A/N: Hi! My thanks and appreciation to every single one of you who read my little story, especially the ones who took the time to review it; it means a LOT to me. Thank you! An especial thanks to my beta extraordinaire CassandraMello, she's the greatest!
This chapter is dedicated to the lovely LindsayK, for her encouragement and incredible superpowers. Hope you like it, Linds!
Let's get this party started!
Chapter 8 – Even Artichokes Have Hearts
"You never told me you had a niece… she's truly beautiful," I say in a voice, which tries to feign enthusiasm, but sounds disappointed to my own ears as I hold the portrait still in my hands.
"It must have slipped my mind," she states casually, sipping her wine. "She was 2 in that picture, she is 4 now; I took it myself."
"She looks exactly like Eric," I mutter, almost sadly. They must look good together, the whole family… his wife… probably a living picture, I ruminate bitterly. "Are you good friends with her mom?"
"No, I'm not. Eric is a single dad, Sookie. Annika doesn't know her mother," Pam tells me; she looks somehow relieved, yet I detect a splinter of resentment as she continues. "They met while in med school. She got pregnant, Eric wanted the baby; she obviously didn't. They settled their disagreement; she left and we never heard again from her," she imparts. Wait, what?
"Oh. Oh. So he's not married? Oh." I gasp in astonishment. How is it that he's not married? I stare at her in disbelief. He's not married, he's not. Ialmost do my happy dance right there in front of her, shocking myself more than anything. It must be the wine, I justify feebly.
"That's some verbal ability, Sook," she sneers. "No, he's not married; actually he's not even seeing anyone right now." Pam offers nonchalantly, eyeing me over the rim of her glass.
"Seriously? I can't believe he's single," I blurt out, unable to control myself.
Pam laughs amused. "Well, he told me earlier," she informs me, the intent in her tone almost palpable. "I hope you like kids, because my little niece is gonna be coming here regularly." Is she kidding me? With that one my mind went into overdrive.
"Oh I love kids, and they seem to love me too. It's kind of funny; I'm like a magnet for children. My cousin Hadley has a boy, Hunter, and he adores me. He's so cute, and around the same age as Annika. It's Annika, right? What a lovely name... Anyway, Hadley once said I should quit architecture and just open a daycare center, with a big photo of me on the facade so I would have plenty of children making a line to get in…" I ramble frantically, in an attempt to ease my nerves. He's single and is gonna be coming here a lot. Oh, God help me. I shiver at the simple thought.
"Wow, that's enough wine for you, girl," Pam says, taking away my empty glass and climbing off the couch.
"I'm sorry, you're probably right." I blush, embarrassed, and follow her to the kitchen. I glance at the clock and find its past 8 already.
"It's getting late, we can finish up tomorrow morning, don't you think? There is not much more to do anyway…" Pam says, noticing the hour as well. I look around. The furniture is in its place and the TV is settled, thanks to Eric. There are just a couple of boxes still unpacked and some cleaning to do.
"Yeah, I'm dead tired. We can finish it tomorrow. Go ahead and take the shower first, I don't mind waiting," I offer.
She accepts my suggestion gratefully. We have only one bathroom, and will have to share it, not the most desirable way to go, but manageable nonetheless. Pam doesn't take long; she's getting out of the shower as soon as I finish clearing my bed and putting my clothes on the wardrobe. I give myself a good relaxing shower, willing my tired muscles to loosen up and my troubled mind to slow down a bit. I finish it feeling a lot better and head for my room. I blow-dry my hair and put on some comfy pajamas, all the while thinking about Eric and the implications of those thoughts. I'm too tired to function in a straight line, so I just say good night to Pam and go to bed, quickly falling asleep with a smile on my face. He is not married.
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The week that followed passed rather hurriedly. Pam and I had the apartment ready and shining by Monday and we started to plan our party soon after. We called or sent e-mails to our closest friends, inviting them to come see our home, giving them all the proper details. We went to Wal-Mart and bought everything we would need to prepare the snacks and drinks. We also left our list at the closest Target, with mostly simple, handy utensils on it, for the guests who might find it helpful. Even though we didn't expect gifts or considered it obligatory, it was a practical way to let people know what we really needed for our place without asking for it. We decided to throw the party Saturday, Eric's day off; it was the best day anyway. I had my first classes and found them extremely exciting. My professors and classmates were such interesting people; most of them had very unique looks, nothing like I had seen in Bon Temps.
