Chapter 9

Promises

This if for Marilyn. She just sent me a review saying that she needed more. Here you go. I hope that y'all enjoy. And be sure to thank Ms. Marilyn81459. This will be the last chapter until Monday evening. So, enjoy everyone and be sure to tell me what you think.

As you've probably guessed, I lied to Pam. I wasn't sleepy and I didn't go home. I couldn't have gone to sleep or home if I'd wanted to. That wasn't even an option. I had to go and see Eric. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know if he was really going to be leaving for Sweden. I needed to hear him say that he was leaving me for an entire summer for another country.

When I reached Eric's house, I smiled when I saw the little man sitting in the guard house. He pressed the button to the gate and came out to see who was in the cab. I waved at him as he approached the car. With squinted eyes, he saw me. His face naturally lit up. It always lit up when he saw me. He told me that I was his ray of sunlight when I came to the Northman mansion.

Leaning into the window, he said, "Good evening, Miss. Stackhouse. It's always good to see you. I see you didn't bring me any of your Gran's famous apple walnut cake with you." He opened the door for me and helped me from the cab. He paid the cabbie and showed him which way to go in order to leave the driveway without driving towards the house.

As he walked over to me, I said, "She hasn't baked any cakes in quite a while but when she does, I will be sure to bring you at least three ..."

His face fell.

"Was I about to say three slices? What in the world was I thinking? I meant to say I'll ask her to bake you one of your very own. How's that sound?" I asked him. "I know how much you like that glaze she puts on it. I'll even ask for extra." I winked at him to let him know that I meant every word I'd just said to him.

Mr. Reynolds face was as bright as I've ever seen it. "That's more like it and you may as well put that money back in your lady bag," he said as I offered him the fifteen dollars for the cab. "I am not taking your money. You know me better than that."

He reminds me so much of my gran'pa; sweet, kind, and was always willing to help anyone. He is the grandfather of a guy that I went to school with; Lafayette Reynolds. He raised Lafayette and it's easy to see where Lafayette gets his good graces.

I shook my head no. "I can't do that, Mr. Reynolds. My gran would not like it if I took your money like that."

"What's a little cab fare between friends? Now you put that money away. You know I ain't taking your money." I continued to hold the money in my hand as we walked along.

While walking towards the house, he said, "I'm glad you're here tonight. Mr. Eric has been having a bad night. That poor boy is troubled and it don't seem like it's going to get any easier for him. He's in a bad way and I feel just awful for him. He's a good boy. He deserves a better father than the one that he has." He took off his hat and scratched his old head.

That was shocking. I've never heard Jerry say anything bad about Mr. Northman. He's always been so polite.

"What's going on, Jerry? Does it have anything to do with Victor?"

Jerry looked at me and sneered. "So you've met the extremely unlikable and very underhanded Victor Madden." As we walked along the bricked driveway, Jerry looked in the direction of the house. "Be wary of him, Miss. Stackhouse. That's a sly one, he is. I don't trust him no further than I can throw him and with this arthritis in my elbow, I can't throw him at all." He paused for a minute and said, "As I eluded earlier, I don't trust the elder Northman either. Always lurking and watching. Plottin' and plannin'." Just as Gran'pa would do, he pointed in my face as if he was scolding me. He said, "No good in 'em. That boy of yours, he's a lucky one. He takes after his mama."

I nodded quickly as Jerry's information took root. Jerry's attitude surprised me because he likes everyone. He always says that there's good in all men. We just have to look for it. Obviously, there's no good in Victor if Jerry couldn't find it. But I have to say that I wholly agree with him on that.

I thought of how he looked at me when I'd first met him. I thought of how his dead and deceitful eyes roamed over my body. When Victor touched me tonight and offered to be there for me if I ever needed him, it more than disgusted me. I'm glad that I left his business card on the bar.

