𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡.

𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 | 𝐞 & 𝐫

R

It was thirty more minutes into the drive. Richie was feeling much better, and had a sudden burst of energy, optimism, and excitement. "Isn't this great, Eds?" Richie said, turning his eyes to face Eddie, who was reading something on his phone. "What is?" Eddie asked, putting down his phone and looking back to the boy. Richie rolled down the squeaky car window, letting the gusts of wind pour in through the opening. "This. I mean, we're leaving everything behind." He said, with a smile. "I mean, just for a little while." Eddie said reluctantly. "But yeah, it is pretty great." He said.

E

"Have we even thought about what we're going to do there?" Richie asked him curiously. Eddie thinks for a moment, looking up. "I don't know. Spend time with each other? Explore?" He shrugs. "Gentle reminder that it was your idea." Richie chimes in. "Right, thanks for that. I forgot for a second." Eddie says, in a sarcastic tone. "All I know is that I'm hungry and tired." "I'm just glad I can finally have a break." Richie said, sitting up in his seat and seeming to brush off Eddie's complaint."A break? From what?" Eddie said, scoffing. The statement came off meaner than intended, but he was glad Richie didn't dwell on it. "You know, from my apartment. From Portland." The boy said, his smile fading ever so slightly. "Yeah." Eddie said, not knowing what else to say. "And to, you know... hang out with you, I guess." Richie said, with a pause after 'you know'. "I do realize that I missed you a little bit. Even through everything." Eddie said after a bit, trying to be careful with the way that he picked his words. He watched Richie's hands nervously shift on the steering wheel. "Well, nice to know that I was missed. A little bit." He said, jokingly mocking Eddie's remark. "I didn't mean it like that. When you say it that way it sounds worse." He said, nervously. "I'm joking. It's fine, I get it." Eddie's tension released a bit.

R

"You're complicated sometimes. I can't tell when you're joking or not." Eddie said bluntly, looking forward to the windshield. Richie scoffed at his statement. "Me? Okay, that's a bit of a stretch. Have you even met yourself?" Eddie looked at him in disbelief. Richie caught a glimpse of Eddie's countenance. "Don't act surprised." Richie said with a laugh. "What?" Eddie said. "Sometimes it's like you can't stop looking at me, and then you act like you hate me. Do you even like me?" Richie said in a joking way to conceal the half-seriousness of the question. With a turn, Richie pulled into a Wendy's. "What are we doing here?" Eddie asked, not answering Richie's aforementioned question, but keeping it in the forefront of his mind. Richie parked the car in the nearest opening. "You said you were hungry, didn't you?"

E

Eddie looked up at Richie, not expecting him to have listened to his statement. For a moment, he felt like time stopped. He didn't know what it was - it was a simple gesture. Eddie just felt a rush of emotions come over him. It was relieving, but overwhelming. Eddie realised for a second that he'd never been around someone who genuinely cared about him, or even listened to him as closely as Richie had. As much understood resentment as Eddie had held towards him, he knew that it was likely that no one would probably care about him as much as Richie would. He could tell Richie was getting irritated or confused with Eddie's staring. "So... Are we gonna go in? Or-" Before Richie could finish his sentence, Eddie gently touched his face and pulled him in for a kiss. Richie pulled back for a second, looking hesitant. "Are you sure-" Eddie nodded. Richie kissed him back softly. It wasn't rough, or harsh - it was just an intimate moment.

R

With the simple kiss, Richie could just feel the dopamine and endorphins flood his receptors. It wasn't because of the kiss itself, it was just the reverence and gentleness of it, and the fact that it was of Eddie's own volition. It didn't feel forced or expected, it just happened. When the kiss broke, he saw Eddie's peaceful smile. They looked at each other for a few seconds. It was like pure serotonin. "Of course I don't hate you, Rich." Eddie said, biting his lip a bit. 'God.' Richie thought, his eyes widened a bit. After a second of trying to regain his composure, Richie finally spoke. "You... make me feel more alive than I have in a while." He said, Eddie looking back. It was like he was staring into the depths of his soul.

E

Eddie felt caught off guard. Richie was someone whom he least expected to say something even remotely similar to that. "If only you knew how much that meant to me." Eddie let slip out quietly, his words spilling out. Eddie felt alleviated, as if a ton of bricks were lifted from his shoulders. Unknowingly, a tear slipped down his cheek like rain dripping from a sloped roof top. For the first time, he felt like they truly saw each other.

R

"Yeah." Richie said, not knowing what else to say. The delicacy of the moment couldn't be captured in any way other than its pure form. "I like you a lot, Richie." Eddie said, seeming to be forcing out the words. "I-" Richie stopped him from talking. "It's okay, Eds. You're fine." He said in a reassuring tone, wiping the streaming tear from his face. He looked at him like he was the most treasured item in the world, and to Richie, he was. After a moment, Richie spoke again. "I, uh, are you ready to go?"

E

Eddie was yearning to stay in the moment, even just a second more. "Let's just... keep going. We can get food when we're there." He said nervously. "Yeah... Okay, yeah." Richie said, leaning back from his moved position. Eddie leaned back a bit too, still seeming to be caught in the feeling. His brown eyes looked glazed, and he stared forward in a trance-like state. Richie started the car again, and began to drive. "I hope you know that I adore you, Eds. And it's not the drugs, or just the euphoria from the kiss speaking." Richie said, almost effortlessly. "And I-I know it sounds stupid or cliche, but I just need you to know that." Eddie, still staring forward, nodded at the statements. He'd never been told anything like that, by anyone. He didn't know what to say, and was borderline holding back tears. "And you don't have to say anything back. I'm going to wait for you, through whatever you need." As much as we wanted to, he didn't reply, but he felt solace and comfort in these words. He knew it wasn't bullshit.