i'll love you from afar - a reddie story

~ 13 : Eddie ~

It was about two o' clock when Eddie left the bunker. The losers helped Eddie set up everything from the picnic blanket, to grabbing the candles and placing them around the room for Eddie to light later. As Eddie headed home, he went over the plan many times in his head.. I call Richie as soon as I get home, I ask him to meet me at the bunker at six, I tell him how I feel, and then I ask him to be my boyfriend. When he saw his house in view, he quickly ran to his garage and parked his bike. The door from his garage into his house didn't work so he had to come back around to the front door. When he came back around he saw Bowers' car. He was sitting inside with a psychotic smile creeping across his lips. Psychopath. Eddie thought as he rushed inside his house.

He immediately ran to the phone and dialed Richie's number which he memorized by heart "just in case". It rang twice before he heard his voice come through.

"Eddie?" Richie sounded tired. "Why did you leave without even saying anything?"

"Hi-hi, Richie." Eddie started to become increasingly nervous by hearing Richie's voice. "Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of panicked. But, I was wondering-"

"Eddie. I got worried, like really worried. I thought I scared you away."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Rich. But you couldn't scare me away even if you tried."

"Oh, that's good to know. I hope that goes the same for your mother." Eddie could hear the smile on Richie's face through the phone. "Okay, so, what did you want to ask me?"

Eddie's heart started to beat a little faster. "Okay, right. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to have a picnic at the bunker with me. At six tonight."

There was a long pause. Eddie started to think Richie would stay no. Then Richie finally broke the silence. "Like, as a date?"

"Y-yeah," Eddie struggled to control his speech. "As a date."

"I don't know, Eddie," Eddie's heart started to sink. "I have plans with your mother tonight."

Eddie smiled and was filled with relief. "I'm hanging up-"

"Wait, wait! Okay, yes. Obviously I wanna go on a date with you, dumbass."

"Okay, dipshit, then meet me at the bunker at six."

"You got a deal, Kaspbrak."

"Good. See you later, Tozier." Eddie hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face. I have to tell him I love him. As that thought popped up in his mind his stomach started to churn. How am I gonna find the right words?

Eddie looked down at his watch and it read 2:10. Okay, I have three hours to get myself ready, he thought. Then I'll head to the bunker at five and set everything up. Eddie had a lot to do: He had to shower, get dressed and make himself look nice, make dinner for the picnic, and set everything up in time.

He quickly showered and put on a fresh pair of clothes, slipping Richie's hoodie on over his shirt. Then he set to making the sandwiches for dinner. Richie liked bacon, lettuce, and tomato without the crusts, so Eddie made just that. He packed everything up inside a tin lunch box and looked back down at his watch. It read 4:55. I better get going. He thought. He opened the garage door and grabbed his bike. Luckily, Bowers' car was no longer where it was before so it made his way to the bunker a lot easier. He arrived at the bunker in twenty minutes, leaving him forty-five minutes to set everything up. And with that he got to work

It was five minutes to six when he finished everything. All of the candles were lit, the food was set up, and Eddie was there looking all pretty. Well, he hoped he looked pretty. He fidgeted nervously and stood up to the sound of approaching footsteps. Richie slowly came down the ladder and took in the scene.