The Derry Map was always open in another tab as I wrote this because I wanted to be certain about the locations of this chapter. The time that Agata takes to reach each place is real, or at least almost. Please enjoy!
A few words before you start reading this chapter:
(IMPORTANT PLEASE READ)
Richie is bisexual in my story. As a kid, he held affection for Eddie (that he didn't know it was romantic because he was very sexually confused, scared of his attraction to boys and he was 13 years old) but liked Agata more. You'll see Richie go through a dilemma in this story because even though it's obvious he still has feelings for Agata I'm not going to ignore the subplot of him loving Eddie as well.
Reddie is my favorite ship and I was very nervous when RichiexOC won the poll. I feel like this story isn't as popular as it could be because it's RichiexOC but oh well, it is what it is and I actually have something planned that might make everyone happy.
You're in for a treat. ;)
7:33 PM
Agata was starting to panic.
At this point, the psychologist realized that she was going to cut close for the reunion dinner but she also hoped that she wouldn't be the last one to arrive. Still, inside the bus, Agata could only view outside the window and follow the trees of the vast forest that surrounded the road passing by.
She had a delightful conversation with the old man sitting next to her, he told her he was visiting his family and then revealed her photos of his two grandchildren that were unmistakably the world to him.
Agata couldn't help to envy the man for having a big family, she wondered if one day she'd have grandchildren of her own. Even at her age.
She was so distracted by her thoughts that she nearly missed the familiar sign approximating her eyesight.
PENOBSCOT
COUNTY
D
E
R
R
Y
MAINE
Derry Welcomes You!
Welcome back
Aggie!
She was speechless at first, dismayed as she felt her stomach churning at the words printed in a red liquid—she couldn't even think of the word 'blood' without feeling nauseated. Promptly, Agata perched back on her seat and withdrew from peering out of her window for the remaining of the bus ride, dreading to see something else too cryptic.
Five anxious minutes passed and the bus finally stopped on the Bus Terminal.
Agata rushed out of it, seized her luggage and hastily checked the time—she had fifty minutes to reach the Townhouse, check-in, shower, change clothes and arrive at the Jade of the Orient Restaurant. As a New Yorker, she was used to handling traffic and managing her time well enough to avoid being late to her clinic, but this was a small town, a place where she hasn't been in twenty-six years. She had no idea where to attain a taxi or how far she was from the lodge.
Luckily for her, after examining the Derry map from the terminal, she discovered that she was only two blocks away. Agata could be there in less than ten minutes if she was fleet with her pacing. And the faster she got there, the quicker she could get ready—her heart even soared at the notion of bumping into one of the Losers there.
The Losers Club.
It was like a shock coursed through her body. Now that she was in Derry, more recollections began channeling back within her subconscious.
Agata marched away from the Bus Terminal, inwardly memorizing the correct way towards the Townhouse as she looked around, acknowledging the reminiscences of her as a young teenager to retreat back to her.
She passed by the Aladdin Theater first, which sadly was closed off and for sale. It was disheartening to see it in this awful state, vandalized and hollow. The brunette had pleasant memories of this place, but there was something dreadful nagging at the back of her head.
"It wasn't that scary, Aggie!"
"You're right, it was more goofy than scary."
"Yeah, I know right?"
"But man, Freddy Krueger is still cool, right?" he resumed, still high on succeeding to sneak inside a rated R movie.
Agata's smile staggered, "Heh I guess" she felt like she was already existing in a horror flick of her own, but she had to admit that spending time with Richie—just the two of them—was pleasant. She could even giddily fantasize that this was a date.
Agata witnessed her thirteen-year-old self leave the theater with a boy walking by her side. Her blue eyes observed them until the road, where they faded from her sight. It made her simper though because she was definitely beginning to remember—slowly, bit by bit.
Agata sighed and resumed her walking, identifying some of the buildings, shops, homes—until she approached the second block, where a familiar alley next to the Center Street Drug Store was. She stood in front of Richard's Alley, now shadowed because of the nightfall, and she couldn't help but close her eyes as yet another recollection joined her mind.
"Just suck the wound!" Richie told Eddie.
"I need to focus right now," Eddie snarked at him.
"You need to focus?" the trashmouth repeated.
"Yeah, can you go get me something?"
"Jesus, what do you need?!" Richie asked nervously as he saw all the blood from the bandage Eddie was trying to apply.
"Go get my bifocals. I hid 'em in my second fanny pack."
"Why do you have two fanny packs?" Stan asked, surprised.
