A/N: Inspired by the Super Bowl on Sunday! I mentioned this armchair in Chapter 1 of Lilies of The Valley, and I have weirdly wanted to write a story about it for years. The game play by play is mostly accurate, but I took a couple liberties, or this fic would be way too long!
A/N 2: Set on February 3, 2008 between Ep. 6x13 "Raising Caine" and Ep. 6x14 "You May Now Kill The Bride."
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The biggest upset in Super Bowl history, by his favorite team, against the team he hated most, and Eric Delko couldn't tell you one thing about the game. Not with her so close to him all night, smelling of vanilla and lavender, all soft curves and smiles.
He remembered her laughter, the way she leaned into him, how her eyes sparkled when he caught her unaware.
Not how a 10-6 team came from behind to beat an undefeated rival with two minutes left in the game, facing the best QB in the league.
He remembered the buildup, the surreptitious caress of her hand on his, the way their shoulders bumped when they moved.
Not the pre-game coverage, the flyover, the commercials, the halftime show.
He remembered this night, reluctantly saying goodbye, anticipating the day ahead…
11 HOURS EARLIER
The raucous group filled Eric's condo with laughter as they stacked their plates with his famous wings, grabbed beers, and snagged chips and queso. Snacks and side dishes covered every inch of the kitchen island, but Eric knew only crumbs would remain by the time the night ended.
"What time is it?" Valera asked as she found a seat at the dining table next to Calleigh.
Ryan quickly swallowed his bite of street corn and answered her. "It's 5:30. FOX pre-game show is starting now."
Natalia grinned as she sank to sit beside her partner. "Uh-huh, well just don't choke trying to finish your food. The show will still be on when we're done eating."
From the kitchen, Eric heard Natalia's jab at Ryan and laughed. "Don't worry, Wolfe," he called. "I'll turn it on. You can see the TV from the table."
"I got it!" Calleigh proclaimed in a loud voice so Eric could hear her. "I have to grab my beer, anyway."
She lithely twisted out of her chair, and Eric's heart sped up as he watched her graceful moves, the way her soft t-shirt clung to her frame and her hips swayed while she padded barefoot to his living room. She bent to pick up her drink from the coffee table and stretched to reach for the remote on the couch, one leg extending slightly in the air for leverage. A heat began to creep up Eric's neck and he forced himself to tear his eyes away before someone caught him staring.
Eric settled himself next to Calleigh's empty spot at the table, which left little space for her to squeeze through upon her return. He could have stood up to let her pass, but he didn't. He also could have leaned back to give her more room, but again, he didn't.
Calleigh's gaze met his momentarily as their bodies brushed, and a hint of something flashed behind her eyes that said she knew what game he was playing. From the way she slid past him, not bothering to avoid close contact, Eric realized, to his shock, that she wasn't protesting. Her move against him was subtle and innocent, but intentional, and suddenly football was the last thing on Eric's mind.
With the new, heady knowledge that Calleigh might want him to touch her just as much as he longed to, he somehow avoided testing the waters while the group ate, and turned his attention to the rest of his friends. Ignoring her when she was so close was most definitely the best course of action. She ignored him right back, engaging in a conversation with Valera about a movie they'd seen the night before.
Calleigh needed control, and Eric would give her that, but she constantly mystified him with her ups and downs when it came to their relationship. In this one regard, he stopped trying to figure her out a long time ago, and decided to go with his gut. Back off when she asked, comfort when she needed, and now…draw closer when she let her defenses down.
To the outside world, Calleigh looked and acted ever the same, but Eric saw the change in her eyes. He felt it in the slight hesitation of her body against his as she maneuvered past him, the pause that told him she wanted to prolong their contact. He heard it in the faintest hitch of her breath.
They were friends. Best friends, despite all that happened in the last seven or eight months. In the last year, really. Eric possessed an uncanny ability to read Calleigh, except when it came to how she felt about him. Tonight, for reasons unknown to Eric, she seemed to open a portal for him to that part of her world, and he fully intended to find his way inside her walls, no matter how narrow the opening may be.
