The Eddie Munson Senior Bucket List

by mr200810

Hawkins High School honor roll student and good girl Annie Cooper gets wrapped up in the world of Eddie Munson after failing as his tutor. She agrees to help him complete his Senior Bucket List as he attempts to graduate from Hawkins High for the third time. Drawn by his charm, and unable to get him out of her mind, Annie can't resist but see where the adventure will take her.

25. I’d Give You The Moon

Brevity was not my friend this time around, so I hope you enjoy this hearty update. I would love to know what you think!

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I'd Give You The Moon, If I Could Catch It

"Do you think this dress says 'I'm fuckable but you can't have me?"

In less than 30 minutes, Grace's bedroom had become a perfect picture of teen girl pandemonium. Each of us were in various states of pampering. Eve was bent over painting her toenails an electric blue to match her shirt, as if anyone was going to see them. I was plucking my eyebrows, grateful to get my hands on a pair of tweezers after a week at Eddie's place. And Claire and Grace were cycling through Grace's closet, trying to piece together any outfit she could borrow. All the options that had been tried on and then vetoed were piling up. Claire was currently showing us a black satin dress with a heart shaped neckline and off the shoulder sleeves.

"We're going to a party in the middle of the woods, you are not wearing a dress," Grace said, snatching it from her and hanging it back up. "And besides, who are you trying to impress?"

"You never know who might show up. What about this sweater dress?" Claire was holding the next option up to her body, a dark gray sweater dress with a cowl neck.

"It'll be short on you," Grace said in an attempt to shut down another outfit choice.

"Perfect, my legs are my best asset." Claire started to peel off her own clothes to slip into the borrowed dress. Grace gave up on her protestations, turning to sit down at her own vanity and begin doing her makeup.

"Won't you be cold, Claire?" I asked. I had stuck with a pair of black jeans, a oversized striped sweater in autumnal shades, and an old pair of combat boots.

"These knee high boots, plus the fire, plus possibly a cute boy will keep me warm."

My friends had agreed, quite easily, to come to Craig Jefferson's annual bonfire with me tonight. It was the biggest party of the fall, and none of us had ever been. The closest we've gotten to a real high school party was Jessica Green's 16th birthday party, where 12 beers and half a liter of vodka was shared among way too many people. It didn't stop kids from pretending they were drunk, and thanks to spin the bottle that was the night Eve had her first kiss.

Eddie had dropped me off to get ready with my friends, and would pick us back up to take us to the party. He offered to drive, which left the rest of us free to enjoy ourselves and get as drunk as we pleased. After the day I'd had, I was looking forward to cutting loose.

"Annie, I need you to do my eyeshadow," Eve called from behind me.

"I don't know why you think I'm so good at makeup, I just slap shit on and hope for the best," I explained.

"But it always looks so good! Please?"

I put away the tweezers and picked up my measly bag of makeup, turning to sit across from her on the floor. The radio was playing in the background, Whitney Houston crooning to inattentive ears. As I started to do Eve's eyeshadow, I told them all about how my brother had shown up after school, and our final run in with Kurt in the parking lot after detention.

"Forget whatever I said earlier, that jerk deserved what he got and more," Grace said from her vanity table.

"I'm just glad he's suspended for now, maybe next week will be calm." I said, swiping some eyeshadow on Eve's lids. We had decided on an iridescent white, blended into an electric blue on the corners to match her shirt and toenails.

"I can't believe your brother tackled him," Claire added, mouth agape while lining her lips in a mauve pink.

"Right? Seeing him actually defend Eddie was bizarre. I could have swing Chuck hated him."

"Wait so that means Chuck is home for the weekend. Think I could stop by?" Eve said, wagging her eyebrows. She's always had a thing for older brothers, and been pining after mine for years.

"Hold still," I instructed. I was trying to do her eyeliner, and she'd mess it up with all this wiggling. "He's known you since you were like, ten, I don't think he'll ever think of you as anything other than his kid sister's crazy friend."

"Maybe his time away at college will make him see how grown I am," she said, pursing her lips in a kiss motion.

"Gross. And I doubt it," I said, grabbing her chin and holding her face steady. "He told me he has a date on Sunday and has to leave early to get back to campus."

"A girl can dream," she sighed.

When we realized it was already close to 8, we rushed to hurry up. It felt kind of silly, obsessing over hair and makeup when everything would be dark or washed out by the firelight anyway. But it also felt quintessential to get it perfect. According to my friends, the difference between glossy or matte lipgloss just might be the determining factor of enticing a potential suitor.

Things quieted down as we were all silently focused on perfecting our image in tiny compact mirrors. That is until Grace turned around on her chair and faced us with a serious look on her face.

"So, my dad called last night…"

"Oh?" I'm sure by now all of us were aware it had been a few weeks since her dad left the family without much notice, but we hadn't talked about it as a group.

"He wants me to spend Thanksgiving with him up in Michigan. He has a new girlfriend he wants me to meet." Her disgust was palpable.

"Are you going to?" I asked.

"Fuck no. I told him if he wanted to see me he'd have to come down here. And I know he won't do it." Her words boiled in pain and resentment. "God forbid he leave his shiny new life to be with his actual family."

"He might?" Eve tried to rationalize to no avail.

"He won't. He left us, I can't just abandon my mom for the holidays because he wants to pretend with his girlfriend."

"I'm sorry he's being such an ass," I added. "You'd think he could actually address the problem instead of glossing it all over and trying to play nice."

"Hey, not to interrupt, but do you guys hear something?" Claire asked as she fixed her hair in the mirror.

"I thought I heard the cat screaming to be let in earlier," Eve said, which I seconded.

"No, shhh," Claire commanded.

We all stopped to listen. There was a distinctly male voice echoing from downstairs, and we could hear Grace's mom laughing. Eddie must be here already.

"Shit, we should get going. Who knows what embarrassing stories my mom will tell him if left unchecked," Grace said, screwing her mascara shut and tossing it into the drawer.

We ran down the stairs to find Eddie, stood atop a step ladder, unscrewing a burnt out light bulb from above the kitchen table. Grace's mom was standing nearby, holding the new bulb for him when he was ready.

"Oh hi, girls. Gracie, your friend Eddie was just helping me replace the kitchen light."

"He's not my friend," Grace muttered under her breath, but I heard it. I'm not going to pretend that didn't hurt, but I told myself they just haven't had time to get to know each other yet.

All four of us girls just stood to watch, taken aback by Eddie in such a domestic scenario. With his hands over his head, his black tshirt was riding up from the reach, and the delicate area just above his waistband peeking out. One of his tattoos on his hip was completely exposed. I wasn't even aware I was staring until Eve nudged me with a laugh.

Eddie waved a little hello as he switched out the burnt out bulb in his hand and took the new one from Grace's mom.

"Thank you. I haven't been able to reach that since my husband…" she didnt finish her sentence. Since my husband left.

"Mom, you can't just put Annie's boyfriend to work because he's the first man to step in the house since dad left." There goes Grace, totally unashamed to air her family's dirty laundry and say what her mom couldn't.

"She's not, I offered to help," Eddie said as the bulb lit in his hand with a final screw. He stepped down from the ladder and folded it up, handing it back to her mom.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. Then I noticed two mugs on the coffee table, and his jacket draped on the back of a chair. Clearly he had been here waiting long enough to have a cup of hot cocoa and chat, and to offer to help out around the house. Not even that, but Grace's mom was flushed and smiling, like she was enjoying his company.

"Not long," Eddie answered, noticing that I had caught the empty mugs on the table with a grin.

"We were waiting for you girls to finish getting ready," her mom added.

To think that Eddie had been down here bonding with my best friend's mom while we were upstairs getting ready was somehow comforting. It definitely wasn't going to happen with my own parents, and she was like a second mother to me. It was reassuring how gentle and welcoming she was. Quite possibly the only person in this town who wouldn't look down on Eddie by virtue of his last name. I could have hugged her.

"Eddie was just telling me about how you two met," she directed towards me. "Why hasn't Gracie mentioned anything about you having a boyfriend, Annie?"

"It's… new," I said, embarrassed that I was under inquisition. And it was weird to be having this conversation standing across the kitchen from Eddie, my friends as witnesses, when all I wanted was to hold his hand for reassurance.

"That was very nice of you to be his tutor. I'm sure you two weren't expecting to find a love connection," she beamed.

"Mom you can't go around saying something like love connection to high schoolers," Grace said, the annoyance growing visible on her face. "That's so gross."

Eddie just laughed, enjoying the interaction between mother and daughter. "I definitely wasn't expecting it, but I'm not convinced Annie didn't mastermind the whole thing," Eddie said, throwing me under the bus.

"That's not true! You tricked me into our first date." I was referencing the drive-in, which wasn't technically a date but ended in a kiss so it might as well have been. He just smiled and shook his head from across the room, which felt like a mile away.

"Well it all seems to have worked out. So, where are you kids headed tonight," she asked next.

I looked to Grace to answer. I hadn't had time to ask if we were lying or telling the truth. Then I remembered that Grace's dynamic with her mom was much different than my own, and she could actually be honest without needing to lie.

"We're checking out Craig Jefferson's bonfire. I'll be home after midnight, so you don't have to wait up." Her mom nodded and it was as simple as that. No questions, no strict rules.

"You kids be careful, and have fun. And Eddie, come by whenever you'd like. You can wipe down the top of the cabinets next," she winked at him like they shared some secret inside joke.

"Mo-om!" Grace whined, speaking her name in two syllables.

She shuffled us all towards the front door as we bid rushed goodbyes to her mom. Eddie grabbed his jacket, thanked Grace's mom for the cocoa, and ran ahead of us to open the back of his van for everyone to get in.

"Don't pretend like I didn't just catch you undressing him with your eyes," Eve said, linking her arm with mine while we were walking to the car.

"It was an accident," I muttered under my breath.

"How many tattoos does he have, anyway?" She asked. So she had noticed it too. Everyone knew Eddie had plenty of visible tattoos, but he had even more that weren't.

