Crash and Burn

Friday Night

Eddie pulls into a spot in Buck's garage a little after 8 pm. He stopped at the store to grab some of their favorite beers. He is running a little later than planned, but they are off shift tomorrow, and he doesn't have to get Christopher until later in the day. He can indulge in a few beers tonight with no concerns.

Eddie gets out of the truck. He opens the back door and pulls out two twelve-packs of beer. He throws one over his shoulder and keeps the other in his hand as he walks to the passenger elevator. He keys in the code and presses the button to Buck's floor before heading down the hallway toward the loft.

Once he gets in front of the door to the loft, he knocks. He waits two minutes, and there is no answer. He figures Buck in the shower. So, he puts the case of beer down, grabs his key, and opens the door to the loft.

The loft is quiet. Eddie still figures Buck is in the shower. He opens the fridge and puts one of the cases of beer in it. He places the other in the cabinet to the side of the fridge. He is about to text Buck to tell him he is here, and he hears a painful noise coming from upstairs to the loft.

Eddie rushes over the steps and makes his way up them. He is not ready for the site before him. In front of him is Buck railing into Natalia. Their grunts are audible now when they weren't only to Eddie a moment before. Eddie sits frozen for a second as he watches Buck pull all the way out; he can see Buck's wet, overly large cock covered in a condom and slam back into her. Completely oblivious to Eddie standing a few feet away from him. 

"Fuck me with that big cock, Buck!" He hears Natalia say, and Eddie turns and makes his way down the stairs.

He stops at the kitchen counter and pulls his keys out of his pocket. He finds the key to Buck's loft, removes it from his keychain, and places it on the counter before he leaves the loft, closing the door behind him.

Before he knows it, he is sitting in the driver's seat of his truck, panting and sweaty from running away from the loft. He lays his head on the steering wheel and focuses on his breathing, trying to calm himself. He pulls his phone out of his jacket pocket. He checks the time. 8:25 Pm. He checks his phone. Yep, Buck definitely told him to be there for 8 PM.

Eddie starts to spiral. Did Buck do this on purpose? Does he know? Was this some fucked up way of telling me to back off? Would he really do that to me? Even if he didn't feel the same way, Buck would never be that malicious to Eddie. Right? Did he forget he invited Eddie? Buck has to remember he invited Eddie over at some point. Even if he spaced tonight, he is going to see the beer and find the key on the counter. Eddie's mind flashes back to Buck fucking Natalia. He opens the driver's side door and pukes on the ground a little. He reaches into the console and grabs the spare bottle of water he keeps to wash out the taste.

Eddie grabs his phone and opens his contacts. He finds the name he is looking for.

Eddie: Can I stop by? I could use a friend.
Karen: Always Eddie.
Eddie: See you in a few.

Twenty minutes later, Eddie is knocking on the front door of the Wilson house. The door opens, and he is greeted by the last person he expects to find here.

"Hi, Eddie!" Maddie says, beaming up at him.

"Hey, Maddie. What are you doing here?" Eddie asks nervously.

"I was having wine night with Karen while Hen and Chim have bestie night. What are you doing here?" Maddie asks. Eddie feels a sharp stab of loneliness. Everyone has someone to spend their night with, everyone but Eddie.

"Er... Um... I needed to talk to Karen. But I can see I am disturbing your night. I'll just go." Eddie turns to leave.

"Eddie Diaz! Get your ass in this house right now!" Karen's voice yells from inside the house as he walks down the stairs.

Eddie turns to Karen, now in the doorway next to Maddie, and he can feel the tears starting to build in his eyes. "I'm good. We can get together another time. Don't worry." He steps down the stairs and walks back towards his truck. He wipes the tears from his eyes as he reaches for the door of the truck.

"Eddie?" Maddie's voice comes from close behind him, and he freezes. "Are you leaving because of me?" she asks.

He does not turn to look at her. "No, I just needed to chat with Karen about something for the boys. No, big deal. I can do it another time." Eddie lies.

"Eddie, please look at me," Maddie says, and Eddie takes a deep breath before turning to look at her. She sucks in a breath when she reads the sadness on his face and tears in his eyes.

"What did he do, Eddie?" Maddie asks.

"Nothing." Eddie lies again.

"You can talk to me, Eddie. Please, let me help."

"I need to go, Maddie. It's not fair of me to do this to him or you. None of this is his fault."

"So, he did do something?" Maddie asks.

"I need to go, Maddie. I'm sorry." Eddie says as he turns to the truck again, keys fumbling in his trembling hand.

"Eddie, you don't have to talk to me. Clearly, you can't talk to Evan. But you need to talk to someone. Please, promise me you will talk to someone." Maddie says sadly.

Eddie leans his head against the truck. He will not cry; he will not let himself cry. "I... I... I don't have anyone. There is no one else for me to turn to. I have no one." Eddie says as his voice breaks and he feels more tears fall down his face.