But not Mr. Northman; he can't be right about him. He's always been a decent man ... to me anyway. I know that he's a hardnosed man when it comes to his business dealings but he's only ever been kind to me. But how can I trust him? He doesn't even treat his own son with love and kindness and I'm nothing to him. I will listen to him about Victor and Mr. Northman. If Victor is his right hand man, there has to be something to what Jerry has said. I'll keep my eye on them both … just to be careful.

"He scares me, Jerry. Victor does. I always try to see good in everyone but I can't find it in him."

When we reached the front porch, Jerry patted my hand. "Because it's not there. He's a bad seed. Be careful of him, Sookie." He looked around and said, "Be careful of both of 'em."

Jerry and I stopped by the front porch. I looked up at him and asked, "Jerry, will it be okay if I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said as he frowned. "What's on your mind?"

"Eric's dad," I said. "Do you know what's going on? Victor said that Eric is leaving soon and I wasn't too sure that I should believe him. Have you heard anything?"

A sad look appeared on Jerry's face. He scratched at his balding head and said, "I don't know, Sookie. I try not to be around when he and Mr. Eric are talking. Their conversations never end well but if I knew, I'd surely tell you but I'm sorry. I just don't know," he repeated.

"I know," I said as I kissed Jerry's old cheek. I took that opportunity to slip the fifteen dollars into his pocket before stepping onto the porch.

He sniggered and shook his head at me as he walked away. "Night, Sookie," he said.

"Goodnight, Jerry."

When I reached the big oak doors of the house, I was about to knock but I could hear Eric and his father arguing. It was not an 'I didn't mean to go over my minutes' argument either. Eric called his father a 'selfish son of a bitch' and a 'sneaky conniving bastard'. Appius, Eric's father, told his son that he was in control until … I didn't hear the rest because I walked down the stairs of the porch and looked at the house. I looked after Mr. Reynolds but he didn't bother to look back. Right then, I knew that he could hear the commotion as well and was trying to get away from it as fast as he could.

I turned back to look at the door and stared. Eric and his father were never what I'd call close but they did get along … or so I believed. They've argued with each other before but it's never been as intense as it is right now. I wondered if it had something to do with Eric's pending time in Sweden. I didn't want to stay here and eavesdrop but I also didn't want to leave him to go through this alone. I have to be here for him. If Appius has been giving Eric problems, Eric may need me. I can't leave him here to go through this alone. I love him too much to do that.

Without hesitation, I went back to the porch and rang the loudest doorbell I'd ever heard.

After a few minutes, Appius opened the front door. His look totally differed from Jerry's. He didn't look as if he was happy to see me at all. He looked at me as if I was the filthiest person … no scratch that; the filthiest thing he'd ever had the displeasure of seeing.

I ignored the look of contempt on his face and kept my head held high. I gave him a big, old southern smile and offered him a hearty handshake that the elder Stackhouses would have been proud of. "How are you tonight, Mr. Northman?" I asked; my smile and my manners never wavering.

From look on his handsome yet ugly face, my southern charms had no effect on him whatsoever. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked at my hand. André and Clancy looked at me in the same way. And for the first time ever, Appius looked down at me just as they did. "You're here to see my son, I suppose."

"If you don't mind," I said; still smiling though my feelings were hurt.

From the look on his face, he wasn't going to invite me inside. "This isn't a good time for a visit, Sookie. I"m sorry but you need to come back later. We're having a discussion right now."

"That's okay. You two can have your discussion. I can wait on the porch for him if you'll let him know that I'm here … if you don't mind." I continued to smile at him; refusing to let him get me down. "I'll sit on the chair over here," I said as I pointed at it.

"You will not sit on the porch," Eric said as he stood behind his father. "This is my home." He stepped in front of his father and took my hand. "Come in, my lover." He offered me his hand and welcomed me inside. He leaned down and kissed me as he gently cupped my face. "You're always welcomed here."

"Thank you," I said.

