You wake up the next afternoon, and when you leave your bedroom you find Sarah sitting on the couch. You have work today, and it might be awkward because of the kiss. You're nervous to go, and you'll do whatever you can to avoid Eric. Even if that means staying in the office the whole time. Maybe if you're lucky a vampire will kill you so you won't have to face him. When Eric dropped you off, he didn't even say goodbye. He just told you to be safe and sped away after tossing your car keys at you. You haven't told Sarah yet, she was sleeping when you got home and you didn't want to disturb her. And you don't know if you want to tell her yet, she doesn't seem to approve of Eric. You take a deep breath before you approach your friend.
"Hey, how is everything?" You ask her, wincing when the words come out of your mouth. That felt unnatural, you could've asked her about work or school or something. She glances up at you from over her shoulder, looking a little surprised like she didn't expect you to be here. Maybe she thought you didn't have work today and you were sleeping in. You wish that was the case. You walk around the couch and sit next to her.
"I could ask you the same question," Sarah says with a scoff, closing the magazine she was reading and tossing it onto the coffee table, "Pam told me about what happened last night." She informs you. You sigh and shake your head, wondering how she could've heard about this already. You're still wondering how Bill knew. You've already been attacked by 2 vampires, why did you move here from New Orleans?
"So you're fucking Pam?" You ask, raising an eyebrow. It's an effort to change the subject, and it almost seems to work. A smile tugs at Sarah's lips before she glares at you to snap herself out of it. She doesn't answer you, it's not a yes or a no. So she could be sleeping with Pam, and that wouldn't surprise you. You'd support her if she was. You like Pam. You hope you see her at the bar tonight. After she complained too many times about standing outside and letting people inside, Eric told her she could just do what she wanted. So sometimes she works behind the bar and other times she stands next to Eric on the stage. You're glad you'd be able to see her more often. You only saw her for a few seconds when she worked outside.
"Don't change the subject," Sarah says, rolling her eyes. You look down at your hands that rest in your lap with a sigh. Now you know she's fucking Pam, "Are you okay?" She asks after a long pause, prompting you to glance up at her. You're glad that she's asking because you don't feel entirely okay. The vampire isn't what you're concerned about, your thoughts revolve only around Eric. But you're not gonna tell her about it, not yet.
You take a deep breath before responding to Sarah, "Yeah, I'm good," You say with an exhale, looking at your friend carefully, "Just had a weird night." You answer honestly. Sarah studies your face for a moment, trying to figure out if you're keeping something from her or not. After what feels like 5 minutes she nods her head and seems satisfied with your answer.
"So I started going back to therapy," Sarah says slowly, staring at you, "I was wondering if you wanna go too." She suggests, wringing her hands nervously. It could be helpful if you went, but you've never been before. So you'd be very nervous. You can't help frowning, you feel bad for your friend. All those memories of her cousin coming back, all because of Russell.
You take a deep breath and consider her offer for a moment. Weighing out the pros and cons in your head, "I don't know, Maybe. It could be a good idea." After you say this, Sarah beams. She nods at you excitedly. You're glad she bothered to ask, even if you might not go at all. You understand why she's asking, too. You've been through a lot this past year. She doesn't say anything for a moment, clearly thinking.
"Well," You say, standing up and looking down at your friend, "I'm gonna shower." You say to her, not waiting for a reply before you head to the bathroom to shower. When you step into the room and shut the door behind you, you let out a shaky sigh. You're glad Sarah didn't ask for any details, you would've told her the truth if she did. You don't know if you can keep this secret. You might tell Margot or maybe Pam.
Once you're done showering you make your way over to your bedroom to choose an outfit. You stand in front of your closet, staring at all of your black clothing. The familiarity of the absence of color is comforting in a way, you like your clothes. Especially the ones Sarah gave you. But you also have some red, purple, and dark blue stuff you could wear. Maybe you shouldn't wear black tonight, you wear it every night. Can't be too predictable, right? You decide to wear a navy blue long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. It's simple, it won't draw any unnecessary attention.
After you're dressed and ready for work, you head out of your bedroom to grab your keys from the coffee table. Before leaving the house you turn to look at Sarah, and she's still sitting on the couch, "We're talking about you and Pam tomorrow," You say, watching her face to see if she reacts. She turns to look at you, an indifferent look on her face.
"There's nothing to talk about!" She calls after you just as you leave the house. You lock the door behind you, shaking your head. You know she's fucking Pam, and you have no problem asking the vampire. She'll tell you the truth, Sarah probably wouldn't. Sarah would just go out of her way to avoid you until you stopped bringing it up.
