𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: eddie is reeling about how he has yet another crush but still is on that drew barrymore never been kissed train, so like any good young man he is skating to ABBA! when a surprise special guest changes everything.
Eddie was at the skatepark just chillin and riding his board. He realized he had been thinking about Vanessa a lot more than usual, feeling the crush setting in and capturing him. He did this all too often. It was a cycle. He liked someone way out of his league, he remembered no one had ever even kissed him, and then he talked himself out of it and thought about how no one would ever want to kiss him. So he did what he always did, he put on Abba's SOS on his bluetooth speaker and started to rollerblade. "When you're gone, how can I even try to go on? When you're gone, though I try how can I carry on?" he sang out into the void. He didn't even realize that Chanel had arrived, he was so trapped in his own collection of thoughts about how he was unlovable.
Chanel always loved going to the skatepark. It felt like she was in her own little world, away from her usual crowd. Sort of like a break from her life. Her friends were amazing, but most of them didn't enjoy skating this much. If she wanted to bring someone along, they usually just went to a roller rink for the night. The only person that really ever skated around with her was Wren, and he apparently wanted nothing to do with her. The fight she had with Wren not too long ago was still pissing her off, but she was in her stubborn, unapologetic phase at the moment. So to distract herself, she decided to go to the skatepark. Chanel made sure to do her hair and makeup and put on a cute outfit. There was always some cuties around and she had to look her best at all times, obviously. The sound of someone singing Abba immediately caught her attention, even with her airpods already on. Eddie Dalton. He was definitely a strange one. Chanel had been seeing him around skateparks for years now, and every time she tried to say hi to him, he would just leave. It was actually pretty funny. "Ooh, a pretty boy with good taste in music. Wow Eddie, how am I just finding out about this now?" she asked playfully as she skated towards him.
Eddie was really just vibing and letting go. It was time to purge the dumb crush and remember that he knew nothing and she would know that immediately. He was good with school, Ricki was good with girls. It was all a fair trade, sort of. He could tell they were both impeded by their weaknesses, but he probably wouldn't trade when it came down to it. Maybe he would. He wasn't sure, and it wasn't like some ethereal being was going to come down and make an offer. Speaking of ethereal beings: Chanel Hampton was there. Chanel Hampton was there?! Fuck. How long had he been singing out loud? This was so fucking embarrassing. "Sorry, I can go" he said before she complimented him, and he let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Probably because I'm really good at giving you your space. I totally get if you want to be here alone" he said, thinking about skating away from her already. She didn't need him here during her personal time. It all rooted back to middle school, he'd been so scared of her. In that way young boys are terrified of pretty girls. To be fair ... he was still scared of her in that way exactly.
Chanel furrowed her brows and smiled up at Eddie. She knew the type well, and unfortunately for them, she liked to mess with them a little. The sweet smiles, the soft touches, the innocent flirting. Getting their reaction was always amusing to her. "Yeah I could tell. I thought I might have done something wrong and that's why you'd always leave when I was around." she frowned, playing it up of course. "But you could stay, I love company. I could probably use some right now anyways." she admitted with the shrug of her shoulders. Chanel was so sick of being alone. She had been sick of it for years, practically her whole life. Having someone around just made things a little easier. Plus, she loved the attention.
God, he was on edge with her around. Eddie was by no means smooth, and he was definitely leaning towards leaving even now that she was having a full on conversation with him. Eddie laughed, "I think it was a learned response in middle school, and it stuck around" god that was weird to admit. Why did he say that to her? That's so strange. He was going to be kicking himself for that one for a while. "Uh yeah, we can listen to more ABBA if you want" he suggested, wanting to get this whole talking thing off the table. But then suddenly he was speaking again. Why was he doing that "why are you here by yourself?" he inquired.
Chanel narrowed her eyes in confusion, but still smiled at Eddie. That was a little more direct than she expected, but it was still amusing. Maybe he was the kind that got weirdly honest when he was nervous. "Well I hope I didn't do anything wrong back in middle school. Cause I don't mind having you around. You seem fun." She wasn't sure how honest she was being with that last statement, but maybe a compliment would help him relax. Or maybe it would make him even more nervous. Both options seemed fine to her. He was cute, and he was a great skater. It was when you actually talked to him where things got a little awkward. But Chanel Hampton loved a little challenge, especially when it came to boys. "I love ABBA!" she said very genuinely, who didn't love ABBA? Then Eddie asked why she was by herself and that combined with the talk about ABBA made her think of Wren. "Just needed to clear my head. Boy problems." she shrugged, being pretty vague about it. "But I'm used to that. What about you? Anyone special in your life?" she wiggled her eyebrows as she spoke.
The honesty thing had been really weird, and to continue that trend in his personal monologue: he was really happy he didn't truth bomb so hard that he explained the reason why he'd had to leave the skatepark immediately. Eddie wasn't positive she was telling the truth when she said he seemed fun, but he saw no reason why she would lie to him. She could be so rude to him and he wouldn't bat an eye. Then before he could even bat an eye, she was talking about how she loved ABBA, which was fair, because everyone loves ABBA. Not liking ABBA is an activity for sociopaths, obviously. "Yeah I can relate. Well not right now, I have girl problems. But I have had ... I have had boy problems" he said really fumbling on the delivery. "Not like dating or relationship problems, so maybe not relating there or like ... ya know problems of the boudoir" Eddie stopped dead in his tracks, why did he say boudoir? AND, why did he say it like that??? Dear non existent god please come down and kill me, the thought to himself.
Chanel nodded her head slowly, trying to take in everything that he was clumsily saying. She literally had to bite down on her lower lip to make sure she didn't laugh in his face with that last comment. The way he was talking, the choice of word, this shit was too much. Once she pulled herself together, she started to wonder if this was some weird flex and Eddie was trying to say he was so great in bed that he had no issues in that department, or if this was some weird non-flex of saying he was a virgin. "Ohhh, so you're just like really good at what you do? Is that what you're trying to tell me, Eddie?" she asked with a small smirk on her face. Might as well go with option one. If she was right, maybe she could find out how great he was for herself. If she was wrong, his reaction might be hilarious.
His eyes grew wide, "oh no nononono" he said, stumbling over his words yet again. "I'm not cocky I swear, I mean not saying Im not great, I mean. I uh, I haven't ever like ya know. Done the deed or uh anything. I uh, I haven't done anything. I would never just brag like that, that would be so douchey. I um" he said, tripping and falling. It was like falling down a spiral staircase with no way to grabbing onto anything, "I haven't even had my first kiss" somehow came flying out of his mouth, "but I'm not like a mormon. It's not super by choice, I mean I've never asked anybody so I guess that is my choice? Not an incel" if he could he would absolutely hit his head on a wall. He used to do that when he was really frustrated. Just hit his head until he felt dizzy and needed to lay down. His mom wanted to pad every surface in the house.
As usual, Chanel Hampton was right. Eddie's reaction was priceless. She wasn't exactly shocked that he was a virgin, he was a bit strange. The never been kissed part was definitely more surprising. Hooking up with people just seemed really easy to her, but sometimes she forgot that it wasn't like that for everyone else. Not everybody could have great looks and winning personality like she does. Poor people. "Breathe, please. I feel out of breath and I wasn't even talking." she placed her hands on Eddie's shoulders and looked him right in the eyes as she spoke. "It's never too late to get a little practice in. I mean, you can't let this pretty face go to waste." Chanel then lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair to push it out of his face. "I'm sure there's tons of girls and guys that wanna get at you."
Eddie gulped loudly, he wasn't even sure his throat had ever done that ... like ever. But he had also never talked to Chanel Hampton before, let alone been told to breathe by her. Guess he did it too well. "People are usually pretty distracted by Ricki, and I also have a um. I have a habit of leaving when hot people enter my space" he said, his palms sweating. Why was she touching him? Was this a game? He heard Chanel Hampton played a lot of games. He didn't mind being a pawn, he just didn't know why she was doing this. Talking to him. Listening. Very confusing.
The smirk on Chanel's face widened a bit as Eddie spoke. Chanel Hampton was not a picky girl. If she found you attractive, she was interested, and luckily for her, she lived in a town filled with pretty people. Not only was Eddie attractive, he was also kind of fun to mess with. She never claimed to be a sweetheart, but it's not like she was acting like a total bitch either. She could be meaner, but she's heard the rumors about this guy's anger. It was all about what gave her the most satisfaction, and right now, teasing him a bit seemed to be the best option. Plus, she needed something to distract her from Wren. The way she just stopped hooking up with people for him, just to ditch out on her again?? So embarrassing. "Oh so that's why you always left when I was around. I didn't know you felt that way about me." she moved in closer to Eddie as she spoke, her lips close to his. "If I had known sooner, I would have helped you out with your little problem." she said before pressing her lips against his. Chanel hoped he wasn't totally saving his first kiss for something more special, but having Chanel Hampton be your first kiss seemed special to her. She pulled away with a more friendly smile on her face. "But better late than never, right?"
She got closer to Eddie, and his eyes darted everywhere from her lips to the other side of the skatepark as he rubbed his hands on his shorts to get the sweat off. "I think everybody feels that way about you Chanel" said Eddie, and he was being genuine. There wasn't a person at Hastings Hall that didn't think she was hot. It was a universal truth. Before he could respond to her second comment, her lips were on his. His first kiss, his real first kiss and it was with The Chanel Hampton? "Thank you" he said, literally thanking her? That was disgusting "um yeah" he breathed out awkwardly "could I ? Would it be okay, um if I practiced uh with you?" he asked, stammering a little.
Comments like the one Eddie first made just fueled Chanel's ego. She absolutely loved it. Hearing a thank you did throw her off a bit, but it's not like it was the first time she's heard that. Her first kiss had thanked her. They were kids ... but he did thank her. Without really thinking too hard on it, Chanel nodded, "Sure, why not." she said casually with a smile. She was the gift that just kept on giving. "But if I'm going to help you, I should tell you, the thank yous? Leave those out." she suggested. "You gotta act like you're the one gifting the other person, not the other way around. They should be wanting to thank you." she poked at his chest softly. "I mean except in our situation, I will not be thanking you but I'm sure you understand."
