Short chapter but enjoy!
EPOV
"Eric, Eric, Eric." Zeke tsk-ed with a wide grin as he swung his long legs over the bench opposed from him. "You never guess what a little bird whispered in my ear this morning."
It was lunchtime, and by now the story of how two children had caught Eric cuddling in the middle of a deserted hallway had fully made its way throughout the compound.
All day, Eric had been met with wide stares and loud whispers. Everyone wanted more information about the sudden "scandal" floating around their super mysterious and unattainable leader. Of course, this wasn't the first sexual piece of gossip surrounding him, but it was a first on the scale of intimacy.
In a way, Eric was sure that "two children of four and five years old walking in on him having sex with a woman in their own fucking nursery" would've caused way less upheave than this piece of gossip about him hugging someone in the hallways.
Sure enough, they were sort of right in that aspect. Eric had never really thought twice about having sex with someone he found attractive, and yet simple acts of intimacy – like a hug, or a kiss on top of the head – was completely out of character for him. Until Keena, that is.
Still, the faction members needed to get their priorities straight.
"No. I'm pretty sure I do." Eric replied with a wicked smirk of his own, making several several people at their table gasp in shock. One even went as far as dropping his mouth open in absolute astonishment. So much for being sneaky in their attempts of listening in on the conversation.
Zeke's eyebrows shot up as well. "So, it's true then?"
"Zeke. It's not the first time I kissed a girl in a hallway." He gave his friend a pointed look. "I don't even remember her name."
Zeke's smile widened, but he took the hint. "No. I'm sure you don't." He chuckled, his eyes telling Eric that they would continue this conversation later. "I'm sure you didn't even remember it when you fucked her again, this morning."
Eric couldn't help it. A bark of laughter escaped his throat.
This morning had been fantastic. It had started off great already. At first, Eric had simply laid back in bed, taking in the glorious show that was Keena's embarrassment. Her worries about their eye-witnesses the evening prior, was nothing short of amusing. Seriously, Eric doubted he'd ever seen anything more hilarious than Keena's hysteria.
Granted, he hadn't expected as much upheave about it as it had gotten, so she'd been sort of right to be worried, but honestly, it wasn't as if Eric cared.
In fact, he couldn't care less.
He hadn't cared when two teenagers walked in on them, and he certainly hadn't cared when the normally empty hallway of his apartment was suddenly packed with nosy member this morning, just 'casually' walking by on their way to work. Even if said work was on the other side of the bloody compound.
No, Eric hadn't cared about any of that.
The people had still jumped out of his way when he'd walked through that door on his way out. They had all still kept in their breaths, afraid the smallest of sounds would send him off flying.
Yeah... Rumors or not. Everyone was still pretty afraid of him. Just the way he liked it.
So for Eric, there had been no problem. None whatsoever. None at all.
Now Keena... Keena did have problems with it. She hadn't dared to set foot out of his apartment. Not before he had to leave for work, anyway. Come to think of it, it was a real possibility she was still there, locked up in his apartment.
But even that wouldn't be a problem for Eric.
Flashback
"What's the deal, anyway?" Eric asked, grinning as Keena was taping a random piece of paper to his door, on the place where his peephole was. Even if the whole point of a peephole was to be able to look out, not in. "You've been sacked. The whole reason of hiding us – the whole 'letting people get to know you before you link yourself to me' thing – is pretty much done now".
Keena turned to face him. "Eric. You do realize I have to find myself a new job now, right? And getting sacked in my second week, doesn't exactly bid well for me, now does it?"
Eric's grin widened. "It would if they'd knew I was the one ordering your boss to fire you. Which would make a whole lot more sense for people, if they'd knew I was dating you. That way I'm just the big bad boo-man Eric again, making others bend to my will. Job offers will come flying, just because they pity you."
"What?! No! That's awful! They can't know that!" She looked at him astound. "Then they would immediately think I'm the type of girl that lets her boyfriend decide everything for her, because she can't standup for herself! And I can standup for myself!"
"Your boyfriend, hm?" Eric's grin was no longer a grin. A full-blown smile lifted his features. The feeling of it was odd, but good.
"I – That's not... I mean."
"Oh my God. Am I your boyfriend?" Eric stalked up to her, like a lion to its gazelle, the wickedness back in his smile. "Do you think I'm your boyfriend?"
"Eric." She warned, smacking him hard against his chest, trying to push him away from her.