When you get in your car and reverse out of the driveway, you tap your fingers against the steering wheel nervously. Your hands are shaking and they're slightly clammy. You don't know what it'll be like if you see Eric after last night. After the kiss. It was a good kiss, and that didn't surprise you at all. What surprised you was how suddenly he did it. You're less confused by his feelings for you, but you're still not entirely sure if he wants to pursue something with you. He could just want to eat.
It seems like you arrive at the bar in 30 seconds, or at least it feels that way. With a deep breath, you pull into your parking spot, next to his red Corvette. Henry is standing outside of the bar, behind velvet ropes, holding a clipboard in his hand. You turn your car off and get out, locking the car and pocketing your keys as you stroll over to Henry. He opens the rope to let you inside and glances at you, studying you for a moment.
You pretend not to notice and enter the bar, making a beeline for Margot. When you sit down in front of her, she looks at something behind you. You don't have to turn around to know who it is, you know Eric's staring at you. You notice Margot smirk before reaching under the counter for a bottle of whiskey. When she stands upright again you mouth something at her, 'Is he looking?' You ask silently, trying not to make any sound. It feels very unnatural, especially with how loud it is inside the bar.
Margot glances at Eric for a moment before she leans forward to whisper in your ear, "Since you came inside," She informs you, nearly silent. You almost cringe, hoping he didn't hear her. Not like it matters much, you're already kissed. Margot starts to pour some whiskey into a glass and slides it over to you once she's finished. After you pick the glass up Margot walks away to go deal with a customer. It's not very busy tonight, it's a nice change.
As you sip the whiskey, you can feel Eric's gaze on you, eyes burning into your back. You feel yourself shiver under his gaze, the urge to make eye contact with him growing stronger. You've always been sort of nervous when it comes to men, especially men you find attractive. Margot returns after a moment to refill your empty glass. You didn't even realize you drank all the whiskey.
"You're gonna need this," Margot says with a chuckle as she pours the whiskey, glancing at Eric again. You shake your head and grab the glass when she finishes, knocking it back. You finish it in one go, wincing at the burning feeling in the back of your throat. You can already feel the familiar warmth spreading through your body, you already feel the effects of the alcohol.
You wave a hand, signaling that you want another one. Margot raises an eyebrow but grabs your empty glass anyway, pouring some more whiskey inside. This time, you'll sip it. It's not like a shot, you're supposed to be sipping it. But the concept of dealing with Eric has made you extremely anxious. You glance over at a clock on the wall, it's only 8. Roman should be here in 2 hours, you still have time for another drink. You won't be wrecked when you attend the meeting. Maybe focusing on work will help with the anxiousness.
Margot is still standing in front of you, looking down at you with a raised eyebrow, "Cheers," You say to her, standing up and taking your glass with you. Nearly stumbling, you make your way over to the office. You don't want to sit next to Eric, not right now. And you probably have some things to do anyway, paperwork to look at, taxes to do, things to order. Anything at all. As long as you're busy.
When you reach the door, you risk a glance at Eric from over your shoulder. He's still staring intently, eyes locked onto you. His expression is unreadable, giving you no indication of how he feels about last night. You sigh and turn around, entering the office and closing the door behind you. You let out a deep breath you didn't know you were holding in the first place.
After calming yourself down, you round the desk and sit down in the large comfortable chair. You set your glass down on the desk with shaky hands. You immediately start organizing the paperwork on the desk, sorting through invoices, receipts, and other documents. As you get lost in your work, the anxiety starts to slowly fade away. The routine relaxes you, it's familiar.
It doesn't take long for you to finish and when you do, the anxiety seems to return. You finish your new glass of whiskey and start to organize the filing cabinet to distract yourself again. It works well, the time passes by quickly. You feel almost drunk from all the alcohol you've consumed, but it's nothing bad. You're not falling on the floor or anything like that.
The hours pass and you glance at a clock on the desk, it's almost time for the meeting. Roman will be arriving soon, you might have to speak to Eric. That makes you sort of nervous. You stand up from your position at the desk, stretching your limbs. You're just tipsy now, you won't make a fool of yourself. You raise your arms above your head and groan, hearing a popping sound. Before you leave the office, you grab a small notepad and a pen from the desk.
