Eric's POV:
Filming flew by quickly for the next five weeks. I went in for day and night shoots when I was on the call sheet. The days when I was free, I spent time with Sookie and today was the first day that I visited my father Appius.
"So, the movie is going well?" my father asks me as we sit on the patio at his house.
He still lived in the same ranch-style house that he purchased when we first moved to Shreveport, although there were some upgrades. His new girlfriend, Nora, had planted a small garden in one of the corners of the backyard. He also upgraded the kitchen as well as the primary bedroom and bathroom.
"Yes, we have another three weeks of shooting left," I reply. I take a sip of the lemonade that Nora said she had made from a family recipe. I could taste a hint of tequila and lime.
"Your role in this film is small, am I correct?" my dad says with a hint of disapproval in his voice. And here we go…. this was one of the reasons why I rarely talked to him. I always seemed to disappointment him somehow.
"Yes, but it's a good story and a good role. My agent and manager think it will open more doors for me," I reply.
"I see that you still haven't cut your hair," he says as he points towards my head with his small finger. He takes a sip of his wine. My dad had always hated my long hair since I was a young boy, but my mother loved it. Though he would constantly tell her that I needed a haircut, she refused to allow it. After she died, I kept my hair long to honor her memory.
"Yes, I was able to keep it this way. Fortunately, the role required long hair for the lead's brother," I say, starting to feel annoyed.
"Well, I hope I will have the opportunity to see it when it comes out. Will the movie be released in theaters nationwide?" he continues.
"You know what dad? I have no clue," I say as I take a sip of the drink and put it back on the patio table.
"Listen, I have to get going, I have plans this evening," I tell him as I stand up.
"You're really leaving so soon Eric?" my dad responds.
"Yes. I will call you later. I'll stop by before I go back to L.A. when filming is over," I tell him as I rush inside and through the front door. I could hear a faint goodbye coming from my dad's girlfriend as I leave.
I couldn't wait to get out of there. I jump into my rented Corvette, turn the ignition on, and drive down the street to my place. I had a date with Sookie tonight. I planned to make her dinner and watch a movie. I had told her about my fondness for Swedish cinema during one of our many conversations over the past five weeks. She indicated that she was interested in seeing one, so I had grabbed one of my old dvds from my dad's place.
I take a shower as soon as I get into the house and put on a t-shirt and jeans when I am done. I brush my hair and put on the cologne that Sookie seemed to like.
I had been dating only Sookie since the first day we had met. She still worked for the restaurant Merlotte's, the production caterers, so I seemed to see her almost every day on set. After she was done working, I would sometimes invite her to stay on the set with me. Sookie would even help me practice my lines and provide advice on how to portray a Southern gentleman. Though I had a dialect coach, it was Sookie who seemed to help me master my Southern accent.
I turn the gas element on the range to start preparing dinner. Sookie was going to be here in about a half hour and I was eager to see her. I always seemed to feel eager to see her and I wasn't sure what to make of the feelings that she was stirring within me. I enjoyed talking with her and there were never any dull conversations. She was smart, funny and one of the most genuine people that I had ever met. She was like a breath of fresh air compared to the women whom I had known in L.A. They were self-absorbed, lacked confidence and only cared about outward appearances. Sookie had an inner beauty but she was also one of the most beautiful girls I had ever met. She had a warm smile and a great complexion. She also had a fantastic body which, unfortunately, I hadn't seen fully yet, apart from the bikini she wore when we went for a swim at one of the local pools. She must have turned the heads of dozens of males as soon when she walked around the pool area in her tiny polka-dot bikini that showcased her generous cleavage and round edible ass. I feel the blood rush to my groin again as the image of Sookie in her bikini overtakes my thoughts.
Though we had been dating for five weeks, we still hadn't had sex. Sookie had told me on the second date that she was a virgin. I was shocked but also amazed after she had told me. I respected her wishes to wait until she was ready, but that still didn't stop me from seducing her. When we were alone at her house or mine, we spent hours grinding each other and making out like teenagers. We had come close a few times to finally doing the deed, but either she would stop before things got too heated.
