Steve and Eddie meet in a cute little tourist trap of a town. They go all summer dancing around their feelings for each other, but both of them have strict "no dating tourists" policies--- no point in getting attached to someone who already has a return flight booked.
They spend all summer dreading the day the other one heads home. It takes them damn near til Halloween to realize--- neither of them is a tourist.
Growing up Steve's parents hated all the tourists that crowded their little town so they vacationed elsewhere to avoid the rush. Steve went with them and adopted their hatred of tourists that took him away from his friends and his favorite place in the world.
Eddie loved the summers he got to spend with his Uncle Wayne, the energy of all the people, the late nights and slow mornings. Now that Eddie has graduated, he works part time at the plant with his uncle and gets the watch the town he loves transforms every summer into the lively hotspot of strangers. That is of course until he gets his heart broken one too many times by a tourist leaving at the end of the summer never to be heard of again.
The summer before Robin goes to college Steve begs to finally have a summer with her before she leaves for the year. And since the main house has already been rented out for the summer, Steve and Robin get a 2 month long sleepover in the guest house.
It's about a week into the summer when Robin drags Steve to the arcade. She's been showing him all the spots that are still present throughout the year but come alive in the summers. The ice cream shack only opened for the few months. The amphitheater with live music every weekend. The arcade that stays open later so all the kids are in bed and they can play without interruption. It's here that Steve first lays eyes on him. Long dark curly hair, thin waist and legs that go on for days. If only it wasn't summer and Steve could look at this man forever, but of course he's just here hogging the Skee-ball machine until fall rolls around.
Steve sees him again the next night and before he can say anything Robin is marching her way over to the group he's with. Steve misses any introductions trying to catch up with Robin and it takes him well into the night to put together the fact that he actually went to high school with a few of the guys and Robin knows them from band but Steve is sure he would recognize Eddie (it didn't him near as long to learn that bit of information) if he's seen him before.
In the following days their little group continues to meet up most nights. Steve and Eddie couldn't be more different but end up inseparable. Robin would be hurt that Steve was ditching her for a new friend on their first summer together if he wasn't making sure she was always included, which might actually be hurting Steve's chances.
"I think Eddie thinks we're dating" Robin says to Steve on a night they decided to stay in and have a 'girls night'.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Well only if you were waiting for him to make a move".
Steve sputters at that, "Wha- why would you think I'd want Eddie to make a move? We're friends and the summer's almost over anyway."
"Steve it's not even the 4th of July yet!" She rolls her eyes at him.
"So!"
"So have your fun while you can!"
"Robbie, you know why I can't do that!"
Robin can tell they're getting into dangerous territory and drops it "Fine. What color do you want your nails?"
"Red." and they move on from that conversation.
---
As the summer progresses, Steve and Eddie keep getting closer. Chrissy returns from her summer vacation and it's Robin that ends up ditching Steve once a week for date night. It's one of these nights that Steve almost kisses Eddie. If it wasn't for the sudden fireworks, Steve would have done it and then there'd be no saving his heart from the eventual heartbreak that would be sure to come at the end of the summer. He's already dreading it enough not need to add kissing (or anything else for that matter) to the mix.
Steve pulls back and tries his hardest not to be alone with Eddie, especially late at night, curled up on a blanket, under the stars, but it gets harder as the weeks go on.
Eventually Robin starts packing for college, Steve's parents are due home in a few weeks and Steve doesn't know what's gonna happen when the summer ends. Whenever Eddie brings it up Steve avoids the question or changes the subject not wanting to hear how far away Eddie will be and how he'll try to keep in touch it won't last past Halloween.
The whole group hangs out less and less as one by one people leave for the summer until it's just Steve and Eddie. A few times Steve thinks Eddie is gone for good without saying goodbye until he's there the next week at the arcade playing Skee-Ball with Steve or they're seeing a movie together.
It's the middle of September when Steve finally kisses Eddie. They had gotten burgers and milkshakes together and walking through the quit town together. Not another tourist in sight and Steve can't take it anymore.
"Umm what was that?" Eddie sputters after Steve had pulled away.
"Sorry did I misread this?" Of course Steve was making it all up in his head like he always does.
"No but why now?" Eddie looks so confused. "Why kiss me now when you're just going to leave soon?"
"Leave?" Now Steve is confused.
"Yeah summer is over. Don't tourist go back home at the end of the summer?"
"I'm not a tourist"
"But you're renting that fancy guest house!"
"From my parents.."
"And you said it's your first summer here!"
"but I've spent every fall, winter and spring here since I was born."
"So why didn't you kiss me earlier?" by now Eddie is exasperated.
"Because YOU'RE a tourist and you're going to leave me!"
"Maybe at one time I was, but Steve I've lived here for 3 years now!"
Of course they each had a million other questions to ask each other but now that they knew neither one was going to leave any time soon Steve pushed Eddie into the nearest alleyway against the brick wall and kisses him like he had wanted to all summer.
Robin just rolled her eye when Steve called to tell her the news.
