Oscar took note of the sudden change in his brother's behaviour, he observed him following his brother's line of vision. When he caught sight of what... in this case who caught his sight he smirked in fascination.
"Looks like Thomas and Evelyn's pride and joy isn't so perfect," he said, Jack shifted his gaze back to Oscar unsure of what he meant.
"What?"
Oscar simply shrugged smiling," Nothing," he waved his hand dismissively," just an innocent observation. All I'll say... is if dad had a problem with the kind of clothes we wore growing up, I doubt he'll willingly turn a blind eye in who we choose as our potential significant other."
He frowned brushing his brother's comment aside. He placed his attention back on Erica. When he saw her smile, unconsciously it made him smile.
His eyes took her in greedily, silently praising the way her red dress accentuated her body and the slit on her thigh worked wonders in his mind of the possible treasures that lay between her thighs.
He found it hard to swallow; he found it hard to do anything except watch her.
"You should go over there," Oscar suggested.
Panic.
Absolute panic.
He couldn't go over there. He couldn't even remember the last time he approached a woman. The only reason he had been able to talk to her before was because she had spoken to him first.
He vigorously shook his head, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans.
"She's with her friend, I don't want to intrude," he quickly replied still trying to hide the fear he felt.
"What's the worst that could happen," Oscar urged.
The rhetorical question held a plethora of instances all of which ended in him embarrassing himself. Besides he accepted being satisfied with talking to her at the restaurant... only.
"No."
"Fine, fine we'll leave." Oscar said with finality raising his hands.
At least Oscar was finally ready to end this torture for him. He placed his drink on the table ready to stand until he cut him off.
"But…" he raised his hand," only if you've gone over there and said something."
"How was that even fair?' he wondered sparing another glance at her.
"You've spoken in front of large crowds before; this shouldn't be hard." His brother's attempt to calm him down on any other occasion would've worked. But to Jack this was different. What if she laughed in his face, destroying any ounce of confidence he still had left with the opposite sex.
The other woman she was withstood up and left the table. Seeing that, Jack's heart rate increased alarmingly as the only explanation for why he couldn't go over there was no longer valid.
Oscar grinned rubbing his hands together," What other bullshit excuse do you have now?" he asked.
"Just go," he mumbled to himself. Oscar would never let him hear the end of it if he didn't at least walk up to her. It was bad enough his family looked at him like he was wounded. And so he downed the rest of his drink feeling himself relax a little as he slowly approached her.
Erica fumbled with the straw in her drink as she patiently waited for Sabrina to return from the ladies' room. She was apprehensive about going out, she would have returned to her apartment to bury herself in her blankets, but she promised Sabrina to stop this habit of feeling sorry for herself.
The throat clearing caused her to look up to find Jack smiling at her.
From the way he kept shifting from one foot to the other and caught a glimpse of his shaking hands before he stuffed them into his pockets, she had already picked up on the fact he was nervous.
"I-I... uh," he paused briefly gathering his thoughts. She quirked her brow choosing instead to smile in comparison to the laugh begging to spill.
"I see you've gone back to your awkward self," she said shifting forward causing her dress to rise up revealing more of her thigh. He took slow steady breaths.
"Sorry, I don't mean to bother you it's just that my brother saw me looking at you and- and he forced me to come over here. I didn't even want to bother you," he rambled making her chuckle.
"Take a seat," she replied gesturing to the empty chair across from her. He stopped his blabbering and looked at her perplexed. He took one last glance behind him and took a seat slowly. She wanted to chuckle at the way he seemed tentative, as if he was afraid she would quickly change her mind. But she wasn't, at least she'd spare him.
"I really should stop embarrassing myself in front of you," he said running his hands through his hair as he looked up at her.
"Seeing you fumble your words makes the night I've had better," she replied honestly placing her drink on the surface.
"Do tell," he said fascinated to find out more about her.
"I need a few more drinks in me before I start spilling my inner turmoil."
"Erica," he paused smiling," my mother has assumed the role of being my unofficial wingman," she burst out laughing when he said that, finding the sudden honesty amusing." So, you don't need any liquid courage to tell me anything especially if it's embarrassing or sad. I feel like my life is the textbook definition of those words."
She watched him through hooded eyes, contemplating if she wanted to tell him, she hardly knew him. But with the gleam in his eyes; he seemed to hold no bad intentions, he hadn't made any inappropriately advances and she didn't feel uncomfortable.
"Fine," she replied shifting in her seat," but I'm still keeping the details vague."
"Fair enough."
"Just... " she sighed pursing her lips," well I was given a hard dose of a shitty reality tonight that I'd been fighting against for some time."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said sympathising for what she must be feeling as he watched her bite her lip. Even though he had no idea what she was going through, it made him all the more interested to figure her out.
"I-it's fine... its fine," she responded shaking her head.
"Are you convincing me or yourself?" She looked up to find him staring at her, caught off guard by the question. She chose not to answer him. And left the question hanging in the air between them.
"I admit, your sadness is kind of cheering me up," he replied earning a playful glare from her.
"You don't come across as an asshole at all," she replied sarcastically trying not to smile.
"I had to be honest. What you're going through makes me feel better about my past."
"Do tell," she mocked making him chuckle as he briefly glanced at anything else but her.
"I'd like to think my story was less dramatic. And I feel I should put this out there that I do not go around telling people my life story..."
"Don't I feel special."
Releasing a quick sigh he responded," Someone I cared about practically spat on the affection I offered. Now I'm left with an old wedding band that I can't find the energy to throw away so..." he shrugged.
"You win."
He chuckled lightly; it was the first time he had verbally recounted the story to anyone without feeling pain. He looked up to find no judgement or pity in her eyes.
Just before she could respond she's cut off by the sound of her phone. She paused briefly to glance at her phone unsure of how to react when she sees the message from Sabrina who was supposed to have returned from the ladies' room.
Knew you were checking him out. Stop holding on and enjoy the rest of your night - S
She glanced up unsure of what to do next. Erica assumed once Sabrina returned, she would end this conversation with him.
"If you want to leave... it-its fine," he quickly said, though he wanted the opposite. She pursed her lips glancing down at her phone once more allowing her words to fully immerse themselves into her mind. Sabrina was right, she returned her gaze onto him to find him watching her.
She accepted that she found him attractive and for now an irrational part of her was taking over. It may be the need to just forget or whatever one can decide to call it. But she found herself annoyed that Maxwell was off in the arms of another whilst she sat waiting on.
It wasn't fair.
Such that without much thought she responds, Yes, I want to leave... with you."
His eyes widened as his face flushed pink upon hearing her admission causing her to smirk. A part of her gratified at his reaction.
"I-I don't-"
"When's the last time you were with a woman, Jack?" she asked, moving her foot to leisurely touch his leg. The gesture was innocent enough.
For now, at least.
He swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat. Caught off guard by the direction this conversation was going. It had been long since he experienced the touch of a woman and the way she was looking at him admittedly excited parts of him he thought had long since been diminished.
"You can keep subjecting yourself to the torture of what you used to have," she replied casually tracing an invisible pattern on his leg with her foot shifting forward till his spicy scent invaded her senses.
"Or?" he questioned starting to visibly shake as he kept his arms rooted by his sides, afraid if he reached out to touch her skin this all would have been some allusion.
"You can finally fulfil your little fantasy and taste me."
The husky words unlocked the chains that held his desires captive to run wild instead and dive headfirst into getting drunk off of her.