I chuckle to myself as I put the water on to boil the rice. I couldn't believe my current circumstances. If someone had told me weeks ago, that I would be dating a virgin, I would never have believed them. Her views on sex made me respect and value her more, but also made me nervous. If or when we would finally do the deed, would she expect me to propose marriage or to live with her afterwards? Would she expect me a long-term type of relationship? Though I liked Sookie a lot and knew she was special, I was still young, not yet twenty-five. I wasn't looking for a serious relationship yet. I still wanted to have fun. When my burgeoning career, I wouldn't have time for a wife, much less a girlfriend.
I shake my head to try and clear my thoughts. I needed to focus on 'the right now', not the future. And besides, I was sure that Sookie would understand that my career was the most important thing to me right now.
I sit on a stool as I wait for the broccoli and beef to cook on the skillet when my phone suddenly rings. It was someone whom I hadn't seen or heard from in two months.
I quickly answer the call.
"Hey man what's up?!" I answer happily.
"Eric!" Alcide replies. "Long time no see!"
I could hear the sound of cars in the background.
"Sounds busy, are you on set?" I ask loudly.
"Yes! We are almost done shooting the final episode. I got offered a job in the new Cortese movie, it starts shooting in three weeks!" he says.
"That's awesome news!" I exclaim. I really was ecstatic for him, well, maybe a tad bit envious also.
"What are you up to?" he asks me.
I am silent for a moment. Should I tell him that I met someone? A girl that I had been seeing for five weeks and who was probably the longest casual relationship that I ever had?
Alcide had been in an on/off relationship with the Irish actress Debbie Pelt for the past three years. Currently, they were dating again and she was with him in Georgia. Though Alcide could have had his pick of girls while we were growing up, he only delved into serious relationships. He had been with his high school sweetheart for several years before they broke up and he met Debbie. I thought he would have married Maria. But it was starting to look like Debbie was going to be his fiancé soon. I would have preferred Maria, Debbie was a heinous cold bitch, but Alcide was blind.
I ponder briefly before deciding to keep Sookie a secret. I didn't feel like answering questions about my 'relationship' with Sookie. I knew that he would also start implying that Sookie was my significant other, therefore we would be joined at the hip. He would envision double dates with the four of us. Hell, maybe even a double wedding…. Nah! It wasn't worth the hassle.
"Not much, we have three weeks left, then I'm heading back to L.A. Pam might have some meetings for me with some producers for a couple projects. One of them is that new pilot about vampires," I reply.
"That's great man," Alcide says.
"Alcide, can we go home?" A woman asks him in the background. I knew it was Debbie.
"Sure, hey Eric, listen, I got to get going," Alcide replies, "I'll call you in a few weeks from Australia. That's where the movie is being shot. I can't wait to hit those waves on my board."
"Okay," I respond. "Talk to you later."
"See you man," Alcide says, before he hangs up.
A minute later, the doorbell rings. I knew it was Sookie. I run to the door to go answer it.
"Hi," Sookie smiles after I open the door. She looked gorgeous as always. Every outfit she wore made her looked great. This one was no exception. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a Bon Temps high school sweater. I was sure she had one of those white lace tank tops that she wore all the time underneath it.
"Hello," I respond.
I hold my arms out to her as she wraps her arms around my waist and kisses me on the lips.
"Did you have a good visit with your father?" she asks me.
"Yes and no," I respond. "My visit with him was….. what I expected."
"Oh," she says sadly. "Well I'm sure he was just having a bad day or something."
We go into the kitchen. I finish making our dinner and Sookie sets the table. Sookie makes moans of approval as she devours her plate. I had always been a good cook. I learned from my mother and from having to spend so many nights home alone making my own dinner while my dad was too busy with work.
"That was delicious Eric," Sookie says. "No dessert?"
"No, I'm afraid I didn't have time, but I'm sure we can come up with something later on," I tease.
"Oooooo, I look forward to it," Sookie responds as she laughs lightly.