"I haven't had a chance to count. Or ask. I should probably ask." My face was burning at the thought.

"Counting would be more fun," she said with a devilish grin.

"I'll report back when I have results," I laughed.

When Eddie opened the rear doors of the van we realized we were not, in fact, well equipped for passengers.

"Why is there a ladder back here?" Grace asked. Steve's dad's ladder that we had borrowed was laying in the middle of the space. There were also the standard pillows and blankets Eddie kept in the back, and not a great place for one person to sit, let alone three.

"Right, just push that to the side there," Eddie said, readjusting the ladder and moving it out of the way, and tossing the pillows up towards the front.

"Does this have anything to do with what was on the roof this morning?" Grace crossed her arms and looked back at me.

"Wow, you could be a real detective Grace. Just get in the van," I commanded.

Eve was about to step in when she turned around and remarked, "There are no seats…"

"Or seatbelts," Claire added, peering around her.

"Think of it like a school bus. There are no seatbelts on those and you still got to school safe," I said. This short car ride would be a lot longer if they questioned everything.

"Just scooch in close and you'll be fine, it's not very far. Just a couple of minutes down the road. I'll be careful," Eddie added.

But they just looked between us, no one willing to take the first step.

"Do one of you want to sit in the front? I don't mind going in the back," I offered, hoping that would cause some movement.

All three of them protested, which was quite annoying. I was about ready to let them walk.

"Look I know it's not perfect, but Eddie is offering to DD and get us there and back safely. Unless you guys want to drive separate?" I said, exhausted that they were being so critical.

My forceful tone practically dared them to protest again. They all kind of seemed embarrassed on being called out, until finally Eve spoke up.

"I'm getting drunk tonight," she shrugged, climbing into the back of the van assertively.

"Me too," Claire said, following her lead.

"Well if we crash, at least I have a pillow to protect me," Grace said, reluctantly climbing in after them.

When they were settled, I closed the door behind them and leaned up against it.

"Sorry my friends are brats."

"They're not brats," Eddie laughed, defending them.

"Hey!!" "We can still hear you!" They shouted from within.

"Then close your ears," I said loud enough for my friends to hear me. I gently took Eddie by the collar of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss. It was showy, but I didn't care. If they were going to tease and be difficult, I was going to rub it in their faces that I was actually happy. They haven't had a chance to see it for themselves yet. Eddie didn't seem to mind being used this way. He kissed me back fervently, hands planted on the van on either side of my head for support.

"Gross," I heard one of them say from inside. I ignored it.

"I missed you," Eddie said under his breath after I pulled away.

"You did?" I don't know why, but it was still surprising to hear something so simple. That I could be missed at all, that someone would be thinking about me when we were apart.

"Of course. I dropped you off and then immediately wanted to come back. Is that lame?" If he thought it was, he showed no signs of being shameful for it.

"No, not lame. I missed you too," I said, adjusting my hold on his jacket collar. "Hey, you fixed it!" I remarked, admiring the new Iron Maiden patch Eddie had fastened over the hole Kurt had made in his vest.

"I told you I had something for it," he laughed. "It only took a couple of minutes. I think it looks better this way, so maybe Kurt is good for something after all."

There was a rap on the window near my head. "Mom, Dad, can we go to the party now?" It was Grace, and her face was right behind the glass, watching us closely.

"Patience is a virtue," I said, holding up my middle finger.

Eddie kissed me quickly once more, and then insisted we go by walking me to the passenger door. When he started the car up, the Tears for Fears cassette was still playing, halfway through Head Over Heels. The volume was loud enough and the song was unmistakable, we all knew what was playing immediately.

"You like Tears for Fears?" Claire asked Eddie excitedly, leaning over the center console from behind.

"Annie likes Tears for Fears," he corrected, turning the stereo down to almost no volume.

"Hold on a minute," I started, turning in my seat towards him as I began putting the pieces together. "You dropped me off, which gave you plenty of time on the ride home and back to change the cassette to something else. And the volume was up by a considerable amount."

"Your point?" Eddie looked over at me, trying to play it cool in front of my friends.

"My point is you made a conscious choice not to change the cassette in that amount of time. You chose to keep listening."

"It was just on as background noise," he tried to explain it away, but knew I was on to him.

"But the album isn't that long! You would have had to turn over the tape to get to this song!"

"I think you did that before we got here," he said, playfully trying to pin the blame on me.

"Just admit it, Eddie. You listened to the whole album, and I think you actually liked it!" I could see in my peripheral my friends' heads bouncing back and forth between us like they were deeply interested in a tennis match.

"No," he said, focusing too hard on the road and refusing to look in my direction. He was caught red handed and maybe a little embarrassed to admit it.

"No one is judging you, Head Over Heels is a great song." My friends in the back all agreed.

"You're impossible," he said, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips, hoping a kiss would shut me up. "I just wanted to see what all the hype was about."

I watched as the smile spread across his whole face. I settled in my seat smugly, thrilled I had forced a confession.

"This is so weird," Grace said.

I turned around to look at her. "What's weird?"

"Watching you guys actually interact." She was looking at me like I was a completely different person. "I wouldn't guess you'd have anything in common."

I shrugged, what was I supposed to say to that?

"They compliment each other, in the way that they're exact opposites," Claire laughed. "Opposites attract and all that."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Grace backtracked. "Just unexpected."

"I think it's cute," Eve said, always the first to defend.

"Hear that Eddie? Eve thinks we're cute." It would be easy to say I didn't need anyone's approval, but I would prefer for my friends and my boyfriend to get along.

"Oh, we're fucking adorable," he replied, squeezing my hand and catching Eve's glance through the rearview mirror. She smiled back at him.

"So where is this place, anyway?" Claire asked. None of us had ever been exactly the partying type, therefore none of us had ever gone to the bonfire. I wasn't about to be the one to admit that I didn't know where we were going.

"It's out by lover's lake. Craig's parents own a huge patch of property out there and he uses it as an excuse to burn whatever will catch fire in the middle of the woods. Somehow, no forest fires have been started as a result yet," Eddie answered.

"Lovers lake, you say…" Clearly romantic attention was Claire's main motive tonight.

"Got any friends coming tonight, Eddie?" Eve asked. "Preferably cute ones?"

This made Eddie laugh. "I'm not sure they'd be your type."

"Considering Eve once had a crush on Mr. Clark, I'd say anyone is her type," Grace teased. Eve shoved her in return.

"Okay, I said he looked cute one time when he shaved his mustache, and you'll never let me forget it!"

The girls in the back began debating Eve's questionable love interests throughout the years. Eddie and I listened in, he'd sneak glances my way and we'd laugh at the things we overheard. It did feel a little bit like being mom and dad in the front seat, with bickering teenagers behind us. They argued the whole way, Grace ribbing Eve relentlessly until Claire brought up that Grace used to kiss each boy on her poster from The Outsiders, which shut her up.

*

Craig's house was nestled in the middle of a cul de sac, and the entire woods below the hill behind his house belonged to the family. People weren't exaggerating when they said Craig was super rich. His house was bigger than it had any business being in a quaint town like Hawkins. When we arrived, the street was filled with all the same cars that typically made up the high school parking lot. We had to park quite a few houses down to even find a spot, next to a pair of motorcycles.

The house was strictly off limits tonight, and the pool house was bathroom use only. Of course you had to trek what felt like a mile uphill from the party to even get there, so all the boys probably just dropped trousers in the woods when they got desperate. The girls didn't have as simple a solution unless they were willing to risk poison ivy in a place where no one wants it. When we arrived, there was a gaggle of girls all making their way back up to the house to take turns using the bathroom, huffing from the climb.

Eager to get to the party, my friends hurried down the path on the hill. Eddie and I lingered behind, walking slowly in the dark.

"Hey, doesn't Rick live out by the lake?" I asked as we began the descent.

"Yeah, he has a small place on the other side of the lake, I was probably going to stop by at some point tonight to give him an update. I tried to call him earlier but he wasn't home."

"Can I go with you?"

"You want to go with me to my drug dealer's house?" I wasn't expecting the surprise in his voice, but when he said it out loud it did sound a little daunting.

"Why, is it dangerous?"

"No, not at all. Rick is, first and foremost, a stoner homebody. I just didn't think you'd be interested."

"A trip across the lake sounds nice." Of course it wasn't that simple, but it was an opportunity to be alone with him.

He agreed. "We'll see how much I can get done and pay him a visit."

We walked through the nearly pitch black woods until we glimpsed a hint of firelight down towards the lake. After a steady decline, the ground evened out to a flat surface where a good chunk of trees had been removed. Somehow, a giant structure of logs and tree branches had been constructed and set ablaze. The bonfire was already quite impressive, but Eddie let me know that this was child's play compared to how big it's gotten in the past.

"Wait a few hours," he told our group. "It'll probably be three times that size before the night is over."

The party population was at least 3 guys to every girl, which seemed to be a recipe for disaster, or a good chance for a hookup, depending on how you looked at it. Most of the juniors and seniors at Hawkins were here. There were also plenty of people who I didn't recognize, and a couple of students from our rivalry school.

There was a group of people nearby that looked far too old to be here, but no one was really bothering them. Two men, who looked at least twenty five, stuck out the most. They had greased back hair, one with a full beard, and were wearing Harley Davidson gear. If I had to guess, I'd bet they were the owners of the motorcycles we saw out front.

Standing in between them was a woman I was certain didn't belong at a high school function. She was long limbed with supple curves, striking green eyes and straight dark hair. The red painted on her lips glistened like a poisoned apple. Facial piercings and a few visible tattoos gave the impression she was no stranger to pain, perhaps seeking pleasure in it. I was dually impressed and intimidated by her presence. I had a fleeting thought that if I were to pick from out of a catalog, she would be just the type of girl that Eddie would usually go for.

As was my luck, this beautiful stranger already knew Eddie. She seemed very familiar with him, in fact. When she spotted him, she left the other men and headed our way. As she approached us, his name came from her lips with inordinate enthusiasm.

