Dreams and Tomorrow ~Emma~

[eric]

Another day, another way to avoid doing anything serious. There was little need for it, actually. Eric was happy with the way his studies had been going, even with the term's testing coming upon him like a shadow from the grave. The concerns about the school played little on his mind, as he knew once he graduated he would be far away from the tall gates, and castle walls. He did not feel like he had a care, since he knew he was intelligent enough to pass his tests. There was no girlfriend to worry about. There was no pressing issues with his social life to care about. He supposed he should be concerned with what to do with the rest of his life. Should he search out some ordinary Wizarding job that would suit his business nature? Should he venture out and see the world on some far fetched quest to find himself, or to gain even more profit in the muggle world? No, he did not want to think of those things at the moment. He had a few other ideas in mind. One really stood out to me above the others. The fact was, and he told hardly no one about his ideas, Eric wanted to do something that was much more far fetched than a normal wizarding job. He smirked to himself, his light eyes moving among the small flock of first year students moving down the path toward the pitch on the lower grade. He looked the other way, to the horizon.

He wanted to take advantage of the gold market, manipulate it like he could so many students inside the castle. He wanted muggle money that could in turn be turned into something else. He imagined business like a large wheelhouse. The outer rim would constantly turn while the hub centered on one spot. That spot would be his increasing profits, and the outer circle would be the constant rotation of muggle items to gold, gold to muggle money, muggle money split in two to either be used to buy more items, or socked away in his vault for whatever use he could contemplate next. His mind almost reeled with the thoughts, but he remained in control. He knew he had a small fortune already, but the greedy shadow that was cast by his imagination knew that it was only the tip of the cauldron. There was more to be made under all the bubbles and steam. Eric knew this, and wanted to scrape the bottom and have it all.

He moved to a small tree, off to the side of the lake just down the path from the castle, and placed his back firmly against the base. He moved his wand from his pocket and played with the small leather covered handle. He had designed the handle himself in his third year. Eric was not a clumsy person, but he had lost his grip on the wand several times in class. He decided then that to lose a wand could mean death in the right circumstance. He shook the through loose, and looked over the small waves on the glassy surface of the lake. His mind was becoming far away, and he thought that if something interesting did not happen this day, he might take a nap outside. He did not grow bored often, but when he did it usually led to bad situations. He had considered bringing a book with him, but that would have meant reading and not day dreaming. Today was custom made for a day dream. The soft autumn clouds floated above him, and he nodded to himself. He wanted to slip away in fantasy. One where he might not be as shy as he was, or one where someone fell in love with him and did not consider him to be so plain, so ordinary. One day that might actually happen. However, he was not going to hold his breath. He allowed his mouth to move as he smirked, watched the water, and continued to dream.

[Emma McCoy]

Friday had come quickly for Emma, and that meant she had plans. She and one of her Ravenclaw girl friends took the chance to drink in the common room and just have a bit of fun. When their loudness called the attention of the Prefects, they merely went into their dormitory and continued there with most of the other girls. There were one or two girls who weren't crazy about the idea, but they stayed up anyways and just didn't touch the Firewhiskey and Butterbeer being passed around. Emma and her friend liked to stock up. Now that exams were coming, they liked to release some steam every now and then, and what better way was there to do so than to rebel, get a little drunk and just laugh together? It wasn't like they were going to go out and meet a bunch of boys or get up to trouble. They were just drinking socially - what Emma hadn't been paying attention to was how much she drank.

Emma didn't get drunk frequently, but her Fridays were usually hectic, and therefore she had mostly forgotten to eat. Due to this, her stomach had been empty and therefore getting drunk was merely inevitable. She woke up the next morning with her hair sticking up in every direction. She discovered that she was still wearing her clothes from the night before. She groaned as she sat up as her head was absolutely pounding. Emma decided a shower was in order, so she grabbed a pair of jeans, a light long-sleeve shirt and a black jacket, and then headed over to the shower. What she thought would be a relaxing shower turned out to be the worst idea: the water falling on her head sounded and felt like a million little bullets coming down on her. She refused to admit she was hungover.

