After All This Time (Steddie)

Ch.4: Faithfully

I feel my face flush with heat. He releases my cheek from his hand and smiles. "So. Where are we going?"

"I figured we could go get some dinner and then if you're up for it, karaoke? It was Robin's idea." I shift from my heels to my toes a couple of times. "That sounds like a lot of fun actually. Let's go!"

We drive out of Hawkins and into the next city over. We end up finding a pretty calm small restaurant and sit in a booth across from each other. "So tell me, what made you feel like you should ask me out?" I look up from the menu and smile softly at him and breath out. Be yourself. He already likes you. "Eds, how could I possibly not want to? The moment I laid eyes on you, there was just this... click. Like. Oh I'm gonna completely let this guy ruin my life." There's that smile. The one that reaches his eyes. I swear to god it could light this whole restaurant on its own. "You really thought that?"

"Oh completely and totally. You sparked this... this weird feeling in my gut. Something I couldn't put my finger on in the moment." He nods and smiles. A waitress comes over to take our orders and leaves with the menus. I order a chicken sandwich, fries and a coke. Eddie orders a burger, fries and a coke as well. I probably could have ordered it for him since I already assumed that's what he would get. "I had the same feeling. But I figured you weren't into guys after seeing you flirt with girls all the time. To be honest there's been a few times I've felt some jealousy. Wishing I was the one you were leaning up next to flirting with. And that smile? If I thought I'd had a chance I would've snatched you up a long time ago."

"If I would've just figured my shit out sooner I honestly can say this would have started probably about a week or so after meeting you."

"A week?" He scrunches up his face trying to place and time that would have been. "Mhm." He puts his hand over his mouth, thinking deeply for a moment. "Okay help me out here. I'm trying to figure out what moment that was?"

"We were deep in the bullshit. If you know what I mean. Following Nancy around in those damned woods. And then you just started rambling at me. Telling me to try to get Nancy back and this whole thing about how much Dustin cares about me. Watching the way you got all animated and passionate about what you were talking about when it came to him. I knew." I sigh out and look down at the table, then back up to meet his gaze. His eyes look almost... watery? I grab his hand from across the table. "You okay?"

He smiles again, sniffling a little. "I remember that. You just walked with me and listened to me ramble at you. You looked uncomfortable as hell then there was this... shift. You looked at me in a softer way after I told you how much Dustin admires you." I nod my head and squeeze his hand. "Yup. Exactly then." He shakes his head in disbelief. "I'll have to thank that kid later."

Our food arrives and we eat in silence for a bit. It's nice just being here with him. I don't feel weird or uncomfortable at all. This is the most me I've actually felt in a long time. Although his eyes occasionally meeting mine made my heart race.

"You wanna know when I knew?" Eddie breaks the comfortable silence. "Enlighten me." He picks at the last bits of food on his plate and takes a drink of his soda. "Okay don't laugh at me." I smirk. "I can't promise that."

"Okay so we made the plan to try to..." he makes a knife cutting his neck gesture. "Vecna. And we had to run around and borrow that poor couples RV. I was trying to get you to drive it. I let the first flirty words slip right out just to test you. You looked honestly horrified and it was the cutest shit." I shake my head. "Of course it was then. Why wouldn't it have been then? You're such an ass!" He laughs and we both spend another few minutes stealing glances at each other. I'm loving every moment of this date so far. I really hope he is too.