Two Steps Behind

Part 34

 "You can head out man," Eddie said to Ray, one of the high school kids that worked evenings and weekends for him. "I'm just going to get caught up on some paperwork in the office and then I'll be heading out too."

"Okay, I'll see you Tuesday after school then, Eddie."

Eddie watched Ray gather his things and head out. He was a good kid. Eddie saw a lot of himself in him. The kid was a metalhead, didn't seem to fit in at school, and had a hard home life. His dad had taken off when he was a kid and he lived with his mom, but she struggled with addiction. He got a job to try to keep food on the table and the lights on since she had a hard time holding down a job. But he loved working at the store, and he was great with customers. His knowledge of music was unrivaled and he could answer almost any question anyone had. Eddie occasionally added some extra money to his paycheck when he could afford it, wanting to help the kid out if he could.

"You need any help?" Jeff asked.

He had popped in to talk to Eddie about their show on Tuesday. He had planned on canceling again but Elizabeth had insisted that he do it. She knew they had missed a lot of shows and she didn't want them losing their steady gig. Eddie knew she was feeling guilty about it and he didn't want to give her anything else to worry about. She said she would come so he could keep an eye on her and Angie was going to come along so she wouldn't be alone while Eddie played. She swore she wouldn't let Elizabeth out of her sight and he believed her. He didn't know how they would have gotten by without Angie. She'd been amazing through all of this and he would never be able to thank her enough.

"No, man, it's just paperwork, really. It won't take me too long, but thanks."

Jeff paused, drumming his fingers on the counter. "So, I wanted to ask. How are things with Elizabeth? Is she doing any better?"

Eddie sighed. "I don't know. She's so back and forth, I am getting whiplash from trying to keep up. And, shit, I don't mean that the way it came out. I love her, like completely over the edge of the cliff in love with her. I'm not going anywhere. There's nowhere else I'd rather be, really. She just, one minute she's there. I mean, she's fully present in the moment and she's with me and it's so fucking perfect. It's everything and in those moments, I believe we're going to be okay. But then, there's other moments where she's just gone. It's like her body is there but she's not and she's distant and I can't reach her. In those moments, I don't know..."

"Damn. That's rough. I'm sorry man. Does she still believe he's going to kill her no matter what?"

"I don't know," Eddie shrugged. "I'm honestly scared to ask because I'm scared she'll completely shut down and I won't be able to bring her back. I thought I lost her once. I thought she'd given up on us and now that I have her back, I don't want to risk chasing her away again."

"Damn...you know, I remember looking at the two of you back in the day and thinking, that's that shit they write books about," said Jeff. "We all knew you were perfect for each other. We just knew you were going to wind up together. No one could believe it when she walked down the aisle with someone else and you just watched it happen. I kept expecting you to jump up and object, to tell the whole church how you felt."

"You have no idea how much I wish I had," Eddie admitted softly.

"Look, I don't know a whole lot about relationships. I've never made one work myself," laughed Jeff, one shoulder lifting in a half shrug, "but if I was ever going to believe in love, it would be the two of you. I know this sucks. I mean, this situation is like Stephen King fucked up. But if anybody is going to solve it, it's you. Don't give up on her man. She needs you."

"I will never give up on her," Eddie stated. "She has me forever whether she wants me or not."

"Oh, I know she does. Anybody with eyes can see how much she wants you," he assured him. "I know things are fucked right now, but they won't stay that way. Alright, I'm gonna head out. Don't work too hard."