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Rubbing the back of her neck, Eyra walked out of her room and sighed happily. She could smell coffee and breakfast and she was so happy for that. She hadn’t been looking forward to making her own this morning. Granted she hadn’t really wanted to get out of bed either. Gladio hadn’t stayed that late last night but she’d slept like the dead after he’d left. She hadn’t even stayed awake long enough to say goodnight to her uncle.
“Morning,” she said softly, kissing his cheek as she moved past where he was sitting.
His gaze flicked to her and then back down to the tablet in his hands. “Morning.”
She paused, glancing at him again. Something was odd about his tone. “Is something wrong?” she asked, pouring a cup of coffee for herself. No point in dancing around it.
“No.”
That was a lie but she finished with her coffee and grabbed the covered plate on the counter. Setting her breakfast down, she climbed onto the barstool across from his and gave him a look. “Kal, out with it,” she said. “Something’s bothering you. Did something happen? Did I do something?”
Kal kept looking at his tablet before he sighed and put it down. “No, you didn’t do anything, Eerie. Nothing bad.”
But she had done something. Taking the cover off the dish, she nibbled on a piece of toast for a moment. Wasn’t too hard to figure out what the problem was since there was only one thing that had changed recently. “This about Gladio?” she asked quietly, sipping at her coffee.
He sighed again, wrapping his hands around his cup but not drinking it.
“Uncle,” she said firmly. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’m your uncle and I've been responsible for you since you were six,” he said dryly. “It’s my job to worry about you, Eerie.”
“Well, what are you worried about? I thought you liked him.”
“Haven’t really had a chance to form an opinion of him since I only really talked to him yesterday morning while you were still asleep.”
Eerie leaned back in her chair and thought about that. “Nothing happened while I was drunk,” she assured him. “He didn’t take advantage of me if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Kal stared at her across the table.
“Do you want like a detailed report of what happened?” she asked, staring back at him. “We had sex, twice, and I’m not dumb, we used protection both times.”
“That’s not,” Kal groaned and shook his head. “You’re an adult and we’ve had this conversation before. It’s your body and your choice who you share it with. I know you’re not dumb when it comes to keeping yourself safe. I’ve never doubted that, Eyra.”
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said shortly.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“Eerie, you’ve gone from simply seeing him on your jogs in the park to having sex with him twice in one day.”
“We had a date too,” Eyra pointed out, suddenly feeling self conscious. She knew her uncle wasn’t trying to shame her for having sex; Kal had never cared about who she had sex with or how often. As long as she was safe, he was fine with it. But she didn’t know what this was.
“Was it actually a date?”
“Uncle,” she said, frowning at him. “Why would you say that? Gladio’s a good guy. We just kinda did this backwards.”
Kal pursed his lips before shaking his head. “I just worry about you, Eyra. I don’t want you rushing into something and getting hurt because he’s not on the same page as you.”
She stared at him, even more confused. “I’ve had one night stands before and you’ve never acted like this with them.”
“Because they were just one night stands,” he stressed. “You both knew that and accepted it. You’ve been interested in Gladio since you met him, enough for me to realise who he was without actually being introduced when he showed up in my house. You want a relationship with him but do you know what he wants?”
Eyra kept staring at him. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this and it was kind of dulling her whole enjoyment of yesterday. She hadn’t thought to even doubt Gladio’s intentions, not with what he’d said while they’d been together. But now Kal was making her wonder if he actually meant it or if he’d just said it in the moment.
“Shit, sweetie, I’m sorry. Not the best conversation for the morning.”
She waved her hand, trying to smile for him. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re just looking out for me.”
He looked sad now. “I’m still sorry. I didn’t want to throw all of that at you this morning but I haven’t really seen you since you went out the other night.”
“Uncle,” she said, smiling properly for him. “I know and…you’re right. Just because I want him to be my boyfriend, doesn’t mean that’s what he wants.”
“Eerie,” he sighed.
“Uncle,” she countered. “It’s okay. Like I told him, I’m a big girl. I can handle it if it was just sex.” And she would. She’d be very disappointed though and…hurt if she was honest with herself because if he was just looking for a booty call, what was with dinner? Or cuddling with her? Or staying the entire fucking night with her when she’d been drunk?
“Eat your breakfast,” Kal said softly. “Try not to think about it for now. When will you see him next?”
She shrugged, picking up her fork. “Don’t know. Not like either of us have a lot of free time.”
“Well, I’m sorry for shoving this at you before your shift.”
“Don’t be, Uncle. I’m not. It’s something I need to address before I get in too deep.”
He stood up, coming around the table to kiss her head. “I have to go start up the kitchen. Swing by before you leave and I’ll have something for you to take.”
