Chapter Five: Kiss the Girl
“Sookie,” Jason bopped into the kitchen excitedly, “Mark’s coming up the drive. You ready?”
“Yeah,” the sister sighed, wiping her hands on her apron as Gran gave her a small kiss on the cheek.
“Could you be a little more excited?” Jason grumbled. Though he knew that Sookie pined for Eric, and had been surprised when she agreed to go on a date with his friend’s younger brother, Jason could tell Sookie was doing this for everyone but herself.
“I am excited,” Sookie assured as she put the apron on its hook and headed toward the door.
Her brother tailed Sookie all the way to the front door, and Jason grouched as she headed out to the front yard instead of making Mark come to the door for her. Her date seemed equally surprised as he anxiously hopped from behind the wheel to get to her door.
“Hi, Sookie,” Mark grinned at her as he fumbled with the door handle. The young woman found herself smiling at his clumsiness. “Sorry, sorry,” he yelped, finding the door was locked. He ran back around the car, unlocked it, and returned with a flushed, embarrassed expression.
“You don’t need to be sorry. Thank you,” Sookie slid into the seat her date offered and waited as Mark came back around to get behind the wheel. “So, what are we doing?” she asked.
“I thought we could get some lunch at D’s BBQ,” Mark replied as he pointed the car toward town.
“Okay,” Sookie shrugged as they rattled down the road. She could feel Eric’s silent mind in the distance trailing them. Soon the car became as quiet as Eric’s presence, and the telepath found herself relaxing against the seat. With Eric’s mind so close, it was easy to ignore Mark and whatever thoughts he had. She could only hope that Eric would not realize why she had wished to go unaccompanied.
As the pair arrived at the small restaurant that was nothing more than a shack with outdoor picnic tables, Sookie felt Eric’s mind fall within the treeline behind the tiny building. When Mark hopped out of the car, he opened Sookie’s door and held out his hand for her. Sookie accepted it uncomfortably and felt the onslaught of Mark’s thoughts that she tried desperately to silence. The problem was, she realized, she was so unaccustomed to people other than Eric touching her for extended periods. Mostly, others gave her brief hugs that were easy to steel herself against. Mark, however, was not letting go of her hand, parading the fact that he was holding it to all the other teens that were hanging around the food shack on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Even with Mark’s calculating thoughts ravaging her mind, Sookie did not miss the beginning of the gossip their classmates were considering. Nearly everyone present was surprised to see Sookie with a man other than Eric. No one seemed able to understand what was happening. She heard Maudette Pickens wondering if this meant she could possibly land the elusive Northman, and Sookie felt herself bristle at the thought.
It’s for the best, Sookie thought forlornly. Trying to convince Eric that being with him was her choice and not some sort of psychological response to always being around him would be no easy feat. While Eric mulled that over, Sookie could help Mark Davies and maybe get some perspective of her own. Of all the boys in Bon Temps, he was the only one that would appreciate what she had to offer. She could only hope that Eric would not put two and two together when he watched them interact with each other.
Eric prowled the treeline like they were the bars to some cage. Let go of her fucking hand, you ingrate, he snarled in his head when he observed Davies helping Sookie from her seat and never letting go. He could see the tension in Sookie’s shoulders as she battled with the teen’s thoughts. Despite her obvious discomfort, Sookie smiled and remained charming as ever.
Watching as Sookie’s peers gawked and whispered, Eric found himself becoming more and more frustrated. He could hear someone whisper, “What about Eric?” He watched annoyedly as Maudette Pickens brightened hopefully. Throughout the entire date, all the vampire could do was seethe quietly in the shadows. It was only when the pair rose to leave that Eric realized he had not been keeping the best surveillance. Many of their classmates had come and gone, and it was the passage of time that made Eric see that Sookie had finished her meal long ago. He’s fucking flaunting her, Eric understood angrily. Whether Davies was doing this to show off that he could date Sookie when Eric could not, or to flash around what a catch the young woman was, Eric was unsure. Regardless, Eric hated every moment of it.
At one point, Eric frowned, when Sookie wrote Mark a note and slipped it to him. Whatever the statement said, the man’s face reddened deeply. When he nodded slowly, Sookie gave him a shy, apologetic smile, took the note back, and quickly burned it before stubbing the ash out on the ground. Eric gritted his teeth as she used the very tactic he had taught her with the purpose of keeping whatever she had to say from the vampire’s knowledge.
