Eric Lets Go

Chapter 37

**SOPHIA'S POV**

Eric has been pretty antsy today and I don't know why. He wasn't this nervous before so what's different now?

I watch him tap his fingers on his right hand and shake his right leg while pushing his eggs around on the plate.

"Eric?" I say softly. I place my hand over top of his to stop the movement.

His eyes dart up to mine.

Looking into his steel grey eyes has me worried. A terrible, terrible sinking feeling bubbles in my stomach and all of a sudden I start to doubt everything. I start to doubt the plan. The progress. The readiness. The trust in our group. The ability for Eric, Sam, and Four to make it out alive. Everything.

I swallow hard and open my mouth to speak but it's dry. No words can escape the desert in my mouth.

So instead he speaks first. "I need you to promise me something."

I want to nod but I can't. Afraid of what he's going to make me promise, I squeeze my eyes shut, holding back the tears. I know this isn't gonna be good.

"Sophia," His voice cracks ever so slightly. "Please?"

I open my eyes back up to look at him.

"If I don't... live through this, I don't want you sitting around and mourning my death."

I look at him confused. "How do you expect me to do that? I can't just get over you in the blink of an eye."

"I know, and I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to find a way to cope with it. I know you're stubborn as hell but just try, for me?" Eric asks. He grabs ahold of my hands in his, rubbing small circles on my knuckles with his thumbs.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" I eye him suspiciously. I know all too well to know there's more.

He takes a deep breath in and blows it all out. He tilts his head forward so that his eyes are focused on the table instead of me. When his grey eyes flicker up to mine but land right back on the table. I can tell that it hurts for him to say this.

"If I die, I want you to be with Sam." Eric doesn't look at me while he says it but once the words slip from his tongue, his eyes bat up to mine. His shoulders are hunched over a little bit. He almost seems scared of my reaction.

He should be.

I pull my hands away from his quickly. "What the hell?" I mumble. I could barely get the words out of my mouth. I had to force them out but even then, they came out as a whisper.

"I know it's a lot to ask but-"

"You're prearranging my love life for after your death? A death that's not even guaranteed?!" I shout at him. "How do you expect me to just move onto another guy after you die?"

He stares at the table shamefully. I can't help but glare at him even though he hasn't looked at me yet. I had moved from my seat to standing on the kitchen floor.

"Sophia, I-"

"Even if I were to go after another guy, I would never let that be set up by my current boyfriend!" Now I was screaming my lungs off. I am absolutely furious with this man.

"I understand you're mad but-"

"You understand!? I don't think you do! You think you can just-"

"SOPHIA!"

That's when I came crumbling down.

The tears started to flow. The sound of my name rolling off his tongue sounded so perfect, so right. Even if he was yelling at me.