I hooked my arms around Robin and Nancy, "I think me and Eddie are gonna get outta here." I whispered nervous and excited at the same time. Nancy pointed to the bonfire and said, "Yeah you guys totally need to get a room, you're heating this place up more than that thing." Robin giggled and bumped her head against mine, "You don't have to do anything you don't wanna, Eddie's not a pig, he wouldn't make you." I smiled at them both and retreated back to Eddie's side; he was messing around with Lucas and Dustin but straightened up instantly when he felt my presence. "Alright gang don't drink too much, make good choices, and if anybody gets laid tonight... I want the dirty deets in the morning." Eddie dramatically wiggled his brows at Nancy, making her face flush and Steve's turn white. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, leading me away towards his van. Back at the trailer Eddie headed straight for the kitchen. "You want a drink?" Eddie asked, pouring himself a glass of water. I nodded, "it's not even 12 am on a Friday night and we're drinking water...how metal." I teased. Eddie rested a hand on my arm and chuckled, "You can have a beer if you want one. I'm delightfully tipsy, but I don't wanna be drunk tonight." His eyes flicked up and down my body sending chills down my spine. "Me neither" I sipped my water as a tiny wave of anxiety swept over me. "Uh, Wayne's working tonight right?" I asked quietly. Eddie shook his head, "Nah - it's that time of the month when my dear uncle goes and stays with his lady friend". My mouth dropped in surprise, "Lady friend?!" I asked. Eddie rubbed his neck and replied, "Yeah he's been seeing a lady named Sharon for about 5 months now, but she lives like a 12 hour drive away and has 3 kids so he goes to stay with her for a few days every month." Well - good for Wayne. We headed to the lounge and Eddie peeled my jacket off before collapsing onto the couch, "This is soaked in beer - your dress seems safe though.." he mused, slowly moving his hand up and down the fabric, "You look incredible." I felt butterflies storming my stomach and couldn't meet his eyes, I leaned into him as he lifted his arm around my shoulders. "I'm really glad everyone knows now. Though I think Mike almost had an aneurysm" I laughed and saw a large grin sweep across Eddie's face, creating crinkles at the corner of his big brown eyes. "Me too." He said, stroking my shoulder.

Being close to Eddie always made me feel content and calm. I lifted my hands to his head, twisting my fingers in his hair, lightly touching his face. His skin felt rough beneath my fingertips, but his hair was super soft. Eddie brought his face down to mine and gently kissed my lips once before hovering back a little, waiting for me to invite him back in. I leaned forward and moved my lips across his slowly; he responded by gripping my shoulder with a gentle pressure, tilting his head to kiss me deeply. I looped my hands behind his neck and shifted myself to straddle his lap, a satisfied gasp escaped Eddie's mouth and he planted his hands on my hips holding me close to him. I continued kissing him deeper and deeper, feeling my body heat up more and more as he trailed his fingers along my back, running his tongue over mine. When Eddie slowly buck his hips up into me, a primitive instinct begged to rip his clothes off and ride him on the couch. Excitement was building in my lower abdomen as I began rocking my hips back and forth against Eddie's lap. He broke his lips from mine and started quickly kissing his way down my neck, sliding his hands to my thighs and grasping tightly; driving me crazy. I knotted my fists into his shirt, gasping at the friction I was feeling from grinding on his lap. I wanted Eddie so badly - needed to be as close as physically possible to him and feel him inside me. I stood and Eddie immediately copied, a glazed look over his eyes. He slipped his hand into mine and led me to his bedroom, throwing his jackets onto the messy desk inside. Eddie turned back and held my face in his hands as he kissed me again, harder and needier this time. As much as I wanted this, there was still a deep and dark insecurity looming in my mind; I forced it back though as I popped the buttons of his shirt open, running my hands down his chest. Eddie shook off the shirt and I moved my eyes slowly along every inch of his torso; Eddie wasn't ripped and definitely didn't have majorly visible abs, but his body was still lean and I could tell there was an underlying strength.

As my eyes grazed over the line of hair running from his belly button to below his belt, I felt goose pimples raise along my arms. I pressed my lips against his cheek, running my bottom lip along his sharp jaw, lightly blowing cool air onto his neck between kisses. Eddie sighed with satisfaction, one hand bunched in my hair, the other trailing up my back. He began fumbling with the zipper of my dress; the door I had shoved my demons behind sprung open and I jumped back, leaving Eddie stunned and confused. Without a word I jogged over to the light switch and cut the lights, then pulled the curtain shut too, completely drowning out any source of light. The room was so dark I could barely see my hand in front of me. "Is everything okay?" I heard Eddie's voice float over and could hear him scrambling for the switch of the lamp on his desk. "Don't!" I shouted, louder than I had intended, shocking myself. Silence. I could hear Eddie's breathing getting closer before feeling him standing right in front of me in the darkness, hands searching for mine. "Rain, you can tell me if you don't wanna do this. It's okay. I promise." The sincerity in Eddie's voice made the lump in my throat harden. Eddie finally found me in the darkness, circling his hands around my wrists. "You're shaking, Rain." He whispered and pulled me to sit on the corner of his bed. I could feel the vibrating in my bones as I tried to slow my breathing and stay calm. Eddie didn't say anything, just held both of my hands in his firmly. "I want to," I said assertively, "Eddie you don't know how much I want to do this with you. I've literally dreamt of it. I'd just prefer to do it in the dark." Eddie cleared his throat, "I've dreamt of it too; seeing and exploring every part of your body." I snorted and rubbed my thumb against the bridge of my nose, "Trust me, no one wants to see that." Eddie momentarily disappeared and then there was suddenly light swarming the room from the lamp. He returned to my side but I couldn't look at his face. "Why do you think that?" He asked quietly. I took a shaky breath, closed my eyes and replied, "My arms are fine y'know. So are my legs for the most part, except for the tops of my thighs. The middle though - it's not pretty. At all."

I peeked a quick look at Eddie; his brows were furrowed and he seemed confused. "I still have the scars - from the incident with Billy. The majority are small, but there's a nasty one running along my rib." Eddie's expression hardened for a second, a flare of something dangerous in his eyes, but then his face turned soft and gentle. He knelt in front of me and covered my hands with his, looking up at me. "Nothing could change how I feel about you or how I see you, Rain. Scars are signs of the past," I met his eyes for the first time whilst he spoke, "there's nothing I wanna do more than show you exactly how much I want you. Jeez Rain you drive me wild, but first I wanna take it slow to show you how much you mean to me and find out what pleasures you. I only want to do any of that though when you're ready to let me see you." Eddie spoke slowly and clearly. Sitting with Eddie's hands in mine, looking down at his kind and beautiful face, I managed to get control over the monsters in my mind. I smiled as I stroked Eddie's cheek and said assertively, "okay, I'm ready."