"Eddie! Just who I was looking for," she crooned. Hearing she was expecting him was news to me.

"Hi, Amber," Eddie greeted her. Like it was her usual greeting, she wrapped her arms around him and planted those red lips right on his cheek, leaving a mark. I stood by and watched, begging jealousy not to get the best of me.

"Why don't I see you around the South Side anymore," she lamented. Her arms were content to be wrapped around Eddie's shoulders, but he politely extricated himself from her grasp.

"I've been busy," Eddie said, giving her very little to go off of.

"Busy with a bunch of high schoolers?" She eyed those of us nearby, clearly amused. We all kind of stared blankly, as if she wasn't the one who had intentionally shown up to a high school party.

"Seeing as I'm in high school, yeah." His answer was unbothered.

"Oh. Are these your friends?" Amber's tone changed, trill and friendly. I couldn't help but feel judged as she looked us over. Beside her, I felt young and naive. Everything she wasn't.

I was fully expecting Eddie to introduce me to her as his friend, the girlfriend thing being so new. But as he quickly made introductions, he surprised the both of us. Amber didn't seem prepared to hear that we were together, perhaps she had other ideas. I said hello politely.

"Cute! You'll have to tell me all about it." The fake enthusiasm was grating, belittling. "The old crew is all here, they'd love to see you Eddie!"

Eddie tried to suggest he catch up with them in a little while, but she insisted they go now.

"They're not going to be here long, just come say hi! Do you have anything on you?"

She was asking, in simple terms, if he could sell her anything she might be looking for. Knowing this would end in a sale, he couldn't say no. He agreed, then turned to me.

"I'm gonna go see them real quick, I'll come find you after?"

"Yeah, of course." In an act of slight possession, I used the sleeve of my sweater to wipe the lipstick stain off his cheek. Eddie smirked, taking my chin in his hand.

"Be careful while I'm gone, okay?"

I nodded, leaning in for the sweetest parting kiss. My bottom lip caught between his as he pulled away just barely, taking my breath with him.

"Don't have too much fun without me," he whispered.

"Like that's possible," I replied, inhaling all I could of him while I was in his possession.

I was grateful he was willing to claim me as his even now. But when he walked away with Amber, the red smudge on his cheek remained, and it was all I could fixate on.

"Hey," Claire said, grabbing my arm and taking my attention. "He'll be fine."

"I know, I just wasn't expecting her." I crossed my arms, as if doing so would somehow keep me from falling apart.

"The good news is, she wasn't expecting you either," Grace pointed out. "He knows what he's got with you, he'd be stupid to ruin it now."

"You think so?" Doubt comes in at the most inconvenient times.

"Let's forget all about her, go find some boys and make them get us drinks!" Eve laughed, dragging us towards the party. If a drink meant distraction, I was all for it.

*

It turns out, making boys get us drinks wasn't a difficult task at all. When people said they went all out for this thing, they weren't kidding. There was a collection of coolers with bags of ice that one senior boy was guarding. It seemed like there was a communal beer keg, but otherwise it was every man for himself. Unless you were a girl. In that case the men wouldn't dare allow you to not have a drink in your hands at all times.

We walked closer to the crowd to find Craig, the party host, tending to the fire. He was shirtless, which makes perfect sense for a September night where the temperatures were dropping below 50 degrees. When he saw me he handed his fire stick to a friend, which really was just a torn limb from a tree, and instructed him to keep the bonfire going strong.

"Annie, my queen!" He fake bowed when he reached us. Everyone had been treating me like royalty since they found out I was responsible for the colossal prank on Kurt today.

"Don't pretend like you didn't know my name before this week, Craig." I joked.

"I'm wounded. You think I forgot being your lab partner in freshman biology?" He asked, holding a hand to his heart.

"Oh yeah," I laughed. "You're the only reason I passed the frog dissection lesson." Without Craig, I wouldn't have even been able to use the scalpel to open the belly of the frog.

"See, you and me go way back," Craig beamed with an arm around my shoulder. I could feel the sweat from his skin on the back of my neck, which made me shiver a little. "And as old friends, I insist we christen the night with a round of shots."

Craig didn't actually have shot glasses, but instead an unopened bottle of cheap tequila, and no chaser.

As the ring leader for the party, Craig took it upon himself to call to attention that I had arrived. I tried to tell him it really wasn't necessary, but he wouldn't stop shouting until everyone nearby was watching.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the woman of the hour and my new hero, Annie Cooper!"

God, this is fucking mortifying. There were cheers, hoots and hollers. If there were any boos, the noise blended into the crowd and I didn't notice. Being the icon of Kurt's downfall had some weird consequences.

The kids from the next town over just looked confused. I looked around for Eddie, but couldn't catch a glimpse of him at all. He must've been deeper in the woods, away from the bonfire. I put it to the back of my mind and lifted the bottle to my mouth to take a hearty drink. The crowd cheered again, it was weird and showy and I was about ready to dive face first into the fire.

We passed the bottle down the line, each drinking as much as they could stomach to equate to a shot, with no chasers in sight. I wasn't even sure if Grace got a full mouthful of the tequila. When the bottle was pulled away, tequila was dripping down the sides of her mouth, which she wiped away on her sleeve.

After that weird display, the novelty of my presence was beginning to wear off, which allowed me to settle comfortably into the flow of the party with my friends. We were each offered cups from the keg, which turned out to be mostly foam. Drinking whatever beer settled at the bottom of the cup, we began mingling.

It wasn't long before Gareth and Jeff found us. Gareth was hoisting a 12 pack of Bud Light on his shoulders, which he was more than happy to share with our group. It beat beerfoam. This required some brief introductions, as my friends weren't super familiar with Eddie's band mates. With the offering of free beer, my old friends wasted no time getting to know these new ones. Gareth, being the youngest, was eager to get familiar with some senior girls.

As they got to know each other, I assessed the state of the party. It seemed like half the school was here at least. The bonfire was spitting embers, seemingly already larger than when we had arrived. There were quite a few boys tending to the fire shirtless, which reminded me of a book we read in 8th grade, Lord of the Flies. I didn't want to be around should the sacrificing start.

I spotted Lucas Sinclair on the edge of a group of basketball players. They were all taking turns with a filthy beer bong funnel, chugging a beer and passing it to the next guy. From the looks of it, Lucas was third in line in the rotation. He looked like he was trying to put on a brave face, but also like he wasn't so sure about sharing the bong. If I had to guess, like me, he didn't have much experience with speed drinking alcohol. Not that he needed saving, but I decided to give him an out if he wanted it.

"Guys, I'll be right back," I said, finishing off the last of my beer and setting it down. No one so much as glanced in my direction as I dismissed myself.

To these basketball boys, Lucas was no more than a rookie bench warmer on the team roster. To me, he was becoming a true friend. Especially after his display of bravery in sticking up to my bully today.

"Hey, Lucas!" I said excitedly, waving as I walked in his direction. His face lit up when he saw me.

"Hey, Annie," Lucas said with a little wave of his hand. Instead of the usual beer can and solo cup possessed by his peers, Lucas was holding a can of Mountain Dew.

"Can I join you," I asked.

"Yeah, sure." Lucas moved aside to make room for me.

I strategically placed myself in between Lucas and the guy who was currently chugging his beer from the faucet. The guy next to me belched when he was finished, and handed the device to me. I snuck a quick glance at Lucas as a, I'll do it if you want to, sort of gesture. With a little shake of his head, he told me he wasn't up for it.

"I think I'll pass," I said, passing it to the next guy and skipping right over Lucas. As the boys cracked open the next beer to pour down the guzzle of its next victim, I stepped out of the circle and motioned for him to join me.

"Hey, thanks," he said when we were far enough away from that group.

"No problem. Enjoying your first big high school party?"

"Yeah it's alright, I guess." The tab of his can clinked rhythmically as he flicked it with his thumb over and over. "It's not that I don't want to drink, I just didn't want to…" his sentence trailed off, motioning back to the weird display of masculinity he found himself in between.

"Hey you don't have to explain to me, I'm also not trying to get mono from a bunch of high school jocks."

"Haha, right," he chuckled. "That thing looked filthy."

Lucas looked over his shoulder again, seemingly conflicted about what had transpired. In the short time I've known him, I could tell that he had probably spent his adolescence as an outcast. He was into stereotypical "nerd shit," would rather be at the arcade or playing DND with his friends. But now he was growing as an athlete and coming into his own. He was on the precipice of popularity, and his high school experience could be determined by the choices that he made now. There was an internal struggle of wanting to be with his friends, and wanting to fit in with the cool kids. It wasn't my job to tell him what to do, but as his friend, I could be honest about my own experiences.

"Can I share something with you?" I stopped halfway between the group we just left, and our group of friends, to give us enough time to talk.

"Yeah, sure." Lucas stopped walking and was looking over at me expectantly.

"This is actually my first big high school party too," I admitted.

"What? But you're a senior." He put so much emphasis on the last word, like my rank should determine my worth.

"I know, right. Don't judge me too hard," I laughed.

"I'm not judging," Lucas answered earnestly. "Why haven't you gone before?"

"I never really had the opportunity, and it never seemed important," I shrugged. "Believe it or not, but I have lived most of my life on the outskirts of what others would consider cool or popular."

"Well, I think you're cool." Lucas said. "Especially after what you did today, you're a legend. Everyone is saying so."

"Thanks, but all this attention is because they think what I did was cool. I definitely wasn't popular when I was just being myself."

"Yeah but they just haven't had the chance to get to know the real you before then." He was trying to give me the benefit of the doubt. Like maybe somehow this newfound popularity was something I had actually earned instead of lucked into.

"Look, I'd be lying if I said I didn't used to dream about being popular. I feel like it would've made life a whole lot easier, most of the time anyway. But at what cost? These people don't know me. They never even bothered to try."

"But isn't it still worth it to be liked?" I could tell this idea, being liked and being popular, was important to him. Lucas was eagerly awaiting my response.

