Unspoken Feelings
A/N: Super early tonight, and probably will be for the next month. My work hours are all over the place, and I'd rather not make you all wait or rush myself at 3AM trying to get the post up before work! I'm sure none of you mind getting a new chapter a few hours earlier than usual! Please enjoy!
-Andi
Chapter Ten: Spring Break
Come on, Sookie, she encouraged herself, just say 'ah!' As had become her morning routine for the past three months, Sookie stared at herself in the mirror, urging her throat to cooperate. Her vocal chords still refused to do her bidding, but Sookie had noticed that more and more involuntary sounds would happen since her exercises began. Pam had even managed to make her laugh on several occasions!
Where Pam could make her laugh, Sookie had also discovered Eric was quite adept at making her moan. Though their physical relationship was still kept relatively chaste, the occasional surge of hormones regularly amounted to the necessity for Eric to change his clothes after more than a few encounters. Even though Eric felt as though his pride was struck, the self-induced celibacy was worth it to him in proving a point he wanted to make.
Sookie wasn't quite sure what his point was anymore. He had more than proven to her that they were together for more than just physical reasons. His continued look toward the future gave her more and more hope that they had one together. The way that he never viewed her inability to speak as a hurdle only made her lo-
Sookie stopped that thought right there. She couldn't focus on thinking about that. Not until she could say it. Just once. God, if it's the only sentence I ever say… Please let me have that one sentence, and you can take away every syllable you have promised to me from here until the day I die!
One more time, Sookie squared off to her mirror and concentrated. She felt the pressure build in her throat, the burst of air just waiting to rattle the cobwebs on her vocal chords and produce a sound. I. I. I. I. I… Her mouth opened and… Nothing. Still nothing.
Disheartened yet again, Sookie turned once more from the mirror and grabbed her suitcase. Jason was probably already waiting downstairs for her, and she didn't want to delay their departure.
The Northmans had invited them on a trip to Six Flags in Texas. It was a long drive, but they managed to rent a pair of rooms so they wouldn't need to try driving home after a full day of roller coasters. Gran had even loaned them her Station Wagon since no one else's car could seat five people.
Since it was their Spring Break, they chose to go on a weekday rather than the weekend and hoped that every other student hadn't come up with the same idea.
"Ready?" Jason asked as he took his sister's duffle bag from her and carried it out to the car. It had already been decided that Godric and Jason would be the alternating drivers. Pam had gotten stuck sitting behind the driver's seat, Eric would sit in the center of the backseat since it had the most leg room, and Sookie would sit on the other side of him.
Jason threw the bags in the back of the wagon, and Sookie climbed into the backseat so she wouldn't have to shuffle two minutes later. "You don't gotta pee or anything, right?" Sookie gave her brother a sour look that plainly stated, 'Do I look five to you?' Her brother laughed and got behind the wheel.
"One bag, Pam," Sookie could already hear Eric telling his sister in an exasperated voice as they pulled into the driveway. "One bag or we're going without you." His sister let out a suffering sigh before she shuffled a few things around between three large duffles and finally had a reasonable combination of all three inside a single one. "She's going to be the death of us all on this trip, trust me," Eric warned as he threw his own bag in the back and then Pam's.
"Hey, asshole! Do you know how much my make-up costs!? Don't throw that shit around like that!" Pam harped at her brother, but he was already crawling into the backseat.
Eric immediately pushed the armrest of the front seat down and snaked his legs across it until they were at full length.
"You best be planning to keep your shoes on," Jason grumbled.
"I will, I will," Eric sighed. "Am I going to be nagged at this entire trip?" he asked of Sookie.
"Not by me," she assured.
"Well, if you weren't freakishly tall, none of this would be a problem would it?" Jason pointed out.
"Jealous?" Eric taunted.
"Of you?" Jason craned his head to look at his sister's boyfriend. "You're dating my sister. I ain't jealous of a thing."
"And here I thought you were a real redneck," Eric shook his head in disappointment.
Jason snorted with a laugh, "Y'know, not all our family trees look like Christmas wreaths. You wanna see that shit you gotta go to Hotshot."
"What's Hotshot?" Pam asked as she settled into her own seat.
"It's a little shit town, even smaller than Bon Temps. It's full of brother and sister cousins," Jason told her as Godric threw his own bag in the car and climbed into the passenger's seat. "You ready to go?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Godric replied as he fastened his seatbelt. "Everyone buckled?"