Wednesday was quite surprising; I was getting home from my class, craving a hot bath and a nice home cooked meal, when I stumbled on a grinning Pam and a Botticelli angel by her side in the living room. I stopped in my tracks, blinking, startled, uncertain of what to do or say.
"Hey Sookie, I'm glad you arrived," Pam said. "Here let me introduce you to my niece. Sookie, this is Annika, Eric's daughter. Annika, this is my friend Sookie, she lives here too, with Aunt Pam."
"Oh, okay," I answered, waving at her awkwardly. "Hi Annika, it's really nice to finally meet you," I said, feeling nervous and self-conscious for some unknown reason.
"I like cookies," Annika said a tad shyly, eyeing me as she tried to hide behind Pam. I chuckled at her childish cuteness. She was even more beautiful in person, with pale, straight blonde hair and the most stunning blue eyes, which echoed her father's perfectly. Her rounded baby cheeks were as smooth and pink as ripe peaches, and she had a smile so sweet that it seemed rather divine than human.
"Her name is Sookie, sweetheart. Not cookie. Sookie," Pam clarified gently.
"Um… Soo-kie, Sookie?" She offered, looking at Pam for confirmation. Pam nodded, smiling proudly.
"It's okay, Annika, I love cookies too. Would you like some?" I asked her, smiling, dropping my bag on the floor, and looking for the jar of cookies I had concealed earlier. "I think it may be here… I had hidden then from your Aunt Pam, or should a say ant Pam?" I asked, glancing at Pam. She scowled at me and Annika giggled. Pam loves sugary food; I discovered it was her Achilles' heel. She always had candy with her and I had to hide some of my chocolate cookies so she wouldn't eat them all, by her own request, may I add.
"Oh, yes! Here they are, my famous chocolate cookies." I found them exactly where I had concealed them, opened the jar and offered them to her.
"Can I, Aunt Pam? Please! Please!" She looked at Pam with the cutest puppy eyes dog. Oh man, she was lost with that little one.
"Fine, you may take two. You already had dinner anyway," Pam answered a little miffed; she probably wanted some cookies herself.
"Thanks, Aunt Pam," Annika said joyfully. She came a few steps closer to me, taking two cookies from the pot with her tiny hands. I smiled broadly at her and she smiled back at me.
"What do you say, Annika?" Pam asked her in a slightly stern tone.
"Thank you, Sookie. Can I have one more?"
I grinned, shaking my head up and down. She was extremely adorable. I couldn't possibly say no to her.
"No, you can't, sweetie. I said only two." Pam intervened.
"But they are so good… Why can't I have more? Please!" Annika pleaded.
"Because you can't eat sweets so close to your bed time, it makes you agitated. And you want daddy to put you in bed tonight and read a story for you, don't you?" I gawked at Pam, impressed by her motherly abilities.
"Yeah, I want him to read a story for me tonight," she said thoughtfully for a moment. Oh my… she's so cute! I wanted to squeeze her.
I stowed the jar away and came back to the living room. I sat on the couch and Annika sat by my side, eyeing me with interest. I smiled at her and turned my gaze to Pam. She stared at me in a very suspicious manner, and then glanced at Annika, and back to me, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"What?" I asked, annoyed.
"Oh, it's nothing," she replied, still grinning. "Could you do me a small favor? I have a date tonight and I need to get ready. Can you look after Annika for a few minutes?"
"Oh sure, I don't mind." And I meant it. I loved children; they were always refreshing company.
"Ann, I'm gonna be back soon, okay? Be a good girl to Sookie," she uttered, leaning in to place a sweet peck on her niece's temple. She spun around and strode away, leaving the two of us alone.
"I have an idea," I told her excitedly, as she looked at me expectantly. "Do you wanna build a cabin with me?"
"A cabin? Um, like a house?" she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation. I nodded, smiling. "Yeah! I want to build a cabin."
I got up and told her to follow me. I took three big sheets, some ropes, a flashlight, and the five chairs we had in the apartment; these would be our materials. I started to work, clearing some space, spreading the chairs, fixing the ropes on each chair and arranging the sheets over them. Annika helped me with the minor details, taking some pillows and her toys. Ten minutes later, we had a two bedrooms cabin on the living room. I stretched my gran's old quilt on the floor and we entered the cabin, giggling like two kids in Disneyland, sitting down with our legs crossed.