Sure, it's cool to get invited to places and have people pay attention to you," I admitted. "But the truth is, being here now, I don't think that I was really missing out after all."

"You don't?"

"Not at all. I think what I'm going to remember most about high school are the stupid inside jokes with my friends, or the nights we stayed up laughing until 4am and got yelled at by our parents. Everything will fade, but I'll always remember how it felt to be with people who truly understood me."

Lucas paused, like he was really thinking over what I had said.

"Yeah you're probably right. Like this is cool and all, but I wish my friends were here to enjoy it with me." He lightly kicked his foot on the ground, sending up a cloud of dirt.

"You're young. There will be plenty of times for you to get wasted and watch idiots burn shit. What's more important is having your real friends around for the fun."

At that moment, a boy named Patrick from the basketball team called for him.

"Hey Lucas! We found a broken canoe and we're going to toss it onto the fire!" Patrick yelled, encouraging him to join the others.

I laughed. "Apparently the time to watch idiots burn shit is right now."

Lucas laughed too, but almost seemed conflicted about what to do. He looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"Go! Don't let me stop you from having fun," I encouraged.

"Thanks. Hey, I'll see you at Hellfire next week?" He asked before turning to go.

"Yeah, of course. See you later, Lucas." I watched him go, only slightly concerned that I saw a decrepit life size deer hunting target was being thrown onto the fire.

*

As I walked back to my friends, I saw that Robin and Steve had arrived. She had gotten him to show up to the stupid high school party after all. When I got up to them, they were bickering like an old married couple. Robin was already drinking from one of those cardboard cartons of wine, which was unconventional for a party like this but also totally on brand.

"I'm impressed that you actually managed to get Steve here, Robin," I remarked, interrupting their argument.

"It's only because she can't hold her liquor and needs a babysitter," Steve said, tousling Robin's hair.

She swatted his arm away. "Those two shots in the car went down just fine."

"And chasing it with a carton of wine is definitely the right choice," he rolled his eyes. "I swear if I have to clean out red vomit out of the carpet of my car again…"

"That happened once, and I paid you for the upholstery cleaning," Robin argued.

"One time too many," Steve grumbled.

"Forgive him, he'll be less uptight after a beer or two. Isn't that right, Stevie," she nudged him and he playfully pushed her away, turning the topic right on me.

"So, Annie, how have you been since last night?" The tone of voice was all too incriminating. As promised, Robin absolutely told Steve the full story about what happened last night, likely on the ride over here.

"Why do you ask," I said, a pained smile forced at Robin. I had given her permission to share with him, but that didn't mean it was any less embarrassing.

"Oh no reason." He said, crossing his arms and smiling. Cheeky ass. "I hear the principals office is nice this time of year. Especially after hours."

"I don't know which of you I'm going to kill first." Their smiles only grew from my veiled threat.

"I say Steve. I'll leave you to it, bye!" Robin skipped off, leaving us alone to find her band friends.

"I can't even look you in the eyes," I said, embarrassed that somehow Steve Harrington was now a keeper of one of my deepest secrets.

"Oh, get over yourself, you're not the only one who has hooked up in the school."

"Aren't you a little old for these parties anyway?" I teased. "I think I see a gray hair," I pretended to pluck from his precious head, but Steve ducked before I could reach.

I barely knew the guy, but our budding friendship felt weirdly comfortable and entirely platonic. 6 months ago I would've been sweating standing alone with Steve Harrington. Now I was easily making jokes at his expense.

"Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "Like I said, I'm only here to look after Robin."

"Looks like she doesn't need looking after." From my view I could see Robin was laughing with a red headed girl Vickie, who played Clarinet in the band.

"You're probably right. Hey, I saw you with Lucas Sinclair when we arrived. What is he doing here anyway?"

"He was invited by a couple of basketball guys."

"I didn't know you were friends with him," Steve said earnestly.

"I could say the same about you." Robin was one thing, but Steve Harrington being friends with Freshmen seemed out of reach.

"I kind of got roped into looking out for him and his friends a few years ago when I was dating Nancy Wheeler. Now I feel all protective and shit over those little twerps. I keep forgetting they're not exactly kids anymore. I blinked and now he's about to be taller than me," Steve said, rubbing the back of his hair with a laugh.

It was interesting to learn that Steve and Eddie were friends with the same younger kids, but in a very different way.

"Truthfully I don't think he's having the best time tonight. When we talked, it sounded like he'd rather be with his friends."

"I should probably go check on him, huh?" Steve said, protective dad mode enabled.

"I don't think he'd mind if you took him home, but I didn't tell you that."

Steve called Robin back to us from where she was lingering with the band kids. When she arrived, he explained he was gonna check on Lucas and offer to take him home.

"Are we really leaving?" Robin asked, a slight whine to her voice. "We just got here."

"You can stay, and I'll come back. But if Lucas wants to leave, that's my priority," he said.

"You're too good, Steve Harrington," Robin said, kissing his cheek. "But you better hurry up because I can't bear to tolerate these people without you."

"Lucas' friends are at the arcade tonight, maybe swing by there first before taking him home," I suggested.

"Thanks for looking after him," Steve said, giving me a hug goodbye. I was shocked by how strong and genuine his hug felt. He always had a reputation for being popular and shallow, but he seemed to genuinely care for the people around him.

"Oh, hey. We have your dad's ladder in the van. When should I bring it by?" Steve turned around to look.

"Whenever, my parents are hardly home these days," he said, shaking his head. Then he jogged up to Lucas and I saw the smile light up on the younger boy's face when he realized he had more friends at the party.

*

When I turned around, my friends were all unabashedly staring, different varieties of shock on their faces. The girls had left the boys behind and were quickly approaching. I should've known they wouldn't be chill about this at all. I couldn't blame them, they didn't know who else had helped with the prank against Kurt. Try explaining that the pair of pants attached to the statue you created to mock your public enemy belonged to none other than Steve Harrington.

"Umm, who the fuck are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Grace asked when I rejoined them, linking her arm in mine.

"What?" was all I could reply.

"Since when are you friends with Steve the hair Harrington?!" Her voice carried as she nearly shouted at me.

"Oh, that. We met at the video store and sort of … bonded, I guess." A simple explanation for what had been a strange 48 hours.

"We've been to that video store dozens of times and you never even had the courage to talk to him aside from him checking out our movies. What changed?" Claire asked.

"Don't tell anyone I told you, but apparently Steve is just as much of a musical theater dork as I am. We bonded over Grease and Rocky Horror." Of course I was leaving out the part where I convinced Steve to help me with last night's prank, borrowed a pair of his pants that he'll never get back, smoked a blunt in an empty gym with him and Robin Buckley, and that they sat next to his dad's ladder in the back of Eddie's van.

"Suddenly my crush on Steve Harrington has vanished" Grace joked. She never understood my love for cheesy musicals. "Still. I can't believe you're friends with him."

"You're like a whole new person," Claire said, shaking her head with a devilish grin. "We look away for one moment and you're like, all grown up and shit."

"I think it's kind of cool!" Eve said, always acting in my defense. "She's branching out!"

"Why didn't you introduce us to Steve?" Grace asked. "Since you're such good friends and all."

"He's leaving, actually. He was just here to drop Robin off."

"I saw you hug him, what does he smell like?" Any girl who attended Hawkins from 82-85 inevitably had fallen victim to a crush on Steve Harrington at one point or another, and Claire was no exception. I didn't blame her for her curiosity.

"Honestly? He smells like a mix between Ralph Lauren Polo cologne and the hairspray my mom uses." They all laughed at my description.

"That is an incredibly astute and specific observation," said Grace.

"I'm going to need to investigate that further. What kind of hairspray does your mom use?" Claire asked, which made us laugh harder.

"Anyway, can we get back to the party? Call me a narcissist but I'm enjoying the attention." Apparently Gareth had taken a liking to Grace, and she was ready to see where the night would take her.

*

As the party revved up, I kept hoping that Eddie would rejoin us for good. He'd check in every now and again, and when I finally thought I'd get a fraction of his time, he'd be called away again. Everyone wanted what he was selling apparently. This went on a few times before I realized that this would probably be the rest of my night.

"You're not seriously leaving me for someone named Crusty." I complained when a new member of the bikers from out of town had requested to meet him. I was moping, my bottom lip jutted out in disappointment.

"Five minutes," Eddie said, trying to appease me with a quick kiss. "Then I'm yours the rest of the night."

I couldn't formulate a protest before he was off.

Five minutes quickly became 30, and after almost an hour I stopped keeping track. I kept catching Eddie in the corner of my eye, bounding from group to group and making deals with anyone who wanted to sweeten up their night. It was pretty easy to tell who he had already hit up by the constant clouds of pungent smoke hitting the air. Keeping the kids happy, I guess.

I couldn't help but notice that wherever he went, Amber wasn't far behind. I wondered absentmindedly exactly how their histories had aligned, even if it was stupid of me to conjecture. I kept remembering the way she held onto him, her scarlet kiss branding his cheek. I knew whatever he was doing now was strictly business, but I would prefer to be spending this party with him. Instead I was trapped in my own head, wondering when he'd be back next.

I tried to distract myself with the commotion of the party, nursing a beer. A handful of people were gathered around a fold up table that someone had dragged down by the lake. An intricate drinking game involving cups and ping pong balls was being played. It wasn't your typical beer pong setup, no. They were calling it "Boom Cup." There were a bunch of half-full beer cups in the middle of the table, and one in the center that contained a full beer. There were 2 ping pong balls with accompanying empty cups, and the game began with 2 players on opposite sides of the table. The objective was to bounce your ball on the table and into your cup. If you get your ball into the cup on the first try, you can place your cup in front of any player. If it takes more than one try, you have to pass to the left. The goal is to line it up so you're in position to knock out the player to the left of you. If you get the ball in the cup before the player to your left who also possesses a ball, you can knock their cup out and force them to drink. This is why bouncing your ball into the cup on the first try was so important, because you could move the cup straight to the player who could quickly make an elimination. You keep playing until the final elimination forces the last player to drink the full beer. The game was so fast paced that it was hard to follow, and even harder to explain, but fun to watch.