But it wouldn't work. She wouldn't succeed. He was determined now. So he stepped closer, and closer and closer, until eventually her back was pressed against his door. The one with that hideous piece of paper over his peephole.
"Do you want me to be your boyfriend?" His voice was a sneer and he laced it with laughter and humiliation.
"Eric..." She said again. But this time it was no warning. This time it was a plea. Definitely a plea. But for what she didn't seem to know either. "Eric, please. I didn't mean..." She was quivering now. Undecided on whether to feel thrilled or scared by his behavior.
"Do you really think I would want such a lousy appalling title, tied to my good name?" He jested, whispering in her ear. "Especially since you haven't even asked me properly." He stretched out the last word, grinning in full.
At this, Keena sparked back to life and pushed against his chest. "Oh my god, your such a jacka–"
But Eric hadn't let her finish those words.
Instead, he'd kissed her. Deeply. Thoroughly. Up against that door.
And later. He had undressed her. And fucker her. Up against that door.
And she'd been screaming. Loudly. Wildly. Up against that door.
For anyone to hear. Anyone who had felt the sudden need to walk passed that fucking door.
And when she came. Loudly. Up against that door.
She hadn't cared one bit. None at all. None whatsoever...
Who was behind that fucking door.
End of flashback
"So, the two of you are still sneaking around, even after you got her sacked?" Zeke asked, after Eric had more or less explained the status quo. Zeke was lounging on the sofa in Eric's office, pondering up at the ceiling.
"She's determined to find a new job first. On her own, it appears." Eric acknowledged, walking over to his liquor cabinet.
"But all good vacancies are filled." Zeke frowned. "Without connections to you, she won't be able to find anything good. Not after she got sacked in her second week."
"That's what I said, but... You know." Eric waved his hand in the air, something that must suffice as "women", "Keena does what she does", or something else equally vague. He wasn't entirely too sure what he meant with it himself.
"And she doesn't want your help?" Zeke asked again, clearly baffled by it all. Eric couldn't blame him. If he didn't know her so well, he would too.
But he understood. She wanted to establish herself now. Something of her own. Something that she could keep, even if things wouldn't work out between them.
She'd been a bigger sister for most of her life. Until suddenly she wasn't. She hadn't been able to cope with that, and sure, the way it happened – the way her siblings got torn away from her – was nothing short of traumatic. But it wouldn't surprise Eric for one bit if some small part of her unconscious mind had also wanted to forget that she no longer knew who she was without them.
Her entire life had been devoted to her siblings.
Her entire identity had been tied to them as well.
And once they were ripped away from her... It couldn't have been easy.
Who was she, if not a sister?
Who was she, if not a caretaker?
So yeah, Eric understood. She didn't want to have to go through the same identity crisis – if or when – he would ever be ripped away from her too. Either by choice or accident. She didn't want to depend on him for being who she was, even to the rest of the faction.
Who was she, if not Eric's girlfriend?
He understood she the question, he did. He just thought it was a bunch of bullshit that she was so determined to find the answer in a job. And even if she did find the answer in a job, what difference would it make if he would've helped her on that track?
He could give her a head-start, but it was she who would have to make her own way.
He could pass her a ball, but it was she who either scored or mucked it up.
"No, she doesn't." Eric cleared his throat, pouring them both another brandy, before handing it to his friend. Zeke went to sit upright again. "But I've given her her five days left. After that I'm going to make things public between us, whether she wants me to or not."
"And does she wants you to?"
Eric grimaced, taking a deep swig of his glass. "She asked me along to her birthday party."
Zeke sputtered his sip back in his glass. "She what?!"
Eric stared at his friend with a look as if to say 'I don't know man'. And he didn't. How was he supposed to be there, without being there 'for her'.
"Her birthday is in two days. So, she and her friends are going out tomorrow... Clubbing." Eric stated with significance, and Zeke's ears piqued up. "And Keena has asked me to sort of be there as well... Without really, coming along, of course. I think she's just hoping for something like New Years Eve. But then with a quick stolen kiss from me."
"Where to?" Zeke asked, all hyped up. His mind running off with the possibilities of clubs.
"Inferno."
The look on Zeke's face was priceless. His eyes twinkling. Grin wicked. "Oh, man! I'm so coming along for this! She has no idea, has she?"
"No."
"Have you told her?"
"Of course not."
Zeke laughed out loud. "You evil man. Do you think you'll be able to keep your jealousy in check?"
Eric's smirk was nothing short of terrifying. "Just for once, I am more afraid of hers."
Please review!
