It was a typical night on the Ridge, the guy's had congregated to watch the game. It was the same ol' stuff as usual, Owens's corny jokes, Phil's analysis of ever commercial and Nicks smelly sauerkraut surprise that everyone always dreaded. Eddie seemed to be a little preoccupied with checking his phone. "Important phone call" Phil asked knowing full well who he was waiting to hear from. "Not really" Eddie replied as he put his phone down and leaned his head back on the couch, the guy's were fully invested in the game yelling at every bad play. "Geeze Nicky, how hard have you been working him" Owen asked as he pointed at a now sound asleep Eddie. "Not that hard" he replied "I'm not surprised he hasn't spent a night in his bed in over two weeks" Phil stated to be fact. "What'd he do move in with Janet" Nick asked. "Not officially but his clothes and tooth brush have magically disappeared" "Could it be that Latekka has fallen in love" Owen said jokingly. "Eddie, no not Eddie Latekka…. He's just having a little to much fun if you know what I mean" Nick suggested "ahh, you want get any sleep around here when those two are having fun" laughed Phil. With his eyes still closed Eddie replied "Don't go there Phiz" he had overhead what Phil was talking about.
While we are on the subject (Phil pulled out a copy of the coma sutra that he had been sitting on all night) I need some advice. The guy's just looked at him like he was crazy "I want to spice things up with Pizza Girl, well what do you think" as he showed them the page he had ear marked. Eddie's phone rang; it was Janet "Hey" Eddie smiled as he answered the phone
"I want keep you long, I know your watching the game" Eddie could hear their song in the background S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y "Is that…"
"Yeah someone played it and I thought about you"
"Really" he said with a smirk
"Must be a good game, with all that noise the guy's are making" she said
"Not rally their just looking at the comas sutra trying to help Phil out with Pizza Girl"
"Page 78" Eddie grabbed the book from Nick and turned to page 78.
"Are you serious" he asked while thoroughly investigating the selection when she said "and I'll show you how to correctly do page 56" "I didn't think I was doing so bad in that department" Eddie confidently replied "Just look at it" Janet said "fine, but I doubt if it's something I don't know"
"Night sweetie"
"Night Beautiful"
"I thought you knew it all" Nick smugly replied. Eddie's curiosity got the best of him and he asked what was on page 56. Phil thumbed through and just looked up at Eddie with a blank face. Eddie snatched the book from Phil and slowly turned it sideways, Nick was looking over his shoulder. "You lucky dog, you" Nick laughed. Eddie slammed the book shut and turned red with embarrassment. "So, Janet's a Hll Cat, I never figured that" said a giggly Owen. Eddie took a very serious look. He didn't like anyone talking about her that way. "Come, Eddie we were just kidding" the guys said nearly in unison "Don't you think it's time to grow up" Eddie snarled "This coming from the man who doesn't own a clean shirt" Phil chimed in. "I have you know Janet washed my clothes this morning" Eddie replied "Janet washed your clothes" Nick asked as Eddie tried to ignore him.
"My advice Phil, find out if she has any fantasies" Owen recommended "I found out what Aubrey's was and it defiantly worked out in my favor" Nick added "I bet she would be ecstatic that your telling all of us about it" a now grumpy Eddie said "What's your problem, Eddie" Phil had the answer "He's in love" "You don't know what your talking about" Eddie implied as he grabbed his key and headed out the door.
"Where you going" Phil asked "While you three losers sit here doing nothing I'm going to full fill mine" he didn't even close the door behind him. The guys were somewhat worried that their constant barrage of jokes was going to cause him to do something he might regret.
Meanwhile, Janet was restocking the bar; the crowd had died down and other than Sully the only one left was Ickey and he was bordering on spending another night in the corner both. "Last one" Janet said as she gave him his beer. A few minutes passed before Ickey got up the nerve to ask "How's he doing" "Who Owen" she asked "Nahhh, I don't have the right to ask about Big O"
"Eddie's fine Ickey, I don't agree with what you did but you shouldn't be so hard on your self"
"See that's the thing about Love, there's only one way to fall and that's hard"
"Are we talking about you or Owen" Ickey tried to swallow the lump in his throat and she went behind the bar
"He loves ya, you know…. he just ain't got his head straight with it yet" Janet just smiled and went in the back to get some more Liquor; she didn't see Eddie walk in. With Janet no where in sight and Ickey sitting in Eddie's usual spot at the end of the bar Eddie had no choice but to wait.
