HOW DO I TELL A BOY I WANT TO KISS HIM? | reddie

7

Juliets room had purple and blue everywhere in small hints or in bold color. Richie sat on her bed holding an old stuffed bear, she sat opposite of him with her hands folded in her lap.
Richies eyes were focused on his hands. He took a shaky breath.
"I like Eddie. A lot. And I know I have no chance with him. We get alo- we joke around a lot and I slip up and say I fuck his mom whenbhe makes me feel vulnerable. Bev told me one of our friends likes me, I thought it was stan. He doesn't. We went to the arcade..And tonight I met a boy named conner, and we kissed..a lot. And I enjoyed it. A lot. He took me home and we kissed goodbye. I got out and Eddie was there. Waiting for me I think. He was mad. And now here I am."
Richie coughed and looked away. He wasn't very verbose on how he felt, or what was going on with him. It made him feel weak. So when his sister asked it took a lot of coaxing.  She nodded and bit her lip in though. Processing the new information.
"You're fucking stupid. Eddie clearly likes you."
"We just m-"
"Yeah. You just met? How often are you around him? You just met him so how do you like him?" Juliet crosses her arms.
"We spend a lot of time together.." Richie mumbled.
"What do you like about this conner guy?"
"He's attractive, his smile is gorgeous, he's perfect, an amazing kisser."
Juliet nodded and scribbled all of this down onto a sheet of stationary.
She scribbled a second later and drew a line.
"Now eddie?" She slid her glasses back up into place.
"Eddie makes me feel..like when I get off of a coaster and I feel like I'm going to throw up, in a good way! Like,,, how it felt to wake up on Christmas at grandmas. Like winning a marathon. Eddie fits me, and he understands what I'm saying before I finish. I feel vulnerable around him. I know we have just met but..the idea of him holding my hand seems right. Like maybe he's it. But...I know it can't be. Because we're so young. I'm scared because he makes me feel like I belong here, like makes me feel safe. And it's scary. Because if he's not it and I get attached. I really like him and I can't say why I can only list small things. Reasons I'm attracted. "
Richie sighed and watched as Juliet finished writing how words.
"Okay."
"So..?"
"Listen. I think you should hold out and see if you and Eddie could work. And if not maybe get to know conner first." Juliet smiled small and pat his thigh.
He got up and went to his room, he had a landline in there from the previous owner, on his desk. So he fished out the note and stared blankly at the smiley face.
He dialed a number quickly and took a breath.
"Hello?"
"Eddie..can I come see you?"
"Richie..no. It's almost midnight and my mom-"
"I'll go through your window, stealthy, like a ninja. She won't known I'm there."
There was a pause on eddies end. Richie almost thought he had hung up.
"I'll leave my window cracked."

Richie had a lot of things he considered him self to be, a rebellious teen is not one of them. It was eleven at night in Derry Maine. His house hold asleep. But him? He was pulling on a hoodie and his jeans from today. He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed at it, he needed a haircut soon.
He shoved on his converse and waited. The eery silence of his home taunting him.
'You won't leave' it called to him.
Silently Richie pushed open his window. Cursing the cream of the hinges. He stood on the roof below his window- above the kitchen- and left his window cracked.
Richie carefully made his way down the roof, hopped onto the ground and took a shaky breath. He landed in the side yard. He looked around in the dark for his bike and fussed to himself when he knocked over juliets. A light came on in his moms bedroom and the window opened. He held his breath and hid behind the garbage can. Hoping to go unnoticed.
The window closed and the light shut off.

Richie got out of there before you could say "I'm fucked". He pedaled fast and hard through the dark streets of Derry maine. He turned onto eddies street and came to a slow. A small one story house with one window lit up and the window itself left open a crack. He got off his bike and left it propped against the house. Through the window he saw Eddie.
Eddie was in a shirt that was clearly too big to be his, then Richie recognized it as the shirt he lended Eddie at the quarry. His hair was a mess and he was in battered up sweats. His eyes trained on a book in his lap. He sat in a desk chair.
Richie came up and tapped on the glass lightly, not wanting to frighten the boy with Bambi eyes.
Eddie looked up and was in action immediately. He did a small shuffle run to his window and opened it fully. He had a step stool tucked under the windows ledge inside.
Richie hoisted himself up and into the room.
"Thanks." He whispered to Eddie.
Eddie nodded and shut the window. He kicked the stool under his bed and went back to his perch on the desk chair.
"About earlier-" Richie started but heavy footsteps stopped him. Floor boards creacking in the hallway getting closer to eddies room. The shorter boys eyes widened in fear. He shoved Richie into his closet and scurried to his desk. Richie left the door opened a crack to peer into the room.
"Eddie bear, why are you still awake? Do you need mela-" a big woman asked entering his room.
"No ma. I'm fine. I'm finishing up homework and I'm off to bed."
She nodded and waddled to kiss the boys head. "Don't stay up too late."
She left at that and shut his door. Footsteps carried away, another door shut and silence.
Richie pushed the door open and looked over to Eddie.
Eddie was picking at the sweats with a twisted scowl on his face.
"Eddie I-I'm sorry." Richie sat on eddies bed, on the edge.
"Why?" Eddie asked quietly.
"Kissing conner."
"Why? I'm not your boyfriend. "
"You said I can ask you anything right?"
Eddie nodded.
"Why did you get so mad?"
"I," Eddie stopped all movement and licked his lips. "I don't know."
Richie nodded and Eddie came to sit with him. He sat next to him and cuddled into his side. Richie smiled to himself at this.
He had looked down at eddie when he smiled but his lip and turned away.
Richie grew weak at the site.
"Wanna stay the night Friday?" Eddie asked him looking up into richies eyes, magnified by the bottle glasses.
"Yeah. I'd like that." He looked away.

Richie left at one. Eddie giving him a walkie talkie, so he can know when Richie is home safe.
Richie looked down at the device and groaned flopping onto his bed.
He'd have to let conner down.