Fix You ~Completed~

Act Sixty-Nine

"Clem! What are you majoring in, sweetie?" Coraline immediately went in for me when the boys and I returned downstairs. The moms were sitting on the couch while Georgie was, sure enough, laying out a Twister mat while soft sixties rock played in the background. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see this was where Eddie got his taste from; his father had been wearing a Moody Blues t-shirt during the card game and I had caught sight of the words Take a sad song and make it better tattooed on Coraline's wrist when she'd been futzing around in the closet to get the air mattress out. They weren't old enough to have been alive during the sixties and seventies, but it was obvious that was the music of their lives.

Eddie took my hand when him, Ale, and I took seats on the second couch, right in front of the Twister mat, and I sent his mom a small smile. Hopefully it didn't look as crumpled up as I felt. "History," I told her quietly.

"Oh, really? That's fascinating! What do you hope to do with your degree? What job are you hoping for?" Aria jumped in, sipping out of a wine glass. Both of the women had one. Georgie was gulping down chocolate milk from a normal glass, looking just as pleased.

"I-I don't really know. Maybe, um, a museum curator? I haven't... I haven't really thought about it much seriously," I admitted sheepishly, staring down at my lap. Considering where I'd spent the last years of my life, it really was no surprise I had no concrete plans for my future. Even then, after six months of freedom, I wasn't any closer to making a real decision. I knew I wanted Eddie and Gale to be part of my life, but the rest of the details were a little blurry.

I wasn't used to having a say in what I wanted.

"You'd be great at that," Gale commented, standing up to go start a game with Georgie. The musician yanked two quarters out of his pocket and Gale produced a penny. "Winner gets the cash."

"This is a pitiful wager," Georgie mumbled, placing the quarters on the coffee table. The ginger boy followed, laying his penny down.

Coraline gave me a warm smile and nodded, "Are you planning on moving back to your hometown after college, or will you go to some big city to pursue a career as a historian?"

My head turned abruptly to Eddie. I could tell her the truth, that I'd pretty much be going wherever Ed went, but that sounded creepy. It was the truth though; I'd realized that. Even if he did end up going to a big city, I would follow him without a thought. No matter how I felt about those overcrowded nightmares, if it was what Eddie wanted, I could live with that.

"I don't know," I said, my eyes falling. My boyfriend stroked my wrist in an assuring manner and I scooted closer to him.

"Are you the kind of guy who likes to live life in the moment?" Coraline seemed so sweetly amused by this. She had this little laugh that was so close to Eddie's that it made my whole face heat up. My boyfriend's mother mistook my flustered non-response as nerves. "Aw, sweetheart, you don't need to be so nervous!"

"Sorry," I apologized quickly, though I wasn't sure if I needed to be sorry about that. I could have told her I was always nervous. That'd sound weird though, and I was trying to avoid weird. "Uh, I-I'm not really an in-the-moment kind of guy. I just... I don't know. Still trying to... trying to figure things out. I guess. I really don't know."

God, I sucked at talking. I had never realized just how terrible I was at using my mouth to form proper words until that very moment.

"There's still a lot of time to decide where to go after college," Eddie spoke up. By the way he was eyeing me, he must have read how badly I was beginning to panic. He knew I was socially inadequate. He knew how messed up I got when placed in the spotlight like that. "Clemmy has a pretty great job at our school's famed Pasta Shack. That's the place we took you to when you came down to visit last year, remember? He's honestly the best waiter they've had ever since Gale and I have been eating there. So efficient!"