Whatever It Takes

Deal

I smiled as I watched Eddie trot to the bar, waving when he turned back to look at me. His smile was wide and genuine, and he looked back at the bartender to order. I suddenly felt self-conscious, and I ran my hands through my curls to muss them in a more attractive way. I pulled my curls over my shoulders, trying to understand why I was suddenly so concerned about how I looked.

"Two gin and tonics!" Eddie chirped as he sat down next to me. I grinned, thrilled he had chosen the spot next to me instead of moving to one of the open chairs.

"You drink gin, too?" I asked, taking one of the glasses from him. He shrugged, leaning forward on his forearms.

"I figured I would try it, see if it's any good," he replied. I felt my mouth twist into a smile, and felt that weird lurch in my stomach again.

"Gin isn't for the faint of heart," I warned, taking a sip. He scoffed.

"Bird, please – I can handle it," he insisted before taking a large gulp. His face suddenly twisted, and he stared at his glass incredulously. I laughed, bemused by the faces he was making. "Jesus Christ, how the hell do you drink that?"

"I told you so!" I sing-songed. He looked at me, smiling brightly and shaking his head.

"You're tough as nails for drinking that shit," he teased, leaning into me. I laughed with him, leaning into him as well.

"It's not that bad!" I exclaimed. He smiled at me, and I realized that we were still leaning into each other. He raised an eyebrow.

"Birdie, that's like drinking perfume," he quipped. I rolled my eyes, smacking his shoulder with the back of my hand.

"It's an acquired taste," I stated matter-of-factly. I smiled at him. "Kind of like you."

"I am an acquired taste," he replied, sitting back in his chair. He winked. "If you don't like me, you should acquire some taste."

I started belly-laughing, throwing my head back as I laughed. I looked back at him, and he was grinning like a madman.

"You are a special level of dork," I joked. His eyes lit up and he smiled even wider.

"Big talk from the Bird herself," he retorted, winking again. It made my stomach flip when he did that. I scoffed, trying to play it cool – in front of Eddie Munson for some reason? I tossed my curls back.

"Oh, the man who made sure I knew he was the Dungeon Master for his fantasy game the first time I met him has feedback on how dorky he thinks I am? Sure," I replied sarcastically.

He winced, and I felt my stomach drop. I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings like I normally did; I was just trying to tease him. He was staring down at his drink that he said he hated, swirling it around. He looked up at me – he was smiling, but his eyes were sad.

"You remember that?" he asked quietly. I smiled brightly, desperately trying to go back to our previous dynamic for some reason.

"Well, yeah – it's where our dynamic started," I explained lamely, gesturing between us.

I suddenly realized how silly it all was. He seemed different than that version of Eddie. I didn't like him, sure, but maybe I didn't hate him as much. He leaned forward again, his shoulder pressing to mine once more. I leaned further into him, enjoying our proximity.

If I wasn't so buzzed, I would have questioned why I didn't mind our shoulders touching or why his winking made my stomach flip or why I wanted him to know I was joking when I was teasing him earlier.

"I was pretty lame back then," he conceded, smiling a genuine smile. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, only back then?" I teased, poking his shoulder. I smiled, but almost shook my head – I was being too touchy with him. He grinned, rolling his eyes.