CLOSER || EDDIE MUNSON

Part 10

I drowsily opened my eyes to find myself still on Eddie's couch. He was gone, but in his place there was a white blanket. It was comfortable, but nothing compared to being wrapped up in his arms. I remembered the familiar scent of cologne and cigarettes. Normally I would hate that smell, but coming from him it was comforting.
I smiled to myself.
Now that I was more awake, I sat up and looked for him.
He was nowhere to be found.
It worried me slightly, but I was sure he'd show up eventually. I relaxed a bit, leaning into the couch cushions. I took a deep breath while going over the events of earlier.
I couldn't help but smile as I felt my cheeks flush. I played our kiss on loop in my mind, remembering how intimate and gentle it had been.
That was the first time I had felt that way with someone. Of course, I've had crushes on people before, I've even kissed them. Eddie felt different though. I didn't feel those fireworks that I had with other people, I just felt warm and relieved. It was like everything in my life had lead to that moment of perfect bliss. My smile grew bigger.
I started giggling, feeling my face flush even more.
All of those nights I had spent crying, wondering, all of it lead to this. It made it that much more worth it. I felt tears build up in my eyes.
But this time they weren't sad.
I was so incredibly happy, in a way I didn't think I'd ever felt.
I heard the door unlock, too lost in thought to pay much attention.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

I looked over to see Eddie walk in and place a grocery bag on the counter. My cheeks were starting to hurt from how much I had been smiling. He looked over to me.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up. You've been asleep for like two hours." He laughed.

I tried to respond, but I couldn't get any words out. Eddie walked over to me, returning the same big smile.

"What's got you so cheery, y/l/n?" He joked.

He sat down next to me on the couch, meeting my eyes.

"I don't know, Munson. Why am I so cheery?" I teased.

He hugged me again, lingering for a moment before pulling away.

"I still can't believe that happened. I kissed the preppy pretty girl from the cheer team." He mocked himself.

"You did indeed, Munson." I chuckled.

My smile had finally grown smaller, enough to make my cheeks stop hurting. Eddie and I left a comfortable silence after that, just looking at each other and taking everything in. It wasn't awkward this time, it just felt right. After a few moments, he spoke.

"So uhm, when do you need to go back home? It's already 8 o'clock." His smile faded.

"I can probably stay for a while longer. My mom's been getting home late recently so she's not waiting on me or anything."

His smile immediately came back.

"Cool, cool. So, y/n, what do you exactly want to do with this extra time?" He smirked. I could hear the mischief in his voice.

"I don't know Eddie, surprise me." I returned the same energy.

(Play Lovesick by Peace now)

Without hesitation he grabbed my hand and pulled me up off of the couch. He sped towards the front door, flung it open, and ran out to the porch without even bothering to close it.
It was still raining. It had calmed down by now, but it was still enough to drench anybody if they stood out there for over a minute.
Eddie flashed me a smile before he let go of my hand and dashed down the steps, into the storm.
I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to ruin my clothes. Though they were already kind of ruined from earlier.
Eddie turned around and looked at me, water dripping down his face. He was still smiling.

"Come on y/l/n, what's the hold up?" He practically yelled.

"I don't want to get my clothes wet Eddie." I laughed.

"Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"

I just laughed.

Before I knew it, he had ran back up the steps and over to me, before picking me up bridal style and running back out into the rain.
I started laughing uncontrollably, a smile engraving itself on my face.
Eddie spun around in a circle with me still in his arms.

"Eddie put me down!" I joked.

He set me on the ground gently and grabbed my hand. He then started spinning me. I could hear him smiling through the laughter.
He then grabbed my other hand and made an attempt to dance with me, his smile never left.
Occasionally he would almost trip because of how slippery the ground was, but he was able to get back on his feet quickly.
It was a sight, seeing Eddie this happy and carefree. It had been what I longed for ever since I realized I had feelings for him. I've always thought about how it would be, but the real thing didn't compare in any way.
Towards the end of our bad attempt at dancing Eddie pulled me closer to him. He leaned in, our foreheads touching as he made eye contact with me. I caught that same feeling of pure adoration that I had seen earlier. It was honestly really cute.
I giggled, starting to sway us.
His smile grew as he leaned in more.
He then pressed his lips to mine once again and kissed me.
I felt waves of exhilaration flow through me. I'd never felt more alive.
I smiled into the kiss and placed my hands around Eddie's neck.
His hands followed, moving down to my waist and pulling me even closer.
We stayed that way for a while, pushing and pulling like we were each other's air. It wasn't needy or rough though, just sweet and passionate.
Eventually Eddie pulled away, our foreheads still touching. He smiled and just looked at me before breaking out into laughter.
I couldn't help but do the same. Being with Eddie made me feel childish in a way. It wasn't bad though, it just felt like all the stress and seriousness of the world didn't exist. I felt free.
After our laughing fit, he spoke.

"We should probably go inside, if we stay any longer we'll probably get sick."

I nodded. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back inside. He then walked down the hallway and grabbed two towels, handing one to me.
I smiled.
He then brought me over to the couch. We still had some time to kill, so we talked about pretty much everything under the sun. That was, until he noticed me shiver.

"Oh shit, you need some dry clothes don't you." He became serious.

"No it's fine, I'll just change when I get home." I forced a smile. I really was cold, I just didn't want to stop our conversation.

"Y/n it's fine, here I'll grab you something."

He retreated down the hall, soon returning with a black band shirt and a pair of black sweatpants.

"Go change, I don't want you to get sick."

I stood up, taking the clothes.

"Bathroom is the first door on the right."

I walked into his bathroom and took off my soaking wet clothes. I slipped on the shirt, noticing it was kind of big on me. It looked good in a strange way. It also smelled like Eddie which was nice. I then slid on the sweats. Surprisingly, they fit me really well. They were comfortable too.
Once I had everything on I immediately felt better. I was glad he made me change.
I stepped out of the bathroom and back into the living room, noticing Eddie's eyes widen when he saw me. If he was thinking something, he didn't say it. I cleared my throat,

"I should uhm, probably get going."

"Right, right." Eddie got up and walked over to the door, opening it to let me out.

It was bittersweet in a sense. Even though I had only been with Eddie for a couple of hours, I felt as if we had gotten closer. I didn't know when we could hang out like this again, despite being neighbors. I was usually very busy, today was just the result of an irrational decision. I was glad it happened, so incredibly glad, but chances are it would be a while until I could see him like this again.

I stepped out on to the porch and waved goodbye as I walked across the street.