Beauty and the Dork

Champagne

Eddie grimaced at himself in the mirror, trying to fix his hair.

"I look stupid."

"You don't look stupid," I replied, sprawled on his bed and grinning at him. He continued to stare at himself.

"Do I have to wear it?" he asked, turning to me. His eyes were wide, and his expression was one of a petulant five-year-old. I rolled off the bed and crossed to him. He reached for me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. I started to fix the cap on his head.

"Yes, baby, you have to wear your cap to graduation," I said, giggling as he squeezed me tighter.

"I love that nickname," he replied, setting his face close to mine. I kissed him softly and he hummed happily.

Tomorrow was finally the day that Eddie had been so insistent would never come. Eddie didn't believe it until he got his final report card – four C's and an A in English. When we finally opened it (he saved it all day, too nervous to read it without me) he did his typical cheering into my neck, too excited for everything in front of us.

"Better than Sir Tiebaut?" I asked, grinning at him. He shook his head.

"Nothing is better than that – that was how I found out you're a nerd," he replied, kissing me again. I stroked his hair, giddy at the sight of him in his graduation cap.

"Former nerd," I corrected. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry – weren't you the one who did a full rendition of 'Magic Dance' for me two hours ago?" he teased. I flushed and buried my face in his chest.

The last eight months with Eddie had been some of the best times of my life. We spent every moment we could together – Wayne had even started coming over for family dinners. When I found out that I had gotten into the University of Chicago, Eddie threw a party for me with all of our friends and family – he even made a cake. It was disgusting, but he had worked so hard on it.

Eddie and I had decided months ago that we were going to follow each other no matter where the other was going to go after graduation. Eddie had circled around the question for weeks, hinting at our future and what was next. I refused to address it, wanting him to ask me directly. He finally blurted it out when I started talking about apartments I was looking at – I was baiting him, of course – and I let him squirm until I scolded him for taking so long to ask about it.

We were moving in a week – my dad had helped Eddie get an internship with his publisher, and I was going to spend the summer with him in the city as I got ready for school. Eddie was giddy about it, insisting that we were never going to wear clothes in our apartment and that we would eat every meal in bed. I was just excited to be with him.

"You're so mean," I quipped, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pouted and pulled me close.

"Oh, no, princess – don't be upset," he teased, kissing me softly. I melted into him. I couldn't wait until we could do this all the time and not have to worry about curfews or deadlines or sneaking in. He pulled back and brushed my hair out of my face. "Do you think they'll let us walk together?"

I laughed and shook my head.

"No, they won't, you menace," I replied. He pouted again and I giggled. He kissed me hard, and I felt my knees wobble. He wrapped me closer to him and started walking me towards his bed. I threw his cap across the room, and he pulled his shirt off in a swift motion, immediately coming back to my lips. We tumbled back onto the bed and Eddie moved down my neck. He sunk his teeth into my neck, making me gasp and came back to my face.

"I mean it when I say we are never wearing clothes in our apartment," he said, close to my lips. I flushed and kissed his nose.

"You'll need to finish packing to enforce that rule," I replied. He groaned and rolled off me. I sat up on my elbows, grinning at him. I placed a hand on his chest, and he set his hand on mine. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't want to move with me."