"You were right, Janet's pretty cool" Ickey quietly told Eddie
"Stay away from her" Eddie replied with a strong tone
"Whatever man, just tell her you love her before it's too late" Ickey then got up from his bar stool perch and took a comfy position in the corner booth with his hat pulled down over his face. Janet had been in the back for what seemed like an eternity before she came back struggling to balance the load of whiskey she was carrying. Eddie rushed over to help by grabbing the case and setting it on the the counter but not before they dropped a load of bar towels Eddie instinctively bent over to pick them up and as he raised back up Janet planted a kiss on him that he could feel down to his toes. "What did I do to deserve that" he asked "you just being you" she replied.
"What happened to hanging out with the guys?"
"They were more interested in giving me a hard time than watching the game" Eddie said as he walked over to the Jukebox and put some money in. "Poor Thing" she said as she looked over at Ickey. Eddie just let out a sigh.
"You know you should really give him a break" Janet knew she was treading on thin ice with this subject
"He chose his fate"
"He's in love with her, Eddie" Janet said and Eddie just looked over at him but this time he didn't feel angry at him
"Come dance with me" Eddie said as he playfully pulled Janet by the hand out into the middle of the floor. Janet just looked up at him and smiled when the Bay City Rollers started to play. They shared a slow kiss and as their lips parted Janet was lost in his pretty boy smile and beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Eddie took her hand in his and placed it upon his chest over his heart and with the other one wrapped around her waist he drew her in towards him. Her head lay on his chest. "I need to tell you something" Eddie whispered into her ear as they danced. Eddie was so nervous she could feel his heart pound through his chest.
"I should have told you a long time ago……….. I don't want to lose you, but I can't keep it from you anymore…" He was just about to tell her when she placed her hand on the side of his face and her thumb fell across his lips "shhhhhhhhh."
"It's okay, I know about you and Hannah" Janet said looking into those sad brown eyes
"I've known since that night it happened"
Eddie squeezed her even closer. He couldn't believe she wanted to be with him knowing this.
"Hey Janet, Something occurred to me on the way over here"
"What occurred to you Eddie" Janet was playing along flirtatiously
" That I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning, watch ON THE WATER FRONT together a hundred times, dance in the rain, and when I'm in my rocking chair on the front porch and look over I want you to be in the one next to me….. ...I love with you"
"I love you too"
They shared a deep long kiss and kept dancing, forehead to forehead, bodies pressed against one another even though the music had stopped.
Nick and Owen decided they would head to Sully's to finish watching the game since Pizza Girl had come over and they decided to give them some privacy. They were relieved to see Eddie's truck in the parking lot. "Some fantasy" Nick said to Owen. They walked in and saw Eddie and Janet dancing, it was the kind of moment that could melt the heart of even the manliest of men."I think this is his fantasy" Owen replied as they walked to the bar. Sully offered them a beer and Nick asked "What's going on over there"
"Don't know but they've been like that for the last hour" Sully replied as he opened the bottles of beer. Owen walked over to the Juke box. and played WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN. Janet whispered "I think we have an audience" and Eddie asked if she was ready to go home. They slipped out unnoticed and went back to Janet's house. Things started to progress and had become quite heated when Janet asked Eddie if he had looked at page 56. Eddie replied with "I did" "and what did you think" "I think your very optimistic" "It helps to have a willing student" they managed to have a conversation without even stopping what they were doing. Eddie pulled at her hair to let it all down before they made it to the couch where Eddie leaned on the back while Janet undressed him. She started to unbutton his shirt, Eddie just tugged at it when the buttons broke lose Janet helped him take it off almost as fast as he had ripped it open. Eddie's hands were busy squeezing her backside. Janet pulled back slightly and unbuckled his belt. This got Eddie's attention as he stood up from the back of the couch he held her wrists as a way of slowing threw down. "As good as this feels, and trust me it feels good I would like to have the pleasure" He then kissed Janet all the way through the bedroom door and up against the wall where he began to undress her. They soon found their selves in the bed and slowing the pace. Eddie stopped progress momentarily to say" Tonight, I just want to slowly, he kissed her cheek, and softly, he kissed her Neck and intensely, he kissed her chest, make love .
