Looking Beyond

Chapter 39: What's Gotten Into You?

     "Hey Vannah-Girl. You okay?" Erik greeted his girlfriend as she returned from her outing with Brea.

     "I think so." She took her shoes off and crawled onto her side of the bed.

     "You want to talk about it, about your dream?" Savannah gasped, stiffening at the mention of it. "I've figured out that much. I was here when you woke up, remember. Besides, it must have been an interesting dream, you were moving around a lot."

     "It was just a dream." Savannah responded briskly. She reached for her book, eager to change the subject.

     "You realize that I understand dreams just happen, and that they don't reflect how you feel, right? Like if you had a dream about being with someone else, I'd understand, right?"

     Savannah shifted uncomfortably. She loved Erik more than she had anyone else, and it scared her. The fact that he could read her so well terrified her. "You make me happy Erik, so I don't have any reason to dream about anybody but you." She raised her book and began to read.

     Erik frowned. He hated it when she played stupid, but what he hated more was the fact that despite what he's repeatedly told her, she still didn't trust him enough to fess up to the fact that she had an erotic dream about Dan. He didn't like that she was dreaming of Dan and not him, but he knew that dreams weren't something one could control, so he really wasn't that upset by it. The hiding it from him was what tore at him. He decided use this hurt as fuel for his 'performance' for her. She would have no way to mistake how he feels about her. He grabbed a set of clean clothes and headed for the shower.

* * *

     Erik spent the following day getting a few more pieces of advice from Trevor. The biggest, and by far the best he had gotten, was that he should treat this like an acting role. An acting role he could handle – to sort of detach himself from his feelings for her enjoyment was easier for his mind to process than to actually be a willing participant in treating his Vannah-Girl, as he saw it, nasty and mean. He sat alone in the room they shared, waiting for her to return. She had gone out with a client to select table centerpieces for a fiftieth anniversary party. His gaze fell upon the picture of them his mother had taken in February. He sighed and frowned. He knew that she loved him – he just wished that she trusted him too. The slam of her car door drew his attention. "It's show time Mami." He adjusted the collar of his black, buttoned-down shirt.

* * *

     Savannah opened her bedroom door cautiously. There had been a shocking lack of cars in the driveway for such a crowded house. "Erik? Papi? You home?" She set her bag down.

     "I'm the only one home Van." Erik's deepened voice sent chills down Savannah's spine. He was wearing one of the shirts she loved on him – complete with the top two buttons and necktie undone. His hair, which he had taken to pulling back as of late, was left to spill loosely from the top of his head. On his face sat his dark-rimmed glasses. Savannah gulped. "Go shower."

     Savannah blinked. "Excuse me?"

     Erik breathed against her neck. "You heard me." He grabbed her rear roughly.

     Savannah could feel her pulse begin to race. "Are...will you be joining me?"

     "Go." Erik arched his eyebrow at her before turning his back to her.

     Savannah kept her eyes on Erik as she removed her jacket and kicked her shoes off. She had no clue as to what was going on - she was afraid to ask Erik and headed to the bathroom to do as she had been ordered.