Author's Note: I've gotten a handful of feedbacks on various sites about Eddie that I just wanted to address, people suggesting that he's out of character, that he's too nice, that he's not that much of a calming presence. I realize that I'm biased as the author, but I disagree. The thing about abusive relationships like Theresa and Eddie's is that they start for a reason. Very few women go in to relationships thinking that they're going to be abused, and very often abusive men have a lot of good qualities that the women use to justify staying with them. Whether or not Eddie is in character is up to you as a reader to decide, but for everyone concerned that he's too "nice", I just urge you to proceed with caution in your own relationships. Because you truly never know and the warning signs usually don't come until much, much later. I'm writing Eddie in this story very well aware of where he's going in the future and am trying to draw him as realistically as I'm capable of doing as an author based on my own experience and my own knowledge of human behavior. I felt that I would be irresponsible to not respond to some of those particular feedback comments, because they do concern me a great deal. Moving on...

Chapter 13: The First Date

Theresa clutched her purse to her side nervously. She glanced around the parking lot, scanning not only for Eddie's truck but for Arturo's car, or Trey's car. Or anybody who would see her and wonder why Theresa was in front of the second-run multiplex on a sweltering hot Friday night in summer in a skirt and high heels. She felt herself wondering as well.

It wasn't like she hadn't hooked up with other guys. Ryan had been her first, but he was far from being her only. There was the blowjob with Patrick "Harold Hill" Terrell last year at the cast party, and she'd hooked up with Jamie Vega a couple of times here and there. But this was different. This mattered so much more. She knew that. It wasn't just because Patrick Terrell was a clothes hanger away from coming out of the closet. This was completely different in every way. The parking lot of the movie theater was worlds away from the back room of Jamie Vega's trailer.

"Theresa?"

She'd missed Eddie's entrance somehow, and now he caught her off guard. He looked nicer, he had on a clean button-down shirt, and he'd combed his hair down, and since when did Eddie wear cologne...?

"Hi." She tried to smile. Normally she'd hug him. Wouldn't she? Was that appropriate now? What did people do on a first date, anyway?

He leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Okay. She could handle that. She forced a smile as he backed off.

"If you want, we can put your bike in the truck," he offered, gesturing in the direction where he'd parked.

She hesitated. She'd been the one to insist on arriving separately, she hadn't wanted anyone in the Atwood house to see his car there. Even if he came over to see Arturo all the time. This was different. Very, very different.

"After the movie?" she asked.

"Sure, okay," he said, blinking.

"I didn't get tickets yet," she apologized, feeling useless.

"It's okay. I'll get 'em," Eddie said. He offered an encouraging smile. "C'mon."

Theresa reached for her purse as they approached the ticket window. Eddie frowned down at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Aren't we buying tickets?"

"Put that away already," he admonished. "This is a date, remember?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Huh?"

"I'm paying."

"Paying?" she echoed.

"Yeah, you know, for you?" He gave her a cute smile. "Since I asked you out."

Theresa considered this. "Actually, I thought I-"

"-Only cause you said no the first time," he interrupted her. "Two for Sweet Home Alabama, 7:10."

She reached for her purse again. "But you don't have a job."

"Yeah, I do. Now. Didn't I tell you?"

"No," she said, amazed. "Eddie!"

"Yeah, I got hired at the plant. They're hiring again. Foreman. So we're celebrating."

She didn't know why this should make the knot in her stomach twist so much more than it already was. Eddie handed her a ticket. "On me."

"Thanks," she said at last, as he moved to hold the door open for her.

"So. Foreman. Wow. When did you find out?"

"Yesterday." He stopped in the lobby. "So, popcorn?"

She shook her head. "That's okay."

"C'mon." He led her to the concessions stand. "For you, anything. Raisinets, or Junior Mints?"

"Eddie-"

"Yeah, the Raisinets get stuck in my teeth, too. So Junior Mints are okay, right?"

