Thank you so much for all your reviews!
One thing I'd like to touch upon is Eric and Tris' first time. I appreciate that I didn't go into detail and all that, but that was the most perfect scenario I came up with for them. It symbolizes a hectic life, on Eric's behalf, and I felt like it just made sense for them to get to the point. Be caught in the moment.
Anyway, enjoy this one :)
The kitchen is warm with this morning's frying eggs. As I walk in, the sizzle of the bacon seems too loud, so I immediately shut the door. Violet is still asleep from what I have gathered.
Eric smiles when he sees me, putting down the frying pan and sauntering over. Behind him, the table is set for breakfast; the orange juice sits in the middle, soaking in the white light from outside. Three plates are empty around it, waiting to be greased with food.
I blush when he captures my lips with his, muttering a 'good morning'. I mutter it back, keeping my eyes on his chest as I wrap my arms around his neck. I feel his warm hands slide up the sides of my shirt, grazing my bare skin. It sends a shudder down my spine, which he takes note of.
"This morning was amazing," he says, tilting my chin upwards so I can finally meet his eyes. His are darker than usual, filled with something I haven't seen before. They crinkle at the ends when he smiles.
"It was too quick," I state.
He furrows his eyebrows for a short second before shrugging it off. It wasn't meant to be an insult, but he made it one. Anyway, he took it pretty well.
"I can blame you for that," he says, making me laugh. Then I remember Violet and shut my mouth.
"Me? How was your stamina my fault?" I poke him in the chest playfully, wincing when he grabs that hand. He's still smiling.
"There was no time to warm up," he teases, and I try to wriggle my hand away from him. He squeezes tighter. I start giggling, suddenly making it into a game. He grabs my other hand, sending me falling into his chest. It's not like a soft pillow at all. More like pecks made of steel. I have to take a moment to adjust my nose, thinking it somehow looks different from the impact.
Eric kisses my ear lobe, whispering quietly, "Next time, I won't be so gentle."
"Aw, come on," I chuckle, "Don't take it out on me."
He pecks my lips over and over again, pressing me closer until I start struggling for breath, "You've been warned."
"I'm in trouble," I joke, throwing my head back. He starts to kiss my neck.
"Yes you are," he bites down on a part of my skin, making me jolt in surprise at the pain, "Don't think I'm joking."
I wipe away my mischievous smirk, replacing it with an 'Oh, shit' kind of expression. He furrows his eyebrows at me, finally letting go. We just stand there feeling cold and abandoned until he moves even farther away from me to flip his bacon. Hmm. Maybe I should not have said what I did. Christina always told me that men care more about their ego than their partners.
Christina.
I feel my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and contemplate calling her. Eric speaks up, "I have a surprise for you, by the way."
My eyes lit up and I drop my hand by my side, "A surprise?" I place one hand on my hip, watching his biceps tense as he lifts up the heavy frying pan.
He glances over at me, giving me a wink, "Breakfast first." With that, he grabs my plate to pile on the colorful breakfast. I see green spinach and vibrant yellow eggs, along with perfectly fried bacon. Just the look of all the food makes me salivate. Behind me, the door opens, revealing Violet all dressed up and ready for the day.
SHSHSHSHSH
Eric and Violet take turns with keeping my eyes closed. Of course, I have to lean down so that Violet's hands can reach my face.
"Nearly there," Eric says, leading me further and further away from the apartment. I feel the cold air hit my bare arms and I don't need anymore evidence to know exactly what the surprise is. He didn't. He couldn't have done.
I feel a jacket going around my shoulders and swallow my breath, standing like a statue, "Why are we outside?"
The world is black but I am certain that Eric is grinning down at me. He takes away his warm hand from my eyes, but I keep them closed for a little longer.
Finally, I am ready. And I force them open. I see Violet skipping towards a huge white structure. It's a fucking car. I think my heart stops briefly. Violet traces her hands along the car's bumper, clearly just as curious as I am. But she is not surprised. Which makes me wonder...
"Eric, I told you-"
"I know," he holds both hands up, unable to wipe that smirk off his face. Some snow has fallen onto his hair and the furry collar of his coat, "It's an early Christmas present."
"It's a car!" I turn to look at it again, new questions bubbling up inside of me. How did he buy it? Who brought it here? How much was it? How does he feel comfortable at all? All the blood drains from my face. It's a car.
It's a huge car. It is definitely (at least) a six-seater. From here, I can see that there is lots of space between the driver's and the passenger's seat. So much space. Why is there so much space?
"It's a Seat Ateca," Eric clarifies behind me, a hand on the small of my back, "It's the newest model... with winter tires. And a key less entry."
The car is snow white. It almost blends in with the weather. There are two sets of headlights at the front, slowly curving into the bonnet. The side windows are darkened for privacy, yet they still manage to blend into the clean look. It's so good. It's just too perfect.
"I... I don't know what to say," my eyes scan around the model in awe.
"You could try 'thank you'," he offers, nudging me closer to my present. I smile widely, turning around to throw my arms around him. He hugs me back, a small chuckle in his chest.
"Thank you," I say, feeling Violet's eyes in my back. Out of modesty, I pull away first. It's a hug. Normal people hug. Especially when one of them gifts you a car.
"Come on, let's go take a ride," Eric smirks, walking over to Violet.
"Wait, now?"
He turns to look at me, furrowing his eyebrows. Behind him, Violet widens her eyes, "Yes, now!" I smile slightly, shoving my already cold hands into my jacket.