“Okay,” she agreed, watching him walk to the door. As soon as he was gone, she dropped her fork and pressed her hands into her eyes. “Fuck,” she muttered. This was not what she had needed this morning. Not when she could still feel his hands moving over her. Not when she had seen the red marks on her breasts from his mouth. Not when she’d been trying to figure out when she could see him again. God dammit.
Forcing herself to eat quickly, breakfast sat heavily in her stomach as she went back into her room to change into her scrubs. She didn’t glance at her bed as she pulled them on, tried not to think about how they’d lazily talked after they’d had sex. Laying against him, tracing patterns on his chest while he’d stroked her back and played with her hair as they’d talked about nothing in particular.
Eyra shook her head sharply. She needed to get her head in work mode. She didn’t need this kind of distraction before she went into a shift. She’d been gone for two days so who even knew what kind of shit show she was about to walk into at the hospital.
Grabbing her bag and coat, she picked up her phone and hesitated for a moment. The simple solution would be to text Gladio and ask him what they were. Was it just the booty call that he’d talked about in the first place or the more he’d mentioned in the next breath? But it was six am and she didn’t think he’d appreciate her texting him this early in the morning, no matter how early she’d called him the other night.
And she wasn’t sure she wanted an answer to that right now.
The phone got shoved into her pocket and she left her bedroom. A quick check to make sure she had her keys and she was out the door.
Swinging into the diner, she poked her head into the kitchen. “I’m heading out, Uncle,” she told Kal.
He looked at her and she could tell he still regretted what he’d said. “Lunch,” he said, pointing at the bag set near the door.
She picked it up and started to open it.
“No, Eerie, have it be a surprise for you.”
Blinking at him, she smiled. “Alright. I’ll see you when I get home,” she said, ducking back out.
“Stay safe, Eyra.”
She waved over her shoulder as she left the diner. The city was still asleep around her as she started down the street toward the station. She’d barely gotten her headphones untangled when she felt her phone vibrate. Ignoring it was hard because she really wanted to see who it was but she forced herself to get sorted before she did.
Tapping through the gates to the trains, she plugged in her headphones and her shoulders dropped a little as she saw the message on the screen, along with who it was from. And then she immediately felt bad.
Still alive?
Dusty. She’d be concerned about why her friend was awake at this hour but she wasn’t sure exactly where Dusty was in the Outlands right now. Must have been one of the outposts or small towns if she actually had service on that piece of shit she called a phone. Yep. Heading to work. You?
The platform was mostly empty but she still moved toward the front of it, putting distance between her and everyone else.
Idiots making my life difficult. I just got off shift. Wanna tell me about the party?
The party. Right, that was why she’d been at the club the other night. She’d completely forgotten in light of everything else that happened. It was alright, she wrote as a train pulled up.
It was empty so she quickly found a seat and huddled down in it.
What happened?
Eyra pursed her lips. There wasn’t much point in keeping it a secret and Dusty would be madder at her that she hadn’t said anything when she found out. Because she would find out. There was no way Eyra would be able to honestly keep this a secret for long. …I got laid.
She squeezed her eyes shut as soon as she hit send, knowing what she had just opened herself up to. Sure as shit, her phone buzzed almost immediately.
Wait, WHAT?!
Her nose wrinkled a little but she couldn’t help her smile. At least Dusty was responding the way she expected. Before she could respond another message came through.
Who the fuck did you sleep with?! Wait! The guy from the park?!
Of course she remembered. Although, it wasn’t like she really had a guy in her life beyond the one she’d been running into on her jogs. Yes, him.
The sun stung her eyes a little as the train came out from the underground and she stared out at the city without really seeing anything.
Yes, him? That’s all you have to say for yourself? Fuck that, Eerie! Deets! DEETS!
A startled laugh left Eyra before she nearly dropped her phone when it started ringing. “Dusty, oh my god,” she said, still laughing as she answered.
“Hey, best friend getting laid deserved an actual, real conversation!”
Eyra shook her head, glancing around to make sure the car was still empty. “You’re horrible.”
“And you’re not giving me what I want. What happened? Tell me everything!”
“Everything?” she echoed.
“You know what I mean, bitch. Stop stalling!”
Grinning despite herself, Eyra quietly said, “Well, he finally texted me back the other night after I gave him my number weeks ago and in my drunken state…I called him at one am.”
“You fucking didn’t!” Dusty cackled. “Oh, my god, Eerie, what?!”
“He was the first number that came up,” she said, sighing. “If you’d texted me last, I would have called you.”
Dusty snorted. “Fat lot of good that woulda done you. But what happened? He obviously answered.”
