Total eclipse of a heart (Embry Call)

06. Date, not date

"Oh, wow. Hi!" Embry blurts out, smiling so widely I'm afraid his face might get stuck like that.

"Hi." I manage to say, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"You look....stunning. I just - I have no words to describe how fast my heart is beating right now." Embry speaks fast, stumbling over his words and somehow, I find it cute. Endearing even.

"You too. You clean up really nice." My voice is high pitched and soft at the same time, something it never is. Why am I being so weird?!

"So, uh. Since this is short notice and I totally didn't expect you to actually come with me, I have no clue what we'll do." Embry gives me an impish smile and I look up to the sky briefly, pursing my lips.

"How about a walk on the beach and a nice conversation to start?" I offer, not feeling like eating anything and definitely not wanting him to spend any money on me. But I do have an ulterior motive. If we're alone on the beach, he might be more open with me than in a crowd. There's a lesser chance of interruption and a cosy atmosphere might help.

"S-sure. I'm in." Embry rubs the back of his neck and I smile, giving him a slight nudge.

"Would you - uh, like to...Hold hands?" Embry asks and I raise a brow at his request.

"How about we start of slow? Like hook our arms together and see how that goes?" I give him an alternative without actually declining his request and he seems to catch that. He offers his arm and I place a hand on it, moving closer to him as result. Hand holding seemed too intimate and couple-y, but I was wrong. As we walk, this is what feels more intimate and raw, something couples do when they're completely at ease with each other. Something I'm not and since he's quiet, I think he isn't either. Hand holding still gives you some distance, but this? This is closeness and trust wrapped in one simple touch of my hand upon his arm and it confuses me more than before.

The beach is fairly close and after a few minutes of silence, I hear him begin to speak. I know he's talking, but I can't focus on what he's saying. My mind is trying so hard to keep the necessary distance between us, to distinguish what we're doing from actual dates with guys I'm supposed to like instead of Embry but it's a losing battle. I can't shake it off. I can't shake him off.

"You okay?" Embry stops, moving in front of me and my arm falls, returning to my side.

As I take in his cheekbones, full lips and caramel skin I just want to eat him up. There's something so sexy in that vulnerable look of his, and though his eyes are melted chocolate in the sun, I find them as beautiful as an eclipsed sun in the moonlight. His voice is warm and rich; my heart beats faster than it's design specs should allow. Then it's silent for a moment- he's waiting for a response but I wasn't focusing on his words at all, but the lips he used to form them. As I blush his look of bafflement becomes a shy smile.

"Want to sit for a bit?" Embry shows to a large log and I look at it, giving him a small nod. He helps me sit, but I'm forced to pull my dress down to stop an accidental flashing neither of us signed up for on this particular night.

"Can you tell me something about yourself?" Embry carries the conversation, surprising me. He's persistent and patient, I'll give him that.

"Like what?" I'm a guarded person and I can sense he's aware of that. Embry is trying to get through to me, break my walls and all of that in a single day of knowing me. That's not going to happen, obviously.

"Like your family? What are they like? Where are you from? That kind of stuff." He lists and I swallow thickly, training my eyes at the ocean fifteen feet away from us.

Maybe I can say a few things? That would help him deepen the trust between us. I can do that. Just a few things.

"I was born in Chicago." I start off with the truth, a fact that's undisputable.
"My dad works a lot. He's in a...government sort of a job that requires a lot of secrecy and classified information. We moved a lot. My mum, she, uh...she was killed when I was twelve. I was there when it happened and I still struggle with it, but this isn't something I'm comfortable talking about." Although it's vague, it's almost all true. I only lied about my dad working for the government, giving the rest of what shaped me to be who I am on a silver platter for him to take.