Nothing More // Reddie

Chapter 5

I looked at Eddie from across the table. He was focused on scribbling animatedly in a leather-bound notebook. 

"What's that, Eds, your diary?" I smirked.

He quickly slammed it shut. "No. just homework."

"yeah, sure, whatever you say."

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying to change the topic. 

"Actual homework. This communications class is really killing my GPA."

"I don't know why you even bother majoring music, it seems pretty useless, not like you're gonna hit it big or anything."

"You never know, Eds. After all, I'm an artist."

His phone buzzed and he picked it up off the table, his pudding brown eyes scanning the screen before he groaned in frustration.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"My dad." He said, pressing decline. 

"Well, aren't you gonna answer it, Eds"

"No. And don't call me that."

It was silent for a moment before his phone started ringing again. "Jesus fuck." He muttered, grabbing his phone and going into the next room over and closing the door. 

I sat there for a few seconds before realizing his notebook was still in the same place across the table. My curiosity started to get the best of me. But do I really want to invade his privacy? 

Yes. Yes I did. I reached forward and grabbed the book, examining it before opening it to the first page.  Eddie Kaspbrak was scrawled neatly across the white paper. I smirked. God, what a dork.

Just as I was about to turn the page, I heard shouting from Eddie's room. "I don't care what you think! I'm my own person!"

I closed the notebook, placing it back where it had been before. Slowly, I crept toward the door, pressing my ear against it to listen."Jesus, just get off my back." He paused while the person on the other line talked.

"Well if you didn't want me out of the house you shouldn't have kicked me out." He paused again to listen. "Respect your boundaries? How is my love life your boundaries?!"

Love life? Did Eddie have a secret girlfriend that his parents didn't approve of?

Eddie spoke again. "leave him out of this! You've never even met him!"

Him? Who was him? A friend? What did that have to do with his love life?

"Why can't you just accept me for who I am?!" He yelled, his voice cracking. There was a clatter inside the room, which I assumed was his phone hitting the wall. I quickly made my way back to the table, not wanting Eddie to catch me spying. 

He didn't come out of the room for a while, which gave me some time to think. Who was 'him'? What did Eddie's parents not accept about him? He was like the perfect son. Did Eddie have a girlfriend?

And more importantly, why did the thought of that make me wanna scream?

Eddie exited the room, taking his seat across from me and opening his notebook, going back to writing. I noticed that he was sniffling quietly. 

"Eds, are you... are you crying?" 

He sniffed again. "Don't call me that. I hate it."

"Are... are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, still avoiding looking me in the eye. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." 

"It's about something I'm not ready to tell you about yet."

"What, are you a homo or something?" I asked, chuckling. He twitched in his seat. "No..."

"Well, if you're not a queer then-"

'You shouldn't use that term." He said hotly. he finally looked up at me, his eyes watery and red. 

"Sorry, didn't realize you were so hormonal." I mumbled defensively. He slammed his book shut and again retreated into his bedroom. I sighed, placing a cigarette in between my lips and lighting it, inhaling deeply before exhaling. 

"I can smell you smoking in the apartment!" Eddie screeched from down the hall. "Go outside."

"It's fucking cold, Eds!" 

"Fire escape!" he shouted back. I sighed again, getting up and trudging over to the window, heaving it open and stepping out into the cool early-winter air. 

-

"Checkmate." Eddie giggled, beating me in chess for the third time in a row. 

"You're cheating." I said, although a smirk remained on my face.

"Oh yeah? Prove it." He said, biting his lip innocently. The morning light streamed through the living room window, dancing in his whiskey colored hair. I tackled him playfully, tickling his sides until he couldn't breathe and was pink in the face. 

Eddie breathed heavily as I hovered just above him, our lips inches apart. He reached up, running his hand through my curls, tugging and making me moan before seizing the opportunity to tangle our lips together in  a breathtaking kiss. 

As our bodies moved in sync, he groaned my name. "Richie!"

"Richie... Richie..."

"Richie, wake up, asshole!" I was jolted awake by Eddie tugging at my feet, pulling my out of my dream.

Shit. This is not the stuff I'm supposed to be dreaming about.

"What do you want?" I grumbled irritably, sitting up to face him.

"Can I use your shower again? The landlord still hasn't fixed the water in my bathroom, and if I have to shower at Bill's house one more time I swear to god."

"Sure, whatever. Just remember a towel."

He nodded, staring at me for a moment. 

"Hey , Richie?"

"What?"

"Nothing... never mind." 

"No, what were you gonna say?"

"Just..."

"Go ahead."

"Richie, why do you have a boner?"