Denial ~ A Reddie Fanfic

Chapter 6

A song that goes really well for the last half of this chapter is Fairplay by Kiana Ledé 

Eddie POV

Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid!

I huff in frustration and sit down on the steps that lead up to Richie's porch. I knew that Richie was straight, but I still fell for him after only a day! I've never had a crush on a boy like him. They've always been the goody two shoes, nice type of guys. Guys that my mother would approve of. I press the palms of my hands against my eyes, stopping the tears that threaten to fall. Of course, Beverly Marsh has to like him. No guy can help falling in love with her. Well, no straight guy that is. I hear the front door open behind me. I don't turn around, because I already know who it is. Richie sits down beside me.

"I'm sorry." He says.

"What for? You didn't do anything wrong." I say because, it's true, he didn't do anything wrong.

"It feels like I did something wrong." He whispers. I turn to him, confusion on my face.

"Do you not like Beverly?" I ask. For a second there is silence, only the Sun beating down on us and the wind blowing fallen leaves away onto the street.

"I don't know." He says simply. He is staring at the concrete sidewalk in front of us and his fingers fiddle around nervously. "It felt like the right thing to do. She's pretty and nice and funny but there was just something wrong."

"How so?" I ask, pressing him for details. 

"I couldn't stop thinking about someone else while I was kissing her."

He looks at me, and the question I was about to ask is answered by the look in his eyes.

It's me. He was thinking about me.

I find myself leaning forward, not thinking about the consequences. Time slows, and for a second, he leans forward too. He's like a magnet that is stronger than the Earth's pole, I can't help but be drawn to him. I look at his face, at his deep brown eyes, at his beautifully long nose that complements his perfect cheekbones wonderfully, and his beautiful black, curly hair. Our faces are inches apart when he suddenly pulls back, shaking his head. He laughs nervously and stands up, brushing himself off despite not having gotten anything on him.

"We should get inside." He says, and I nod but don't move. He reaches his hand out and I take it. He pulls me to my feet, too hard, and I stumble into him. He throws his arms around my waist to steady me. He holds on for a second too long before letting go. I hear him mutter something under his breath that I wasn't meant to hear.

"What's wrong with me?"

He quickly walks into the house, and I follow. Everyone is in the living room, eating the casserole that Mike brought. I sit down in the love seat next to Stan and Richie sits on the floor next to Bev. I glance briefly at him to see that he is looking at me as well. We lock eyes for a moment before he turns his attention to Beverly.

"Hey, you okay?" Stan asks from beside me. I smile weakly and nod.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," I say, which is partially true. Stan doesn't seem to believe me, but he doesn't press the issue any further either. He suddenly stands up and walks into the kitchen and I decide to follow him because everyone else is talking to Richie. He grabs a plate from the counter and carefully cuts out a square of casserole on it.

"That for me?" I ask and he looks up and hands me the plate. 

"Yeah," He says, a bit sheepishly. I take it and then walk over to a drawer that holds the forks, spoons and butter knives. I grab a fork and lean back against the counter and start eating. My half-cooked eggs from earlier sit neglected on the stove, but I decide to leave them. Stan watches me for a second before speaking up.