Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen
Beck tightened her grip on Eddie's sleeve, pulling him out of the library with her. She now needed to add librarians to the list of things that irrationally pissed him off, though she suspected it was more the tone the librarian had used with him.
They hadn't even been that loud. Someone was just having a shitty day and looking to take it out on them. A little too familiar, she thought, slamming the door behind her.
Outside, the cold November air bit through her sweater and Eddie yanked his arm free of her grip. She followed him to his van where he kicked the tires a few times to let off steam. Somewhat used to how he got when he was angry, she leaned back against his van and rubbed at her arms, waiting for him to calm down and talk to her. He finally leaned against the van next to her.
"What now?" he asked.
"I mean… we don't have to call it a night just because of her," Beck said. "I know you want to start the campaign this weekend."
He sighed heavily and finally met her eyes. "I live in the trailer park. No one will bother us but…"
"Sounds perfect!" she chirped, climbing into the passenger side of his van before he could object. He had very mixed feelings about this as he climbed in and started the engine. On the one hand, she was going to see the trailer and that could be... interesting. But on the other, he did have a surprise for her that he had totally forgotten when he met her tonight.
After white knuckling it through the drive there, Beck was convinced that whatever "curse" there was in Hawkins could not be more risky than letting him drive her anywhere ever again.
Eddie led her inside, and if she hadn't already known it was just him and his uncle she probably could have guessed. He was clearly wildly self-conscious about having her there and had gotten more twitchy and subdued. He was apologizing for every damn thing since they arrived and it was driving her crazy.
Beck followed him to the furthest bedroom and watched as he swept a pile of blankets to the end of the bed to make room for the two of them. She plopped down comfortably and tucking one of her legs under her and facing him. When he finally stopped fussing and sat down (still talking the entire time), she lunged forward and clapped one hand over his mouth and the other on back of his head; he froze, looking like a startled rabbit.
"Stop. Apologizing," she said leaning her face in close to his, so close she could count his faint freckles. "This is your home and I'm not complaining."
She took her hand away from his mouth and when his lips started to form the word sorry, she punched him gently in the arm. He smiled back at her.
"I'm not sorry at all. Never have been," he said back, flipping his gorgeous hair behind him dramatically. Then his eyes lit up.
He jumped back off the bed and started digging around his desk. After going haphazardly through two drawers, he turned to her with both hands in fists held out to her, grinning like a maniac.
"Pick a hand!"
Eddie watched her eyes narrow and she held her chin in imitation of movie detectives, examining each hand.
She tapped his right hand and he turned it over, opening his fingers to show her a mini that rested in his palm.
"Oh my god…" she breathed, taking it out of his hand. He watched her examine the elf barbarian mini that had taken him four hours to paint and was relieved to see her examining every tiny detail of it.
"Eddie… this is incredible! I can't believe you did this… The colors of her furs and the warhammer… it's perfect!"
A deep glow spread through him and he knew he was idiot beaming.
"You should check the other hand," he said, nudging her with the closed fist gently.
Beck held her hands under his and a set of dice fell into her cupped palms. On closer inspection, she saw small skulls embedded in their crystal shapes. She got up and hugged him, knocking him back against the desk as they both tried not to trip over the amp cords on his floor. He embraced her back, squeezing her gently.
"You did not have to do all this," she said into his shoulder.
"I know. I wanted to."
She looked up into his face, still holding on to him.
The energy between them seemed to change and his skin prickled, noticing her hips pressing hard into his as he leaned back on the edge of the desk. Her cheeks flushed and he had not noticed the perfect cupid's bow of her lips before. He reached up and brushed hair out of her eyes and trailed his fingertips down the side of her face.
In response, Beck moved one of her hands to his chest, resting over his heart. She could feel it thudding below her palm and when she met his eyes he was looking at her with naked desire. She no longer wondered how he would react if she kissed him.
But her miserable sabotaging brain caught sight of the time as his wrist dropped to her shoulder and she knew this was not going to be the night.
"Goddamn it…" she groaned miserably, dropping her forehead onto his chest. "I have to leave or my mom will flip."
Eddie resisted the urge to swear as well, not wanting to either guilt or pressure her. But FUCK his inordinately bad luck!
She moved away from him and scooped the mini and dice into her bag, placing them carefully into a front compartment.
"You're not walking from here," he said. "So I'm driving you."
"Nope!" she grabbed his keys out of his hand and headed down the hall. "I'm driving."
He chased her outside, in time to see her shut the driver door.
"Do you even have a license?" he sputtered.
"Do YOU?" she teased, starting the vehicle. "You don't drive like you do."
He had to admit that she was a much better driver than he was but he was surprised when they pulled over in front of the library.
"I'll see you Friday night for session one!" she chirped but he was on to her.
He lunged over and grabbed the seatbelt, clamping his hand around the buckle so it wouldn't release.
"Let me go," she said in a low warning voice.
He let go but she stayed where she was, glowering at him, which is what he wanted.