"Yes, Mom," Eric called.
"And off we go!" Godric declared as Jason pulled out of the driveway.
"It's too bad we couldn't invite Bill. I feel bad he's got nowhere to go for Spring Break," Jason muttered as he pulled onto the road, glancing back toward his house and the Compton place.
"If he wasn't so abusive toward your sister, maybe he could have started with a better reputation with us," Pam pointed out.
"Yeah, but he hasn't bothered her in months," Jason interjected.
"Probably because I smashed his face into a locker," Eric reminded.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Jason frowned. "Sorry, Sook. I forgot about that whole deal back at the beginning of school."
Sookie's hands began to flow quickly through the air, and Eric answered, "'That's okay. It let me meet my best friend.'"
Pam leaned forward to smile at Sookie and give her a wink. Ever since she had come out to her best friend, things had definitely improved between all of them. Pam didn't feel as angry or depressed about her brother and best friend being together, and she also found more time to devote to watching out for Hadley. With Sookie spending so much time with Eric, Pam had ended up reaching out to the Stackhouses' cousin. Since Hadley's one year of sobriety was fast approaching, Pam thought she could use a little acknowledgment for the feat. She tried not to smother the girl, as Hadley expressed that too much praise made her feel stressed out about failing.
Two and a half hours into the six-hour drive, the first of the passengers to lose steam on the trip was Sookie. She'd held out valiantly for an extra half hour before she prodded at her boyfriend and admitted that she needed to pee. When everyone filed into the bathrooms, she felt better knowing everyone was in need of some relief.
"Alright," Godric announced, "ten minutes to stretch your legs while we top off the tank. Jason, do you want to switch drivers? We're almost to the halfway marker."
"I dunno," Jason mumbled, "I want it to be even."
"You can drive an extra half hour on the way back," Godric placated. "It seems silly to stop in another half an hour just to switch drivers."
"Alright, alright," Jason sighed. "Thanks."
"No problem," Godric assured as Jason moved around the car to put in some fuel.
"Say, can I ask you something?" Jason asked as he turned on the pump.
"Go for it," Godric crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for the question.
"Eric mentioned the whole stipend thing when we went hunting together last November, but how is it you can afford to take all of us on this trip? Is your allowance that big?" Jason asked.
Godric laughed, "It's substantial, but Eric is actually the one paying for all of it."
"I'm confused," Jason confessed.
Godric paused, "As you know, we don't get our true inheritance until all three of us have a bachelor's degree in some field. That was part of our mother's will. We were given a small amount to fix up the house and pay bills with some incidentals money, but it is very tightly managed by Eric. He's quite astute about how that stipend is used."
"So, the bulk of your allowance is just enough to put food on the table and pay the bills?" Jason finally understood.
"Yes, anything else we use has to be earned the good old fashioned way until all three of us are done with college. Thankfully, our mom took that into account, and we have separate accounts for our college tuition," Godric explained. "There's a lawyer back in New York who deals with special or extenuating circumstances, but otherwise, it's just our stipend and nothing else."
"Thanks for explaining it. I know it's none of my business, but with the way things between Eric and Sookie are going… I'm just curious if he's loose with his money," Jason explained nervously. He knew he was prying, but he had to know if Eric was responsible with his money.
"Well, Eric's generous to Pam and I from time to time. He was the only one of us that took any sort of job while we moved around, and then he went and asked our mother if she'd help him invest it into the stock market," Godric recalled. "He's always been interesting when it came to money. Although, he really wanted a Corvette, but I talked him out of it."
"Wow, I wish I was that good with money to afford a Corvette," the younger man confessed. "So, after you guys get your inheritance, what'll happen to your house?" Jason asked.
"Well, we could sell it and split the profit three ways, or one of us could decide to live there and pay off the other two," Godric considered. "I know Pam has little interest in staying. She's a diva and will probably move to New York or Los Angeles once she finishes school."
"What about you?" Jason asked.
"Once Pam finishes high school, I'm planning on transferring to a university with a better psychology department," Godric explained. "Eric will be in New Orleans… So, I suppose it will come down to if either of us wants to keep Rosenfont Hall."
"I know it's none of my business, but I'd love to see that place stay in your family," Jason admitted as the pump clicked that the tank was full. The two men walked into the station to pay for the gas together.
"Why's that?" Godric asked.