Several hours later, Eric’s torturous excursion ended, and he followed the couple back to the farmhouse. As he dropped into the woods near Sookie’s house, Eric was pleasantly surprised when Mark merely gave Sookie a hug goodnight after walking her to the door. Now it was his turn to have Sookie all to himself once again, and the only thing he could think of was combat training. Anything so that he could press his body to hers and eliminate Mark Davies’ scent with his own.
{†}
“GOOD!” Eric roared excitedly as Sookie shot her arm out like a cobra and delivered a firm blow to his throat. The attack did not faze him at all, but the miracle of her landing a strike was well worth his praise. Over the past few months, Sookie’s intensity had grown, and he finally witnessed the young woman before him fighting like she meant it.
Despite his marvel at the change, the vampire wondered about the origin from which it stemmed. Ever since she began dating the annoyingly dull Mark Davies, Sookie had seemed far more focused on her training. Not only had she devoted herself mentally to combat practice, but her concentration on school, both supernatural and human, had heightened as well.
I suppose this is what growing up looks like, Eric realized with a modicum of regret. To see the carefree and jubilant child transforming into the severe and focused teen right in front of him was strangely saddening. Watching Sookie out on dates with Mark Davies, evading her ceaseless attacks on himself, and losing the sound of her cheery voice as she tried to distract him from her lessons was…
It is what? Eric wondered. What is this feeling?
It was new and unwelcome. It felt like jealousy but hurt far more than that emotion ever had. If a word could be said for the sensation, the only one that came to mind was ‘loss.’ I feel like I am losing her, Eric discerned.
Without realizing it, Eric had become lost in thought, and Sookie managed to land another blow upon his jaw. Forgetting to lean away from the hit, and instead of remaining perfectly still, Eric heard the distinct sound of a bone snapping. Sookie’s cry of pain erupted in his ears, and Eric watched as the girl clutched her broken hand.
Shit, Eric realized his error and gently took Sookie’s hand into his own, scrutinizing it. “I am sorry,” the vampire whispered. Her big, blue eyes looked up at him, her body much closer to his than it needed to be. “You should have Jeanie fix that.”
As her eyes cast downward, Sookie carefully took her hand back and called for the Djinn to repair the injury. It only took a brief moment before the young woman was experimentally fisting and stretching her fingers.
“That is all for tonight,” Eric adjourned their training for the evening.
“It’s barely even eleven,” Sookie protested.
“I said we are done,” Eric whispered as he began walking toward the door.
Sulking, Sookie followed behind her vampire and allowed him to scoop her into his arms when they arrived back at her house. As they flew back into her bedroom, the young woman held Eric’s forearm. “Can you stay for a moment?”
“No,” Eric sighed. “Go to sleep.”
With that, Sookie watched as Eric jumped out her window and went to stand out by the woods as he usually did. As she stared out the window at her sentry, Sookie barely took the time to set Jeanie’s bottle on her bedside table.
Sookie stared at her guard forlornly from her spot at the window. The past six months had been brutal emotionally. She had been lying to everyone, and that knowledge did not sit well with her. With her departure from Bon Temps ebbing nearer and nearer as graduation approached, the young woman hated that she was wasting her waning time with Eric in a farce. She hated the ticking clock that taunted her daily with the counting down of her future loneliness.
“If I said I don’t want to be the queen anymore,” Sookie found herself speaking more to herself than the other occupant of the room, “would you take away Eric’s sunstone?”
“Only if you ordered me to,” Jeanie replied.
“I don’t want that,” Sookie shook her head before raising it from the sill. “Jeanie,” she mumbled, “I don’t want to do this without him.”
“Some things must be done on your own,” Jeanie reminded.
“I can stand on my own two feet,” Sookie protested. “I just don’t want to always be standing on them alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” Jeanie assured.
“Who will I have?” Sookie found her body leaning toward the bottle and yanked the stopper away to face her friend directly. Sookie was unsurprised when Jeanie backed away and refused to comfort the young woman when she erupted from her vessel. “I won’t have my family, or you, or Eric. I’ll have to leave Gran- my whole world. Eric refuses to stay after I take my crown, and you… You make me feel like I’ll be losing you around that same time.”