She brushed her hair out, got dressed and then desceneded the stairs with the intention of grabbing a muffin in the Great Hall and going for a walk to try to walk off her upset stomach. She did so, and then walked into the grounds. She took a bite of her muffin and ate it slowly, while promising herself to never drink again. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, she was very hungover. Just as she was nearing the lake, the soft waves reminded her of her stomach acids which only did one thing: gave Emma the overwhelming urge to vomit.

Not realizing anyone was standing by the lake, Emma ran over to it and puked next to a tree that was so close to the water that the waves quickly took away the evidence of what she just did. She took out her flask that contained nothing but water, swished her mouth out and spat. She then proceeded to take a few sips of it, turn around and see... Eric. Of all the people she could have ran into after puking, it had to be him, didn't it?

Emma tried to relax, so she merely smiled at him while wishing that last night never happened. If last night never happened, she wouldn't have just puked and probably wouldn't have ran into him in the first place.

"Isn't it a little early to be out?" she asked, although she really had no idea what time it was exactly. Emma looked to the sky to see how overcast it was. "Besides, looks like it's going to rain..."

She tried to keep the conversation off of the fact that she had just emptied her stomach contents in front of him, but just looking at him made her turn around, run a few paces and then vomit all over again. Emma took a few minutes before turning around. She never felt embarassed for puking before, so this was a first. She felt like she looked like "that girl." The girl who gets so drunk every weekend and just loves to party. She wiped her mouth before turning around again.

"I may or may not have had too many drinks last night," she said, trying to act like it didn't bother her whatsoever. Some days she hated the sight of Eric and other days she secretly loved it. Today she wasn't sure. Her head was so foggy that she really couldn't decide about anything, really, never mind seeing the only person in school she felt extremely attracted to - no matter how much she refused to ever admit to anyone the attraction. She doubted anyone really noticed their interactions anyways, so there wasn't really anything to admit to anyone, anyways.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[eric]

His mind whipped out of the dreams he was weaving when a sudden gush of sound imposed itself on his thinking. It sounded as if something very heavy and wet had exploded into the weeds close to where he was sitting. In an instant he leaped up and looked at his own clothes. Someone had puked, and the look on his face was disgust. He made sure none of the bodily fluids had hit him before looking up to see who had the nerve to do such a thing so close to him. Someone was in dire need of being taught a lesson. His hand dipped to his holster and he almost pulled his wand. His eyes, however, had landed on the blond features of someone he had known a long time. His confusion was almost total before she began to speak.

How could she act so casual after sharing what smelled to be half a rotten graveyard with him, without his own desire to have half. He actually wanted the rain to come and wash away such vulgar smells, and he had no heart to look down and fetch a description of what she had just expelled onto the ground literally where he had just been sitting. He frowned and looked back to her for a moment before she continued. Of course she had drank, it does not surprise him. He knew she did not do so often, but when she did the bender could last. The ending was usually the same, as proved earlier this year when she decided to try rum and the contents ended up in his lap when something else was suppose to occur in that general vicinity. Yes, the two had been intimate on occasion; but, it was so seldom and far between that Eric had no clue what to consider this girl. She was not a girlfriend, she was not even really a friend.

Eric did not dislike her, not in the least. In fact, he looked for her sometimes when he was between classes. He enjoyed catching a glimpse of her when she was not looking. He found himself staring at her during dinner time, and would have to force his thoughts elsewhere to make sure no one said anything. Why he acted that way with her he could not determine, other than the simple fact that she was one of the best looking females in the entire castle. His attraction to her not withstanding, puking was always such a gross thing. He held his own early breakfast in as he looked again to how casual this girl could be after such a sick thing. He sighed, and leaned against a tree to look her over.

Odd how she could have just puked up an entire brewery and still look so damn cute. Eric thought it would make himself sick thinking such stupid thoughts, but that did not make it any less true. He could not help looking her over, and inwardly hating himself for each glance. She disgusted him one second, and he wanted her the next. He could hate himself just as easily, but in the moment he did not. "That's what you get for ingesting that crap. You should stick with wine, it is easier on the tummy. Course, you never listen to me do you Emm?"

