Believe It Or Not (An Eddie Munson Story)

Rolling Stone

The blare of the phone ringing startles me awake. I sit upright and blink against the foggy remnants of my dream as my hand darts out and slams against the nightstand, fumbling to find the noisy receiver. Once I grasp it, I clear my throat and push my hair from my face, doing my best to not sound like I was just asleep.

"Hello?"

"Ripley?" A male voice calls on the other line. "Hey, it's Joe. You were actually just who I was hoping to talk to. Do you have a moment?"

I blink a few times, still so sleepy and I glance down at Eddie. His bare back is peeking out from under the blankets and basking in the sunlight coming from the thin curtains. His face is deeply buried in his pillow and his arms hug the blanket to his chest tightly. His back rises and falls evenly with each deep breath he takes. I slowly ease out of bed, pushing the comforter off of my body and padding out of the room. I close the door softly behind me and head into the kitchen.

"What's up, Joe? Are you sure you don't need to talk to Eddie?" It's weird for his manager to be calling this early and even weirder for him to be asking for me.

"Yeah," he says. "I'm actually in London right now so I'm sorry I'm calling so early. The time difference is throwing me off a bit. I actually have an offer that I wanted to go over with you."

"An offer?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing. I move quietly about the kitchen, starting the coffee pot and trying to decide what to make for breakfast.

"Yeah. Rolling Stone has reached out to do a special feature on Corroded Coffin. They want to do an entire issue dedicated to the band."

"That's great!" I say excitedly.

"Yes, but the only catch is they only want to do the special if they can do a full interview with you and have a portion of the feature dedicated to their 'muse'. Apparently, the fans have taken notice to Eddie mentioning you a lot in interviews and at appearances and he has never been shy about you being the girl that inspired 'My Queen' as well as the one on the track. The fans have had a lot of follow-up questions and Rolling Stones would like to cash in on their intrigued with an exclusive."

"I've never done an interview like this before," I say, nerves pooling in the pit of my stomach. "I wouldn't want to mess anything up for the boys or say the wrong thing."

"We could always have someone from legal there with you to ensure that you are well protected and I could be there or assign someone well trusted to ensure they don't overstep their boundaries and make you uncomfortable. You also don't have to give me an answer right away. Think about it, talk it over with Eddie, and then give me a ring tomorrow. Eddie has my number."

"Alright, thank you, Joe."

"No problem," he says, a smile in his voice. "I'll talk to you soon."

We each hang up and I drop the phone from my ear, clutching it between my clammy hands. I grip it tightly as my head whirls at the idea of doing an interview for Rolling Stones. Little ol' me, sitting down with some big wig at Rolling Stone and talking over my life story. I can't even imagine it. I set the phone on the counter and I walk back to our bedroom.

Eddie is exactly where I left him, still fast asleep and cuddled in. He murmurs softly in his sleep and I smile to myself as I watch his lip tremble slightly as he makes a sleepy sound. I crawl back into bed and curl against him. My skin has grown cold from the early morning air and he gasps slightly at the feeling of my icy feet against his bare legs. He still snuggles closer though, not opening his eyes and he gathers me into his arms. He presses me firmly against his chest and I lay my hand against the steady beat of his heart. I kiss along his jaw and he sighs.