As per usual, Jeanie retreated to her bottle, and Sookie sat in her bed, alone. Silent tears dripped down her cheeks as she stared out her window at the familiar silhouette by the forest. Despite the darkness, Sookie could always see Eric. Even in the shadows, the gentle glow of his otherness guided her eyes to that beacon of silence.
Sookie was not sure when her loneliness began. Her childhood had felt so bright and exciting with Eric. Her education of the supernatural had been mystifying, and the notion of being a fairy princess was every little girl’s dream come true. As she grew, however, reality became supernatural. She lost any semblance of choice or goals of her own. She realized that when she concluded that her companionship with Eric left so much to be desired. Her body yearned to hold his intimately in every possible expression of the word.
Without Eric in her life, Sookie felt an emptiness grow inside her. Her motivations became stinted in considering his absence.
Crawling out of bed to put on her nightgown, Sookie found herself pausing in front of the window. Eric was looking at the house.
A pang of frustration shot through Sookie’s gut as she snatched her nightdress from the bed and yanked it over her head. Removing her shirt and shorts beneath the gown, Sookie eventually crossed her arms angrily over her chest as she stared out the window. The lie needed to end.
“Jeanie,” Sookie summoned her Djinn, who barely had time to appear from the bottle before she barked, “make me feather fall.”
Before the Djinn could fully react, Sookie flung her window open and leaped into the night sky. For a brief moment, Sookie felt the full force of gravity sending her toward the earth, but Jeanie managed to encapsulate her with power and allow the young woman to gently touch down.
Eric was already running at her, and Sookie managed two whole steps before he was glaring down bewilderedly into her eyes.
“What happened?” the vampire demanded.
“As the future ruler of Elfyria,” Sookie whispered, “I don’t give a damn what my subjects have to say about my choice in consort, and I never have.”
“Sookie-” Eric tried to interrupt.
“I want you, Eric,” Sookie continued unwavering. “I understand that I have to leave my family to start a whole new life. That’s fine. That’s the way it should be. But I shouldn’t have to give up you if the only reason you’re keeping me at an arm’s length is politics.”
“It is not only the politics,” Eric sighed as he found his hand reaching to smooth her golden hair.
“If you can’t feel the same way about me, then I’ll understand,” Sookie felt her shoulders tighten in preparation for rejection. “If it’s me and not the crown that’s keeping you from loving me, just tell me. But I will fight. I’ll fight harder than you ever knew I could. I’ll be the strongest queen you’ve ever heard of if that’s what it takes.” Her hands took his own insistently. “So, if you’re putting up the fence between us because you think I can’t keep growing with you too close, then you’re wrong. Give me a shot at what I really want, and you’ll never see someone work harder than me.”
“Do you promise?” Eric asked quietly. When she looked up, startled, he continued. “Do you promise not to hate me if I keep you? If I am to be the only man you will ever truly know?”
“I will be the happiest woman and Fairy Queen in the history of Earth or Elfyria if you are the one I get to spend my reign with,” Sookie assured.
A smile spread across Eric’s lips at her declaration, but when he tried to lean in and claim her own lips, Sookie’s hand was there, covering his mouth.
“I have to break up with Mark first,” she told him regretfully.
“He does not have to know,” Eric pointed out. “It is not as if I am some teenage boy who would mock him.”
“I would know,” Sookie told him. “It feels enough of a betrayal confessing to you like this when I’m still in a relationship.”
“You are loyal to a fault sometimes,” Eric chuckled as he pulled Sookie tightly into his arms.
“You wouldn’t love me any other way, would you?” Sookie laughed, happily nuzzling against his chest and breathing in his scent unabashedly. She had longed to breathe him in like this without shame.
“You trust those you are loyal to with far too much,” Eric tried to explain.
“I’ll trust you with a lot more after tomorrow,” Sookie giggled and blushed excitedly.
Eric paused at her statement. Hesitantly, he hedged a topic he had always been uncertain about bringing up with her. “You realize that our relationship should remain chaste until you make a play for your crown, yes?”
Sookie’s brow furrowed, “Why?”
“Even if it is your destiny to save Elfyria, you will still need supporters. Knowledge of a romantic attachment to a vampire could hurt your cause in the beginning. An alliance with me would not be all that unacceptable, but the fae look at vampires much the same way vampires look at Weres and Weres look at shifters,” Eric explained. “For now, our intentions should remain quiet.”