When you step out of the office and into the bar, you find yourself face-to-face with Eric. You jump back in surprise, nearly hitting the office door when you do. He stares at you curiously, "Hey." He says to you, his deep voice sending a shiver down your spine. You feel your heart start to beat faster, and your body heats up.
"Hi," You say to him, voice almost cracking, "Ready for the meeting?" You ask after clearing your throat, looking up at the vampire. There's a hint of something in his eyes, but you don't know what it is. And trying to figure it out is frustrating. His presence is captivating, and the way he smells intoxicates you. And it's worse after drinking. But you have enough self-awareness, and you won't embarrass yourself in front of him.
"Yes," He says with a nod, turning and walking over to a booth against one of the walls. He sits down, near the edge so he can see when Roman comes inside. And he doesn't want to be pressed against the wall. When you approach he stands up and moves aside, allowing you to scoot into the booth. You slide in and set your notepad down on the table. Eric sits down beside you, glancing at the notepad in amusement. You roll your eyes and pull it off the table and set it in your lap, tapping your pen against the pad.
"So, about la—" You're cut off by Roman's entrance. Salome follows him, hands resting on her hips. You sigh and glance at the two vampires. Eric stands up, and Roman extends his hand to shake his. Eric greets Salome with a kiss on the cheek, something that doesn't bother you. Roman and Salome seem like a couple, and a cheek kiss isn't an abnormal greeting if you're in Europe or you're too rich.
The three of them settle into the booth, with Salome directly across from you and Roman across from Eric. After a moment, Margot strolls over to the table and puts some glasses of blood down. She slides water across the table for you. You smile at her and then glance over at Salome, noticing her eyes on you. She's tilting her head, regarding you curiously.
You're startled by a clap, Roman, "Let's get down to business," He says, deep voice echoing through the now empty bar. You didn't even bother noticing the lack of customers, you must've been too distracted by Eric. You suppose you won't be defeating the Huns tonight, and that's not the most appropriate thought. But it's all you could think about after Roman said that.
"First, I want to congratulate you on what you've done with the place. And I hear you've made more money too," Roman says with a raised eyebrow, leaning toward Eric, "You've proven yourself to be quite the asset, haven't you?" He asks in a strange tone, smiling to himself. Eric must be used to this, he just smirks at the man and holds his gaze.
You write Roman's name on the notepad next to the word 'weird', trying not to grin. Salome is still analyzing you, and when you notice, her gaze sends a shiver down your spine. You take a sip of water to distract yourself, and so you don't have to make eye contact with her. There isn't anywhere else to look, looking at the ceiling would just seem strange.
The boys and Salome begin to talk about expansion, Eric paying more money because he makes more money, the future for the business, and the future for vampires. Roman says they're planning on revealing themselves in about 10 years, and you wish they would do it sooner. But then you would have more competition, some special tasty human will wander over to Eric and he'll leave. Or that's what you think. You don't have much hope for your future with him.
The meeting begins to wind down and the three of them step out of the booth, you follow them. They said goodbye the same way they greeted each other, a kiss on the cheek and a firm handshake. Salome glances at you before she leaves, and you look away. When they're gone you look over at Eric, he's finishing his untouched glass of blood. He wipes his mouth and sets the glass down on the table before turning to face you.
"So about what happened last night..." You say awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck. You're already uncomfortable and you just started talking. But you knew you had to address the situation, or it would stay awkward and you wouldn't move past it.
Eric raises an eyebrow, leaning against the table, "Last night," He repeats, deep voice resonating in the empty bar, "What about it?" He asks, and suddenly you regret bringing it up at all. You feel heat spread through your body from embarrassment, wishing you had some more whiskey. You wish he would kiss you again, or just fuck you already. You feel like you're going insane or something.
"I— I wanted to talk about the kiss," You start, taking a breath, "I don't know if you want to pursue something with me, or just fuck me. But I'm kinda getting mixed signals here and you're annoying me." You ramble, letting out a deep breath and refusing to make eye contact with the man.
You hear Eric sigh and you look up at him, "I want our relationship to remain professional, I acted on impulse yesterday and I'm sorry if I indicated that I was interested in you." He says, crossing his arms and looking at you with a blank expression, eyes cold. After only a second of processing his words, you turn and leave the bar, nearly breaking the front door in the process.
"Why'd you do that, Eric?" Pam groans from a dark corner of the bar, closing her magazine and slapping it onto a table. She stands up and strolls over to him, arms crossed. She was listening to the meeting and your conversation, but you had absolutely no idea. And you never would.
"She can't end up like Sylvie."