This was a very informative lesson, honestly. "No thank yous, got it. That was a mistake, well I am thankful ... but saying it. Weird. Understood" said Eddie, nodding as he listened. "Got it, got it" said the boy, bucking up the nerve to lean in again. He put his hand on Chanel's cheek and kissed her this time. He wanted to kiss Vanessa so badly, but he knew he probably shouldn't. Maybe he could get like a starter pack girlfriend? Someone who could do stuff like this with him, but ya know .. not Chanel Hampton. Not that dating Chanel Hampton wouldn't be awesome, but this was a pity thing through and through. //END
𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: eddie comes over for cooking lessons just like he said he would.
phone call to nessa
eddie to nessa: Hey, it's Eddie. But I guess you knew that because of caller id. But hey, I said I'd call!
nessa to eddie: I thought you forgot about me or our afternoon was as fun as I thought it was.
eddie to nessa: i was given the three day rule speech one time, and it stuck. our day was definitely fun, I was hoping we could maybe start our cooking lessons
nessa to eddie: so I should of waited a hour and called you back. Yes I bought pots and stuff and a apron.
eddie to nessa: we can end the call and we could play phone tag for a few days if you want. -laughs- Wow, look at you. A chef already!
nessa to eddie: we can but with the way that works we probably won't have a conversation until graduation...I'll look like it but I'm excited to be in the kitchen with you.
eddie to nessa: yeah that's not a great plan... I'll come by this evening? Does that work for you?
nessa to eddie: yeah I agree..Yeah I really don't have much to do so I'm down
eddie to nessa: see you tonight then
nessa to eddie: I can't wait -blows kisses and hangs up-
He might have tried on every shirt he owned before he settled on a plain tee shirt. Eddie had been sure to smell good and make sure his hair was extra fresh, feeling the nervousness really kick in. He was so anxious about going over there. What if he forgot everything he knew about cooking or didn't know how to speak? He should really go to Ricki for advice, but he couldn't bring himself to. Ricki had giving him advice on every girl or guy he had tried to talk to ever, but he didn't want the speech on how he shouldn't fall for their new friend. But Eddie couldn't help himself. He wanted to either get the girl or not, and suffer the lecture later without any I told you so's involved. But before he knew it, he was skateboarding back to that apartment and was looking up her number on the call box. Eddie wiped his palms off on his jeans before pressing the number to call. "It's uh, Edmund Dalton" he said before she buzzed him up. Why did he say his full name? How did he forget his own nickname? Eddie thought he felt a tremor in his elbow. Isn't that the sign of a heart attack? Was he experiencing verbal salad? The last few moments of his life and he was heading into an elevator for the next unsuspecting apartment owner to find his body in god knows how long. Fear permeated every inch of his being, but in an instant he was standing in front of her door and knocking.
Nessa knew nothing about cooking, she didn't know what to wear or how to have her hair. Was that even important? For her it was. Ness kept her hair curled, a grey tennis skirt and a black crop top, she still looked cute but she could also get messy if she needed to. Vanessa was happy her parents cook sent over some things and walked her through the pots and pans she would need. If she never told him she didn't know how to cook then he would assume she had her shit together in the kitchen. She checked her phone, then her outfit in the mirror. She had a great time the other day and even though they hung out at the skate park it wasn't the same when it was just them two. Nessa hear his voice over the intercom, Edmund, she smiled to herself as she buzzed him in. It was cute that he was nervous, she looked around her house and made sure everything was neat and in place. It smelled like her, vanilla and honey she wondered if she would light some incense. "Just be normal girl, jeez." she had to say to herself as she walled up to the door and opened it. "I like the name Edmund." she smiled pushing the door to widen so he could come in. "Just so know." her smile was wide. He smelled good, he looked good. Nessa had to control her hormones, he came over to cook not make out or take her to bed. He's your friend first, she had to remind herself ass she closed her door.
To say he was fine at the skatepark the other day was a gross overstatement. Eddie had been kind of a mess, so he just focused on skating. He didn't want Eddie or Laney to know what he and Nessa had gotten up to. Didn't want to make a big deal about things, especially if that freaked her out. He found himself reminding himself to breathe as he stood in front of the door. When she said he liked his name, he let out a laugh, "yeah I have no idea why I said my full name. I think it was just habit." He shook his head a little. "Thank you, my parents liked it too. Second graders though? Not big fans" Eddie replied. Her apartment smelled just like her, he couldn't really distinguish what it was ... but if he were to smell it at like a store he would definitely be able to pick it up out of a line up. Everything was decorated to the 10's here, and he thought about how his place was just covered in tech junk and piles of clothing on the ground. He was lucky to even have clean clothes for today, and she looked effortless. It was like she woke up just looking like that. He knew from sharing a bathroom with Natalie for a week once that she did not wake up looking like that at all. In fact, it took several hours for her to look less like a gremlin. But that was just his opinion. "You look great, and wow you have a lot of stuff for someone who doesn't cook" he said looking around her kitchen.
She didn't really know what was up with them. They went to the skatepark and he didn't give her the attention that she deserved. She thought that maybe he didn't want Ricki all in his business or maybe he had a thing for Laney and didn't want her to know. Laney was the type of girl you take to mommy but nessa was the type you took to bed and shopping or whatever else she wanted. She pushed the thoughts out of her head, maybe he just wantedto skate. " No I think it was cute, my parents would of given you brownie points for that. They're very into manners and the right way of doing things" It only made sense they had a wild child like nessa. She chuckled thinking about how cruel kids were. How cruel she used to be, it almost made her feel bad but did she really have a reason to? No mother at the moment. " Kids can be such assholes." She moved to the kitchen. Her parents paid for it but she designed it. She liked things that reflected her, cute, classy,very dramatic with sex appeal. Most people didn't get to come here she didn't like people in her space. "Thank you I went simple, no makeup, no product. " She touched her hair." My parents cook sent me stuff and gave me a list, he wanted me to learn for years but she didn't really have a reason until now. "Well welcome to MI Casa, when we finish I could show you the dungeon. It's where we're going to be playing d&d."
Being alone with her again was making his hands so sweaty. Eddie prayed to whatever God was out there, that his anxiety would stop physically manifesting on his body. "Kids are the worst, but my house was full of them. Like to the brim. I've got 7 siblings" said the boy as he pulled the neck of his shirt and made a face. "Seems like a hair test should occur" he said as he ran his hands through his own hair and then hesitantly touched hers. "I hate to give you the bad news, but mine is still softer Samson" he teased her with a smile. He was getting more comfortable, but he still had such a weird nervousness about him. "I get to see the dungeon if we don't burn down your kitchen. Challenge apprehensively accepted" said Eddie as he picked up an apron and put it on, "What are you interested in learning how to make?" he asked, "since I am here for lessons, right?" He was almost genuinely asking if that's really why she wanted him here, because he did not know.
" I have a older brother, it had it challenges but I can't imagine having to do it with six other people." She shook her head. "But that's means you just have more people that have your back and love you, I envy that." She wasn't as close to her family as she would like to be, her brother was 12 years older than her and he didn't really take to her cause he was so much older. She scoffed feigning disappointment. "Whatever." She teased slipping her fingers in his hair. He was right it was so much softer than hers. "Yeah I have fire extinguishers on standby just in case, I'm gonna try to contain any mistakes to the kitchen." She picked up the other apron and slid it on. "My favorite food is garlic shrimp Alfredo, can we make that?" She looked at him excited. " If you want to go a little more simple then we can start with like pancakes, and I can give you a tour. " She winked. She had hoped that they picked up where they had left off.
As the stress was starting to get to him, he devised a plan. If he had a little something to drink ... maybe he could be better at this. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, "it's a little complicated. We're all kind of at each other's throats all the time. No blood relation, just a lot of people fighting for parental approval. They're all like crazy talented ... I'll get into it some other time" he said with a little cough to clear his throat. He could feel himself getting fidgety and talking with his hands, it was embarrassing. A drink would definitely fix that, "Do you have anything to drink? I feel like that'll really get us in the right headspace for cooking" he suggested as he looked around, not giving her much eye contact. Eddie was just profoundly nervous, he wasn't sure where to stand or how to act or what was flirting. He'd never been alone with a girl in her living space before, he kept thinking about how she had a couch and a bed and lots of places to make out. And what if he forgot how to make out? What if he was no good at it this time, and there was all that pressure with the bed being nearby. There was a bed nearby. Scary stuff. Not great to think about, he wished he had taken a shot before he left the house. Well ... to be honest with himself. A second shot. Followed by brushing his teeth, which he learned was very very gross. "I think we should shoot for pancakes first. From scratch though. The box is ... well it's just not the same texture" said Eddie, he was weirdly specific about food textures. Always had been as a child and never really grew out of it. He was also super distracted by the wink. What did that mean? Was that about the bed again? Wait, that was definitely a conversation he had with himself in his head. He wished there was a way to know what she was thinking.
Nessa listened as he talked about his family, ahh yes most families were complicated. She was hapoynshe wasn't alone with the family drama. "I do." She could tell he was nervous, she went to her fridge and pulled out iced tea, soda, wine and vodka and placing it all on the table. She took out two glasses and put them on the table. "Choose your poison." She picked up the vodka and poured it in a cup with iced tea and downed it. Hopefully he would follow suit so he could loosen up. She walked over to him, putting her arm around the back of his neck she smiled. Lifting herself up so she could reach his lips she kissed him gently. " I've been wanting to do that since the skatepark but I didn't want to ruin your vibe." She kissed him again. Looking up at him after she returned to her height. She wanted to kiss him since he walked her home and was a complete gentleman. She shook her head maybe he just wanted to be her friend. Maybe she was trying to look for something that just wasn't there."I'm not sure I would know the difference since I've never cooked before." She walked back over to her fridge and opened it, what do I need?" She pulled out chocolate chips because those were a must in her pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes were her comfort food, her nanny made them for her growing up and of she had a bad day she would go to a diner and order them.