Sookie frowned before questioning, “By chaste, you mean?”
Eric grinned, “That you will not be deflowered on Prom night. After you finish school, we can begin our quest to open the Gates of Elfyria. Once you have an alliance, then we can explore a physical relationship.”
Considering his words carefully, Sookie offered a slow nod, “But you’ll still kiss me?”
“My general scent being on you is more than reasonable,” Eric chuckled. “However, a sexual relationship with a vampire could severely hinder your efforts to gain supporters. And before you ask, yes, they will know if you and I are physically intimate.”
“I’m okay with a physically subdued relationship for now,” Sookie smiled reassuringly. “All I care about is not losing you. With how much I’ll have to let go of, I couldn’t stand if you were one of them.”
“That has been weighing on my own heart as well,” Eric confessed. “Seeing you out with Davies these past months has been beyond irritating.” A smile returned to his face as he admitted, “It was always a relief to me when you would give him your cheek when he moved to take your lips.”
“First of all,” Sookie wagged her finger at him, “I wasn’t about to go kissing someone in front of others, and we are always in public together. Secondly, Mark never expected to kiss my lips, he always knew I’d turn my head.”
“I have to commend him, then,” Eric frowned at her statement, “I do not know of many teenage boys in this age that would have continued dating a girl for so long with so little to show.”
Sookie rolled her eyes, “Not everyone has that on their mind, you know.”
“Teenage boys do,” Eric laughed.
The urge to kiss Sookie became nearly unbearable at that moment, but Eric had never been one to lose to his yearnings. He could happily wait for her. Centuries of memorizing her lips would be well worth the twelve hours he would have to wait for Sookie to properly break-up with her current boyfriend.
“You should go back to bed,” Eric pointed out with a smile as he took Sookie into his arms and began their flight to her bedroom window. When Sookie was tucked back into her bed, Eric sat at the edge of the mattress, playing idly with her fingertips. “I hope that when you find yourself defending our relationship, I do not bring you any regrets.”
“The only regret I could have is not taking a chance,” Sookie assured him, smilingly. Her hand took his in a firm squeeze, and she turned onto her side so she could fall asleep comfortably, holding his palm in her own grasp.
{†}
Sookie felt a knot in her throat that was making it too painful for her to swallow. Thankfully, her mouth was dry as she approached Mark in the hallway before first period. His curly brown hair was bobbing with his laughter, and Sookie found herself wringing her hands. Despite knowing that an end to their relationship was inevitable, Sookie still felt concerned about how he would react to hearing that she was dumping him.
“Ma-ark?” Sookie choked, bringing her boyfriend’s attention away from his friends.
“Hey, Sookie,” Mark smiled down at her, leaving his circle of friends to speak with her.
“I want to break up,” Sookie blurted out, making the teen blink at her in surprise.
“Oh… I thought…,” Mark cleared his throat.
“Things between Eric and me have changed,” Sookie whispered.
Mark sighed in exasperation. “Well, thanks for giving me six months.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-”
“Aw, shut up,” Mark laughed as he brushed back his curls self-consciously. “You shouldn’t be stuck with me when you’ve wanted to be with him for so freakin’ long, right?”
“So, you’re not mad or-”
“I’m annoyed, but I’m not mad,” Mark confessed. “Honestly, the time we spent together was a lot of fun, and I’m really grateful I had someone like you in my life who just got me. You really made things better for me. Really.”
“Thanks, Mark,” Sookie smiled timidly. “You’ll make someone really happy, I just know it.”
With that, Sookie retreated from the conversation, heading toward Eric, who had stayed at the juncture of the hall. The vampire offered a consolatory nod, having respect for the boy’s calm temper under the circumstances. It had to be damaging for his ego to find that he was being left for another man.
As Sookie took stride with Eric, he felt her warm hand slip into his grasp. He was unsure if she was trying to retreat into his silent mind, or if she was actually seeking the touch itself. Whatever the reason, Eric was happy to have her contact.
By the beginning of second period, the school was already abuzz with the gossip about the Sookie, Mark, and Eric triangle. Eric could only imagine the unfiltered stories his Sookie was hearing, but the general consensus was that Mark had dumped Sookie for cheating on him with Eric.
