Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis
***o***
They were back to their routine of hanging out every other day, and being friends. Admittedly, though? It was awkward. They tried to talk like they hadn't shared a kiss, and like they didn't have doubts about suicide.
They kept that up for promptly two days.
"Would you quit acting like I'm going to throw myself at you because of that kiss?" Patricia snapped on Tuesday, over lunch.
"The second you stop looking over me like I actually am going to overdose." They stared at each other, identical frowns on their faces. "God, Patricia. I told you. I'm staying here for you, I swear."
"So the second that I leave, you will too? Eddie you can't stay here for me. You have to stay here for yourself."
"I am, I-" Eddie threw his head into his arms. "I didn't mean it like that,Patricia. I'm alive for me, but here," he pointed to the table, the café, maybe even the town, "for you."
"Okay." She sighed, dissatisfied. It would have been sweet if they weren't arguing. "Sorry I brought it up." He sat forward, like he wanted to say something, but seemed to decide against it and slumped back in his chair pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth. They finished their lunch silently and then walked in separate directions. She went home, he went to work, and neither argued the other's leaving.
That wasn't how they were supposed to operate. Patricia felt like she should fix it, but she didn't want to. All she had done was worried for his safety. He had started it. He had kissed her. Or Char. Or, whatever. He was the one that had to fix it. She didn't want to have the upper hand in their relationship constantly.
***o***
Eddie seemed to realize it, too. Well, maybe he had given up on hoping that she would apologize, so he just decided to take the high-road and work things out on his own. Patricia would have been thankful that he had come to say sorry, but for the first time she really wished that he had called first. Because here he was, cleanly showered, flowers in his hand, a desperate look in his eyes, and her parents were sitting at her dining room table, asking who was at the door. "Um," Patricia cleared her throat and ushered Eddie inside. "Mum, Dad; this is Eddie."
"You didn't tell us you were dating anyone, dear." Mrs. Williamson sat forward in her chair, ready to stand up and greet Eddie.
"Oh, oh," Patricia and Eddie exchanged flustered glances and attempts at saying that they weren't dating. "Yeah, we're not. We're just friends." They stepped apart, like the two foot distance would prove their point, and Eddie tossed the flowers on to the ground.
Mr. Williamson raised his eyebrows at his daughter. Maybe they weren't convincing enough. "Okay, then." He turned back around. "Eddie, son, care to join us for dinner?" Eddie turned to Patricia but she was already sitting back down and avoiding contact. He should have said 'no thank you, sir,' because that was clearly what Patricia wanted. But she also wanted him to get back on to speaking terms with her. And staying through this dinner was the only way to make sure of that.
Piper came in halfway through the dinner, panting and apologizing for being late. She said something about her music audition going overtime because they narrowed her down as a finalist. While everyone congratulated her, Patricia rolled her eyes. The night was only getting worse, so far. Through conversation, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson learned everything about Eddie (and his relationship with both of their daughters). The trio of young adults swiftly managed to leave out anything about Char, though. That wouldn't have settled well with their picky parents.
They asked him questions about his job, and family life, and future, and he replied with as little detail as possible, including scattered lies that were absolutely mandatory. It was a nerve-wracking dinner to get through, but he did survive. He also learned that her parents were staying the night, so he volunteered to help Patricia clean up. It was the only time that they were going to get alone. The groan that she let out at his offer was so loud, so obvious, her parents threw them questioning looks. Patricia played it cool by smirking and telling him that she was teasing. She really wasn't. Being trapped in the kitchen with Eddie was the last thing that she wanted.
"What?" She demanded, hitting him with a towel. "Why did you come? Seriously? Because in case you haven't noticed, my parents are very much like Piper." She was quietly whispering the best that she could. Altogether, though, she was still yelling at him. "I'm not in the mood to lie to them, or talk to you, or-" Eddie grabbed on to her wrists, and their eyes met. Patricia had seen a romance movie or two when the guy cut the girl's rambling off with a kiss. She was glad he hadn't done that. Had he leaned in, she would have pushed him off. She wasn't in the mood for another Eddie kiss. The other one had ended badly enough.
"I had to talk to you, Yacker. I wanted to apologize."
"For what?" She spat, yanking her arms away from him, and crossing them in front of her chest.
"Everything. Our fight this week, scaring you earlier, kissing you." Patricia was about to say something sarcastic to him, but he cut her off again. "I like you, too." His words were rushed, nervous. Patricia racked her brain for the time that she had told him that she liked him, and tried to keep the redness of her cheeks un-obvious. She had never said anything to him, so did he mean he liked her as in he liked her? Or was he trying to send some other message?
He swallowed. "Piper told me that you like me, and-"
Patricia looked so angry. "I am going to kill her. I said that-"
"Yacker. I like you, too." He said it like she hadn't heard him the first time.
"Eddie, you kissed Char, not me the other day." She placed her hands on her hips. "That's what I was told, at least."
"Well, yes." He didn't argue it like she had expected. "But these past weeks; I wasn't hanging out with her, or laughing with her, or falling for her." Patricia was taken aback. This was what flirting was like? It made her feel fairly uncomfortable, not flattered. Now she was expected to say something back. She could feel her heart pounding. What did someone say back to that? She let out a sigh and replaced her worried thoughts with a "Patricia" comment, not the sweet kind that he had been expecting. "Yeah well you're not looking for a girlfriend. You told me that, too."
"I'm not," He was practically begging her to understand something that she didn't. "Patricia, I'm not going to start a relationship a week after the two year anniversary of Char's death." Patricia tried to make herself nod, but in the moment, it was if she had forgotten how to. "But I like you, and I wanted you to know that."
"That's it?" It wasn't meant to sound so selfish, but it came out the way that she heard the voice in her head saying it. "You just decided that coming in here, telling me you liked me, and then leaving was going to make up for it all?"
"No." It was clear that this wasn't an on-the-spot decision. He had been trying to figure out how to approach this topic for a while. It almost sounded like he had practiced it. "I was going to ask you out."
"What?" Patricia didn't feel like this moment was romantic in the least bit. He was so confusing.
"In two months," he clarified, "if you're still around in two months – if you still like me in two months, then would you go out with me?" Patricia wasn't sure if she was supposed to be happy or mad. She was simply puzzled. "Yacker?"
"Um." She was confused, and she wasn't going to hide it. If he hadn't messed with her head so much, then maybe it she would have felt her heart exhilarating, or the joy rising in her throat. But she didn't. Instead, she delivered a delayed response. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, what?" Maybe Eddie actually was good at flirting and Patricia just sucked at it, no matter which end she was at. That would be embarrassing; if this whole time Eddie knew exactly what he was doing and she was fumbling around with her words like an idiot. He stepped closer to her, a boyish smirk on his face. Oh God. She was horrible at this thing.
"Yeah, I'd like to go out with you," she nodded because she did. She wanted to go out with him desperately. And she was willing to wait for two months. She didn't say it out loud – she didn't have the guts to do that, but she would wait two years for Eddie.
***o***
A/N: We had a snow day today and I'm so happy because I seriously slept in until 10, so my day would have been tough to get through if I hadn't been off.
Love you guys,
Grace :)