[/color]

---

Tagg: Emma
Notes: Sorry this is short. She is interesting, and I think they might just do well together! Should we consider a history for them so we can paint more of a back-story than I offered here?[/size][/blockquote]

[Emma McCoy]

Emma could see the look of disgust on Eric's face, and on the one hand she was extremely embarrassed, but on the other hand ... she couldn't help but see it as hilarious. She got a boost of self-confidence when she realized that not many people could probably vomit in his presence without getting some sort of scolding. Then again, she didn't really know him that well, as much as her mind wanted to tell her otherwise. She took her hands and began to jokingly try to fan the harsh odours in a different direction.

"Sorry, but I suppose unless the heavens open up and rain, we're stuck with the stench," Emma commented lightly. She took out her wand and was able to clean it up with not much more than a flick. Non-verbal spells were something that Emma had been working tirelessly on since she first started Hogwarts. She didn't like doing them in front of people as she always constantly worried that people may think she was trying to show off. It was one of those things that she assumed the Sorting Hat could see when it placed her in Ravenclaw... that she was smart enough to pick up on some difficult magic such as non-verbal spells. She assumed that her non-verbal spells made up for her lack of skills in Charms, and that made her feel better. "Last time I checked, you were a wizard and could have done that as well if it offended you so badly?"

Emma was mostly joking. She knew that sometimes in situations, people forgot about the simple spells that they could conjure. All she really did was use a cleaning spell. It may have not been the most efficient spell, especially since they were outdoors, but it did the job. All she wished now was that she could magically get rid of her hangover. In all honesty, she was up so late that night that she wasn't even sure if she wasn't still a little bit drunk. She doubted it, though, as her pounding head was telling her something different.

As often as Eric and Emma had been close in the past, they had never actually gone all the way, no matter how much she wanted it. She hadn't even given her ex-boyfriend the chance to go there, and she wasn't about to give her virginity to some guy just because she may or may not find him extremely good-looking. The back of her mind reminded her that the reason why she hadn't gone all the way with her ex was due to the fact that she had still been quite young, and now that she was nearly seventeen it was normal for people to go there but.... she needed something. Something that Eric couldn't have from her. It was just something that she kept in her head. She never exactly told him why, and didn't feel as if she owed him an explanation. Emma was stubbornness at its best.

Emma looked away from Eric for a minute and back at the lake. She needed to take a minute to breathe. Sometimes around him, she didn't really know what to say, which that alone was saying something. She was a very talkative person at times, but it was like his gaze was enough to make all the words just... vanish. She felt insecure enough around him when they weren't arguing that she felt like anything she said would come off as stupid. These were all silly insecurities that she kept in her head, mind you. She wouldn't let anyone know that she was anything but confident.

"I guess I'm not as classy as you to drink wine," Emma stated. "Besides, wine is too sweet - it gives me migraines. Well, I guess in this situation I still have a migraine but -" she cut herself off for a second and looked Eric straight in the eyes. "Did you just say tummy?" she teased. She laughed for a second and finished with, "Of course I never listen to you. Where would I be if I ever did such a thing?"

Emma wasn't even sure if she wanted to know where she'd be if she listened to Eric. She was sure she would no longer be a virgin, that was for sure. Where else was anyone's guess.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[eric]

The room was dark, not even a lumos spell moved through the night as he pulled her into his hiding place. The party had been broken up and students scattered all through the corridors. However, Eric knew the area well. He had private stashes throughout the school, and one such just happened to be several rooms over from where the prefect broke in and began to grab students. He had no idea why he had pulled Emma along with him, other than the fact that if one of the law makers got too close he could give her up to make his own escape. Eric was otherwise not even thinking clearly, too much adult beverages had clouded his judgment. He broke into a run and pulled her into the darkness before he knew he had company. Eric shoved her against the wall and covered her body with his. His finger moved over her lips to make sure she remained quiet. His hand moved out to touch the door and secure the lock, but instead he brushed her chest.