We go into the living room and Sookie makes herself comfortable on the sofa. I pop the movie into the dvd player and we sit in silence for the next few hours watching it. I occasionally explain some of the scenes to her as she listens with interest while making her own comments. I put my arm over her shoulder and lean closer to her. I put head against hers and take in the scent of her hair. She smelled like sunshine and lemon.
I could see myself being with Sookie for a longer time period and not get bored or restless with her. But it wasn't the right time for me. I let out a sigh and close my eyes.
"Eric, is everything okay?" Sookie asks me.
I look at the screen and see the ending credits rolling.
"Yeah, I mean, yeah everything is good," I respond. I rub her shoulder.
"Oh," she says despondently.
"Is there something going on with you?" I ask.
She sits up and starts clasping her hands together.
"I've been thinking," she says as she continues to look down to her clasped hands. "We've been dating for five weeks and we haven't really discussed our relationship. I mean not just that, but also where we are heading."
Ahhhhhh, I knew the relationship talk was coming.
"Ummmmm," I respond as I lean up as well. "I haven't been dating anyone else but you these past few weeks."
"Neither have I," she says.
"I like spending time with you," I add.
"I do too," she says.
"I don't want to define our relationship so soon I guess," I tell her. "I mean, I'm going to be leaving in three weeks and going back home to L.A. I supposed I've just been viewing us as day-to-day so far."
She lets out a sigh and finally looks at me. "Yeah, that is true. You are leaving in a few weeks. I know that it would have been naïve of me to think that you would stay here for a little longer."
"I knew you would understand," I smile to her. I don't say anything more. I didn't want to give her hope by telling her that I wanted to stay longer for her sake. That would have been a lie.
She gives me a nervous smile. "It's just that….. I was hoping…. or worried that you would forget about me, I guess."
I look at her for a moment and cup her cheek. "I could never forget you."
She leans towards me and puts her lips on mine. I deepen the kiss and move my tongue against hers slowly and sensuously. I run my hands down her back and underneath her sweater. She breaks away for a moment to take it off to reveal the white lace tank top. Sookie then climbs on top and grinds herself against me while we continue to kiss. I loved the way Sookie tasted. She always wore cherry lip gloss. She puts her hands underneath my shirt and rubs my chest and stomach. I was hard, but I could feel myself getting harder, if that was possible.
"Sookie we should stop," I whisper breathlessly against her mouth.
"I don't want to," she whispers back.
"Are you sure?" I ask her.
She nods her head. "I am sure."
"Let's go to the bedroom," I tell her.
She obliges and leads me into the room.
I start by taking off my shirt and tossing it on the floor.
Sookie looks at me with a look of hunger in her eyes, before taking a few steps away from me. She closes her eyes as she takes off her tank top. She was wearing a white bra, which she also takes off slowly.
My eyes widen in lust as I take in her breasts. I knew that she had a great rack underneath her clothes, but seeing them upfront blew my mind. Mind you, I had seen hundreds of pairs of breasts of various sizes and shapes in my young life, but Sookie's was perhaps the best pair I had ever seen.
Her face reddens and she tries to cover up. Perhaps I had been staring too long.
I walk up closer to her and put my fingers underneath her chin. "Sookie, you are beautiful."
She puts her hands on my arms. "Really?"
I nod my head. "Yes."
I kiss her and it isn't long before things start heating up again. I help her remove her shorts and my jeans. We both still had our underwear on as she goes to lie down in the center of the bed. I reach into the nightstand drawer to look for the magnum condoms that had been collecting dust for the past several weeks.
I knew that I was large, larger than most men. Since this was going to be Sookie's first time, I knew that I needed to prepare her and be as gentle as I possibly could. I take off my underwear to reveal my engorged penis. She looks down between us and her eyes widen in shock.
"Ohhhh my god," she says in a shocked tone. "That's big."
"I am bigger than most men," I say quietly. Usually I was proud of the size of my cock, but right now, I was worried I was scaring her with it.
She takes a big gulp and wraps her fingers around my shaft. She begins pumping it and rubs the tip with her thumb which causes me to groan in pleasure. I was ready to explode in her hand.
