Stay Away | Eric Coulter [1]

twenty-four

    I had spent the last two nights in the glass room with Eric. Something about the place had just calmed me or maybe it was how it had felt as if something has shifted between me and Eric over the last couple of days. There's been a lot of cuddling (who would've thought he was a big cuddler) and also a lot of making out. It was as if we were living in our own little bubble when we were up there.

None of my roommates seems to have noticed the lack of my presence or the way I slip in just before Tobias arrives to wake us up since I'm not especially close to any one of them. If they'd noticed, they never asked or mentioned anything to anyone. Still, I had to return to the dorms for a shower and a change of clothes before and after practices since Eric's clothes- no matter however comfortable they are for sleeping in- are far too big.

The room was mostly empty since everyone had headed straight from the dining hall for dinner. I'm entirely fond of sharing a shower with a bunch of naked strangers and so I jumped at the opportunity to take a long, hot, shower as supposed to my usual quick ones.

I stripped off my clothes stepped under the spray of water and took my time lathering on soap as I hummed out a tune.

"Fuck," My eyes immediately snapped open at the pained-sounding groan just in time to see Eric averting his eyes.

"Eric!" I yelled quickly covering my important bits with my hands before I found a towel to cover myself up with. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

Taking a sudden avid interest in a table lamp, Eric holds up a small glass bottle. "Brought you some more of that ointment like I promised."

I smile at his thoughtfulness. Stepping out of the shower, I raise on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek when I near him and he groans again.

"New rule; no kissing when you're practically naked."

I chuckle, "It's only on the cheek."

"It's still a kiss," He argues, "None of that unless you're willing to find out what other kinds of things I could be doing to you while you're naked."

My cheeks start to heat and I gulp. "Fine," I relent, "Now, turn around."

He raises a brow, instinctively turning to look at me before realising his mistake and looking away again as he clears his throat. "Why?"

"I need to get dressed," I point out and he turns.

"Is it bad that I can't stop picturing you naked?" I could hear the teasing smile in his voice as he speaks and hauled my used towel at his back.

His low chuckle fills the room as I quickly threw some clothes on.

"All done," I announce once I'm dressed.

His eyes darken as they take me in from head to toe, making me feel as though I haven't put on my clothes at all and I fight the urge to look down to check.

"I'll leave this over here," He says, walking over to the cabinet by my bed and placing the jar on it, pausing when his eyes snag on something.

"It's your birthday?"

I frown, ready to deny it but quickly realise what today's date was. "I knew I was forgetting something," I laugh when Eric shoots me a look that doesn't even hide the fact that he's judging the crap out of me for forgetting my own birthday. "How did you know that?"

He jerks his head towards the cabinet where a slice of chocolate cake and a little card with the words 'Happy Birthday' written on it in bold letters.

Eric pauses for a minute before he says, "Come to the glass room after this, I'll have something planned for you."