How It's Said

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I slap the visor back into place, the small light emanating from it extinguishing as it closes. I can’t look at the mirror any more. No matter what angle I look from, the bruise is still there. Even with the crappy car light casting a shadow on half my face.

Shifting in my seat in Eric’s truck, I slip the heels off my aching feet. I wasn’t on my feet for that long, it feels nice to take them off. I’d love to take off the dress, it’s tight and keeps reminding me of what happened only a short while ago. I’m not taking the dress off, not yet. Not until I’m home tonight. Alone.

I glance at Eric.

His eyed are hooded as he stares ahead. One tan arm is resting on the steering wheel, the other on the door. His form his shadowed, the only light entering the car comes from oncoming cars.

I settle back into the seat, the plush leather comforting. I listen to the soft rock song on the radio, the bass drum so strong and steady that it causes me to start tapping my foot.

“You play?” It takes a moment to register. I’m so involved in the song that I don’t realize Eric had asked me something until he repeated it.

I look up to see him staring at me. He holds my gaze for a moment, his beautiful eyes dark and mysterious, before returning his gaze to the road.

I do the same, folding and refolding my hands in my lap.

“No. I’ve never played. David used too.” A small smile tugs at my mouth. David used to do a lot of things. He used to cut school, play pranks, steal, and get arrested. He was never as good at any of those things as he was- is -at the drums. David started playing when he was sixteen and immediately got hooked. He loved the sound of the drums, it’s beat strong and steady. He loved knowing he controlled the band; that everyone depended on him to get through the song.

“Used too?”

“He was an amazing drummer. The best. Every band wanted him. He took full advantage of it. He couldn’t have cared less about the bands he played in. Everything was a one-time-deal to him, even if he’d written in blood that he would stay with the band for a year. He never cared.”

I turn and look out the window. I bite my lip and take a deep breath in through my nose.

“One night he was coming home from a gig he had. He had gigs every Friday and Saturday night, it was nothing new. He would come home drunk as a dog and pass out on the couch. He could handle his drink. To my one drink he could down three. After two beers I’m out. At six he would walk around like he was completely sober.”

I lick my lips, trying to make myself finish. I’ve never told anyone about David’s down fall. It may have brought him back to reality, but it wasn’t the best part of his life. He doesn’t like to share it and neither do I.

“When the cops pulled him over he had a blood alcohol level of 0.2.” I hear Eric curse at that, but I keep going. “He was arrested for DUI and spent the night in jail. When he got out, he was a changed man. He packed up his drums and hasn’t played since.”

Eric’s silent for so long, I start to become afraid of his response.

“That takes courage.” Eric’s voice is strong, like he’s congratulating a brother instead of a man he doesn’t know. “It takes restraint to do that. Does he drink at all now?”

“Every now and then he’ll get hammered, but other than that he’s completely sober.”

“Good.”

That one word makes me believe there is some good in Eric. If he can feel pride for a man he doesn’t know, then he is capable of much greater things.

****

“Come on, Eric, just do it.” I taunt, sticking a second straw in the cup. “Or are you scared?” I raise an eyebrow. “Are you scared you’ll lose and your man-ego would never be able to handle it?”

That does it. I watch as his eyes narrow and his jaw clenches.

Game on.

I slide the milkshake to the middle of the table and slide forward on my plastic-covered half of the booth.

Bending the straw I meet Eric’s gaze.

“Three…. Two…. One….” I say, my lips around the straw. “Go!” I say, grasping the straw in my mouth and start sucking.

My mouth fills with rich chocolate milkshake and I quickly swallow it down. There is no way I’m letting Eric win. When David and I were kids we would compete in “Who can go the longest and not give up because of a brain-freeze” games all the time.

I would always win.

I swallow another mouth full. My head starts to feel cold and I know I’ll get a brain freeze soon.

I move my straw around in the cup as a delay. I gain a few seconds before I start downing milkshake again.

Looking up I notice Eric’s eyes are crinkling, the lines around his puckered mouth hard. I smile. Brain-freeze I sing-song in my head.

Sucking on the straw for a few more seconds, I just wait for Eric to give up.

Three…. Two… One…

“Okay, okay. You win.” Eric sighs, settling back into the booth, his hands raising up to cup his head. I watch, gleeful, as he rubs his forehead as if to force warmth into it.

“I’ve heard sticking your tongue to the roof of your mouth works.” I say with a laugh.

He raises an eyebrow, looking at me between his hands.

“Will your tongue work too?”

I roll my eyes. Even with a brain freeze he can still try and woo me with sexual innuendos.

“Always the charmer.” I shake my head as if ashamed.

“You know you love me.” Eric says huskily, leaning on the table, brain-freeze forgotten.

“I know you love yourself.” I shoot back, sinking back into the booth. I don’t want to kiss Eric. I don’t want to do anything more with him than eat French fries and drink milk shakes at a twenty-four hour diner.

“I know you want me.” Eric breaths, leaning further across the table. His eyes flick to my lips.

“I do want you.” I say.

Eric’s eyes shift up to meet mine.

“I’m just not going to give in.”

Eric smiles, his gaze roving over my body. I’m still wearing the dress, which hugs my body and pushes my breasts up. His gaze catches on my cleavage and I resist the urge to cross my arms.

“Famous last words, Wright.”

“You wish, Rogers. I’m not giving in. I won’t. You can seduce me all you want, but you will never have me. In six months I’ll be gone.”

Eric grins, his eyes taking a dangerous glint to them. I don’t know why I just said that. Saying such a time to a man like Eric is like waving a red flag to a bull. He’ll take the words at face value and return them at full force.

Somehow I’ve made these next six months into something more dangerous. Eric doesn’t just want to take full advantage of the six months, he now wants to use them to win me, either to date me or fuck me.

He’s taken what I said as a challenge.

He’s taken it as a challenge he plans to win.

A challenge I know if he does win, I will never be the same after.