Beauty and the Dork

Fishing

I helped Margot down from my makeshift ladder, my hands shaking at the thought of her falling asleep next to me. She grinned at me as I took her hand, leading her around the front. She paused when we passed Shelob.

"Can I grab my bag from the van? I have some things to spend the night," she asked sheepishly. I grinned wickedly.

"Princess, did you plan on taking advantage of me tonight?" I teased. She turned red and rolled her eyes.

"You know, I can walk home," she snarked.

"No!" I said way too quickly.

She smirked at me, knowing how tightly I was wound around her little finger. I blushed and walked her to the van, taking her bag from her as she pulled it out. I set an arm around her waist and guided her to the trailer.

"Okay, so, I wasn't expecting company tonight, so please don't judge—"

"Eddie, I won't care, I promise," she interrupted, leaning into me. I grinned and kissed her quickly before opening the door for her. I was relieved to see that my uncle had picked up a bit before he left for his shift. I turned to her.

"Welcome to Casa Munson," I welcomed, grinning at how giddy she was. She looked around, taking it in. I remembered that she was going to actually be sleeping in my room. "Um, stay in here for a bit."

Before she could question me, I ran back to my room and slammed the door, frantically cleaning things. I threw as much as I could under my bed, mortified by the magazines that I casually left out for anyone to see apparently. I straightened my covers and fluffed the pillows before grabbing my cologne to spray on the bed and alleviate some of my normal smells. I trotted back out into the living room. I felt my heart swell when I saw her with her hands clasped behind her back, looking at one of the few photos my uncle kept around. She turned to me when she heard me come in, grinning ear to ear. She held the photo up.

"You were so adorable," she gushed, making my face heat.

I walked over and took the photo from her, studying it. It was a photo of me and Wayne when I first moved in with him. I was in elementary school, and it was the first and only time he had taken me fishing. Wayne had his arm around a tiny Eddie's shoulders, smiling wide. I was small and skinny, with both front teeth missing and a buzzcut. My uncle loved this photo of us and often teased me about it.

"Oh, my god, this is embarrassing," I whined, trying to keep the photo out of her reach. She got it from my hands, studying it again.

"No, it is so cute – I didn't even know you were capable of having short hair," she said, her voice still sweet. She traced my face in the photo and looked back up at me, her eyes crinkled. "Look at you with no teeth!"

"I was pretty dorky," I sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her forehead. She continued to study the photo.

"That's Wayne, right?" she asked. I nodded when she looked up at me. She went back to the photo. "I didn't know you fished."

"I don't," I explained, moving one of my hands to her hair and playing with it. I grinned when she shivered involuntarily. "I never went fishing again after that day."

She looked up at me, her brows furrowed.

"Why not?"

I flushed at the question, embarrassed by the explanation. She grinned – she had picked up my tells now, knowing when I was mortified to tell her something. I don't even know why – she was always so kind, never making me feel stupid. She leaned into me, batting her eyes, knowing that I wouldn't withhold the story from her. I sighed.