The semester ended with Kevin Anderson and The Shark on Double D's and Big Red's bad sides. But Kevin and Edd weren't speaking to each other, either. Nazz requested they both call a truce and come to her Christmas party. Except Double D couldn't come as he and his parents were taking the holiday in Quebec to see family and wouldn't be back until the day before school started up again. And even then, he was headed straight back to campus. He wanted to get as much of a head start as possible on the projects that needed to get done in the spring semester. He had a calendar year to make his mark before he graduated and would need all the time he could get to get things done and set himself up for grants and scholarships that would help pay for his master's degree. Nazz wished him a happy holiday season and prayed the poor genius wouldn't burn himself out.
Because Kevin Anderson, Eddward and Edd were in three of the same honor societies, the executive boards had their work cut out for them in keeping Kevin away from Edd and Eddward away from everyone. Especially Kevin. When he wasn't bugging Edd to give him the time of day, he was bugging Eddward to give him advice.
AnneMarie Chambers became the one to keep Kevin in check. Eddward was cold and scary. Anne-Marie was a quiet fury. And she took her positions in school and life seriously. But she had one problem in Edd and Eddward's book.
She was a homebody.
She only left her room to go to class, meetings and study groups. Whenever there was a reception, she would come for about 30 minutes and leave. Only networking opportunities could get her to stay out longer. So, if there was anything going on, Kevin would just wait til Anne-Marie left to show up. And Eddward and Edd would be stuck trying to figure out their futures or enjoy a night out with like minded classmates with Kevin hoovering over them like a hummingbird and they were his God given nectar.
By spring break, Kevin figured out a pattern in his ex's behavior. Eddward would excuse himself as politely as possible depending upon the occasion and Edd would drink. When he went out with his friends, he'd limit himself to three. Didn't matter if it was wine, beer or a cocktail, he'd have three, if that, and be done. But most of the functions the honor societies threw were in hotels, restaurants within walking distance of campus or on campus. So he felt comfortable drinking more, as he would only need to walk home or to a hotel room. Plus, it helped to numb the seething anger that Kevin's actions brought out of him.
Eddward noticed the pattern, too. After one function at the Marriott in downtown Peachburg, he walked Edd to the front desk to get a key.
"Listen to me, Vincent. If you truly want to be rid of our ex, you'll watch your alcohol intact."
"Oh, maaaah god. Do you care, Big Double D?," Edd slurred as he leaned on the front desk counter.
"I can't say that I do, honestly," Eddward snipped. "But I do know that you have every reason not to want to give him a second chance again. But if you want to keep it up, you won't have him waiting on you like that."
Edd was trying to sign for his room key as Eddward was speaking, so he didn't register what he said until the next morning. Kevin was more than willing to be his errand boy and Edd milked it for all it was worth. If there was one thing he loved, it was the fact that redheads would wait on him hand and foot when given the chance. And while it was fun, he could see it back firing. Kevin didn't deserve him. Not after what he did.
Taking Eddward's warning to heart, he made sure to mind what he drank and how much and got his own food. But when the final reception happened during graduation weekend, Edd dropped his guard. He was excited. He had an internship offer after he graduated next year to go study and work in the biochemistry labs at Emory University in Atlanta. The Little Ivy in the capital city of the peachiest state in America was just the sort of place Edd felt like he could grow and thrive in. And if he played his cards right, he could get his doctorate there as well and just start his life there. And if Eddy had taught him how to play cards right, and he did, he was golden.
The sheer relief of it all had Edd in a happy mood. Many rounds were toasted to him. Too many. And Kevin pounced.
"Hey, Edd."
"Kevin," Edd said with a bit of silliness to his voice.
The redhead took the greeting further than sober Edd would have liked, but sober Edd left about an hour ago.
"Congrats on the offer."
"Thank you," Edd said kindly.
"So, I was wondering, if I could take you out to celebrate. Nothing more. Just a nice celebratory dinner between friends."
