Hey Everyone! Thank you so much for reading my story! It'd mean so much to me if y'all would leave a review and let me know what you think so far of "If Only He Knew"! Share with people, anything you'd like, more coverage would mean the world! I've got one other Reddie story called "Losers In Love" that's incomplete, (but I'm focusing more on this story right now) but if you want more content you can check that out! Thank you again for reading! I hope you enjoy!

xoxo -rewritingtheworld

(Richie's POV)

Eddie. It's always been Eddie. He's always been what I've fought for. What I live for. What I exist for. And sure, I love the other losers with my entire heart. Bill with his stutter and determination to do whatever the fuck he sets his mind to. Bev with her quick wit and strength. Ben with his research and immense and unnecessary knowledge of Derry's history. Mike with his gentleness and kindness. Stan with his sarcastic comments and sly comments. And yes, my heart belongs to the losers, I'd be nowhere without them. A nothing. I love them with my whole heart. But I love Eddie with my entire soul. Every fiber of his being fits into mine perfectly. We compliment each other like salt and pepper, like pb and j. Okay, bad analogies, but you get what I mean. He's the smart one of us if you couldn't tell. I don't know why I love him, or when it even blossomed into what it is now, but I do. And I'm so grateful I do. His big mop of hair that he hates when I so much as lay a finger on it. His big brown eyes, how the sun compliments them and allows them to reflect the water of the Barons at the same time. His laugh. His face when I call him Eds. How he pretends to hate it, but smirks when he thinks I can't see him. I love it all. I love him.

Most of the Losers have escaped the grasp of the water by now. Only Bev, Eddie, and I remain, floating on our backs in the sun while the rest of our friends dry off at the brinks of the shore.

"I can't believe we actually did it." a soft, low spoken voice speaks up. Bev allows the water to take her as she drifts back down vertically. "It's gone. What do we do now." She seems almost regretful, as if fighting a killer clown was the highlight of her summer.

"We go enjoy the few days we have left of sunshine and water and freedom before fucking highschool comes along to ruin it. Then we go in and write our summer experience essays about all the shit that went down this summer. The teachers will eat it up, it's fucking gold." Bev laughs, and I float down to join her standing. Eddie's still floating on his back a few feet away, silent, pondering the world.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Rich." She says as she walks in towards shore.

"You probably would've gotten eaten by that fucking clown, Bev. You better bow down to me." She waves me off as she hits dry land, too far to hear any other comments I might have to add. I look over at Eds, still floating. I watch as he starts to fumble, his legs kicking ferociously as he struggles to stay afloat. I swim over quickly and stand next to him, extending my hands under his back to keep him up. One on his shoulders and one just above his tailbone. I feel his body shiver under the touch of my hands, bare skin to bare skin. Goosebumps spread all over me rapidly, spreading from my trembling hands. "You almost fell." I say softly, feeling the need to break the silence more than that of to explain myself.

"I can stay up myself." Eddie mumbles back, neglecting to shrug me off or move away from my grasp. A moment passes, I can't help but stare down at his eyes. Then his chest. Then the trail leading below his stomach. He catches my eye and I meet him there.

"Hey Rich." I nod. "Can we go back to your house now? I'm kind of tired after everything, I just want to go sleep at this point." There's slight bags under his eyes I can tell he's been working to avoid for the sake of the group, my heart slightly pangs that he stayed awake just to be with everyone. Just to come home with me.

"Yeah, of course. Let's go dry off." I say, grabbing his hand to help him down to stand. I let go once his feet hit the smooth rocks underneath us, but he reaches back out.

"Is it okay if we-" Eddie asks, holding back a yawn.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Reassurance comes from my voice, and I take his hand as we walk back to shore. My body is all goosebumps again. It's not like it's unusual, for us to hold hands. We've always been very hands-on, especially around the Losers. But this time it feels almost a little more intimate. At least to me it does. I wonder if Eddie feels the same way. Then again I'd be lucky if Eddie didn't murder me after I told him of my feelings for him. He'd never like me back. I shouldn't even fathom it. This is Derry, nothing can ever happen anyways.

(Eddie's POV)

God I fucking love this boy.