I giggled as Eddie gnawed at my shoulder and nuzzled into him as he wrapped an arm around me. He pulled his blankets around us tighter and sighed happily as I started scratching his scalp.
"Aren't sleepovers more fun when you're not pretending like you don't like me?" he teased, brushing his nose against mine. I rolled my eyes but smiled when he kissed me.
"I wasn't pretending like I don't like you," I retorted, setting my head on his chest. "I obviously liked you."
"Obviously, and everyone knew, but you had to be Ms. Brick Wall," he quipped, scratching my back and kissing the top of my head. I smiled and wrapped myself tighter to him.
"I seem so cool on the surface, but, girl, you make me so nervous," I sang, grinning wider as he groaned.
"I can't believe Dustin showed you that notebook," he whined. I looked up at him and smiled.
"I can't tell you how much I genuinely loved them, Eddie," I assured him. He blushed and smiled shyly.
"You did?"
"So much," I replied. I kissed the base of his neck softly. "They let me know that my Eddie was always there."
He squeezed me tight for a hug and kissed my forehead.
"Your Eddie?" he asked quietly.
I flushed and shrank away from him, my butterflies picking up when he pulled me back to him.
"We like sharing, sharing is good," he cooed, making me smile. I buried my face in his chest and smiled in spite of my flush.
"I hate it!" I whined. He laughed and rolled me onto my back, leaning over me.
"You're getting so much better at it, sweet pea," he whispered, close to my lips. I giggled.
"It's been, like, twelve hours," I joked. He shrugged and kissed me softly.
"I know, it's a night and day difference, sweet pea," he said lowly, making me melt underneath him.
"You're just trying to condition me to be nice," I quipped. He winked.
"Can you blame a guy?" he retorted, kissing me hard.
I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him back and pulling him closer. He nosed my chin up and started to nip and suck at it. I grinned as I realized how care-free I felt for the first time in months. I was brought out of our bubble with Eddie's door swinging open.
"Your van's out front, so—"
Eddie leapt off me and I buried myself under the covers as the door swung open.
"What is the matter with you, old man?" Eddie shrieked. I poked my eyes out from under the covers, giggling at how red-faced Wayne was as Eddie ushered him out.
"I thought you managed to screw it up again! How was I supposed to know you could pull it off?" Wayne stammered, stumbling out of the room. Eddie slammed the door and leaned against it, burying his face in his hands.
"I'm so sorry," he muttered. I sat up and held my hand out, inviting him back to my embrace. He flopped onto the bed and groaned, making me laugh. I crawled over to him and started peppering his face with kisses.
"It's okay, it was a mistake!" I reassured him. He glared up at me.
"He's a menace," Eddie insisted. I shook my head and kissed his nose.
"He was just checking on you, he didn't—"
"He didn't know my half-dressed girlfriend was in here, so he should have knocked!" he snapped. I felt my heart skip.
"Girlfriend?" I croaked. Eddie turned bright red and groaned again. I laughed and kissed his forehead. "We like sharing, sharing is good."
He beamed up at me.
"Yes, I want to make sure my girlfriend's dignity remains intact," he replied, leaning up to meet my lips again. I kissed him, melting again at how his touch made me feel.
Why had I fought this for so long?
"We should go make him breakfast," I sighed between kisses. He grinned and kissed me once more.
"Come on, sweet pea – I've been dying for a cup of your coffee for the last couple of days," he flirted.
He hopped off the bed and offered me his hand, pulling me up with him. He pulled me close and kissed me softly. He smiled down at me, and I beamed up at him, content with the decision I had made to be brave. I yelped when he smacked my ass, and tried to wiggle away as he pulled me tighter.
"You're a nightmare!" I exclaimed. He giggled and kissed me again.
"Can't help it," he replied. I rolled my eyes and stepped into the flannel pants that Eddie handed me. He smirked and kissed me quickly. "You look so good in my clothes."
"Come on, pervert," I teased, pulling him out into the hallway. I laughed as he pulled my back to his chest, and we stumbled together. We got out to the kitchen, and I smiled at red-faced Wayne.
"Ms. Elle—"
"Wayne, it's okay—"
"If I had known you were back there—"
"It was an honest mistake!"
"I'm so sorry," he insisted. I shook my head.
"It's okay – Eddie's the one who's throwing a fit," I quipped. Eddie squeezed me sides and stepped around me.
"You're a hundred years old, you know how to knock," Eddie hissed as he walked around Wayne.
I rolled my eyes and watched him as he deftly moved around the kitchen. He hadn't pulled a shirt on this morning, insisting that I wear his worn Iron Maiden shirt. The tattoos on his back flexed as he moved around, and I tried not to stare. Wayne stood next to me and leaned over.
"You know, it has to be a safety hazard for him to cook bacon without a shirt on," Wayne said lowly. I snorted and Wayne started laughing. "And we know that I'm not impressed with this view, and he's obviously trying to impress someone."
