When The Sun Goes Down (Steddie)

Glowing In the Moonlight

For the next few days, Steve tried his best not to think about Eddie. He did everything he could to focus on the kids and make sure they had an enjoyable time at camp and spent his free time hanging out with Robin after they went to bed every night. Steve told her about the baggie of weed he had, though he didn't tell her how he got it, and one night they snuck away with several other junior counselors to smoke a few joints after the boys were all tucked into their tents. Even Chrissy joined them, much to Jason's annoyance. But she told him it was nothing, everyone did it. He finally relented and let her go, though he still didn't join them.

When the group came back, Chrissy disappeared with Jason into the male counselor's cabin to do what everyone did in there, and Robin tugged Steve towards the female's cabin so they could sleep. But Steve wasn't quite ready to go to sleep yet. Besides, someone needed to make sure the fire was out before they all headed to bed, so Steve told her to go on, and he'd be there shortly. Then he sat down next to the fire, picked up a long stick with marshmallow residue on the end, and poked it into the fire, watching the sticky white mess melt off the end and fall into the embers as they burned themselves out.

Steve had been sitting there for more than an hour, just enjoying the mellow of his high in the cool night air, when suddenly he noticed a bird chirping. No, not a bird. Unless birds were now whistling Dancing with Myself. Steve tried, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling. Sure, he'd spent the last four days trying not to think about Eddie and the mix tape he had hidden in his duffel bag. But the truth of the matter was that he couldn't stop thinking about Eddie. He thought about every song on that tape and wondered what Eddie meant by them. Were they random songs or were there specific reasons for each one?

He'd played over a hundred different scenarios in his head as he laid in his bunk each night. He had thought about dancing with himself a couple of times, though he'd refrained since he had no privacy to do so except in the showers. He played over Darling Nikki , picturing Eddie picking him up in a hotel lobby for a night of cheap, tawdry sex. That one had ended in a hearty laugh as he tried to imagine the look on Eddie's face if he knew exactly what Steve was imagining about him. But then the whistle came again.

Steve tossed his stick into what little was left of the fire. It was practically burned out now with just a glowing ember or two left. But those would be gone within minutes as well. Steve stood up, looked around the camp and saw no one, not even a light in the window of one of the cabins, so he headed for the trail to the clearing to see Eddie. He could at least thank him for the tape. No matter what Eddie meant by any of it, Steve liked most of the songs on it. He even kind of liked the metal one that he didn't know.

When Steve stepped into the clearing, Eddie wasn't there. He looked around, wondering for a moment if he'd just imagined the whistling because he really wished Eddie would come back. But then he heard it again. It was faint and was coming from the parking lot on the other side of the clearing. Steve crossed the empty space and stepped through the trees and there was Eddie, sitting on Steve's car, a six pack of beer on the hood next to him. Eddie's face split in a grin when Steve stepped out.

"What are you doing," Steve asked with a laugh. "Got another tape for me?"

"Nah, but I thought you might need a beer." Steve went over to his car and slid up onto the hood next to Eddie. Eddie took two bottles out of the six pack, popped the caps, then handed Steve one. "Your kids I get," Eddie told him after a long drink of beer. "I mean, I do. Really. They're great. But how do you spend all summer with the rest of them? I'd be pulling my hair out if I did what you do."

"It's not all summer, it's only three weeks," Steve laughed then took a drink of his own beer. "Thanks for the beer." They clinked the necks of their bottles together and both took a drink. "Thanks for the tape too."