WILDFIRE ↝ E. MUNSON [1]

[15]

Lily's eyes cracked open to the sunlight peeking in through the blinds covering the window, and she shifted softly in her spot, taking in her surroundings. She still lay on her side, facing the wall, but she had a much clearer vision of the room in the daylight, and was now able to make out the small figurines that sat on the nightstand next to her, whereas last night they had simply been small shapes propped up against the wooden surface.

"Morning," Eddie's voice came from the other side of the bed, and Lily reached a hand up, tiredly rubbing at her eyes.

"Morning," she murmured sleepily, her eyes still shut to block out the light.

"Did you sleep okay?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Surprisingly enough." she said. "You?"

"Decent," he said simply as she forced herself up into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry about last night." she apologized quickly, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and securing it with the scrunchie around her wrist to keep it out of her eyes. "I was just so overwhelmed after everything happened with Max, but thank you for staying with me."

Eddie shrugged, sitting up next to her and leaning back against the headboard. "Don't mention it." he said. "Seriously, it's the least I can do since you've been staying to help me. You slept in a canoe for me, I think I can manage sleeping in the same bed as you."

Lily leaned forward slightly, the neckline of her t-shirt dipping down in the back, just enough to reveal the small image inked between her shoulder blades, quickly catching Eddie's attention. "I forgot about this," Eddie spoke up, reaching forward as his fingertips lightly poked the image of a small flame.

"I guess I did too." Lily mused, her eyebrows furrowing together slightly as she reached back to put a hand over it, Eddie pulling his hand back as her fingers grazed his lightly. She hadn't thought about it in months, not since she realized her cheerleader uniform had hidden it from view, anyways.

"Really?" Eddie asked. "I guess I thought you would've gotten it removed after all this time. Doesn't really fit the Tiger Cheer Squad look, right?"

"Removed?" she asked, feigning offense. "How could I ever bring myself to remove the stick and poke tattoo you gave me in my basement last spring break? Did you and Cam get yours removed?"

Eddie scoffed. "Please. Like we Munsons regret the stupid tattoos we give ourselves." he reached up the sleeve of his shirt to show her where his own flame rested just under the elbow of his left arm. "So, what does McKinney think of it?" he asked hesitantly, changing the subject.

"He, uh, doesn't know about it, actually." Lily admitted, causing Eddie to raise his eyebrows slightly as his eyes widened.

"He's never seen it?" Eddie asked, and she shook her head.

"The cheer uniform hides it, or my hair does." she explained quickly. "Just never came up, I guess."

"Right," he said, his eyes moving down to the ground briefly before pulling himself out of bed. "On that note, I should make us some breakfast. That is, if Rick has any food in this wasteland."

Lily watched as Eddie left the bedroom in pursuit of the kitchen, leaving them in a silence that was soon punctuated by the sounds of drawers and cabinets being quickly opened and slammed closed in Eddie's desperate search for food. Lily finally climbed out of bed after him, walking into the kitchen to see him holding a can of Spaghetti-Os, his eyes finding hers as he gave her a sheepish smile.

"What can I say?" he asked. "Beggars can't be choosers, right?"

Eddie found a can opener in one of the drawers, pulling the tool out as Lily rummaged through the cabinets for a pot. She placed it on the stove as Eddie grabbed a wooden spoon, dumping the contents of the can into the pot and turning on the appliance as the blue flames roared to life. He got to work heating up the food while Lily continued to look through the cabinets, brandishing two bowls in front of them before pulling two forks from the silverware drawer.