He and I were reduced to giggles as Eddie tried to tell us off and I started the coffee for everyone. Wayne sat at his normal spot at the counter and watched Eddie and I as we teased each other. I was Eddie's sous chef as he bustled around.
At one point I was handing him chopped vegetables to stir into our eggs, and Eddie leaned close to my face, puckering his lips like he always did to ask for a kiss. Normally I would shove him away or make a retching sound, but this time, without thinking, I met him in the middle, pecking his lips quickly. This surprised him, and his face split into a goofy smile.
"What?" I asked, scraping the onions off the cutting board into the egg mixture. He was silly and giddy when he shrugged.
"You normally tell me to fuck off when I do that," he answered. I flushed, and looked away, a twinge of guilt going through my body at the memory of how I treated him. He kissed my temple, and I looked up, smiling when he winked. "Trust me, I deserved it."
"Alright – it's killing me," Wayne suddenly announced. I turned to him, leaning against the counter as Eddie set an arm across my body and pulled me close to him as he cooked. I raised an eyebrow, and he held his hands up. "What happened?"
---
I kissed Elle's temple and tried to focus on cooking as she leaned into me. I was still annoyed with Wayne – of all the years I had lived with him, he was always respectful and knocked on my door. The one time he doesn't, I have my dream girl half-naked in bed.
I loved the guy, but he was a menace.
"What do you mean, ancient one?" I asked. Elle smacked my side, but I squeezed her closer.
"What happened? You guys obviously had a falling out, but now you are all better," he explained. I felt Elle freeze in my arms, but I knew what I was going to say.
"Remember how I asked you how to convince someone you've changed? This was who I was awful to," I replied, getting the pressure off Elle. I looked at Wayne and smiled brightly. "I was lucky enough for her to give me a chance."
I glanced down at Elle, my heart skipping at how she was looking at me. She pressed her forehead to my shoulder, and I kissed the top of her head. I stirred the eggs and looked at Wayne.
"He used to be a little shit stain, Elle," Wayne said. I glared at him, but Elle laughed maniacally.
"He really was," she replied. I shut the stove off and yanked her close to me, making her giggle.
"You're already mean enough on your own, don't recruit my uncle," I insisted, kissing her quickly. She crinkled her eyes.
"Can't help it if I agree!" she quipped. I rolled my eyes and took the plates from her to get breakfast for everyone. She helped me carry them over to the table, Wayne following behind, and smiled brightly when I sat next to her. I felt my stomach flip when she set a hand on my thigh – so casual, like we had always done this.
"Well, I'm thrilled you two are back – I've missed breakfast," Wayne joked. I set my hand over Elle's and pulled it to our lips to kiss her knuckles quickly.
"I have, too," she admitted shyly. I beamed at her and winked before starting my breakfast.
We all joked and laughed with each other over breakfast, Wayne asking Elle more questions about herself and her doing the same to Wayne. We lingered after we all finished, my arm around the back of Elle's chair, and she was leaning into me, laughing as Wayne told her stories. She set her head on my shoulder, and I pressed my lips to the top of her head. I took a deep breath, so happy with how everything had settled. We all jumped as the front door swung open.
"Alright, where's the crybaby," Dustin announced. I glared at him as he finally noticed us. His face split into a grin as he bounded over to the table.
"Hey, Dustin," Wayne greeted, holding his coffee cup up. "Come join us."
"You two made up?" Dustin asked excitedly. He plopped down next to me, looking around. "I'm starving."
"I'm not feeding you, you little shit," I sniped. He looked confused for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he grimaced.
"Oh, you two made up," he said, laughing nervously. I glared and leaned over the table, ready to eviscerate him for showing Elle my notebook. I stopped when she squeezed my thigh. I looked down at her, my heart catching when she smiled at me.
"We did, thanks to you, Dustin," she said kindly. I groaned and pressed my forehead to hers, smiling when she kissed my nose.
"See? Thanks to me – so I deserve to be fed!" Dustin quipped. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What did Dustin do?" Wayne asked. I felt my face bloom with color and Dustin grinned wickedly.
"Wayne, did you know—" he started. I cut him off.
"Don't you dare."
"Oh, now I have to know," Wayne said, leaning forward.
"Eddie's written really sweet songs," Elle answered, immediately easing the tension. "Dustin showed me one."
I smiled weakly at her and sighed heavily. Wayne grinned wryly and stood.
"One day, I'll get the full story," he said cryptically. He ruffled Dustin's hair on his way back to his room. Once we heard the door close, Dustin smiled nervously.
"To be fair, I was just trying to help!" he stammered. I glared.
"You're an asshole." I snapped. Elle smacked my chest.
"I wouldn't be here if he didn't show me," she hissed. I groaned, resigned to the fact that I was going to lose this fight. I squeezed her close to me and looked back at Dustin.
"You're lucky it worked," I seethed. He grinned smugly at me. I pointed at him, "You owe me. You're going shopping with me today."
"For what?" he asked, reaching to my plate to eat my leftovers. I looked back down at Elle, kissing her forehead softly.
"I've got a hot date tonight," I answered.