Grasping at Impossible
Chapter 7:


Three days later I was brought out of my wet dreams of Sookie from hearing my phone buzzing on my nightstand. I feared it was Lafayette so I ignored it and soon fell back asleep. I woke again a few hours later hour later and sat up, squinting my eyes from the brightness of the afternoon sun peeking through the curtains in my room. I made a mental note to buy some that would block out the sun entirely. I hated waking up to the blinding star, but it was necessary to continue this pathetic excuse for a planet. I, for one, would prefer to only be awake at night. It was so much more peaceful, and easier on the eyes. I fumbled towards the stand and picked up my phone. I saw that I had three missed calls, and they were all from Sookie.
"God dammit, fucking shit," I cursed, pressing the button to listen to the messages. The woman on the other end said I had two, so I pressed the appropriate number to listen to them. The first one was at 9:53 am.
'Hey Eric. It's me, Sookie. I was in Shreveport this morning and wondered if you wanted to get some lunch or something. Give me a call. I will be around for a couple hours.'
Holy Fuck! I hadn't seen her in a few days and she was in town. I pressed the button to hear her other message. That one was from 12:35 pm.
'Hey Eric. I guess you are busy...or something. Sorry for bothering you twice. I guess I will see you some other time, if you want. Take care.'
"Shit, Shit, Shit," I mumbled to myself, looking over at the clock. It said it was half past two. "Fucking hell," I dialed her number quickly, praying she would answer. She didn't of course, and I felt a tightening in my chest. I missed her call, and who the hell knows what she was doing now. So I did the only thing I could do, I left her a message back.
"Sookie," I said practically breathless, and I held the phone away from my ear for a second, trying to figure out where the hell that came from. It was a damn answering machine for Christ sakes, not her. "I am so sorry I didn't get your messages. I only just now woke up. Please give me a call back. I would like to see you soon of course. I have been thinking of you...often. Call me.'
I hung up, and my jaw dropped. Before I could think anymore about it I got up and went into the bathroom, turned on the hot water for the shower and got in. I let the water sting against my skin, and I was grateful for it. To think about these things were never easy but I had to, otherwise I wouldn't acknowledge it. Did I just tell her I was thinking about her? I shook my head, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why I said that to her. Did I miss her that much? Well yes, I did miss her taste and her scent, but I was feeling that need to be around her. Perhaps it was because I hadn't had sex in almost a week and it was making me fucking crazy. I hadn't gone this long before. I kept up my end of the bargain not to see anyone else while I was still with her, and if I had the chance to be with another anyway, it didn't feel right. I wanted her so badly that any other woman at this point made my stomach hurl. I had been working non-stop for the past 3 days, trying to keep my horny self from actually taking advantage of the pussy that was lined up in the bar at my disposal. Sure it would be easy, but what was the fun of it? For some reason, I knew my shot with Sookie would only come once, and never again. She may be a sweet, gentle girl, but to hurt her wouldn't be something I could handle seeing. She needed someone strong who she could depend on, and I was trying my best to give her what she wanted.
This past week has been an eye opener for me, and I was kind of enjoying it. I never thought that I would like to be missed by a woman, especially one that I was lusting after. I had heard women tell me before they missed me, but they didn't matter. It was different hearing it from Sookie. She was someone that I cared for, or so I was starting to think. I wanted to fuck her, sure, but something in me wanted more. Something was calling attention up front to get closer to her before I did anything to ruin it. Even stranger was that I wanted not one time with her, but many, and possibly for a long time. I came to terms with that the other day. Her kisses and touches, even as little as we had shared, were bringing more meaning up front, and was becoming something more than it was before.
I waited for her to call me, and when she finally did I didn't answer because I was sleeping. What a dumbass I had become. I made a mental note to change her ringer, so I would answer it no matter what, and stilled in the shower. Did I really want to change it? So it would be recognizable to me? Yes, yes I did. Oh god, I was fucked.
I got out of the shower and dried myself with the soft cotton towel, thinking that it wasn't as soft as Sookie's skin. As though she knew I was thinking about her I heard my phone ring that familiar tone, and I rushed into the room like a man on a mission, grabbing the phone and falling back on the bed as I opened it and breathed a hello in the device.
"Hi Eric. Did I catch you at a bad time?" she asked, and I sat up quickly.
"What? No, I just got out of the shower. You can call me anytime."
"Really?" she asked, and I could almost hear her biting her lip at that moment. God, how I wanted her here in this bed with me right now. I looked down, and it seemed the other head on my body was agreeing with my thoughts as well.
"Anytime. I am sorry I didn't answer your call earlier."
"Oh, its ok. I was in Shreveport getting some supplies together for my next trip. And I wasn't that far from your bar, but its ok. I still got what I needed and..." she continued to ramble on. She was adorable when she did this. I could listen to her ramble all day, and that thought scared the shit out of me. Who the hell wants to hear a woman talk all day? Certainly not a sane man, that's for sure.
