Amber blinked; the problem was the surprise? Sudden or gradual, it wouldn't have changed the invitation either way as it'd still be a couple of days of facing her relatives' “delightful” company. "You want foreshadowing next time?" Amber teased, leaning to press her forehead towards his. If he wanted warning, that was fine with her; the next time she wanted something big from him, she'd ease him into the subject like a needle into a kid. Eric had that wide, lazy smile like he did when he was thinking of kissing her-- and that was fine with her too.

And then kissing was off the table as Eric flew back, getting as far as possible from her face as he could without leaving his seat. Okay, so being blunt was just as bad as sudden invitations to her family's house, but she could soften only so many blows. Amber eyed Eric warily. What did he want her to do, change them? If she could, she would've made them follow her every whim starting from the day she was born. "That's their problem," Amber corrected. "It's not about you."

Her hand still covered his and she made a point of stroking him softly-- they always did seem to talk more calmly when they were touching each other. The veins on the back of his hand were raised, tense. She couldn't blame him for being upset-- she was pretty embarrassed with the situation herself.

I've even been found worthy, once or twice. Amber flinched. She should've known he'd be curt; no reason why he'd be patient with her ridiculous jealousy. She understood but his cruelty, on top of her insecurity, hurt. "Oh," she said, downcast. Bad enough she kept wondering about his exes, now she was going to be comparing her family to theirs. Amber knew bringing Eric to Thanksgiving would be a bad idea and now they couldn't go back. "Good for you," she said, trying to keep up the unaffected tone but, upset, she couldn't think of anything better to say.