mixtape (reddie)

Chapter 51

Bill hesitates, but then says "Ah, no..."

"I do," Richie speaks up, turning around to face them again. "I know his number."

What Richie means is that he knows all of their numbers, but he won't admit that. There are some things he can't just delete from his memory, no matter how hard he tried to forget Derry.

"Then go get ready, weirdo!" Beverly exclaims, suddenly all on board with the idea. She was hesitant about seeing her ex, but the idea of seeing everyone else back together seems to outweigh that anxiety she has. "Dress warm, my car's broke down so we're walkin'."

"I could call-" Eddie starts out, but then shuts his mouth and forces a smile, excusing himself to go find his pants upstairs.

Richie watches him go, left with Beverly and Bill in the silence of the kitchen. Once they hear the stairs quit creaking and the sound of Richie's bedroom door shutting, Bill turns his attention towards Richie.

"You guys together?" Bill asks.

"Bill!" Beverly kicks his leg under the table, "You can't just ask-"

"Why not?"

"Because that's not our business!"

"It's fine," Richie speaks up, his voice wavering a bit. He shrugs uncertainly, not quite sure of how to phrase it. "We're not... dating... per se."

"Yet," Beverly points out, which earns a quick slap against the arm from Bill.

"And you call me rude?" Bill scoffs.

"I'm gonna go get dressed," Richie remarks, pushing himself away from the counter to start trekking towards the hall that Eddie disappeared through. He can hear the two squabbling like an old married couple behind him, which makes him wonder if this is how Stan sees him and Eddie.

Eddie's sitting on the bed when Richie enters, his knees tucked up to his chest and his chin resting on top of them. His legs are smooth and unblemished, nothing like Richie's at all.

"Hey," Richie says softly, shutting the door behind him. "Everything okay?"

Eddie shrugs, folding his arms over his legs as well to rest his cheek on his bicep.

Richie comes and sits next to him on the bed, unsure of how to push the attitude change without upsetting this peaceful energy they've been putting out. It's not that he's afraid of Eddie, he's just scared of fucking it up.

"We're fucking bad at communication," Richie says truthfully. He turns on the bed, his knee pressing into the side of Eddie's hip. "That's why things were fucked the first time. Let's do better. Talk to me."

Eddie glances at him in surprise, then shifts his body around until he's facing Richie. "I think I'm just a little confused about everything, like," he begins to play with the material of Richie's sweatpants to distract himself. "I guess I need clarification on where we're going. What was last night? I've never done that with anybody before... I don't think I want to, either."

"Well," Richie takes a breath in. "It can be whatever you want it to be. If it was just an accident, that's fine. I won't mind. We'll still be friends either way."

Eddie stops touching the sweatpants and instead starts prodding at Richie's thighs, gently running his hands along the legs that he knows are covered in bruises. "What do you want? It's not just up to me, this goes both ways. Are you ready for that type of relationship?"

"I don't think so," Richie shakes his head. "At least not openly, not like Bill and Bev. I don't know, Eds, it's so hard to explain everything that goes on in my brain."