"Pump 3," Jason handed over a ten dollar bill. "Because Rosenfont's got a lot of nice things about her. She's the only plantation around here still owned by the original family, you know?"
"I didn't know that," Godric admitted. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"I guess so," Jason agreed as he accepted his change and they all headed back to the car. He let out a shrill whistle that made a few other patrons look up in surprise, "Alright! Everyone back in the car! Let's move!"
Everyone returned to the car, looking less than enthusiastic about another three and a half hours driving in such close quarters. Godric had anticipated this, and to make it easier, they would be arriving at their hotel around check-in time, they'd have all afternoon and evening to nap or play in the pool. Tuesday would be their day at the park, and then they would leave for home on Wednesday morning.
"How much longer is this fucking car ride?" Pam groaned as they sat in traffic.
"At this rate, we'll have another forty-five minutes to go," Jason announced. "Looks like there was an accident. Once we get past it, things should open up again." He glanced back at his sister and saw that her eyes were wide and that she was trying to strain and see what had happened
The Northmans all groaned, but when they passed the sight of the accident, they were relieved to see it was nothing more than a truck that had lost its load. There didn't appear to be any injuries, just a giant mess.
"As annoying as the congestion was," Jason muttered, "at least no one was hurt." He looked back at Sookie again and saw that she was still on edge over the accident. "It's okay, Sook."
Eric flinched when he heard Jason say that and looked at his girlfriend worriedly. He had been so busy trying to see what had happened that he had forgotten that Sookie might have been upset by the situation. Without further hesitation, he took Sookie's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Nothing but a couple busted boxes," he told her merrily. Sookie gave him a strained smile.
Like Jason had anticipated, a couple miles after the accident, the traffic broke from its tight formation, and they were moving swiftly once more down the highway. With a rejuvenated mood, everyone began chattering excitedly as they grew closer and closer to Arlington. Ten minutes sooner than predicted, they pulled into the hotel parking lot, and everyone dragged their bags to the front desk.
"Reservation for Northman," Godric announced pushing his credit card at the clerk.
"Ah," the clerk paused a moment before taking the credit card. It was an awkward, glaring silence as they waited to receive their room keys. "Rooms 402 and 404."
"Thank you," Godric replied politely as he handed Eric and Jason the keys to 402 and then gave the girls keys to 404. "And the elevators are?"
"Just down there and to your left," the clerk replied shortly.
"Thank you," Godric said again as they all filed toward the elevators.
"Was it just me or did that guy not like you one bit?" Jason asked as he pushed the UP button.
"I'm sure they are all wary of minors during Spring Break," Godric announced. "We picked this hotel specifically because it's out of the price range of most students. I doubt they were happy to see I had a group of high schoolers with me."
"Don't worry, it's not like we'll break anything," Jason grumbled as the elevator arrived and they all squeezed in with their baggage.
"Just try to reign in your wolf howls," Eric suggested.
"Whatever," Jason snorted as he leaned his head back and waited for them to stop on the fourth floor.
All five of them were grateful to arrive at their rooms, and the shared door between them was left open as they unpacked and flopped onto their beds. Sookie was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow. She couldn't remember having such a long day, and all they had done so far was drive!
"Are you awake?" she heard in her dreams.
"Mmm," she answered.
"Do you want to stay in bed?"
"Mmm," she smiled.
"Can I join you?"
Sookie's eyes snapped open, and she found Eric staring at her with a look of both amusement and surprise.
"You know," he whispered, "you can sort of talk in your sleep."
"What do you mean?" She asked with her hands.
"I was asking you questions. You say 'Mmm' for 'yes' and 'uhh' for 'no,'" Eric explained.
"Really?" Sookie asked excitedly.
Eric nodded, "So, can I get in bed with you?"
"Will you be good?" Sookie asked.
"I'll be very good if you want me to," He winked playfully, and Sookie rolled her eyes while simultaneously opening the blankets for him. "Everyone went down to the pool, but I wanted to stay with you."
"Suck up," she mouthed.
"Don't mention sucking when we're in bed. You'll make me turn bad on you," Eric teased. Sookie let out an amused huff. "You don't think I would?" Sookie shook her head. "Do you want me to prove you wrong?" he asked, and the tenor of his voice changed so suddenly that Sookie stared in surprise. "I don't know if I can make it as long as I said I wanted to unless you tell me to hold back, Sookie."
"What does that mean?" Sookie asked.
