New horse in Town.

Erin grinned, "Thanks."
She ducked down and opened one of the lower cupboards, and withdrew a large glass mixing bowl from it's dephs. She measured out the flour and sieved it into the bowl, followed by the milk and two eggs. The girl added a pinch of salt and sugar and whisked the mixture up. After that, Erin got a glossy pan out of yet another cupboard and placed it on the hob. She turned the oven on and placed a teaspoon of butter into the pan. She sighed and waited for the pan to heat up, "What do you like on your pancakes?"

Eric watched her with a small smile on his face. "Anything really what about you?" He asked softly still taking in her beauty that never seemed to go away. He could smell the butter melting.

"Hm, I like anything sweet. My mum made some blueberry sauce for pancakes, it's in the fridge. If you want that, I could heat it up for you," Erin said, watching the pan. The butter began to bubble and fizz, she spooned in some of the pancake mixture and swirled it around the pan. A loud bark echoed around the house. The girl rolled her eyes as Dash came charging into the room, "Dash and Jet get the first pancake to share, when Dash hears the butter bubbling, he goes skitzo."
The dog skidded to a halt only a foot away from Erin and barked again.

Eric laughed softly as Dash came running. He picked Dash up when he was near Erin. He got licked on the face and chuckled "Silly dog" he murmured. He was still watching Erin as a thought run through his head. How young was Erin? He watched her trying to guess, maybe same as him. "A thought just came to mind. How young are you?" Eric asked curiously.

"I'm 14, why?" Erin replied, trying to unstick the pancake from the pan. After lifting the pancake up with a spatula, she turned it over and flopped it back into the pan. Jet trotted into the room lazily and sat down at her feet. Erin grinned at the collie and scratched him behind the ear.

Eric was surprise. Was it still a good idea for him to be with her? She was young and maybe her parents wouldn't want him around. He looked away from her, still surprised. "No reason" He said, trying to keep his voice calm. What would happen if her parents came home and found him with her? Crazy thoughts ran threw his head.

"Don't say 'no reason' when it's obvious that there is a reason, Eric," Erin teased, lifting the pancake off the pan and placing down on a plate.
She cut the pancake in half and waited for it to cool. Jet barked softly, whereas Dash began to howl and bark at the top of his lungs. Adding another teaspoon of butter to the pan, Erin watched Jet in amusement, "You've got to wait for it to cool, lard brain."

Eric smiled slightly could she tell that he was worrying? He couldn't get the thought out of his head so he decided to change the subject. "What are we going to do today?" He looked towards Erin now, with loving eyes. He really did love her so what would it matter about her parents? Eric watched her again while waiting for her answer.

Erin prodded the cut pancake with her finger before tossing Jet's half in the air. Jet jumped up and caught the pancake in his mouth and began to chew viciously. Dash howled loudly as he awaited his piece of the pancake. The girl giggled and tossed him his slice. Erin pondered over her answer before replying to Eric's question, "Um, I'm not sure, do you want to go riding?"
The girl spooned another load of pancake mixture into the pan and waited for it to cook.

Eric smiled at the dogs. They were just as amusing as Erin was to him. He moved swiftly and quietly to stand behind Erin. Gently, he put his hands on her hips and rested his head on her shoulder. "We can ride if you like" He hoped that he hadn't scared her when he walked over to her quietly. Eric watched Erin cook the pancakes. They smelt good but not as good as her.

Erin jumped slightly, cursing when her hand slipped and fell on the edge of the pan. She withdrew her hand sharply, inspecting the burn before picking up the spatula and flipping the pancake over. "Cool, we could go riding through the woods, y'know, just to keep the horses cool," Erin suggested as she tended to the pancake.

Eric grabbed her hand and kissed where the burn was. He hoped his cold lips wouldn't hurt her. He stepped back from her. "I'm sorry, you seem to get hurt around me a lot" He let go of Erin and lent against the counter that was near him. "Maybe if I don't touch you, you won't get hurt" He put his arms behind him and watched.