With plates empty and 30 minutes left before kickoff, the table began to clear. Calleigh gathered her plate and napkin, but before she could move to stand, Eric seized his chance. He reached a hand under the table to rest on her leg, giving her a quick, gentle squeeze before soothing the spot with a caress of his thumb.
Her wide eyes shot to his, only to widen further in confusion when his hand slipped to the inside of her thigh just above her knee, and he leaned in close.
"Sit with me?" he asked so only she could hear. Another caress of his thumb left Calleigh tingling; Eric could actually feel the vibration.
She pulled back slightly and fixed him with a guilty look. The message in her eyes told Eric he shouldn't need to ask, but she understood why he did.
The past months she spent with Jake drove a wedge between the two friends, a distance from which, at some points, both feared they would never return. But then two months ago Jake dropped off the planet, and Calleigh and Eric were recovering, only with this different kind of tension slowly building between them, adding a new and uncertain dimension to their friendship.
The armchair.
It belonged to them. Every game, every movie night, every barbecue for years…Eric and Calleigh shared the oversized armchair that dominated one corner of his living room. Until seven months ago, when a certain homicide detective entered the picture.
Eric wished he didn't feel the need to ask her, but they still stood on uneven ground. However, Calleigh's current response indicated the terrain under their feet was more solid than he presumed.
She snuck her left hand under the table and tentatively brushed his knuckles with her fingertips.
"Of course," she murmured. Their eyes lingered on each other for a few heartbeats before Calleigh broke the intensity of the moment, following up her affirmation with a crooked grin and a single laugh. "Just don't be a seat hog for once."
In all the commotion of replenishing beers and settling in for the football game, no one noticed the quick exchange between the two in the dining room, or the slowly increasing hum of electricity that flowed between them as they headed to the kitchen with their plates.
"Guys, c'mon!" Valera called from the living room. "You'll miss all the commentary."
Eric dumped his paper plate into the trash and chuckled. "Since when do you care about football commentary, Valera?"
A sly grin spread on the woman's face. "Since Troy Aikman decided to join the show," she volleyed back with a wink.
Natalia snorted and burst into laughter, causing Ryan to do the same, nearly spitting out the beer he just sipped.
A round of teasing ensued, and Calleigh and Eric took the opportunity to regroup from their private moment, grab beers, and head to the living room to join their friends.
Eric dropped himself onto the large armchair, motioning for Calleigh to climb into the large chair at his side. She did so without hesitation, casually, just as she had for years. No one would know how her heart beat like a drum, or how Eric's palms sweated and his mind raced in anticipation of having Calleigh so near for the next four hours.
Because they'd all been there before. They'd seen Calleigh and Delko share that chair a dozen times over the years, and this time seemed no different. It was their chair.
Eric took a deep breath and snuck a glance at Calleigh, who happened to sneak a peek in his direction at that exact second. They shared a soft, knowing smile, shifted their bodies to sink into their familiar positions in the chair, and got comfortable for the game.
Only this time, they settled a little closer than in the past. This time, the inch or two that usually separated Eric's strong frame from Calleigh's smaller one didn't exist. They sat shoulder to shoulder, bodies running length for length from elbow to toe, never ceasing contact. Such tight quarters never bothered Eric before, but today he felt a zing in his spine any time Calleigh moved a muscle. He felt it even when she didn't move, for her body radiated a new kind of heat that wasn't totally there before, one that had his senses on high alert.
Kickoff came and went. Natalia, Ryan, and Maxine laughed at the commercials and groaned and cheered with the game. As far as the unsuspecting eye could see, Eric and Calleigh did the same.
"Go, go, go, go!" Ryan yelled from his place on the couch between Nat and Valera. The Patriots scored on the first drive, resulting in copious rejoicing from Ryan, whose dedication to his New England teams never relented.
Eric leapt halfway out of his seat with a yell of his own. "Bullshit! That's bullshit. Come on, guys."