It was an accident, honestly. He did not mind and his hand lingered longer than he should have before locking the door. He moved his face next to hers to whisper and found her lips instead. It was not long before the darkness of the small hiding place became a color of passion. Eric could not really remember ever having a conversation with this girl. In fact, before the party he doubted they had ever been in the same room. He knew they were in the same year, it was Eric's business to know things; however, he never had a use for her so never spoke to her. Until now, there was never a reason for the two to be in the same place.

Eric was aware she had a boyfriend, they were dancing in the empty classroom before the bust. However, when the crowd began to run Eric saw the two get separated, and took Emma's hand on impulse. He was rarely impulsive, so this was an unusual situation. Now his tongue was dancing with hers, and his hand was up her loose shirt. Breathing became heavy, and soon clothes fell to the floor. The petting turned into...

---

Damn that stench was awful. He could not even keep a direct line of thought, much less have a sweet flashback of the first time he had been alone with this Ravenclaw vixen. She was speaking to him, and he casually waved his hand away when she mentioned rain. His eyes crawled to the heavens and he wished it would open up and have done with it. However, it did not happen and he sighed. He focused on what she was saying, and nodded lightly in her direction. How could someone so hot be so gross? He had asked this question of her before, and it had to have something to do with her looks. She looked the part she portrayed in public. No one really got to see inside her, and know what she was really like. No one ever got to see the vulnerabilities that Eric had witnessed once or twice. She was sweet, she was more innocent than anyone would think, and her heart was as gold as Eric's bank account. He sighed again and pushed such venomous thoughts from his head. He did not want to think of her in that fashion.

As sudden as she appeared, the stench had disappeared. He had not thought of that in his moment of shock, disgust, and surprise that she was once again so close to him. How had he lost his mind over this girl? She had talents, there could be no doubts of that. She knew how to do the things she did, but he did not think that was the reason he had to fight going weak in the knees when she was around. He blinked and ignored her question. It was not meant to be answered anyway so he just let it slide from his back. His eyes did stay on her, and he was reminded of that room once again. It had been bliss, but ended in a smack. The last words he had heard from her when he lit his wand was simply: "Who the bloody hell are you?" Then she was gone. He moved away from the tree, and moved closer to her. He wanted to see if he had any of the same affect that he felt when she was near. His heart became a bird trapped in a cage as it rattled in his chest. His eyes locked on hers, and she was speaking again.

He blinked. Had he said tummy? He could not remember, and that was very un-Eric-like. He never let his guard down when he was around others, so how had she slipped in when he least expected it? With one word he hated her again. Tummy? Who uses that word other than some snotting first year crying that he was sick and wanting his mum. Eric moved past her and acted like he was watching the water instead of initially making a move on her. No, he did not want to see if he effected her as much as she effect him. It was pointless, she was never going to be his, and he was not so sure he even wanted her to begin with. Eric was not in the habit of lying to himself, but at that moment he swore that he had no feelings for this tease... this drunk... this beautiful girl. He sighed with the wind as his eyes fell on the cascade of waves coming off the black lake.

He wished he could dive under those waters and be lost. Forever floating in the dark so he would not have to deal with females, and how easily they get between him and his thoughts of business. She had done that on more than one occasion. He could look at her and forget the exact number of galleons he had in the goblin bank sitting in the center of Diagon Alley. Another reason to hate her? Yes, but he still could not hate her in anything beyond his own mind. His heart wanted him to sing a different song. It was not a familiar tune, but her name was all over each stanza. He closed his eyes and let the wind blow in his face.

"Did you come out for any other reason that to make fun of me, or puke on me? If so, I would love to know..."

[/color] Did he really want to know? Was he certain he wanted this answer from her? What if bumping into him was a sincere accident, and she was not actually looking for him? What if she had not even been thinking of him when she came to the lake? Did she ever really think of him? Why the hell were these questions on his mind. He opened his eyes, turned to her, and watched her face for some sort of sign that she was as into him as he was to her...

