Bad Habit - {Eddie Munson x y/n}

A Thousand Red Roses

You didn't want to take any time off of college or volunteering to sit in your quiet apartment, all alone and wallow in your sadness. So you've been firing on all cylinders, trying to stay as focussed as possible on your education and future, keeping yourself extremely busy each passing day. But just like before, when the day is done and you've got no choice but to head back home, you're swallowed by the loneliness of your apartment once more.

It's only been a few days since it all happened and you've not really spoken to Eddie much, just one short phone call. He asked you about your day and you asked him about his, just general chitchat. You don't have the energy to fall back into the blame game or to repeat the same things you've already said. He knows he hurt you, you know he's sorry, there's no need for going round in circles, although he did sneak in a couple more apologies during the phone call.

You're not purposefully avoiding speaking to him just to punish him, Eddie knows that he messed up and that he's got to repair the damage before things are back to normal again. You're not going to act like everything's alright and begin calling him every night just like before. He needs to know he can't fuck you around and treat you like he did, you won't allow it. You're not sure what it is you want or need for him to say or do to make this all okay again, time will tell. You're doing the right thing by not forgiving him too easily. Time heals all wounds, you tell yourself.

You haven't really had the chance to sit down with Amy and Chrissy to speak to them about it yet, although you're sure their boyfriends have probably told them at least a bit of info. So you decide to call them both and invite them over for dinner tonight. That'll kill two birds with one stone, you think to yourself, it'll fill the quietness of your apartment and also give you a chance to tell them everything. Luckily, they're both free tonight and fancy a girly pizza night at your place. Amy will provide the pizzas from her work of course, saving you from doing any cooking which you're grateful for, you haven't had the energy recently.

—

You slip into something more comfortable, opting for Eddie's old Hellfire t-shirt and a pair of black leggings tucked into some thick, fluffy socks. The t-shirt smells just like him; spicy and warm with just a hint of cigarette smoke, a smell you could lose yourself in. But before you can get too carried away with yourself and spiral into that feeling of missing him so deeply it pains you, the front door of your apartment opens with a loud creak. You make your way out into the hallway to greet your friends.

"Hey girl!" Beams Chrissy, "feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" She smiles warmly as you approach her, she throws her arms around your shoulders and pulls you into one of her calming hugs, she doesn't know quite how much you were needing it in that exact moment. You embrace her for a moment longer than usual, finding comfort in the arms of your best friend. She steps back and gives you a knowing look as she rubs your upper arm softly, glancing at your choice of t-shirt.

"I've got some yummy pizzas for us, thank god Robin isn't here or we'd have to fend her off to get a slice," Amy laughs with two pizza boxes balanced in one arm as she kicks the door shut with her white converse shoe and wraps her free arm around your shoulder.
"I'm looking forward to a girls night." You tell them with your best convincing smile. It's not that you're not looking forward to spending time with them, you really are, you just aren't looking forward to reliving the whole Alice thing again.

—

"So," Chrissy says as she wipes her mouth with a napkin, swallowing the last bite of her pizza slice, "how was your visit with Eddie?" She asks you. You scoff and relax back into the sofa, resting your head against the back of it,
"Haven't yous heard?" You ask them both, assuming they'll have spoken to Gareth and Jeff since it all went down.
"Well kind of, maybe a little bit," Amy admits with a tight lipped smile.
"But we want to hear it all from you." Chrissy says and pats your leg from where she sits beside you on the sofa, with Amy on the other side of her. They look at you with both expectancy and also pity.