The Hardest Part

Chapter Fourteen

Sookie's POV

Eric's lips eventually pressed against mine and suddenly everything around us seemed to disappear.

I felt his hand on the back of my head, gently forcing me closer, and I placed my own on his cheek. He was flushed and warm, but that thought barely registered with me. The incredible feeling that the simple act of kissing was causing just completely overwhelmed me.

It felt so right and I didn't want the connection with him to ever disappear.

My stomach was light with some undescribable feeling; there just weren't any words good enough. It was simply wonderful. Any fears I'd had before were stupidly unnecessary.

I couldn't even begin to measure how long it had been happening for, but Eric's soft lips suddenly pulled away from mine and we rested against each other's foreheads.

The only sound around us was our uneven breathing, and I jumped when the lights suddenly came back on around us; I'd completely forgotten we were surrounded with darkness. His face became illuminated and I moved back, taking in the expression there. He stared back at me, smiling slowly, almost lazily. He looked a little dazed, probably reflecting my own state, but he seemed to appear so much different than before. Sure, I'd seen various sides to him during that night, but he just... he just looked happy.

It made me want to cry with pride and hope.

"Wow," he murmured.

"Wow indeed."

There was a small pause in which we both just took each other in.

"I... I was so worried you'd freak out," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. It looked incredibly messy, with strands sticking up in random places, and I had to admire it. Did his hair ever look unattractive?

Maybe I'd have plenty of opportunities to find that out.

"Really?" I replied, laughing a little. I was appearing borderline hysterical. "That sounds like me, actually. But no, I was just imagining that you weren't gonna do what I thought you were gonna do, and then I'd look like an idiot. If that makes sense. I'm babbling now."

"Just a bit," he smirked. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"Kiss me, of course."

"Is that a request?" he asked, crouching forward on his hands. I couldn't resist.

"Well, if you're offering..."

Suddenly, we were all over each other again. I knew it was going to take some time growing accustomed to being so close to another person, especially considering I'd barely had relationships in the past, but I was excited about the possibilities that lay ahead. Whenever I thought about it, I had some strange light feeling in my chest.

I just hoped he was feeling the same way. I longed for confirmation that he was taking this as seriously as I was, and that he wasn't in it for just the one thing...

But, no. I knew that wasn't true. I'd grown to learn a lot about him and somehow that just didn't seem to be in his nature. My gut feeling told me I was wrong.

I was practically hyperventilating at the feeling of Eric's tongue poking at my teeth when there was a loud knock on the door. We flew apart and I clutched my chest in shock, looking at him in confusion.

"Expecting company?" he asked, helping me upright. I shook my head.

"No..." We headed to the door together, Eric's hand on the low part of my back, and I thought we were both looking a little shaky. He seemed to notice, too, and he gave me another cheeky smile.

"Haven't you recovered yet, Miss Stackhouse?"

Just as I placed my fingers on the handle, I lightly nudged his chest with my free arm. "You haven't seen the best of me yet, boss."

The light atmosphere dissolved the instant I opened the door.

It was Tara.

She was stood there, swaying from side to side in the heavy wind, and I saw a single tear trailing down her cheek. I'd never seen her cry before during the many years that we'd been friends.

It suddenly hit me. Her mother. Her poor mother.

Oh god, no.

"Tara," I murmured. "Please don't say she's..."

"She's gone. She's... she's actually g-gone."

She nearly fell to the floor then, but I hurried out, catching her before she hit the wet ground. Eric looked on with concern, but I focused my attention on my best friend whose mother had just passed away. "Oh Tara, darling, I'm so sorry."

My words barely registered. She just sat there shaking uncontrollably.

"Shall I help you take her in?" Eric offered, appearing by my side. I nodded, gently taking her in my arms while he helped take most of her weight. We were soon inside the lounge again, a place that now had a completely different feeling to it, and worked together to make her a hot drink and warm her up. Eric was brilliantly helpful and I just wanted to hug him, but Tara needed our attention now.

I just didn't know what to say. Eric and myself had both experienced the death of a close family member and we probably both knew how people's forced words made everything worse instead of better.

But I had to do something.

"When did it happen?" I asked gently, holding her hand for support.

"This morning," she whispered. The hot drink remained unnoticed by her side. "Her liver finally g-gave up on her."

There was a moment's silence, and then she began to let everything out, as though some invisible dam had broken and all her thoughts were rushing through like water.

"I'm sorry, Sook. I shouldn't have treated you so b-badly. I just... I was just so angry at her for doing this to herself. And I was afraid. Afraid of losing her b-before I could make things right, afraid of being alone. I'm just so damn selfish!"

She rested her head on her knees, quietly hating herself.

"You're not selfish, Tara. Anybody in your situation would have reacted the same way. Just forget about that and focus on mourning your mother. Try and think of all the good memories you've got."

