EDDY'S POV

I've never seen Sockhead get so toasted. It was fuckin' comical. He really is the biggest lightweight I've ever met. I pretty much had to drag him back into his room towards the end of the night.

I thought he'd be hungover as hell, but by the time I roll out of bed, he is already gone. When I make my way into the kitchen, there is a sticky note on the fridge telling me that he is at the gym.

Of course.

I don't know how he does it.

I chuck the note in the garbage and start rummaging through the cupboards to look for some Aspirin or something. I find it mixed among bottles of vitamins and supplements. I check out some of the labels, but I have no idea what they are for so I shrug it off. I grab the painkillers and swallow a few with a glass of water.

I had a lot more to drink than Sockhead, but he was the one who got trashed. I wonder if he even remembers half of what came out of his mouth last night. He had loose lips. Usually he is a lot more reserved. He's always been prissy, so maybe he's pissed off that he slipped up.

When my headache dulls, I make a cup of coffee and then sit at the kitchen table until Sockhead returns home. When he finds me in the kitchen he greets, "Hello, Eddy. I hope you aren't feeling sickly this morning."

"Nah, I'm good. What about you?"

"I am also good. I apologize for my behaviour while impaired. I don't know what got into me! I'm not usually so audacious."

"Well, you were drunk," I point out with a chuckle.

He purses his lips. "Indeed. Otherwise I never would've acted with such recklessness."

"Ah, you weren't that bad, Sockhead."

"I can't help but find such displays shameful, Eddy. It's very out of character for me and I can't help but feel regret."

"Well, I'm not judging you," I remind him. "I was the one who bought the beer. So, don't worry about it."

"That is kind of you. I appreciate you being so candid with me."

"Sure, man, sure."

"To make it up to you I will cook for you tonight."

"Well, I won't say no to that! Nothin' beats home cooking."

Sockhead is a good cook. I remember that, though he hasn't made me dinner in years.

"Then it's decided," Double D says. "Do you have any requests?"

"Nah, surprise me. You know I'm not fussy."

"Perfect. I will come up with something you will enjoy."

"I don't doubt that."

"Well, I must freshen up and head to work, but feel free to help yourself to whatever you may need."

"Thanks, 'ppreciate it."

With that, he disappears upstairs.

.

.

I do a bit of work and then decide to head out to the grocery store. I'm picking up another case of beer when I run into Nazz, of all people!

She looks oblivious as she pushes her shopping cart through the aisle. I call her name and when she turns around, her face twists into a smile.

"Eddy, is that you!" She sounds disbelieving.

"Yeah, it's me," I say, flashing her a charming grin.

"Wow, you've changed! When did you get back here?"

"This week," I tell her. "I'm here for work. I travel a lot and Double D was kind enough to let me invade his space for a while."

"Wow, what kind of work do you do?"

"I'm an insurance broker. What about you? What're you up to these days?"

"I'm a solutions specialist for a software company," she responds.

"Oooh, you're a big shot, huh?" I smile.

"Not really, dude," she smiles too. "But it's cool that I got a job with my degree,"

"And I heard that you and Kevin are doing well together," I say. "Congrats!"

"Oh yeah, thanks Eddy!" Nazz says. She looks at what's in my buggy, which is mostly alcohol. I have some chips and soda too.

"So are you guys, like, throwing a party or something?" She chuckles.

"Nahh, this is what my groceries normally look like Nazz," I say while I eye her cart. She has flour, eggs, milk, vegetables, and cookies. I guess what she's buying is more "balanced".

"Speaking of parties," she starts. "What if the four of us hung out this weekend?"

"The four of us?" I asked. "You mean me, you, Sockhead and Kev?"

"Yeah!" she confirms excitedly. "It'll be fun, like old times dude." She giggles more. "It'll be a double date!"

I feel my face getting heated. "Heeeyyy!" I say irritatedly. "Whaddya trying to say, Nazz?"

"Dude relax, it's a joke!" she says.

