A/N: I have gotten a couple of comments about Eric's (human) age. I did go back and forth about it, but I stuck with canon. In Dead and Gone, on his age when he was turned,he said, "I was in my early twenties... perhaps twenty-three." Hope that clears it up. :)
Chapter 7
The next couple of days went pretty well. She liked to work and she was glad to be able to get out and see people again. Her shielding muscles had atrophied with disuse and they were already a lot stronger. Some people were mean, but she was used to that. And most people were nice, at least as long as she stayed out of their heads as much as she could. When she couldn't, she reminded herself that people were not their thoughts, at least most of the time. She would be even more jaded — and lonely — if she judged everyone for every intrusive or mean or deviant idea that popped into their heads. People had bad days and mental illnesses and hormones and crappy lives. There were some things she couldn't overlook, of course, but she tried to see as little as possible and ignore as much as she could.
She and Sam had continued to banter but it hadn't advanced much past light flirting. They had been getting to know each other a little better, though. She wasn't falling for him or anything like that, but he was really cute and she liked him. And she thought that maybe she could fall for him, if things went in that direction and she could ignore his thoughts when they touched.
He'd told her that he wouldn't be at the bar for her last shift of the week. Sookie and Holly were pouring their own drinks, but it was mostly just beer and the occasional shot or glass of wine at that time of day. Terry was coming in for the supper rush at five and then to cover until Sam got back at nine or ten.
She missed having Sam to chat with. She liked Holly ok but they really didn't have a whole lot in common. Fortunately, it was pretty steady with the handful of alcoholics who were already regulars and the townspeople out and about on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Near the end of her shift, the phone behind the bar rang while Sookie was pouring a pitcher of Bud. She answered it.
"Merlotte's. Sookie speaking."
"Hey, Sookie. It's Arlene. Do you think you could work a couple more hours for me? My kids' dad is running late to pick 'em up. It's his weekend."
Sookie smiled. She didn't mind. It beat spending another Saturday night alone on the couch. The extra money wouldn't hurt, either.
"Sure thing!"
"Thanks a bunch. I owe you one."
Arlene didn't arrive until quarter to nine, just a couple of minutes after Jason did. Sookie took off her apron and then grabbed her purse out of the bottom drawer in Sam's desk. She couldn't wait to go home and take off her shoes and get off her feet but she decided to go back into the bar and talk to her brother first. She hadn't seen him in a few days. He was playing pool with Hoyt.
"Hey, Sis. You look beat."
He pulled her against his side and kissed her temple. She smiled. He had really come through for her when Gran had died. Really, they had been there for each other. She never would have thought that they could ever have this kind of relationship, but she was glad that she would have been wrong. She put her arm around his waist and squeezed.
"I am beat. But I have the next three days off and am going to spend tomorrow on my chaise lounge in the sun with my radio and a good book. Hey, Hoyt."
"Hey, Sook."
The door opened and Sookie turned to look. Her heart skipped a beat. Eric was standing in the entryway looking intense, with perfect hair and glowing skin and the body of a Greek god. He commanded attention. It was almost like he was more there than everyone else. Her head wasn't the only one he'd turned. She didn't know what he was, but it definitely wasn't just a plain old human.
He saw her and smiled but there was something under the surface that seemed a little off. Still, she couldn't help smiling back. He walked over to them.
She and Jason were still side-by-side with their arms around each other. Jason was wary of the very large stranger walking their way and he tensed up. She gave him another squeeze and let him go.
"Jason, Hoyt, this is Eric. Eric, this is my brother Jason and his best friend Hoyt."
She stressed the word brother a little and his smile evened out and he seemed to relax just a bit. Jason did, too.
'Hey, man."
Jason held out his hand and Eric held in a scowl and shook it. Fortunately, Hoyt was on the other side of the pool table. Sookie's brother was very attractive and smelled delicious. He could definitely see the resemblance, but Jason was nothing compared to Sookie.
And he was thrilled to see her. He was even more thrilled that he hadn't seen Sam's pickup truck in the parking lot. He'd known that Sam had gone to New Orleans and he'd come on the slim chance that Sam would still be gone and she would still be there. He would have eventually found her address and visited her house if he didn't have any luck running into her again, but this was much much better.
He looked at Sookie, dismissing the men.
"Are you still working?"
"Nope. I was just about to head home. Are you waiting for Sam? I think he said he'd be back by ten."
They weren't supposed to meet until after closing, still several hours away.
"I guess I might be in for a bit of a wait, then. May I buy you a drink?"
She didn't know whether she should deal with the gossip about them sitting together in the bar — and having to listen to their thoughts in real time — or the gossip of being seen leaving with him. At least he would be coming back in when Sam got back. And they would be able to have a much nicer talk, just the two of them, somewhere quiet. Her heart beat a little faster.
"Do you want to maybe go outside? We could take a bit of a walk."
There was no way that she would have been so bold a few weeks before. Was that because of the confidence-boost from the attention of two attractive men and a little bit of practice-flirting and the seductiveness of his quiet mind? Or was it because she had changed, fundamentally? And was she going to wonder if every new change going forward could be attributed to the attack?
"Your feet must be tired. Sam has a couple of lawn chairs out in front of his house. He told me that I could wait for him there. We could sit and talk for a bit."