"I need to focus right now, and it's a long story," Eddie replied.
"Where's Bill?" she asked, looking behind towards the alley's exit, "Why is he standing there?"
Stan shrugged, "Probably waiting for Beverly Marsh," he mumbled.
"Beverly Marsh..." Agata restated gingerly with a fond expression.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself that she needed to reach the Townhouse quicker than this. Fortunately for her, she arrived at her address in three minutes, but that still left her with less than an hour to get ready. She trotted inside the inn, impatiently sounding the bell for some service that was at the reception.
And after twenty seconds of expecting it, she grew exasperated and resolved to go around the counter and get the keys of her room herself. She remembered the number, Mike told her after all.
Agata liked how reliable and considerate Mike is—was, he always was like this. She was starting to remember that now.
7:46 PM
As soon as she went up the stairs and located her room, Agata shut and locked the door behind her and settled her bags on top of her bed. She huffed, looking around for a second before unzipping her baggage to take her toiletries pouch from inside before stepping towards the annexed bathroom, where she turned on the shower's water stream, and as she anticipated for it to get warmer, Agata stripped down her clothes and cringed at how untidy her hair looked after glimpsing at the mirror.
She spent the entire day traveling and Agata felt like just shutting her eyes and rest but the idea of missing out seeing her friends again made her heart hammer from anticipation.
Agata got inside the shower and drew the curtains to close her in, and after settling her toiletries in the corner of the tub, she quickly got under the hot water and began the methodical process of taking a shower.
Ten minutes later, Agata walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and her skin moisturized with her favorite vanilla-scented cream. Her wet hair was wrapped around a smaller towel, some of her curls peeking out as they stubbornly clung onto her neck.
She checked her phone and ignored the lump in her throat when she saw the missing calls and texts she had from her mom and Nick. Agata felt extremely guilty for seeing her brother for a few minutes before leaving, but she would regard him after the whole Derry thing—she would take a few days off and take him somewhere for the weekend.
After brushing her worries away, she realized that she only had thirty minutes to dress up and get to the Chinese restaurant.
And while she unzipped the rest of her baggage to take her clothes out, Agata heard footsteps hurrying down the inn's corridor outside, but before she could think about who could've been the sound of a door opening and quickly being closed followed after, and Agata shrugged, continuing arranging her outfit for tonight.
She put on her black skinny jeans and red wine cold shoulder blouse and shivered a little at the cold air around her. She predicted that Derry might've been a little colder than New York so she had placed a grey cardigan that warmed her arms right away after she placed it on. Agata decided to leave it unbuttoned to avoid sweating, but she still sprayed some deodorant just to play it safe.
After that, she rummaged within her bag in search of her black faux leather strap sandals and had a mini heart-attack when she couldn't locate them—turns out they were just at the bottom of the bag.
All she needed to do was dry her hair and comb it, then apply some makeup and then call for a taxi.
Agata found out from the Derry Map that Jade of the Orient was on Derry Heights, on the other side of the town, right next to the mall that used the be the old Kitchener Ironworks—it appears that even a small town like Derry couldn't avoid the modernization that was the future. Not that she was going to miss it, that place was an abandoned building with a disturbing history so it was only standing as ruins.
More ten minutes passed, and she had just hung up the phone call with the Derry Taxi Center in the request of one cab for herself—they said it would be here in five minutes and she hoped they stuck to their words.
Agata checked her reflection in the mirror: her hair was now tamed and brushed, and she chose to let it loose for tonight. Her makeup was simple too, just a little base to cover her dark circles, eyeliner, a little bit of red lipstick and mascara. Agata assumed she looked decent, but to the eyes of someone else, her appearance was beautiful.
She couldn't stay inside her room any longer, so Agata grabbed the keys, her purse with her wallet and phone inside, turned off the lights and exited from it after making sure the door stayed locked. Then, she descended the stairs with her heart almost plummeting from her chest and stepped until she entered the brisk air outside.
Looking around outside, while standing right next to the Townhouse sign, she couldn't help to feel a little paranoid when the feeling that she was being observed crept up her spine. She held her purse under her arm protectively, as if it could work as a shield, but the only moment that truly calmed her down was when her taxi finally arrived at 8:23.
Jade of the Orient, Derry
8:33 PM
As her taxi pulled up outside the restaurant, Agata felt her heart claw its way into her throat. She felt nauseous, or at least halfway to getting sick right here on the pavement before she even had a chance to say hello. What would they think of her? And why was she so anxious about what her childhood friends would deem when she hadn't even remembered their names for twenty-six years? They might as well be strangers to each other now. After so long, what would there be to hold them together?