And waiting was always the hardest part.[/size][/blockquote]

[Emma McCoy]

Emma knew she had drank too much. This whole drinking thing... it was a newer experience for her. She just started at the end of her fourth year. Someone had introduced her to Firewhiskey and the burning sensation was exactly what she liked. Of course, she didn't frequently binge, but tonight was the exception. She had been looking forward to this party for ages - tonight was the night she was planning on maybe going a little further with her boyfriend. Sex? Possibly. She knew she was still a little young, but the more she drank the less that she cared. She downed drink after drink without thinking twice. Emma didn't even realize how much she drank before she began feeling like she didn't have control over her body movements. She felt loose and free of control.

She sat in a chair in order to try to make her head stay still, but nothing worked. The floor seemed to be spinning and it was almost too much for her. Her boyfriend came over and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a careful tone.

She wanted to say yes, and instead she said nothing. She was worried that no matter what she said, he would be the nice guy and try to bring her back to the common room and let her sleep. She didn't want to sleep. Her body wanted something else and the hunger in her was overwhelming.

"Let me get you some water," he offered and then walked away from her.

Next thing she knew, Emma heard shouting. Everyone scattered and before she knew what was happening, someone she assumed to be her boyfriend grabbed her hand. They ran through the corridors together, and everything was spinning. She didn't know why people were running or where they were going. This certainly wasn't the way to Ravenclaw tower. She was shoved against a wall in away that she never expectd her boyfriend to do. The touch of her chest hardly fazed her as she had already had that before, but the lingering had a different feeling to it.

Before Emma could comprehend that this wasn't her boyfriend pinning her against the wall, their lips found each other. She hungrily kissed him back, and although he didn't kiss the way he normally did, hardly for a moment did she even consider this wasn't her boyfriend. She ran her hands into his hair and grabbed it at the back so that he couldn't pull away. The two stumbled through the room before falling onto a surface. She wasn't sure what it was. She fumbled with the button on his trousers and pulled them down roughly. Emma had him in her mouth before she could realize that this very obviously wasn't her boyfriend....

--------------------------------------

Emma looked at Eric expectantly, waiting for some sort of rebuttal to her comments. Hardly any came, and she didn't really know how to feel about it. Was he angry with her? Should she be bothered if he were? In every single case, Emma never knew how to feel around Eric. When they argued, should she be upset? When they were together, was she supposed to feel attachment? When they got along, were they being friends? She never knew what Eric was to her, and she tried to not ask too many questions. Questions made things complicated, and for now, complicated feelings were enough. Maybe if either of them could figure out their own feelings then things could move forward, but she doubted that day was going to come any time soon.

Besides, did Eric even know her? Emma never lied to herself and pretended that she knew Eric. She didn't know his favourite colour or band, she didn't know about his family life. Hell, she never even noticed if he had any girlfriends before her. She wasn't even sure if he had a girlfriend now. Every time they were ever close, there was never a 'No, I have a girlfriend.' Quite honestly, she wasn' sure if he would care if he did. For Emma, she had felt too guilty from that night last year to have a boyfriend. She wasn't sure if she deserved it after cheating on her ex. Besides, she didn't need one anyways.

Eric moved closer to her and Emma inhaled deeply and held her breath. She didn't look away from her eyes, and for her, she felt a strong amount of tension. She didn't know if the feeling was mutual and honestly wished that she knew how to read minds. Could tension ever really even be one-sided? Especially sexual tension? She wasn't sure, but somehow doubted it. Until he moved past her did Emma release the breath she was holding. She had no idea if she was being silly or if he actually had paused in front of her. Had her teasing bothered him that much?

"I was only teasing," Emma said, the smile fading quickly from her face. She knew immediately it was probably the teasing that had caused him to harden up. Would she ever be able to talk to him?

She bit her lip awkwardly at his statement. Honesty... honesty was always the best method.

"I had come out here to get some fresh air from having a hangover," she explained easily. She did not soften her voice, but merely kept it in the same matter-of-fact tone. "I came over here to puke. It's not like that I knew you were here. I'm sorry that my hangover is an inconvenience to you. Not like the first time you've ever seen me vomit."

