serendipity {sequel to pop} || reddie

deux

Eddie had nearly had a heart attack when he'd gotten the call. It was ten or so at night, and he'd been about to take his pills (vitamins, mostly, but also Atarax for his anxiety), choking on his water as the shrill ring of the phone echoed throughout his dorm. He quickly picked it up, hoping it hadn't carried through the walls to his roommates' rooms.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Eddie Kaspbrak?"

"Yes, this is him." Eddie cleared his throat, attempting to make his voice sound professional. This seemed like a work call. "I'm afraid it's out of office hours, so if you'd-"

"Sir, I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but I need to schedule an appointment for tomorrow. I'm Richie Tozier's assistant- he seemed to know you?"

Eddie froze. Normally he'd say no, it was ten at night, last minute, unprofessional. But his heart did a strange thing at the mention of Richie's name, pumping so hard Eddie could feel it pulse in his chest. He couldn't turn this down. Eddie rushed across the room to check his schedule. He had a few openings.

"Is ten in the morning alright?" He asked.

"I don't think he'll be awake by then."

For some unknown reason, Eddie subconsciously thought, that's so like Richie.

"Two in the afternoon?" Eddie tried.

"Two should work perfectly." The woman on the phone said. "Thank you so much, I know this is last minute. Richie's leaving town in a few days, and he asked for an appointment, so I had to get it in at some point."

Eddie felt himself smile. "Is he always so impulsive?" He knew the answer. He remembered.

"Yes." The woman laughed lightly. "He's a bit of a handful. Thanks again, Mr. Kaspbrak. Have a great night."

"Goodbye." Eddie replied, his smile fading, and then the woman hung up.

Eddie tried extra hard to look his best the next morning, waking up promptly at eight, like always. He didn't know why he felt this way, why he had an urge to make himself look good, why he was so nervous. Richie was just an old high school buddy, or at least Eddie thought he was. So what was so special about him?

~~~~~

Richie Tozier walked into Eddie's office at 2:09pm. He turned to see Eddie sitting in a chair, his legs crossed, his eyes sweeping up and down Richie's body, his chin resting in his hand. Richie's heart stopped.

Eddie was wearing a white t-shirt and a dark blue windbreaker, as well as some loose, black jeans. Clearly, he put effort into his outfits- that made sense, he was working today. Richie had pretty much gotten out of bed, thrown on a t-shirt and sweatpants, brushed his hair, and driven over.

"You're late." Eddie spoke. His voice was deeper, more mature than the last time Richie had heard it.

Eddie looked just as pretty as he had four years ago, though his features were hardened by age and worry. That's right, Richie had always found him pretty; had they ever dated? Richie couldn't quite remember. Eddie's face was calm, passive, but Richie thought he saw something else in his eyes. Unfortunately, Richie wasn't as good at disguising his emotions, staring at Eddie with surprise and disbelief written all over his face.

"I always am." He said, and it was so strange for Eddie to hear his voice like this, not amplified in a theater or playing over a television in a bar, making his skin prickle with creeping memory. Richie's voice had changed even more- it was rougher, deeper, more mature, a tiny bit nasal. "God, it's... it's really you."