When lunch rolled around, Sookie steered Eric outside to eat rather than remaining in the cafeteria.
“How bad is it?” Eric asked as she ferociously bit into her pear.
Sookie shrugged, “It’s fine. I just need a break.”
“Sookie?” Eric pressed in a chastising tone.
The young woman rolled her eyes, “Honestly, it’s just a bunch of trash. I would rather have my lunch in peace.”
Eric paused his inquiries a moment before a smile tugged at his lips, “If I were to promise not to use this predicament as ammunition about what is to come, would you speak to me?” Hesitantly, Sookie nodded. “I promise.”
“Everyone’s gossiping that I cheated on Mark with you,” Sookie blurted. “Knowing that everyone thinks so little of my character hurts.”
Placing a comforting arm over Sookie’s shoulders, Eric tugged her against his chest. “You have a terrific character. You are strong, as well as considerate of others. Even with my assurances not to tell anyone, you still refused to let me kiss you before you were formally broken up with Davies. You are a woman of your word and strong convictions, and you should never allow people’s gossip to bring you doubt.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Sookie admitted with a sheepish smile. “I feel silly letting it get to me, though.”
“They are your peers, and to have your peers doubt your integrity is not easy to ignore,” Eric told her as he twisted a lock of her hair around his fingertip. He remained silent after that, watching Sookie eat her lunch and absorb his words. Her thoughtful silence was one of the things that had made him fall in love with her. Despite all the things she heard through the days, and all the things she saw, Sookie remained self-contained. Sometimes she would become more than pensive at the thoughts she was privy to, mostly when they confused or angered her, but generally, Sookie took things in stride. Eric did not find her current concerns any indication of immaturity.
On the contrary, he found her response admirable. Sookie showed an acknowledgment of other’s worries but did not flounder trying to justify herself. She was taking the silent, unrepentant high road. As much as it seemed to frustrate her, she stuck to her efforts.
Once lunch was over, Eric and Sookie finished their school day in companionable silence. Sookie did not mention their relationship at all, and Eric maintained his disinterested façade. To the students of Bon Temps high school that heard the rumor of the changed relationship, many were surprised to see no visible evidence in that status. For all they knew, the stories that had burned like a brushfire through campus were a mere excuse made by Mark Davies to slander Sookie for dumping him.
It was not until the couple was heading to the bus that Maudette Pickens approached, seeking answers.
“Stackhouse,” Maudette called, making Sookie turn in surprise. “Are you two really dating?” she demanded pointing between vampire and telepath.
With a smile, Eric took Sookie’s hand in his. “We are,” he proclaimed.
Maudette frowned at the confirmation, “After all this time, why now? You’ve been ignoring all of us except her forever, and then all of a sudden, you change your mind after she starts going steady with someone else?”
“I’m the one who went after him,” Sookie interjected, frustrated that others were accusing her guard of luring her away from Mark. “Mark didn’t dump me because I cheated, and Eric didn’t chase after me because I was seeing someone else. I was dating Mark, we broke up, and now I’m dating Eric. It’s that simple.”
Squaring her shoulders, Maudette placed her hands on her hips as she hissed accusingly, “I guess the ‘Stackhouse Whore Gene’ is running its course. Just so you know, it just makes you look like a slut.”
Barely bothering to blink at the insult, Sookie squeezed Eric’s hand reassuringly. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to know each other better if that’s how you really feel about me. If your curiosity’s sated, we’re leaving now.”
As Maudette began to open her mouth to let another vapid comment fly, Sookie’s eyes sought out the mind she heard coming to intervene. As they widened in an attempt to dissuade Mark’s interference, it was too late.
“Maudette,” Mark snapped, making the crowd around the couple grow with anticipation of a romantic triangle, “I’m gay. Sookie knew and was helping me keep it under wraps until graduation.”
Eric looked at Sookie in surprise. He thought he would notice something like that, but with Sookie obscuring his perception, he had missed the more obvious details.
“What?” Maudette gawked in surprise.
“I’m gay,” Mark restated. “I didn’t want to put up with the same shit Tara’s cousin did, and Sookie knew people were starting to ask why I never dated. When I asked her out, she accepted because she wanted to help me.”
Sookie heard the anger and disgust of the crowd and began to ease away from Eric’s side. Discretely, she placed herself between Mark and the potential mob. She swooned, seeing Eric do the same thing.