She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling gently to herself as Agata inwardly soothed her nerves before finding the courage to cross the road and step towards the doors of the restaurant. And just when she was about to do that, she noticed a woman approaching it first.
Agata gasped. It was a little dark, but thanks to the lights emitting from the building, she could see the back of this woman well enough to see her short, wavy red hair. Agata watched as this redhead woman hesitated in front of the doors as if she was pondering about entering it. Then, a taller man approached her from behind, startling the redhead woman and making her turn around to face him. Agata saw her surprised expression, but when it melted into a happy one she observed as the two hugged each other tightly.
That was definitely Beverly. But Agata couldn't recognize the man whose back was turned to her.
She was yet about to cross the road when she noticed a red convertible parking by the curb next to the hugging friends—they didn't notice when a man got out of it, circling his car to meet up with them and interrupt their reunion.
Agata's legs began walking without her controlling them.
She just crossed the road, towards them, her blue eyes fixated on the new arrival.
"Wow you two look amazing, what the fuck happened to me?" she heard him tell Beverly and the other man while keeping his hands inside his leather jacket.
Richie Tozier was tall and pale with a mess of curly black hair, thick-rimmed glasses resting comfortably on the bridge of his nose. He was smiling, but he looked sadder than Agata ever remembered seeing him that summer.
"Hey, man," he said, leaning in to give the other man a hug and a pat on the back. "It's Richie!"
It was impossible not to laugh.
"I know," Ben told him softly as he watched his estranged friend move to hug Beverly.
"Hi!"
That's when Agata decided to make herself present, it was now or never. And the first one to notice her was the first man, whose warm eyes reminded her of a certain chubby boy.
"Agata?!" Ben exclaimed, his eyes going wide from pleasant surprise as he wasted no time in meeting her halfway to give her a bear hug, drawing a chuckle from the psychologist.
"Hi Ben?" she looked up at him, snickering, "You got taller," she quipped at him, making him laugh.
Agata couldn't see the reaction from Beverly and the other man, but she heard the redhead gasp and walk towards them.
"Agata! Oh my God!" Beverly cried with tears in her eyes as Ben let go of the brunette to allow the two women to crush into each other's arms.
"We'll always be best friends forever, right?"
"Always Bev, we have this to prove it!"
Agata could feel the friendship bracelet burn in her skin, but she found herself welcoming the warmth as Beverly pulled away from the hug, smiling at her fondly as she quickly cleaned some of her tears away.
"I missed you so much..." Beverly whispered emotionally.
And Agata sees that. She didn't mean to go all psychologist and analyze the redhead but she could see the dark circles under Beverly's blue eyes over countless sleepless nights, the way her hands seized tightly onto Agata's arms as if she was clinging desperately, wordlessly inviting comfort. It was clear that Beverly genuinely missed her.
"I missed you too, Bev," Agata easily told her, smiling warmly.
The two shared one look before they heard someone harrumph from behind them. Beverly turned around and snickered at Richie's eager appearance. He was gawking at Agata, yearning to reunite with her as well. And as soon as Beverly stepped aside, to stand next to a grinning Ben, Richie and Agata walked towards each other and closed the distance between them in a tight embrace.
Agata buried her head under the crook of Richie's neck as if it came naturally to her while she felt his long arms circle around her frame, one hand rested against her back and the other cradled the back of her head gently. She closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat, and it was if she was thirteen years old again, slow dancing with Richie in the Winter Formal. Another good memory that she welcomed.
"Agata... my Aggie," he wistfully murmured, making her heart leap with a familiar sense of joy.
"I forgot you were the one that called me Aggie..." she chuckled mirthfully, looking up at him as he gazed down at her with fondness, "Hi Richie I missed you so much," she said as she leaned further into the man.
Now she understood why she had followed the comedian for years, even when she didn't like his material sometimes there was something about Richie Tozier that pulled her towards him. He was one of her best friends, her first crush, her first kiss, and her first boyfriend.
And Agata couldn't ignore the way her cheeks warmed as Richie continued staring beadily at her, with that look that would give her butterflies inside her stomach when she was a teenager.
Ben cleared his throat, and when Agata and Richie's gazing was broken the two saw Ben smiling amusedly and Beverly smirking knowingly in their way.