Gareth had convinced Grace to play with him, with him standing on her right side around the table. I watched as he leaned in close to explain the rules to her, giving her tricks on where to place her cup to target other players. She leaned in, let him talk near her ear and trade secrets. She was surprisingly good at getting the cup in the ball on the first try, after a few minutes, everyone who had gathered to watch was cheering her on against the male players. She clapped and cheered when she was successful, and Gareth encouraged her every move. When it was down to the last 2 cups, Grace hadn't even had to drink yet. I think Gareth had intentionally positioned himself to protect her, though, because when they both had the ball and he had an easy chance to get her out, he kept missing easy shots.

She got out from under him though, and passed the cup to the player on her left. He got it in one try, and placed the cup right behind Gareth to target him again. Gareth was playing for real now, and was desperately trying to bounce the ball in the cup before he was out. The player to his right also got it in one try, and before the ball could meet the rim of Gareth's cup, it was being smacked away with so much force, it flew clear off the table. Gareth had lost, and was forced to drink the full beer.

We all cheered as he chugged it, and he was a gracious loser. He dismissed himself from the next match to make room for another player, but Grace was on a roll and decided to stay in for the next game. I was confident she could crush another round easily, even without Gareth's protection.

As they were reassembling the setup, Gareth came bounding over to me, wiping beer foam from his mouth. He pivoted me a pace away from my friends, wrapping an affectionate arm over my shoulder.

"Hey Annie. So, uh… what can you tell me about Grace?" He asked. He was buzzing with excited energy.

"It seems like you were doing a pretty good job on your own finding out!" Grace ran very hot or cold, but it seemed like she was really enjoying his attention.

"But like. What's her favorite color?" He started with the basics.

"It's yellow. Why are you asking?"

"I want to know everything about her," he remarked. It was cute, his genuine interest. Besides, they did seem like they might make a great match. He might mellow her out, and obviously he would adore her the way she deserved.

"Let's make a deal. I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Grace, if you do something for me in return."

"Anything," he replied. He meant it, too.

"Will you find Eddie and tell him you found him a prospective buyer, but they want to be discreet. Tell him to meet me… them… behind the barn, in about five to ten minutes?"

"What business do you have behind the barn?" Gareth's eyebrows raised in mock-judgement, likely imagining scenarios that weren't PG.

"Don't judge me and just do it," I playfully nudged. He was willing to do anything if it meant I would tell him whatever he needed to know about my fickle best friend.

*

I could hear the party in full swing, yet here I was standing alone on the edge of it all. There was a barn near the lake that housed all sorts of equipment, and was far enough away from the party that might lend itself to a bit of privacy. The space behind the barn was mostly blocked from the windchill, but there was no firelight for warmth. I had been waiting much longer than 10 minutes. If I had a watch, I'd be checking it by now, but I decided to give it a few more minutes. With alcohol running through my veins, my sense of time must be skewed anyway.

I was beginning to wonder if Eddie would be coming at all, or if Gareth could even find him in the crowd. Was this a stupid idea? I closed my eyes and leaned up against the barn, breathing in the cold air to settle my nerves. I was about ready to turn back when I heard faint footsteps approaching.

"So this is the beautiful and aloof prospective buyer that Gareth mentioned?" I opened my eyes to see Eddie walking towards me.

"Guilty." He took no time pulling me into his arms. I buried my head, inhaling the fire smoke that permeated his hair.

"I gathered as much when Gareth couldn't stop giggling," he said, kissing my forehead. "You know, if you wanted weed you could have just asked."

"I was getting jealous of seeing everyone else get your attention, this was the best excuse I could think of to actually steal you away for a few minutes."

"I could never be away from you for too long, I'm sorry you felt this was your only option."

"That girl sure seemed to like hanging around you." I was unable to help myself, but it had been on my mind.

"Oh, Amber?" He said it like it wasn't obvious she had been trailing him.

"She seemed awfully happy to see you. How long have you know her?" I shouldn't push the issue, but I couldn't resist. His eyes narrowed at my curiosity, but he answered the questions.

"I don't know, a few years? She's always just kind of been around that crowd."

Around how? If he's been with her, I don't want to know. Truthfully it's none of my business. So why can't I stop asking? My boozed up brain was desperate to get to the truth, as much as it might hurt. Self sabotage at its finest.

"Have you…" I began.

"Oh god no," Eddie cut me off, laughing like it was obvious. "Amber only cares about chasing a high, and while she's willing to do whatever for it, including paying with alternative methods. I don't operate my business that way."

"Not that it would matter, if you had… that was before me and you. If someone is going to put their hands and lips on you, I want it to be me." I placed both of my hands in his back pockets for warmth, pulling his waist into my own.

"I want it to be you, too," his voice lowered as he stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. Time seemed to speed up, but also halt completely. I had missed his touch more than I thought possible for a few hours. It was the being near that made me aware something had been missing at all.

"Then kiss me," I begged in a whisper.

Eddie kissed the worry away, and suddenly I felt stupid for feeling jealous at all. His full lips softly moved against mine, and while it was good, it wasn't enough to satiate the desire that grew from the time away. I didn't want soft, I wanted all of him. I wanted the sweetness, the passion, the pleasure and pain all rolled into one.

I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip, capturing it between my own. I nibbled and pulled with the slightest bit of pressure, and in return his mouth opened wider, allowing me to explore with my tongue. He matched my pace as the kissing intensified, the hand that was on my face wrapping around to grasp the back of my hair. Still, I pushed deeper into him, giving up what breath I had left. It was gritty and possessive and all consuming. I know it's not necessary, there's no one here to bear witness, and yet it feels deeply important to stake my claim over this precious one that I love. We settled in, only stopping to catch our breaths.

"Baby, you can't kiss me like that and not expect… side effects," Eddie said as he pulled back. I felt his weight shift as he readjusted.

"What if that's what I want." I squeezed my hands in his back pockets to push closer, and felt the tension where he was pressed against my waist. I didn't even have the alcohol to blame, as I hadn't had enough to make a difference. Having a private moment with him now, and knowing it might all be gone if we went back to the party, dove me forward.

"We're not exactly in a private area…" His words suggested stopping, but his actions said otherwise. He bent down to kiss my chin and neck, leaving a hot trail of breath.

"I don't care. I didn't realize I was possessive and obsessive until I saw you with another girl, and now I have to have you."

"You don't have to be possessive over something I'm giving freely." He nibbled and sucked on a tender spot of my neck, careful not to leave a welt.

"Then let me have you," I said, removing one of my hands from his back pockets. I brushed my hand along the front of his pants where he had grown hard, his moan vibrated on my neck. He unintentionally bit down harder, but the sensation only encouraged me to keep going. I undid his belt buckle and reached below his zipper, wrapping my hand around him over his boxers. I thought it was going well, but he placed his hand over mine before I could pull down his pants completely. He pulled my hand away like it pained him to stop.

"Not here." Eddie's fingers squeezed mine in silent apology.

"Where?" I practically groaned. Damn him for thinking logically when I was focused on immediacy. He offered a kiss to make up for halting my progress.

"We can go somewhere more private," Eddie suggested, fastening the button on his pants much to my chagrin. "Rick lives just on the other side of the lake. Let's take a boat out and stop by real quick. Then you can drag me away into a cave for all I care, I'll go willingly."

"Well if cave dwelling is on the table, we better get moving," I said with coated sarcasm. The promise of a happy ending was enough to drag me away.

*

There was a row of canoes on the edge of the lake, and kids had been taking them out on the water all night. Some unlucky girls ended up in a canoe that capsized and left them dripping and wet. Luckily there was a giant fire to warm them up, and boys who were all too willing to lend their own clothing. We passed them leaving as we went the long way around, walking hand in hand, not wanting to get caught by any of our friends.

I tried to quiet the quake in my stomach, but I couldn't escape the desire now that the seed was planted. My mind kept flashing back to moments ago, the urgency in our kisses, the tug of his hand in my hair. How thick he felt in my hand, how much better it would feel once the layers were removed.

We grabbed an empty canoe and dragged it out to the edge of the water. Eddie helped me into the canoe first, making sure I was seated before pushing us out onto the lake. I offered to help row, but when he found out I had no experience rowing a canoe, he decided that trying to teach me how to coordinate would take too long. So he carried on by himself, and I sat across from him and let him do the work.

The moon was low in the sky, its reflection cascading on the ripples of water left in our wake. I watched the guitar pick hanging from the chain around Eddie's neck, swaying back and forth with each row. The moonlight kept reflecting off his rings as he pushed the oars back and forth, leaving the safety of the shallow water. The further we got from the party, the clamor turned to background noise, like a tv turned down low.

"Being out here at night is kind of nice. Romantic, almost," I said. I looked around, realizing we were the only ones out on the lake.

"You think so? I wish it was under better circumstances than going to see my drug kingpin," he laughed. His concentrated face as he rowed reminded me of the way his face would tense up as we were making love, which brought me right back to picturing him behind the barn.

"I just wish you weren't so far away. Watching you do all the work is kind of hot though."

"You like that?" He laughed. I noticed he switched up his pace, putting in a much more concerted effort.

I was tipsy, and horny, and trapped in the middle of a lake sitting mere feet away from the object of my desire. In a weird psychological play, the distance between us gave me the confidence to say some raunchy shit without worrying about any repercussions. Eddie wasn't close enough to physically shut me up, so I decided to test the limits.

"It has me… imagining how else you might look pumping something else."

He stopped rowing for a second to process what I said, and then he laughed. "You're something else."

"I could be, but you're so far away. This is your fault, you know. You got me all revved up and then put me on a boat in the middle of a lake where I can't even touch you."

"You're the one who tried to seduce me behind a shed," Eddie accused playfully.