"It means," Eric leaned in closer to her, "I really want to touch you. It doesn't mean sex. I'd rather wait at least until May for that. I'd rather you were seventeen and legal. But for now, I just want to put my hands on you."
Sookie was a master now of speaking without words, and Eric's declaration did not impede that ability in the least. Without hesitation, Sookie took Eric by the hand and brought it to settle over her breast. He stared for a moment before giving the fleshy globe an experimental squeeze. Sookie smirked as he acted as though he'd never felt a boob before.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," Eric told her as he reached with his other hand to take her right breast into his clutches as well. "Sookie, I will just tell you that you have the best tits in the world." She gave him a bemused look as he played with her. Honestly, she was pretty sure boobs were created more for men than for women or even babies. She didn't understand the captivation they brought to men.
Reaching up, Sookie caught Eric's attention and mouthed, "Kiss me?"
Eric quickly complied and swooped down to capture her lips with his own. His tongue tangled with Sookie's in familiar sweeping patterns until his fingers caught a hardening nipple and gave it a small tug. Sookie gasped at the sensation and felt her hips buck in response.
"See, this can be just as good for you as it is for me," Eric teased as his mouth moved against hers.
I'm not so sure about that, Sookie thought dazedly as his hands worked hard at earning every little gasp and involuntary whimper. Soon she was shivering beneath him, and Eric had to pull away. Cum soaked underwear was not the way to start their Spring Break.
"Okay, okay, time to calm it back down," Eric took a steadying breath. Forty-five days, he thought regretfully. It was still forty-five days until Sookie's seventeenth birthday, and he cursed every single one of them.
{†}
"WOOOOO!" Eric shouted as they twisted and turned every which way. His stomach continuously plummeted and then rose into his throat as the rollercoaster flung them through the air. When the most recent ride came to an end, he practically had to lift Sookie from the seat. "Are you okay?" Her teeth were clenched, and her hair was sticking up unnaturally high even for a post rollercoaster ride.
"Can we take a break?" Sookie asked as she walked wobbly legged through the ride exit.
"Yeah, of course," Eric assured her. "Do you want to get something to eat-oh… No, probably not. Umm…" He'd just dragged her onto a half dozen different rides in a row and was only just noticing that she was pale as a ghost. I'm such a dick, he thought. "Oh! Popsicle?" he offered out of desperation. Sookie shook her head.
In a last-ditch effort, Eric brought his girlfriend to a nearby bench, sat down and pushed her head down onto his lap. She tried to protest at first, but her head was facing away from his lap, so she settled and just let him smooth out her wind-tangled hair. That feels nice, Sookie sighed as his strong fingers rubbed against her scalp and gently tugged at her hair. Soon they were working the base of her neck, and she felt much better. The rides weren't so bad, but so many in a row had just been too much for her. She needed a break, and yes, probably food.
"Let me know when you're feeling better, and then we'll get something to eat," Eric promised as if he knew her stomach was just about to growl. "After that, we'll just do the light stuff like the Ferris wheel."
Sookie nodded against his thigh, her eyes still shut as she felt the Spring sun trying to warm her.
"You've never been on roller coasters before, have you?" Eric guessed. When Sookie shook her head negatively, he apologized again. "I didn't mean to push you so hard. Godric, Pam and I have gotten to go up in several different planes with our father a few times. Rollercoasters are nothing to us… Have you ever flown?" She shook her head again. "It's a lot of fun, but I prefer piloting. I'm only licensed for single-engine planes, though. That was the last thing my father and I did together was getting my private pilot's license. Godric's licensed too, but Pam was too young."
Sookie turned onto her back to look up at Eric. He looked down at her sensitive eyes and shook his head. "Trust me, it was not quality bonding time. He was a complete ass the whole time. The only reason I could hold it together was that I was used to him being an ass."
"Do you hate him?" Sookie asked.
Eric sighed, "No. I don't like him, but I don't hate him either. I think I'm…" Sookie waited a long moment before he finally managed to confess, "I think I'm scared of him."
"Why?"
"Becoming him," Eric answered. "He and I were a lot alike. All structure and strategy. Both of us got a thing for Southern girls we fall head over heels for," he smiled down at her. "I even look a lot like him… So what if I get married and have kids and they can't stand me as much as I can't stand him?"
Sookie wondered if that wasn't the other reason Eric jumped from woman to woman in the previous years.
