Status: Progressing (slowly, but still)
Blood, Sex, and Cocktails
12 - Cold Shoulder
For a while, I didn't really talk to Eric – more than just that, I pretty much gave him the cold shoulder treatment. He made attempts to initiate conversation with me and I responded as briefly as I could. I just didn't want to go there – after that one night and the morning after, I just didn't even want to talk to him long enough to give him the chance to bring it up. And at first, it really seemed like he was fine with it – sure, he kept trying, but he always seemed to accept I wasn't going to talk to him, shrug it off, and walk away. Notice how I prefaced all of that with 'at first'. It had been a week and a half, maybe closer to 2 weeks, I'd been giving him this treatment. It had been another one of those nights that really took a toll on some of the stock, so I had to stay a little late to note what would need bought quite soon. I finished up and was headed toward the exit, only to have Eric show up, in that sudden teleport-y way, fitting just perfectly into the space between me and the door.
“We need to talk,” he said as I sighed, turned around, and headed for the hall to take the back exit. Eric obviously stuck with me the whole way and blocked my path out once again as I reached it.
“Destiny.” I groaned, turned, headed back out to the main exit, where he was already waiting. I turned away from him again, only to be held by my wrist.
“Do not walk away from me right now, Destiny,” he said, somewhere between a plea and a demand.
“Let me go,” I growled.
“No. Not until we have talked and have said everything that needs said.”
“There is nothing to say, Eric. I got blind stinking drunk and I did some stupid shit – it happens. We forget it and we move on.”
“You know that's not it.”
“You know, Eric, actually I'm not entirely sure it's not.” Whether he caught it or not, that was my not entirely consciously intentional bitter reference to his words from that night.
“You were right about everything,” he said, evidently more uncomfortable but suddenly open – about whatever he was talking about. “I do think the title 'big, emotionally-stunted, dead baby' may have been a bit harsh, but I can see how I deserve it.”
“What are you talking about?” I was caught off guard by him quoting my name for him.
“Did you really think I'd just stomp away and brood? When all night, every night, I watch over you, and I just...watch you – did you think, especially after those words, that my eyes, my ears, and my mind wouldn't be stuck on you? I heard everything you said to Fauna, and even from across the room, I saw tears in your eyes. And everything you said – to me and to her and without even saying anything – was right. You were right. As a general policy, I don't really feel things, so it is new and unfamiliar for me. But you are definitely something to me, Destiny – I have to and I want to admit that.”
“Is that all?” Honestly, that alone was a lot and was enough to make me want to smile, but I wouldn't. I had to stay stone-faced, not let on how much he could get to me.
“It's all I have the words for right now, but I know you know. I have no doubt that you feel...something – for me and from me.”
“I want to go home and go to bed, Eric. Can we just leave it all at this for right now?”
He nodded just slightly and released my wrist. After a moment of hesitation, I gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and a similarly small, but more positive and encouraging nod before leaving.
“We need to talk,” he said as I sighed, turned around, and headed for the hall to take the back exit. Eric obviously stuck with me the whole way and blocked my path out once again as I reached it.
“Destiny.” I groaned, turned, headed back out to the main exit, where he was already waiting. I turned away from him again, only to be held by my wrist.
“Do not walk away from me right now, Destiny,” he said, somewhere between a plea and a demand.
“Let me go,” I growled.
“No. Not until we have talked and have said everything that needs said.”
“There is nothing to say, Eric. I got blind stinking drunk and I did some stupid shit – it happens. We forget it and we move on.”
“You know that's not it.”
“You know, Eric, actually I'm not entirely sure it's not.” Whether he caught it or not, that was my not entirely consciously intentional bitter reference to his words from that night.
“You were right about everything,” he said, evidently more uncomfortable but suddenly open – about whatever he was talking about. “I do think the title 'big, emotionally-stunted, dead baby' may have been a bit harsh, but I can see how I deserve it.”
“What are you talking about?” I was caught off guard by him quoting my name for him.
“Did you really think I'd just stomp away and brood? When all night, every night, I watch over you, and I just...watch you – did you think, especially after those words, that my eyes, my ears, and my mind wouldn't be stuck on you? I heard everything you said to Fauna, and even from across the room, I saw tears in your eyes. And everything you said – to me and to her and without even saying anything – was right. You were right. As a general policy, I don't really feel things, so it is new and unfamiliar for me. But you are definitely something to me, Destiny – I have to and I want to admit that.”
“Is that all?” Honestly, that alone was a lot and was enough to make me want to smile, but I wouldn't. I had to stay stone-faced, not let on how much he could get to me.
“It's all I have the words for right now, but I know you know. I have no doubt that you feel...something – for me and from me.”
“I want to go home and go to bed, Eric. Can we just leave it all at this for right now?”
He nodded just slightly and released my wrist. After a moment of hesitation, I gave him a soft kiss on his cheek and a similarly small, but more positive and encouraging nod before leaving.