No One But You ✔️ Reddie

Twelve

Eddie walked along the kissing bridge. He ran his hand along the wooden panels and thought about the moment when he had stood there, and Richie had leaned in for the very first time. He smirked when he thought about how he'd recoiled in shock, how Richie had pelted.

Neither of them could have known how wonderful the next few years could be together. Even in a world which was out to get them, even in a group of friends that never got to know a side of them, even in families which were consistently lied to, they managed to find a little bubble of happiness and love.

'Hey, Eddie.' Stan greeted, wandering up the pathway.

'Hey,' Eddie responded.

'Last day in Derry,' Stan whistled.

Eddie nodded. His room was packed up, his college acceptance letter for NYU a gleaming golden ticket to take him far and away to brighter and better things. This was the last day he had to spend in a Derry without Richie. Derry without Richie was closer to Hell than he'd ever felt down in the bowels of the Neibolt house.

He thought about the last day that he had spent with Richie in Derry.

'This is really it,' he had said to Richie.

'This is really it. One more day, Eds. What do you want to do with it?'

Eddie had ideas. He showed Richie that he'd brought his old bicycle out so that they could go for one last cycle ride. They went to the mall and bought vanilla ice cream. They went to the arcade and got uncomfortably competitive at Street Fighter. They went to the comic book store and argued over who would win in a fight. They went to their special spot down at the quarry and watched the sun go down.

Then they'd gone back to Eddie's house, on a rare occasion when Sonia was not at home, and Richie had been invited in.

They'd gone to Eddie's bedroom, kissed each other, undressed each other and made love for the very first time. It was an uncertain and messy affair, full of laughs and teases and swearing. It was completely perfect in all its imperfection.

'What time is it?' Eddie had asked.

'Don't ask stupid, sensible questions like that.' Richie had groaned.

'You have to go, don't you?' Eddie had said miserably.

'Yeah, I do.' Richie sighed, starting to get dressed.

Eddie's chest heaved. 'Fuck, I knew this would be hard but –'

'This is the fucking worst,' Richie agreed. He turned and kissed Eddie.

Eddie gripped his wrists, 'Remember me,' he wished quietly.

Knowing he couldn't promise anything, Richie simply said, 'I love you.'

'I love you.' Eddie embraced him.

'I love you,' Richie said again, kissing Eddie's forehead, his cheeks, his chin, his neck, his nose and his lips.

'Goodbye, Trashmouth.'

'Goodbye, Eddie Spaghetti.'

Richie had driven away as Eddie, Stan and Mike waved him off. Eddie had gone home and waited for the call once Richie reached his destination, but it never came.

Eddie wrote a letter, a letter which he ensured contained nothing that would be inappropriate for either of the Tozier parents to read should it be intercepted. There was no reply.

Days went by, then weeks, then months. Eddie never heard a word. As he stood now with Stan, he was certain that this would be the last time he would see Stan and remember who he was. The thought terrified him.