"Do you want kids?" Eric asked suddenly, and Sookie's face went bright red. He was staring at her so seriously, that she felt compelled to nod. She did want kids. She just never thought she'd meet someone who wanted to have them with her. Even though it went against the feminism everyone preached nowadays, Sookie dreamed that she could be a housewife and stay at home mom. Cooking, cleaning and raising babies; that had been her dream as a child. It had become an unattainable fantasy as she became older, however. "You'll be a great mom," he told her, making her blush more.
"How do you know?" Sookie asked.
"Because you're so sweet and fiery," Eric told her. "You have all the spectrums in between, too. You can laugh at yourself, endure so much, and still smile when you're angry or upset. You forgive and-" Sookie placed her hand over his mouth. "What?" he mumbled against her fingertips.
No one had complimented her so much, not even Gran. All the things he said about her were both painful and healing. If she weren't so damaged, would he have looked twice at her? She knew that his feelings were well beyond pity now, but she wondered if a seed of sympathy was how it all began. But does the beginning matter so much as long as we got here? She asked herself.
"Feeling better?" Eric asked as she took a while to respond after cutting him off. Sookie nodded as she began to sit up, but her arm hooked around his neck and kept him still as she kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, Eric cradled the back of her head and brought her back to his lips. "Let's get something to eat."
Together they stood up, and Eric spotted his brother standing near them.
"We're all going to Bubba's for lunch. Want to come?" Godric offered.
"How did you find everybody?" Eric asked in surprise.
Godric laughed at the question, "You and Sookie went off together, the rest of us stayed together. I just had to find you. Pam and I knew which rides you'd hit first, so the three of us split up to scour those rides, and we're meeting at Bubba's in thirty minutes."
Eric laughed as he followed his brother, "It was lucky we were taking a break near the ride we just went on."
"Yes, it was," Godric agreed. "Are you having fun, Sookie?"
She nodded, "I was feeling sick after the last one."
"The last ride got the better of her," Eric told his brother.
"Maybe you should cool it on the rides for a bit," Godric suggested.
"Don't worry, I already promised it was Ferris wheels and carousels after this," Eric laughed as they wove between the crowds.
Sookie perked up at the mention of a carousel. She'd always loved them when she was a kid because she never got to ride actual horses. Her mother wouldn't ever let her near a horse because she'd been kicked by one as a child and feared the same would happen to Sookie. Even though several people in Bon Temps owned horses, Sookie had never been able to work up the nerve to ask to ride one even after her mother could no longer protest.
When they arrived a the park's restaurant, they were grateful to find that Jason had already gotten a table for them in the quickly crowding establishment.
"Good, you found them!" Jason grinned at his sister and her boyfriend as they sat across from him.
Eric smashed himself into the corner of the booth and kept Sookie on the outside. They were still waiting on Pam, and he knew his sister would want to sit by Sookie. "We were on a bench at the time, so we weren't a moving target."
"I was told to check out the coasters near the diner," Jason told him. "So, when I didn't see you guys, I figured I'd get us a table."
"Have you been having a good time stuck with my siblings?" Eric asked.
"Man, you guys have iron stomachs!" Jason complained. "Even Pam was only getting sick of it because her hair's getting all messed up!"
Eric laughed at Jason's comment, "Speak of the Devil. Pam! Over here!" he waved at his sister who had just come through the door. Pam spotted them and made her way over.
"Which one of them found you?" Pam asked as she sidled up next to Sookie.
"Godric," Eric answered as he grabbed a menu. "Sookie, do you want a diet coke like usual?"
"Ah," Sookie's hand slapped over her mouth as her eyes widened. Everyone at the table looked at her in surprise.
"Sookie," Jason leaned forward excitedly, "did you just say 'yeah'?!"
The girl froze as she analyzed what just happened. She intended to reply with a 'yes,' but Eric's sudden change from talking to Pam and then asking her a question had taken her by surprise. She wasn't sure if the sound was voluntary or not.
After some deliberating, she shook her head as tears leaked from her eyes. It couldn't have been her first word. It was just an unintentional syllable that came out at the right time. For a brief moment, her hopes had soared but were quickly swept out from beneath her.
