Eric was lying with one arm across my chest and one leg on my thigh. I took a deep sigh and opened my eyes I saw the blueprints and map were on the floor.
"Oh no, did we crease them?" I didn't know if these were the only copies Eric had. I saw the leather laces by my pillow and picked it up and started playing cats cradle with them. Surprisingly Eric joined in. "So we're really going to do this?" I asked as I laced my fingers across the strap.
"Which 'this' are you referring to lover? I thought one of the 'this' was done already?" he chided.
"I mean move in together. Are we really ready for it?" It was his turn to catch the strings.
"Do you doubt your commitment or mine? Did you have such reservations with Compton?" Vampires. Always competitive and possessive.
"For your information I'd never contemplated living with Bill, we lived so close to each other and our relationship never got to that stage. As for commitment, I'm a very straight forward girl, I said this before and I'll say it again. I'm a one man girl. But are you willing to give up all the women that come your way? I see the fangbangers throwing themselves at you every time I'm at the bar."
"Lover, infidelity is a game human men like playing because the sneaking around excites them and make them feel powerful. Vampires have no interest in such silly human emotions. In addition, I've been around long enough where the most adventurous of sexual conquests become mundane. As for promiscuity, that just comes with the condition of feeding and having no reason not to do so. So why not when the situation arose?"
"That makes sense."
"I wouldn't feed on another unless I have to you know."
"I know." It's kind of strange how I associate feeding with cheating, I remembered how I felt when Bill had to feed on someone at the hotel in Dallas. To me, in many ways feeding is more intimate than sex; the exchange of bodily fluids and the vitality of blood to vampires. Also I associate biting and sex with vampires, this makes me very tisky when I know they're feeding on someone other than me.
"Lover? What were you doing two and a half days ago?"
"Two and a half? You mean during the day? Let's see... Oh I was visiting my cousin Hadley's son, Hunter. You remember Hadley? Sophie Anne's girlfriend?"
"I do. The one who was killed by Waldo"
"Yeah. Did I ever get around to telling you I saw some documents in her safe deposit box and found out she was married and had a baby? Niall helped me to locate them. Hunter and I... we have the same disability."
"That's unusual. Do you think it has anything to do with being part fairy? Maybe it's an effect on the dilution of fairy blood? Both of you are in the same generation of bloodline."
"I asked Claudine that and she said no, but that was before she got the chance to meet Hunter."
I fell silent and started fiddling with the leather strap. I missed Claudine, she was my protector and friend. For someone who doesn't have a lot of relatives or friends, to find out you had such a great cousin only to lose her within the same year left a hollow place in my heart. Remembering she was pregnant at the time makes me want to cry.
"There it is again lover. It's that same feeling I got from you two and half days ago. I was in my daytime slumber and had this overwhelming - affection. Only you feel a bit sad about it this time."
"I was thinking about Claudine just then and how she was knitting for her baby before..."
Eric pulled me close to him and I nuzzled in his chest. I felt so safe and secure. It's so nice when I'm not fighting the blood bond and just go with it. When I looked down at my hands I saw I tied the leather strap into a love knot. I remembered there was this period in high school where girls where giving these to their boyfriends or love interests. To mark their territory so to speak. I was too much of a freak growing up to even have someone to give a friendship band let alone one that represents love. So I just tied it around Eric's neck. Just for old time's sake.
Eric stared at the knot very intently. Just when I was about to look up to see if he was in "chill" time he asked "Where did you learn to do this knot lover?"
"Oh, it was something silly in high school. All the girls would give one to their boyfriend or give it to a boy to let him know she likes him. Everyone thought I was a freak so I was left out of that school activity, I am now compensating for what I missed out on 10 years ago!" I started chuckling to myself. I bet the people would never imagine in their most ludicrous wildest dreams that crazy Sookie Stackhouse would end up having a boyfriend like Eric Northman. Or that he would be a vampire. I don't think I would've either.
But Eric was still looking at the knot. What's so interesting? It's just a leather strap in a knot, he could take it off if he doesn't like it.
"Sookie. Lover. I don't know how to say this but this knot had profound meaning when I was... human."
"Oh." I only ever heard Eric mention his human life once before and not all of it was pleasant. I hope I didn't bring back any bad memories. "Look if it means something really inappropriate, take it off. You won't hurt my feelings. It was just something stupid anyway", my hands reached up around his neck. His cool hand fell on mine to stop me and his other hand reached around my waist to pull me in to kiss me.