"Eddie, I'm okay."

"No, you want those mints. I can see it in your eyes." He peered into them, and she could see the playful twinkle in his irises.

"You don't have to do this."

"You're right. Okay. What soda do you drink?"

She relented. "Dr. Pepper?"

"Okay." He turned to the kid at the concessions stand. "Two large Dr. Peppers and a large popcorn. Oh, and a Junior Mints. And a thing of gummi bears."

"Eddie?" she asked, apprehensive.

"What?" He turned to grasp her by the shoulders. "Theresa. Let me treat you."

"I-" She sighed.

"This is what guys do. For girls. In case you didn't know."

"What's that mean?" she demanded, but he had turned to pay for his over-priced booty, and if he heard her, he didn't let on.

She accepted the soda and candy reluctantly, and tagged after Eddie and his giant popcorn into the theater. He was so late they'd already missed the first previews. Theresa loved previews. She and Ryan used to sneak into the theater by paying for one movie and spending all day sneaking around. They hadn't done it in ages. She missed that. They never had time anymore. But back then, if their carefully crafted schedule meant missing the previews, they always waited for the next movie time.

She settled herself beside Eddie and tucked her Dr. Pepper into the drink holder, leaning over for a sip. He held out the popcorn and she took a handful. She did love popcorn. She and Ryan never bought it, though. Too over-priced. Sometimes they'd buy a bag at the convenience store and sneak it in for fun. It was never fresh and buttery, though, like the popcorn now clutched in Eddie's hand, which was possibly shaking a little out of nerves.

She could hardly focus on the screen in the darkness. She was too aware of Eddie beside her, his eating, his slurping, his breathing, his cologne. And when his arm settled around her, gently stroking her shoulder, squeezing her elbow, she didn't know what to do. She leaned in to him, mindlessly nibbling at her Junior Mints.

Would he try to kiss her?

No. This wasn't some hook-up.

The realization hit her hard. It wasn't. Eddie wasn't after sex. Well, he was. He was a boy, of course he was. But there was something more. He wanted... attention. Gratitude.

Eddie wanted – he wanted her.

His hand dropped from her shoulder to her hand, perched between them on the armrest, and he wove his fingers around hers. After a few moments, she squeezed back as if to remind him that she was still there.

His palm felt a little sweaty, and she knew hers did too, but neither of them let go. Neither of them wanted to let go. She was painfully aware of every molecule that was touching Eddie, every atom that made contact. Her entire being was focused in the palm of her hand, in her gently squeezing fingers.

As soon as the credits started, Eddie jumped up.

"Wait," she sighed, then stopped. She and Ryan always stayed for the credits. But she wasn't with Ryan now.

"Yeah?" Eddie prompted.

Theresa stood to join him. "So. Food?"

Dinner was at 53 Chinese, over egg rolls and fried noodles and chopsticks. Only the chopsticks weren't used for eating.

"Eddie!" Theresa shrieked in a low, hysterical hiss as he did his walrus imitation, chopsticks hanging from his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered back, holding back laughter. "That was - yeah, that was definitely inappropriate."

"But this is my favorite," she said, and promptly shoved her own chopsticks up her nose, sending Eddie in to a fit.

"That's Ryan's," she admitted. "I stole it."

He set his on top of his head. "Now I'm an alien!"

"They are gonna kick us out of here," Theresa protested through her giggles.

"So what if they do? We'll do something else."

"But I love their buffet here. I can't get banned. Ryan and I get stuffed here."

Eddie leaned back, suddenly irritated, dropping his chopsticks on the table. "Right. Of course you do."

"What?" she asked, befuddled. "Eddie-"

"Okay. Can we go for two minutes without mentioning Ryan Atwood? Please?"

She leaned back in her own seat, hurt. "Eddie. He's my best friend."

