Still Loving You

Part 18

 Elizabeth was racing around the room, gathering what she needed for class the next morning. It had been a late night, she'd overslept, and now she was running late. Her, Robin, and Eddie had been up for hours playing board games, laughing, and talking. It took her back to when she and Eddie would play games with Dustin. She loved that Robin and Eddie were getting along so well. At least one of her friends was a fan of his. Steve had made it very clear that he was not.

Eddie stirred on the couch, stretching and opening his eyes to look at her.

"Hey, morning," he mumbled sleepily, a soft, sweet smile crossing his lips.

"Morning," she replied, her heart hammering in her chest. That smile still got her every single time. "I have class in about twenty minutes so you're welcome to chill here again. It's a ninety minute class so I'll be back after that. There's some cereal and stuff in here if you want or you can go to that coffee shop we went to yesterday if you want something more. They make breakfast sandwiches, pastries and muffins."

"Okay." He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his hair sticking up all over the place. He looked beautiful. She'd always loved how mussed he looked first thing in the morning and she itched to go over and run her fingers through his hair, smoothing it down for him like she always used to. She fought it back, clenching her hands into fists at her sides when he said, "I was thinking, do you maybe want to do a late lunch today after your class?"

"Oh...uh...yeah, sure. I should be back from class around one or so. We could go after that. There are a few good restaurants just a little less than a mile from here we could walk to."

"I actually have a different idea," he replied and at her look of confusion, he smiled. "No worries. I have it all figured out. Just go to your class, come back, and then we'll head."

"Right, well, okay then." She was curious about this lunch plan of his, but she was going to be late to class and she desperately needed a break from him for a little bit. She grabbed her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you later then."

"Sounds perfect, princess. Have a good class."

Goddamn it with that nickname again. He'd been using it more frequently and it was not helping her stand her ground. Every single time she heard it from his lips, her toes curled up.

"Thanks," she muttered.

She hustled out of the door and down the stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief once she hit the fresh air and sunshine outdoors. Damn, she had to clear her head and that was impossible when she was around him. She was trying so hard to be okay with this, trying so hard to be cool and casual, to be friends, but as each day passed it got harder. That man had a choke hold on her, and she was beginning to think she would never have closure.

How could she have closure when everything in her still ached for him? Every time he was near, all she wanted was to reach out and touch him. She stared at his lips, fantasizing about how they would feel on hers once again. Her brain replayed images from the past of his body on her own. Every inch of her could still remember the imprints of his fingers on her skin. He was like a spirit that wouldn't stop haunting her, a specter that would follow her for the rest of her life, reminding her of what she was missing.

Robin came rushing up behind her, handing her a coffee.

"I wondered where you were this morning. I woke up and you were gone," Elizabeth commented, gratefully accepting the caffeine. "And thank you for this. You have no idea how much I needed this."

"Well, I woke up desperately needing a caffeine boost. I figured you would too. That was a fun night but I need my sleep to function. Lack of sleep equals a cranky Robin without a good amount of coffee and nobody wants to deal with that bitch. She's horrible," she replied with a grin. "So, I headed out a bit early to grab these."