Appius watched me as I walked past him; as I was holding onto his son's hand. His father was very nasty and not in a very welcoming mood. He's never treated me like this. What in the world has happened to make him change towards me?

"We will be in the den," Eric said. He didn't wait for a reply from his father as he pulled me down the long hallway behind him.

As we walked away, I turned to look at Eric's father. He didn't try to hide the look of disgust that he had on his face. He'd never looked at me like that. He used to be so nice to me. From the look of it, he was trying to intimidate me by staring me down. Gran always told me to never turn away from an enemy. She said that they'll stab you in the back every time. She said that I should give as good as I get and I did just that. I slyly waved at him as Eric and I walked away.

As he watched me, Appius said, "You will do this, Eric. There will be no other choices. You have an obligation to your family and you will follow through. You haven't any other choices. It is settled and planned. Do you hear me speaking to you?" His father waited for an answer. He never got one.

I could feel Eric's body tense as we walked to the den. The grip that he had on my hand tightened. "Eric," I said as I patted his arm. "My hand; you're squeezing it too hard."

He looked at me and apologized, "Forgive me." He wrapped me in his arms and said it again, "Please, forgive me."

I looked at him strangely and thought to myself, it was only a tight grip. It's not like he broke my hand or anything. "It's okay, baby. You didn't break it."

When we went into the den, we sat on the couch. Eric leaned forward with his elbows resting on his legs. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed heavily. He didn't speak. His breaths were silent but his anger was evident.

After he'd done all of the thinking he could do, he rested his chin in his hand and turned to look at me. In all of the years that I've known him, I've never seen him look as he looked in that moment. I didn't like it. He looked older than his eighteen years. In such a short amount of time, Eric's father had taken the happiness that was once in Eric's eyes. It was as if our weekend never happened.

Stroking his back, I asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I love you, Sookie. You know that." His face softened as he said that to me. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life."

Why was he making sure that I know how he feels about me? He knows that I know how he feels about me. I've always known. What happened here tonight? His dad had really worked him over.

Nodding, I said, "Yeah; how could I not know?" I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Does this have to do with you going to Sweden?"

He gave me a glaring look; anger once again flared into his eyes.

I waved my hand and said, "Victor came to the club to tell me. I don't know how he knew I was there. I can only assume that he had me followed. Anyway, he couldn't wait to tell me. I told him that I already knew and I understood your obligations to your family." I giggled. "You should have seen the look on his ugly mug. I thought that he was going to throw up."

Eric's posture improved when I said that. He even smiled a little bit.

I kicked off my shoes and sat Indian style on the couch. "We'll be fine, Eric. It doesn't matter if you have to go to Sweden or Timbuktu. It's just for the summer, right? You'll be back before we know it and we'll be going off to school and everything will be fine."

A hint of a smile almost appeared on his face.

I bumped him with my shoulder and said, "And when you get back, we'll find an apartment off campus and we'll live together. And that way, we can have all the sex that we want to have." I waggled my eyebrows at him. "Don't worry, baby. I'll wait for you." It was killing me inside to know that he was leaving but I couldn't let him know it. I had to be strong for both of us.

Eric's eyes studied my face for a long minute. He motioned for me to sit on his lap so I did. I sat on his lap and made sure that I was facing him and I made sure that my legs were around his waist. "I would never do anything to hurt you. No matter what happens and what I have to do, you will always come first. I will sacrifice my own happiness for you. What's best for you, it will always come first." He placed his hand on either side of my face and said, "You have to understand that there may be times when decisions have to be made and once they've been carried out, you can't go back." His eyes began to fill with tears as he continued to stare at me. "I will never love as I love you."

What was going on with the theatrics tonight? It'll only be for the summer. Those three months will go by in no time. That's what I have to tell myself so that I won't miss him too much. My heart was breaking as his blue eyes clouded over. With my thumb, I wiped the tear away. I only smiled because I knew if I spoke, I wouldn't be able to stop the tears.

"Promise me that you'll never doubt my love for you."