Eddie took the vodka off the counter once she put it down and then poured some iced tea as well, following her amounts. He drank it quickly before pouring another one and leaving it on the counter to drink more slowly. Once he put the cup down, her lips were on his again. "I just didn't want to make Laney or Ricki feel weird, wasn't really sure what the um, boundaries were" said Eddie taking a deep breath. "Just flour, baking soda, salt" said the boy as he started to open up cabinets to look for things, "sugar, egg, butter, milk" he started to pull things out and put them on the counter, "and obviously chocolate chips, but I see you already got those" he said as he came to from thinking about the list. He was still really nervous and he took another sip of his drink. "So are pancakes your breakfast food of choice?" he asked, looking over at her. It made his stomach churn, just being around her. Like he could ruin everything in a minute, and he knew he definitely would.
Boundaries were almost like a foreign word to her. Much like the word no she kinda just did her own thing. She did understand not wanting to make them feel weird and it was kind of hot to have that a secret. If that was the real reason but when it came to men she questioned everything they did. Nessa watched him pull things out, she just got the mixing bowl and things she assumed they would need to mix everything up. She watched him drink some more and hoped that would loosen him up a bit. "Chocolate pancakes are my comfort food, bad day, break up, feeling like your parents don't love you. You grab pancakes. Want to talk without any of my hostility to make peace bring me pancakes." She smiled. " They just make everything better you know. They way money can't sometimes." She poured the chips into a smaller bowl for later and eating some. " What about you what's your comfort food?" She was sure everyone had one her mother's was pop tarts and her fathers were popcorn.
Eddie was always worried about boundaries. He just knew that some people were uncomfortable around him, and that he was uncomfortable around other people. Computers just made so much more sense, and when they didn't? They got smashed. You don't do that with people, that would be royally fucked. The alcohol was helping him feel a little less nervous, and he was able to think about how he wanted to stand closer to her. "So when I mess up, biggest move I can make is pancakes. Got it" said Eddie with a smile, "maybe I shouldn't teach you how to make them, that way you have a reason to call sooner". He wanted to be useful to people, it's not like people would really want him around otherwise. "When I'm really sad, I get Indian food. Nothing like it" said Eddie. He remembered when his mom starting seeing Phillip, and he was trying to get to know all of them. So they went to get Indian food and it was the first time he had ever tried it. Immediate love. Eddie stood next to her and started measuring out ingredients, him and Ricki ate pancakes constantly. It was super easy to make on a hotplate last year when they had lost track of time and the cafeteria had closed. "You have flour on your nose" Eddie lied and he put his finger on the tip of her nose, putting flour there.
Money had it's advantages and so was having important parents, It meant that she was at the top of the food chain and she could do whatever she wanted. It also meant that people were nice to her. She always had a social life, she liked being around people, getting attention from people. She didn't feel seen if she wasn't the center of attention, it turned her into a mean and petty person sometimes but it wasn't that bad anymore. "Definitely if you show up on my front door and i'm mad at you, pancakes is the way to go." she laughed. "You don't need a reason, i like hanging out with you. cooking, eating, skating or just chilling on the couch as long as i'm spending time with you i'm aces." she made a mental note that it was indian food, though she herself never had it. Pulling it out her phone she recorded what he was doing so she could try it again later. She set her phone down so she could catch everything. It was like a science and he was making seem so much easier than it was. She didn't care cause she liked watching him, he was cute when he was concentrating. "Huh?" she said a bit confused. "You didn't." she giggled throwing a little bit of flour his way.
She really wanted to spend time with him? No ulterior motive? It felt strange to Eddie, he guessed that maybe other people might have thought this way if he had only taken the time to actually try to talk to them instead of just lurking. Maybe that was his problem, and he was his own impediment. Eddie took the idea that Vanessa didn't need a reason to hang out with him in pride, and he already had a smile on his face. It grew twice the size as he laughed, getting hit with some flour. "I've been shot" he said dramatically, like he was play fighting with Ricki. Eddie put his back up against the fridge and slowly slid down it, holding his hand over where the flour was. "Tell my mother I died with valor, and that my opponent had really good aim" he said, acting as though it was his last breaths. "Will you stay with me until I meet my end?" Eddie asked, reaching out to hold her hand.
It was nice to do other things besides ships and pretend she knew anything besides any other sport but skating. She laughed at his dramatics, she hadnt laughed like that it an a minute. It was refreshing to see someone as dramatic as she was. Trying to stifling her laughter as he slid down her fridge, listening to his speech. Bending down she grabbed his hand and touched his hand." Of course." She put her other hand on his cheek. " Atleast you went out fighting, like a warrior. The whole world will hear your name, they will song sonnets and write plays about you." She moved her thumb across his cheek and kissed him gently. Moving her leg over his now straddling his. Deepening the kiss as her fingers went through his hair.
Eddie really liked that she wasn't afraid to be dorky like this. He couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth during his speech, but he didn't really care in the moment. When she was straddling his lap he finally was at a loss for words, mostly because her mouth was on his. It felt good to be close with someone like this. Eddie moved his hands down to her ass, his heart was pounding. He kissed her back slowly, wanting to stay like this forever. She might do this all the time, but he didn't care. He just wanted more of this, just this feeling of her body weight on him. He had no clue how anything could feel better than this. He wondered if he should tell her that this is the furthest he had ever gone. Would she laugh? Or just ask a bunch of questions? But he became distracted again at the feeling of her hips against him, "I look um, pretty good for a dead guy right now" he said with a laugh before moving her hair and kissing her neck softly.
No one had ever made her have this much fun before, the girls she usually hang out with were stuck up and the guys were mostly the type of men her parents would approve of. It wasn't bad they were the kind of people she could take to events and they knew how to move in that circle. That was cool and all that but she wanted this, whatever this was. Playing with a friend or making out with a really cute guy that could make her laugh. She felt like she was getting lost in him, in his kisses. His hands on her ass made her smile, she didn't think she was that kind of guy but it was a very pleasant surprise. She didn't know if she should go farther or let him make the first move. Maybe she should just see what happens and goes with the flow. She let out a laugh, a small moan escaping her lips. "You'll still have better hair than me in the afterlife." she kept her hand in his hair.
Eddie was sure that was the sweetest sound he had ever heard in his entire life when she moaned. It was small, but he swore he would give anything to hear a chorus of it leaving her mouth. He was really doing this. Talking to a girl without help, or advice. He was just ... doing it. "I think you're underestimating your hair" said Eddie with a smile, "... soo pancakes?" he asked. He didn't really want to get up, but the more they did this the more out of his comfort zone they were going to be. The further they went, the sooner it would be over and she'd be sending Laney texts about how he was small or didn't last long enough or didn't know what he was doing. Then he'd have to hide away until it was okay again, and he wasn't ready to lose this. Eddie went ahead and got up, putting his hand out for her. "So the trick to pancakes is you don't want to over stir the batter. It makes them mushy" said the boy as he mixed the wet ingredients into the bowl. He took her hand and put her in front of him, guiding her hand to stir. "See that lumpiness? That's perfect" said the boy as he turned his head to look at her, making a little space between them because he didn't want her to know that he was sporting a middle school level boner. Between her standing right in front of him and the kissing that had happened a moment ago, he was lost in the sauce. Thinking about how she smelled like vanilla.
"You should see it after wash day then you would really have a run for your money." She teased. She put her faith in the universe and it wanted them to continue to make pancakes. Oh how it liked to tease her in the worse way. " Yeah, pancakes." She said less enthusiastic. She didn't want to get up she liked sitting in his lap, kissing him. She just told herself that she was going to go with the flow so that was what she had to do. Things like this was hard for her, most people just like through themselves at her. Is thos what regular people did, get to know each other first then do everything else? She wondered if that's how her parents met but she doubt it. They probably made meetings for their love life, the thought of having no real romance in her life scared her.Maybe it was the drama queen in her but she wanted something that fed her soul. Something that if it didn't work rocked her to her core. Some said she was foolish but no one fantasized about a biting love. That would also mean boring sex and that was a huge no no. Nessa watched him as he stirred, letting him lead her in what she was supposed to be doing. She took note of the consistency. "Am I doing it right?" She looked up at him and blushed. Was he being a gentleman by not pushing up on her or was he playing it cool?
He was more driven to romantic intimacy than just sex. The fear of doing the wrong thing or pushing her too far scared the ever living shit out of him. The concept that he could be something she regretted or was embarrassed of guided him to go slow. Eddie kissed her shoulder and had his hand on her waist, still keeping his distance so she wouldn't know her effect on him. "Perfect" he said as he looked at the batter. He left her abruptly and went to go heat up the pan and get everything ready, starting to put things away. Eddie was methodical when he was doing a task, and sometimes forgot that other people were in the room. But he was hyper aware of her and he didn't want her to have to do anything. "So we want to put the chocolate chips in so they sink in a little bit, that way they're not burning on the bottom when you flip it" he said as he put butter into the heated pan. Eddie turned to look at her and smiled, doing his best to remind himself to be affirming of her, but he wasn't really sure how to do that. They had a task to do, he had been invited here to make pancakes. He wanted to understand the assignment, not go off book. Unsure of what she wanted from him beyond what he was told.
His kisses gave her goosebumps, when was the last time she got goosebumps? Nessa didn't know, she was sure he had no idea what kind of effect he had on her. Could she like someone more than physically? Last time she did she got her heart broken. Eddie was no where near that kind of guy plus they were friends. Friends that made out and she thought about sleeping with. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nessa turned and watched him, he was so focused it was almost like he was in his own little world. It was how she was when she was skating or making beats. She wanted to own her own record label as long as she studied business management for giving a helping hand in her parents business. They agreed to give her the start up money to do it. "My favorite part." She took a hand full of chocolate chips and sprinkled them in the batter. Taking some more and eating them. She jumped as the butter sizzles in the pan. She ran her hand under his shirt and gently ran her fingers up and down his back. It was more of a comfort thing for her, than her trying to be sexual. She had a pillow she usually used but that might of seemed weird and he was right there. " I can not wait to taste it."
