Teaching | Eddie Munson

The Woods

As soon as Kate slipped into the back, the noise of the bar faded into the background. All Victoria could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat as she stood beside Eddie. She wanted to speak but didn't know how to begin. Their last real conversation had unraveled into a mess of hurt feelings, and now, being here with him, the weight of everything unsaid pressed heavily on her chest.

The walk to Eddie's van was short, but the silence between them made it feel like miles. Eddie tossed his guitar into the back of the van and leaned against the side, pulling out a cigarette.

Victoria stood a few feet away, staring at her shoes as if they held the answers to all her problems. She could feel Eddie's eyes on her, but looking up seemed impossible, let alone saying anything.

Eddie finally cleared his throat, the sound cutting through the tense silence. It worked—sort of. She glanced at him briefly, then quickly looked away again. He exhaled, annoyed, and took another drag of his cigarette.

"You said you wanted to talk," he finally said, his voice edged with frustration. "But now you're just standing there like you forgot how." His words stung, and Victoria's eyes darted even further away. "What're you doing here, Victoria?" Eddie's voice was low, almost demanding.

"I—" Victoria started, but her throat tightened, and she bit her lip. What was she supposed to say? An apology? An excuse? "I don't know... I just... I needed to see you."

Eddie let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Needed to see me? After weeks of ignoring me? After telling Max to get rid of me like I'm some sort of problem?"

His words hit hard, the bitterness in his voice cutting through her guilt. She knew she'd hurt him, but hearing it laid out like this made it all the more real. She had no idea how to make it right.

"I know." she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her heart. "I'm sorry. I just... didn't know what else to do. Everything was so messed up."

Eddie turned toward her, his eyes narrowing as if searching her face for something. "Messed up? What the hell happened, Vic? You just—" He broke off, running his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "You just shut me out completely."

Her chest ached with the weight of unshed tears dangerously filling her eyes, the tension between them thick and suffocating. "I didn't mean to." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I just... I didn't know how to handle everything. How to handle you, what you said, what I said..." Her throat tightened, and she fought back the tears.

Eddie's expression softened slightly. "You didn't know how to handle me?" His voice was quieter now, less harsh.

"No, I didn't know how to handle what I was feeling. About you. About us. About everything." She took a small step forward, her voice trembling as she tried to explain. "I said some terrible things. Like that you wouldn't do anything for anyone. That wasn't true, and I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

She let out a shaky breath, feeling the weight of the apology lift just slightly from her chest.

"I see." Eddie's response was short, and his face gave nothing away. Victoria's heart sank. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Desperate to lighten the tension, she chuckled nervously. "And... I couldn't find a guitar teacher, so I thought maybe you'd still be interested."

For a moment, she swore she saw a flicker of a smile on his lips, but it disappeared so quickly she wondered if she imagined it. Still, she pressed on, trying to seize the moment.

"I missed you." she said softly, her confession barely a whisper, but it felt like the most vulnerable thing she'd said in a long time. Admitting it took everything in her.