Chapter 13 – I Like You

"It's finished," Sookie declared, as she hit the save button and set her laptop on the coffee table.

"May I see it?" Eric asked, reaching for the computer, but Sookie slapped his hand.

Over the past month, he'd been coming to her house a few nights a week to spend time with her. Usually, they would have dinner and watch a movie while Sookie worked on the article, then when she'd had enough of it for the night they would make out until it was time for Eric to leave.

"No, I want to go over the whole thing once before I let anyone see it. I just spent a month writing the darn thing because I'm so nervous about it. It needs a once-over before you get to look," she said. As she spoke, she straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Right now, I'd just like some congratulatory kissing. Or a little more, if you want."

"Oh?" he asked, his hands running up the back of her shirt to unhook her bra. "You know, I think the article is probably fine now, but if waiting means I get to feel these a bit longer … well, it's worth it."

Sookie let out a low moan when his hands, still under her shirt, came around to the front and began to massage and tease her breasts. So far, they'd only progressed to some under-the-shirt action and some very satisfying grinding, but Eric never asked for more.

"You are far too good at that," she whispered in his ear as she ground her hips onto him.

"I'm good at a lot of things, darling, and I look forward to showing you each and every one of them," he said, grinding his hips up into hers for emphasis.

"All in due time," she moaned, and then her mouth was on his.

An hour later a sated Eric kissed an equally satisfied Sookie goodbye. She crawled into bed shortly after, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

That night she dreamt of Eric again, like she almost always did on the nights he came over, and when she woke up in the morning she had an even bigger smile on her face along with a less steely resolve. Sookie wasn't stupid, and she knew that it was really up to her whether or not they had sex. Eric wasn't acting frustrated though, and she still wasn't sure what she wanted, so she kept it idled at under-the-shirt action and grinding. At least they were both getting off regularly that way.

After making herself some eggs and toast for breakfast, Sookie showered and got ready for work. Work itself had been interesting. Most people wanted to sit in her section, much to the annoyance of the other waitresses, but that was dying off a bit. Everyone had heard the story of her being a hero, and they had quickly moved on to the story about her being "The Vampire's Mystery Girl," after the pictures of her and Eric hit the papers.

"How's it going Sookie?" Sam asked as Sookie cleaned her tables after the lunch rush.

"Good. I finished the article last night," she said with a smile.

"That's great! Do you have a buyer yet?"

"We haven't started looking, but I think we can now."

"How's Eric doing?" he asked, then cringed, like he hadn't meant to say it, and didn't really want to know the answer.

"He's just fine. You know, I appreciate you asking about him, but you don't have to, Sam. I know it's kind of awkward for you-"

"No it's not," he interrupted. "I just want you to know I care about you as a friend, and I know that he's a part of your life now."

"I know, but still…" she began, but stopped herself. "Thanks, Sam."

He smiled and nodded at her, then left her alone to finish her side work. Amelia came in at the shift change, and Sookie took the opportunity pull her into the storage room so she could talk to her.

"What's up?" Amelia asked.

"I'm kind of having a problem, and I need a girl to talk to it about, and since you're my only close friend who really understands, that makes you the lucky one."

Amelia laughed. "Is it something we can talk about here? Or would you like me to come over tomorrow for lunch?"

"Lunch would be great. You working tomorrow night?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll make us lunch and bring it to you so you don't have to drive out to my house. I'm heading to Fangtasia tomorrow night to meet with Eric and Pam about finding buyers."

"Is that what this problem is about?" Amelia asked.

"Kind of," Sookie said. "It's not a huge deal though. I just wanted to get some perspective."

"Perspective I can offer, and I'd be happy to."

"Great," Sookie said, and gave her friend a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Eric couldn't come over that night, so he called her before he had to go out on display. Sookie loved talking to him on the phone. It was always easy, and there was never an awkward moment of silence.

"Are you still coming down tomorrow?" he asked her.

"Yes, and I just e-mailed a copy of the article to you and Pam. I looked over it after work and I still like it, so have at it."

"We'll both read it tonight, and I'm sure it's fantastic. I thought I should tell you that Pam and I have a list of potential buyers ready."

"You do?"

"Yes. They're all publications that have attempted to interview me more than three times each. There are ten on the list, and they're all well-known."

"That's great, I can't wait to get this off the ground. I feel like we've been working on it for a year."

"Does that mean you feel you've known me for a year?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, no. But for a while there I wasn't sure who the real you was. I know that now."

Eric was silent for a moment, and just when Sookie heard him take in a breath to answer, she heard Pam in the background telling him he was late.

"I'm sorry, I have to get out there," Eric told Sookie. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Okay," Sookie managed to get out as he hung up on her. She tried to teach him about saying goodbye before hanging up, but he didn't always remember. He hadn't seen the point when she first mentioned it.

With a sigh, she got up and went to the kitchen to get a bowl of ice cream. She'd been thinking about her feelings for Eric a lot. She definitely liked him, and she was positive that it wasn't only because she couldn't read his mind.

It may have started that way, but as he began to show her his non-"vampire" side, she discovered that he was the kind of man she liked. They had the same taste in movies, except for kung-fu, which he loved and she loathed. She found out from his iPod that he loved classical music just as much as he loved classic rock, and from the look of disgust on his face when she played country music she learned that he hated it.