His New York Giants played elite defense, and while the experts predicted this to be a high scoring game on both sides, Eric expected better from the defensive line, even up against Tom Brady.
When he landed once again in the armchair, he landed half-way on top of Calleigh.
"Hey now," she protested quietly. "I thought you weren't going to hog the space."
The gleam in her eye and smirk on her lips sent a fire through Eric, and it took everything in him not to touch her somehow. He chanced a look at their friends and decided they were sufficiently distracted by the touchdown celebration. He reached for her hand and ghosted her palm with his fingertips, trying and failing to suppress a satisfied grin when he felt her shiver in response.
"You don't seem to mind," he murmured in a low voice.
She simply grinned shyly back at him and returned her attention to the TV, where play had resumed and the Giants now held possession of the ball. Eric studied the faint rosiness on her cheeks for a second before he, too, turned his eyes back to the game. "Shy" was not a descriptor he normally assigned to his friend, and he liked the way it looked on her.
Nine minutes of play and the Giants still maintained possession, much to Ryan's chagrin and Eric's frustration. They couldn't score against the Patriots' all-star lineup, save for a field goal.
Eric sighed at the end of the first quarter. "I need another beer," he complained. The tension of both the game and his closeness with Calleigh had begun to take a toll. He started to carefully extricate himself from the chair, until Natalia stopped him.
"I'll grab you one," Nat stated as she stood from her spot on the sofa, stretching her aching muscles. "I'm on my way and you look like you're stuck," she added with a laugh. "Anyone else want something?"
A call for beers chimed unanimously around the room.
"Here, I'll come help," offered Ryan, and he raised himself from the couch with a groan. "Oof, I'm getting old."
Valera giggled and added, "So am I. I swear my bladder is shrinking. Be right back."
Eric and Calleigh watched as she hauled herself up and headed in the direction of Eric's hall bathroom. Suddenly, they found themselves alone.
Calleigh diverted Eric's attention to the commercial currently playing. On the screen, two cave men attempted to open a bottle of Budweiser with a rock, only to smash the bottle to pieces.
Eric gave a half-hearted chuckle. In reality, the commercial reminded him too much of his relationship with Calleigh—something he could easily smash to pieces if he didn't take care. He couldn't find the humor in that, only the fear.
She sensed his change in mood and a wave of…something…pass through him from head to toe. "What?" she asked him softly.
Eric shook his head and met her green eyes with his brown ones. He bumped her knee with his and replied, "Nothing, nothing at all."
Another zing of electricity shot up both their bodies from where their knees touched. "Cal—" Eric began to say. But at that moment, Natalia and Ryan returned with armfuls of beers for all, with Valera following close behind, wiping her wet hands on her pants.
"Dude, Eric, you need to get a hand towel," she grouched.
Natalia laughed. "Someday, someone will domesticate him," she said with a grin and a roll of her eyes.
Ryan interrupted them both. "The game's back on, guys. I don't want to miss anything," he insisted, pulling their focus to the television and the back and forth of the football on the field.
The second quarter passed and the score remained 7-3. Halftime proved entertaining with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, then more commercials. A Dalmatian training a Clydesdale to be a Budweiser horse. Catapulting baboons, the Hulk, talking babies, old men in space, Gilligan with a cell phone…
All through the third quarter, Calleigh and Eric sat mindfully, afraid that any move, any friction between their bodies might send them over the edge. Over the edge of what, Eric remained unsure.
If their friends noticed the two were quieter than usual, even in their cheers as they rooted on the Giants, no one said anything. The game held the three other friends captive, still 7-3 by the time the fourth quarter began. Not to mention, the trio had imbibed a handful of beers apiece and their usual astuteness now escaped them, much to Eric and Calleigh's luck.
Unlike their friends, they stopped drinking at halftime. Eric eventually noticed how little attention Natalia, Ryan and Valera currently paid them, and he took another risk.
