The Break (An Eddie Munson Story)

Chapter 37: A Date At Lover's Lake

A/N: Sorry, this is a bit of a filler chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own The Colour Purple quote by Alice Walker.

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The sun burned too brightly for your exhausted eyes but the sound of children screaming in pure delight was a welcome distraction from your ordeal the night before. From the spot on the dry bank, you had a pretty good view of your party of vacationers, whom had all eagerly agreed to, Eddie's suggestion of a trip to Lover's Lake. You watched with a slight smile quirking the corner of your lips, as Dustin and Mike participated in a water fight, that both were destined to lose. Max was not quite so amused, as she read her book quietly and turned up the volume of her Walkman, to block out the increasing din.

Looking to the young girl, you motioned for her to remove her headphones, which she reluctantlyobliged in doing so, annoyed that her listening time was being interrupted. "Are you okay?" you lent in close, your tone hushed, so as not to be heard by the brunet to your right.

"I'm fine." she replied, though the bags under her eyes told another story. The night before had been equally gruelling for her, as it had you.

After your collapse. Eddie had screamed for help, calling out to anyone who would listen. It had been Max who had answered his prayers, running to yours and Steve's aid. It would be a long time before she would ever forget the sound of Steve's haunting 'I'm okay' mantra and teh sight of your unconscious form. The look of fear on Eddie's face had permanently seared itself into her retinas. Though just a scared kid herself, someone had had to take action and played the role of responsible adult. Snapping out of her shock, Max had demanded that Eddie call Nancy and Robin. 'There's a notebook by the phone, their contact details are in there. Tell them it's happening again, they'll know what to do. Hurry!' she had instructed him, wasting no time on making her way to Steve's side.

It was not a night she was going to forget any time soon.

While you were distracted by the redheads wellbeing, Eddie allowed himself to take pause and take stock of his surroundings. When he had pictured taking you on a date, this had not been quite what he had had in mind. Preferably, you both were to be alone, seated on a blanket and watching the sunrise. If you had not said 'I love you', on the night of your run in with Jason, then Eddie had planned to utter those three precious words, at the moment when the rays would first hit the water and transform the liquid landscape into a pool of glittering diamonds.

But the universe had had other ideas and your Friday evening had descended into chaos and upon waking up to on Saturday to the aftermath of Steve's breakdown and Nancy's startling revelations, Eddie had decided that everyone- the kids he managed to wrangle included- deserved a day at the lake. So, at short notice, everyone had been bundled into his truck (and Steve's car), armed with blankets, thermos' full of (your favourite hot beverage) and enough hastily made sandwiches to feed a small army.

On average, the state of Indiana had one hundred and eighty-six sunny days per year and that morning, you had hit the jackpot. It was delusional to say it was warm but compared to the chill of the night, which had seeped into his bones, as he had talked with Steve about the Upside Down and your wellbeing, the bit of heat Eddie could feel upon his skin, was literal heaven.

He adjusted his sunglasses against the glare, as he attempted to reread the same paragraph for the fifth time in a row. His brow furrowed, the words just did not want to settle. No matter how much he focused on the prose, his mind refused to comprehend the author's intention.

Noticing his evident frustration with his text, you gently nudged the brunet with your elbow, garnering his attention. "Everything okay?" with a huff, he admitted that his concentration was just not playing ball that morning and well, that just was not going to do, you decided, plucking the book from his grasp. before Eddie could utter a single complaint, you nodded towards your lap, with a cheeky grin. "Lie back, Munson. I'll read to you."