"When?"
Kevin was stunned. He didn't think he'd get this far.
"Uhh, how about Monday night? I'm not working the night shift this week, so I'll be free."
Edd considered it as he sipped his whiskey sour and then nodded.
"Monday night. 7. Papa Tony's. I want lasagna."
"Done," Kevin said breathlessly. "Can I...?"
But Kevin was cut off by Anne-Marie who had a plate full of fruit for Edd and a fiery gaze for Kevin. Kevin just threw up his hands defensively and walked away with a huge grin on his face. Eddward just facepalmed and fired off a text to one of his teammates to tell someone in Kevin's group of Peach Creek friends who wasn't Kevin what had happened. Hopefully, someone could talk some sense into him in the next 24 hours.
Ang was pissed. The little redhead had gotten to Edd. And now Edd is going to go through with it.
"But why, E?!," she all but screamed into the phone the next evening when she finally got ahold of Edd.
Edd moved out of his dorm on Thursday afternoon, but he and his parents came back to Peachburg Saturday afternoon to the honor society reception to celebrate his accomplishments on Sunday after the commencement ceremony. Since his father was his designated driver, he felt free to drink a bit more. But Monday morning was hell. He slept in the car on their way back to Peach Creek and then a few more hours after they got home.
And now Ang's yelling at him and his kicking himself for always wanting to honor his commitments, especially when they aren't going to hurt to go through.
"Edd, he hurt you in ways I can't even being to imagine. At least you and Kevin put some distance between yourselves. This guy kept his ex in his back pocket, literally, until he got caught."
"I know that, Angie. But what kind of person would I be if I cancelled!?," Edd said as he got dressed for his date.
"Like someone with some damn sense!"
"Look, how about I call him out? Nip this nonsense in the bud."
"And you better not order anything but water and soda to drink," she snipped at him.
"Yes, mother."
"I mean it, Eddward Marion! God, I just don't want to see you get hurt again."
"I know. And I love you for it, but I gotta fix this thing myself, okay."
"Yeah, yeah. Call me when you get home and let me know how it went, you hear me?"
"I will."
When they sat down to dinner, Kevin could tell that he had worn out his welcome. Drunk Edd was gone, and Sober Edd had returned and brought Civil and Cordial Edd with him. Kevin knew he had to work fast and hard to make sure that this date would end like the date he had intended and not Edd just honoring his commitments.
"I'm really glad you agreed to this, Edd," Kevin said as he sipped his beer.
Edd gave him a side eye.
"I don't who you think agreed to this, but it wasn't me," Edd snipped as he sipped his water. A nice, robust red wine would go better with his lasagna, but he was going to make sure he kept his wits about him. At least until he got home and could unwind and deconstruct this thing with sniffer of brandy and Ang.
"Fair enough," Kevin sighed. "But I do want to say I'm sorry about what I did to you and us and I really am happy about what future you is going to be up to."
Edd just shrugged and eyeballed the open kitchen across from them. He wanted his lasagna and he wanted it now.
"So, what's going on with you, Kevin? Oh nothing, Edd, just heading up the robotics team next year. Got an offer to intern and study at Georgia Tech. Wanna hang out sometime?"
"Do. Not," Edd said firmly as he shot his ex the meanest look Kevin had ever seen.
"I figured that two people at dinner together should have a conversation," Kevin shrugged as he took a long drag on his beer bottle, rolling his eye at Edd's angry blue eyes.
"So you're going to just talk to yourself?"
"Well, you're not saying much of anything."
Edd leveled a smirk at him.
"Okay, I'll talk. I'll talk about how unworthy I felt because you lied to me for our entire relationship about how you really felt about your ex, but loved to guilt trip me about mine. How about we talk about you just. kept. running. to him every time I wouldn't be bothered with you, only to be turned down by him, too. He's not a white knight, Kevin. He's a dark horse. And even he warned me against you. But at least I'm getting good lasagna out of this."
