No One But You ✔️ Reddie

Seventeen

Eddie felt like a ghost. He showered a lot, but whatever it was that was making him feel so unclean wasn't washing off. Myra consistently sent him to bed, pampering him with soups and cold flannels and hot water bottles.

He lay in bed ruminating Richie's imminent departure. It still hadn't felt like closure. There was nothing peaceful in it, nothing definite that he could release into the wind with a healthy sigh. Richie ate away at him. Guilt ate away at him.

There was a knock at the door. He heard Myra wander to answer it.

'Hello?' she asked.

'Hi Sonia. Is Eddie in?'

Richie. Eddie scrambled out of bed. He couldn't be here. God, he was desperate to see him, but not here. He couldn't stand there in the hallway talking to his fiancée. He threw on some clothes.

'It's Myra,' Myra corrected placidly. 'Who told you to do that?'

Richie furrowed his brow.

'Sonia is my mom's name.' Eddie said, appearing in the awning of his bedroom.

'Eddie, who is this?' Myra asked. She turned back to Richie. 'Who are you?'

'Richie,' he introduced, holding out his hand to her. 'I'm an old friend.' She shook it.

'High school,' Eddie clarified, staring at Richie deliriously. 'Could you give us a minute, mom?' He coughed, 'Myra.'

Myra pursed her lips and slipped on her coat. 'I'm going out for groceries. Nice to meet you,' she said insincerely. Then she left.

'Fuck, I'm gonna pay for that,' Eddie mumbled. He saw Richie's face. 'What?'

'I didn't say anything,' he said, trying not to smirk.

'What are you doing here, Richie?' Eddie asked.

He pushed his hands into his pockets. 'I wanted to say goodbye. Don't worry,' he said, lowering his chin, 'I'm not going to make a scene. I just didn't want to leave it how we did.'

Eddie sighed. 'Come in, Richie.' They sat down in the living room. 'When do you go?'

'Tomorrow,' Richie said, fidgeting. There was a silence, then he asked uncertainly, 'Do you think we'll forget again?'

Eddie frowned, 'I don't know.' He still wasn't sure if it was self-preservation or self-destruction that made him hope they would. He didn't want to try and get over Richie again. He couldn't do it again; it hurt so much the first time.

'If we don't,' Richie said, biting his lower lip, 'Can I give you a call every once in a while?'

The more he thought about it, the more Eddie firmly believed that they would forget, be forced to forget. There was no wanting about it. It was inevitable. They wouldn't remember each other if they tried. So, there was no harm in a lie. 'Yeah. Okay.'

'Okay?' Richie smiled, disbelieving. 'Good, okay. Okay.' He tried to wipe the tear from his cheek without Eddie noticing, but he failed. With hopeful naivete, he added, 'Maybe you could even visit.'

Eddie couldn't help but reach out for Richie's hand. He fought back the tears brewing in his own eyes, tried to swallow the lump in his throat. 'I –' he started, stumbling. 'It's been good to see you, Richie.'

Richie looked at him. He tried to memorise the way Eddie's voice sounded, the shampoo that he used, the texture of his skin, his face. The look in his eyes right now, the look he'd seen right before their first kiss: hopeful and hopeless love.

'I'll see you again,' Richie said certainly. 'I will. I swear it.' He laughed, 'I'm still dating your mom, so maybe next time you go visit her.'

'You're such an asshole,' Eddie said.

Richie nodded and stood. 'I need to go now before I do something stupid.' He walked to the door.

Eddie followed him. He so nearly told him not to go.

Richie met Eddie's eyes. 'Fucking hell. Why do I have to do this again?' He shook his head and tried to breathe properly. 'Goodbye, Spaghetti,' he managed.

'Bye, Trashmouth,' Eddie said. He knew that he shouldn't, knew that it wasn't fair, but he leaned up and kissed him.

Richie kissed him back, raking one hand through Eddie's hair, using the other to pull him closer. He wished he could freeze the moment, preserve it in time, let them stay there forever.

Their lips parted, foreheads still resting against each other. 'You fucker,' Richie muttered. 'How is it still you, after all this time?'

Eddie slipped out of his hands. 'Have a good flight, okay?'

Nodding, accepting defeat, Richie opened the door and let himself out into the hallway. He smiled, 'See you soon, Eds.'