"It's alright." Eric pulled her into his arms. "The more accidental sounds you make, the closer you are to doing it on purpose, right?" Sookie nodded into his chest. "Have you asked Gran to schedule an appointment with a speech therapist yet?" She shook her head. "Maybe now is the time to do that." Her back shook harder with her mostly silent sobs, and Eric continued running his fingers down her spine. "I know," he whispered. "You really wanted to say 'yes,' didn't you?"
"Is everything okay over here?" Their waitress arrived to see one of her customers sobbing.
"Yeah, it's fine," Jason sighed as he slumped back in his seat with disappointment. He wasn't disappointed in his sister, he was disappointed for her. "Can I get a bacon cheeseburger with a Coke, the crying one will have the same but with a Diet Coke."
"Jason!" Godric admonished, but stopped when a small laugh mingled with Sookie's sobs. "Ah," I guess she likes when you make light of situations, he realized. "I'll have the Southwest Chicken Sandwich and a Coke."
Everyone quickly put in their orders and changed the subject.
"I think I might want to go swimming again tonight," Pam announced as they lamely tried to come up with a new topic other than Sookie's speech.
"I'll swim!" Sookie told her.
"Me too," Eric added. Sookie in a bikini? Please let me see Sookie in a bikini!
With their evening plans decided, everyone dug into their lunches and then headed to the Ferris wheel together. Jason chose to ride with a stranger, so Pam and Godric sat together, and Eric and Sookie went up with one another. By the time the wheel had gone around once, Jason's face was mussed with lipstick. By the second turn, he had the girl's number.
When they all exited the ride, Jason wasn't surprised to see Eric and Sookie as disheveled as himself and his own riding buddy.
"Are you guys gonna get any souvenirs?" Jason asked.
"I think we'll go on the Gunslinger," Eric replied thoughtfully. "We're leaving a four, right?"
Godric nodded, "If we want to leave early tomorrow morning, leaving by four will give us time to unwind back at the hotel."
"Hey, Eric," Jason called as they all went to go their separate ways again, "don't forget to take Sook on the carousel. It's her favorite!" he waved as he headed off with Pam and Godric.
Sookie stared off after her brother. She didn't think he'd remember that after so long.
"The carousel?" Eric smiled down at her.
"I like horses," she told him sheepishly.
"Have you ever gone horseback riding?" Eric asked.
Sookie shook her head, "Mom was scared of horses."
"We went once with our mom," Eric recalled. "Pam was too little to ride by herself."
"Is it fun?" Sookie asked as they strolled toward the Gunslinger. They'd go to the carousel last.
"I guess," Eric thought back. "I remember being surprised how tall horses really are. When I was on its back, I was stunned," he remembered with a laugh. "I was only eight, and the trail was just a large walk around the perimeter of a farm. It was really flat, and even a kid like me could handle it." Eric glanced down at his girlfriend, "Would you want to do something like that?" he asked. Sookie grinned up and nodded. "We could do that for your birthday," he suggested. "That's only forty-four days away."
Sookie's brow furrowed, "Why do you know how many days away my birthday is?"
Shit! Eric fumbled a minute, "I'm just excited about it, I guess." Sookie stared at him suspiciously.
"You're thinking dirty things," she accused, but her expression was playful.
Eric paused a minute before deciding that giving Sookie a bit of a warning would probably increase the chances of her accepting what he wanted to offer.
Tugging her by the wrist, Eric pulled his girlfriend close. She folded into his embrace, feeling a blush rising in her cheeks. Unsure about the strange flair of bashfulness, Sookie looked up at Eric. They hugged all the time, but something about this moment felt too intimate to be shared in such a public setting.
"I'm counting down," Eric murmured in her ear, "because I really want to eat your pussy."
Sookie jerked away in surprise to stare up at her boyfriend. I didn't just hear that! She could only gape at his bold declaration. It didn't help that her female organs gave a longing clench at his words. Despite the crudity, Sookie couldn't deny that a part of her liked the idea very, very much.
At Sookie's response, Eric couldn't help but laugh at her expression and ask, "What do you think, Sookie? You can ride a horse and my face on your birthday." Her scandalized expression only fueled his amusement. She turned away to walk up to the Gunslinger line and turned her back to him. "Are you mad?" Eric asked as he stepped behind her and wrapped her back in his arms. He didn't sound the least bit apologetic even as he wondered if he'd upset her.
Mad? Sookie wondered. She knew she wasn't angry. Terrified? That seemed more appropriate. It was one thing to let his hands paw at her breasts over her clothes, but what he wanted was to put his face against her very private areas! What if I don't taste good? She wondered anxiously. What if I can't cum? She worried further. What if he's horrible at it!?