"And you're the one who let me, and then made me wait! And just look at you, practically teasing me, you know how hot you look rowing like that?"

"I'm not trying to tease you, I'm trying to get us to the other side of the water as quickly as possible," he said painstakingly, deepening his stroke.

Oh this was going to be fun. I don't know that I could successfully be suductive, but I could try when he was in such a vulnerable position. And even though he was trying to play it cool, I could tell it was working.

"I could just touch myself, but where is the fun in that?" I brought my hand between my knees, using visual stimulation to assist in my game. Eddie watched, then took a deep huffy breath.

"No fun, no fun at all," he said sarcastically. Normally I'd expect him to encourage me, but I suspect he was trying to hold back because we were currently in the middle of a lake and there was nothing he could do at the moment.

"I can see the tension in your pants, baby, I know you want it too." Truthfully I couldn't see anything from where I was sitting thanks to the dark, but I took a gamble. Apparently I wasn't wrong.

"I can't do anything about that right this minute," he nearly growled, confirming my suspicions of his arousal.

"But I can," I said. Here comes the risky part. I lowered my center of gravity and got on my knees in the center of the boat.

"What are you-" he tried to protest, but I inched forward until I was kneeling before him. The canoe rocked, and my hands grasped onto his thighs for stability.

"If you're not careful then this boat will capsize," Eddie warned, but didn't stop me from moving my hands further up his legs.

"Well then we'd both be wet," I said in an attempt to be sultry. He exhaled again and kept rowing. He snuck a glance down and I looked up at him with a playful smile. He smiled and shook his head, which I took as a sign to keep going.

"We're almost there, calm yourself," he tried to instruct, but it wasn't working. I had made the effort to meet him on his side of the canoe, I wasn't stopping now.

"Eddie… fuck." I whispered, grazing my hand over the front of his jeans. "You're so hard, I don't think I can wait."

"Jesus Annie are you trying to make me come in my pants," he asked in brutal honesty. He looked pained.

"No, I was hoping you could come in my…"

We stalled as much as a manual canoe could as he took his hand off one oar and covered my mouth.

"Not one more fucking word, we're almost there." He growled. I knew he didn't mean it aggressively, moreso with a tone of pent up frustration. We both knew engaging in sexual activity in a canoe in the middle of a dirty river was risky business, but I enjoyed the tease. I answered by licking the palm of his hand, but I followed instructions and kept my mouth shut. I did, however, let my hands continue to roam while he worked to get us to the shoreline by Rick's boathouse.

I felt the back of the canoe meet land, and it was only a matter of seconds before Eddie was tossing the oars to the side and grabbing my wandering hands.

"Get out of the canoe right fucking now baby," he commanded, helping me up.

"Ooh you're spicy when you're turned on," I remarked, squeezing his hands in mine.

"Only because you chose the one time I couldn't touch you to say the hottest shit ever, and I'm about to lose it."

Eddie got out of the canoe first, then held his hand out to help me avoid the water. As soon as my two feet were safely on land, I was pulled a couple of paces back, just beyond the line of trees near the shore. Just enough under the cloak of darkness that we wouldn't immediately be caught should anyone wander through.

That was about as far as we could make it before Eddie pulled me into a greedy kiss, satiating the need to be close. We kept moving until my back was pushed against a tree, his body crushing against mine in anticipation. I immediately went back to work on his belt buckle.

Eddie's hand came to the back of my neck, fingers grabbing hold of my hair more roughly than before. He tugged ever so slightly and asked "is this okay?" Before going further. I muttered a weak, "yes," thrown off by how good it felt to be pinned against his body. With a gentle tug, he pulled my head back to tilt my chin up for better access.

"Where do you want me," he growled against my lips, allowing me to be in charge. His wild hair draped near my face as he loomed over me.

I took my time to answer. I was fumbling wildly, impatient and tactless as I undid his belt. Once unfastened, I pulled down the zipper of his pants and slid my other hand beneath. When I wrapped my hand around him, stiff and full, I leaned in and whispered in his ear like it was a secret I was trying to keep. My words were slow and intentional and he hung on every one.

"I want you in my mouth. And when you're off with your other friends tonight, I want to remember the way you taste. I want to be the only one who gets to love you in this way."

I felt him shudder as my breath tickled behind his ear, twitching involuntarily in my hand as I began to stroke him.

"Baby you don't have to, I don't want you to do something that might hurt you." He was giving me an out I didn't need, and his voice didn't sound like he wanted me to stop.

"What if I want to. I've been thinking about this for quite some time." I watched his resolve whither as I freed him from his pants, pulling them down just below his hips.

"How long," he breathed.

"Long enough."

"Is it wrong that I'm sober and you're not," he asked, covering all the bases of consent.

"It's not wrong, and I'm not drunk. It's not wrong when I want to do everything for you. Be everything for you."

"You already are everything," he said with gentle sincerity. "You're in control. You wanna stop, we stop. I don't want to hurt you."

"You could never hurt me," I said, kissing him softly. "Let me show you how much I love you."

Eddie shrugged out of his jacket and laid it down on the damp ground for me to kneel on. Dignity be damned at a time like this, neither of us cared that we were about to get intimate in the middle of the woods. This couldn't wait, I couldn't wait any longer.

Sure, there is beauty in being vulnerable and gentle. But is it not just as intimate to be deeply connected in love and lust? To move and react in a way that brings sublime pleasure to the person you love the most? Even though I was doing something some might consider dirty, I saw it as an act of love.

Defying all decorum, I lowered onto my knees on his jacket. I pulled up his shirt a little, letting my fingers trace the trail of hair from his navel down to the patch above his groin. I wrapped my fingers around his swollen cock, stroking smooth skin before I brought him to my mouth.

It started with kisses, gentle and loving. My lips moved from his tip up his shaft as I held him in my hand, planting kisses wherever I could.

I swiped my tongue titillating and teasing and working my way up to taking him all in. I was unconfident and shaky, but determined. Eddie didn't ask for this, wouldn't do anything I was uncomfortable with. This was all so new to me, but in newness comes opportunity. I wanted to be good, to make him feel good. Wanted to feel him pulse and swell in my mouth. Needed to hear the grunts and moans I could procure with just my mouth. I craved those little sounds, tokens of unbridled pleasures. I loved knowing that I could make Eddie feel so out of control.

"God, baby, you look so fucking sexy."

I lifted my head to catch a glimpse of his face. Eddie licked his lips and smiled as I lowered my mouth back onto him. Eyes locked, I swirled my tongue around the head with gentle hints of what was to come. He was dripping with precum, which I mixed with my saliva for extra lubrication.

I wrapped my lips lovingly around the head of his penis and began to take him. The slighted moan it procured from Eddie was unholy, and so rewarding. His doe eyes glimmered in the moonlight as he watched me, sultry smile dissolving into unrestrained lust. I slowly pushed my head down, slightly deepening his reach down my throat with each pass, my hand stroking further down his shaft to account for his size. The next time I pulled further back until my lips were only encasing his head, then slowly back in. This went on a few times until he bumped against the back of my throat. The unexpected choke made me gag, and he hesitated to check that I was okay.

I was more than okay. This is good. This is right. This is exactly what I wanted. I needed to feel him heavy on my tongue. I wanted him to fuck my mouth, I needed to consume him this way.

I grasped his thighs and moaned my confirmation, my permission to keep going. I could only imagine what the vibrations of my mouth were doing to him, but I could guess by the way his penis pulsed in my mouth.

"I am so fucking gone for you, baby," he whispered, stroking my hair.

When he was certain I could take it, the pace picked up. We got into a rhythm, both immersed in the moment. He never pushed, never pressed me lower or thrust too deep on his own. I took breaks when I needed to, alternating between sucking and stroking when I needed to catch my breath.

This act of love was so filthy, so wholly impure that I felt devilish pleasuring him this way. With anyone else, I surely would have felt ashamed. With Eddie, it made perfect sense. The woods were alive around us, but the only noise registering was the sweet pleasure moans coming from my love.

"Fuck, I'm so close," he said, I could feel his rhythm unsteadying as he was on the edge of climax. I didn't dare stop now.

Exclamations of fuck oh fuck baby you're so good fuck were grunted and choked as he got closer. He didn't have to ask permission to finish, I kept going steady and moaned again to let him know it was okay. He hesitated for a moment, tried to pull out, but I kept my lips wrapped around his head as my hand pumped.

His orgasm came on strong and heavy. I swallowed as it came, holding him in place as he pulsed with pleasure. I was so in love, so completely content to have him this way. And oh my god, I'm practically shaking with my own desires, completely untouched.

When he was ready, Eddie removed himself from my mouth. I kissed the side of his hip, the first place I could reach.

"Come here baby," he said, reaching for my hands. His breathing was still ragged.

Eddie lifted me off my knees, steadying me against him. Even though he had climaxed, he was still very much engaged in the act. He began kissing me hungrily, unafraid and unashamed to taste himself on my tongue. It was dirty and sexy and had me moaning deep into his mouth.

"You're so good to me, sweetheart. Wanna make you come too," he said, barely pulling away to get the words out.

"I need it, Eddie," I panted, realizing how starved I was for completion. I was dying to be touched.

Eddie undid my jeans with a sense of urgency. As soon as my pants were unfastened, he turned me around so I was facing away from him. I could feel him half hard against my bare ass, and leaned up against him for balance. His left arm was wrapped around my front, hand resting lightly on my neck but not applying much pressure. His other hand plunged below. There was no time for soft, gentle petting, no warm up needed. Eddie's two middle fingers slipped right inside me, going as deep as they could before his ring clad knuckles met the barrier.

The feeling was immediately euphoric, as I had been swollen and soaked just anticipating his touch. Eddie's talent would make quick work since I was already this far gone.

"That's it, you're so fucking wet for me," Eddie said, sliding in and out. As soon as his fingers reentered I threw my head back, suppressing a moan.

"No one can hear you, you can be as loud as you want baby," he commanded in my ear.

