Baby, It's You & No One Else

The ringing of a cellphone woke me up a couple hours later. The clock on the night stand shone bright with the time, 7:45. I sighed, leaning over Eric and grabbing the phone despite the fact that it was Eric's. I looked down and rolled my eyes at the name B-house, still wondering why they even gave Blake that nickname.

"Yes?" I answered, groggily.

"Where are you guys?" Blake asked, raising his voice to be heard over the loud music wherever he was.

"In bed. Where are you?" I asked, surprised they were out so early.

"Um, living like a college student at Blarney's." Loud laughter could be heard next to Blake as Eric started to stir under me. I placed a kiss on his forehead and waited for Blake to remember he was on the phone with someone. "Well, are you guys even coming?" He asked, a smirk evident in his tone.

"Stop fucking Eric and get down here," Kara screamed in the background.

"Yeah, it's mine and Adam's job to by nymphos. Hurry up!" Katie screamed, laughing loudly after.

"We're coming," I mumbled, smiling because of Eric's sleepy smile. The sentence barely left my mouth before the dial tone was heard. I pulled the phone away from my ear, looking at it and then clicking my tongue against the top of my mouth in disapproval.

"Blake is so rude," I told Eric.

"No, he just wanted to get back to his girlfriend," Eric laughed, pulling me down onto his chest again.

"He is so whipped, it's ridiculous." I murmured, thinking of all the times Kara had gotten him to take a day trip to Duluth and see her. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and Blake was by her side, ready to please her. He was like a dog in that respect. But then again, the same could be said for Eric. He liked to please me, sexually and in general. He liked me happy and out of breath, he said I was more receptive that way. Whatever, more like he loved to have sex. Typically guy, not that I could complain because the sex was nothing short of amazing.

"Do we have to go?" Eric asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Yes, I want to see Kara. I missed her," I told him, sitting up and bringing him with me.

"I don't want to," He pouted at me, his bottom lip coming out.

"Don't even try it," I giggled at him, kissing the lip that was jutting out. "It doesn't work after all these years."

"Okay," He sighed, lifting me out of the bed and carrying me to my closet.

"I don't have any clothes here," Eric realized, wrinkling his nose at his sweatpants and t-shirt. "I'm going to have to go get some." He told me, leaning his chin against my shoulder. I turned to the left, looking into his brown eyes as they stared back at me.

"Or you could go out like that and not draw as much attention," I grinned at him, puckering my lips for a kiss. He smiled and placed his lips against mine in a short kiss.

"It doesn't matter either way. You're the only one I want," He gave me a sweet smile.

I returned it but my mind was still racing with what tonight was sure to bring. It was standard whenever Eric and I went out that he got a lot of attention. To be honest, I didn't mind at all as long as the people who fawned around him were respectful. And what I mean when I say that, is that they keep their hands off his body. Especially the girls. They are the worst and I find myself cringing each time one of their hands makes contact with his arm or his thigh. But I just keep it to myself because I don't need to worry about it. Eric has always been faithful and I have complete trust in him.

"I think I'm going to get some jeans," he told me, his hands staying on my hips as I leaned forward in my closet and grabbed a pair of my own dark wash, skinny jeans. I pulled back against his chest and then turned to him.

"Pink or purple," I asked, wondering which color tank top would go better with my white cardigan.

"Purple," He said.

"Ick, no. I want pink," I told him, reaching for the cross chest, baby doll.

"Then why did you even ask?" He laughed as he headed towards the door.

"Because I wanted to know which one not to choose." I smirked at him as his eyes lowered in confusion. "You have no sense of style, honey. That's why I dress you." I explained, crossing the room and wrapping my arms around him. "But it's okay, you still dress better than Adam." I slapped his butt and walked back to my closet.

"I think that was uncalled for," He parted to me before walking out the door and down the hall.

"Bye baby. I'll be back in fifteen. Love you!" He called to me.

"I love you too, bye!" I replied and listened to the sound of the door closing behind him.

I pulled his sweatshirt off along with my sweatpants as I watched him get into his truck. I paused for a second to watch him pull away and drive down the street. A smile was painted on my face, knowing that tonight was going to be fun. Being reunited with my friends and having Eric by my side was all I needed for the night.

Eric was back in fifteen minutes exactly and walked into the bathroom just as I finished putting on my lip gloss. I smacked my lips at him and grabbed me, slamming me against his chest and kissed it all off.