Erin shifted awkwardly and concentrated on not burning the pancake, "Don't worry, I always get hurt. I remember when Musca, one of our thoroughbreds, had me off and on the floor. She stood on my chest, broke a few ribs and punctured a lung. I was in hospital for weeks after that."
She slid the pancake onto a plate and began to cook another pancake.

Eric still kept his hands behind his back. "I still don't want to hurt you" He murmured softly. The thought of hurting Erin was heartbreaking. He shifted to the side which was a little further from her. "I love you" Eric mentioned. The dogs seemed to have disappeared from eating. There were no crumbs on the floor.

What Eric said made Erin feel even more awkward. She felt her cheeks burn a furious red, and it wasn't from standing by the stove for too long. Shifting her stance, Erin tended to the pancake silently, feeling helpless and immature.

Eric saw her cheeks go red, but it wasn't and embarrassing red, it was and angry red. He stepped close to her "Don't be angry" he mentioned quickly and brushed the back of his hand along her cheek. He bent down and kissed just under her ear. There was a worried expression on Eric's face. "I'm sorry for making you angry" He told her.

"I'm not angry," Erin said, staring hard at the pan, feeling helpless, "Really, I'm not." She stacked the pancake on top of the already cooked pancake and picked up the mixing spoon. With shaking hands, she dunked the spoon into the bowl and ladled more pancake mixture into the hot pan.

(Ohyeah, by the way, I've changed Erin's last name from Darson to Thompson. XD Solo's show name is changing too. x])

Eric was confused. Why was Erin red if she wasn't angry, was she embarrassed then? He shifted to be in front of her. Kissing her forehead, he lifted her up and sat her on the counter. "You can sit here, I will cook for you" He whispered in her ear before kissing her on the lips and taking the spoon so he could cook. Eric looked back at her smiling a little. He flipped the pancake so it could cook on the other side.

Erin nodded and swallowed down a lump in her throat. She put her face in her hands and tried to control her breathing. Jumping down from the counter, she walked over to the table and picked up her glass filled with smoothie. The girl sipped the smoothie and choked; it was like trying to swallow glue. Swallowing hard, Erin felt a cold wave of tears trickle down her face. She wiped them away, I can't cry, not now.
The girl sunk into a chair that flanked the table, confused and helpless.

After a while, Eric had finished cooking the pancakes. He slowly walked over to the table with the plate that had all the pan cakes on them. "I finished cooking" He muttered softly. He sat near her but had put the plate in front of Erin. Eric looked down at the table, still confused about how Erin was feeling. "Tell me what your feeling" He asked curiously.

Erin ran one of her hands through her thick hair, "Confused, helpless and slightly awkward." She looked down at her knees and sighed, blinking away a fresh wave of tears. It took a moment for her to realise that she was shaking quite harshly, and when she did, the girl swallowed hard, forcing yet another lump to slip down her throat.

Eric frowned. Why was she feeling this way? He wanted her to be happy and have fun. He didn't think that he would cause all of that emotion. Eric looked at her with a confused expression "Why?" He asked "Why do you feel that way?" He wanted to know if it was him.

"When my mother told me my friend was dead -we were in the hospital at the time- I ran outside and onto a busy road. I don't really know what happend after I ran into the road; just the screaming of tires and a load of pain," Erin paused, a bitter smile twisting her lips, "I was in hospital for weeks, and two days after I was released from hospital, my mum found me dying in our wine cellar. She called an ambulance and I had to have my stomach pumped."

Eric didn't know what to say. He was starring at her with a surprised expression now. He looked away quickly and stared at the floor. His expression soon turned to a frown. She wasn't the only one that was in pain. He didn't look up at her. Eric thought back to his mates car crash. I could have stopped it.

"Something that you said reminded me of that day. It's not your fault; you didn't know. None of my friends know, it's just between me, my mum, my dad and my brother, Matt," Erin said, standing up and hugging Eric.
She allowed the tears to run down her face and tried to stop herself hypoventilating. Her breathing returned to normal, she risked whispering a few words, "I miss my friend like anything."