Richie, who looked embarrassed, quickly began sputtering the first nonsense he could come up with, "What the fuck are you two looking at? Never seen a cliché rom-com movie? This is the moment where two childhood friends reunite and—"
"Beep beep, Richie," Agata softly chastised before addressing everyone, "Let's go inside, the rest of them are probably waiting for us."
"This meeting of the Losers Club has officially begun!"
Agata was giving Richie a look, the reason for it was because he had just hit the Chau gong without warning anyone, and the sound came right from behind her so the psychologist's shoulder jumped a little bit from being startled by the loud sound.
But she decided to focus on what was more meaningful, which was the other three men standing on the other side of the round table that Mike had reserved for tonight.
Agata looked at the man himself, and to her surprise, Mike was already staring at her with a zealous expression. She beamed at him before looking at the shorter man, with striking blue eyes.
He was unmistakably Bill Denbrough, who eyed the newcomers with a welcoming smile, the same smile he gave to her on that pavement twenty-seven years ago. It was a powerful smile, and it made you feel embraced right away.
Strangely enough, when she looked at the man with the red, unzipped hoodie and the lime polo, Agata felt a certain familiarity with him. Then, it suddenly struck her—she has met Eddie before!
"Look at these guys!" Eddie chuckled with a sheepish smile. But what followed, was an awkward silence between everyone.
Agata had to lightly hit Richie in the arm before Ben could notice he was gesturing towards Ben to explain silently to the rest of the group that he wasn't the chubby boy he used to be. Richie merely chuckled at her, proving that he was only joking in a good-naturedly manner.
Then, she felt someone approach her from her peripheral vision and before she could even exhale, a pair of arms engulfed her into a hug.
"Agata! You came! I knew you would!" Mike laughed, his voice filled with relief.
"Mike! Wow, it's so good to see you!" Agata said at once, hugging him as well.
The librarian broke the hug and gave her a longing smile before he stepped back to allow Agata to greet the other two men. Bill was quick to also hug Agata as well, the two felt each other pour their friendliness over it and Agata felt that if Bill would act as the leader of the group she would still follow him, after all these years at least something hasn't changed.
When it was Eddie's turn, he just stood in front of her with an awkward smile—which made Agata laugh.
"You! Eddie, please tell me you remember me!" she told him, placing her hands on his arms to shake him a little.
That confused him, "What?"
"Last year? We got both into a car crash?" she tried to remind as the rest of the Losers greeted each other around them.
Eddie's eyes widened with realization, "Holy shit! That's right, you crashed your car into mine and–oh my GOD!" he exclaimed even louder while speaking fast.
Agata wasn't expecting him pulling her into a hug as well, but as soon as they embraced each other, it felt right. The man had become a non-hugger over the years but everyone saw no hesitation as they kept each other close, and Eddie inwardly remembered that Agata has always been one of the exceptions of the people that he allows to touch him.
"AGATA DON'T LEAVE!"
His scream had echoed through the alley, only for them to listen. And Agata turned around to give him a shocked look—he was crying, tears still falling from the corner of his eyes as he looked at her desperately.
"Please don't leave. Stay. Please" Eddie begged as he tightened his hold on her wrist.
Agata dropped the plastic bag that contained her groceries and instantly pulled Eddie into a hug, carefully minding his cast as she did. Immediately, he wrapped his good arm around her torso and hid his face on her collarbone—sobbing a little with relief.
She's had enough.
She felt so terrible for making Eddie cry. Agata felt so guilty when she realized what she had tried to do! He was her friend, one of her best. They were both Losers—she shouldn't allow anyone to stay in the middle of them, even if it was Eddie's horrible mother.
"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" she cried, "That was stupid, I'm not leaving, I swear!" Agata assured him quickly before pressing her lips into his cheek for a platonic kiss.
Eddie managed to smile and leaned into her again, relieved to finally be able to talk with one of the people that actually loved him.
"I can't believe I forgot about you," Eddie said, annoyed with himself as his eyes softened. Agata smiled wistfully at him, she couldn't help it. Eddie still had those big, brown puppy eyes that made her want to hug him even closer.
"We all did," Mike spoke up, interrupting the greetings and what Agata was about to tell Eddie.
Everyone shifted to look at the man that has called them all back to Derry. Mike Hanlon looked so tired, but Agata could see the authenticity within him of being comforted to see them all again.
Afterwards, the seven adults sat on the round table and waited for their food to arrive after thinking about what they wanted to eat. Agata ordered honey sesame chicken, her favorite Chinese dish.
