Chapter 07: To Know Her

Sookie was what one would definitely call shit-faced drunk, and she was having a great time with Jason and “the boys”―the term that she’d taken to calling Lafayette and Jesus in her current state of inebriation.  She found that the term was funnier with each use too.  In fact, everything was quite funny at that point, and Sookie had long since given up trying to block out the thoughts of the others given her state.  Luckily for her, the drunken thoughts of Jesus, Jason, and Lafayette were generally even more funny to her than the words they spoke.

And the others laughed right along when she answered a thought or made a seemingly random comment out of thin air as she responded to one of their thoughts.  In fact, it became a kind of game to guess who Sookie was responding to.  So far, Jesus was the best at bluffing when it’d actually been his thought.  But Lafayette was definitely the funniest when he tried to use his own special kind of logic―actually the drunk version of that logic―to figure out the thinker.  And they’d all fallen into hysterics when they realized that Jason’s thoughts were always about one of two things:  sex or sex with Jessica.  They really had doubled over when Jason actually guessed that one of his own thoughts was coming from Lafayette’s mind even after Sookie had told him it was his own.

More than half way through the gin now, the four sat around the coffee table on the living room floor and were taking turns making each other laugh with the kind of stories only drunk people would probably find funny.  Sookie had regaled them with how she’d used her light to send the queen of the fairies to her ass.  She’d made Jason help her demonstrate the whole thing, taking on the role of the bitch queen herself as Jason mimed shooting her with his hands.

She’d also laughed all the way through telling them how Eric had killed her fairy godmother, and every time the words “fairy godmother” were spoken, all four of them doubled over in frenzied laughing.

Normally, of course, Sookie wouldn’t laugh about almost being killed or someone else dying, but after the rest of the ‘brew’, several tequila shots, and now martinis, the only logical reaction had seemed to be laughter.

After Sookie told the others that fairies had pointed ears, everyone had to examine both her ears and Jason’s, and then the four almost wet their pants with laughter as it was discovered that Jason did indeed have slightly pointy ears.  When he tried to do the Spock hand motion for “live long and prosper,” but couldn’t remember it because of his drunkenness, Sookie did have to run to the bathroom to avoid wetting herself.

At about 8:15, Sookie’s phone rang, and she stumbled over her own feet to answer it, causing Jason and the boys to break into a new fit of laughter.

“Hooker, you’s can’t even walk no more!” Lafayette laughed, tears gathering in his eyes.

“Shut the F up!” Sookie cried as she tried to right herself and find her phone with some exaggerated dignity.  When she finally pulled her phone from her purse, she tried to take on a serious demeanor.  She signaled for the others to hush, but everyone thought that Sookie’s attempt to pretend to be sober was hilarious, and they laughed even harder.

She giggled herself as she answered without checking the caller I.D.  “Hello?”

“Sookie,” Bill’s voice came on the other end of the phone.

“Oh, hey Bill,” Sookie hiccupped.

“You are not at home, darling,” Bill drawled.  “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine Bill,” Sookie said rolling her eyes in the direction of the boys, “just hanging out with friends tonight.  Listen, I’ll call you soon okay?” she went to hang up.

“Sookie, wait,” Bill’s voice implored.  “I was hoping that we could talk this evening, and I would like to make sure myself that you are fine.”

Sookie sighed; she was frustrated that her lovely drunken high was being disturbed.  She was even more frustrated that the problems she’d successfully been drinking into oblivion for the last several hours had returned to the front of her brain, causing her to have an immediate headache.  “Listen Bill, I appreciate your checking on me and all, but I’m really just fine.  I’m hanging out with my brother, Lafayette and Jesus.”

“May I call on you when you return home later?” Bill asked.

“I’m spending the night here tonight, Bill,” Sookie responded.  “Listen, we are just letting off some steam here.  I’ll call you soon okay?”  Unfortunately, at that moment, Sookie lost her balance again and tripped over her purse, which she’d left on the floor after pulling her phone out of it.  This act of anti-gracefulness caused her to stub her toe on the coffee table.  “Fuck!” she exclaimed.  The others in the room, who’d been listening to her conversation, broke into fits of loud laughter.

“Sookie are you injured?” Bill asked on the other end of the phone, a mixture of frustration and concern clear in his voice.

“No,” Sookie said once she’d recovered enough to answer.  “I just stubbed my toe.  Listen, Bill, to tell you the truth, we are all getting drunk over here.  I just really want time to think about things for a few days.  I promise that I will call you soon.”

“Sookie,” Bill said forcefully.  “I must insist that you allow me to see you.”  His voice softened, “Just to see that you are okay.  I promise I will only drop by for a few minutes, and then you may get back to your friends.”

Sookie sighed, even more frustrated now that both her head and her big toe hurt.  “It’s really not necessary, Bill,” Sookie said.

“But I will feel better knowing you are uninjured, and from the sounds of those who are with you, none of them are capable of seeing to any injury you may have sustained in your fall.  I ask for only a couple of minutes.”