I stand there feeling awkward. I wait for her giggling to die down.

"So what's it like staying with Double D?" she asks.

I shrug. "It's cool. Kinda like old times, ya know?"

Her question seems kinda weird. There's a weird silence for a sec. She contorts her face before she asks me her next question.

"Do you think Double D is okay?"

I raise a brow. "Whaddya mean, 'okay'?""

"Like physically," she says. "I know you haven't been here in a while, but in the last year he's lost a lot of weight,"

"I noticed he's thinner," I agree with her. "I get that the guy likes to work out every morning,"

"Sometimes he works out at night too though, Eddy," she says.

"Geez, at night too?" I ask. This news is making me feel weird.

"Please promise me you won't tell him I told you any of this," she pleads. "But it's like he's obsessed with it. Like, we used to go for coffee every week. Ya know, hang out," she motions with her hands while explaining all this. "But now when I text him, it's like his excuse now is that he has to go work out or whatever."

I actually don't know how to respond to her. I just feel speechless looking at all the hopelessness written on Nazz's pretty face.

"Even Kev said that he doesn't look good," she adds. "But we don't know what to do. I mean, I don't know what to do."

"What can ya do?" I ask. "I mean sure, Double D has always been kinda weird and the guy probably has OCD or something," I think through everything out loud. "But he's a grown-ass man now. As long as he can hold down a job and pay all his bills, who are we to tell him how to live his life?"

The blonde girl sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just sad because I'm worried I'm losing my best friend,"

Best friend? Woah, is she sure about that? I mean Nazz's story is pretty much the same with what Sockhead told me, with the two of them getting close and all after me and Ed moved away. But best friend? I'm not jelly or anything. I guess it just feels weird that someone other than me or Lumpy could actually be Double D's best friend.

I shake off my thoughts and decide to comfort the pretty lady in front of me. Nazz has always been a good person and would never harm a fly. "Relaaaax Nazz, nobody's losing Sockhead," I reach out and rest my hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Tell ya what. What if I tell him that the four of us wanna have a night out on the town this weekend? I'm sure he can squeeze some room into his crazy schedule for that," I smile confidently.

"Sure Eddy," she cracks a smile. "That sounds good."

.

.

When I get home and open the front door with the spare key Sockhead lent me, the smell of something exotic and maybe Italian hits my nose. I drop my groceries at my feet and I take a few steps in to see my buddy in the kitchen, wearing a white apron and all.

"Hiya Sockhead," I greet him and put my arm around his shoulder, which makes him jump.

"Eddy, careful! I don't want to splatter your dinner all over either of us," he playfully scolds me.

"Yeah yeah," I relent. "So whatcha cooking there, Lagasse? Smells delicious!"

"Shrimp scampi, Eddy," he responds happily. "I do hope you have no shellfish allergies,"

"Nah, I ain't got nothing like that," I say.

"Very well then," he adds some seasoning. "Dinner will be served in approximately 30 from now minutes Eddy,"

I decide to give my pal space and head to my room. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for me to freshen up a bit.

In the bathroom I gargle some listerine and spray some cologne. I grab some of my favorite hair products and work on spiking my hair. I grin my winning smile and strike a corny pose in the mirror. Damn I look good! Wait, why am I trying to look good for Sockhead?

Before I know it it's been half an hour. I head back to the kitchen to see that the table is all set with a deep red tablecloth. It looks like Double D is setting the last dish on the table. I grab a beer from the fridge.

"Dinner awaits us!" Double D smiles shamelessly and once again I can't help but notice his gap which makes me in turn smile. His apron is now off and I can now see that he's wearing a black polo and jeans.

"Looks amazing, Sockhead!" I say while I sit down.

"Bon appetit! Please Eddy, serve yourself!"

I roll up my sleeves and dish out some of the shrimp scampi. I take a huge bite, and it takes me a sec to realize that Sockhead is watching me.

"Is it to your liking?" He asks.

"This is freaking awesome, Double D!"