She was sitting between Beverly and Richie, and when the food arrived with the drinks Agata couldn't help but steal a glimpse from the empty seat that belonged to Stan Uris. Someone that she was eager to see again as well—so she was growing rather concerned about his tardiness. As a teen, Stan was never late for anything, she could remember that now.
Her worries were forgotten when they decided to make a toast to begin their reunion dinner, and when Agata saw Richie do a blowjob shot out of his small glass she perked her eyebrow interestingly when the man in question looked at Eddie with a goofy grin.
"So wait, Eddie, you got married?" Richie asked with a skeptical voice laced with mockery.
Eddie was instantly defensive, squinting his eyes warily at the other, "Yeah, why's that so fucking funny, dickwad?"
"What, to like a woman?" Richie sassed, and Agata didn't fail to notice the hidden expression behind the quip—but she didn't dwell on it, after all, she wasn't here to be their psychologist, she was here as a friend.
"Fuck you, bro," Eddie snarked as he gestured his chopsticks towards him.
Richie laughed at the remark, "Fuck you!" he shouted gleefully.
"All right, what about you Trashmouth? You married?" Bill quickly asked before things could escalate, everyone had a beaming expression when they looked at Richie for his answer.
But Agata concealed anxiousness behind a curious simper, she didn't know how to feel if Richie announced he was indeed married. It was ridiculous, they just reunited after being twenty-six years apart and she had no right to be jealous if Richie was married or in a romantic relationship with someone—but she couldn't help to wish for the man to be single. Which was embarrassing for her, because she was slowly realizing that perhaps her affection towards Richie hasn't dimmed down, even after forgetting about him.
"There's no way Richie's married!" Beverly spoke up at once, shaking her head doubtingly as everyone, except for Agata and Eddie, debated about it amicably.
"No, I got married!" Richie told the redhead solemnly, stealing a glance towards Agata as he observed her reaction.
Agata gave him a feigned surprised look, feeling her heart hammer as she waited for the punchline. It was easy for her to recognize Richie's face when he was about to drop a joke—and she was glad that after all this time she could see through it.
"Richie, I don't believe it," Beverly said at once, taking a bite from her food.
"Why not? It's possible," Agata stated, grinning at the redhead while she sipped from her drink.
"When?" Eddie inquired curiously before taking a sip from his beer, getting Richie's attention as the man turned to him.
"Did you not hear this?" Richie pressed, still using a serious look.
"No," Eddie stated, giving the man an odd look. Agata noticed that Eddie was nervously gripping on his cup, she found that as a sign of neuroticism and impatience. Eddie was genuinely shocked at Richie's answer, and she couldn't hide her smirk about it.
"Oh, you didn't know I got married?" Richie pressed, surprised.
"No!" Eddie reasserted.
"Yeah, no, me and your mom are very, very happy right now," Richie finally said, causing the table to laugh instantly, except for Eddie of course.
Bill chocked on his drink, "Fucking hell!" he chortled as he reached for a napkin to clean himself up.
Agata could hear everyone laugh but when she looked at Eddie's annoyed expression she giggled even more.
"He totally fell for it!" Bill laughed.
Eddie pursed his lips, scowling deeply while slightly shaking his head before glaring to Richie, "Fuck you."
"She's very sweet. Sometimes she'll put her arm around me, and she'll whisper to me, she'll go" Agata giggled when Richie wrapped an arm around her shoulder to gaze lovingly into her eyes while mimicking Jabba the Hut perfectly—it was funny to everyone in the table, excluding for Eddie, who was seething.
However, Richie couldn't finish his impression because he began laughing at Agata's giggling face. Her cheeks were red, from either the alcohol or her emotions, and she looked too adorable to not chuckle along with.
"Oh, I get it, my mom's a great big fat person!" Eddie suddenly burst, pretending that he was laughing along as he threw his head back, "Hilarious! Hysterical!" he yelled sarcastically before he downed the rest of his drink angrily.
Agata winced with a grin, "Okay, okay..." she patted Richie's arm, "Let's all calm down now."
Richie gave her a nod, wordlessly promising her he'd behave. Agata's hand lingered on his muscle, and he couldn't help to stare.
"Yeah, let's" Beverly stared at Agata with interest, "What about you, Agata? I'm sure you got married! And you must have kids, you always wanted them, right?"
