One too many

Part 21 ~ The picnic

Weeks had past by and yet Stark still lived, she was weak and very sickly but she tried not to let it show. She had fallen madly in love with Erik. It did not take much, she was so scared and isolated but most of all she was vulnerable and he used that to his advantage. Asa had helped him a lot with wooing Stark. She was an old witch and knew it was not hard to let a young girl fall in love with such a handsome being as Erik. He was well trained and he did his best to show off all his best sides.

They met mostly in the garden if the weather allowed it. Stark liked to feel the wind in her face and hear the sound of life all around her, it made her happy but she was still very ill and could not stay too long outside. Erik had given her a wheel chair to sit on so that he could walk with her to show her more of the estate. She was blissfully happy with it. Every time she saw Erik she could not help but to smile, she missed him as soon as he had gone and she could not wait to see him again, the next day.

Erik tried to talk to her about things that had happened to him, he did not want to lie unless he had to. Stark had asked him if he had ever had a girlfriend before and he could truthfully tell her no but if she had asked if he had ever had a boyfriend he would have had to lie, even though he truly did not want to lie to her. He had come to know her better in these weeks than he had done in the months that she had stayed in their home, a pit of regret was in his stomach, if only they had been truthful, would she had accepted them or would she have shunned them, he really did not want an answer, since he was rather sure he would not like the answer,

One day he asked her to go on a picnic, she had been feverish all night and had hardly slept but she was not going to let that stop her from going. She knew she was on borrowed time, Asa was the one holding her in this world and she also knew it was only a matter of time until that would not be enough so she wanted to cherish every moment she had until she would draw her last breath. Asa had been displeased but she had worked on her to make her feel better, still her body ached badly but she still managed to smile through the pain, she did not want to let it show how painful it really was, she had come to look at Asa as her mother and she did not want to let her do more for her than she had already done.

Erik had planned it perfectly, he had asked help from his people so that everything would be just as he liked. He had even brought champagne and strawberries, he was eager to please her and he truly wanted her to be happy, he had been so foolish and he would do anything to make amends but would it ever be enough? It just had to be.

He drove Starks chair to a remote place near the lake, he wanted privacy from all seeing eyes, even from his own mate. Luckily Stone had left to do business, they had been feuding with another pack for months, the other pack had been claiming land that was not theirs and Stone went there to end this nonsense, even if it meant to fight to death with the other alpha, even though this was extremely annoying this happened all the time, packs fought for land and the stronger pack would win. Their pack was of course much stronger it was just the other alpha was too young and cocky for his own good, it would likely get him killed before he would ever get to meet his fated mate but that was none of Erik's concerns, he had only Stark on his mind at this moment.

Stark had not spoken much since they went outside, she was just enjoying herself, being outside, with someone she liked, would life ever get better than this, she had an inkling that this was the moment she would cherish the most, she had a feeling she had little time left and she wanted to enjoy it. She just wished she could have a little more time, she wanted so much more than she could get, it was after all nature of men to be greedy and she was just like the rest of her kind.

As soon as they arrived at the lake Erik took her into his embrace and put her on the blanket. It was thick and comfortable to sit on, there were also pillows for her to use. She really did not have much of an appetite but she did her best not to let it show, he had gone to such trouble making this all only for her so she did not want to disappoint him. She smiled like a blooming flower at him and thanked him, she told him that it was all so lovely. There were all kinds of cakes, sweets, biscuits and sandwiches to choose from, everything look so tasteful but she had no appetite still she ate some biscuits, she took small bites since she was afraid she might throw up. She wanted to distract him from her eating so she asked him all kinds of questions, about his friends about his business and about himself.

He answered every question she gave him with patience and a grin. He was very happy, everything was just as he had planned, it was nice and warm outside and he was with the women he admired and loved, it was just the perfect date.
He gave her champagne and strawberries. She had never tried alcohol after she had lost her memory, she had no idea if she would like it so when she took her first sip she was pleasantly surprised. She could feel the bubbles from the champagne hit her tongue it was fun and tasty, as soon as she had swallowed her first sip he gave her a bite of strawberry, she felt like there was a dance ball in her mouth, it was such a new and thrilling experience, she told him she wanted more so he gave her more.

She drank the whole glass on mostly an empty stomach, her stomach was still fighting with her but she had learned to control her body a bit with this long illness so she paid it no mind, she wanted to enjoy the moment fully so she asked for another glass. It was just as good as her first glass. She giggled happily as she took another bite of the strawberry. Just two glasses were enough to make her drunk, this was not an ordinary champagne, it had a very high alcohol amount, you could not even taste any alcohol in it, this was one of a kind beverage made from a special clan that were reclusive, not many had the fortune of getting a taste, let alone two glasses but it was not a big deal for Erik, he would give her the world if he could.

She looked at him while smiling like a fool, she giggled and felt like she was floating on cloud. She looked at his handsome face, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was just her but she leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. She blushed like a maiden but still had the courage to kiss him again, this time she kissed him longer. She put her hands on his face and deepened the kiss. She could taste the champagne of his tongue, she sucked it to get more from it. Erik was still scared and gently put his hands on her hips to steady her. She was so frail he was scared to hurt her, he let her lead the way and he enjoyed every second of being with her.

Thank you for reading, id be very happy for you to comment and get feedback on the story, if you like it or hate it, have a great weekend everyone, ill likely update again next week :)