Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Upstanding Citizen

Eddie's POV:

I hear a car alarm go off outside and jostle awake, reaching over to grab Ripley and my arm meets an empty mattress. I blink against the sunlight shining in from the window and I groan, looking at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It's almost ten and I want desperately to roll over and go back to sleep, but her absence makes me worry. I push the covers off of my legs and get up, stretching my arms over my head and yawn. I poke my head out of her bedroom, but she isn't in the hallway. I glance towards her mom's room and the door is still open, her bed still untouched from the night before.

Music is playing softly from the direction of the kitchen and I lift my hoodie up to scratch my stomach as I round the corner and look inside.

Ripley is singing quietly along with the song on the radio and she's dancing around the kitchen, a small smile on her lips. She decided to throw on one of my shirts this morning and she isn't wearing anything else. Her soft legs peek out from under the cotton of my shirt and I'm hypnotized by the way they move as she twirls around the room. Her heavy blonde curls cascade down her back and it sways between her shoulder blades as she shakes her head from side to side. I lean against the threshold and grin like an idiot, twirling my own hair around my fingers bashfully as I watch her. She doesn't notice me in the doorway as she carries on. She carelessly swings her hips and nearly spills the pancake mix she is stirring in her hands, the large bowl clanking against the counter and I struggle to try not to laugh. I must have made a noise without realizing because her eyes finally lift and meet mine. Ripley's entire face goes crimson and she looks down at the pancake mix, hastily. I laugh openly at her expression and move into the kitchen, pressing up behind her and placing my hands flat on the counter on either side of her hips.

"How long were you standing there?" She asks.

"Long enough," I snicker and she groans. I duck down and kiss her neck, a small smile on my lips.

"No need to feel embarrassed," I assure her. "I think it's cute."

She snorts and moves away to start cooking the pancakes and I lean against the counter, watching her.

The sunshine makes her skin glow and she looks almost ethereal in my plain white shirt. Her hair springs in random directions and looks untameable, but I love it like this. Ripley seems almost lost in her task, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she concentrates on not burning our breakfast. Every once in a while, she will ask me for something and I happily get it and come back, eager to return to admiring her. Ripley is always in motion, never staying still long enough for me to really look at her. So these moments are my favorite, when we can just be content to move slowly together.

Once she finishes making the last pancake, she carries the giant stack to the table and I follow behind with our plates and utensils. She ducks back into the kitchen to grab the syrup and orange juice as I set up our cups. We sit in content silence as we dig in and I sigh happily.

"What would you like to do today?" I ask her, leaning forward to take her hand in mine. She grins around a mouth full of pancakes and places her fingertips against her lips as she finishes chewing.

"Well, we were invited out on a triple date this afternoon," she says sweetly, her head tilting slightly as she waits for my reaction. I slump slightly in my seat and look at her reluctantly.

"With who?" I ask, already guessing the answer, but wanting to be sure.

"Steve, Chrissy, Robin, and Cleo," she chuckles. "Who else would it be?"

I groan slightly and she rolls her eyes, her smile never leaving her face.

"Can't we just stay here?" I plea and she shakes her head, stabbing her pancakes with her fork before bringing them up to her lips.