"This is a great cabin, Annika. You did very well. Now let's see what you have here… Hm, a fluffy teddy bear, what is his name?" I asked, turning the flashlight on so we could see each other better. She was grinning from ear to ear.
"No, Sookie, she's a girl. Her name is Lola. She likes our cabin," she explained to me happily, bouncing Lola up and down. "I have other toys at my house… Do you wanna come see them?"
"Aw, I would love to, sweetheart," I said, touched. She wanted me to come to her house. Could she be more adorable?
"My daddy can take you there. I can ask him. I love daddy. He plays with me too." Her eyes lit up when she talked about her dad; her words were filled with love and admiration.
My chest tightened at the mention of Eric. I thought about him more than I wanted to acknowledge. He haunted me in my dreams, and they were not just any dreams. They were passionate and alarming at the same time. They left me hot and bothered all day, like I never felt before. I thought about him when I was sleeping, awake, at home, and college, everywhere and all the time. He was consuming me. I didn't understand, not even for a minute, why I kept thinking about him. And here I was, playing with his little girl, and thinking about how amazing he must be with her. He was raising Annika all by himself, and doing such a wonderful job. I was amazed by her brightness, manners, and beauty. I found myself wishing I had a daughter just like her someday. Exactly like her.
"Lola needs to get ready for her ball. It's in that castle on the other side of the road, see?" I asked Annika. We were playing for awhile by then and having lots of fun.
"She needs a pink dress and shoes. Can she use your shoes, the high ones? Aunt Pam has shoes like that…" she explained to me, walking like she had imaginary heels.
"Sure, I can lend her my high heels. She is gonna look gorgeous." I chuckled, getting up and heading for my bedroom to find some sandals Lola could wear. I giggled all the way, bewitched by Annika's loveliness.
As I came back, the doorbell rang and Pam left her room while putting her earrings on. She was looking good in her light blue halter dress and high heels. I gave her a thumbs up and went to answer the door. I opened it, smiling, curious to see who it was. To my utter shock and delight there he was, in all his glory, the owner of my thoughts, Eric. He was even more attractive than I remembered. Oh God, how can that be possible?! I took one step back, with my hand still holding the door knob, giving him room to step in.
"Hi, Sookie. It's good to see you again," he remarked, smiling. And it was the winning smile that made my legs trembled in my dreams. Jesus Shephard of Judah. He leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek. That warm and fuzzy feeling, I was reluctant to connect with, swept me again. He withdrew slowly with a peculiar look in his eyes.
"H-Hi Eric…" I answered, my voice quavering a bit. My face still tingled from the feel of his rough chin. I touched my cheek absently, trying to whisk the feeling away. I closed the door and turned to look at them. My breath caught in my throat; they were dazzling together.
"Daddy! Daddy, look," Annika squeaked, "Look what Sookie and I did. A cabin." She was beaming at him, trying to snatch his huge hand to drag him to see the cabin.
"Wow, you did this with Sookie?! It's amazing, Ann." He glanced at me, smiling. I blushed embarrassed. His smile got even bigger. He looked back to Annika, who was jumping excitedly as she explained the entire thing.
Pam joined then, gazing at me admiringly, with a big grin of her own; I offered her a small smile return.
"I had no idea they were doing this, I was in my bedroom all the time…" she told Eric.
"It's really great Annika, and I'm glad you had so much fun with Sookie. But we have to go now. Daddy came here just to pick you up and take you home. I still have to get back to the hospital," he cooed to his baby girl. He is so amorous with her... I sighed captivated, taking in the whole scene.
"I don't wanna go home, Daddy. I like it here. Please!" her sweet voice gave way; she was on the verge of tears. I was beginning to feel guilt for putting him in that situation.
"We have to go, Annika. It's past your bed time. You have to sleep early so you have the energy to play again tomorrow," he patiently explained to her, but she kept pleading to stay and play some more with me.
I bent down until I was at the same height as her and took her little hands in mine. I began tenderly, "Ann, sweetie, Lola is feeling really tired, she needs to rest before she goes to the ball. And she can only sleep with you… So, you go with daddy and have a good night of sleep as well. The next time you come here we can build an even bigger cabin."
