August 25th, 1985

Lorraine could hear muffled voices, shoes shuffling across the floor. She didn't open her eyes, not just yet, feeling the splitting headache grind against her jaw and the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, no worries," She heard a voice calmly said, "I'll probably have something by next week, before school starts."

She was confused, only for a moment, thinking about where she could be or even when. Taking a deep breath, she smelt cigarettes and fresh brewed coffee. There was a hint of humidity, mixed in with the smell of a familiar shampoo. She smiled softly to herself. Without opening her eyes she continued to listen to the conversation that was still ongoing.

"Cool, cool," Eddie's voice said, raspier than ever. His morning voice seemed soft and warm, to her ears it felt like someone wrapped a thick blanket over her, soft like clouds. "I'll give you a visit later." As he finished the sentence, he closed the door behind the visitor, softly, trying to not wake Lorraine.

"Morning…" She groggily whispered, stretching her arms out in front of her, giving a soft yawn. She dropped her arms on top of herself. "Sorry about last night, I didn't realize how drunk I was" she laughed, sitting up on the couch.

Eddie's face was stern. His damp hair clinging to the sides of his face, some drops of water running down his neck and shoulders. Lorraine didn't understand his expression, but continued to chat nonchalantly.

"Thanks for letting me crash here," she said, undoing the mostly undone ponytail. Shaking out her hair and pushing it behind her ears.

The boy continued to give a silent treatment, as he walked over the table near the couch. He sat in the armchair casted off to the side. In his hands was a metal lunch box, wide open, where a hint of a familiar scent rose from. Lorraine tried to peak over to see what it was, the corners of her mouth reaching downwards as her eyebrows raised.

"Looks like I'm not the only one," she chuckled, still nervous as to why he wasn't looking at her, why he wouldn't say anything.

"You are." He said coldly, his jaw clenching, the muscle flexing around his cheek. He organized a few plastic bags that were in the box, before throwing a sharp look at her. "I don't do this shit."

Taken aback from the way he was speaking, Lorraine hid her hands beneath the quilt that laid over her legs. "Oh, uhm," she stammered, wanting to break away from the stare but frozen.

"What they hell did you do yesterday?" Eddie manically asked, his voice pitching higher than normal. He closed the box harshly, leaning back into the armchair.

"I…" Lorraine tried to look for the words, but couldn't find them. "I just had something to drink, a joint or two.." Her eyes darting from the stern look of Eddie's face, to the kitchen, to the table, and back again.

"I don't believe you," he sighed, unclenching his jaw now. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

"You sell it, don't you?" Lorraine changed the subject, or tried to. "Why are you judging me?"

"No, you have no right. I may sell shit to people, but it doesn't mean I actually do drugs."he scoffed, flustered. "Just because I smoke grass…" He said, offended by her statement, not moving an inch but opening his eyes to look at her from his spot. "Whatever you took yesterday fucked you up, you were saying the wierdest shit." He whispered. "It's not real, you said."

Lorraine scratched the back of her head, not quite remembering what had happened that night. She chuckled, nervously. "It's not like I do it a lot, okay." She took two fingers to her nose, pressing on her nostrils, wiggling it around as her nose felt itchy from the day before.

Without allowing another word to be said about the whole incident, she stood up and walked to the bathroom, her bare feet rubbing against the rugged carpet. She washed her face, passing her wet fingers through her hair, over her sweaty neck. She took some toothpaste onto her finger, rubbing it against her teeth roughly, cleaning as well as she could, taking out the taste of vodka. She sighed and rubbed the temples with her index and middle fingers.

Once she came back to the couch, Eddie was sitting where she once was, waiting for her to come back. His hair is still damp, but his curly bangs started to dry in the heat of the morning. She decided to sit next to him, folding her legs on top of each other and looking over to him.

"I know you think it was a mistake coming back to Hawkins, or something," He said, no longer angry, no longer worried. Genuinely he knew exactly how she felt. He placed a hand between her shoulder blades, rubbing the small spot with his thumb. "But running isn't a bad thing."

