cliché || reddie ✔️

twenty three

His mind takes him back to the day before, when Eddie sat in his car with anxious eyes and tapping feet as they both peered up at his house. Is that it?

He clears this throat and says, "hello," to the emptiness that accompanies him in his bedroom, then he answers the call.

"Richie!" Eddie says, sounding a bit out of breath. He then clears his own throat and says in a more controlled voice, "Hey Richie."

"Hey Eds," Richie says, smiling to himself as he pulls his legs up to his chest. "You need somethin?"

"Yeah, uh.." Eddie trails off. "Are you busy at all?"

Hope of what this question could lead to sparks in Richie's chest. "No," he says, shaking his head. "I'm not busy at all."

"Okay," Eddie breaths into the phone. "Is it alright if I come over? For a little while?"

Richie's eyes scan over his messy bedroom, books and clothes thrown over the place. "Yeah, sure, of course. Do you need me to pick you up?" He gets out of bed, kicking the blankets back as he assess the amount of cleaning up that needs to be done.

"No thanks. I'll walk over. You live in the neighborhood, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm just a few blocks away. My car is in the driveway, you'll see it."

"Okay, nice. Yeah, I'll be there soon," he says. Richie's about to say his own goodbye when Eddie says one last thing.

"Thank you, Richie."

He lets out a breathy laugh and picks up a shirt off his floor. "I'll see you soon, Eds."

And with that, Eddie ends the call.

Richie doesn't fight back the grin that spreads over his face. Eddie had just called him. Him! He breaths in deeply, the happiness that swells in his chest making him feel like he can float.

But that doesn't last very long when Richie remembers his dad. Wentworth will hopefully let him have friends over, Richie figures, as long as they're not too rowdy. His dad has always been the more laidback one of his two parents.

But first, he needs a clean room.

Richie glances at the front door on his way down the hallway to the french doors. Wentworth sits at his desk, the glasses perched on his nose reflecting the bright spreadsheet on the computer. "Hey dad?" Richie asks, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah, Rich?" He asks. His eyes linger on the screen before he exhales deeply and leans back in his chair, looking up at Richie expectingly. Richie's fingers pick at the doorframe and he asks, "Is it alright if I have a friend over? His name is Eddie."

"Is he a friend from school?" Wentworth questions.

"Yeah," Richie shrugs. Wentworth nods his head and returns his hands to his keyboard, tossing one up to shoo Richie away.

"Sure, you can have a friend over. Stay quiet though, please."

Richie grins and thanks his dad before leaving the office, waking down the hallway with higher spirits. He goes to the kitchen to pull out a Poptart, deciding he should eat at least a little before having Eddie come over. He hopes Eddie eats beforehand, because he doesn't think he has the guts to show Eddie the empty cabinets of his house.