It was the very truth, although she tried not to think back on it. Worse yet, she couldn't help but wonder if he had told all his buddies that some chick puked on his dick. How much more of a mortifying story could there possibly be? Emma personally never told anyone about their escapades, but that didn't mean he never said a thing. She wanted to scowl but instead kept a calm composure. Comments like those were the reason why Emma never actually tried to persue him. The attraction part? Well, she couldn't help that. She could help falling for him, as he was making it quite easy at the moment for her to not do so.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[eric]

Again he tested his attraction to her. He had no idea what kept him returning for more, knowing that she might never be his beyond the little they did together. It was true though, he had seen her sick many times. Sadly, he never enjoyed the situation much. She had much more pleasurable things she could do with her mouth than toss her damn cookies at him. He decided not to pursue the reason she effected him. It was easy enough to simply admit that she had an effect on him, but it would go no further. He did not want it to go further. What they had was enough, and if she did not think so then she was in for a rude awakening.

He knew he was lying to himself, but at this point he did not care. After all, if she wanted him any further than the things he did for her with his own mouth she would have allowed him inside her. Each time they came to that point she had stopped him, pushed him away, and finished him in another way. If she was dirty enough to do those things, why not just give it up and offer herself to him? He decided that she was only using him for momentary pleasure, and was saving herself for someone she really cared about. Eric obviously was not that person to her. He was a boy-toy, someone to use and toss aside. Was it any different the other way around?

Was he any better than her? He used her, and tossed her aside in every way except his thoughts and the slow beating of his cold heart. He never even told her he cared, or said thank-you for spending time with him. Did he care? This question played harsh on his mind as he opened his eyes and looked to the thin girl. He thought he might have seen a moment of sadness in her eyes when she mentioned that she had not known he was going to be here. So, she was not looking for him. She actually had no intentions toward him in the least. He should have known. Why bother with hope when there is not point to the end of the knife? All it did was slowly cut you until you could bleed no more. He was getting tired of holding his wrists out for her to slice. He was tired of this meaningless sexual activity that had no reason behind the motions. Yes, there was pleasure. She made him feel better than anyone he had ever known before, but what else was there to do? He did not know, nor did he care for the moment. He was tired of even thinking beyond his own zipper.

"No, I have seen you before. Of course, I will see you again. Maybe one day we can be in each other's company without the use of bodily fluids?"

[/color] His sarcasm was biting, but his words were still as true as anything he could have ever said. He did not intend to hurt her feelings, but was no longer going to censor himself when it came to this girl. His mind was sharp, business intoned; she would have to know the real him before they could proceed with whatever the hell was happening here.[/size][/blockquote]

[Emma McCoy]

Emma held the guilt she felt in her for days. Exactly one week after her incidence with the stranger, she had learned who it was who had pulled her into the room. Eric Strobe from Slytherin. She didn't believe they had spoken a handful of words to each other in the years that they were in Hogwarts together, yet he had taken her away and took advantage of her. She had known when she had gone down on him that it wasn't her boyfriend, but she had done it anyways. Wasn't really a romantic story to tell anyone, really. Emma knew what she had done was wrong, but she didn't know how to tell her boyfriend. It was funny, really, how she never really recalled seeing Eric around before, but now it was like she saw him everywhere.

All that kept going through her mind was: 'Why did he do this?' Had he seen her around and had a crush on her, or was she just the winner of some unfortunate 'which girl can I grab first' contest? She kept her distance from Eric in fear of either of the answers. If he had a crush on her, well, to begin with it was creepy. She didn't know who he was. The worse part, though, she had to admit to herself that he was better-looking than her boyfriend, so she was obviously flattered if it was a crush. On the other hand, if she was just the first OK-looking girl that he saw, well... what did that make Emma? Some kind of whore? The worse part about everything was that she heavily suspected that it was the latter, especially since he hadn't spoken to her since. Not that she gave him much of a chance to.

One day, she finally decided that she was going to tell her boyfriend. The two were sitting together in the common room. He was merely reading a book and Emma was attempting to do homework. Instead of actually doing it, though, the tip of her quill rested absent-mindedly on a piece of parchment which now held a large ink stain. He looked up at her with a curious yet amused face and said, "Something on your mind?"

Before Emma could say what she wanted to, she merely replied, "I don't think it's working out."