"You could've stayed there, doing who the hell knows," He continued on, waiting for a reaction or objection from Lorraine. "Instead, you came back." He smiled, her hazel eyes stained a light pink piercing his own.

Lorraine's stomach fluttered, and although she didn't realize at first, her eyes welled with tears. She smiled, though, nodding her head softly. If only she could tell him exactly how she felt, how she would have stayed here with him. How he made it feel like everything was going to be okay. She could hear her own heartbeat in the back of her head, pumping faster as Eddie's hands stretched up to her neck. His rings clanking together, caressing the soft skin that erupted in goosebumps under his touch.

She was going to say something, but she couldn't. It was hard for her to manifest what she felt, what she thought. What if it breaks? She thought, a few tears running down her cheek. What if as soon as I say something, it doesn't feel the same?

The hand on her neck raised to her cheek, pushing her messy hair away, brushing off the silent tears. She stared into his deep, chocolate eyes. His smile was soft, caring. His eyes darted, studying the features on her face. She softly sighed, a peaceful sigh, pushing her face into the palm of his hand. It was the only way she could show him that she wanted to be closer, she wanted to stay right there. She closed her eyes once more.

She heard Eddie shift a little on the couch, she felt the cushions bend from the weight of his legs. Before she could open her eyes to see where he was going, she felt the heat of his breath on her lips. Her chest tightened, she held onto her breath. His forehead lightly touched hers, she could feel the damp strands of hair falling onto her shoulder, his hand moving from her cheek to her shoulder, down her back, setting only above her jean shorts.

Time stopped, at that moment. Both inhaling each other's breath like it was the only air they could breathe. Eddie's eyes closed slowly, not sure if this is what she wanted. It's what I want, he thought, his muscles tensing with every passing second. Please, let it be what she wanted. Like a mind-reader, Lorraine pushed her lips against his, softly. With that, he grabbed her from the waste, pulling her closer to him. He pressed his lips harder against her, raising his free hand to her head, holding it gently. Intertwining his finger in her frizzy hair. He lingered around her lips for a short moment, before opening his eyes and tilting his head to the side, smiling wide, staring into what he thought was the most beautiful soul he had ever had the pleasure to kiss.

Lorraine thought she could stay like that for hours, days, years… It wasn't like she hadn't done this before, but that kiss was different. It felt like finally she was able to lift her head above the water. As Eddie stopped the kiss, she took a breath of air. Her brows furrowed, instinctively, even though she was smiling. She laughed softly, slowly growing into a chuckle. He joined her, biting his lip.

"Edward Munson," she said in a bright cheerful voice. Her voice chimed like an old memory. There it was, there was her smile. There was the gleam of hazel eyed happiness. The sun hitting them through the curtains, just enough to see the hints of green, the golden brown.

"Lorraine Wallace," he chuckled, caressing the hair that was still in his hand. Brushing her hair back just for a moment, grinning. "Welcome home."

She felt that this time, when he said it, the way he said it, it was true. It was like in an instant she felt like the past two years although dark, gruesome and hopeless all culminated in this very moment.

"So!" Eddie exclaimed, moving his arms away from her and slapping his knees. "Let me get you some breakfast." He stood up eagerly, marching to the kitchen with small jumps in his step. He started to rummage through the cabinets, offering anything he could see. His voice was high-pitched, excited. She smiled and nodded at whatever he offered, not really caring at this point.

While he wasn't looking, preparing coffee for the two, Lorraine's smile fainted. Like a shadow, she felt herself crawling back, staggering behind her figure.

Please, don't break, she thought.

A/N:
Hi all! Thank you for reading the story so far! I hope you enjoy it. Any criticism or advice is welcome, as it's been many years since I've written a fanfiction.
Please leave a review if you've enjoyed the story so far! I would love your feedback :)
I won't usually write an author's note in the chapters, so I don't interrupt your reading time.

Be safe everyone 3