Agata inwardly cringed as Beverly unintentionally brought up a sensitive subject, "Uh well" she looked around the table, trying to keep her breathing steady as everyone gave the brunette her their attention. Mike leaned in whilst Richie lost his smile and drank the rest of his beer, "I'm not married, but I can't say it almost didn't happen—the guy, he uh, cheated on me with his intern, his twenty-year-old intern."
The adults around the table showed their disgusted expressions.
"Pig," Beverly muttered.
Ben shook his head with a sour look whilst Bill sighed, saddened that Agata had to go through that.
"Asshole, what a fucking dipshit," Eddie chided, scowling deeply.
Richie grunted, wordlessly agreeing. He was glowering at his beer, thinking that the guy that was almost lucky enough to marry Agata fucked up grandly for taking her for granted.
"It was six years ago, I got over it," Agata pointed out casually, but still appreciating their comforting opinions, "Anyways, I haven't been really trying to find someone because I was in the process to adopt this little boy all year and I did it! I'm a mom, he's coming home next week!" she announced giddily, grinning when they all looked at her with pleasant shock.
"Holy shit!" Bill chocked, "Congrats!" he exclaimed heartily.
"Congratulations!" Ben beamed, wanting to stand up to give the woman a bear hug.
"Agata! Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!" Beverly cried, pulling Agata into a side hug with tears in her eyes, "You're a mommy!"
Mike smiled warmly at the brunette, "You're going to be a good mom," he told her earnestly. But Agata noticed something off in his eyes, he was refraining himself from saying something else. Which was a bit odd, but not rare. Agata knew Mike was keeping a piece of vital information from the Losers, she wasn't stupid.
But Agata wasn't going to let it ruin the moment, so she simply smiled warmly in his direction and nodded thankfully.
Eddie gestured his beer towards her, "Y-Yeah! The best," he coughed, turning to Agata with a wide smile, "I'm happy for you, Agata."
"Thanks, guys" Agata sighed, clearing away a tear before it could even form completely.
"So what's the kid's name?" Richie suddenly asked. He was the only one that had remained quiet after the announcement, but he leaned over the table and looked at Agata with a soft look in his eyes.
She smiled at him, "His name is Ollie," she said with a gentle tone, remembering her son's soulful eyes, "He's two years old, and he's the sweetest boy even after a rough start in life."
"I better see some photos in the future!" Beverly gushed.
"I'll show them after dinner," Agata promised her.
The conversation then shifted into various topics, and Agata found herself surprised at how comfortable she was around these estranged friends that she hasn't laid her eyes on for almost thirty years. The quips, jokes, friendly banter—it all came naturally between the seven adults. And as she observed them, Agata noticed that they felt the same way she did. They all looked loose, the awkwardness prior was forgotten and it felt as if they were never separated from each other.
"Yeah, it's a nice watch," Richie complimented Eddie, who smiled at him appreciatively, "Wait, let's talk about the elephant not in the room. Ben," he shouted, looking at the mentioned man with an awed expression, "What the fuck, man?"
Ben avoided everyone's eyes, "Okay, okay. Obviously, I lost a few pounds."
"I think you lost more than a few, Ben," Agata chuckled, enjoying seeing Ben blush when everyone's attention was on him. He deserved the praise.
"Lost a few pounds?!" Richie repeated, incredulously.
"Yeah, no shit you lost a few pounds.," Eddie promptly stated as he spoke along with Richie.
"You're, like... You're hot!" the comedian praised him, "You're like every Brazilian soccer player wrapped into one person. Gorgeous."
"That's true," Eddie acknowledged as he checked him out from toe to head, making Ben snort bashfully as he sipped from his beer.
Agata decided to speak up as well, "Yeah, Ben. If I didn't know you, I would want to know you," she suggested with a flirtatious smile.
Bill chortled heartily at her comment while Richie snickered.
"Leave him alone. You're embarrassing him!" Beverly scolded lightly, pretending that she too hadn't check Ben out and agreed with all the compliments being thrown his way.
"Okay, okay! All right! I get it, I changed! Please, come on," Ben pleaded, quickly thinking in a way to shift the attention from him, "Is Stanley coming, or what?" he questioned the group, motioning to the empty seat between Richie and Eddie, "Someone save me!"
The table grew silent after that, everyone was wondering about the man himself all of a sudden.
"Stan..." Agata breathed, smiling airily, "Of course he'll come."
"Stan..." Eddie repeated in awe as he seemed to have remembered the man entirely.
They all looked at the empty chair with sober expressions.
"Stan..." Richie began with a disoriented tone as he looked at Bill for help.
