the shire is burning [eddie munson x OC]

chapter twenty seven

RULE 5: Willow will attend Corroded Coffin's performances (when she can)

Tuesday night, Willow had no excuse up her sleeve to avoid coming to The Hideout. For the last few Tuesdays, she always had something to excuse her from her rule number five: Spanish homework, helping her mom around the house, working a shift at Family Video - anything and everything that the Universe could throw at her. But this Tuesday night? Nothing.

And Eddie knew that the moment he had called her and pleaded with her for a thousandth time to attend his show, to come watch him 'shred like a guitar god', in his words.

Really, even if Willow had been graced with an excuse, she still would have come. Maybe Sunday night had swung her bias, had wrapped her just a little bit tighter around Eddie's finger, but she found herself having a harder time to say no to him in the 48 hours since they'd had their impromptu sleepover. She had all but heard his puppy dog eyes over the phone, and her chest turned to mush as she said yes without hesitation. She'd had no reservations about letting Eddie Munson occupy her time now. It was an excuse to see him. It was a reason to get out of the house. Those facts alone were good enough for her.

"What can I get you to drink?" the bartender asks gruffly from across the bar she'd parked herself at.

The smoke was thick in the air from all the drunken smokers around her, stinging her eyes. "Just a coke, please."

Corroded Coffin would be on stage soon enough. They'd already set up their drums and mics, and a crowd had already gathered in the lower level area to watch them. There were a few more people here than last time Willow was here, a group of girls who were clearly too young to be here were standing particularly close to the stage, clad in leather and giggles that could be heard across the room.

Willow was trying to ignore them.

She'd overheard bits of their conversation. Discussing if the band would be as cute as a friend had claimed, noting that there were four members of the band and four members of their group.

Groupies. They're groupies. Eddie Munson has managed to acquire goddamn groupies.

She nurses her coke patiently, fighting off the burning in her chest when she hears one of the girls squeal something about how 'guitarists are always hot!'. No , she wasn't jealous. She knew logically that even if Eddie wanted to take one of the girls home, he couldn't - they were going to have to play pretend for his friends tonight. And it was far too early in whatever they had going on for a cheating scandal. It was fine. She had no need to be jealous, and even if she did, she had no right.

This wasn't real. The longing ache in her chest every time she caught sight of Eddie's curls might be, but whatever was happening between them wasn't.

The shrill sound of a guitar plugging into an amp interrupts all of Willow's useless thoughts. She doesn't hesitate to push her coke away, and when the bartender gives her a look as she's gathering herself to head closer to the stage, all she can do is call over her shoulder, "Put it on the Munson tab!"

She wasn't jealous. She was just going to get closer to the stage to play the role of the supportive girlfriend. The supportive fake girlfriend.

The harsh spotlights are illuminating Eddie's bright smile as he introduces the band as per usual, and his eyes quickly find Willow's as she situates herself at one of the standing tables. She didn't want to make herself too obvious - she also didn't want to hear anymore fawning from the girls up front. She could tell by their giddy body language as the boys stepped out that it was all squeals and gasps that yes, the band was hot.