When I get into the driver's seat, my heart starts pounding. The door closes and all I can smell is that new car smell. No curry. Only freshness. An uncontrollable squeal races past my lips. Eric smirks.
It is easy to adjust the seat. I literally glide into position. Eric helps me with the keys and the engine starts with a soft purr. I smile widely, unable to take my hands away from the leather-covered wheel.
I hear Violet sigh loudly in the back which is a sign that I should probably start driving. We all buckle up and I move the car out of the parking lot. It feels like we're floating. There are no bumps in the road. This car is a miracle.
"Pull over here," Eric says after a few blocks, pointing towards a mall. I wonder how he feels not being in control. I grin, parking up the car into the family parking slot. I kind of have to... the car is enormous. And pretty high as well. I hope nobody takes this the wrong way.
I kill the engine, turning to look over my shoulder when Violet bounces in her seat. She looks from me to her father before opening the door and getting out. I raise my eyebrows at her enthusiasm, "Why's she so jittery?"
Eric winks at me before opening his own door, "I promised to buy her a game."
"So you're giving everyone surprises today," I smirk, playfully nudging him. He chuckles and shakes his head.
"I'm full of surprises."
"Thank you..." I say again, "for the car, I mean," I look down at my lap, chewing on my lip, "It's... too much-"
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's amazing!" a built-in sat-nav catches my eye and I spend several seconds drooling at it. Eric runs a hand up and down his knee, looking like he wants to say something, but he never does, "I just... it's a car... I don't feel like I deserve a car."
He raises one eyebrow before glancing out of the window to watch Violet kick another car's tire, "You deserve it, okay?"
I nod because his look is menacing. Is he pressuring me into stopping with the modesty? It's working.
SHSHSHSHSH
It's a Sunday, so the mall is deserted. There are a few people walking around, buying wrapping paper and Christmas ornaments. When we walk past an ice-cream stand, Violet stops me.
"You want ice-cream?" I ask, smiling as she grabs my wrist.
The lady with the cones looks bored, typing something on her phone. She's a teenager. I see that now. The last thing she wants is to serve people ice-cream on a Sunday.
Eric takes out his chunky wallet, clearing his throat, "I'll get it."
I look around, noticing that the majority of the stores are clothes based. There is glass separating us from the stores, but we have a massive hallway to walk down and there are benches in the middle. None of which are occupied because of the lack of people.
"Three scoops, all chocolate," she clarifies, folding her arms. I allow my hand to hover around her shoulder before Eric leads her closer to the stand. I take a seat on one of the benches and it seems like the perfect time to take out my phone.
I switch it on, watching the small screen come to life.
3 new messages.
And one voicemail. It's from Christina.
I don't bother reading the messages because they were sent before the voicemail. I turn it on and listen.
"Um, hi. Yeah, hey," her voice is hesitant at first. She continues, "So I'm guessing you're not coming back because... you took all your stuff... well, you've left your phone charger. I doubt you'll need it though. Your boyfriend will probably buy you a new phone."
I roll my eyes slightly, leaning back on the bench.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry," she sighs heavily, "But I feel like a bitch apologizing via voicemail so... call me back, okay? I'm really sorry."
I take the phone off my ear to check my battery. 30%. I put it back to my ear. There is a beep and then my phone goes silent.
Eric walks up to me first, reluctant to smile. He slides his wallet into his coat, nodding towards me, "Who was it?"
"It's just a voicemail," I shrug it off, smiling when Violet takes his hand. He reads me like a book and then decides to change the subject.
"Come on, let's go," he says. I get up, watching Violet battle with three massive scoops of ice cream, each of which are bigger than her mouth. She dawdles behind us, too busy eating. So me and Eric slow down the pace, "I'm buying you a coat."
"No, you're not," I force a smile, Christina's words echoing in my head.
"You nearly froze to death in the one you are wearing-"
"You don't need to buy me a coat, Eric," I shoot him a look which I immediately regret. He gives me a cold glare, jaw clenching. If Violet wasn't here, I would fear for my life.
I look down, blowing some loose strands of hair out of my face.
He sighs next to me, his footsteps becoming more urgent, "I have your life in my hands, remember that."
It strikes me hard. I nearly stop, but remember that Violet is walking behind me, "Is that a threat?"
"It's a warning," he grumbles, walking forward. I breathe out like a dragon. And it feels ridiculous that I have just flipped a switch inside me and became so angry. The man just gave me a car... and I'm angry. It makes me feel sightly guilty. Who does he think he is?
Seriously, who does he think he is? Thinking I depend on him? Which I kind of do... but that's not the point. It's ridiculous. Mixed emotions will be the end of me.
"Unbelievable," I breathe out. He hears it with his rabbit ears, of course. Last words are something he must have. In this case, he simply grunts.
SHSHSHSHSH
Somehow, I let myself walk into a coat section of a clothes store. Eric breathes behind me, getting on my nerves. When Violet skips away into the gaming section, I turn around to face him. I am about to speak but he beats me to it.
"Stop doing that."
Are you kidding me?
"Stop doing what?" Boldly, I fold my arms, no longer afraid to look up at him.
He juts his chin out like Violet before grabbing my forearm, "I don't like you misbehaving like that."
"Misbehaving? By not letting you buy me things?"
"Not things. Something you need."
"I can take care of it."
He squeezes my arm and I jerk away, "Choose something please."
I smile slightly, "What if I don't?"
He smiles back, more amused than angry.
Thoughts?