He calculated the angle of the sofa to where he and Calleigh sat. Knowing from experience that the tall sides of the armchair partially blocked the line of sight, he reached once again to Calleigh's hand and deftly took it in his own. With his thumb, he gently stroked her palm, slowly ghosting a touch along her life line, all the while making a wish that she'd let him be a part of it someday.
Eric felt Calleigh tense next to him and recognized her nervousness that they'd be caught.
"Relax, Cal. They can't see," he whispered to her.
His quiet words and the look he sent her were obscured by an uproar from their friends at a flag on a play. Eric sent up a distracted shout, not having seen the play and never taking his eyes off Calleigh. He grinned when she rolled her eyes.
Her taut shoulders eased some as he grazed his long fingers from her small wrist to the back of her hand and interlaced them with her tiny ones. With a final stroke of his thumb on her palm and a squeeze to her fingers, he curled their hands together for a brief moment, then he let go.
Next to him, Calleigh took a deep breath and visibly forced her eyes back to the television and the game.
Eric searched for the score, as he had no clue where the game stood. Still 7-3 Patriots. Not having caught most of the game, he thought to himself that all the forecasts of high scores definitely missed the mark. Hopefully Wolfe hadn't placed too high of a bet…
Something of Calleigh's bearing had transformed at Eric's last touch, and a few minutes into the riveting fourth quarter, she snuck her hand back into Eric's and interlaced their fingers once again. She never looked at him, nor did he glance at her, although he didn't need to see her eyes to understand her nervousness. She trembled just slightly, and she pulled their hands backward and maneuvered them out of sight as much as possible.
Somehow, Eric kept breathing. Calleigh made the move, not him, giving him the first clear indication that she felt their growing connection and wanted it to continue.
Since Jake departed, the pair had shared several charged "moments," like when they searched for Jonah's diving knife all those weeks ago, but Eric couldn't be sure what they meant, nor could he be sure what would happen if Jake showed up again.
Eric felt Calleigh's thumb swipe softly against the back of his, her unseeing eyes fixed on the TV, and he decided to banish that fear and focus on what he could do in the here and now. She drove him crazy and he didn't know how he could make it through the rest of the night without pulling her into his arms.
She seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because a minute later, he felt another brush of her thumb against his.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room exploded. Eric wanted nothing more than to reach for Calleigh, to hold her and touch her, to crash his lips to hers. At the same time, with two minutes on the clock, Eli Manning managed a pass of a lifetime and the Giants drove in a touchdown.
The cries of his friends momentarily shook Eric out of his state of heated distraction, so that he checked the score again. He'd missed two touchdowns. The score now stood at 14-10 Patriots. He didn't much care.
The countdown of the game clock, the change in possession, the three timeouts the Giants still held, all should have had him on the edge of his seat, but the only thing keeping him on edge was Calleigh. The game stayed in his periphery, but the rest of his attention he dedicated to calming the buzz running through his body.
Then, it happened. The upset of the century. Suddenly, Natalia, Ryan, and Valera leapt to their feet, screaming drunken cheers or obscenities, and jarring Eric and Calleigh out of the bubble in which they'd existed for the last few hours. Their eyes whipped around to figure out what happened, only to see the entire Giants bench losing their minds and the team celebrating on the field. The last of the game played out. The team had won a historic Super Bowl, 17-14.
Eric couldn't tell if he felt more shocked by the abrupt return to reality or by the loss of Calleigh's warm body against his. She'd darted out of the armchair like lightning to catch a swaying Valera.
"Sweetie," she laughed. "I'd say it's time to call you a cab."
"What about the post-game! We gotta watch the post-game!" Valera cried, clearly beyond tipsy.
Ryan chimed in, "How many beers did you have, Valera?"
She scowled. "Fewer than you, Wolfe. Shut it."
Now, Natalia joined in, yawning. "That was a hell of a game, and you both had too much." She yawned again. "I pulled a double so I could have the night off. This girl is skipping the post-game show."
Eric saw his opportunity. He sent Calleigh a quick look before turning to his friends with a grin. "I think you all need to go home. You're a drunk mess."