I caressed his face and kissed him. "I promise," I whispered.

Eric placed his hand on the back of my head and gave me the most passionate kiss I've ever had in my life. Well, his kisses are the only ones I've ever known in my life but still. "Stay the night with me," he said when he broke the kiss. "Call your grandparents and tell them that you're going to stay the night with me. Don't say that you're staying with Pam or Amelia. Let them know that you are staying with me because you love me." He kissed me lightly and said, "Please."

I looked at him surprised. "I can't tell them that," I whispered. I looked behind me as if Gran was about to walk into the room. "She'd kill me before she died of a heart attack. And then Gran'pa would kill me again for giving Gran a heart attack."

"Please," he said as he kissed my neck and pulled me closer to him. It felt so good to have his warm lips tasting my flesh.

"Eric," I moaned, "I can't do that." I wrapped my arms around his neck as he continued to kiss mine.

"Please," he said again as he worked his hands under my top and unsnapped my bra; all the while kissing me. Skillfully, he removed my bra and placed it on the couch beside him. His fingers began to tweak my nipples gently.

"What will your father say?" I asked as I thrust my breasts forward and threw my head back.

"Please," he said again as he pulled my shirt up over my head. It landed on the floor as he flicked his tongue over my nipples. He placed his lips around nipples and kissed them; teasing them one at a time. "Will you stay the night with me?" he asked as he looked up at me. The tip of his tongue flicked back and forth over my nipples.

"Where's my cell phone?" I asked him. If I'd bothered, I'd have noticed that it was in my pocket.

Still holding onto me, Eric stood and took his cell from his pocket and handed it to me. I called Gran. "Hey, Gran," I said. "It's me."

She answered and she was happy to hear from me. I could almost see the smile on her most beautiful face. "Well, look what the cat drug up. Mitchell, Sook's on the phone. I hope ya had fun. Your Gran'pa's being dying to see ya. When are ya coming home? Pam said that you were staying the night with her. If you come home, I cooked dinner. I made fried chicken and mashed taters for you. And guess what we have for dessert? Apple walnut cake; it's your favorite."

I squeezed my eyes closed in shame. My gran had gone through all the trouble of cooking my favorite meal and I'm going to stand her up so that I can have sex with my boyfriend.

Eric started to kiss my face and my neck. "Gran, will it be okay if I stay out tonight? I promise that I'll be home tomorrow." Eric looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes and I started to cry.

It hit me like a locomotive. I suddenly realized that he wouldn't look at me like that for a long time. He wouldn't be around to make me feel as only he does. I was going to be without him. I was no longer crying. I was sobbing.

"Oh, Gran, Eric's father is sending him away and I think that it's because of me! He believes that I'm not good enough for him. I don't want him to go, Gran! I just can't bear to lose him!" Tears fell from my eyes in a steady flow. "What am I going to do, Gran? I love him." My arms went around Eric as I cried. His touch kept me safe and her voice soothed me.

Gran became irate. "What do you mean he's sending him away because you're not good enough? What in the heck is wrong with you? Is it because we don't have money? You're just as good as anyone else if not better. You're a Stackhouse, dang it. You ain't beneath no one." Gran hollered for Gran'pa. "Mitchell, you'll never guess what's done happened?"

Gran began telling Gran'pa what I'd told her. He was just as angry as she was. "I'll go to his house and beat the living shit out of that man for insulting my girl," he said. "She's the best thing to have ever happened to that boy and he knows it. He can't insult the young lady that we raised. She's going to make that boy a great wife one day. Why'd you go and tell me that, Del? I ought to go over there and kick his ass but good." He was still fussing when Gran started talking.

"If you do, I'm going with you. I'll grab the shoot gun and you get the shells." She got back on the phone and said, "Baby, I can't tell you what to do. You're an adult now. You've always been a good girl and I trust you. I won't tell your Gran'pa. It'll be between me and you. I'll see you in the morning, baby girl. Please be safe and we love you. Tell Eric, that we love him and y'all be safe. No matter what, he's always got a home here." As she hung up the phone, I could hear my Gran'pa as he continued to fuss.

