A/N - This chapter was inspired by the gorgeous Stargazing by Myles Smith. For this one, Eddie and reader have been friends since middle school, and, now in their mid-twenties, are only just on the verge of realising that maybe they're perfect for one another. I hope you all enjoy it.
"So," you started, slumping down into the rolling desk chair that he kept at his work station specifically for moments like these. It was pretty common for you to turn up at the garage when you were done with work, hanging around until Eddie would finish up and drive you home. You'd always called it the benefits of working less than 5 minutes from your best friend. You saved on gas. He got the pleasure of your company for the last 30 minutes of his shift. It was a win-win situation. "I was reading about this thing in the paper-"
Eddie's head popped up from his spot, hunched over the hood of the truck he'd been working on, brow furrowed. "Since when did you read the paper?" he teased, earning himself a playful glare.
"Adults read newspapers, Ed, maybe you should give it a try sometime," you uttered, shaking your head at his interruption. "But, what I was saying is that there was this article about a meteor shower that's supposed to happen tomorrow night," you pressed on, the excitement clear on your face, the twinkle in your eye returning full force. "And I thought it sounded super cool. Thought you might want to watch it with me."
"Tomorrow night?" he hummed, wiping his hands clean on a rag, leaning back against the hood as he frowned at you. "Thought you were going on a date with that guy? Jake? Jack?"
"Josh," you corrected quietly before giving him a small shrug. "I cancelled. I don't think we were a great fit," you pressed on.
"What was wrong with him?"
You shrugged again. "I don't know," you murmured, fiddling with your fingers as you tried to find an answer. "He was nice enough the last time we went out, but I think he was just a bit too normal for me."
Eddie snorted lightly. "He was boring?"
A soft chuckle slipped out of you. "Yeah, he was boring," you confirmed.
"But you only went out twice-"
"Ed, it's not a big deal. I didn't like him, so I cancelled, alright?"
He nodded, holding up his grease-stained hands in surrender. "Alright," he agreed softly. "So, tell me about this meteor shower."
*Time Skip*
Eddie had picked you up just after 10 for your little drive out to Lover's Lake. You'd figured that would be the only place in town where you could avoid the light pollution from the streetlights.
"I got snacks," he hummed quietly, reaching out to turn down the volume of the music he was listening to before you'd climbed into the van. "And I threw in an extra sweater. Correctly predicted that you wouldn't bring one with you," he teased.
"It's summer. Who wears a sweater in summer?"
"We're going to be out there until like 2 AM. Doesn't matter if it's summer, it gets cold at night," he started again. "Not going to have you out there shivering because you claim 'no one wears sweaters in summer'"
You chuckled at his comment. The two of you had shared enough silly debates in the past for Eddie to know just how stubborn you could be, especially when it came to admitting you were wrong about something. "Thank you," you finally breathed, earning yourself his sweetest smile.
"So, what's the plan?"
"Do you think your old-man knees can still get on top of the van?" you teased, shifting to sit sideways in your seat, watching him carefully as he snorted. "Thought that would probably be the best spot to sit and watch," you added.