She liked the differences in their tastes. It made her think of how Gran would play music her grandfather loved well after he died, even though she hated it, just to remember him.

She wasn't in love with Eric, not yet at least. They didn't know each other well enough for it to be love, but she was okay with that. She wasn't sure she was ready for the kind of love she read about in her romance novels. That all-consuming, head-over-heels, can't-live-without-him, kind of love. She wanted it, but she wasn't ready for it. Sookie was close to having the kind of career and opportunities she'd always dreamed of, and she wanted to be her own person before becoming dependant on someone else.

She ate her ice cream while watching an old movie on TCM, then went to bed.

The next morning she cleaned until it was time to make lunch. She made sandwiches, grabbed leftover potato salad, filled a travel container up with sweet tea, and then headed over to Amelia's house.

"So what's up?" Amelia asked as they ate.

"I'm a bit worried about finding a buyer."

"You think no one will bite? That's crazy, everyone wants a piece of him."

"That's why I'm worried. It was bad enough for me with the hero thing, and then the picture of me and him, but when this explodes? It's going to be crazy."

"Are you thinking of using a pseudonym?" she asked.

"I don't know. I might ask Eric about that."

Amelia smiled at her.

"What?"

"You're going to ask Eric," she said, still smiling, and at the confused look on Sookie's face, she explained. "You're going to ask your boyfriend's advice about something that effects you. It's a couple-y thing to do."

"Oh," Sookie said. "Wow."

"A bit mind-blowing, right? It was like that with Tray and I. One day I was smitten, but unsure, and the next I was in love and knew he was it for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're in love or anything, just that the changes kind of sneak up on you."

"They do. I only just recently accepted that I like him for more than just having a silent mind."

"You might want to tell him that," Amelia said.

"Why?"

"Because it's something he should know, or at the very least something he would probably like to know. "

"Maybe I'll bring it up tonight," Sookie said with a smile. "I'm not sure how much alone time we'll have though."

"Make sure you get some," Amelia said, wiggling her eyebrows. Sookie's jaw dropped and Amelia laughed. "Oh you know I didn't mean it that way."

That evening, as Sookie was driving to Fangtasia, she realized that she was smiling for no reason. Her thoughts were of mundane things, but she was still smiling and feeling happier than she ever had before.

Pam met her at the back door like she always did, and they went to Eric's office together. Eric greeted her with a kiss, and pulled her down to sit next to him on the couch, while Pam rolled her eyes and pulled over a chair to sit in front of them.

"Okay, Eric and I have both read the article, and we both approve. Here is the list of potential buyers that I will be calling and leaving messages with tonight," Pam said, handing Sookie a piece of paper. "I'm sure we'll have heard back from all of them by lunch tomorrow."

"Wow … These are some popular publications," Sookie said as she read the list of ten names. Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Time, Playboy, GQ, People, Entertainment Weekly, Details, FHM, and Esquire.

"And they all want it, so we will have control," Eric said, wrapping his arm around Sookie's shoulders.

"Are you two sure there was nothing you wanted to change?" Sookie asked looking back and forth between them.

"Nothing," Eric said. "You are very talented, and the article was brilliant. The only thing I could possibly think of is splitting it up into parts so that it becomes a series, but that would depend on the publication we chose."

"So this meeting was a bit pointless then?" Sookie asked, smiling knowingly at Eric.

"Not at all, it just took much less time than planned," he smiled back. "Pamela, why don't you go check inventory or something?"

Pam let out a loud sigh and took the list back from Sookie. "Fine, but I'm coming to get you on time, and I don't really care what I walk in on."

"See ya later, Pam," Sookie said, still looking up at Eric.

As soon as the door closed Eric's lips were on Sookie's, and he maneuvered their bodies so that she was under him.

"What a clever way to get to see me," Sookie giggled as she hitched her leg up over his hip.

"Thank you," he said, and kissed her again.

"We need to talk before we get too into this though," she said, and he held himself above her.

"About what?"

"I'm a little nervous about this article, about my name being out there. I was considering using a pseudonym, and I wanted your opinion on it."

"If you would feel more comfortable using one, then you should. You're in this for the opportunity, not the fame."

Sookie smiled up and him, then pulled his head down for a kiss.

"Was that all we needed to talk about, or can I keep going?" he asked.

"One more thing," she said. "I realized something recently, and I think you should know."

Eric stayed silent so that she could continue.

"I once told you that I wasn't sure if I liked you for you, or only because your mind was silent. I said I needed time to figure it out, and I have. You are the kind of guy I like, and I like you for more than your silent mind. I like that you remembered what kind of Chinese foods I liked after having it with me only once. I like that you hold doors open for me, and respect my need to take things slow. I like that it's easy to talk to you on the phone, and that I get butterflies just from seeing you. I like that I will sit through a kung fu movie just to see the expressions you make. I just like you. Not 'The Vampire' Eric Northman, but the abnormal, normal guy Eric Northman. The one who's lying on top of me right now."

"So what you're really saying is," he said, and paused to kiss her on the lips before continuing, "that you like me. You really, really like me."

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yes, I really, really like you. Now kiss me. We've only got a half hour before Pam comes barging in."

"As you wish," he said, and fulfilled her request.