I looked at Eric and rested my forehead against his. "I tried to be strong but I can't do it. This isn't supposed to happen. This isn't how we planned it. I'm gonna miss you so much." We've been best friends since kindergarten and a couple since the middle of junior year in high school. The longest time we've been apart was when he had to go out of town with his family.

I looked at him and said, "How am I going to go an entire summer without you?" I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I continued to look into his eyes. He is everything to me. He was my first love, my first boyfriend …he was my first everything. "You're all I know. All of my firsts have been with you."

"And mine with you," he said. "It's always been you, Sookie."

At first I didn't realize what he'd said and I heard it again in my mind. With my eyes wide with surprise, I said, "Really? You're not just saying that because you're leaving?"

He shook his head no. "You're all I know. You're all I've ever wanted to know."

I kissed him so hard that I could taste our blood in my mouth. I didn't care. We were so lost in the moment that I pulled Eric's shirt up over his head. After I'd thrown it somewhere, Eric held onto me as he started to remove his pants. As I dangled from his neck, he struggled to remove his pants but with fight and determination, he was able to get them off. When he lifted my skirt and removed my panties, he fell back onto the couch with me straddling him. Without hesitation, I reached between us and guided him inside of me. I slid onto his hardness as he cupped my breasts. He kissed and fondled each one.

When he was fully inside of me, I moved slowly as I stared into his eyes. I just sat there and looked at him. Everything that I would ever need was right here. I knew at that very second that I was going to marry him. We are going to have a family and raise it together. We are going to grow old together. We are going to have a house full of grandchildren running through the front yard while we relax on the porch. I knew that we would live out our lives together forever.

He began to kiss me as I started to cry once again. The softness of his kisses didn't stop the breaking of my heart. The feel of us making love didn't ease the dying of my soul. As if he knew what I was thinking, tears began to form in his eyes as well.

"I love you, Sookie," he said as he continued to kiss me. "But I hate what you've done to me."

"I know, baby," I said as I returned his kisses. "Me too."

We began to move in rhythm as we looked into each other's eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck as our speed began to pick up. His hand gripped my ass as I moved slowly over him; rolling my hips. We belong together. It's supposed to be me and Eric. That's the way it's supposed to be.

As he moved me up and down on him, I moaned in his ear, "We fit. We fit perfectly." As I gripped his face and moved back and forth on his hardness, I said, "We were made for each other."

"Sookie," he moaned in my ear. I wrapped my arms around him as he went deeper inside of me. I could feel my orgasm building to no end and my eyes began to roll into the back of my head. He began to move faster as we made love. I cried out as he clenched my ass and pulled me down to meet each of his thrusts. I began to roll my hips as my muscles began to tighten around him. His moans and his touch were more than I could take. The louder he moaned, the more I rocked.

He placed his hands on my shoulders as he forced himself deeper inside of me. Before I knew it, I was lying on my back and he was on top of me. His thrusts were soon deeper, harder, and faster. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Cum with me, Sookie."

He didn't have to tell me. I couldn't hold it any longer. I screamed with desire as he continued to groan as we came together. We were completely lost in each other. Sweden didn't matter. His father didn't matter. Victor and his cronies didn't matter. We were all that mattered. Our love filled the room. Once the wave of ecstasy had washed over us, we held onto each other as if we were being washed away in a storm and we were each other's only chance of survival.

I stayed latched onto Eric after we were satiated and he held onto me just as tightly as before. "I'll wait for you," I said as I rested my head onto his shoulder. "No matter how long it takes; I will wait for you. I'll wait for you forever if I have to."

He stroked my head but said nothing. We relaxed in our bliss and for just a little while, everything was okay. Eric finally spoke. "No matter what happens, I love you."

