𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗘, reddie

027. novara

RICHIE entered his hotel room that night tiredly, overwhelmed by the excitement of the day. Not much had happened, truly, after they'd eaten breakfast in the cafeteria.

They'd spent most of their time looking around the lobby ( which was full of little gift shops ) or visiting the pool, even though Eddie refused to swim in it due to how unsanitary public pools are.

Despite the relatively calm day, there was still something about Eddie Kaspbrak that made Richie vibrate with energy, never able to calm down in his presence.

Eddie was just a couple steps behind him when he walked in, entering the hotel room too, even though he said that he wanted to check in with Mike before he went to bed.

The large window caught Eddie's attention almost immediately; the scenery was different seeing as it was night now. When he'd walked over to it, met with a glowing view, he squeaked, "Richie, look!"

Richie turned to him, smiling fondly at his cute voice and his equally as cute face; the curve of his button nose and the angles of his rosy mouth. Snapping out of the constant reverie that Eddie put him in, he walked over to the window to see what had Eddie so excited.

"Woah," He said in genuine amazement when he caught sight of the visuals — the night was glowing here. The Orlando Eye was visible from their room, and he could see the ferris wheel glowing in different colors and patterns in the close distance.

Across the road from the hotel, a lit-up plaza with rows of restaurants and shops was full of activity of late-night explorers, shining with life. He wondered fleetingly if all of those people were as happy as he was, if it was just the energy that Orlando buzzed with that made him feel so euphoric.

His breath caught in his throat; everything felt like it was caving in on him. He was shocked and excited and nervous, all at once. He felt everything, all because of a beautiful, pure view.

"It's pretty," Eddie whispered out as if he'd also lost his breath, lost his voice, and Richie's chest tightened considerably. They were next to each other, close enough to be touching.

Maybe the people that stirred around the dark plaza all felt normal, calm; their hearts didn't pick up at the night air and the beauty that surrounded them. Maybe it was just Eddie that made Richie feel so hypersensitive.

Richie gently moved his index finger closer, closer to the knuckles of Eddie's hand, waiting for their skin to brush together. He felt his knuckle press against Eddie's, warm and soft and sending sparks through his skin, a moment somehow more intimate and valuable than the times they'd touched earlier, and then—

Eddie's phone began to ring on his bed loudly, causing the both of them to flinch, and Eddie turned to Richie with a forced, tight lipped smile before he walked over to the cell phone.

"It's Mike," Eddie said calmly when he picked it up off of the bed before he tapped the answer button, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Hey Mikey, I'll be over in a few — yeah, yeah. No, you're not," Eddie pauses, and Mike says something that causes him to laugh, the corners of his eyes wrinkling and his crooked teeth almost pearly white. He says a quick farewell before hanging up.

Eddie looks up at Richie with an expression that the latter can't place as he pushes his phone into his back pocket slowly. It's curious, almost wistful, and Richie wishes he had the bravery to just ask Eddie how he felt.

"I'm gonna go to Mike's room real quick, just to check in with him," Eddie says calmly, but there's a bit of tension beneath his words.

Richie feels a little bit guilty for trying to hold his hand, but he'd told Bev that he'd make a move if he felt that it was the right thing to do. And, well, it felt right. How was he supposed to know that it wasn't?