"Oh, honey. Pink isn't your color." I laughed at him, as he puckered his lips for me to take it off.

"Damn."

I laughed at him before bring his face back to mine. His hands came to the backs of my thighs, lifting me off my tippy toes and setting me on the counter. I flicked my tongue against his bottom lip and he groaned in response.

"If you keep doing that, we are never going to leave," He told me.

"Oh darn," I snapped my fingers and reached for his face again. But my phone vibrating on the counter stopped the kissing and loving. We both looked down at it and I smiled when I saw Karaboo flash across the screen.

"Hi-"

"I'm sick of missing you. Come here, lubby," Kara pouted through the phone and I giggled at her.

"We're coming, boo," I assured her, hoping off the counter despite Eric's protests. I tugged on his hand and jogged down the stairs to the entry way.

"Good, hurry. Love you. Bye." She rushed, a giggle the last thing I heard before the line went dead. I rolled my eyes and tugged on my short, grey uggs. I reached for my jacket, not finding it on the railing, instead in Eric's hands where he waited to help put it on. I smiled at his adorableness and put my arms in the sleeves, flipping my long, brown hair out of the collar. He grabbed my hand again and quickly pulled me out of the house.

We arrived at Blarney's not even ten minutes later, walking in and being exposed to a packed house. It was a regular hang out spot for college athletes so I waved to the various other football players scattered around. We had barely set foot in the restaurant before people were calling Eric's name. I smiled back at him as he squeezed my hand tight, telling me to stick with him and not run off to Kara and the gang. I sighed as he pulled me into his side while he high fived and pounded fists with various people. I occasionally smiled when people would acknowledge me but I most just watched from my position, ignoring the glares I could feel on me.

Finally, Eric didn't bother stopping for anyone else, just giving anyone who called to him a wave or a head nod. We reached the table where Kara, Katie and their respective boys sat and I immediately flocked to Kara's side.

"Why do you love her more than me?" Katie pouted at me, her arms crossed.

"Because first of all, she doesn't live with me and second, I don't see her everyday." I told Katie, laughing along with Kara.

"You know, sometimes I think Kara even loves you more than me," Blake pouted.

"Well, that's obvious. I don't follow her around like a puppy," I shot at him.

"I'm in love," Blake defended, placing a soft kiss on Kara's cheek. She turned towards him and puckered her lips much like I did to Eric earlier. He immediately placed his lips against hers and I jumped off of Kara.

"And things just got awkward," I laughed, wrapping my arms around Eric's waist as he talked to Adam.

"You're just jealous of our love," Kara giggled as Blake nuzzled his nose against her neck.

Mhm, that's it." I laughed.

Eventually, Eric brought both of us chairs so we could sit down. The boys had their own conversation while Katie and I focused on getting caught up with Kara. We had missed her a lot and we're still trying to convince her to transfer down here. But it's senior year, and there really isn't much point to it. Plus, she love UMD and refused to transfer for Blake. She thought of the distance as a good thing for them but I couldn't imagine being away from Eric for such long periods.

All of us were buzzed as the karaoke started up across the bar from us. Kara dared Blake to go sing and despite the fact that he didn't want to, he did it anyway. "Anything to see you smile, baby," had been his excuse but I wouldn't have been surprised if he really wanted to do it. The group laughed along with Kara as Blake belted out the lyrics to Just Dance by Lady Gaga. The combination of the high notes and the fact that he was drunk made the song that much more entertaining. My stomach hurt by the time he jumped off the stage with a bow and headed back over to our table.

"You know Blake, if the football thing doesn't work out for you, show business will." Eric laughed, slapping him on the back as he walked by us.

"I'll keep that in mind, bro," Blake laughed as Kara giggled into his shoulder.

The night dragged on, each bad person after the next, trying their luck at singing and each coming up short. Eventually, everyone in the bar was so drunk that the singing had turned from entertaining to just plain dreadful. So they packed up for the night and opted to go back to the jukebox. I sat next to Eric on the outside of the booth, talking to him while the other couples with us, shared a dance to some old school, Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. I laughed as Katie stumbled into Adam for the 10th time since they got up. She was so wasted that her eyes were closing as she swayed with him.

"Excuse me," a red head's voice sounded from my left. Both Eric and I turned to look at the girl who stood nervously next to us. "Um, no offense to you," she told me, a nervous smile on her face, "but I lost a bet, and uh, I have to ask Eric to dance." She mumbled, her confidence faltering after the words spewed from her mouth.

