For the first night in a week, it wasn't raining. Unlike the previous month, which had fog, November in Hawkins meant that this brought in a crisp cold. Rosie pulled her coat across herself, knowing the van's heater didn't work. She cast a glance over Eddie, who showed no sign of feeling cold in his leather jacket. His eyes glinted in the streetlights they passed, and she thought he looked frightened. The idea that he might be as nervous as she was came as a comfort, and she felt the tightness in her throat easing as the mall showed up ahead.
Eddie parked near the back of the lot. It wasn't until she hopped out on her own that Rosie realized he had run around to open her door, so once again he just stood there gawking at her. She thought he might have an aneurysm when she laced her fingers with his.
"Hi."
"Lead the way?"
"Right."
On a Tuesday night there weren't many people around - just a few more couples here and there. Eddie bought their tickets, along with some drinks and popcorn, and they found seats at the back of the near-empty theater. This time, he held out his hand as they sat, squeezing Rosie's tightly when she reciprocated. Silence stretched out between them again as they waited for the movie to start, popcorn bouncing on Eddie's uneasy legs. He laughed when she jokingly held his knee down, noticing the stray pieces on the floor.
"Guess I'm more nervous than I thought." He admitted coyly.
"Me too." Rosie leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. He seemed to relax slightly, and picked up a handful of popcorn. "Oh my god."
"What?" He managed around a mouthful.
"Don't eat it like a horse!"
"This is how I like to eat it!"
"Why don't you just hold the bag up to your face?"
He flicked a piece and then immediately plucked it out of her hair. "Quiet."
They drifted into silence during the trailers, politely pretending to be interested at the premise of murdered teenagers, but Rosie found herself glancing sideways most of the time. Eddie's hand was warm around hers, fingers callused slightly from his guitar strings. His rings were heavy, and she idly played with them the more her attention drifted away from the screen. After a while she lifted his arm and cuddled into his shoulder with a sigh. He was so warm. With his chin resting on top of her head, she could feel him swallow, hear his jittering inhale as he shifted to smell her hair. His hand moved to pet her - first just her shoulder, then her arm and back, touch becoming heavier at each pass. It felt cliche, making out like two teenagers at the back of a bad movie, but that didn't stop them.
"Well that was terrible." Eddie proclaimed as they strode out, eyeing the movie poster with ire.
"So bad! It didn't even make any sense."
"Right? Only good thing was the main character."
"Just because his name was Eddie doesn't make him a plus."
"Sure it does."
He tugged her hand to stop her, then pulled her close. The gesture was lost on Rosie, as she giggled and tried to use her sleeve to wipe his mouth.
"Lipstick."
"Is it not my color?" He smirked, a faint red smear around his mouth.
"Uh-uh. It washes you out."
Eddie's gaze followed her as she carefully rubbed it off, then again when she took a mirror out of her bag and touched up her lips. Rosie ducked away when he tried to kiss her.
"I just fixed it!"
A short growl of dissatisfaction. He held her waist to guide her toward the escalator. "You hungry?"
"I could eat."
There was a small diner open on the ground floor. A booth full of teenagers turned to snigger when they walked in, so Eddie steered her to the table furthest from them, where the counter blocked them from view. He slid in next to her, arm resting on the back of the seat. A petite waitress shuffled over to take their order. Rosie's stomach was a knot of nerves, so she just asked for a drink and a basket of fries for them to share.
"And for the gent?"
"Just a soda, please." Eddie answered, then quickly to Rosie: "I'm not really hungry."
She frowned, thinking of the way he had dug into their popcorn, then excused herself and made for the bathroom. She didn't need to go, but the door was at his back, so when she quietly returned, Rosie could see him staring into his wallet before he tucked it away.
"What is it?"
"N-nothing."
"Do you need -"
One of the teens hurried past, two of her friends in tow. They banged out the door and down the way to the bathroom, laughing. Eddie shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Thank you." Rosie chirped as their order was placed in front of them. "I was just looking through the menu… is it too late to add some sliders?"
Eddie fidgeted, hand going to his pocket. She raised her eyebrows at him. It's fine.
"Sure thing. Just the sliders?"
"Please."
Poor Eddie tried to keep his wallet under he table, but she could see him counting bills. Rosie opened her purse and secretly passed him a 20.
"What the -"
"I got this."
"No!"
He tried to shove it away, but she was already folding the bill into his pocket. "You paid for the movie. Let me get this."
"I want to -"
"You can get the next one."
The shame on his face subsided. Replaced with hope. "Next time?"
"If you're lucky."
Rosie let him have the sliders. Along with half her fries. Eddie tried to eat calmly, but ended up shovelling the food into his face, ketchup and mustard leaving stains where she had just wiped off her lipstick. She felt grateful she no longer had to hide her stupid smile from him.
"Did you eat at all today?"
He swallowed another massive mouthful, then gulped on his soda. "This morning."
"You haven't -!" She lowered her voice. "You haven't had anything all day?"
"I was at practice. Actually, Garret's mom gave us some Hot Pockets."
Rosie took a napkin and cleaned his face again. "You could have said something. We couldn've got dinner before."
"I'm eating now."
She dropped it. The kitchen closed ten minutes later, and the waitress politely placed their bill on the table. Outside the door, Eddie held the change out to her, but she waved him away. He opened his mouth, ready to fight again.
"The mart's still open. Why don't we get something to drink?"
That was a good idea. He practically raced her in, grabbed a six-pack, and used the remaining money on it. Rosie followed him out to the van, and he opened the rear door, inviting her to sit next to him on the edge as he cracked two open. It was cold, so they huddled close together and waited for the alcohol to heat them up.