Her nails on his back gave him chills, but he loved it. He never really thought he was much for physical touch, but this was deeply comforting in a way he had never experienced. It felt like being really held by someone who cares. Eddie leaned down and kissed her, trying to keep in the back of his mind that there was a pancake in the pan. But all he could think about was preserving the closeness that he was feeling to her. His hand rested on her chin, and he thought about how badly he wanted to get to know her more. To know her life story, to know every inch of her being inside and out. His other crushes simply had not felt like this. "You think you're ready to flip it?" he asked with a smile, looking over to see bubbles forming on the top of the pancake. "I have complete faith in you" he encouraged as he handed her the spatula.
This was better than the ice cream date that wasn't really a date, it felt intimate. Is this what true intimacy was? Not a night of making him see heaven between her thighs. She preferred this, the kisses while cooking and her hand on the back of his shirt. Nessa wish she could freeze this moment and keep everything about it so she could come to it when she needed to feel...what was this? Happiness. She smiled into the kiss pulling back to look at him to admire him. His eyes were so blue, he was truly handsome not in the objectifying way she thought of him before. She looked down and had no idea how was she supposed to know the right time. She took the spatula, she tried to turning it but it slid off the spatula twice. "fuck!" she whispered before trying it again and finally getting it. " Look I did it."
Eddie smiled as he watched her fail to flip the pancake the first few times, but he knew not to just cut in and do it for her. "Look at you" he said as he finished off his drink, "next one I'll flip" Eddie cleared his throat. He took the misshaped pancake from the pan and put it on a plate for her, passing it to her. He ladled the next pancake onto the pan, "would you chip me?" Ed said turning to her, "it has to be you." Her favorite part. How could he not have her do it? He'd never really had to be thoughtful of others before, but it felt good. Like they were a team. After the chips were on and the bubbles started to form he pointed it out, "so when there is air bubbles all over it, then you know to flip" he instructed before confidently putting the spatula under the pancake and flipping it, "and that just comes from practice."
"I know." she said proud as he put it on the plate. "yeah." her pancakes didn't look like the ones she was made, it was a sad pancake but it was her sad pancake. "Thank you." she smiled putting butter on it. She watched him as he poured made another one. "I've waited my whole life to hear those exact words." she teased as she grabbed more chips and sprinkled them in. She clapped when she was finished since this seemed to be the only thing she was good at. Moving around him she put arms around his waist nd peaked over to watch him. That see med like a easier way to tell than just guessing like she was prepared to do. "Now you're just showing off." she pouted playfully pouted. "So I was thinking." she said a bit nervously. "If you don't have anything to do after this maybe we could watch a movie or play call of duty."
Eddie laughed "if I don't show off, how am I supposed to impress you?" he replied honestly. He thought about how aggressive he could get during games, and how he was worried about her seeing him like that. He'd never really been too self conscious before, but it was because Ricki was so good at damage control when it came to Eddie vs others. "I could stay for a movie" he said, even though he had nothing to do later. If writing people's papers and eating too many takis was an activity, you could potentially say he was booked for the next three years but ... he didn't really view it that way. "What kind of movies do you like?" he inquired, realizing he had never even just watched a movie with her before. But at the same time they felt like old friends, it was a strange feeling. Wanting to get to know someone but already feeling close.
She chuckled as she moved next to him giving him room to maneuver around in the kitchen. "Well i'm so surprised at you Mr. Dalton." she pouted." I've been impressed by you since the arcade." she ran her finger across his jawline. She wasn't sure what his day to day was beside hanging out with them or writing papers. Which was the first thing she heard about him. Some of her friends used his services and got A's and b's she had always admired how smart he was. It was a complete difference between him and Ricki it was like day and night. "Sci-fi, horror, romance of course." she moved her hair behind her ear."I also like the classics, Clarke Gable, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly. Casablanca is like my favorite movie. " she smiled. "I know black and whir pictures but ugh they're so good. "
Eddie's cheeks immediately grew red as she traced her finger across his jawline. "I'm a closeted romantic comedy lover" said Eddie fond of what she was talking about. He was definitely a meg ryan fan, but one of the first movies he remembred watching was Audrey Hepbrun's Sabrina. He loved that movie: the two brothers fighting over the girl. Very unrelatable. Him and Ricki would never fall for the same girl. But the biggest take away from that movie was to never root for David, but to always root for Linus. Linus was the one who truly understood her. God that movie was a classic, he even liked the later remake. It was his mom's comfort movie, she had it on a lot when he was little and his dad had passed. "I do fully understand the hype, but I will admit I am completely uneducated in the classics. All I know of Humphrey Bogart is that he's in Sabrina" Eddie admitted.
"Really?" she said a little surprised, she never knew a guy that would admit to liking that genre. He kept surprising her, t was weird she was interested in what he was talking about, what he was into. Very few people especially people her age were into the classics, why watch something in black and white when you could just get a movie in color, 4k. It was glamourous o her, it was easier to focus on the storyline, appreciate the chemistry. "One day we're going to have a sleep over, nothing but old movies all the classics. You're going to love it." she said excitedly. Sabrina is such a good movie and Audrey Hepburn is a icon." she looked over at him."I think I like you more and more Mr. Dalton." she kissed his lips gently. Her hands working up his chest, as she pulled back from the kiss. She had no idea what he wanted from her, what his intentions were but she was willing to find out.
His heart beat rapidly at the idea of a sleepover. It made him think about how her bed was nearby. "I look forward to my education" said Eddie, surprised to see her so excited. Was she excited about the movies or him? Or both? He estimated about 80% movie, 20% him. But the alcohol was gaining on him, feeling warm and more easy going. He should drink more heavily to do things like this. She pulled him in for a kiss, and he loved the feeling of her hands on him. "No need to wait, we could always watch a classic now?" he suggested, heading over to the couch and sitting down, "whatever you want to do. I'm in" Eddie had never been so free wheeling in his life. Not with anyone except Ricki. But when they made plans it was always idiotic. Not that he would know it in the moment, it was always the after. Plans with Vanessa didn't seem so callous.
Nessa bit her bottom lip and looked at him flirtatious. "I love nothing more than a man that doesn't mind being taught." Her tone was dripping with a certain kind of sexual tension. It couldn't be helped sometimes it just came out despite how hard she was trying and she was trying. "Absolutely!" She said with giddiness. She was happy to have a chance to cuddle up next to him while showing him something she was oddly passionate about. "We can start off with What ever happened to baby Jane starring the the iconic Bette Davis and the glamorous Joan Crawford." She grabbed a blanket and put on the movie before sitting next to him her legs across his legs as she got comfortable and laid down. Hopefully he would want to lay down with her. She looked over at him and smiled he bad no idea how much this meant to her.
Her tone changed, he wondered what that meant. He wasn't super sure, but something was stirring in him for sure. They she put her legs across his and laid down, so he kicked off his shoes. "So what's the plot?" he asked, before reaching and grabbing some blanket. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. What were the rules of this? He wished he had asked Ricki before coming over here, or maybe getting some advice from Laney. Eddie put his hand on her leg, looking over to her with a dopey smile. He was just happy to be there, and trying not to think about what was the right thing he should be doing.
"Ok so it's about sisters and one is paralyzed and the other one isn't and she like treats her so bad. I think she was jealous of her but you could totally watch it and collect your own ideas about. It's mad stuff that happens and a super fun fact Bette and Joan real life hated each other so it was easy for them to portray it on screen and alot of the more physical stuff was like for real." She started the movie. "Come lay on my chest so I could play with your hair while we watch the movie." She just wanted him to be closer. She had seen this movie a bunch of times she just wanted a reason to touch him.
Ed listened closely to what she had to say about the movie, and it honestly sounded really entertaining. But a large part of his brain wanted to not pay attention to the movie at all and just talk to her the whole time. He didn't speak as much as he nodded and then immediately obeyed her request. Eddie had read plenty of forum posts about men not enjoying being the person who was cuddled, but this was very comforting. He could almost fall asleep. He also had never been this close to anyone before, and he was trying really hard to not think about how he was on her chest. But reality really set in on other parts of his body, as much as he tried. Between the fingers in his hair and his face's proximity to her chest. It was only a matter of time, and he was deeply embarrassed. His cheeks felt like they were on fire.
She had never been more comfortable than playing with his hair and watching the movie with a blanket over them if it had been a thunderstorm outside, that would be the only thing to make things better. She was well into the movie whe she felt something poking her. She couldn't quite put her finger in it but then she realized what it was on and before she could stop herself and think about what to say next she looked down at his red face and smiled. This was one of those moments where she could of sat back and just ignored it or found a more mature way to point out what was happening. But she didn't and instead she blurted out" Oh thank God you do find me sexually attractive."
Eddie felt like he was in the clear. Maybe she didn't feel it, and he continued to watch the movie. But then suddenly she blurted out a statement that really shook him to his core. Mostly, he was confused "why would you think that I don't?" he asked. Was it something he did? He felt like they had touched an appropriate amount. He felt like he was taking a big risk earlier when he touched her ass. Maybe he wasn't being risky enough. What did people even expect on these sorts of not dates? Was he really missing the mark? Eddie was bewildered, she was one of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen. Let alone talked to.
"Hmm." She didn't get up from her spot her hands still in his hair. She was too comfortable to move even if she was getting poked. Which she didn't mind at all. " I know you like me or I assume you like me and I like you but you're kind of hard to read and my hints seem to go over your head and I can tell that its not on purpose. So I thought either you're a gentleman and you want to take your time before trying to sleep with me or you weren't sexually attracted to me. " She continued to play with his hair. She did like him, sje liked hanging out with him, loved kissing him and loved getting to know him.