I wasn't entirely sure that was true, they could probably hear me clear across the river, would probably mistake my screams for a wild coyote. So I swallowed my sounds, bit my cheek to fight it back.

Eddie's thumb swirled over my clit as he plunged deeper, fingers curved to stroke my g spot. My knees buckled, and I muttered a curse as his slender fingers worked their magic.

As I got closer, the pressure of Eddie's fingers on my throat became slightly stronger. I realized it wasn't because he was grabbing harder, but that I was craning forward. Still able to breathe, but restricting airflow to amplify the sensation. I could feel my pulse quicken against his fingers.

"Good girl," Eddie said as I began involuntarily, "wanna make you scream."

Being called good girl had me absolutely wrecked. I was practically putty in his hands as he held me up, barely able to stand as I fell back against him.

"Eddie, fuck," I said, barely holding on. I didn't have it in me to scream, I kept leaning into his hand to restrict my airflow.

"I need you to come all over my fingers, Annie."

As if saying those words in that order with my name was a magic spell, I was doing exactly as he asked. Eddie released the hand from my throat as I climaxed, unbridled moans echoing around us.

My breathing took a minute to get under control. I steadied myself against Eddie, leaning back into his arms, letting him hold me up. In the purest form of aftercare, when I was ready, we helped each other get dressed.

There was no cuddling happening on the ground in the middle of the woods, so instead we stayed leaning up against the tree, wrapped in each other the best we could.

"Your lips are swollen," he said in between gentle kisses, but I didn't care. Nothing could top the euphoria of being alone with him.

Without the jacket, which had been left on the ground for now, Eddie was just wearing a black t shirt, the sleeves cuffed with a stitch. The ink imbedded in his pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. I took hold of his arm and turned it over with my hand, circling over a tattoo on his wrist. When I began grazing a finger up his arm to the next one, he caught on.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Counting tattoos. Do the bats count as one tattoo, or is every bat an individual tattoo?" I counted each of them anyway for good measure.

"I guess one tattoo," he laughed. "Why are you counting?"

"Eve asked earlier, I told her I would report back."

"There are some you're not going to be able to count right now, darling."

"No, I definitely want to count," I said, lifting his arm up and pulling up his shirt.

"Baby, I promise I'll let you count them all, but let's do it at home, okay?"

"What does this one say?" I asked, grazing my fingers over the black ink on his hip, the one we caught sight of in the kitchen. I can't believe I haven't asked before, but I guess I've always been too preoccupied to look closely.

"It says This Machine Kills Fascists."

"What does it mean?"

"It's a Woody Guthrie reference, he's one of Wayne's favorite singers. I grew up listening to his music before I discovered metal. Woody wrote this on his guitar during World War Two to make a political statement against fascism. I admired the unashamed form of protest as a tool in his music, so I got it inked in my skin."

"Is that also why the acoustic guitar in your bedroom says, 'This Machine Slays Dragons'?"

"You noticed that?" Eddie seemed genuinely surprised.

"I notice everything about you." My eyes met his, and there was an understanding there.

"I wrote that on that guitar when I was like, 15 and started getting into D ," he laughed. "I thought I was being clever. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid," I said, leaning back against him. "It's a visual representation of who you were at the time. Kind of like a tattoo."

"I guess so," Eddie said, still allowing me to circle the tattoo with my fingertips.

I lay my hand against the etched words, imagining the searing pain of being marked with ink in such a tender spot. This Machine Kills Fascists. Eddie shudders at the cold touch, but didn't move away. I flipped my hand, allowing his warm skin to thaw the back of my fingers. It's true, even without a jacket he is radiating heat.

"You're always run so warm. You're like my own sun," I joked.

"Me? No. You're the sun, bright and warm. I'm more like the moon. Inconsequential and imitative," he chuckled. "A big dumb rock in the sky."

"The moon is not dumb," I laughed. Then I thought it over, but not in the way he meant. "No, that does fit, actually. You're right, you're the moon."

"Because I'm desperate to match up to the sun, but will always pale in comparison?" He was laughing but he probably meant it.

"No. Because no matter how dark it gets, you illuminate the way. You're always there, offering your light." I didn't care if it was cheesy, my metaphor fit him perfectly.

"Baby you do realize the moon only glows because the sun makes it so. Even when you can't see it happening, it's still there, shining it's light."

If this was a game of who could outdo each other, I was determined to win. Even if it meant making things up.

"Well then the sun only shines with the knowledge that her shine is imperative for the moon to live up to its full potential. And every day, sunrise to sunset, she waits, hoping she can catch a glimpse of the moon's reflection."

We were no longer talking about celestial happenings, but making silly little metaphors to describe ourselves. We were our best when tethered to another, cyclical and constant. I could see Eddie thinking about what I said, turning it over in his mind.

"I see it in your eyes," he broke the silence. "The reflection. In the way you look at me. It's like… you see everything about me."

"I notice everything about you," I reiterated. "I think I always have."

It was so simple, yet my world turned on its axis. My entire life revolved around these little vulnerable moments. The connection between us was so strong, so well understood. I was his sun, and he was my moon. Tears glistened in my eyes before I was even aware.

"Don't cry, my silly little sun," he said, swiping a finger under my eye. Then he bent down to kiss the tip of my nose. "You're so fucking incredible, you know that, right?"

I matched his smile, and then couldn't stop myself from saying the funny thing. "You're just saying that because I just let you finish in my mouth."

There was a split second where he wanted to defend himself in earnest, thought I was being serious, then the reality of what I said hit him. We laughed so hard I was certain they could hear us clear across the lake.

*

We walked back to Rick's with no sense of urgency, love drunk and meandering through the woods until we got back to his property line. Talk about remote. There wasn't much around, no neighbors stacked upon each other like most neighborhoods in Hawkins. Instead there was just Rick's small house and a boathouse on the water, the next house hardly visible and not within earshot.

"If I ever need to hide out, this is the place to do it," Eddie said.

"Why would you need to hide out?" I wondered.

He looked over at me with a questionable squint, like he couldn't believe I was asking.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. The cops aren't exactly tolerant of drug selling."

"Right," I nodded.

"Before Chief Hopper died, it was mostly okay. Any time he caught us he'd confiscate the product, but I think he was just pocketing it. But with Hopper gone, they're suddenly trying to crack down again."

When we got to the front door we could hear the stereo playing lowly from within. I was expecting him to knock, but instead Eddie pulled his keys out of his pocket and began unlocking the door.

"You have a key to his house?" I asked.

"Sometimes it's easier," he said, turning the door handle. "Rick is a stoner, he has probably passed out by now."

We entered the threshold and began looking for Rick.

"Rick? It's Eddie," he shouted in the doorway, but there was no response. The only sound was the staticky singing coming from the stereo.

"Rick?" He called louder, his voice carrying through the one level house.

"It's a mess," I said, kicking an abandoned towel out from under my step.

"Really? It doesn't seem that bad."

Eddie wasn't exactly the pinnacle of tidiness, so he didn't pick up on the immediate signs I did. Instead of things being left out in their natural place, it looked to me like the place had been ransacked. We stepped into the living room to see the place practically turned upside down.

"I don't think this is, 'I forgot to tidy up a few days', messy. This looks more like, 'someone broke into my house and was looking for something,' messy."

"You might be right," he said, noticing the overturned furniture and bending down to inspect. The regular mess was visible, food containers left out, half empty beer cans, and trash. But there were also drawers pulled out of side tables and trash, papers and paraphernalia littering the ground.

"Yeah, this isn't normal," I said as I turned off the stereo. The sudden quiet made it obvious that Rick wasn't home at all.

"You think he got raided?"

"That's what it looks like to me."

Eddie quickly checked the kitchen, and any spot Rick might hide something that he was aware of, but it seems to be wiped clean. "I guess I'll have to make some calls and hide out in the morning," Eddie said.

We decided not to linger, there was no point in staying. I didn't want to say it, but in the back of my mind I worried if Rick's sudden disappearance meant trouble for Eddie.

*

We made it back across the river and returned to a very different party than we had left. Apparently the time away had allowed for everyone to get sufficiently sloshed, and Eddie and I seemed to be the only mostly sober people left.

A handful of shirtless boys were competing in a push up tournament. The girls were eating it up, cheering them on.

Steve had returned, and Claire and Eve had him cornered on either side. They must have introduced themselves in my absence. Who knows what they had to say to him, but by the looks of it, he was confused and a bit affronted. He smiled and nodded, but I could see him looking around for Robin to save him, but she was laughing along with some seniors.

Perhaps the most surprising was seeing Grace settled comfortably on Gareth's lap, his arms holding her firmly in place on a lawn chair. He was animatedly telling a story, her head thrown back in laughter. It was probably the happiest I had seen in her in a very long time, even if it was a byproduct of lowered inhibitions. I hoped she'd feel the same way excitement in the morning.

When Robin saw us, she scuffled right up to us, surprisingly sprightly despite teetering on inebriation.

"Where did you two lovebirds sneak off to," she asked with a knowing smile. Her wine was gone and she was now holding a red solo cup of keg beer.

"We took a trip across the lake," Eddie answered for the both of us, calm as ever.

"And what did you find?"

"Nothing." I tried to act chill but I incriminated myself, which made her laugh.

"Nothing but a few leaves in your hair," Robin said, picking one off my head. I hadn't even noticed, the perils of being pushed up against a tree.

"We tried to visit Rick but he wasn't home," Eddie said. "Truthfully it looks like his place was raided by the cops."

"Reefer Rick? No shit, really?" Apparently Robin was familiar with the local weed hookup already.

"We'll find out in the morning, I guess."

I pulled Eddie's hand to follow Robin and rejoin the group, but Eddie stopped me.

"Don't hate me…" I turned to look at him, the somber look telling me I wouldn't like what was coming next.

"Oh no. Are you leaving again? We just got back!" I was riding the high of having him all to myself, and the selfish part of me didn't want that to end yet.