"I'm so pleased Eddy,"

I continue to dig in, but it hits me that my pal isn't doing the same as me.

"Are you eating anything Double D?"

His eyes widen like a deer in headlights. "Oh, why yes Eddy! But I won't be having what you are having due to my dietary restrictions, so I made some gluten-free pasta,"

He reveals a small bowl of bland pasta, which is about a third of what's on my plate.

I raise a brow. "That's it?"

"... Yes," he hesitates.

I sigh. All of this just seems off. "You ain't eating much, Double D."

"I eat just enough, Eddy," he says sourly. He's definitely getting defensive.

"Are you sure you do?" But I don't back down. "I mean, with you working out like crazy, how can this be it?!" I motion to his stupid small portion of pasta.

"Why do you insist on always drinking, Eddy?!" He asks, pissed off now.

"Hey! Don't change the subject, Double D!" I yell.

"Did it ever occur to you that some individuals may prefer to keep an alcohol-free household?" He asks angrily.

"Oh c'mon, Sockhead! You're gonna try to make this about my drinking when I'm asking you if you starve yourself?! Really though?" Now I'm pissed, and I'm not gonna fall for his stupid reverse psychology tricks.

"I do not starve myself, Eddy," he says. "And I only wish to assert the fact that you have been drinking heavily everyday since your stay here. I fret that your drinking habits aren't normal,"

"NORMAL?!" I scoff and get up from my seat. "Normal? Who are YOU to lecture me about being NORMAL?!"

"I pride myself on being a very matter-of-fact person," he states bitterly.

"Sure, whatever! But you're also scared of the world! So, what does that say about you?"

He scowls at that, eyebrows knitting together. "I'm not scared of the world."

"Yes, you are! You've always been that way!"

"Are you purposefully trying to infuriate me, Eddy?"

"Why?" I ask him. "Is it working?"

"Yes, it is! I did nothing to warrant this attitude." With that, he stands up and says, "I need to pull myself away from this conversation before one of us says something we may regret."

I scoff loudly. "Oh, how mature of you!"

He gives me a look and then leaves the room without having touched his dinner.

Great.

I grind my teeth and stand up, heading to the fridge to grab a beer. Fuck what he said.

.

.

I spend the night feeling like shit! I hate going to bed angry. To top things off, I have a raging headache. Even worse - by the time I wake up, Double D is gone. I don't know if he's at work or the gym, but he's nowhere in sight. I check around the house to be sure, but I can't find him. I open up his bedroom door and see his neatly made bed. The entire place is pristine, with barely any sign of life.

I let out a loud groan, feeling frustrated with myself.

In the kitchen, I keep an eye out for a sticky note or something, but there isn't anything indicating where the hell Sockhead is.

Guess I'll need to wait until tonight to mend things. I hope he's not feeling too rough over it.

I hate to admit it, but it's weighing on my mind. Every time we fight, I regret it. I just want to understand what the hell is going on with him.

The work day goes by slowly. All I can think about is Double D. I hope he isn't holding a grudge.

I feel like Monobrow trying to concentrate with the clients today. My ADD is just that bad. But like, if Double D doesn't forgive me, will I have to get my own place? A normal person would be able to stay with their own family, but since Big Bro lives with them now that's not an option. If he weren't there, I'd go see my folks. I do miss 'em. But I can't really pretend that they don't enable Bro's asshole behavior. It's better for me not to think about the whole family situation at all, because for me it sucks.

I go through the motions of work today and finally come home at 6-ish. When I open the front door, I see Sockhead in the kitchen.

"Hey Double D…" I approach him, feeling awkward.

"Good evening Eddy," he stoically says.

"Look, I'm sorry if I was being too personal last night," I say. "And uuum, I'm sorry that I was trying to make you mad," I hate apologizing. I feel so stupid!

"I too would like to apologize for passing judgement on your lifestyle," he responds. "Also, upon reflection, perhaps I am a bit defensive when it comes to certain aspects of my life. I can understand that you were coming from a point of concern more so than judgement,"

"Right," I nod my head. "So, we're cool?"