"Au contraire ma chérie. This knot was a symbol of love. When I got married, everything in the ceremony were tied together with this knot, the ribbons in girls' hair even the knot that tied the pig to the spit. When we exchanged our tokens of devotion for Freyja, our medallions of her were tied with this knot too. Things were simple back then and this knot had great meaning. I can take it that it's fate that you should tie such a knot around me."
I was swept with a wave of nostalgia that wasn't mine and off my feet by the French reference. I don't know what it means but I can guess Chere and Cherie are close enough to mean the same thing. However, I'm not all that comfortable with performing a second act of marriage to Eric without meaning to do so again.
"I wasn't thinking of that when I placed it around your neck you know." I said defiantly. "If I'm to be married I would be in a white dress, in a church and exchanging vows. You can try everything on God's green Earth to say we're married but it's not going to work! You will have to work for it like any other fella." And that's that!
Eric gave a cheeky grin. "It's almost dawn. I'm going to check on the progress of the house before I get home. I'll see you tomorrow lover." Change the subject you coward. I'm not the one trying to get us hitched all the time. He kissed me on the cheek and left. He didn't drive tonight and Eric slowly inclined forward and floated into the air. Higher and higher he rose and he flew into the moonlight like a character in a fairytale. Or E.T.
If I were ever dead tired it was now and relief was in sight. I'm working the late shift again tomorrow and I will have many hours of sleep. Just as I felt myself relax and my body was floating, like on floating mattress at sea. I'm sun baking and there's not a worry in the world, everything was ok and I'm warm. But then -
tap tap tap
Is that someone tapping on their fishing boat? They're really killing my mood here.
tap tap tap
My eyes flew open and I realized I was only dreaming. I glanced at my clock and counted the minutes. Damn it! I've only closed my eyes for twenty minutes.
tap tap tap
What the hell is that? There's definitely a vamp outside. What does Eric want? He's already invited back in! When I saw the mass of thick black hair emerge from the bottom of the pane I recognized who it was. I opened the window and stuck my head out.
"Bubba?"
"Good evening Miss Sookie. I'm sorry to disturb you so late but I had to wait for Mr. Eric to leave before I could knock on your window."
"Why is that Bubba?" On the inside, I was kind of relieved my drapes were drawn. Imagine Bubba knocking on the window 2 hours ago... talk about buzz kill.
"Well Mr. Bill asked me to come by and ask you if you've received his note and why haven't you responded."
"Note? What note?"
"I stuck a note right on this window for Bill last week! Didn't you get it? I'd hate to be messing it up like that. He said it was mighty important."
Oh. Now I remember the note I tossed because I thought it was from Eric. Woops. I went to the trash can to see if it was still in there and it was empty. It was real sweet of Amelia to clean up after me even when I'm avoiding her. She really is a pretty good roommate.
"I thought it was trash Bubba and tossed it. Do you know what it says?"
"No Maam. Bill said I'm not to read it under any circumstances."
That's weird. If Bill had anything to say to me why didn't he just call? Maybe even send a letter through conventional means. Why did he have to give a physical note to Bubba?
"Bubba, when did Bill give you the letter?"
"When I saw him last week."
"He was back in Louisiana?"
"No. I was asked by the King of Nevada to visit. Mr. Eric sent me on plane the very day he asked. Bill was there at the concert."
"Did you sing?"
"Yes Maam. They said they'll give me a cat a song and it was a very good deal." Bubba smiled like it was Christmas. Being a cat lover I shuddered at the thought.
"Did he tell you why it was important? Or why you had to wait for Eric to leave before you can give me the note?"
"He met me backstage and just said it was very very important that you get the note personally and to make sure there were no vamps around you when you get it. That's all." Bubba seems to be getting agitated. So I backed off the questioning. "Can I heat some blood up for you?"
"No thanks. That stuff is dangerous. I'll stick to cats thank you very much."
"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Better give Bubba some extra reminders.
"Oh! Bill said to wait for him at the Coffee Bean in the Shreveport airport tomorrow night at eleven."
I glanced at the clock. "Thanks Bubba, do you have anywhere to stay? It'll be dawn soon."
"I have place over at Bill's. Thank you Miss Sookie, it was nice to see you again."
"Nice to see you too Bubba."
I went back to bed mulling things over. Whatever Bill had to say it was crucial the message was delivered to me personally. Also, there couldn't be any vampires around me when the message is delivered. What could it be about? If all he wanted to do was declare his undying love for me, there's nothing wrong with giving me a phone call. Which by the way, I didn't get when he said he would call when things got settled. And why do we have to meet at the airport?! I couldn't come to a conclusion that fit into all these conditions and before I knew it I was dreaming about notes turning into paper airplanes and landing at the Shreveport airport.