“Yeah, came out to the club and everything.” He wouldn’t have done that if it was just a booty call right? Even if that’s what he’d originally thought it was? “Walked my drunk ass home too.”
“Holy shit, seriously? He got you to walk across the city?”
“It was more I wouldn’t get in the cab,” she muttered, ignoring the way it made Dusty laugh. “He spent the night because it was late and…we had sex the next morning.” She glanced around the car and was glad it was still empty. She probably should have thought about where this conversation was going to go before she’d answered it in public.
“We had sex the next morning? Want to try again?”
“What do you want me to say? I asked him to have sex, he said yes, we had sex.”
“Ugh, you haven’t gotten laid in how long? I haven’t gotten laid in longer. Give me a little more than that, please? You’re acting like it wasn’t good.”
“It was good,” Eyra said softly, tugging on the chain around her neck. “Better than good. I’d say it was the best sex I had if it wasn’t for that second time.”
“Second…?! Explain!”
Her gaze flicked up as she saw a couple people walk onto the car. “Can I call you back?”
“No! You’re not leaving me in suspense all fucking day over this!”
Eyra rolled her eyes. “Well, after that first time,” she said quietly, “we went out on a da…dinner. We went out for dinner and I didn’t want it to end there. Neither did he so he stayed longer.”
“Barring the lack of details, what was that?”
“Nothing.”
“Eerie.”
“Dusty.”
“Eerie, seriously.”
“My uncle,” she muttered, flicking an imaginary piece of lint off her bag. “I was fine and then he had to mention that maybe it was just sex. That maybe dinner wasn’t a date and all he was looking for was a booty call.”
Dusty snorted. “You’re usually the one calling people for that,” she muttered back. “But hey, did it feel like a booty call or the start of something magical?”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Seriously though,” she said. “Did it feel like a date or a booty call?”
Eyra looked out the window again, sighing. “I thought it was a date,” she admitted. “I wanted it to be a date.”
“Dinner isn’t usually involved in booty calls,” Dusty agreed. “Honestly, from everything you’ve told me, you two have been flirting for months. Months. A guy generally won’t put that much effort in if all he wants is in your pants. Did he pay for dinner?”
She blinked, frowning slightly. “Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Eerie, come on. The guy likes you and at least he seems decent enough if he walked you across Insomnia.”
“Yeah,” she said softly.
“Hey?”
“Mm?”
“How big is his dick?”
“Dusty!” Eyra laughed, quickly covering her mouth at how loud she was. “What the fuck?” she hissed.
“Big? Thick? Small? Deets!”
She shook her head and pushed herself off her seat. “I can’t believe you.”
“Tell me!” she said, dragging out the words.
Stepping off the train, she walked across the platform and muttered, “Biggest I’ve had yet.”
“…Including toys?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I didn’t fucking measure him,” she growled, tapping her card against the gate to get out. “But maybe?”
“God damn! You walking alright?”
Eyra rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Yes, you are, beside the point.”
She groaned. “That’s not what I meant!” she growled, moving up the stairs.
“Well, if mister dick bigger than my toys fucked you as good as you keep not telling me you should be sore.”
“I’m alright,” she said. “Guess I got used to him.”
Dusty laughed sharply. “Girl fucks him twice in one day and thinks she’s used to his dick? Wow, Eerie.”
“Shut up,” Eerie laughed. “I mean, it won’t matter anyways if it was just a one time thing.”
“Okay, sweetie, come on. You know the simple solution to this and you’ve been dancing around it the entire conversation. If you want an answer, ask him.”
Pausing at a street corner, Eyra sighed. “Is it stupid that I’m scared?” she asked softly.
“No. You’ve never really been in a serious relationship before so why wouldn’t you be scared about maybe being in one? Especially if Kal put that one night stand thought in your head. But, Eerie, seriously, you need to talk to him. There’s no point in working yourself into a tizzy over this for either outcome. It would be better to know as soon as possible if this was just a one time thing so you don’t get your hopes up for more. But, honey, what if he wants that more too? You really going to sit around and fret when you’re literally holding the technology that can give you an answer right away?”
Slowing as she neared the hospital, Eyra thought about that. She never really had had a serious relationship. It had mostly been flings and they’d been over before they’d really gone anywhere. But she’d been interested in Gladio for months now and hadn’t made a real move on him. Was it because right from the start she had wanted more than just sex? And now was she terrified it was just sex because she wanted more now?
“Eerie?”
“I’ll text him,” she promised.
“And?”
She laughed. “I’ll tell you,” she added.
“Damn rights you will!”