"Indeed Eddy!" He slowly smiles as we hug each other. It's a tight hug and I can't help but notice again his ribs under my fingers.

"So guess who I ran into yesterday," I start, trying to distract myself from the same line of thinking.

"Nazz informed me that she accidentally encountered you," Sockhead smiles knowingly.

"Yeah," I confirm. "She wants to do something this weekend. You up for that?"

"I have quite a lot of papers to correct this weekend…"

"C'mon, you have time to hang out for a bit, don'tcha?"

"I suppose I could fit that into my schedule..."

He seems hesitant. Maybe this is what Nazz was talking about? He seems like he's trying to scramble for some sort of excuse. Well, I'm not going to take no for an answer.

"It'll be fun," I promise him. He seems like he needs a little fun. "Trust me."

"Alright, I will put my trust in you. "

I wiggle my eyebrows. "You won't regret it."

"Hopefully not."

I slap him on the back. "C'mooon, loosen up."

"I did plenty of that when we had drinks together, I assure you," he bitterly recalls. "I believe that was enough to last a lifetime."

"Pffffft. Party pooper."

"Now, now, Eddy," he scolds me. "You don't need alcohol to have a nice time."

"Maybe not, but it helps!"

He just shakes his head at me, but he doesn't try to argue. For that, I'm glad. I really don't want to get into it with him again - especially since we just made up. I'm also not trying to poke the bear, I just don't get why he's worrying about me when he should worry about himself.

"There are leftovers if you are hungry," Double D says, changing the topic. "I can heat something up for you."

"Oh, yeah, sure, that would be great."

So we eat in silence and he sits across from me, picking at the contents of his plate. I don't bother mentioning it.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Double D starts. "Have you gone home to visit your parents yet?"

I feel my heart drop to my stomach, not really wanting to talk about my family.

"No," I answer, not adding an explanation.

Sockhead's eyes widen. "But Eddy! Wouldn't your parents be delighted if you kept them company?"

"Big Bro moved back in with 'em," I explain.

"... I see," Sockhead says, understanding my dilemma "Perhaps you could invite your parents out for dinner," he suggests.

"I would, but my folks would just tell me to come on over, so I don't think that plan would work Sockhead," I smile weakly. I do appreciate him trying to find a way around it.

There's a bit of sadness in my friends face.

"I'm sorry, Eddy," he emphasizes. "I was not aware that your older brother moved back into your house,"

"Yep," I sigh. "And it sucks because I haven't seen my old room in years. I kinda wanna go check it out, ya know? Like to see if it's the same or did mom and dad screw it up. I kinda miss my mirror ball and lava lamp,"

Double D continues to pick at his food and a bittersweet smile crosses his face. "I always found your room to be quite amusing, spacious and intriguing," his smile broadens. "It certainly was representative of you,"

"Thanks Sockhead," I take bite of the scampi. "Those were the good old days, huh?"

"Indeed Eddy," He replies. He takes a very small bite of his pasta, drinks some water, and then delicately wipes his mouth with his napkin.

"Sometimes the nostalgia is too bittersweet for me," he adds.

I sigh again. "I knew growing up was gonna suck, but I didn't know it was gonna suck this much,"

"I didn't have the slightest inclination either," he agrees, still picking at his food. "Those were very precious memories those days. But alas, all good things must come to an end, including childhood innocence."

"Yeah," I say in a sad funk. I don't wanna admit this to Sockhead, but those were the best days of my life.

"Anyways, imma head on to bed." I get up from my seat and put my dishes in the sink. "Thanks for dinner, Sockhead."

"My pleasure, Eddy." My friend gets up from his seat and, to my surprise, hugs me!

I'm taken back a bit by Sockhead's sudden affection. "Uhh, goodnight, Sockhead." I pull away from the hug, happy but also feeling a little weird.

"Goodnight, Eddy. Sleep well."