I glanced over at Eric, who's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment at the girls words. He looked like he just wanted to disappear and it might have been the alcohol or maybe the fact that Eric would die, but I urged him to.

"Oh, he would love to dance with you, right Erbear?" I asked him, my white teeth gleaming at him.

"Oh yeah," he muttered as I moved so he could get out of the booth.

"I hate you," He mumbled to me as he followed her to the dance floor.

I laughed and called to him, "I love you too, honey," before sitting back down and watching them dance.

If I thought Katie was drunk, this girl was fucking plastered. She was so far gone that it was a miracle she was still conscious. She swayed like a tree in 70 mph winds and Eric struggled to keep her upright. I sat in the booth, giggling to myself before Kara plopped down next to me.

"Hey," I smiled at her, "where's lover boy?"

"He decided to dance with Adam and Katie. Plus, I wanted to come talk to you. Where's Eric?" She asked, puzzled. I pointed my finger to Eric, who was holding the girl an arms distance from him as she rocked her hips to the new beat.

"Wow, you let him dance with that girl?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I don't see the harm.," I mumbled, despite the fact that I did see it. But for some reason, tonight I didn't care. I felt relaxed and at home even though Eric was "dancing" with another girl.

"Are you serious? You must trust him a lot then," Kara murmured, stirring her straw around in her drink.

"Well, I do trust him, especially when I'm sitting across the bar from him. What's going to happen?" I asked, shaking my head at her.

"Mmm, I guess," She murmured. "Doesn't it bug you though? All the girls who throw themselves at him?"

"Well, yeah." I told her, "but I trust him enough to tell them no. Plus, there is not point in freaking out over something he can't control. I know he can handle it." I informed her, taking a sip of my beer. I almost spit it out though when my eyes caught Eric's. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights as the girl turned and walked towards him like a cat stalking her pray. I laughed loudly once I had swallowed and Kara joined in when she saw it. Eric's eyes pleaded with me as he grabbed the redhead's shoulders, halting her approach.

"I guess I should go save him," I murmured to Kara just as Blake walked to the booth. "Oh Blake, can't be away from her for more than a couple minutes?" I giggled.

"Hey, your boyfriend is accessible to you 24/7. I only get a couple blissful days with her. So, fuck off." He mock-snapped at me. I just ruffled his hair a bit and walked past him towards Eric. His face showed immediate relief when our eyes locked across the room. The red head, noticing his change in attitude, looked at me and pouted slightly.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," She sighed before turning and walking away.

"No, it really wasn't," Eric told me, his mouth crinkled in distaste. "I'm scarred for life." He complained to me, pulling me into his arms and swaying me to the music of a slower song.

"I think you'll manage," I told him, resting my head against his heartbeat.

"As long as you stay with me," He whispered into my hair, his hands also tangling in the long locks.

Our bodies moved as one as the songs started and then gave way to a new one. It didn't matter if the beat was slow or fast, we kept our rhythm the same, never change pace or missing a beat. My head stayed on Eric's chest, tucked under his chin as he made sure we kept rocking from side to side.

"I know it's days away, but I'm going to miss you when you go to Penn State," I murmured to him, talking about next week's football game.

"You know I'll miss you too, but the faster it comes, the faster it goes. And then I'll be home in your arms again," He assured me.

I just nodded and dropped the subject, not even sure why I brought it up. I just hated it when he went away because we couldn't have moments like this. And then there was always that big subject hanging over us, how he would be eligible for the NFL draft this year and he was a hot prospect. I was proud of him and I wanted him to go high, play for a team that can bring home a NFL title.

But that didn't mean I wanted the complicated lifestyle that came with it. And here I was, getting a year a head of myself. I had so much more time with him to figure out our future, if we would even have one once he got drafted. I hoped so, but things change and so do people.

I pressed my face into his chest again, letting his steady heartbeat calm me into contentment. It was moments like these that made me realize just how lucky I was to have him. Someone who loved and cherished me to the point where I was constantly in awe of his sweet gestures. And when Eric took my hand, done with dancing and wanting to go back to our friends, I knew, without a doubt, that the butterflies that erupted in my stomach were telling me to hold on to him for dear life. And that no matter what happened between Eric and I in the future, the butterflies were worth listening to because they would always lead me back to him.