"Stan Uris Stan Urine!" both men established, speaking at the same time.
Agata rolled her eyes, "I hated when you two called him that, it wasn't funny then and it's not funny now," she admonished before sipping on her beer.
Mike chuckled at that.
"I'm so sorry dear Aggie, I'll tell Stanley how much you defended him! If he comes, but there's no way that's gonna happen. He's a fucking pussy, he's not gonna show!" Richie stated cheekily as he rubbed his hands together, giving her a taunting smirk.
Agata hated how stupidly attractive he looked right now. And it didn't help when she couldn't keep her eyes away from his long arms and bulky shoulders. It seems that Beverly had been correct all those years ago, he did grow into his looks.
She must've been gawking too long because when she came to her senses she found Richie's beadily gaze still pining her—the psychologist smiled timidly and looked away to hastily take a sip from her beer, attempting to ignore the heat overcoming her cheeks.
"Why would Stanley save you, anyway? Was I not the one who basically performed surgery on you after Bowes cut you up?!" Eddie beamed as he playfully slapped Ben's arm, his face lit up even more as he revived that day. It was when Ben joined the Losers Club.
Agata gave the two a fond look, Ben and Eddie always got along well.
"Yes!" Ben told him, grinning widely as he remembered as well.
"Holy shit—that's right!" Eddie proclaimed confidently.
"Please tell me you ended up becoming a doctor, Eds," Beverly said hopefully, recalling how attentive and careful Eddie had been with Ben when he looked after the gash.
"No, I ended up becoming a risks analyst," he informed her as everyone paid attention to their conversation.
Agata had to bite her lower lip to refrain a chuckle to slip out. It seems that his neurotic lifestyle had grown up along with him, landing Eddie in a job that allowed him to have control over something that involved keeping people safe.
"Oh, that sounds really interesting! What does that entail?" Richie inquired, seeming genuinely engrossed in the answer as he sat back with his arms crossed.
Ben was already smiling amusedly as he sipped from his beer and Agata shared an exasperated look with him because they both knew what was about to happen—Richie seemed to be focused on annoying Eddie a lot tonight. It was like twenty-seven years haven't passed.
Eddie, who became mildly sheepish under Richie's question, circled his finger around his glass as he answered, "Yeah, so, I work for a big insurance firm and—"
As soon as he began talking, Richie dropped his head back with his eyes closed and let out a fake snore, feigning sleep induced by boredom.
And when everyone, albeit Eddie, started to laugh merrily, Richie stopped his theatrics and lifted his head again, presenting Eddie a challenging simper.
Eddie squinted his eyes, scowling at the man, "Fuck you, dude. Fuck. You," he deadpanned, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Was this job invented before fun?" Richie taunted.
Bill snorted loudly, hiding his face in his shoulder to hide it while everyone watched the two bicker with entertainment.
"Oh, that's so not funny!" Eddie barked.
"It is funny!" Richie retorted before laughing loudly, bumping his shoulder against Agata's, enticing her to chuckle as well.
"Stop it!" she tried to reprimand, but every time Richie would laugh she couldn't help to follow after.
Eddie, who heard laughter next to him, quickly turned his head towards Ben and caught him mid snorting, which made the neurotic explode.
"What the fuck are you laughing at?!" he yelled, making Ben grin even more.
"What about you, Agata?" Bill suddenly asked her.
Agata smiled as she began talking, "I became a child and adolescent psychologist! I have my own clinic in New York and it's going well."
"Holy shit, you're a therapist? Get away from me!" Richie hissed, forming a cross with his fingers in her way.
The brunette hissed back, "I work with kids, dummy!"
Eddie arched an eyebrow at her, "I think Richie's childish dumbass still fits your range, Dr. R," he deadpanned, winking her way.
At that, everyone laughed but Agata was the loudest. Richie gave Eddie a head shake, planning his revenge.
"Why, thank you, Eddie! A lot has changed. For example, I found my birth dad," Agata began, smiling fondly, "Then my mom re-married, and my brother was born in ninety-six."
"You have a brother?!" Richie exclaimed.
"Aw, Agata I'm so happy Alexandra re-married! I remember her being the only adult in my life that actually treated me well," Beverly told her, placing her hand on top of Agata's to squeeze is.
"Thanks—oh, by the way!" Agata gasped, suddenly remembering something as she turned towards Richie, "My brother, his name is Nick, he's a big fan of yours!"
Richie lost his genuine smile, showing a forced, closed-lip one now, "Oh, really?"