I move to lie on top of her and kiss her lips feverishly for a few minutes.
"Watch me," I say to her as I begin kissing my way down her body. I stop at her nipples and suck on each of them slowly. Sookie squirms in pleasure as I take one breast in my mouth and fondle the other. As much as I wanted to spend the evening devouring her breasts, I was a man on a mission. I continue kissing my way down her body till I reach her white lace panty. I pull it down a little with my teeth. I take her panty off completely and toss it on the side of the bed. Sookie opens up her legs for me and I run my fingers over her private area. I rub my thumb in circles around her nub, which causes her to moan even louder. A clear fluid starts coming out of her. We hadn't tried oral sex yet and I think tonight would be the perfect time to start. I never really went down on a woman, due to hygienic reasons, but since Sookie was new to this, I would make an exception. I run my tongue over her folds and lap up the juices. I put a finger inside her. She was extremely wet and tight. It isn't long before I bring her to her first orgasm.
"Oh my god Eric!" she cries out in pleasure.
I kiss and make my way up to her as she begins to come down from her orgasm.
I was rock hard and starting to feel pressure down there.
I grab the condom and roll it on as she watches. I take my place between her thighs as she opens up wider for me.
I rub my tip against her sensitive skin and slowly enter her.
She lets out a few gasps, but lets me know it was okay to continue on.
I shudder at the extremely warm and tight feeling of her core. I wasn't sure of how long I was going to last. It had been at least a few months since I last had sex and that skinny bottled-blonde model that I had been with didn't compare to Sookie.
I slowly move in and out of her until she is comfortable. I begin to quicken my pace as the pleasurable sensation of being inside her becomes too much.
"Oh Eric, don't stop," Sookie cries out as I continue to pump in and out.
I definitely wasn't going to last much longer.
I put my lips on her as my own orgasm overtakes me. I groan and shudder as I slow down my movements as I cum into the condom.
I lie still on top of her as I enjoy our moment.
"Are you okay?" I ask hazily.
"Mmmmmmm," Sookie answers back with a smile on her face.
I pull out and go to the bathroom to dispose the condom and bring back a warm towel for Sookie. She gets up to go to the bathroom as I lie back down on the bed and pull the bed covers on top of me. Sookie comes out a few minutes later and joins me in the bed, still naked like me.
I pull her close and she lays her head on my chest.
"That was amazing," she says. "I was kind of nervous about being with you this way. I wasn't sure I would be any good at sex."
I rub her arm. "Sookie, you are incredible. What we have is very special."
She looks up at me and kisses me on the lips. It isn't long before we are at it again. I use two more condoms before we finally fall asleep, holding each other.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Sookie and I go on what I can only describe as a sexual rampage. We have sex in every room of my rented house, twice in the Corvette, and several times in my trailer on set. The only place that we hadn't done it was in her grandmother's farmhouse.
"I should go on birth control," she pants after our latest romp in my living room. Our clothes are scattered all over the floor as she lays against my chest. I hold onto her hips as we lie still, with my cock still inside her. We had gone through boxes of condoms and had just used the last one. I knew that Sookie was clean and I was clean as well. I got health checks at least once a month. You could never be too careful, especially with the amount of debauchery that went on in the L.A. party scene. But I wouldn't have sex with Sookie without some sort of birth control. God knows I didn't want to be a father right now, or possibly ever.
"It takes a few weeks for birth control to begin working," I respond.
"Oh, I guess you would know about those things," she says.
She gets up and heads to the bathroom. I clean myself up and look for my boxers. I knew there was something going on with Sookie. She was starting to look sad over the past week. It was not only her though; I was also feeling that way as well.
The last day of shooting was in a couple days and I was to leave in four days.
Sookie comes out of the bathroom wearing one of my shirts and with a sad look on her face. Her lower lip begins quivering.
"Sookie," I say to her as I walk up to her and take her into my arms. "It's going to be alright."
She begins sniffling against my chest. "I…. I….. I knew that you would be leaving soon. I knew that you weren't going to be around for a long time when you first asked me out. I knew it. But I couldn't help myself, I liked you so much from the moment I first met you."