"There aren't any!" she replied, somewhat venomously. I jerked back in surprise and glanced at Eric, but he just nodded. "You're saying all the right things, Sookie," he murmured in a way that Tara couldn't hear.

Encouraged by this, I continued. "I'm sure you have. They're... they're in there somewhere, but you've blocked them away because of the bad experiences that you've let take over. Just think back and I'm sure you'll find one. That'll help you through."

I paused, suddenly unable to speak because of my dry throat. Reaching for her unwanted drink, I took some. "That's what I did with Gran. It... it helped me through. And it didn't just help with her death, it helped with a whole load of other crap too." She met my eyes, knowing my meaning. "Really, Tara, think hard for me."

And, to my surprise, she did. Her face changed in concentration and I saw the exact moment when she thought of something. Her features softened and a small smile crept onto her lips. "I remember."

I smiled back. "Good."

"But it makes me want those times back," she said, her voice breaking. The sadness crept onto her face again. "I want her back so that we can erase all the bad stuff."

I held her close as she broke down again, a complete and shocking contrast to her former tough self. Somehow, I could feel her pain, but my eyes focused on Eric moving.

"It's probably best if I leave," he said quietly.

"Tara, I'll be two minutes, okay?" I got up and, after reassuring myself she wouldn't do anything drastic during the time I'd be in another room, I followed Eric to the door.

"That's a tough one for you," he said, standing by the door. "I'm sorry you've got to go through that."

"Don't be. Save that for Tara, it's her we should be concerned about," I sighed, falling into his arms for a hug. The strong and firm grip was strangely reassuring, and we stood there silently, just savouring each other's closeness. Against his chest, I could hear the steady beat of his heart.

"Will you be alright on your own?" he asked eventually. His voice rumbled against me.

"Yeah, I should be. Thank you for everything."

"Thank you, as well. It's strange to think through all that's happened this evening."

"Yeah," I sighed. "It's certainly been eventful."

"I'll phone you tomorrow or something," he said, pulling away to face me. "If it's a bad time, just let me know straight away, though."

"And you have a safe journey back," I added, wincing as he opened the door. The rain and wind hit us both immediately. "Sure you don't want to stay? There's a spare bed somewhere."

"I don't want to make your friend uncomfortable. I'll quickly phone you as soon as I get home, don't worry."

"Alright. If you're sure."

Taking me by surprise, he bent down to give me a quick kiss. Even though it lasted seconds, it certainly made a big impression on my body, and I had to take a moment to steady myself. He grinned, noticing this. Cue the embarrassment. "Speak to you soon."

"Bye, Eric."

I watched him back away in the horrid weather, worried about how he'd cope. Knowing everything that he'd confessed tonight made me extra on edge. But, saying that, he'd survived driving in the dark before, and I tried to tell myself this as I closed the door.

Despite the reassurance, I knew I'd be on edge until the phone rang later.

I headed back in to see Tara, and she hadn't moved at all. She was like some empty statue; her eyes were staring blankly into the distance. I felt so much pity towards her, but knew at the same time that she'd hate that; she always wanted to stay strong, not for people to feel sorry for her.

Thinking this, I realised that I really had to take care of her; the news would spread eventually, and soon people would be everywhere apologising to her for something they hadn't even done, and it might just damage her even more. I dreaded to think what would happen.

"You look tired, Tara," I said suddenly, blocking that from my mind. She showed no signs of hearing me. "Do you want to get some sleep?"

She moved her head slightly. I assumed that was a yes.

After helping her upright, we made our way upstairs and I settled her into the spare room. It took a while, but she started to drift off and, as I headed downstairs to lock everything up, I suddenly realised just how much responsibility had been placed on my shoulders. It may have been selfish of me, but I couldn't help thinking it; Tara was in a terrible position and, realistically, I was the only one who cared enough to try to help her.

I stared out of the window into the darkness, suddenly overwhelmed by the twists and turns the day had thrown at me. So much had happened and there was a lot to process; Eric's fears. The beginning of our relationship. Tara.

I knew I wasn't going to sleep much that night.

Rubbing at my sore eyes, I began the journey upstairs. No use feeling sorry for myself.

Once upstairs, I made an extra effort to avoid all the creaky floorboards and sneaked around the house carefully like some kind of ninja. I was just heading into the bathroom when I first heard it, out of the blue.

A loud, painful scream came from Tara's room, sending goosebumps along my skin in an instant.

Almost immediately, my thoughts rushed back to the moment I'd discovered my house had been broken into. I thought of all the times it had felt like I'd been watched, those creepy moments that made me shiver.

Common sense was yelling at me not to, but I made my way over to the source of the sound. I could feel myself trembling, but when I heard sobbing accompanying the noise of fear, I rushed in without another second's consideration.

I apologise for taking longer than usual; I was just a little disheartened for a while, but then I rediscovered my passion for this story. I hope you feel the same way and that I'm not sounding like some blithering idiot here! That's highly unlikely... but anyway, thanks for reading the update!