The thought of sitting in Sam's chair in front of Sam's house with her when Sam got back from New Orleans delighted him.
She did a bit of a dance inside and then leaned over to kiss Jason's cheek.
"Supper at my place on Monday."
He gave her a pointed look, raising an eybrow in question.
"Ok, Sook. I'll see you then."
She could tell that she was going to have some explaining to do.
She waved to Jason and Hoyt and Eric took her hand on the way to the door. Half the town would be talking about this by the next afternoon, but it wasn't like she had no practice being the butt of people's jokes and the topic of conversation. And this time it was because she was leaving with what was probably the best looking man in Louisiana. And maybe out of it, too.
She hadn't known how nice just holding hands could be. Especially when he ran his thumb back and forth across her palm. His hand was chilly but it was making her hot and bothered. Especially the part throbbing between her legs. He let go long enough to open the door for her and then kissed her hand when he took it again.
Sam lived in a double-wide behind the bar. Eric led her over to a chair on Sam's front lawn and she sat down. He moved his a bit to closer to hers before he sat down beside her.
"Tell me about yourself, Sookie."
She took a big breath and blew it out. Where in the hell did she start? Her dead parents? The dog attack? Uncle Bartlett? The years of bullying? What it's like to live life as a telepath? Or maybe the fact that she turned into a furry freak of nature every full moon? Other than those, she didn't really have a lot to talk about, except the tv shows she liked to watch and what little she did in her extensive free time.
"My name is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm twenty-one. I grew up here in Bon Temps and have known pretty much everybody inside all my life. My brother is my only family and we're pretty close. I just started working here earlier this week and I'm enjoying it so far. And I like poetry, beautiful sunsets, and long walks on the beach."
He laughed. "I will keep that in mind."
"How about you?"
"I am Eric Northman. I'm twenty-three and was born in Sweden. I have a few business ventures, in Shreveport and elsewhere. My sister Pam and I are also very close. And I can't promise you a walk on the beach, but I would very much like to see you again. And not just when I have business with your boss."
God, he was charming. Her cheeks almost hurt, she was smiling so hard. She was sure that she was doing a terrible job of hiding her excitement, but how exhilarating was it that she couldn't hear it for herself? Her stomach was full of butterflies.
"I would really like that."
"Excellent. Do you work tomorrow evening?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm free."
"May I pick you up at nine?"
"Sure. I live about four miles south of here, off Hummingbird Road. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere but it isn't hard to find."
"It is a date."
The butterflies multiplied. She wondered what they were going to do, but she didn't want to ask. She hoped that he wasn't going to expect her to put out — she had no plans to jump right into the sack with both feet — but she really wasn't concerned about him being insistent about it. She found that she wasn't really scared of him any longer. And that kind of terrified her.
A pickup pulled into the parking lot and then drove around back. She squinted and threw up her hand when she was temporarily blinded by the high beams. Sam turned off the ignition and jumped out of the truck. He looked angry. Maybe sitting in his front yard with another guy hadn't been the best idea. She stood up. Sam's voice was cold.
"Sookie. Eric, you're early."
Eric shrugged, smiling. Sookie said, "Arlene asked me to cover the first part of her shift. She just took over."
Sam grunted. Sookie stood next to him in awkward silence. Eric sat, not disturbed in the least. Sam didn't want to go inside and leave them alone.
Sookie gave in first.
"I should go. It's been a really long day and I'm exhausted. Glad you got back safe and sound, Sam. I'll see you on Wednesday. Bye, Eric."
Eric finally stood and stretched. Sookie almost drooled and wondered if that wasn't the point.
"I will escort you to your car."
Sam walked to the employee entrance but didn't go inside. His attitude and possessiveness were making her uncomfortable. Being the rope in an awkward tug of war between them was worse. At least he was pretending to look at something over by the dumpster. Eric lightly touched her back as they walked. When they got to her little hatchback, she turned her back to the car door and Sam. She smiled up at Eric and kept her voice low.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at nine."
"Excellent."
He leaned down and kissed her. It was gentle and soft, but it was't quick. She hadn't been expecting it and it startled her, but it felt so good that she forgot all about Sam standing about thirty feet away. She put her hand to his face and he had his splayed across her back. When they pulled apart he smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Goodnight, Sookie."
She smiled all the way home. It was still pretty early so she ate a sandwich and got a shower and watched TV for a while before she gave up and went to bed. She was tired but it took her forever to fall asleep. She was equal parts excited for her date on Sunday night and dreading seeing Sam Wednesday morning. She still liked him, and part of her was really pretty sure that Sam was the guy who was offering what she was after. And, if he ever asked, she would love to go on a date with him, too. She just wished he'd stop acting like a jealous boyfriend.
She spent a little while remembering every detail of that kiss. Eric's lips had been so soft and had felt so good and she couldn't imagine that other men's kisses could be so sweet. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Sam. She would like to try, but she was pretty sure that Sam's kisses were not going to top Eric's. In fact, she didn't think they would come close.
She hadn't noticed that she'd thought of kissing Sam as a when instead of an if.
...
Eric followed Sam into the bar and sat at a table. He had a while to wait, but listening to the customers talking about him and Sookie and making Sam uncomfortable were both worth his time. He ordered a red wine from the redhead he'd met a few nights before and sat back, ready to pretend to nurse it all night.