As her concerns grew, her shoulders tensed more and more. However, she was unaware of that until Eric's hands were there, rubbing and squeezing her upper arms all the way to her neck and base of her skull.
"This is why I wanted to mention it now," Eric's lips were a smile against her ear. His hands slid from her arms to her waist, squeezing her against his torso. "I want you to enjoy it if you want it. You can talk to me about it- any of it. And if your birthday comes, and you decide you don't want me to do it for you, just say so."
Sookie placed her hands over Eric's where they came to rest on her belly. I wish I had someone to talk to about this, she thought. Unlike when she admitted she couldn't slow dance, Pam definitely was not going to give her a crash course in this one!
"You have time to think about it, Sookie," Eric reminded as they took a simultaneous step forward as the line moved.
Turning in his arms, Sookie's hands moved so quickly Eric had to tell her to slow down. "Do you like doing that?"
"Is that your way of asking if I'm good at it?" Eric laughed teasingly. His girlfriend looked around, worried that someone would overhear him and pick up on their conversation. Seeing her discomfort, he leaned in, "I'm okay at it, but I do like to do it. A lot of girls seem scared to have it done to them."
Sookie could understand that. Even when she touched herself, it took a while to get anywhere. What if Eric worked and worked until his tongue about fell off and she couldn't cum?
"See, they tend to get that look on their face," Eric pointed at her expression. "What is that face?"
Sookie blushed. "What if I can't c-u-m," she had to spell out the word, not knowing if there was an ASL signal for it.
Eric actually laughed, "That's what's going through your head?" He seemed almost relieved. "Sookie, if you're enjoying it, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about whether you do or you don't, just have fun. If you don't, I'll just keep practicing… and," his voice got even deeper as he whispered in her ear, "maybe you could give me a few pointers?"
His girlfriend pulled away and had to resist the urge to fan her flaming cheeks. Did he just imply he wants to watch me masturbate? She had to admit that it seemed like an excellent way to show him what she liked. Although it always sounded like women were cumming like trains at a station in her romance novels, and that the men hardly had to even try. But they don't cum in their pants in the books either, she thought amusedly as she looked at her boyfriend.
Eric's eyes narrowed. "That's the look you give me when you're making fun of me in your head," he accused. Sookie's expression turned innocent. "And that's the look you give me when you feel bad for what you were thinking."
"How do you even know that!?" Sookie demanded.
"Because you used to make fun of me all the time before we started dating. Now you never share those amusing insights with the rest of us," Eric pointed out.
"I'll tell you later," she promised with every intention of doing so. "I don't know all the words."
Eric's shoulders relaxed, "Okay."
It was finally their turn on the Gunslinger, and Sookie had to admit that she enjoyed it more than any of the other rides. Swinging high above the park in a gentle, sweeping motion rather than being shot skyward like a bullet was far more enjoyable. When they landed, she almost wanted to get back in line to do it again.
Finally, it was time for the carousel, and Sookie practically skipped to the line. Eric enjoyed the way her hand tugged and slackened as she dragged him to her favorite ride. Sookie scanned the available mounts when it was their turn to ride, and picked out a pretty, white filly for herself. Eric chose the black and white horse sculpture next to her and nudged her leg with his foot. She looked at him with a broad, happy grin as the music grew louder and the platform began to turn.
The glow of her excitement made Eric lean his head against the lift pole and stare at her through the entire ride. He watched the way she flung her hand over her head like a rodeo rider, then become distracted by petting the fake mane. When the spin was over, Eric saw her give the mount a small hug and couldn't help but shake his head. He'd have to start looking for a place to take her riding.
"Ready to head for the car?" Eric asked as he checked his watch.
Sookie nodded as he took her hand, and their matching bracelets winked at one another. She didn't know what about those bracelets made her heart ache with happiness. It could be that he'd made the bracelets for each of them to wear. It could be that she knew he didn't like wearing jewelry but only did so for her. Most likely, she admitted, it was because it was a way for people to identify them as a couple even when they didn't stand side by side. The thought that they belonged to one another was evident. He wanted it to be visible, and that made her lo-
That made her want to say three words more than any other words ever again.
Please, God, if you only give me three words to say for the rest of my life…
TBC
A/N: PLEASE, REMEMBER TO REVIEW!
-Andi