Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2003 23:47:31 +0000 From: Eric Shaw Subject: A Beautiful Run: Chapter 6 A few minutes before 7 o'clock I sat waiting on the stairs for Eric. Earlier in the evening I fell asleep to the radio, taking a much needed rest, helping to reorganize my thoughts. I suppose the last few days have been hardly ordinary and I hadn't been left alone with my feelings since it all began. At times it just seemed impossible to try and make sense of it all, considering my feelings for Eric excited me to the core and had been doing so since ninth grade. I was made even more irrational upon learning of the mutuality of our affection. My dreams became reality and along with that realization I knew that our relationship was no longer boundless like the one I created in my mind. However, reality also presented the opportunity to finally be with Eric in ways I couldn't imagine, which took precedence over all. When letting go of the 'Eric' I created in my fantasies for the past few years, I was allowed to begin my real life with him on a clear slate. Discovering Eric for himself was an encouraging thought, and exhilarating to say the least. "Pick up the phone, kiddo!" my father cried, breaking me out of another moment of intense thought. I walked to the kitchen, picking up the call. - "Hello" - "What are you wearing?" A voice asked. I knew at once it was Eric. - "Just a pair of shoes" - "We'll you're overdressed if I have any say in this" - "Maybe I'll switch to the flip-flops then?!" We both laughed. - "I'm just calling to let you know that I'm right on schedule" - "And so am I" - "Good" - "So I'll just meet you outside so you don't have to get out" - "Don't bother! A gentleman always walks to the front door. And I take it on good authority that this special lady is worth the walk." Eric always said the right things. At that point I could no longer think of anything smart to say, as I felt my knees weaken with every passing word. I could merely blush and blurt out a snigger reducing me to nothing more than a schoolgirl. People around me had always known me to be controlled, and unlike anyone else Eric had the ability to break down those walls and leave me vulnerable. At first I was a bit frightened by the thought, but later began to appreciate it. Was it so terrible to know someone so intimately? There may be a hidden blessing in being so helpless around Eric in that there were no walls to divide us. He could give me his unconditional love and I was more open to accept it. Hanging up the phone I walked toward the front door and sat once again on the stairs. I found strength in the thought that I would be by Eric's side. A few moments ago I was overwhelmed with thought and since then he made things clear. I heard footsteps outside the door and couldn't stop myself from opening it. I saw Eric taking a deep breath whilst adjusting the leg of his trousers over his shoe. I startled him as he was not yet prepared to greet me. The sight was a comforting one at least. I didn't need to ask to know that Eric also felt this vulnerability, and the thought that the boy I loved for so long was influenced by me was a marvelous realization. I made Eric nervous, as he did me. We smiled. He started at my feet and began to look up where we eventually met eyes. I was wearing a dark pair of jeans, a red t-shirt and studded belt. "You are just the cutest thing!" Eric said, biting his lip in restraint. "If your parents we're home right now." He trailed off. I shook my head in disapproval. Eric placed his hand on my hip and gave it a squeeze. "You better bring a sweatshirt it's a bit chilly outside. What about the white hoodie?" He suggested. "But how do you know I have." I asked. ".don't be so sure you're just another face at school. I take notice when it comes to you, always have." He finished. I ran upstairs and got the sweater and we left the house. Eric opened my door before we entered his car. I pounced, nearly taking the life out of him. I pinned Eric to the seat and locked him in a kiss. After a few moments, the embrace was mutual as our tongues became intertwined. Against either of our wishes I remembered the fact that we hadn't left the driveway and parking was hardly a discrete activity. "Thank you" I said. "For what, Con?" "These past few days have been completely unbelievable. I've never felt this way about anybody, and it's just like.there's a whole new part of me that I never knew existed." "This may sound completely silly, but I used to run to make me happy and now I run for you. It feels like you're the reason I wake up in the morning.and it's like.I live for you." Eric said. His words were poetry and I was his muse. He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips. "I can't claim you like some prize to be won, but indeed you are quite the treasure. Instead, I am yours forever" He added. I leaned toward him and kissed his tender cheek. Resting my head on his strong shoulder Eric lay his arm around my neck and I was enveloped in his warmth. * * * Before I realized, he parked the car in front of Will's dorm and turned off the ignition. We looked at one another with anxious faces and got out of the car beginning to walk towards the doors. We made our way up a flight of stairs and passed a few doors before arriving at Will's. Eric knocked a few times before we entered. The room was larger than I had imagined, every inch covered by some sort of poster or clipping. Whether it was his interest in British football or Miles Davis, every side of Will was captured in print along his walls. Our entrance interrupted the reading he was doing, no doubt for one of his classes. After closer inspection it was a textbook of introductory art history. "There