Everything else was fuzzy to Emma. She remembered them breaking up but agreeing to be friends. The strongest thing she remembered was that she didn't tell him. She would rather keep what happened a secret than tell him that she cheated on him. Emma wasn't a cheater, and she knew that if he was upset - which he was bound to be - that there was every possibility he would tell other people what she did. She cared too much for him for that. She still wanted to be a part of his life, but knew that she didn't deserve to be his girlfriend.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Emma tossed away her thoughts and looked at Eric. She couldn't help but think back on memories when she was with him, mainly because she wasn't sure if he would ever create more memories. Every time she was with him, she assumed it would be her last - especially sexually. She always promised herself that it would be the last time as she could do better than this. Somehow it always led back to it again and again, and every time she felt worse than before. Well, the actual act itself was always pleasurable, but it was the thoughts that haunted her otherwise. Emma didn't know what to make of Eric, and it confused her more than it ever did with her ex. Her ex was easy, simple... Eric was the exact opposite. She was supposed to be the complicated one in relationships (whether romantic or not), not the other way around, but yet Eric had her guessing from every angle. Sometimes she was sure that he wanted something more from her, and other times he acted like he hated her. Emma could never decide which it was, and therefore she held herself back from pursuing. Besides, was it not the boy who was the one who was supposed to court? Emma never had to chase anyone before, and she wasn't going to start now.

Eric's comment caught him off-guard, as he wasn't sure what he meant. The confusion showed on her face, but she was silent for a bit. Without the use of bodily fluid... did this mean that he wanted more than just sex, or did it mean that he just didn't want her to puke around him? Potentially it meant both.

"You've never complained before," she stated, simply. She figured that sentence could refer to either, but it was obviously directed more about the sex. Emma's feelings weren't hurt initially, but the more she stood there with the silence and tension blanketing them, the more she started to feel. Her hurt feelings soon turned to anger, just like any strong amount of emotions in her always did. "Tell me, Eric, what are you expecting of me?" she snarled. It wasn't so much of the words than the way she spoke them. Emma dropped the pretense of acting like this was about her puking. "Are you trying to imply that I'm some sort of slut?"

Emma let it out before she could stop herself. She stared directly into Eric's eyes, almost daring him to call her such a thing. Although her words were scathing, it was an insecurity that played in Emma's mind for ages and had ever since she had met him. She didn't know what she was to him and she didn't know why she did what she did with him. She remembered when she was with her ex and how slow their relationship had progressed, especially sexually. He had asked, but she declined. He was OK with it, and that was another reason why she hadn't done anything. She liked that her ex had been a gentleman and didn't want that ruined through sex. It was also another reason why she hadn't had sex with him. In a way, she wanted to see how long he held out. By doing so, she had made herself not want it in fear that since she had fallen for her ex so deeply that maybe her feelings would change after the main event.

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[eric]

He let her comment about complaints roll off his shoulders without a thought. It was true, so why let her think she had scored the point on that topic? He was tired of discussing it already, and wanted just to move on to whichever conclusion this conversation was going to find. He began to open his mouth with a biting remark that might change the direction of the encounter when she asked him a question that he had not expected. She then followed it up with a second that was just as shocking as the first. He blinked and turned his attention toward her. He was not positive what to say, but his mind rolled through possible choices, and then tossed them away. He did not want to fight, there was no gain in fighting. He was too tired to go through the motions, and decided that he was going to dip her in honey and see if it would stick.

He sighed lightly, and hid his face in his arm as if disgusted by the thought of her questions. "No, you are far from a slut Emm. I would never suggest that, nor would I allow anyone else to suggest it. I guess I just have a bit on my mind, and you were the first person to roll out. You became an easy target. I'm... sorry." He let his voice drop off into a whisper as he peeked to her through his bangs. He knew that this charming voice worked well on others, but this time he found that it was not an act. He was sincere about what he said. He never thought of her as a slut, even though the two of them spent a lot of time together in a way that could consider them both to be loose. He would never allow anyone else to think low of her in that way, mainly because he thought so high of her in his own mind.