“Fucking fag lovers,” someone in the group snarled when they realized that Sookie and Eric had moved to protect Mark.
“Listen to me,” Eric rumbled, and Sookie could feel his glamour taking over the crowd to help along the persuasion. “In less than two months, all three of us will be gone from this shit hole. Ignore us until then. There is no need to run us out of town. We all plan on leaving after graduation.”
“You two are leaving?” Tara asked in surprise even as the crowd’s animosity waned slightly.
“Yes,” Eric nodded. “Sookie and I will be leaving together after graduation. Mark, I am guessing, plans to do so too.” The young man nodded in agreement unaware of the small influence Eric had performed. “You do not have to convince us of anything.”
Sookie listened intently to the minds around her. Although a lot of those surrounding them wished to beat Mark upon principle, Eric’s glamour had drawn a line in the sand. Though it was still possible unglamoured students could come after Mark, Sookie had hope that he would remain safe for the next couple months.
Silently, the trio moved toward their bus and sat in the very back. Tara moped the entire way, realizing her best friend would be leaving soon. Eric, on the other hand, was marveling at Sookie’s considerations. He understood now why she had asked him not to chaperone. He knew why she had written a note that she immediately burned. It was all to protect what she had learned through her telepathy, and she would never betray another’s privacy. Sookie would choose to have her own name slandered rather than expose someone else’s secret.
Upon arriving home, Sookie was surprised to discover that Gran had already heard about the confessions that took place at school. Not only was she impressed that word had spread so far and wide in the course of a bus ride, but also that her grandmother seemed concerned by the situation.
“You two are taking off together after graduation?” Adele asked of the pair the moment they set down their bookbags.
“Yes,” Sookie whispered. Graduation had always been her planned exit from Bon Temps. Jeanie had insisted she would need to help Elfyria immediately. Originally they had planned for the guise to consist of heading off to college. Now, Gran seemed ready to give them an alternate excuse.
“Are you eloping?” Adele asked hoarsely. When neither of them replied, Adele softened her tone. “Sookie, dear, are you two in the family way?”
“No!” Sookie squeaked. “We’re not eloping, and I’m not pregnant! We haven’t even kissed yet, Gran, I swear!”
“I just don’t understand what’s going on between you two,” Gran shook her head confusedly. “You’ve always insisted that you were just friends. Even when everyone around you knew better, you kept on refusing it. Why now? What happened?”
Sookie relaxed and smiled, “Eric couldn’t take seeing me with Mark anymore. I think that jolt of jealousy just knocked some sense into him.” The vampire beside her glared down at Sookie in amused annoyance.
“I am sorry for the things I have put you through, and the things I will put you through,” Eric told the grandmother. “When I came to Bon Temps, I never thought about how my leaving would change things for everyone else. I always planned to leave after graduating, and I did not want to take Sookie from you.”
“And now that’s changed?” Adele asked.
“Yes,” Eric replied. “I cannot lie to myself or her any longer. It is that simple.”
Adele sighed at Eric’s confession. “If this is what both of you want, then I’m happy for you,” she assured with a strained laugh. “We all knew how the two of you felt. I’m happy you two have finally grown up enough to communicate properly, and became brave enough for honesty.”
“I never expected to fall in love,” Eric laughed as he took Sookie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I never expected to feel like I found a family while I was here either, but somehow you managed to be a grandmother to me. I did not think that was possible.”
Laughing at the young man’s admittance, Adele shook her head, “You were a tough nut to crack. You were always such a formal little boy. It was like talking to an old man in a child’s body. That smart mouth of yours had me ready to rip out my hair from time to time.” Sookie giggled at her Gran’s statement.
Eric grinned as well, “I am glad I have not ruined our relationship over this.”
Adele chuckled again, “It takes a lot more than this to break up a family. Distance and time only hold so much power. The memories and love will always have the advantage.”
Seeing that her grandmother was feeling lost despite her kind assurances, Sookie released Eric’s hand and embraced Adele tightly. Returning her granddaughter’s hug, the older woman let out a long, slow breath. The phone call her Gran received from the school was playing through Adele’s head, and Sookie rolled her eyes. Apparently, Mrs. Maladri had called Sookie’s grandmother immediately after hearing Eric’s sidewalk declaration. The teacher had told Adele that there was a good chance Sookie was ‘in trouble’ and that she and Eric were going to elope.