He put his chin on her chest so he could look up at her. "I'm going to go with gentleman rising with an idiot moon?" said Eddie as he exhaled. He'd made her feel bad about herself, which was not his intention at all. He wished desperately that he knew what to do in these situations, and the fact that she was literally perfect didn't help. Part of him felt like he should have done a test run with someone that wasn't so great. But at the same time, he knew he'd never follow through with anyone else. "Feel free to let me know when I'm fucking up" he said, "not that it's your job to educate me. Wow I sound like an absolute asshole". Eddie took another deep breath, "I mean if you want something, let me know when I'm not getting the signal"
A smile crept on her lips as she looked down at him. "That's like my favorite sign and i hear it we're totally compatible." she moved pushed her hair to behind her ear, "You're definitely not a asshole, you're one of the sweetest guys like ever." she usually would say that to friendzone someone but this time she meant it. "When ever or if ever you want to, like." she raised her brow before making a hole with her fingers and pushing her other finger through it. "Just let me know."If she put it on the table maybe he might make a move one of these day. "But if not I'm fine being here with you like this." she put her fingers back in his hair.
Eddie was flustered, he didn't really know how to respond. He wanted to have sex, but he wasn't sure he wanted to have sex just like that. On a random day, with someone he was just getting to know. He started to wonder why he hadn't been driven to have sex before this. Maybe that was something he needed to work on. "I'm really comfortable right now, plus we'd be missing out on Bette and Joan" said Eddie, "but I would like to do ... that ... sometime soon". He needed to prep himself, come up with a plan, and then execute it. Eddie wanted it to be perfect, he didn't want to just be some guy. He wanted to be the guy, at least for as long as he could pull this off.
She was a little disappointed but also glad he didn't want to do it today. She wanted to be stunning if they ever decided to do it. Sexy underwear her hair done. She wanted to make sure that she was irresistible that he couldn't keep his hands off her. "We have nothing but time and of course we dare not interupt the greats performances with some hanky panky." She chuckled. Who the hell says hanky panky she thought as she ran her hands back into his hair. She wasn't sure what he was thinking or if he needed to prepare. Did guys even prepare or do the just pull down there pants and boom they're ready.
Eddie genuinely laughed when she said hanky panky. "Hanky panky? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" he asked, still laughing. She was an odd one, he liked that she was weird. Again, you just wouldn't expect any of it looking at her. You'd never think she'd even look at him. He was happy about it though, "you are really fucking cute though, you and your old timey talk" he said, still chuckling a little bit. He scooted up and gave her a kiss.
"No I think it's either called making love or fucking." She teased. When they first met she had no idea that they would be cuddled up like this. She barely spoke to him at first, saying hi here and there because he was always with Ricki. She did note that he was cute and smart but his circle and hers never really intertwined unless they were at the arcade or the skate park."Whatever, I think you just like to see my lips move. " She kissed him back.
Eddie smiled, "I definitely like that" he said matter of factly before kissing her again. He felt like such a wuss for not being ready yet, but he liked this. This nice and perfect thing right here and right now, on the couch. Some things in life were worth waiting for, and she was not just some thing. //END
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: litwaks arcade and the icecream place // spring 2021.
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: eddie x vanessa.
𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none.
𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: eddie runs into vanessa unexpectedly after a bad day. it becomes one of his favorite days of all time.
Vanessa loved coming to the arcade, of course she had a gaming system set up and it was top of the line but nothing was better than this ambience. Marvel vs. Capcom: infinite was the game she choice to play today. Beating multiple people with Morrigan alone she was feeling herself. People looked at her and assumed she didn't know how to play, one person told her she looked to soft to be into video games. That was dumb. She just smiled, batted her lashes and destroyed them. "Okay who next, I promise to go easy on you." She clapped her hands, having a ball.
Eddie had been at the arcade for a while, playing his comfort game. There was nothing like playing Dragons Lair. It brought him back to when his step-dad was trying to get to know him. So when he would ask what Eddie specifically wanted to do once a month ... Eddie always chose the arcade. He didn't want his new dad to teach him to ride a bike or anything like that, he wanted the crowd funding (aka a guilty guy dating his mom) to improve his experience. Eddie had been staring at his friend for a while. She was one of those really cool people that Ricki had introduced himself to, someone Eddie would never have the confidence to approach. But now they were friends. And it turns out she was even cooler than just being a hot girl. She was into all the stuff that they were into. He glanced over to see that the que of people who had lined up to play against her had settled down. Ed heard the call for who was next, and this was his moment. His hands were a little sweaty from being glued to the arcade machine, so he wiped them off on his jeans and headed over to her. "Hey Nessa" said Eddie as casually as possible. She's your friend dude, chillax, he thought to himself. "No need to go easy, I want to get absolutely wrecked" he said with a smile. He had played plenty of Marvel vs Capcom, but this was clearly her game of choice.
The skatepark and the arcade was her first stop even before checking in and doing the tours and the other welcome things. After that she was in the arcade atleast twice a week. At first most people didn't take her seriously, she wore designer clothes and they said she looked like she should be in a mall or a club somewhere. It made her happy to show the nay sayers just how wrong about her they were. Even entering some of the tournaments when it suited her not always winning but being a force to be reckoned with. Hearing her name Ness looked over and smiled brightly at him. "Eddie!" She hugged him before returning ro the controls. "I am in love with that whole sentence." She focused back on the screen. Nessa had met Eddie through a mutual friend and she was sure he would take one look at her and think she was not his cup of tea. She was happily wrong. "Finally someone who can give me a challenge and not just try and check me out the whole time." Nessa was being dramatic she didn't mind it, it was just thay they made it obvious. "We should make this interesting if I win, you have to buy me a well deserved ice cream and brownie."
Eddie smiled when she got all excited, he had done it right. "Totally dude, eyes on the prize" he said, fuck, why did I call her dude? Eddie thought to himself, stupid!. He brushed it off, he was going to be fine. They were friends and that was good. No reason to mess anything up by getting himself rejected. She might not look like a gamer, but she had the heart of one. If she wasn't in this packaging, Eddie probably would have been obsessed in a more realistic way. He just knew she was too far out of his league to even really worry about getting a shot, but then she basically proposed a date after this. "I don't want to take your money, but I'm more than happy to" he said with a laugh, they were going to hang out after this. That was cool. They didn't really ever hang out without Ricki there. He felt his heart rate pick up, but this was about the game. It was focus time. Eddie didn't usually take well to losing, but he figured losing to her best game wasn't too much of an ego hit. He put his hands on the controllers, "Ready when you are" he said giving her a thin lipped smile.
Nessa liked that Eddie didn't treat her like she was some spoiled princess. Maybe cause he didn't know that side of her? Nah she carried that around like a badge of honor. She was a little take back by being called a dude no one ever in her life has called her that but she thought it was cute. "Oooh I love it when you talk shit, so much more satisfying when you lose." She picked her characters. Eddie was cute like could be pretty popular cute but he was smart and the guys she knew never hung out with guys smarter than themselves. Vanessa was smart and she was pretty, plus her parents had money so she could do whatever she wanted. She loved that. Looking over her team again she nodded feeling comfortable in her selection. She moved her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't distract her. "Let's do this." She pressed the start button and started the fight.
The real reason Eddie treated her like one of the guys is that he didn't really know any other way to do it. If he pursued her, both him and Ricki would probably lose a friend. "I'm just a simple man who likes free ice cream" he joked, putting his hand over his heart, "humbled already, and looking forward to you being humbled". Eddie selected his team and focused in on the game. She wasn't even here, just an NPC like usual. No pretty girl sitting next to him at all, no pretty nails or nice perfume. Just Ed and an old arcade game. The game began, and he put up a good fight but she ultimately did win. There was a lot of yelling, they were probably the loudest people in there. He let out an exhausted breath after they were done, "Fair is fair. Ice cream and a brownie from me to you" he said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Me humbled?" She scoffed playfully. Tossing her hair over her shoulders she looked him and flashed him her sweetest smile. "I can taste my victory now." She started looking at the screen. Nessa liked being able to be competitive without being judged. Eddie always matched her energy when it came to playing. Jumping and clapping her hands when she won she looked over him. "Yessir, I humbly accept." She teased. "Before I forget, I went to text you last night and I don't have your number. I wanted to know of you wanted to do D&D. I was going to ask Ricky too." She grabbed her purse and slid the things strap onto her shoulder. " I know you two are a pair." She wasn't sure if they were dating or just really good friends.
She looked cute when she had won, not that she didn't always. Eddie smiled when she remembered that he had mentioned D&D offhandedly. "Yeah man, that would be fucking amazing" he said, not thinking about his language again. Why did he keep reaffirming that she was a man? Clearly not a man. He knew he was gonna beat himself up over that later tonight when he was trying to sleep. "Yeah, has Ricki told you the backstory on that? So we're sort of related in the least related way possible" he said as the two headed out of the arcade. The night air was kind of cold and he had a light jacket with him so he passed it to her nonchalantly. "So his bio dad that helped his moms get pregnant is my step dad. He's never been like in the family, but I like to think he's my brother" he said, giving the shortest version of it that he could.
Every time she hung out with Eddie she got a warm feeling in her body. She wasn't sure why though, but she did know that he always had her smiling and she actually liked that. " We just need to find some time do campaigns and stuff. I'm free all summer." She wasn't going back home to be bored and she could start the next semesters work a little bit early "No. He didn't." She felt dumb for her assumption after he told her. " Honestly I thought you two were like together, together." She tried not to laugh. "I'm so sorry babe. It's just that yall are always together and I don't know." She touched his arm. "I'm glad that you guys are close. It's cute."
"Yeah I'm just doing some papers and stuff for kids in summer classes, but other than that I'm free" said Eddie, he was excited about what summer with more friends than just Ricki was going to look like. "It actually happens a lot. We have couple energy apparently, but just best friends" he clarified with a nervous laugh. Did Nessa think he was gay? Well he wasn't not gay, he is bi. But still. Just another little friendzone moment as they were heading down the street to the icecream parlor. He opened up the door for her, "after you" he said as he gestured her to go in.
"Oh good So i won't be alone this summer. Most people are doing the summer camp thing." She shook her head. " I'm kind of hyped were gonna chill. I love Ricky to death but we need to chill just the two of too." She looked up at him. "Unless you don't want to." She hoped that wasn't the case. "I see that I misunderstood but I think it's cute how close you guys are. "She walked into the parlor. "Thank you babe." She went to the counter and ordered a ice cream they could share. "Free for the cute couple." The older lady said giving a wink to Eddie.
