Beauty and the Dork

Mending Bridges

Eddie groaned in my lap, his eyes screwed shut and his face pale. I rolled my eyes and smiled as I pressed the cold compress to his forehead.

"I think I'm dying," he whined.

"You're not dying," I replied, gently stroking his hair.

"These are my last hours in this mortal realm," he insisted.

"You're not dying, you're hungover," I said flatly. He opened one of his eyes.

"At least my last moments will be spent in the arms of the one I love," he said dramatically. I smiled at him and got close to his face.

"You're annoying when you don't feel good," I teased. He smiled.

"But you love it," he replied. I giggled and kissed his forehead before going back to playing with his hair. "You love it, right?"

I smiled wider. He had done this all morning – saying things that he loved about me, asking what I loved about him. It was his new favorite word, and every time he said it, I felt my heart skip.

"Yes, Eddie, I love it," I answered. He grinned and closed his eyes again, content with my answer. I watched him as he rested, tracing all of the different freckles and features on his face. His breathing started to slow, and I stopped. He whined.

"Why did you stop?" he complained. I smiled.

"You were falling asleep," I cooed, rubbing his chest. He opened an eye.

"I am wide awake, princess," he insisted. I kissed him quickly and pressed the cold compress to his forehead again. He grinned at me. "You're a good nurse."

"You're a whiny patient," I teased, making him laugh. He sat up, groaning, and put an arm around me as he leaned back into the couch. I pressed into his chest and smiled. He kissed my forehead and scratched my back.

"The hangover was worth being able to be in public together," he said quietly. My smile grew and I looked up at him.

"Yeah?" I asked. He smiled and nodded at me. I pressed my lips to his and felt him smile into my touch. I settled back down, pressing the side of my face against his chest and turning my attention back to the movie we had put on. Eddie placed his lips to the top of my head, kissing it over and over again.

"I'm so excited about the dance," he said quietly. I grinned. He was so excited about dressing up with me and the fact that we would match.

"We've got to get you a suit before next week," I replied, tracing his side. He hummed into my hair.

"What color is your dress going to be?"

I sat for a beat when I realized something.

"I don't have one!" I said, almost to myself. I looked up at him, and he smirked at me.

"Maybe you could ask Chrissy to go shopping?" he offered. I knew what he was doing – he really wanted me to mend bridges with my friends after spending most of my time with Hellfire and him over the last couple of weeks. I set my chin on his chest and watched him as he placed a hand on the side of my face and traced my cheek.

I didn't know how to tell him I had realized that I hadn't missed my friends as much as he thought I did. That I was becoming more and more sure of which version of Margot I wanted to be, and it wasn't a version that they would understand or like. But I was starting to care less and less, especially after spending nights under the stars with Eddie or by his side as he led his nerds into imaginary battles.

Old Margot had officially won, but New Margot no longer cared. We were in love.

"Maybe," I replied. His eyes crinkled and he shook his head.