Drops of Heaven

10

Richie walked back to the apartment about thirty minutes after Eddie left. The last thing he wanted was to run into Eddie as he left to go on a date when Richie wanted him more than he'd ever wanted anyone. He got back to the apartment and found all of the losers, minus Eddie, hanging out in their apartment playing a board game.

"Where's Eddie?" Bev asked as she moved her piece.

"Wasn't he here earlier?" Richie asked. "He has a date."

Stan and Bill both gave him piteous looks but didn't make their looks obvious. The rest of the group knew how close Eddie and Richie were, but Stan and bill knew that he didn't want the entire group pitying him.

"We just got here," Ben said, nodding to the barely started game. "Where were you then?"

"Taking Eddie on a date."

Everyone paused and looked at him with bewildered faces, except for Stan who knew that it was going to happen. After all, he was the one who suggested it and knew Richie would follow through.

"What?" Richie asked, sitting down on the couch behind Mike and Ben. "I didn't want his first official date to be with a ginger who won't ever be as good as me."

Ben looked over at Bev with a red face. "What's wrong with gingers?" he asked.

"Yeah, Richie, what's wrong with gingers?" Bev asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Nothing. I have no problem with them. Just the guy Eddie's going on a date with," Richie replied quickly, trying to cover for himself and not piss off the (in his opinion) scariest member of their group.

Stan hummed, rolling the dice. "Why do you have such a problem with him?" he asked, ruining Richie's hopes for Stan not embarrassing him. "He's just taking your best friend out on a date. Maybe they head back to his place after."

Richie scowled. "Not before we get to meet the guy!"

"Damn, your Sonia side is coming out," Bill joked. "It's just a date, Richie."

"But... Eddie's too good for him!" Richie exclaimed. "Have you seen him?"

Everyone stared at him and Richie scowled. He got up and stomped off to his room and saw the poetry books that Eddie usually kept under his bed had all been moved to his desk.

There were also the clothes from their date earlier in the day left on Eddie's bed, showing that he's changed. Richie knew that Eddie would look incredible in whatever he wore and it annoyed him because someone else was going to be fawning over him.

Plus, Richie was still overwhelmed by the kiss that they shared earlier.

How could he have been so stupid and let it happen?! Of course Eddie had to be a fucking great kisser and made Richie fall even harder for him which was infuriating. He just wanted to have Eddie as his, but it couldn't happen.

It could ruin everything.

Richie would never let that happen.

"Hey..." Bev knocked lightly at his door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Richie replied, flopping on his bed. "What can I do for you Ms. Marsh?"

"Tell me what's going on with you?"

"Ah, that's one thing I can't do."

Bev sighed and sat down on Eddie's desk chair. It was the exact same one that Richie had, but it was grey instead of black and his desk was way more empty than Richie's. It wasn't as though Richie's was dirty; Eddie just had the habit of putting everything back into the drawers of his desk whereas Richie liked to see his tasks lined up on the desk.