The Sound

Part 16 - Eddie & Jules

I couldn't believe what I had said to Jules. And what's worse is that she remembered me from the most embarrassing time of my life. I kept my hands over my face, hoping to cover the blush in my face.

"Eddie, did you hear me?" she asked softly. I groaned, still burying my face.

"Jules, please, can we pretend this never happened?" I begged, feeling small and stupid.

I felt the bed sink next to me and her floral scent was all around me, making me dizzy. She leaned into me, making my head fuzzy and like I wanted to throw up.

"You don't like me?" she asked, sounding sad. I pulled my hands from my face, staring ahead.

"I didn't – I don't mean," I was frustrated, flustered by the situation I had brought onto myself. "It's stupid. And I know that it would never work out. So, let's forget about it."

"You want me to forget about it?" She was still pressed to me, still making me dizzy. I refused to look at her.

"I just know I can be a dick, and I know that I'm hard to be around, so let's just move past this, and I'll try to quit being such an asshole," I offered, trying to push through this and squash my unrequited feelings.

I felt a hand on my thigh and almost jumped out of my skin. I felt heat creep in my face and the tension built in silence growing around us. I stared at her hand on my leg – her nails were still dark, and I bet her hands were still soft.

"I don't want to forget about it, Eddie," she said softly. I felt my heart drop – of course she didn't. I was never going to get past this.

"Jules, please, I'm embarrassed enough about this," I pleaded, the emotion catching in my throat. I still couldn't look at her.

"Eddie, I don't want to forget about it," she emphasized again. Her hand was still on my leg, her side still pressed to me. I finally looked at her, wanting to tell her to leave so I could get past this.

I stopped when I saw her face – it was soft, smiling at me. I felt my heart catch, wondering what her expression meant. I stopped myself – she was just being nice.

She was close to me – I could smell her perfume all around me. I watched her lips – they were berry colored.

"Jules—"

"Eddie Munson – I don't want to forget about it!" She was emphatic, trying to communicate something to me. I looked at her, confused – what did she mean? I continued to try to put the puzzle together as she groaned, rolling her eyes. I started panicking – what has I missing?

"I don't understand," I finally admitted, feeling my face flush. She pursed her lips. "Jules, what do you—"

I was cut off as she leaned her face close to mine. I pulled back, terrified about what was about to happen. She placed a hand on the side of my face.

"Eddie, stop moving," she ordered. I felt my stomach flip as she closed the distance.

What was happening?

---

Eddie flinched, pulling away from me as I leaned into him. I grew exasperated, especially since he was being dense, not understanding what I meant earlier.

"Eddie, stop moving," I snapped, placing my hand on his face. He nodded quickly and I pressed my lips to his, my butterflies pounding against my chest.

He stiffened, seemingly stunned. I pulled back, wondering if I made a mistake. Now it was my turn to apologize, wanting to forget what I just did.

"You don't want to forget about it," he whispered, still close to my face. I swallowed hard before he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck before kissing me deeply. I threw my arms around his neck, returning his kiss as I felt him smile into my mouth. He moved his hands to my thighs, pulling me onto his lap. I wrapped my legs around him as he pulled me tight, making my heart skip.