Reddie: Richie Returns

2: Richie Stays With Ben + Beverly

After Beverly packed Richie's bags while he showered and shaved, Richie quietly climbed into Beverly's car with her and leaned heavily against the window as she pulled away from his building. Beverly sure was stubborn, but he was thankful for that now. He felt better now that he was with someone who understood his grief. There was always something about Beverly that helped him feel safe. He always knew he could confide in her when he really needed to, but always ruined those tender moments of friendship with a rude noise or a joke to hide behind. He was out of jokes this time though. There was nothing funny about the way he was feeling.
Richie slept in the car for the majority of the journey, but Beverly was glad to see him rest. She knew he was hurting bad and just needed the comfort and company of his friends now more than ever. But she was hurting for him that the one friend he desperately needed, couldn't be here to comfort him.

Richie quietly woke from his sleep just as they were arriving at the docks, and saw Ben standing by a huge boat ready to greet them. "Ah yes" he said as he leaned over towards Beverly, "I forgot Ben was so handsome now. Kinda reminds me of how shit I look right now eh?" he joked as he elbowed her softly, but Beverly only rolled her eyes at him with a brief smile as she climbed out of the car to greet her spouse.
Richie slowly climbed out of the car, and groaned a little as he'd forgotten just how much his body ached with tiredness. He watched Beverly walk ahead with his bags in her hands, and she greeted Ben with a tender kiss. He was happy to see that Beverly was finally happy now, and that Ben finally got the girl. But it made him sad to be reminded of what his life could have been like if Eddie hadn't been killed.
Ben walked over cheerfully and greeted Richie with a welcoming smile; he was pleased to see him after so long, and gave him a tight hug. It felt good to hug his old friend, only to feel as though he was hugging a skeleton now. He knew Richie was in a bad way, but hadn't realised just how bad he was. But he was relieved to have him here where they could help him.

"Hey Trashmouth" Ben grinned. Richie seemed to look more relieved to be here with his friends now, which brought a bit more comfort to Ben after being so taken back by his friend's vulnerable state. "Hey Ben, long time no see... Have you put on weight?", he joked, but he still had a deep sadness to his voice. He already looked much brighter than he did when he was alone in his apartment, which brought Beverly some comfort already.
Ben put his arm around Richie and walked him to the boat where he and Beverly now spent the majority of their time together with their Alsatian. Beverly came through to show Richie the way to his bedroom, and she smiled warmly at him as he stepped inside. She too, was relieved to have Richie here where they could look after him. Richie followed her quietly with both his hands tucked away in the pockets of his leather jacket. He suddenly smacked his forehead as he walked through a doorway into a warm bedroom and almost knocked his glasses off of his face, "yeah, mind your head there Richie" Beverly chuckled. 
Richie raised his eyebrows in surprise as he entered the room and saw the small double bed. It was a large room, and the bed had a small wooden bedside table either side with a reading lamp above the head of the bed. There was a small window towards the top of the wall on the left hand side where the sunlight peeped through warmly and you could watch the birds fly past. "This is your room", she said, "I hope this is okay". Richie raised his eyebrows once again in surprise at the size of the room "Shit man, you guys did alright didn't you!" he smiled awkwardly back at Beverly as she placed her hand on his arm "I'll let you get yourself settled in, Ben and I will be up on the deck if you want to join us for a drink or something to eat" 
"Thank you" he replied quietly, still looking around the room in awe. For the first time in a long time, Richie finally felt a little optimistic about things now, and had already felt as though part of the huge weight that had weighed him down since Eddie's death, had been lifted. He still felt heavy and numb, but it was already beginning to feel easier to exist again.

Beverly made her way back up to the deck where she found Ben sat on the cushions bare foot writing in his notebook with a hot drink sat beside him. She quietly joined him on the cushions and leaned softly on his shoulder "Thanks for doing this" she whispered "I was really worried about him". She felt Ben lean into her affectionately as he continued to jot notes down in his notepad "I was too" he replied as he closed the notepad and placed the pen beside him, "I didn't realise how awful he was 'til I hugged him... He seems so fragile", and Beverly sighed in agreement.
"If you think he looks bad now, you should have seen his apartment", she said sadly.
They both sat quietly watching the water, leaning on one another affectionately and taking in the sunset. They were both glad Richie had come to stay; they wanted to help him so badly.