"Are you still around?" I asked her, hoping the hope in my voice wasn't too evident, but I was sure I didn't succeed on that front.
"Actually, I am back at my Gran's now," she said, sounding down. I let out a sigh. Why the hell did this feel like a freaking high school romance? I needed to nip this shit in the bud, but for some reason my mouth wasn't catching up to my head.
"Oh, how is she?"
"Ok, for the most part. I don't think..." she paused, and I heard her inhale and exhale for a moment. "I don't think she is going to last much longer." Her voice caught on the last word, and I felt my chest tighten. She didn't deserve this kind of pain, especially not her.
"I'm sorry to hear it Sookie," I said to her, and she thanked me quietly. I sat there on the bed, hearing her silent cries on the phone, and wished there was something I could do to make her feel better. I knew sex would make her feel a lot more loose and relax her, but I didn't think it was the right time to bring that up. "Do you want me to come over and we can do something?" I asked her, hoping she would say yes, but of course she didn't.
"Actually, I need to go somewhere for a few days, but I will be back. I have to get this taken care of or my boss will have my ass. She isn't happy I am taking this long off, but I have been here for a few weeks already." Hearing her say that pissed me off. She had been here for three weeks and I just now met her? How fate and the gods must hate me, or else I would have met her a long time ago, and this would have been over and done with. I was stewing in my own upset I hardly heard her next words, until they hit me. "...Pam isn't coming with me. She is needed back in LA for some sort of conference about me, and has to oversee my interest. I guess I will have to go alone, but this will be the first time without an assistant. I could ask Quinn to go with me, but..."
Fuck no! I was putting an end to some guy keeping her company. Fuck, that wasn't happening, not on my watch. "Or I could go with you," the words flew out of my mouth without even thinking twice. But once I said it, I knew I wanted to. Something in me needed to be with her, and make sure she was safe. She was silent on the other end for a few moments, so I said, "Are you still there?"
She cleared her throat. "Did you say you would come with me?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes, if you need someone to go with you, I want to go."
"You don't have to Eric..."
"I want to make sure you are safe. This world will do anything to break you, and I won't let that happen to you," I said with conviction.
"I can take care of myself," she huffed into the phone, and I growled in frustration.
"I am sure you can, but...Where are you going?"
"Brazil," she answered, and I quirked an eyebrow. What the hell was she going down there for that was so important?
"For..."
"I have a photo shoot set up. I can't cancel this one again, or else I will lose my job. I will be gone for a few days and will be back before the weekend."
"Then I will come with you and keep you company," I told her, trying to sound firm, all the while hoping she secretly wanted me to come too.
There was silence for a while, until I heard her sigh. "Ok then. You can come. I already have reservations and everything so you just need to bring a bag and whatever else you need."
"What time do you leave?" I asked her, grabbing my suitcase from the top shelf in my closet. It had been a while since I had last traveled.
"In two hours," she said weakly, and I started throwing shit in my bag. "I didn't know until a few hours ago. Sophie had it all set up and my phone wasn't on..." she started making excuses. I cursed to myself, wondering how the hell was I going to get to her in time.
"I will be there. Tell me where the flight is taking off."
"Um, actually we are about 20 minutes outside Shreveport, so I could pick you up if you want," she offered.
"Great, come by. I will be ready." I quickly gave her directions to my home, wishing that the first time she would have seen it was when I brought her here after a date. I wanted her to be here. Sleeping in my bed alone, it didn't feel the same anymore. I almost felt a longing for her to be by my side.
I quickly packed my bag and the toiletries from the bathroom, and then stopped by the nightstand and threw in a box of condoms. "You never know," I mused out loud, grabbed my coat and walked down the hall. I quickly called Lafayette to tell him where I was going.
"Hello?"
"Laff, I am calling to ask you to watch over the house while I'm gone."
"Hold up. Where are you going?" he asked.
"Brazil with Sookie," I answered simply.
He laughed out loud. "You don't waste any time do you?"
I sighed, "It's not like that. I will be back in a few days. Call Bill and tell him too, I don't have time to."
"Sure, will do. Hey, so where are you staying?"
"I don't know yet. She has the plans, so we are doing whatever she has to," I answered quickly, grabbing my keys as I tucked my wallet into my pocket.
"Ok, ok. I will water your plants for you," he teased, "have a safe trip."
"Thanks," I said shortly, and snapped the phone shut. I heard my doorbell ring and was happy to see the person on the other side was an angel. My Sookie.
"Hey," she said, and pulled me into a hug. She was soft and warm, two of my favorite things in a woman. She leaned back and planted a kiss on my lips before picking up my smaller bag, and walking me over to the limo waiting for us.
"A limo?" I asked, and she nodded her head, blushing.
"Sophie Ann never does anything half assed, even if it is picking me up for the airport," she answered, giving the bag to the chauffeur and sliding into the backseat. I got in beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I missed you," she confessed and I smiled against her hair, breathing her scent into my system. It had been too long since I had seen her.
"I missed you too," I whispered and she let out a sigh as the limo took off, and we headed to the airport.