Unable to fathom the beehive communication that was Bon Temp, Sookie merely shook her head. “I guess we should get to work on our homework, then-” Sookie began to excuse themselves.
“Uh,” Adele began uncomfortably, “I would prefer if you two did your homework here from now on.”
Sookie frowned, “Why is that?”
Squaring her shoulders sternly, Adele pointed out, “You only have a little less than two months before graduation. We don’t need people going on with rumors about the two of you.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Sookie protested angrily. “What was different before?”
“You’re dating now,” Adele explained.
“We’ve never even kissed! Now people are thinkin’ I’m gonna jump into bed with him the second we’re alone?” the granddaughter demanded.
“That is not the point I am making,” Adele continued firmly. “I am saying that there is no reason to throw fuel on the fire. Six weeks is not that long.”
“I take it,” Eric interrupted dispassionately, “that no one in this house would have any objection if Sookie and I studied in her room?”
Adele sighed, narrowing her eyes at Eric. She should have known he would find a work-around. “That is true.”
“Then there is nothing to be concerned about,” Eric continued smoothly. “We will just shut the door, and it will be no different than studying at my house.” When Adele’s jaw moved to object, Eric added, “Because we are obviously grown-up enough to do so, and we are in a home free of judgment.”
As Adele’s mouth clamped shut once more, Eric smiled and picked up Sookie’s bookbag. Steering his girlfriend toward the stairs, Eric soon had them in her room with the door shut.
“Can you believe that!?” Sookie demanded as Eric set their things on the floor. He watched as she paced about the small room. It was a rare occasion when he witnessed Sookie’s age at the surface. The angsty pacing was amusing to the vampire. Her inflated rage was giving her face an adorable flushed appearance as well.
“This is a very religious town,” Eric reminded. “Gran has never been shy about saying things how they are.”
“I mean, I get her stance, but still!” Sookie flopped onto her bed and mumbled into her pillow, grouchily.
“There is no point wasting the time you have left here being angry or frustrated,” Eric told her gently as he sat next to her on the bed.
“I’m never coming back, am I?” Sookie whispered to Eric. It was something she always suspected, but it felt like Jeanie and Eric neglected to blatantly state what felt so obvious now.
“With an hour in Elfyria being a day in the human realm,” Eric began slowly reclining to lay alongside her, “it is doubtful that you would be able to visit much. We may be able to sneak away from time to time. With the sunstone, I’d be able to continue protecting you, ironside.”
Sookie leaned her head against Eric’s chest. “Of all the things, I hate this part the most. We have time to make our relationship work, but my family doesn’t… Can’t I just wait? Can’t I wait a few more years to open the gates?”
“I do not think so, Sookie,” Eric answered regretfully. Vampirism was so much easier. There was a minimal choice involved, and once it was done, you either accepted it, or you got yourself ended. The world was not placed on shoulders, nor was much expected from you. Without care for protection or luxury, there was nothing to bind a vampire to a kingdom or queendom. The only individual owed true fealty was the Maker line, and no one else.
Shutting her eyes as Eric’s hand reached for her face, Sookie took comfort in the cold touch of his fingers as they brushed her cheekbone and traveled into her hairline. Subconsciously, she felt her head tilt, pressing more firmly against his caress. As his palm opened, cradling her face, Sookie felt the slightest of pressure as she was drawn forward. Her heart pounded, but her eyes remained closed even as she felt the softness of his lips touch her mouth. Gentle at first, Eric seemed to pause at the initial contact, but the pressure quickly grew more forceful, his hand abandoning her hair to wrap about her shoulders and pull her closer.
Sookie’s heart was thudding painfully against her ribs, and despite the coolness of Eric’s lips, she could feel them burning with the rush of blood his closeness brought. All too soon, his lips were gone, and Sookie’s eyes finally opened to see a satisfied grin on his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Sookie mumbled self-consciously.
“Because you are beautiful, and I love you,” Eric replied earnestly, making Sookie huff on a laugh. “You do not believe me?”
“It’s not that,” Sookie assured. “I’ve just waited so long to hear it. My body didn’t know how to respond.”
“You could always say it back,” Eric suggested amusedly.
“I love you so much,” Sookie sighed as she leaned in for another kiss.
dream7me7to7sleep 