My Favourite Part

38(d): when the party's over

It took more than a moment for Eric to determine that he wasn't in some awful nightmare. The tired-eyed girl before him wasn't a figment of his imagination. She was here.

"Hi," she smiled, spotting him almost instantly. She met the room's gaze shyly, fiddling with the lining of her pyjama top.

Eric stood from his chair so suddenly that he almost tripped up on his own feet. She didn't belong here, in the dark interior of the room, under the ungodly sights of the Billy Boys.

"What are you doing here?"

When she started towards him, he rushed forward to meet her, to keep her out, to keep her safe.

"Nice to see you too," she joked with a cocked brow. "You sent me a message?"

"No, no, I didn't."

"Yeah, you did, on the," she dangled an arm behind her, "the little electronic wall thing."

When he met her explanation with blank confusion, she searched his face for a sign that this was an odd joke, a prank of some sort.

"You said... you said you wanted to see me... Did you not want me to come?"

Lost for words, Eric hunched his back in attempt to hide her frame. He shook his head,

"Evie, I didn't- someone must have-"

"Is that the bird from the photo?"

"Aubs, I thought you said she wasn't here!"
"Hallo, gorgeous!"

At the sound of the hollers, Evangeline blushed, tucking the longest of her curls behind her ear.

Eric wasn't sure when Tom had left his seat and sidled alongside him, but, sure enough, he'd found his way to Evangeline's side, and was placing a crystal glass of something brown and freshly-poured in her hands. She gave him her thanks and looked to Eric for an introduction.

"No prob, beautiful," Tom purred with roaming eyes, "Auby, are you going to introduce us to our new guest?"

"No, Tom, I'm not," Eric said with flared nostrils, taking the drink from her hand and blocking Tom's view with his back. "Evie," he hissed, "Evie, you've got to go back upstairs."

Her brows wrinkled in confusion. "Eric you told me to come down. Is something wrong? Why are you being so weird?"

"Forgive him," Tom said, find his way around Eric's hunkered stature, "I think beautiful women make us all go a bit weird. I'm Thomas – we sort of met earlier, through the window."

Watching Tom elicit her smile and gracious response as others gathered around to ogle and introduce themselves, Eric began to seethe. He wished that he could tell her everything right there – tell her that men like these weren't good men; that he knew because he used to be one – but he couldn't find the words. Who had told her to come down here?

"Evangeline." Eric called her name again, sternly, but his hissing was drowned by the sounds of Tom and Milo and the others who'd gathered. With their charming laughs and false gentility, Eric's voice was lost.

"So, Evangeline," Tom smiled, "Auby tells us you've got Irish blood?"

Eric felt his heart plummet.

Tom cast a foul look at him. His browbeating grin made his threat as clear as day. Back off, Auby, or I'll tell her what you said about her.

"Yeah! Well, my mum's from Derry."

"Ah, your mum!" Milo joined in, grinning like a Disney villain, with wicked eyes and thin lips. "So, is she the one who gave you those gorgeous... eyes?" Evangeline laughed, the tucked strand falling from behind her ear as she bowed her head to hide her blush.