"There's one more small thing I have to do before the night is over. Then I swear I'm done." The sincerity in his voice told me he didn't want to go either, but it had to be done. I reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, but you own me."

"What does my lady demand?"

"It depends on what you're offering…" Anything could be on the table, but he surprised me with his sweet answer.

"I'd give you the moon, if I could catch it."

"Lucky me, I already have my very own moon," I joked.

As always, I was left with a parting kiss.

*

It's unbelievable how much alcohol you can consume in half an hour when the alternative is admitting your deepest secrets. Someone suggested a round of truth or drink, and I learned quickly that I'd much rather sip lukewarm beer than reveal my truths to people who would take the first opportunity to use it against me.

Some of the early questions were easy, then something shifted. The last few questions felt like personalized attacks that left me with a belly full of beer.

I needed a break, and all my friends seemed too into the game, so I excused myself to make the long trek back to the bathroom on my own.

It wasn't until I made it up the hill, halfway out of breath with a screaming bladder, that the alcohol caught up to me. I sat down on the toilet and realized my head was spinning. Suddenly I was fighting to regain control of my motor skills, and kicking myself for going alone.

The entire walk back down the hill I was anchoring myself from tree to tree, trying desperately to stay upright as my boots slipped against damp leaves. When I entered into the clearing and onto flat line, I breathed a premature sigh of relief that I had made it.

"Who told you it was safe to go wandering around in the woods alone, huh?" I heard as a pair of arms grabbed me around the waist.

Eddie tried his best to keep me up, but the sudden attack threw me off my balance. I was slipping quickly, and crumpled right down to the ground. When I realized there was no danger, I started hysterically laughing as I rolled onto my side like a helpless turtle.

"I had to pee and everyone was too busy attacking me with their stupid games to go with me." The words were jumbled and messy coming out of my mouth, and I realized I was barely making sense.

"When did you get so drunk," Eddie asked with a laugh, pulling me up off the grass.

"When everyone decided it was time to play truth or drink," I bemoaned as I straightened my knees to stand. "That game was rigged, I tell you. Rigged."

"Oh yeah? What questions did you drink on?" He spun me so he was holding me from behind again, and pulled my hair back to rest his chin on my shoulder.

"The first question was innocent. What was the first piece of media that made you feel the tingles as a kid? But my answer is too embarrassing to say, so I drank."

"What was it?" I ignored his question and moved right along, hoping he'll forget it.

"After that the questions kept getting more and more specific and all my answers were terrible. And then it was Robin's turn to ask the question, and I knew by the way she had been staring at me that it would be a targeted attack."

"What did she ask?" he was fiddling with my fingers, turning them over in his hands.

"What is the weirdest place you've hooked up."

"Oh that's cold. How does she know?"

"She knows, Steve knows, I can never look at them again, I might have to kill them just to get some sleep," I rambled. "And I couldn't just tell everyone, so I chugged that beer so fast, which was even more incriminating, and everyone noticed. Now everyone knows that I'm a little freak with a secret."

Eddie buried his face in my neck and let out a genuine laugh at my predicament. I couldn't help but laugh too, it was that ridiculous.

"Robin was practically choking with laughter by the time I finished my beer, and now I am drunk." I said.

"You didn't tell me the answer to the first question. Who gave you the tingles?"

"That's private," I mumbled, stepping away and heading towards a massive downed tree overgrown with moss. I sat down, and Eddie followed.

"If I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?" Something tells me he wouldn't rest until he knew. That to him, getting to know me also included knowing my darkest secrets.

"Perhaps, if it's good enough."

"Okay. Mine was Daphne from Scooby Doo," he said as though he was revealing a juicy secret.

"That's obvious, everyone's into Daphne. I'm into Daphne. Lame. Try again."

"Come on, just tell me yours," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist so I was leaning up against him on the log. "I promise I won't judge."

"It's so bad, you'll probably leave me."

"I won't leave you," he said in earnest. "Just tell me."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I was hiding my head in my hands, embarrassed by the truth. I took a deep breath, delaying the inevitable, and then said, "It was Thomas O'Malley…"

"Who is Thomas O'Malley?"

"You know…" I said, trying to get him to realize where I was going with this.

"No, I don't know." The space between Eddie's eyebrows was furrowed, like he had never heard the name. His ignorance was an unforeseen curse, because now I would have to explain myself, which seemed so much worse.

"Thomas O'Malley… the alleycat."

"The what?" Still, no recollection in his eyes.

I sang the line this time, "Thomas O'Malley, O'Malley the Alleycat." The silly jingle did nothing to enlighten him to my confession.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?"

"From Aristocats?" I had totally embarrassed myself, but it was too late to take it back. "The orange street cat?"

"Ohhhh." Eddie said, connecting the dots. And then he laughed harder than I could have expected as the mental image clicked. "You were turned on by a cat?" More laughter ensued, and I felt the need to defend myself in my drunken haze.

"Have you seen that movie?! Tomas O'Malley was created to be pure sex appeal. His deep voice, the way he struts around like a little slut. I was totally sexually awakened. Ask any girl here and I guarantee you she'll tell you the same. I can't help what an anthropomorphised cat did to my little five year old mind!"

He was rife with laughter, and it was contagious. Soon we were both keeled over, tickled by the idea that a cat could seduce an entire generation of little kids. We ran with the idea that Disney was secretly trying to expose children to sexuality through their cartoons so we'd be more inclined to have families young. If they succeeded at that, we could birth more baby capitalists to indulge in their movies and theme parks, this continuing the cycle. It was hilarious and ridiculous and totally inexplicable to the people around us who were probably confused by our hysteria.

"Their propaganda worked on young impressionable me, is it too late for me?" I asked sarcastically.

"I'm afraid so. I'll be sure to warn the children and use you as an example for generations to come."

The laughter settled, with occasionally Eddie letting out a chuckle here and there about me being into a sexy cat, until finally we quieted down.

"Do you regret loving me yet?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder. It was silly, but I asked anyway.

"Nothing you could say would ever make me regret loving you," he replied simply.

We sat in those words, quietly soaking in the feeling. It was overwhelming, knowing I could be myself around someone and starting to believe that being my honest self wouldn't change his mind. I hoped he could sense that I felt exactly the same.

When I shuddered from the cold chill, Eddie shrugged out of his jacket and let me wear it. Mine was abandoned somewhere near the bonfire during truth or drink, and I wasn't going to escape from this moment to go fetch it.

I was starting to realize how cold it actually was sitting away from the fire, and my fingers were getting stiff with cold. In an effort to warm my hands, I placed them in the pockets of Eddie's leather jacket. Buried within, I felt a little cloth pouch in one of the pockets.

"What's this?" I asked, wrapping my fingers around the package but not pulling it out yet.

"Shit," he muttered, like he forgot something was in there.

"Why, is it something bad?" I let go, releasing my hand from the pocket.

"You just… weren't supposed to see that yet," Eddie said, a slight panic to his voice.

"Oh." Shit. What could it be?

"I was gonna wait to give it to you. Wait for the perfect time…"

"I don't mind waiting." I felt guilty for spoiling something unintentionally, although I didn't know what. "In fact, I'll forget about it completely. One more beer and it's dropped from my mind."

Eddie stuck his hand in the pocket and pulled out the package himself. "That's okay, no point in waiting."

"I don't want to ruin it," I protested, hoping it wasn't too late to rectify my mistake.

"You're not ruining anything. Now is perfect. Close your eyes."

I did as I was told, and waited. Eddie moved my hair to one side. I felt a cool chain laid around my neck, and a charm dangling from it with a little bit of weight sat on the exposed skin beneath my neck. His fingers fiddled with a clasp at the back of my neck, and then he told me I could open my eyes.

I looked down to examine the necklace he had put on me. Hanging from the chain was a raindrop shaped pendant. The gemstone appeared to be cloudy white, but there was a blue and silver shift within the light. Every way I turned it over, a beam of reflective light was visible. Almost like there was an opalescent rainbow trapped within the stone itself.

"It's beautiful. What is the stone called?"

"It's moonstone."

"Moon…stone," I repeated slowly in disbelief.

"I'd give you the moon if I could catch it." He was quoting himself from earlier.

"Did you plan this?"

"Actually, no. I just didn't want to give it to you right away and have you think I'm crazy or something."

No, he couldn't have planned it. I was the one who had suggested he was the moon in the first place. Little did I know he'd follow up on that promise to catch it.

"Where did you get it?" I was shocked that he had found something so entirely us, so all encompassing of the night we had. Something to represent him being the moon to my sun. "I'm starting to believe you conjured it out of thin air. Are you a wizard?"

"Amber's mom runs a holistic kind of store on the south side. They have all sorts of stuff like this, incense, tarot, herbal remedies, witchy stuff. I knew I wanted to get you something, I just needed the money first. That's where I went, after we got back from Rick's. She brought a couple of options for me to look at. When she told me this was called moonstone I knew it was the one."

It dawned on me that Eddie had spent a good portion of the party away from me, because he was working towards doing something for me. I felt undeserving of his thoughtfulness, and overwhelmed by this perfect gift.

"You're telling me you asked Amber to come here to help you, and all the while I'm worried about her stealing you away?" Boy, did I feel dumb.

"I told you, there's nothing to worry about."

"And then she helps you find the most perfect gift for me in all of existence? Where is she, I need to kiss her."

"Unfortunately you just missed her," he laughed. "You'll just have to settle for me."

I kissed him with earnest appreciation. "It's perfect, Eddie. Thank you." I ran a finger over his cheeks down to his lips. I couldn't help it, he was that pretty. "I love you so much."

"I love you, even if the alcohol in your blood could get a vampire drunk." I tried to playfully shove him away, but he kissed me again.

"Now you can carry a piece of me wherever you go," he whispered, holding my head in his hands.

Little did I know how precious this token would be for me in a couple of months time. But for tonight, I would focus on what was in front of me. In the woods, in the cold, in the arms of the person I love. Moonstone pendant shining, even in the darkest of nights. This moment was branded in perfection.