"You don't have to tell me the whole deal, but I need to know that you're safe," he said. "I don't care what it is. You've seen my house. You just need to be safe."
"I am safe. She just… there are things my mom does and doesn't like and I don't want to set her off. That's all," Beck explained miserably.
That was still suspicious as hell but she had said she was safe so he stuck to his promise that she wouldn't have to explain. He hopped out of the van and opened the door for her, offering her his hand. There was still that electric buzz between them as she took it.
"See you Friday," he murmured as she handed him the keys. Then he watched her walk away.
Beck was already backstage after drama rehearsal where they let the Hellfire Club set up for D&D so she helped Eddie set up the space. She caught a glance of his DM screen and notes, and the he pages were not as detailed as she would have guessed. When he caught her looking he flipped them over, playing up how scandalized he was.
"Cheating?! From you?!" he cried in a high elderly lady voice.
She rolled her eyes at him. "It's impressive," she said, "how much of that must just be in your head."
"Flattery will not help you this time, little level-one elf," he teased, pushing himself up from the table to lean forward over his screen. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to go easy on you or there might rioting in the ranks."
Annoyed by the implication that she needed that at all, she mimicked his posture, bringing her face right up to his, so close their noses almost touched.
"Try me. You might be surprised."
Eddie was telling himself this was it, time to make a move, when he heard the door open. He backed up, tripped, and fell hard into his DM throne while Beck smirked at him and moved to the far end of the table where her character sheet, minis, and dice were laid out.
As he described out the setting and gave them a clear plot hook, Beck kept notes on the vampire wizard they were being told about because she was certain her brain couldn't hold more than two thoughts at a time. And one of those thoughts was already damn he's hot.
It kept replaying through her mind as he cackled when they struggled and cheered when they crit, when he played grieving villagers as well as drunk soldiers, and when he would bite his lip while sneaking a glance at her.
By the end of the game, she knew exactly why people loved D&D. It was addictive; not in the sinister way that people wanted to portray it but in a way that lit her up like knowing a show had come together really well. And her barbarian had raged and wiped out three wereravens with good rolls, which solidified her standing in the group as well.
As they left, Jeff and Gareth asked if she needed a ride but Beck said she would stay and help Eddie pack up since she knew the drama club had rehearsals Saturday.
The door closed and Eddie sat on the edge of the table, arms crossed and glowing. "First session and you held up quite well! No fleeing and beat the hell out of my ravens! And your character even lives to tell of it!"
"Admit it," she said, sitting beside him, "you're impressed."
"Only always," he said, glancing at her sideways through his long hair. "Any questions after your first session?"
Eddie saw her steal herself and he knew this was it. She was done. It was too weird or she had literally anything else she could be doing. Thanks but no thanks.
But then he felt her hand slide over his.
Beck made herself say the line she had been thinking of all night: "One question: What should a player do if they're overwhelmingly into their DM?"
She watched as he tried to think of an answer before the question made it all the way into his brain. "Well if a player… hold – what?"
Then she kissed him. It was a sincere kiss but she pulled back after a moment, afraid that even after all this he might not want that from her.
Instead, he almost literally pounced on her. His hands were around her waist pulling her to him while his lips crashed into hers. Then he slid off the table, moving to push her legs apart and stand between them, one hand gently cupping her neck.
She had wanted this for ages and clearly he had as well. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he moved a hand to her ass, deepening the kiss with his tongue.
Eddie felt his brain focus on one thing and one thing only for the first time in ages. The only thing he thought about was this moment: the feeling of her hands in his hair and on his back, her thighs tightening and pulling him into her, her lips and her tongue. She was intoxicating and he wanted to drink in as much of her as he could in this moment.
Beck eventually slowed the kiss and then broke her lips from his. He dropped his forehead to hers, breathing hard and still clinging to her.
"Yeah…" she breathed, earning a low laugh from him. "I agree."
He kissed her again and sighed contentedly. "I've wanted that for so damn long."
She could not resist kissing him again after that, before breaking away to actually finish packing up.
They walked out of the school and Eddie dumped the crate of D&D minis and maps into the back of the van before pulling her to him again. He just could not resist any longer and was delighted when she kissed him back just as fervently. He felt her hand slip into his front pocket and he groaned, earning a smile from her even as they kissed.
She pulled back, dangling his keys in front of him. "I'm driving."
He watched her walk around the side of the van before shutting the back doors and sucking in lungfuls of the cold air to "cool off." Not only was she a killer D&D player, but that had been the most intense kiss he ever had. After a full minute, he joined her in the van.
After they pulled up to the library, she threw the van into park and pulled him by the front of his shirt back to her. After a minute of trying to lean over the gear stick, he broke away and got out of the van entirely, circling to her door and throwing it open to resume kissing her.
Only when a car passed, honking loudly and yelling at them, did they break apart for the final time.
"I'll see you Monday," Beck said, shouldering her bag and handing him back his keys.
He held on to her hand as long as he could and watched her walk away. The weekend was going to be too long without her.