Sookie sighed, the exasperation and frustration now clear in her voice, “Fine Bill.  If you feel like you have to, then come over, but you can only stay for a couple of minutes, okay?  And I didn’t fall; it’s a stubbed toe for goodness sakes!  In fact, I wish that you’d just believe me when I say that I’m fine and let me call you in a couple of day, okay?”

Bill, not seeming to have really heard her, replied, “Thank you, Sookie.  I shall see you in a few minutes, and I swear I will not stay long.”

Sookie hung up the phone and sank down onto the couch.  “Fuck,” she said.  “Bill’s coming over.”  She did an impression of his voice, “ . . . to access the severity of my stubbed toe.”

The others laughed hard at Sookie’s impression.

But Sookie was not laughing.  “Why can’t he just listen to me for this once!”

Just then, she got the signal that a text had arrived.  This time, she looked at the sender I.D. before opening the message; it was Eric!  “Fuck, can’t they just give me some fucking peace for one fucking night!” she raged as she pushed the button to access the text much harder than she needed to.  Her anger and frustration were causing her to sober up for real now, and she didn’t like it.

She looked down at her phone with a deep sigh.  The message read, “You said last evening that you wished to have time and space to think on your own.  Should that desire change or should you need me for anything, please call.  I miss you and will be waiting if you wish to see me.”

Sookie did a double take and then re-read Eric’s text.  How was it that he seemed to know what she needed when Bill didn’t in this case?

She quickly texted back the only word that came to mind, “Thanks.”

She suddenly felt even more sober as she thought back to her dream that morning.  But then she pushed thoughts of Eric’s sad eyes out of her mind for the moment.  She said with resolve, “It looks like I have to get rid of a pushy vampire tonight, and I’m gonna need some liquid help doin’ it.”  She picked up her drink and drained it quickly, refueling both her buzz and her liquid resolve.

Bill was at the door five minutes later.  Jesus had suggested that she invite him in so that she wouldn’t have to see him alone, but Sookie had brushed off the idea.  She knew that Bill wouldn’t hurt her.  He was probably just trying to be gallant with his checking in on her, and once that was done, he’d be on his way.  Still, even though she’d calmed down after her last drink and after Eric’s thoughtful text, she was still annoyed at her first love.

Sookie answered the door and stepped outside, anxious to get the visit done with and get to the fresh drink Lafayette was mixing for her at that very moment.

“Hey Bill,” Sookie said, trying to keep her mind clear despite the drunken fog that had resettled around the edges of her brain.

“Sookie,” Bill smiled.  “You are inebriated, it seems.”

“That’s what I said on the phone,” Sookie returned before slightly raising the toe she’d stubbed.  In her state, he had to grab hold of Bill’s shoulder for balance.  “See the toe’s just fine,” Sookie said, trying to hurry Bill along.

However, Bill took advantage of Sookie’s closeness and lack of balance to draw her to him, and her drunken body responded to him as he kissed her.  After a few moments, Sookie got a bit of sense back and pulled away.  “Bill, please, not now, okay?” she managed.

“Sookie,” Bill said, his voice edged with passion.  “I have missed you, and I thought I had lost you to the witch last night.”  He pulled her to him again, and this time, she noticed his erection against her leg as he tried to kiss her.  When she turned her head to the side to avoid his lips, he merely kissed her neck.

Despite the pleasure her traitorous body was registering, she pulled out of his embrace yet again.  “Bill!” she exclaimed.  “You have seen that I’m okay, all right.  Listen, I will tell you one more time that I need a little time to process everything that has happened, and I will call you when I’m ready to talk.  I don’t even know what to think about my feelings for either you or Eric right now.  Please respect that, and just go for now, okay?”

Bill tried one last time, “Sookie, I just wish to talk to you―to help you process those things you are talking about.”

“I get that, Bill,” Sookie tried.  “I really do, but I need to do this on my own for now.”

Bill bowed slightly, finally relenting.  “Very well.  May I at least call you tomorrow to make sure you are well.”

“Fine,” Sookie said, just wanting Bill to go at that moment.

With a smile, Bill turned and left the porch, speeding to the limo that was awaiting his return.

Sookie sat down on the porch for a minute.  She was so confused.  On the one hand, her body had clearly wanted to respond to Bill’s touches, just like she had done in her dream.  But she wanted some time to herself, and she was angry at Bill for not really respecting that.  It was nice that he was concerned about her and wanted to help her, but the way he was trying to do it wasn’t actually what was best for her at that moment.  She scolded herself for almost losing herself in his kiss just then.

And then, of course, there was Eric.  She would have expected the Viking to be the pushy one, but he seemed to understand what she needed even before she told him.  Or maybe he was just trying to manipulate her by seeming to understand.

Sookie’s head was swirling from her confusion and the liquor she’d ingested.  She managed to get back inside the house, but as soon as she sat on the couch, she immediately passed out.  Her last thought was that her life would be so much less complicated if she’d never had a drop vampire blood.