Love Turns You Upside Down | Eddie Munson

Adrift & At Peace - 21

I yawn loudly as I turn the steering wheel, following behind Steve's taillights in the dark as he turns onto an adjacent road, heading back to skull rock.

I love Dustin to death, but once he has his mind set on something, he needs it accomplished or taken care of as soon as possible. Hence, why we're all driving back to the rock formation at 2 AM. All so Dustin can figure out why his compass was acting up, and so we can know if it has anything to do with a gate to the upside-down. I get the sense of urgency behind the trip, the world is being threatened again and that obviously requires our immediate attention, but we don't stand a chance if we're all sleep deprived when we end up facing this thing.

Don't get me wrong, the nap I took on Eddie was amazing, but I definitely need more sleep. My body isn't used to getting only 7 hours in the span of 2 days, and lord knows how much sleep I got the days before when I was babysitting Eddie in the boat house.

Eddie.

I unintentionally let out a sigh as I think of him. My mind is a few minutes in the past, to our shared moment in the room. I'm not quite sure on what it meant. Well, I know what it meant to me. It was something that I know I've been yearning for the past few days, and something I feel our tension was going to build up to eventually.

I don't quite know what it meant to him. He could have kissed me cause it felt right in the moment, or because our emotions are clearly running high, and we're all stressed. Maybe for him, it was just quick bliss from the unpleasant situation.

Whatever it was, I'm happy about it. More than happy. But I'm not going to put any labels on it. I have feelings for him, and he might just have some sort of feeling for me.

I know out of all the things I should be concerned with at the moment, my brief but sweet kiss with Eddie Munson shouldn't be at the top of the list, but it is.

I hear Max yawn behind my seat, and I glance in the review mirror at her. Her head is resting on Lucas's shoulder, both of their eyes closed. I can hear the small hun from her headphones as her song plays on loop. She looks absolutely exhausted. I know she hasn't been getting good sleep ever since Billy passed away, but with her being cursed the dark circles under her eyes are always prominent. My heart tugs, and I focus back on the road.

I haven't been so willing to let her out of my sight, and I have been considering asking her to stay with me at my house-just so I can keep an eye on her. Just because we managed to deter Max from certain death once, doesn't mean we will be able to do it again. I know that. But a part of me is sure if she's with me, I can protect her from any harm. I have to be. I have to be sure that I can save her and protect her. Just like I promised Billy I would.

His face flashes before mine, and I can see him clearly. His ocean eyes are suddenly boring into mine. They're similar to Max's, but hers is more icy, like the choppy North Atlantic Ocean. I blink and just as quickly as he came, he disappeared from my vision.

I still can't wrap my head around that he's gone. That my parents are gone. But I saw it myself. I saw him die.

I felt him die.

I shake the thoughts away before I spiral into those memories, unable to stop the tears that prick at my eyes.

I wonder what he would think, if all of this happening now. Would he help us? Would he take Max and run? Or would things for them return to how they were before the Mall? Would they remain separated in their broken home, or would they find peace together? A part of me truly believes that they could have worked their differences, that they could have been true siblings. Of course, bickering comes with that package, but I believe that he would have turned things around. That he would have taken care of her like I am now. Like he made me promise me to do. His last wish.