"Oh, Lola sleeps on my bed with me. She is a baby, you know? I like the idea of a bigger cabin, Sookie," she said, a tad hesitantly. I nodded, smiling. She let go of my hands and hugged me, surprising the hell out of me. "We can go daddy, Lola needs sleep."
She released me and ran to the cabin. She quickly gathered her toys, and put them in her bag. Pam helped her and so did I. As we finished, she gave Pam a hug and a kiss, and I won a kiss too. Eric took her in his arms and thanked Pam for watching Annika. Then he turned to me and I braced myself for what was coming.
"Thank you, Sookie. I can see she really liked you. Thank you for being so patient. It means a lot to me," Eric uttered sincerely; his eyes heavy with meaning. I smiled at him and nodded.
"Don't wait up for me, roomie," Pam said, as she left with them; her date was arriving as they were leaving.
I threw myself on the sofa and sighed, closing my eyes. I thought about what had just happened. I thought of Eric, Annika, and Eric, me, me and Eric. I jumped up off the sofa exasperated with myself. I needed to do something to stop thinking about him. Now! I started by cleaning the big mess I made with Annika, then I took a shower. Not exactly a peaceful one, as I continued to wonder about Eric and myself together in that shower. I was losing my mind; I needed to talk to someone and that someone couldn't be Pam, for obvious reasons. I decided to call Amelia.
"I have a Code Red, Amelia," I shouted as soon as she answered the phone.
"I'm all ears. Spill it, girl," she said very businesslike. I told her everything, well, almost everything.
"Hm, I see… So he's a doctor, more like a McDreamy, a McSteamy or a McArmy?" I rolled my eyes in disbelief; I had just told her the disconcerting situation I found myself in and she asked me which McDoctor he was? Seriously?
"Amelia! I need help with my real life, this is not for you to mix things up with some show," I snapped back at her.
"Oh come on, don't be so grumpy. I need information if you want me to be able to help you."
"Fine. He looks like he came out of a dream and he's insanely hot, so I don't know... Also he has this perfect ass, I'm telling you; it's from another world... Maybe he would be a McHottie?" I paused; then, with a bit of imagination, came up with a more fitting title. "No, I think a McViking. Yeah, I would say he's a McViking, but you would have to see him to know." I shuddered at the thought of Eric as a Viking with all the right props. Oh. My. God.
"Oh, you're so gone, Sook," she remarked, laughing.
"Amelia, this is serious, I never felt so worked up over someone, not even Bill, and there are so many things involved…"
"What do you think the biggest problem is?"
"I don't think I have the heart to fall for someone again, Amelia. But I feel so overwhelmed by his presence. He makes me wanna rub myself all over him. Oh God, you're right, I'm so gone…"
"Of course you have a heart; even artichokes have hearts, Sook. Don't be silly," she said, stifling a chuckle. "You just need to give it a shot and stop being so afraid…"
"Whatever," I grumbled. "The thing is I need help, Amelia. I'm losing my mind here."
"I'm coming to this housewarming party, Sook. I have to see this McViking myself and evaluate the situation from a closer angle," she informed me. I could hear her smirk, even over the phone. Oh, she was having fun with this.
"Oh, okay. Thanks Amelia, I would love that."
We chatted a bit longer, setting the details. I felt more upbeat after my conversation with Amelia; she would come to the party and she would see the trouble I was in for herself. I had something to eat and went to bed. I dreamed about him that night, and all of the following nights as well.
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When I woke up this morning, I was a jumble of anxiety and excitement. Pam and I started to put the necessary things in order very early. We prepared the food and arranged the furniture to open more space for our guests to mingle, since we had cleaned up the apartment in antecedence. The drinks were all in the fridge, nice and cold, and the apartment was spotless by the time I went to pick up Amelia at the airport and came back home.
Pam and Amelia got along really well. I was glad to see my two best friends getting to know each other. After we chilled out a bit and had something in our stomachs, we took turns in the shower and started to get ready for the party. It was a pretty casual gathering, so I chose to wear dark skinny jeans with cuffed crop leg, a black and white horizontal striped top with scoop neck and 3/4 length sleeves, and black ballet flats. After putting some mascara, eyeliner and lip-gloss, I fixed my hair up into a simple bun and added some drop earrings. I looked at myself in the mirror and liked what I saw.
