on end.
I padded into the living room to grab the phone so that I could call the pizza company that was on speed dial. I think Eric must have been the only vampire that had take-out restaurants programmed into his home phone's speed dial. I had to grin. I had just finished placing my order, and letting the front desk know to expect someone in half an hour, when Eric emerged.
"Looking good," I told him with a giggle. His ego didn't need stroking anymore but I was being honest. Dressed only in a pair of thick black sweatpants he looked good enough to eat. He hadn't bothered with a t-shirt, it wasn't like he was going to get cold, and he was even barefoot.
"Go get the television started. I will grab drinks." I did as I was told and made myself comfortable in the living room area.
"How do you feel about Shaun of the Dead?" I asked him. His reply came from much closer than I had anticipated.
"I have never seen it." I glanced around to find him standing behind the sofa, already a bottle of warmed up synthetic blood in one hand and a can of diet coke in the other.
"Ha, great. You'll love it." It was brilliant British comedy. I hadn't seen it until I had gone to London and had fallen in love with the actors after seeing them in a couple of other movies. Eric would hate the zombies in the film but would love to pull it to pieces. "Thanks." I took the coke and placed it down on a coaster on the coffee table after taking a drink. "I want my pillow now." I added with a smirk.
"Fine," he huffed, sighing exaggeratedly. "What I do for you." He said as well, even as he settled down onto the sofa, pulling me on top of him.
"You know you like it, so stop complaining." I got comfortable on his chest, wrapping myself up in my vampire. I wasn't going to pull the big guns out until later. I wanted to enjoy my evening first.
"I know." He enveloped me in his arms and placed a kiss on the top of my head. With my ear flat against his chest, I could feel his heart beating slowly. He knew he didn't have to do that, but he also knew I quite liked to hear it. It was as though his heart was beating just for me.
We stayed like that, watching the movie until the pizza arrived. Even while I was eating, we were as close as we could comfortably get. Eric stayed laid down as I huddled beside him, my legs over his hips. His hands rested on my shins, occasionally drawing lazy circles with his fingers.
"Amelia called earlier while I was packing." It wasn't one of those movies where we would lose the plot if we had a conversation. At the moment the people were practising their zombie impressions to try and get through a big group of the undead.
"Is everything okay?" His gorgeous blue eyes gazed up at me from behind long eyelashes.
"Yeah. They picked a date for the wedding is all; July 6th this year." His face softened when he realised that I wasn't telling him anything bad.
"That is good. Perhaps I should send her a congratulations present," he mused thoughtfully. His eyes seemed to have glazed over, letting me know his thoughts were far away.
"You barely know her. You guys met once. I don't think you need to do that." I finished my slice of pizza and pushed the box away. I knew that I would eat more, even though I was full, if I could reach it.
"She is your best friend and she took care of you while I was gone. I feel like I owe her a gift."
"Well, that sure is very sweet of you." I leaned forward to give his cheek a quick peck. It didn't end up like that. Eric's hands moved quickly from my legs to my waist and pulled so that I ended up laid on top of him once more. He really did like it when I used him as a big pillow. "Easy there, I just ate," I laughed, swatting his chest playfully.
"Do you have any ideas what I should get her?" I thought for a moment and realised I needed more clarification.
"How much are we talking here?" He simply stared at me. "Okay. Well, how about something for the wedding? You could hire her car or something. She would love that. Plus, it's definitely you."
"That sounds good. I trust it you will be helping plan the event?" He raised one blond eyebrow.
"Yeah, Maid of Honour. It's part of the duty. Amelia is already on my back to plan a bachelorette party. That one's entirely on me. We'll be doing plenty of planning over the next couple of months."
"Perfect. Just charge whatever vehicle she chooses to my account and let her know it was from me."
"I will do. Now, come here you big softy." I leaned up and gave him a slow, sweet kiss.
"Hmm. Just do not let anyone know just how soft I can be. My reputation would be damaged." I giggled softy against his lips and then leant in for another kiss. His hands wound around my ass which he used as leverage to pull me up a little closer. "Better." He kissed me again, his lips moving perfectly with mine. I could just feel the hard press of fangs underneath.
"Hold on one second." He frowned at me, but let me go. I leaned over to the coffee table and grabbed my phone.
"What are you doing?" He asked suspiciously as he eyed my cell phone.
"Nothing," I replied with a smile as I unlocked my phone. Before he could say anything else, or discard my phone, I snapped a photo of him. I stifled my laugh as his image appeared on the screen. He looked a little annoyed. If I didn't know any better I would say he was pouting.
"Why do you need a photo? I thought you had plenty." He pulled me back down with his strong arms to help me pose. I snuggled into his side and smiled up at my phone.
"I do have lots, but never enough. You know what I'm like. I don't have any of us from this trip. Actually, I think my Gran does from New Year's Eve but I haven't seen them yet." I took one more photo as I placed a kiss against his cheek. After checking that we were both in the frame, I placed my phone back down on the table.
"Send me a copy when you get them and of those you just took." I settled back down on his chest so that our faces were only inches apart.
"I will." I kissed his lips chastely. He really could be so adorable at times. I don't think anyone else saw him quite like this, not even Pam. "Now, where were we?" I leaned down and gave him a more lingering kiss.
"Eric," I said quietly. My heart had finally stopped thundering in my chest, only to start galloping as my nerves took over. The jelly feeling was long gone.
"Are you okay? Your heart is racing." He sat up a little further in the bed, taking me with him. Worry was creasing his forehead.
"Yeah. At least I think so." I took a deep breath, readying myself for the plunge. I needed to do this, for both our sakes.
"Then what is it?"
"I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week. If I'm honest, I probably started thinking about it all after our time together in London. My Gran's been on my case about it pretty much since I moved away, but this is the first time I've given it any serious consideration.
I had a life in London, but I also have a potential life back here. I had a life back here. My family is here, I still have friends. I could find work. I have you here. However, I have work and some amazing friends in London. I can't just give it all up for nothing. I know what my feelings are. And I would move back if there was a bigger reason to. At the moment my family isn't quite enough." I paused, letting my words sink in. I closed my eyes for a second, willing myself to have the guts to say what I was about to. My future hinged on his response.
"Eric, I love you." Momentary relief washed over me as I finally admitted the words out loud to the vampire I loved and had loved for quite a while. "Give me a reason to stay."
Thanks for reading and for everyone that has reviewed so far, especially the guests who I can't respond to.
I'm now officially a 4th year vet. All my placements are finished, I'm just waiting for classes to start :) so happy about my career right now
See you all next week