"No, no," Valera insisted. "We need to help you clean up."
She threw her arms around the living room and to the kitchen. "There's the mess!"
Calleigh laughed out loud. "I drove here, and I can drive myself home. I'll stick around and help clean. Y'all head home."
A few more protests ensured, until they finally agreed to call the taxi and help straighten while they waited for it to arrive. By the time it got there, Eric's place didn't look half-bad.
"Teamwork makes the dreeeam work," Valera called on her way out the door, words slurred.
All of them broke into laughter as they said their final good nights. Natalia, last to cross the threshold, made her way into the hallway, and Calleigh waved one last time as she shut and locked the door behind her.
Eric gave Calleigh no time to think, no time to hesitate or withdraw. As soon as she turned around, he scooped her into his arms and buried his nose in her neck. He breathed in her scent, which threatened to overwhelm him.
"Calleigh," he whispered against her skin.
She said nothing, but Eric heard her gasp and felt her arms gently wrap around him, too, leaning her head back in invitation for his lips.
Eric thought when this moment came, he'd have Calleigh pinned against the door, ravaging her mouth and exploring every inch of her body with his hands. All night, he envisioned a frenzy, a passionate joining of two electrified bodies.
But now, he wanted nothing more than to slowly drink her in. He reverently placed a kiss to her neck, in that soft spot just below her ear, then nuzzled it with his nose. When she made the tiniest sound of satisfaction, he couldn't help but run his hands up her back and drop his forehead to the curve of her neck.
"Calleigh, please," he begged her.
Never did he expect those words to leave his lips, nor apparently did Calleigh, because she grasped him tighter and Eric felt her breath hitch. Her hand roamed up his spine and back down again, the other still holding him close.
"It's okay, Eric," she assured him in such a soft, sincere tone that Eric had to swallow a lump in his throat.
Calleigh nudged his head up with her shoulder, trailing her lips along his skin as he raised up to lock eyes with her. One look in her stormy green depths and he lost that careful control he maintained all night.
Slowly, he leaned down and captured her lips with his in a seductive kiss.
Eric anticipated Calleigh's hesitation, but it never came. Instead, she melted into his arms. Encouraged, Eric took his time to tangle his lips with hers. They moved together as if in a dance, soft pressure morphing into passion, then easing back into the gentlest touch. When Eric teased her bottom lip with his tongue, she granted him access without thought. He gave into desire and nibbled her lip before tasting her tongue with his own.
Calleigh matched him move for move, feeling, exploring, and discovering just as Eric did. After a few minutes, he managed to tear his lips from hers. She wanted more, he could see, and so did he, but they needed to slow down. He pulled her into an embrace to show her he didn't want to put distance between them, and she let him. His heart sang.
"Calleigh," he murmured into her hair. "Will you sit with me for a while?"
Eric heard her muffled laugh.
"That's what you want to do tonight?" she asked.
He chuckled softly. "Yes," he replied and gave Calleigh a tight squeeze. "And tomorrow night, maybe we can go to dinner together."
Eric hoped she understood. Despite the way she made his blood run hot in his veins, despite the way he desperately wanted her, she was still his best friend, the most important person in his life, and he wanted to do this the right way.
Calleigh leaned back to look at the man in her arms. He saw in her eyes that she knew.
"Okay," she agreed. A faint, happy smile graced her lips. A little tentative, but less so than Eric expected.
He slipped his hands into hers and walked backward to the oversized chair, tugging her along with him.
This time, with no one to watch and fewer boundaries to mind than ever before, Eric took Calleigh in his arms and they curled up together in their armchair, a perfect fit.
Eric couldn't tell you about the post-game coverage or the news program that followed. He couldn't recall the guests on the Late Night show, or the items for sale on the infomercial after that…
He remembered their conversation, how she felt in his arms, their kiss good night at 3am, the promise to act normal at work later that day.
He remembered the knots in his stomach, how he couldn't wait to see her in a few hours.
He remembered Calleigh.