“I’m almost at work, Dusty,” she said, starting up the stairs. “I’ll text you okay?”
“Text him first! And call me when you get home!”
She rolled her eyes again. “Yes, Mom.”
“Shut it and do it!”
Hanging up as she shook her head, Eyra made herself tap on the messages icon. He hadn’t messaged her since they’d talked about where to meet at the mall. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she’d told him she was a big girl and she was. It was one simple question and hopefully a simple answer. She just had to ask.
Fuck, how did she ask?
Walking to the locker room, she wracked her brain, trying to think of how to phrase this. Do it wrong and she’d seem desperate or needy or any other thing that wasn’t attractive. But she needed to know.
She’d gotten all of her stuff put away and was five minutes away from having to clock in when she picked up her phone again.
Boyfriend?
That…was a horrible way to phrase it. Holy shit, she needed to not send it like that. Her finger hovered over highlighting the entire thing to delete it. She couldn’t ask it like that. She needed to think of a better-
“Eyra! Come on, we’ve got our work cut out for us!”
Jerking, she looked at the speaker. “Oh, fuck, seriously?” she growled.
The other woman shrugged and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “C’mon.”
“Coming,” she sighed, looking at her phone again. Her eyes widened when she saw that the message had sent and she nearly swore again. What?! No! That wasn’t! Fuck!
“Eyra?”
Setting her phone to completely silent, she shoved it in her pocket and slammed her locker closed. Holy fuck. That was just great. That was just fucking great. She wasn’t going to look at her phone once today. She should just delete his number and block it so she wouldn’t have to see the response to that. Fucking. Idiot. She was never listening to Dusty again.
The text slipped from her mind as her shift started. There wasn’t much time to think of anything but the job as the hours ticked by.
Her feet ached as she stood at the main nurse station and just breathed. A couple days off wasn’t enough to make her forget what this place was like but she missed the whole not having anything hanging over her head while she didn’t have a shift. That wonderful drifting she had done all day yesterday thinking about-
Eyra wobbled as she remembered why she’d spent most of yesterday drifting and what she had done this morning.
“Girl, go take your lunch. You’re running yourself off your feet!”
“I’m fine,” she insisted, putting her hands in her pockets and gripping her cell phone. Had he texted back? Had he read that stupid fucking message and actually given it a response? She sure as fuck hoped not.
“I wasn’t asking, Eyra. I was telling and as your boss you have to listen to me.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m really fine.”
“Don’t care. Go. It’s been five hours. Take your lunch.”
Blowing out her cheeks, she turned on her heel and walked away. She hadn’t realised it had been so long already. That was the nice thing about working here at least. Most days went by fast enough that you didn’t notice how long you’d been working. But she really didn’t want to take a break now that she’d remembered the text she’d sent.
She grabbed her lunch from her locker, still ignoring her phone. She made it into the cafeteria, tucking herself into a seat near the windows. Scrubbing her hands over her face, she grimaced at herself. What was she doing? She’d asked him to have sex while she was drunk, left the bathroom door open so he could have sex with her when she was sober, and invited him upstairs after they’d had dinner. She could check a damn text message to see if he’d answered her or not.
But the phone was quickly placed face down as soon as she checked the screen. He had texted her. Holy shit, he’d texted her back. Taking a deep breath, Eyra tried to find some of that boldness she usually had and turned the phone back over.
Girlfriend?
She stared at the screen, her heart in her throat. Had he…? Was that a confirmation? Granted, it was a stupid as fuck text so he might not understand. It wasn’t like she’d messaged him again to explain since she’d been embarrassed at what she’d sent.
She started to write him back but her thoughts were all over the place. How did she clarify this? Did she need to clarify this? Did he understand what she’d been trying and failing to say? She blinked when the little bubble popped up to show he was writing her as well.
Just so you know, that was the best thing anyone has ever sent me.
...what do you mean? It hadn’t seemed that great to her. It was probably the dumbest thing she’d done, beyond asking him for sex when she was drunk...or calling him at one am.
Babe, you texted me at six am asking if I was your boyfriend. What isn’t the best about that?
Eyra let out an explosive sigh and slumped over the table, pushing her lunch to the side. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Well, he’d definitely understood her...and wait. He’d called her girlfriend! Staying on the table, she grabbed her phone again. So...that means we’re dating right?
We better be since I’ve told anyone that asked where I’ve been that I was with my girlfriend.
She bit down on her lip to keep from smiling and pulled her phone a little closer to her. She liked that. She really liked that. Good.
Brat.
She grinned at her phone. You have no idea.
I’m gonna find out.
Her smile softened as she sat back up. If you stick around, yeah.
Babe. I’m not going anywhere.