"Shhhhhh….," I whisper to her. "I never expected to meet someone like you, Sookie. I know how you feel."
"I don't want you to go," Sookie says to me with tears in her eyes. "I… I think I love you."
I look deeply into her blue eyes. I didn't know how to respond. Did I love her too? I cared about her. She was perhaps the best lay I had ever had so far. I would even say she was the longest relationship that I have ever had, but we had only been seeing each other for a little over seven weeks, so that wasn't saying much about me and relationships with women.
"I care about you deeply, Sookie," I tell her. "I don't want to lose you as well. I want to get to know you better and to be with you longer."
"You really mean that?" Sookie asks.
"Yes," I tell her truthfully. "I've never been the type of guy who has girlfriends, but I would like that with you. Would you be my girlfriend?"
She laughs a little through her tears. "I thought I already was."
I laugh as well, "You were, I mean you are. I guess I'm just saying it out loud now to make it official."
She grins at me as we continue to enjoy our evening together.
A few days later, we were at the wrap party for the movie. Sookie sits at one of the tables with Indira, the lead female costar. I watch her from across the room as I chat with one of the crew members. I stare at her, mesmerized at how beautiful she was, as she and Indira laugh at something she had said to her. I couldn't believe my luck. I had met the most amazing woman in a small town that I would have never been to if it had not been for this film. I ponder briefly and think about how Sookie and I were going to make this relationship work. It was going to a long-distance type of thing for sure, but also I was hoping she would come and visit me in L.A. once in awhile.
The next day Sookie accompanies me to the airport.
I walk with her slowly to the airport security check. I had never felt such sadness. The last time I felt sorrow was when my mom died.
The look on Sookie's face was riddled with anguish.
"You'll call me when you get there safely?" she asks as her bottom lips quivers. Her eyes were watery but I could tell she was fighting to keep back the tears.
"Sookie, I will miss you so much. It won't be too long," I tell her.
She begins crying as tears flow down her cheeks. She leans against my chest as she continues to cry quietly.
"I love you Eric," Sookie whispers against me.
I stay silent, again. I still hadn't said those words to her, mostly because I wasn't sure if I felt the same way yet. My feelings for her had deepened for sure, but was it love? I honestly had no clue.
"I'll call you when I get there, my lover," I whisper into her hair.
We kiss goodbye as we reluctantly let each other go. I make my way through security and board my flight back to L.A.
When I get back to my apartment, I am numb with overwhelming emotions. I missed Sookie so much. I pick up my phone and begin dialing her number, but I stop myself from completing the call. Did I really want to put myself through this? Sookie and I lived in two different worlds. We both wanted very different things for our lives and future.
I throw my phone on the couch and head to bed. I sleep for two days straight, only getting up to use the bathroom and to grab something to eat.
I look at my phone to see several calls missed from Sookie. I consider dialing her number again, but something compels me to stop.
I had to go meet Pam today.
I get ready for my meeting and meet her at her office downtown.
"So how was the shoot?" she asks me from across her desk.
"It was good. I learned a lot," I respond.
"Well good, but I have to ask, are you okay?" Pam asks.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Because you look like you just lost a brother or sister or a favourite pet, with how gloomy your face looks right now," Pam says.
"Pam, I am fine," I answer.
"No you are not, but why…," Pam says as she stops. "Oh I seeeeee…. It's that girl you were telling me about weeks ago. The girl that you were going on a date with. I suppose you were seeing her on the side this whole time?"
I don't respond.
"Eric, for god's sake, what did I tell you? You need to focus on your career. Don't you want to become a big movie star?! I have meetings lined up with all the hottest producers and directors and they all want to meet you! They have seen clips of you from the film. You have sparked massive interest," Pam says.
"I am still interested," I say rather lamely.
"Well pull yourself together," Pam retorts. "Remember the plan!"
I let out a huge sigh. Pam was right. I needed to get my head out of my ass and focus on what was important to me, which was my career. As I listen to Pam, I couldn't help but be drawn back to Bon Temps and to Sookie.