The Tree Remembers

Starting Fresh

I woke when I felt a familiar warmth crawl into my bed and wrap his arms around me. I smiled but kept my eyes closed. My stomach flipped when he started leaving love bites up my neck and nuzzling his face into the back of my head.

"You're late," I sighed, wiggling further into his hold. He wrapped his arms around me tighter and squeezed me close. He kissed my shoulder and buried his face in the back of my neck.

"I was begging to leave for, like, an hour, but I had to help clean," he replied quietly, continuing to kiss my neck. "God, it will never get old getting into bed with you."

I smiled and pressed my body further into his, feeling smug when I heard him take a sharp intake of breath. His hands started to roam under my shirt, and I playfully smacked them away, eliciting a groan from him. He pressed his lips to my ear, and I suddenly felt wide awake.

"You're going to be the death of me, Belle," Eddie growled. I turned in his hold, my heart skipping at how big his smile was, and threw my arms around his neck. He slipped his hands under my shirt, gently tracing my back. He leaned close to me, and I moved towards him –

I shot straight up in bed, panicked and sweating. I looked around my room that was illuminated by mid-morning light. I groaned and threw myself back onto my bed. These dreams had become the bane of my existence. They had been practically on repeat every night since I had stormed out of The Hideout. And I would wake up in a panic every time, cursing the butterflies that swelled around in my chest. Eddie was not different. Eddie was still the Eddie that didn't call me after being my first everything. Eddie was the Eddie who didn't recognize me when he saw me for the first time in two years.

I rolled out of my bed and went to my bathroom to brush my teeth. I watched myself in the mirror, cursing my stupid brain. I was that stupid, dorky girl again who was dumb enough to think that Eddie Munson was going to follow through on his romantic musings.

I hadn't been to work in days, unable to face Eddie after embarrassing myself in front of him. I could not believe I had been so lame again. No matter what happened, or how long it had been, Eddie could still get under my skin. His smile still made my heart stop, and his nicknames always filled me with butterflies. Even when I would catch him watching me—

Holy shit. You idiot! God, take a fucking breath.

I padded back to my living room and plopped onto the couch, sighing heavily. Why did he have to come back? I was bad ass and cool a couple weeks ago. I was confident in myself and my body and who I was. Now, I was back to wearing frumpy sweaters and covering myself up. I jumped when my phone started to ring and took a deep breath before answering it.

"Hello?"

"This is your 'I'm-not-coming-to-work' voice. I hate this voice," Nick whined. I smiled.

"Just a couple more days," I replied.

After I had left The Hideout that night, Nick had called me incessantly. He refused to leave me alone until I told him the whole story about how I actually knew Eddie and why I was so upset. Nick was practically screeching on the phone after I told him and had me retell the story to his boyfriend.

"I miss you – I'm not as good as being to Eddie as you are," he complained. I smiled.

"You don't need to be mean to Eddie."

"As if – you're one of my best friends. If I had known from the beginning, I would have spit in every single one of his shift drinks," Nick insisted. I laughed.

"You're a good friend," I replied.

"Do you need anything? I can come by with supplies to cheer you up," he offered. I felt my heart swell at my friend's kindness.