This girl wanted to hang out with Eddie one on one? Now this, this was something different. "I'm down, for sure" he said, swallowing hard afterwards. His throat felt really dry. The woman at the register thought they were a couple. How could she possibly think that when Eddie was so awkward. It made him feel pretty good about himself though, like maybe he wasn't. His haircut was in right now, fun when the things you were bullied for in middle school become trendy according to tiktok. "Thank you so much, this one drags me all over town but I insisted we come here" he said with a laugh as he put a big tip into the tip jar. The two headed to the back booth, and Eddie was very confidently ignoring the fact that he was lactose intolerant. The small things you do.
Nessa was happy that he agreed, she didn't want to be bored all summer since most people left and did the counselor thing. She liked kids just not enough to spend hours around them, especially in that summer heat she wasn't sure her hair would agree. She wasn't going to correct the woman it got her a free snack and he looked happy to go along with it. She couldn't help but smile, she shrugged flipped her hair, "I'm going to start listening to him, he knows how to make me happy in more than one way." She winked and watched the lady giggle and her face turned red. She sat down next to him. " You still owe me, you got lucky with the free snack."
Eddie let out a laugh at Nessa's comment, absolutely uncomfortable at the prospect but intrigued at the idea that he could actually be seeing her. As they sat down next to each other, he nodded, "I do still owe you. A bet is a bet" said the boy. He liked the idea of hanging out with Vanessa again, just the two of them. He hadn't been too painfully awkward yet. "What are you doing this summer? If you're not doing the counselor thing?" he asked, hoping that was a normal enough question.
"I love it when a man can keep his word." she said simply, "Just got to tell me if I get too clingy, I don't want to ruin anything you got going on." she didn't know to much about him or the things that he did besides the whole paper thing. She knew he was smart and liked games. "Do you want some?" she pointed to the ice cream with her spoon. "I get intern at a company, but their pretty chill so I come and go as please. So i do what I need to then I bounce and hit the park or the beach.
Eddie took the other spoon and had a bite of ice cream, "I've got nothing going on really. Just having fun, writing papers and working on some projects. Personal projects, not projects for other people" he clarified. He didn't waste all of his potential on others. "That's cool" Ed responded as he took another bite of ice cream. "Is that typical for you?" he asked, "like a relaxed work environment. I feel like that suits you. No 9-5 for this lady" he said, realizing that he sounded like a total dork. There was nothing smooth about this encounter except for the ice cream, which was totally going to give him hell later.
Nessa nodded as she took a bite of the brownie. "Wow I have like one solid thing and you have like a whole list." She had to hand it to him not many people their age wanted to do more than just chill out for the summer. She nodded as she wiped off some ice cream with her thumb off the corner of his mouth. "Relaxed and gorgeous is my preferred work environment." She teased. A airy chuckle left her lips. " You get me. That 9 to 5 is so 1999." She put down her spoon. " I have a question I have to ask, do you have a significant other that's going to be mad you're spending your summer with me?"
Her hand was touching his face, and how did even her hands smell good?! It was intoxicating. "I mean thank god 9 to 5's do exist, or we wouldn't have gotten the Dolly anthem of the century" said Eddie, a natural smile forming on his face. His cheeks were a little flushed from the physical contact. Now she was asking if he had a significant other, and his cheeks burned redder. "Oh nobody, just vibin right now" said the boy, wondering why that was the verb he chose. And if he truly had been vibin with being single, then he had been straight chillin for the last 20 years. "What about you? Cool guy going to be coming around, upset you're playing DND with a bunch of dorks and skaters?" he asked, trying to see what the situation was. Any and all advice Ricki had given him in the last 20 years falling to the wayside as he forged his own awkward path.
"You listen to Dolly Parton? That's a huge check in my book." She didn't know to many people that even knew who that was. He kept surprising her, she liked it. It was nice to be around people who weren't trying to impress other people. He blushes, she wasn't sure she saw anyone blush around her. She bit her lip, was it weird she liked that but not in a friend way, like a crush.'You vibe?" She raised her brow in amusement. She wondered if he was really out here vibing with other people or did he mean it in another way. "No, I'm single, single. No one is even looking my way. Its summer and no one is trying to...well you know with me. It's weird. Hold on sir I also play dnd, games and skate does that make me a dork too?" She shook her head or am I not cool enough for the whole dork squad.
"Of course I listen to Dolly. She invented theme parks, literacy for children, and fake boobs all while being a really nice person. Dolly Parton is the greatest living legend of all time, take a back seat Bezos. Earth already has a savior" Eddie replied, the statement flowing out of him at a rate which he could not stop. He kind of shrugged when she asked him if he vibed. Vibing wasn't really the term to explain hopeless romantic turned cynic turned hopeless romantic every second of the day. Wake up? Love is dead. See a pretty person on the street? Love is alive. The birds are chirping. Life is here to live it. Don't talk to her? Love is dead. It was a vicious cycle with a very quick return rate. "Queen of the dorks" said Eddie with a kind smile. She really was queen of the dorks. Vanessa enjoyed everything that they liked, and did it while being hot and funny and smart. It was intimidating, but at least the dork stuff made her feel human to him. Like she was one of the guys, just in hot girl packaging.
Nessa listened as she took a bite of the brownie. He had a point Dolly was iconic and the whole world should appreciate her more. "You're like a true fan, that's kinda hot Eddie." She complimented. He was unapologetically himself and she could learn from that. She was too but he was a better person than her. He wasn't materialistic or unrationally dramatic. She was happy he didn't see that part of her ge might not want to hang out with her. Ricki was way more laid back so she didn't care he wasn't going to stop being her friend but Eddie was more together. "I like that." She looked at him proudly. She liked being called a Queen mostly, it boosted up her ego. " Thank you, that just made my whole week." She gave him a sweet smile. She wondered if he was this nice to all hos friends or just her? Did it matter?!
He laughed when she said he was hot. Eddie was not hot, at least he assumed not because no one had ever taken an interest in him. It was kind of hard to hit on people, especially when his wingman was really charismatic and cool. Girls always went for Ricki, it was part of the cycle. Like a girl? She goes for your brother who is not your brother. "I'm just saying the truth" he said, grinning at her. This was a moment he was going to remember. A moment where he didn't have any rage inside of him. Just Ed. "This campaigns gonna be a lot of work. Are you ready for the grind?" he teased her. A good DND campaign meant a lot of hours on the table and behind the scenes. Eddie realized he wasn't going to mind much, especially if she was going to be there. He couldn't help but stare at her, he liked her ears. Weird thing to be attracted to, but they were just so ... cute? Was Eddie having a stroke? Because it sort of felt like it.
Nessa ate some more of the ice cream saving him half the brownie. It was nice to see Eddie out of his element, usually he wasn't spotted without Ricki and if Ricki wasn't around she didn't know what he was doing. She adored Ricki but she didn't want to think about him now. She was sure that they probably didn't like it when people compare them to each other. "I'm so ready, so my parents rented me a condo and i have a room dedicated to this, you can come by and see the set up and help me make it better." she looked over at him. "I mean obviously we're going to have food but i don't know i it needs fairy lights. I'm trying to make it more cool and so much me." she knew they weren't going to want glittery and cute, soft and comfortable maybe. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at him, "You okay babe?" she could tel he was staring, omg was their something on my teeth or my face? she thought as she panicked internally.
"Yeah I just was disassociating there for a second" said Eddie, the light coming back into his eyes. "I'd love to come over and see it. Even help make dinner, or pick up the takeout. Whatever works for everyone" the boy replied as he took a large spoonful of brownie. "I feel like whatever your vibe is for how you want to decorate is going to be great, don't even think about the boys. It's your space" he encouraged her. If there was one thing he knew nothing about it was how to decorate a space. His whole room at home was just covered in tech and LED lights. Sometimes it was hard to even get to the bed with all the boxes of random things he was working on and had abandoned. Once something became too frustrating, he either broke it or he put it in a box or both. It wasn't exactly an effective system.
Was she that boring he was disassociating, at that moment she didn't know what that actual meant and she would have to to go and Google that later. "Wait can you cook?" She said a bit surprised, Nessa was good at alot of things but cooking was not one of them. "Maybe you could teach me something because honestly I can't cook to save my life."She wasn't even trusted to make scrambled eggs. She was thankful for her Doordash and cafeteria, or she would of starved. "No,I know I just don't want to suffocate you with vanilla candles and Lavender scented beanbag chairs. "Plus your opinion matters to me." Down to earth wasn't her thing she liked the whole drama of it all. Her board was rose gold and glittery.
Eddie smiled at her, "I was a busboy in high school. The kitchen guys let me make my own meals on long shifts. You pick up a few things" he replied, "I would be more than happy to help you out a little." He liked the idea of getting to spend more time with her, especially in her apartment. It would feel like playing couple to some degree. Eddie cocked his head to the side, "they make scented beanbag chairs?" he questioned, never having heard of such a thing ... but honestly it sounded kind of nice. "Anytime you want my opinion, just text me" Eddie encouraged, excited about the DND sanctuary this girl was putting together. She was so fucking cool, how did he ever even become friends with her? Well ... Ricki. But besides that.
Nessa never had a job before, her mother said she didn't have the temperament for someone telling her what to do. Nessa wasn't sure if that was true or not but she didn't question it." Thank you I think its a life skill that I desperately need to learn if I ever plan on being truly independent or stuck on a island or a zombie apocalypse." She tapped her chin as she thought about it. "Yeah it's suppose to help mellow people out while they sit on them." She started to think it was too much, boys didn't care what things smell like. Well except for her, she always made sure she smelled good. " Don't tell me that and then get mad when I text you for every decision that I need help with." She said seriously. She looked at him and touched his arm softly.