"No. This is not 'best friends'. You're, you're obsessed with him, that's what. You can't shut up about him for, like, ten minutes? Five?" He leaned in and grabbed her hand. "You're here with me, Theresa. Look at me." She wanted to pull away but she didn't. She couldn't. "Whatever it is that you two do? Forget about it. For now. Okay?"

Her chin dropped as she stared down at his hand, clutching her tightly, not wanting to let her go. And it was different. Very different.

He stopped suddenly, looking crestfallen at her expression. "Oh god. No. I shouldn't have – I mean-"

But she was shaking her head. "No." She took a deep breath and tried to smile. "Okay. Maybe I'm a little fixated on Ryan."

He snorted. "A little?"

"Hey," she warned.

He put his hands up. "Okay, okay."

She shrugged helplessly. "It's who I am. Who he is."

"What about who I am?" Eddie's voice was halting, hesitant, questioning.

She peered at him. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice serious and quiet. Gentle.

He stared back at her. She had never noticed how probing his eyes could be. How soft his lips looked. How angular his jaw was.

He opened his mouth, starting to speak, but before he could get a sound out, something seized her. She leaned across the table, her eyes fluttering closed, and she lightly brushed her lips against his.

The shock of the first kiss set her reeling. Her eyes flew open, straight into Eddie's closed eyes as he leaned in again, wanting. After a moment, she relaxed back in to it. She let his mouth push at hers, his tongue tightly seeking her out, until the time felt right to pull back, pull off.

They stared across the table at each other.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Eddie."

She took a long moment to study him. His mouth hung open as if he could barely believe what had just happened to him. What had just begun.

"Hi, Eddie," she said in a careful whisper. "I'm Theresa."

"Hi, Theresa." His mouth slowly settled into a grin. And she allowed herself to join him.

The truck turned the corner onto her street, and it couldn't have possibly been any louder, and Theresa found herself glancing around nervously, looking for familiar profiles lurking in the shadows. She felt extremely conspicuous all of a sudden, like every eye in every house was watching her, waiting for her to confess, to beg for forgiveness. But she wasn't going to. She had nothing to apologize for.

"So..." Eddie began. "I had a really... really good time tonight."

She glanced down at her hands, her pale, unmarked wrists. "Me, too," she admitted softly.

"I don't know if you want to do this again, or what, but if you ever do, I just want you to know-"

"Eddie!" She cut him off. "It's okay."

He glanced at her sideways. "'Okay'...?"

"I'd really," and she cleared her throat. "Really. Like to see you again. I mean-" She blinked. "Of course I'll see you again, but I'd really like to – to see. You again."

A relieved smile settled on his face. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do, you big lump. Don't be silly." She paused, letting her own grin fade. "D'you think... you think you could drop me off at the corner?"

Eddie licked his lips, looking much less enthusiastic all of a sudden. "Yeah, no. Sure."

She stared out the window as they approached her house. "So... call me? Or... I'll call you."

"Or I'll find you. Whatever." Eddie stopped at the corner and leaned back in the seat. "I want to walk you in."

"I know."

"I know I can't."

She sighed. "Eddie-"

"Just remember I'm here, okay? And I want to walk you in. That's all."

"Right." She offered a sad smile before leaning over for one last kiss. They lingered there, and she could tell he didn't want to stop, and she felt bad that she did. But all she wanted to do was go inside and throw herself on the bed and play Macy Gray and try to figure out why she couldn't understand anything she was feeling.

She pulled away and fumbled for the door latch. Eddie climbed out of his side and moved around to retrieve her bike. As he leaned the handlebars toward her she could see how much he wanted to kiss her again, so she grabbed her bike quickly to walk it up the block.

She froze as she looked toward her house.

She saw something moving in the bushes. Ryan? No. A cat jumped out, slinking along the sidewalk, headed for home. She raised a hand to her chest, realizing just how nervous she truly was.

What was she so afraid of, anyway?

It was only Eddie, after all.