you are, I was starting to worry" Will said. He motioned to some paper bags on his dresser. He pulled out a few soft drinks from a mini-fridge as Eric began to unload paper plates and some Japanese takeout from the bags. We engaged in some small talk as we began to eat, when Eric became more open with the discussion. "Hey Will, you didn't tell me how you knew about.me and the whole." He said inbetween bites. I began to squirm when Will took notice and assured me not to worry. "It was probably in eighth grade when I found a picture of my friend, Josh in your desk. I thought nothing of it until I held it up to the light and saw the smudged imprint of your lips over his." He replied. At that point, Will and I began to laugh wildly as Eric wore a look upon his face of utter embarrassment. Once the roaring subsided, I felt their heavy eyes upon me. "And how did you know that Connor was." Will asked after what felt like an innumerable amount of time in awkward silence. "I honestly didn't." Eric replied. "I just took the chance." I was completely dumbfounded at the response. I didn't consider myself a `queen' and I knew that I kept my sexuality low key but it was still surprising. Eric completely exposed his feelings and opened himself up to the possibility of public scrutiny and torment, simply to be with me. I wrapped my arms around Eric causing him to fall backward as I lay on top. I kissed him all over his face and finally on the mouth. He pulled my body into his and held me close. Both realizing that our embrace could very well discomfort Will, as he was right there, we recomposed ourselves and got up from off the floor. Resting his head on his hand and tapping his temple with his finger, Will was utterly disappointed. "Thanks for the visual!" He said with a stern look, but soon bursting into another fit of laughter. The rest of the evening went quite well as Eric and I became more comfortable around Will and him more at ease with our affection. Time passed much quicker than we had realized, and I found myself saying goodbye to Will before I even knew it. * * * "We have our first race on friday, and I was hoping..." "Of course, I'll be cheering for you and that little tush of yours the entire time." I said, pinching the side of his rear as he drove. "Oh...no...we have a tournament on friday. If we do well, it could be the entire day." My heart sank. Eric had been nothing but supportive since we met and this was the perfect time to return it, but I couldn't be there for him. I apologized with a squeeze of the hand and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be there in spirit" I said. "And I with you." He replied, stroking the bracelet on my hand that he had given me. He continued to do so for a few moments as though immersed in thought, while he eyes concentrated on the road. Soon thereafter, Eric pulled a box from out of his arm rest. He placed it in my hands. "I wanted to find the right time tonight to give you this...and it's nothing, but..." Before he could finish I silenced him with a stare. The moment was intense as our eyes met. I thanked him, telling him that it was unnecessary whilst he refused the idea and explained how important it was for him to show how deeply he cared. This conversation happening without so much as a word. We simply stared into the other's eyes and read how they felt. Eric helped me realize the length of time one has known someone does not determine the strength of their relationship, in fact a person may know someone for all eternity, yet still know nothing of who they are. Though meeting a few days before, Eric knew much more about who I was than most, including myself. I held the small, blue box in my hands and watched it for a second in anticipation. I pulled the sides apart and opened it fully. There was a small silver charm, oval in shape. It was attached to thick, black string. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Before I could ask what the charm meant, he leaned over and took the necklace into his hand. I hadn't realized it was a locket until he gently pulled apart the sides and handed it back to me. Bringing it closer to sight to find that the charm framed a picture of Eric and I. Completely overwhelmed by emotion I wrapped my arms around him and began to kiss his neck. His sweet smell drove me wild as I tasted his smooth skin on my lips. Moving my head over, I licked under his chin when my hand felt something around his neck. I pulled down the collar of his shirt and saw the same necklace he had just given me. Eric guided my head up towards his. "So we are now together, even when apart." He said. His gesture took on new meaning and I guided his hands on the wheel toward the side of the road. There he pulled over. I pushed his body against the window, diving toward him, locking him in a kiss. My hands started at his chest as I tweeked his nipples and rubbed his stomach. His body shuddered, letting out a deep breath. My hands slowly moved downward, placing them on the front of his jeans. Still sharing our embrace, I undid the button and lowered the zipper. I felt into the front of his shorts when I broke our kiss and moved my head toward my hands. I could feel Eric's heart begin to race and breathing become more intense. He placed his strong hands over my head and we began to move together in a rhythmic pace. My hand slid under his shirt and held his tight stomach as it contracted. Eric soon broke our movement and let out a groan. We stayed in our positions for a short while, composing ourselves until he pulled me up and kissed me deeply, our tongues involved in a heated dance. We drove home hand-in-hand Before leaving the car, Eric tied the necklace, sealing the knot with a soft kiss on my neck.