"Cooking lessons it is. We can start easy with a bowl of cereal. I'm pro cereal into the bowl first, oat milk second" said Eddie, "but there are some crazy people that are milk first cereal second". He thought the whole idea was preposterous, but to each their own. Eddie thought about it for a second, "that sounds ... kinda nice actually" he responded in regards to the scented bean bag chair. He thought about how you could definitely get away with farting on it. Then she was touching his arm, and he felt his stomach drop. "Y-you can seriously hit me up anytime with questions" he said, stumbling a little on his words. She was touching him, and she smelled so good.
Nessa couldn't help but chuckle. "I can make cereal and I don't trust anyone that puts milk first, i'm pretty sure that they're psychopaths." she wasn't sure if that was true or not but it was a very strong belief of hers. "I'm thinking of something like Ramen or scrambled eggs. " she wasn't that thrilled to work with a stove but the thought also excited and gave her a reason to get cute aprons. "You'll love it as soon as you sit in them, its so comfy." she knew they would love it and that the beanbags could be cleaned at a dry cleaners just in case sauce or something spilled on it. "Just know you can't take it back now, this is now a sealed deal." she joked.
"Right? It's just so ridiculous, and what if there's a splash when you put the cereal in?" Eddie replied, doing his best to be normal like he was talking to one of the guys. Because that's what this was. She was one of the guys, just that one of his friends who smelled good and was really hot. "We can definitely start there" said the boy as he ran his hands through his hair. It was getting longer, maybe he should cut it. Would she like his hair if he cut it? Maybe just a trim, maintain the flow. "It's a pact" he said as he put out his hand to shake hers.
"I just don't get it like I pour enough for the cereal I poured but if you do it the other way then you might have to add more of one or the other and that's just too much extra work for cereal." she shook her head. "Good my parents are going to love you." she watched him run his hands through his hair. He had such nice hair, the volume alone was a dream. Would it be rude to just start playing in his hair, she just wanted to see i it was as soft as it looked. Snapping out of her thoughts she looked at his hand and touched his chin then shook his hand." Deal."
Eddie grinned when she touched his chin, thinking about how her parents would love him. He could do that. Meet someone's parents and be normal. Right? Maybe. Probably. Not likely. Perhaps. He was torn. "How about Friday, we start our first lessons?" he suggested, wanting to see her as soon as possible. But he had also heard Ricki say things like don't be too eager. So he was keeping his distance, four days was a good amount of time ... right? He was unsure, but their hands were still in the shake. He didn't know how to let go.
Vanessa wasn't sure she had plans on Friday, she might of gone shopping or maybe get her nails done, Maybe get her hair done. That wasn't a Friday thing it could be done any day and she looked goo regardless. "I will make time for you, we can do a little food shopping. It's going to be so cute." she said thinking of the instagram pics she post of her little adventure. She pulled her hand back and ran her fingers through his hair like she wanted to from the beginning." What conditioner do you use?" this was rude right? she was already doing it though.
Spending time together was cute? What did that even mean? He knew she was cute and going to be there, but he didn't really think that spending time with him was a cute activity. Maybe cute in the pitying way. What was cute about the grocery store? His brain flatlined when she put her fingers in his hair, it felt so good to be in her space like this, "um" he said trying to remember what he even put in his hair. "It's a little douchey, but 2-in-1 caused my sister Natalie to flip out one time when she had to use my shower. So I use ogx coconut milk now, and I oil my hair once a week with the same brand" he said, because she genuinely wanted to know. Maybe they used the same one. He wanted her hands to stay in his hair, "you can do that whenever, consider it the other side to our texting agreement" he said almost robotically.
She didn't move her hands as she continued, taking his umm as her saying it was going to be cute. "I mean it like we're doing something cute together, Like I've never been grocery shopping so I imagine as it being cute. Not us cute we're hot." she wasn't sure how her explanation was going over with him, she didn't think she just wanted him to be walking around taking pics. She wanted to explain it better but his hair was calming to her. "Text that to me later I'm going to try it." she slid a little bit closer to him, I use Dr carol's deep conditioner and a hair mask i make myself but it doesn't make me want to play in my hair like this." she looked at hi realizing how close she had gotten. "I could do this all day but i just realized how uncomfortable this might be for you."
Hot? She think's they're hot? He's hot? This day was overwhelming. He would touch her hair, but he had heard from his sisters that touching a girls hair could be bad. Hand oils and things, and hair washing schedules. A whole thing. "Nah, I'm good. Just touch my hair whenever you want or need to" he said as he took a breath. "May I touch yours? To see the softness difference" he asked, consent was very important to him. It made him feel like a dork having to ask before anything, but he wasn't exactly the maker of grand moves. Not that this was a move. Well, he'd like it to be. But he wasn't going to get his hopes too high. He'd had a crush on her for a while, but he did his best to shove it down for the sake of everything. Usually his crushes sent him soaring, and he would burn out quick. This had been more of a slow burn.
Nessa could be a little self absorbed she knew she was hot, being rich and a spoiled that gave her a certain kind of confidence. Now she wasn't sure if it was her being into herself or it was forreal but she had a nagging feeling that he might actually like her. Why else would he let her play in his hair like this. "You're spoiling me." she teased. He didn't seem to mind so she wasn't about to make a fuss for something that she so obviously wanted to do. "Go for it." she hadn't put any product in it, she just brushed it and left. Lucky for her it curled up on it's own. "If it didn't look like it before they definitely looked like a couple now. She didn't care it wasn't like she knew any of these people and they should be so lucky to witness anything she was doing.
Eddie put his hand through her hair, realizing he had never been this close to a girl for so long. Laney had given him his first kiss earlier in the week, but that had only been a few moments. He had wanted his first kiss so that if he were to get to kiss someone (specifically Nessa) then he would be prepared. He had been pretty sulky about it for the last 10 years, but every time he caught feelings for a new girl the shame of not having his first kiss just skyrocketed. "It is soft" said Eddie, "but hair like this ... it's an art" he said, in a moment of fake cockiness. "I'm kidding, but forreal. Your hair is great". Was great a good way to describe someone's hair? He definitely could have given her a bigger compliment.
Vanessa liked her hair being played with it, it always made her feel calm and relaxed she didn't want him to stop. The only thing men wanted to do with her hair most of the time was pull it. Nothing was wrong with that and she liked it but this felt good, it was making her a little weak in the knees. "Thank you." She rolled her eyes at his comment. Oh that was cocky, she thought as she smirked. He was coming out of his shell. Her hair was great, marvelous if you will. She was very proud of it but she wasn't playing in her hair shebwas playing with his. " I think we should stop before the nice people here get a different kind of show." She winked pulling her hands away even though she didn't want to.
"And what kind of show is that?" he asked, almost naively. He thought he was sure what she meant, but he wanted the clarity on it anyways. Because if he was reading into this wrong he was going to look like a total loser. As he said this he took his hand out of her hair but stayed sitting just as close. Part of his brain told him to back up, but he didn't want to. She smelled so good, his brain was shutting down.
She wasn't sure if he really didn't catch on to what she was saying or he just wanted her to tell him. She studied him for a second before leaning in so no one else could hear what it is that she was saying. She started whispering some sexual things that would make a nun blush red. Slowly pulling away she moved back tobher spot . "That kind of show."She bit her lower lip. She didn't worry about embarrassing herself with what she said.
Eddie's ears were glowing red, and his cheeks grew red to match. He took a hard swallow and a deep breath "that's exactly what I was thinking" he replied, letting out an awkward laugh. He really didn't know what to say. Eddie rubbed his hand on the back of his neck and looked over at her. "You um... you do that often in the middle of the ice cream parlor?" he said, doing his best to make a joke. He was a funny guy, but his brain felt like it was on fire and all the blood in his body was definitely elsewhere.
Nessa watched as he turned red, like he got really red it made her smirk. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen anyone that red before she liked that she could make him do that. She wondered if she could do it again, she wanted to do it again. Nessa wasn't sure but she was going to see, you know for science. "Well." she moved closer to him her lips close to his, Nessa was always one to tease, she was known for it all through ice cream. "No but i'm more than willing to give it a go if you are." she whispered so only he could hear her.
Eddie looked down at her lips and then back up to her eyes. He thought about how he'd had his first kiss only a few nights ago. How he had wanted to get it out of the way so that he could do this. He could do this. "As long as it doesn't impact the party" said Eddie quietly in reference to their DND group, his hand touching the nape of her neck as he pulled her in for a small soft kiss. He looked back at her, she was so beautiful. He couldn't believe that had actually happened, that he had been able to kiss a girl like that. Vanessa was nothing like he'd ever met before.
She wasn't sure what he was going to do, he wasn't really an easy one to read. If this what mysterious guys were like, it was so much better than the ones who she could read like a book. Plus she never gave a guy like Eddie the time of day, she was shallow and went for the buff, jock types. Maybe he could change that. "I never let anything ruin my parties." She said truthfully, she had been waiting forever play DND, nothing was coming to change that. She was taken back by the kiss, his lips were so soft it felt almost unreal. "Wow." She whispered.
He was on cloud 9, this whole afternoon had been confusing as hell. Was he the kind of guy who just kisses the girl? What did it mean? Did it mean anything to her? It kind of was everything to him. His chest felt tight, he was so anxious about all of it. "Wow in the good way, right?" he asked insecurely, "because I'm always willing to try again". He wanted to kiss her again, he was worried he would never get the chance. Part of this felt like an elaborate prank, like Ricki was going to pop up any second and yell gotcha.
"I've never kissed anyone's who lips were as soft as yours. It's incredible." She said softly. " so yeah that wow was an amazing wow but I think you need a few follow up kisses just make sure." She looked at him, this time she initiated slipping her tongue between his lips. She wondered how many other girls he's kissed, how many other people got witness his lips on theirs. She could do this all day, it might lead to other things but maybe she shouldn't fuck it up by being her.