Kevin was ready for Edd to talk about how angry he was about how things ended with them and how it must have looked to go and try to talk to Eddward after Edd had shot him down again, but he did not know that even Eddward didn't want him to get back with Edd.
What the fuck?!
"He warned you against me?," Kevin said quietly as their meals came, lasagna for Edd, chicken Parmesan for Kevin.
"I let my guard down with you by dating you. I let my guard down again by agreeing to this dinner. But I know that man is on to something when even he thinks I'd be a fool to do this. First time, shame on you. Second time, shame on me. The third time will not be the charm, Kevin. If you two were as involved as you say, then I'm going to take him at his word. I don't trust you. At all."
And all of the wind went out of Kevin's sails. But he took a deep breath to get them back. Eddward could be alone and miserable, not him.
"Ever think that he only said that because he's hurting because the hotshot isn't seeing him anymore? Or that he wants me back?,"Kevin smirked.
"Or that he knows your desperate attempts to rebuild something you destroyed are just going to end up hurting us both in the end and it's not worth it?," Edd snipped as he took a bite of his lasagna.
"I said I was sorry," Kevin hissed through clenched teeth.
"Damn straight you're sorry. Who the fuck does that to someone they love, Kevin?!," Edd hissed back.
"You..."
But Edd cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Back pocket, Kevin. Back. Fucking. Pocket."
Then Kevin's phone buzzed in his back pocket and Edd sat back with a triumphant smirk on his face. Kevin sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands across his face in defeat.
Seeing the look of lost and defeat in his eyes, Edd said, "Do you get it, now?"
"Yeah," Kevin sighed.
No matter what Edd did, nothing could compare to the pain of knowing that Eddward had always been in Kevin's back pocket. All the swimmer had to do was say the word, and Kevin would have given him a second chance. The day he told he told him that he would never let him go, Kevin was afraid. Afraid of Eddward hurting him again. But more afraid of actually losing him. He was all he had known up until that point and it killed him to lose it. His parents pushed for the restraining order, but it didn't take Kevin long to miss his ex. That's when he made him his emergency contact.
Eddward was always there to nurse him back to health. That day in the hospital in Peach City, and again in Baton Rouge, he saw Eddward at his most vulnerable. Kevin knew Eddward loved him, but didn't have it in him to show it properly because no one had ever really shown him how. When Edd came along and did show him how, it filled so many holes in Kevin. To see him again on campus sent all kinds of emotions flowing through him. Fueled by Edd's love for him and his hatred for his ex, Kevin longed to show Eddward went it meant to be loved. But that meant hurting Edd. It wasn't something he wanted to do, so he pushed the thoughts of Eddward away as best he could, only to have to live with the fact that Edd and Kevin had something he craved with his ex.
And even if Edd wasn't faithful, he deserved better than being a placeholder. And he knew it.
"Good," Edd said as he waved their waitress over and asked for a to go box.
Box in hand, he boxed up his leftover, put a $20 on the table and left.
Later that night, as he went over the whole dinner with Ang and his father's best brandy, he had to think about where he stood with Kevin now. The air had been cleared, but where they went from here was anyone's guess. And Edd was so done with guessing games, but he didn't have the energy to solve this new riddle.
"Just keep doing what you've been doing," Ang told him.
Edd scoffed out a laugh.
"And mind your drinks."
"But lasagna!," Edd giggled.
"I'll send you to fucking Italy for the rest of your damn life if you want lasagna that damn bad, you idiot," she giggled back. "Just watch your back, okay."
"I will."
But before Edd went bed that night, he sent a text.
Double D: Thank you for dinner. It was lovely.
KevinA: Glad you liked it. Maybe we can hang again. Just as friends.
Double D: Just friends.
But that summer would kick off so much more for Kevin Anderson and Eddward Vincent. And over time, thanks to his old new Kevin, Edd would learn more about love and what he really wanted and needed from it.