Agata didn't ignore his reaction.
"Poor kid, your brother has a bad taste, Agata," Eddie piped in, shaking his head with a disappointed expression.
Agata shushed him before continuing, "Nick is actually internet famous, believe it or not. He's on this app called 'Vine', I think? And you're one of his main inspirations!"
Richie gave her a lopsided smile, "I've heard of that app, I secretly watch compilations of it. Maybe I've seen him before."
"He goes by 'NickBisaster' and he created that Vine everyone keeps quoting, uhh, 'I thought Europe was a country', or something like that."
Richie's eyes widened with recognition, "Shut the fuck up, that's your brother? That kid is one of my favorite Viners—WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE."
While Richie tried to regain his breathing after being hit with another memory, Bill snapped his fingers, "Oh shit, wait! I know your brother too, someone tagged me in one of his tweets because apparently, I could relate to it?"
Agata gave him a proud look, "My brother has a lot of fans!"
"You were in one of his Vines! I remember looping that one because I thought I recognized you and I almost lost my mind trying to remember where I knew you from!" Richie exclaimed, pointing at her, "YOU! YOU ALSO TWEETED ME THIS MORNING!" he accused, "And you never replied!" he added, feigning hurt.
"Wait, what?" Beverly asked as a curious smile spread on her lips, "You two tweet each other?"
Agata quickly replied before Richie, "I merely replied to his tweet, it's not my fault he responded back. And by the way," she pretended to be upset, "Thanks to you, I had to log out of my account because of the notification swarm I was receiving nonstop, Mr. Famous Guy!"
Richie shrugged, unapologetic, "I regret nothing," he cockily said.
"After dinner, I need to see this. I can't believe how some of us were so close and didn't manage to use our fucking brains to remember each other—I mean, fuck! Agata and I were in a car accident and talked! Face to face!" Eddie exclaimed in his fast-talking kind of way. It was sweet how genuinely upset he sounded.
"I forgot about you the next day," Agata nodded with a sad look.
Richie, who had grabbed his phone from his pocket and was now in the process of secretly following Agata on twitter, scared he'd forget about her the minute he left Derry, spoke up, "We were almost thirty years apart, it's normal. I mean, before you looked like a neurotic pipsqueak," he looked from his phone to give Eddie a taunting smirk, "Nevermind. You haven't changed at all, Eds."
"Don't call me Eds, dipshit!" Eddie shot back immediately, his cheeks visibly reddening.
Richie pocketed his phone and reached to squeeze Eddie's cheek, but the analyst swatted it away as if he had been expecting it.
Beverly, who shared a knowing look with Agata, quickly brought everyone's attention to herself as she motioned her beer bottle around, "I propose a toast, to the Losers!" she said more soberly, bringing the laughter down as everyone raised their glasses when she did, "By social media or face to face, we'll always be together from now on!"
Everyone clinked their drinks and gulped down the alcohol within it. And Agata, feeling a little looser from the alcohol she had ingested, turned towards Richie while grabbing a piece of her food between her chopsticks. She tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention and beckon him to come close—as if they were about to kiss—as she leaned upwards to meet him halfway. Everyone in the table watched in surprise as the two didn't seem to hesitate on his sudden kiss but then, smirking, Agata backed away and shoved a piece of her chicken inside Richie's mouth—making everyone laugh and protest at the same time.
Richie was so taken back that the chicken fell from his mouth when he pulled back, he tried to catch it but it fell on the floor, making Agata lean against Beverly to laugh at his antics.
Then, the mood was constant uplifting. Between the lively chattering between the adults and minutes later, Eddie was drunk enough to challenge Richie in an arm wrestling game. Stan's chair had been pulled aside for the two have enough space for it, and even though everyone cheered when they started the game, Agata couldn't help to think about something Eddie said that everyone either overlooked or didn't hear.
"Let's take our shirts off and kiss!"
Richie won, and Agata wasn't surprised. She observed the wrestling and noticed how smaller Eddie's hand was in contrast to Richie's. The size difference between the two men was so significant that it ended up becoming adorable in Agata's view.
Feeling the warmth from the buzzing alcohol inside her blood and from hearing the laughter of the friends she didn't remember until yesterday left the brunette in a state of peace and happiness. She watched everyone chatter around the table and closed her eyes, not seeing that Mike had kept his eyes on her face even when he talked with Ben.
She didn't know it yet, but her mood would drastically change and this would be the last time since the reunion the Losers would feel safe in Derry.