He decided to dip her in further, and finally just say what is on his own mind. The words might not be something she would expect from him, but there was no doubt that it was high time he said them. Eric was never one to hide behind anything, and that included the truth. He made his money through facing things, solving things, and being very direct in business. Why should his personal life be any different. He did not like anyone to hold any control over him, but at the same time he could no longer keep it inside of him. Did he think she was a slut, no. Why? Because he was falling for her more than he had anyone else he had ever known in his entire life. Was that weak, probably. Was this opening him up for a pain he did not need, yes. But hiding his feelings for her was not gaining him a damn thing but some heart ache and sore memories. What was he afraid of? Eric could not pin it down, but he was afraid.

"Want the truth Emma? You really want to know what is on my mind? Each encounter with you. Every moment we spend feels like it might be the last one. The finale of our events. I am tired of it feeling like that. I am tired of walking away wondering if there will be a next time."

[/color] He swallowed and lifted his head. One hand moved his hair from his eyes so he could look directly into her own. He sighed again, and swallowed. Yet, when he next spoke his voice was firm, confident, and honest. "I think I am falling for you. For better or worse, and I do not know what comes next. There ya have it, Emm. Now what?"[/color] He did not know where his words might lead them, but he had let them out. As he had just spoken, for better or worse, and now the trail ahead was wide open and he would either walk down it with her...

Or run.[/size][/blockquote]

[Emma McCoy]

Emma wasn't sure, but she swore she may have caught Eric off-guard. The look in his eyes seemed to have changed after her questions - personally, she didn't find the questions that offensive. Maybe it was because Emma usually just spoke her mind, and usually did so in an impulsive manner. She didn't usually think of the outcomes of being so rash, especially if the outcome would hurt her. She usually only thought of those things after she asked the questions.

However, it was Emma's turn to be caught off-guard by his statement. She had gone onto the defensive, and therefore when he spoke she didn't think he was going to respond in a non-confrontational manner. Maybe it was because Emma had such a short fuse that she expected everyone to have an equally short one. His calm demeanor didn't really do much to bring her back down, though. She still could feel herself feel annoyed, although she didn't know why. Was it because she was speaking to him? Was it merely that everything he did bothered her mainly because she was attracted to him? That she had done more unforgivable things with him than anyone else?

"Well... thank you," Emma said in an awkward tone. She never knew what to do when people apologized. It mainly just made her feel uncomfortable. She did appreciate his words, but it didn't make her feel any less weird. Emma herself rarely apologized, especially in anything more than a mumble. She always just acted friendlier towards anyone she was bickering with in a sign that she forgave them. It was usually enough.

Emma couldn't force herself to look into his eyes. She found herself gazing back over the lake. The somewhat chilly March air seemed to help get the sick feeling out of her stomach. She couldn't look at Eric mainly because he looked sincere. Call Emma awkward, but she had a hard time in moments like this. She was never good at being emotional whatsoever. Sure, she had an anger that gave most people run for their money, but other than being angry she didn't really know how to express her emotions and therefore had a hard time responding to people when they were expressing theirs.

Emma forced herself to look back when Eric was clearly expressing his innermost thoughts. She knew it would be rude to not do so, and probably wouldn't do much for his confidence. If she ever were to pour her heart out, she would think it incredibly rude if someone merely looked away from her. What he had said, though, felt like too much.

"Isn't that a bit heavy for so early in the morning?" she joked, but failed. The whole thing wasn't funny, and the moment that the lame joke escaped her lips she felt stupid. She was making a joke of him telling her how he felt. She had been waiting for him to tell her this since what felt like forever, and now that he did - she honestly didn't know what to make of it. Part of her couldn't even believe that he had came out and said it.

Emma stuffed her hands in her pockets as she was suddenly very aware of them just awkwardly hanging at her sides. She looked at him and mumbled a quick, "Sorry," for her joke.

"I - I don't know where to go from here either," Emma admitted. She wished she could say more, but she was feeling extremely tongue-tied. If she knew this was coming, she would have just puked in the castle somewhere. Puking in front of people had to be a bit less uncomfortable than what was going on now.


((Sorry if this is bad!! lol))

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