"I know," I said.

He rested his forehead against mine. It was official. My heart will be dead until he returns home.

After a few minutes, Eric said, "I'll be right back." Eric removed me from his lap before he walked to the door of the den. Every light in the house was turned off and there was complete silence. Eric motioned for me to come to him as he peeked around the corner of the door. I quickly snatched up our clothes and ran to him. He grabbed my hand and off we went running down the hall and up the winding staircase … butt ass naked. I was nervous and excited at the same time. Just to be with him made me forget all of my inhibitions. He's good for me. He's so good for me and I'm about to lose him.

After the long trek to his room, we finally made it. We laughed like two kids as we leaned against the door after Eric closed it.

He went to his bathroom and I ran and jumped on his bed. When he returned, he said that he'd prepared us a bath and off we went. I got in the tub first and Eric slid in behind me. When he was settled into place, I leaned against his chest. With his arms wrapped around my waist and his head leaned against mine, he relaxed. I could tell that he was still thinking about Sweden and his dad and I didn't like it. I wanted to give him something different to think over. Though it seemed so far away, I wanted to take him back to our weekend.

I started to laugh. "Do you remember the first time you asked me to marry you?"

Eric slid further down in the tub and carried me with him. "We were in the third grade. I bought you a blue raspberry ring pop." He kissed my shoulder and said, "You were on the swings with Pam. Both of you were trying to see who could swing the highest."

"Yep and I won. That was the first and only time I'd ever beat her at anything. She was mad at me. She pushed me down and told me that I cheated. And here you come, my knight in shining armor. You pushed her in the mud puddle. She was so mad when we laughed at her."

He began to laugh too. "In her snotty accent, she said, 'Crikey, Eric. My auntie's going to kill me when I get home. You've muddied up my best dress, you bloody tosser!'"

I glanced at him over my shoulder and said, "You sounded just like her. Do you remember how I ran and told the teacher that she cussed you out? She didn't speak to us for about three hours." I was laughing so hard, I started to cry.

"At the end of the day when we were waiting for the bus, I gave you your blue raspberry ring pop ring. She asked where her ring was. I told her that I didn't get her one because I didn't want to marry her. She was pissed!" Eric was laughing just as hard as I was now. "She snatched your ring from you and before we knew it, she bit right into and it cracked into a bunch of pieces."

Eric and I reminisced for the longest time. We both were thinking it but neither of us wanted to say it. Memories were all we were going to have for a while. Memories would have to be enough but I knew in my heart that they never would be. After bathing, Eric and I got ready for bed. He gave me his football jersey to sleep in. After I'd dressed, I watched him walk around the room. He was naked and talking a mile a minute. I'd never been happier.

"What time is it?" I asked

He looked at his cell and said, "One."

He picked up where he left off. He was talking about the first year we went trick 'r treating and he and Pam called me Charlie Brown. I tripped and dropped my candy all over the ground. They helped me get my candies off of the ground. Well, when we got back to my house, I had rocks; tons of rocks mixed in with my candy. While Eric was talking about that night, he was being animated and laughing. He was putting on his deodorant and smiling at me through the mirror.

I smiled as I imagined us in this same scenario twenty years down the road. He would be a little older and I would have stretch marks because we would have at least four kids running around the house. Maybe five if we're lucky. They'll all look just like him. They'd have his smile and his beautiful blue eyes. They'll share our determination and will power. They'll have my wonderful sense of humor and my great sense of style. We would be just as in love then as we are now. Our love will never change.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked as he slid in behind me.

"Because of you," I said. "It's always because of you."

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my face. "I love you."

"Good night, baby. I love you too." I settled into him and closed my eyes. I instantly opened them and remembered that there was something else that I needed to know. "When are you leaving?"

He held me tighter and said, "In a week."

I turned around and looked at him.

The most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen were glistening with tears.

I wanted to scream and yell no but I didn't.

I buried my face into his neck and cried.