Amelia finished her shower and came to my room to get changed and I went to make sure we had enough ice and set out the appetizers. As I settle the last details gleefully, I replay the whole week in my mind, every single piece of it, in sheer anticipation for this moment: the doorbell is ringing. Maybe it's him? My heart races at the thought.
I look around and smile proudly; everything seems just perfect. Pam is setting the music, with her back to me. She hears the doorbell too and turns to answer it, grinning excitedly.
"Hey, you look gorgeous," I say to her as she takes a few strides in the door direction and notices my presence.
"You too, dear. Good enough to eat," she says, winking at me. Pam's wearing a rich chocolate wrap dress that flatters her slim body nicely, nude peep-toe pumps, and her hair down. She looks truly beautiful.
I gaze expectantly at the door, coming out from the counter to see who our first guest is. It's a couple, I spot, and they seem fairly good together. I feel a bit disappointed that it's not Eric, but immediately brush the sentiment away.
"And this is my roommate, Sookie," Pam offers, introducing me to her friends. "Sookie this is Felicia and Rasul. Felicia is a good friend of mine and Rasul works with Eric at the hospital."
"Hi, it's so nice to meet you," I volunteer, smiling broadly.
"Hi, Sookie. Pam told me very nice things about you," Felicia says as we shake hands.
"Really? I should thank her then," I say, blushing slightly, turning to look at Pam. "Thanks, roomie. You're terribly kind to me."
"She didn't tell me anything, but I can see for my own eyes that you're very nice indeed," Rasul chimes in gallantly, winning a slap on the shoulder from Felicia.
"Rasul!" she shouts, outraged.
The doorbell tears through our ears again and I excuse myself to go answer it. "Why don't you give them a little tour Pam? I'm gonna answer that. If you excuse me for a second…"
I smile content as I open the door, letting my friend in. "Claudine! I'm so glad you came. Please, come on in."
"Hey, Sookie! I'm so happy to see you," she says cheerfully, hugging me as she enters. "It's been a while, huh? How you doing? I brought you this little gift for your new place. It's simple but it's from the heart."
"Oh, you didn't have to." I take her present and place it at the nearest table, beside Felicia and Rasul's present.
"I sure did," she replies, beaming at me.
"Thank you, hon. I missed you too. How is everything in Bon Temps?"
We talk animatedly for awhile; she tells me a lot of gossip from the people over there, some very disturbing, others very funny. I tell her about college, how much I love it and the moving; leaving the whole Eric thing out of the picture for now. I graciously introduce her to Pam, Felicia, and Rasul. Amelia joins us at the living room a few minutes later and makes herself acquainted with the others. She catches up with Claudine as well, who was thrilled to see that Amelia had came to the party.
As the time passes, more guests arrive. Pam and I take turns to answer the door, chat with our friends, offer beverages while they're eating appetizers and snack foods, show people around, and replenish the finger food. I get to meet three more of Pam's guests, Thalia, Maxwell Lee, and Clancy; not a very friendly trio if you ask me. A few friends of mine also arrive, Terry, Tara, and JB; they're my friends since we were kids. I introduce them to Amelia and they chat for while. She comes looking for me a moment later.
"Everything is great, Sookie, the snacks, drinks, and music. And Pam is a lemon meringue pie. But where is the McViking?" she asks me, sipping her cocktail.
"How am I supposed to know?" I retort disconcerted. I've been asking myself the same question for two hours now. Maybe the hospital called him? Or something happened to Annika? Oh God, I hope she is okay. I'm putting myself into such a pitiable state, getting more flustered by the minute that I'm almost ready to ask Pam to call him and see if everything is all right. I don't have a good record with belated guys, if you know what I mean.
"Hey, are you feeling well? You got pale all of a sudden?" she asks, grasping my right shoulder. At that moment the doorbell chooses to ring, saving me from Amelia pointed eyes.
"I'm fine. I'm gonna go answer that," I say. She gives me a skeptical look. I shrug, apologetic, and she nods resigned as I walk away; I am silently wishing it will be him.
I head to the door, stopping for a second, my hand hovering on the door handle. I catch my breath and yank it open. And there he stands. What is that saying about wishing? If only I knew... I blink, startled at the sight of him. Holy shit! This can't be happening... We stare at each other completely dumbfounded and then burst out laughing.
"I believe we are what they call a perfect match?"
A/N: What did you think? Any ideas? I would love to hear it! :)