𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 | Eddie Munson

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

Emily is painting her toenails when I walk into the apartment. She has her feet propped up on the coffee table and she's hunched over as she focuses.

"Hi." She says.

The smell of salmon fills the apartment. I look into the kitchen and see that Emily cooked dinner. I smile and kick off my shoes. "Wow, you cooked?" I say grabbing a piece of broccoli out of the bowl and eating it.

"Yeah. I almost gave in and ordered take out but like I told you before, I'm trying to cut back on ordering in." She blows on her toes trying to dry the polish.

"It smells delicious. Thank you." I say walking up to her. I notice the soft pink shade of polish on her nails. "Very cute. I like that."

"I can do yours next, but after dinner, because I'm starving." She jumps up and walks on her heels to the kitchen. She washes her hands as I laugh at her.

I know it's time to tell her about the Salon Eddie bought me. I don't want to leave tomorrow for Hawkins without having the conversation. "Go ahead and grab your plate. I need to change my outfit." I tell her.

She says okay as I walk into my room. I close the door and immediately change into a comfortable t-shirt and leggings. I am staying at Eddie's tonight so we can go straight to the airport in the morning, so this outfit is still decent enough to wear outside the apartment. I toss my jacket into my already packed luggage and zip it up.

I grab the small box on my nightstand and open it, making sure the key is still inside. I take a breath before walking back into the kitchen with the box in my hand. Emily is sitting at the dining table waiting for me. She already made me a plate of food. I look at my plate as I sit down and then look at her across the table. "Thank you. I can't wait to devour it."

"Bon appetit." She says while picking up her fork.

"Wait. I have something for you. I want you to open it before we eat." I place the box on the table and slide it across to her.

She stares at the box confused and slowly puts her fork down. "What's this? It's not Christmas yet." She laughs.

I roll my eyes and smile at her. "No, it's not a Christmas gift."

She grabs the box and holds it in her hands. "What is it?"

"Just open it," I say.

Her eyes narrow on me and then she slowly opens the box. Her brows bunch together in more confusion. She picks up the key and examines it. "A key? What does it unlock?"

I wait for her eyes to meet mine. "To my Salon."

She cocks her head as if she's processing my words. "Your Salon?" She looks back down at the key. "What do you mean?"

"That key belongs to a Salon that Eddie bought me. A salon that I will be opening once I return from the tour in the spring." I swallow and hold my nervous smile.