For his first proper makeout, things seemed to be going well. Eddie mimicked her exact moves and put his tongue into her mouth, keeping his hand on the back of her neck while making sure not to tug on her much. He became very aware that while there were only a few people in here, this was a lot of PDA. Affection. He was receiving affection from Vanessa. This was already the most amazing day of his summer by far, and there was no way that he was going to top it. But he had to remain cool, girls like this did not like guys making a huge deal out of everything. They were in their 20s, he couldn't be a dweeb about this. "Do you want to get out of here? I think we might be overstaying our welcome" said Eddie with a smile as he looked around. He was glowing almost, his cheeks still red.
This was definitely the right way to start off her summer, making out with a hot guy who doesn't know that they are hot in front of people and making them uncomfortable. Vanessa slid her fingers in his hair as she continued to kiss him. She knew all eyes on her but when wasn't that the case, that's how she liked it...it was part of who she was. She whined when he broke the kiss again. Her eyes moved to look on the side of her, he was right people were staring but it probably bothered him. She looked up and smiled. "Yeah, let's go." she pulled back and standing up, putting her hand into his. They had just made out hopefully holding hands was okay. Aha she did make him blush again. He was too cute when he blushed, not that he didn't have a reason. It was a steamy exchange.
Eddie wasn't a suave man, but having her hand in his made him feel on top of the world. Like he could do anything, so, once he held the door for her and they were both outside he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek before they kept walking and holding hands. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met" said Eddie awkwardly as the thought came into his mind and out of his mouth before he could even think about whether or not he wanted to say it out loud. It was the truth, so he wasn't too embarrassed, but his ears that turned bright red were giving him away.
Nessa strutted out of the ice cream parlor and into the welcomed heat. She looked up and smiled after he kissed her on her cheek. He was sweet, she didn't attract sweet, she attracted jerks and players. She was lost in her thought when she heard him speak. "Inside or out?" she inquired. Seeing how red he got was the best thin. She wondered how long until she wasn't able to do it anymore. "You're the only guy that treated me like this, sweet, like i'm more than my jimmy choo's and Fenty lingerie." she admitted. "I like you Eddie." she said softly. She never liked admitting things but what was the harm since the were getting to know each other.
"My money is on both" said Eddie honestly. He liked that there was someone who understood him and his hobbies. Someone who could get down with the guys but could also embrace her femininity. "Well, not to play my cards too right or too wrong but I don't know what either of those things are" said Eddie, running his tongue over his teeth inside his mouth before cracking a smile. "I like you too, Vanessa. I can already tell this is going to be the best summer ever" he replied, swinging their hands a little. He felt normal, like he wasn't some alien tasked with the impossible of getting to know people. Like a regular human boy who liked a regular human girl.
"I'm still working on the inside part." being spoiled didn't exactly her a terrible person but she likes to call herself difficult. Anything she wanted she could get, her parents never told her no so she wasn't accustomed to hearing it and it ade her feel like she was better than most. A trait she carried all through her school years. "My shoes." she lifted up her leg and showed her heels. and my bra and make up." she pulled down her shirt to show her bra, winking as she fixed her clothing. "We can make it one that we can never forget." she moved in front of him, leaning up to kiss him again. Maybe this summer would be like the lays she liked, love, sex, pain, joy and she gets to be the main character.
Eddie looked over at her, "I think working on it is the mark of a good person. If you have nothing to work on then you're not being honest with yourself." Eddie had been in and out of therapy for years, but every time he got a new one it was always the promise that he was good if he would just keep working. He had a bit of a jolt when she showed him her bra, like a deer caught in headlights. Eddie took a deep breath and looked back as quickly as he could to make eye contact, "It's uh, nice makeup" he said, still a little flustered. Before he could even think much, she was kissing him again, and he moved his hands onto her waist, pulling her in and kissing her softly. "Can I walk you home?" he asked as the kiss broke.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You sound like my therapist." she had to go to therapy not because her parents thought there was something that she needed to work on but because there were complaints that she was a bully and her school said it was that or expulsion. She liked that he was surprised, he was not like any other guy that she was used to. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it." she tossed her hair over her shoulder. His damn lips, why were they s damn soft. she thought to herself. "Yeah." she grinned. The last time someone walked her home was high school maybe if even that. She didn't know why but it was giving her butterflies in her stomach.
"This way?" Eddie asked before they started walking in the right direction. "So, weird question. But if you could go back to any day on your timeline and just get to watch for the sheer joy of it. What day would it be?" Eddie really liked the idea of perfect days. Sometimes he would only realize he was having the perfect day after it had already happened, but today he already recognized it. Well ... his afternoon hadn't been perfect but it had led him to Litwaks which led him to kissing a girl that he never thought he'd get the chance to kiss in this lifetime. So today definitely counted, every thing happens for a reason.
Nessa nodded, taking his hand again. "Hmm." Nessa said as she thought for a second. "Well when I was 9 my grandmother took me to this like garden slash park thing. She thought my parent were turning me into a diva. We sat under a cherry blossom tree talking, she taught me how to rollerblade, gave me these rollerblades that she drew blossoms on. They were used but oh they were perfect." she looked at the ground still smiling." It was the perfect day, but she passed soon after and my dad threw away the skates, so i learned how to skateboard until i got another pair." she shrugged it off. "What about you Eddie, what's your perf day?"
"There's nothing like a pair of already broken in skates" said Eddie before she shared that her grandmother had passed, "I'm really sorry to hear that. Maybe sometime you could paint cherry blossoms on your new skates" he suggested. People talking about death made him think about his dad. He felt like every day he remembered less and less about the man. "My perfect day to watch would probably be the last day of school in 8th grade. We had field day outside and it was just insane, and then Ricki and I went to the skatepark until after dark because we were technically high schoolers and our curfews had changed. I don't remember what we talked about, but I know I laughed so hard I thought I might have to go to the hospital because it hurt so bad" said Eddie, leaving out the detail that if he could watch a day back it would be this one. He would want to watch to see how he could pull off this caper again, to ensure that he wasn't making it all up.
She adored the skates, but her parents were snobs and though they came from old money they didn't believe on hand me downs or having used things. "I would but I can't draw plus it was knowing someone loved me enough to actually give me something sentimental instead of just the most expensive whatever." Vanessa loved being rich, and she loved her parents and she knew they loved her but their love languages was gifts and she liked acts of service and things like that. She smiled hearing his perfect day, it sounded perfect. One of those days that you would remember in twenty years and smile at your youth. "I don't know if I'm entertaining enough to make you almost die laughing but I will make me my business to make a memory that you always want to come back to. Something you'll never forget." She squeezed his hand and jumped to kiss his cheek.
This day was folding out better than he could have ever imagined. "I think you already have" said Eddie with a smile as she kissed his cheek. He wasn't sure if she usually did this: the wholesome kind of dating. But it felt like he was really checking all the boxes at the moment. Eddie didn't necessarily identify as a hopeless romantic, but he was romantic comedy inclined. He mostly resonated with the first 30 minutes of the movie when people are awkward or fuck up. "You're really cool, ya know. For a geek" he teased her, running his thumb over hers as they held hands. He was starting to feel more comfortable, and able to open up. It wasn't like she was going to regret kissing him now, right? What if tomorrow she regretted it? It would feel like his whole ego was crumbling, she'd already done so much reparations to it tonight alone.
She blushed slightly, he was so sweet it was so unreal. That meant one thing something was wrong with him, maybe he had a temper or maybe he was no good in bed. Wait maybe he wouldn't want to take you into bed. Nah she was gorgeous why wouldn't he want to get up in her sheets. Maybe he was too good for her and he would realize it. Why was she overthinking this, he was walking her home, they made out in a ice cream parlor in front of old people that meant something to some people. "If you give me a chance I bet I can one up this day." she smiled, playfully hitting him. "Geek?" she scoffed." The hottest geek you know." she stuck out her tongue, She didn't want this day to end. She would not bet one of her Birkin bags that she would be here with him, happier than she had been in awhile.
"One up this day? I'd like to see you try" Eddie said with a little surprise in his voice. This day was already too good for him. Any more and he would be outed as desperately inexperienced. He didn't want her to know that. "You took the words right out of my mouth" he agreed with her as he shoved her a little as they took up most of the sidewalk. It felt like the end credits, but he knew this was only the start. He was going to fuck up and then it was all going to be over, and Ricki was going to shake his head and tell him that he shouldn't shit where he eats. The friendships between them and Vanessa severed. And it would be all his fault because he wasn't enough. But for now, he thought he just might be.
Taking his hand and twirling she smiled at him. "Just you wait Mr Dalton, you'll be fifty married with children and you'll be sitting telling your grandchildren about this summer. How a girl named Vanessa Samson was one of the most exciting things to ever happen to you." She walked in front of him taking his arms and wrapping them around her as they reached her apartment building. She hoped they would still be friends at least for that long but Nessa was a realist. She believed in the magic of summer and all that. You find love in heartache or whatever, she believed she was around to be memories. Anything more or longer didn't seem real to her, she knew they would bore of her. She didn't want him to, she wanted him to like her.. always.
He smiled at the idea. "I hope you're still around to tell them yourself" said Eddie hopefully, there was no reason to be realistic about anything. They could be empty promises ... but they didn't need to be. "This you?" he asked as he looked up at the apartment building, "nice digs". He wasn't going to invite himself up. He didn't want to ruin the perfect night by fumbling around or telling her that he didn't know anything about how to make her feel good. He was gonna go home with a smile on his face and then frantically be online all night looking for the solution to his problems. Eddie pulled her in for another kiss before he knew he was heading out, "I'll call you" he said with a smile as he pulled his baseball cap out of his back pocket and put it on his head backwards.
Her smile spread when he said that, a girl could only hope. She was going to daydream about them in 50 years given secret looks if they were married or hooking up at the reunion. She was going to call her mother and annoy her with her head in the clouds, but this time she could actually her that he's a good guy. She looked back at her building and nodded, she had a nice condo her parents paid for, so much better than dorm living. "Yes it is, remember how to get here for our little lessons." she smiled. She wondered if he wanted to come up, while she kissed him like she didn't want to stop. She wanted to whine but she nodded okay and walked backwards, watching him walking away and bumping into the door. Squealing as she went into the building hoping he didn't hear her. //END
