Figure 8 Ch. 05

Sylar brushed back her hair that had fallen over her face, causing her to wrinkle her nose. She rubbed her face, and he stilled, afraid that she would wake up and look at him with that horrified expression she had mastered so well.

Relief washed over him as she moved closer, still asleep. Her face pressed into his shoulder to get more comfortable. He felt her nose against his neck, and hoped his scent would give her pleasant dreams. Then he gave into the feeling, he allowed himself pretend that he was hers.

...

Emma woke with her face pressed against the glass. When she pulled back she noticed the oily stain, a direct imprint of her cheek. She quickly rubbed the residue with the edge of her sleeve before she noticed that she was completely alone.

The shuttle pulled into the campsite parking lot. Her eyes darted, unknowingly looking for Sylar and finding him already flirting with the female talent Nick had hired for the weekend. She rolled her eyes. Of course. He had lost interest the moment she had a boyfriend. She knew she should be glad that he wasn't set out to bother her anymore. Emma blinked, releasing the heat behind her eyes. This weekend would be alright. Adam had nothing to worry about - she had nothing to worry about.

As everyone lined up to get off the bus, Emma lingered behind to call Adam. When the line got through, she heard his voice gruffly respond and felt her heart thump the way it used to back in college. The sound of his voice soothed her, reassured her, even long after he wasn't saying anything.

"Hi."

"Hi babe."

Emma felt nineteen again. She couldn't contain herself, her mouth hurting fighting to smiling so hard. She was speechless, the words she wanted to say and her thoughts mingling. All that came out was a garbled giggle. The excitement of hearing his voice over the phone, addressing her in a way that made her his, made her want to jump for joy.

"Did you get to the campsite?"

"Mmhmm."

"You slept the whole way through, didn't you?"

"Mmhmm."

"Do you miss me?"

"Mmhmm."

She heard his chuckle. "Emma, are you covering your mouth right now?"

"Yeah," she gasped before throwing her hand over her mouth again. The rest of her words came muffled as she jumped off the bus. Perhaps the distance was a good thing, something for them to work on and remind each other how well they knew each other.

"God I miss you so much already."

Emma lifted her hand to respond when she heard someone yell her name. "Come pick up your bag, we have to check into our rooms." All her excitement flooded away as she remembered all the secrets she was keeping from Adam.

"Hey Adam? Can you promise me something?"

"Yeah."

"Call me every night? Before you sleep?"

"Why, you checking up on me?"

No, I want you to check up on me. "Just making sure you're alive each night," she covered her insecurity with a joke as he agreed to her wishes. He promised that he'd call more than once a day, as long as she would pick up. She asked again just for reassurance, "You'll call me right?"

"I'd be there with you if I could."

"I know." She paused as she noticed Sylar waiting her from the entrance of the campsite. He stood there so regally, flipping the hotel card key with his fingers. His eyes were trained on her with the precision of a hawk's gaze.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? You can go back to sleep."

"You know me so well. That's why you're my favorite girlfriend."

The joy she felt from hearing his voice fled as she met Sylar's gaze. There was something unreadable in the way he looked at her, blank and dead as if she were nothing more than a leaf amongst the many floating in a river.

How did he do that? Make her feel lower the dirt as if she were the one screwing it all up. She forced a smile back on her face as she walked towards him, standing as safely as she could. Before her feet touched his, he spun around and told her to follow him.

While Adam ranted about being alone and bringing up funny incidents of their past, Emma wasn't in her right mind. She was glad her giggles and sighs were enough for Adam, who was no doubt still feeling the effects from being woken up from his nap.

"Remember when..."

Emma studied Sylar from behind. He was physically different from Adam in so many ways. His body had a thicker build from slight working out, and the hoodie he wore was thin, hiding just as much as it shown. Adam's body was naturally thin, his muscles a result of playing the drums and a musicians lifestyle of constantly being on the goal.

Seeing other women run their hands over Sylar's back, over and over, was enough for Emma to have memorized each groove and indent. She had a feeling she'd recognize his body even if she were blind.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Emma had to stop walking to collect her thoughts. "Yeah, sorry, I'm just looking for the hotel room."

"That doesn't sound like camping, you spoiled brat."

"I'd be down to sleep in the woods anytime," Emma retorted, "It's the high maintenance actors that need their five star stay. You would know, you big shot musician."

"I love it when you're sassy."

She laughed as her steps slowed as Sylar halted in front of a door. "I got to go now."

"Wait..." And yet it wasn't the hesitation in his voice made her stop but the view of the hotel room, in all its fancy decorations, startled her as she dreadfully took another step in. "...can you say it one more time?"

"Say what?"

"Like those really cutesy pet name that reminds me I'm yours."

"Stop being so cheesy."

Her snappy tone startled them both. But the sight of a single bed sitting in the center of the room took away any abilities to think.

They had to share a bed? How could she ever -

Emma felt like breaking down and crying. She had to find Nick to get this straightened out. She'd stay with the snoring princess, she'd even sleep on the floor of Greg's room. Sylar moved around the room, his face betraying none of his thoughts about the single bed.

But he had to have seen it.

"Emma?"

"I love you," she blurted loudly, meaning it from her heart but not knowing why it was coming out now.

Nothing felt worse than saying it out of guilt, out of desperation for it to make everything feel right. Despite how true those words were, she felt dirty using them. It was like cheating a game, or even movie, by skipping to the end and pretending that nothing had happened. She had practically shouted those words, not sure if she was saying it for herself or... Sylar's ears. The regret was instant.

"No need to yell," Adam laughed, "but... I miss you already."

She didn't notice when he hung up. Not until the loud dead tone had gone on for what possibly was ten minutes or more.

As she regained her senses, she saw Sylar come out of the bathroom, his duffel bag still on his shoulders. By the eased look on his face, she guessed he hadn't seen the bed yet. And he was about to. He looked at her cautiously, her deer-in-the-headlights look was back, and walked to the room. Her mouth moved to make a suggestion, but Sylar threw his bag to the floor so harshly she closed it.

"Fucking shit," he growled. He moved as faster than she had ever seen a person move, knocking his full weight into her shoulder. It felt like she had been stabbed as she fell back.

"Ow!"

Her knees buckled over the side of the bed and she felt the soft sheets come around her. They were silky, rubbing against her skin like cool water. "That really hurt," she muttered as she lifted herself up on her elbows. She froze at the sight before her.

Sylar's eyes were burning as they looked at her. His eyes were stormy like a chaotic rainforest before the summer flood. The rise and fall of his chest was hypnotic. Tension woven throughout his upper body as he stood there, watching her.

She couldn't move. He was so... beautiful, if a man could be a marble statue made to mimic skin. The way he was looking at her made her feel tingly inside. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew from watching him over and over again on the screen that he had never looked at another woman the way he was looking at her now.

Emma swallowed, her body shaking with feelings she didn't understand. She closed her eyes, unbidden images of Sylar in the midst of passion came to her. He was a predator, and she was the prey, the moment could've only be broken by a crackling sound. A sound that could either determine her capture or drive his attention elsewhere. So she didn't move, afraid of the outcome and her response.

The door slammed shut. Each silent second that passed, Emma heard the echoing door re-slam itself over and over. Sylar's anger lingered in the room long after he had gone. Emma fell back on the bed. The tension never left her body as she wondered why they kept coming back to this impasse.