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obsessive-dork · 2 years

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Once again…trying something new (still Eddie related though because I mean…come on!).

In this AU, Eddie becomes attracted to a introverted woman at his college. Their friendship slowly grows into something more, but both are facing difficulties of the past, present, and future.

This is just Part 1 of many to come (hopefully). Once again, any comments/suggestions are welcome and appreciated! Hope you enjoy💜🍂

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“Alright, let’s go,” Robin said, snatching the book out of Em’s hand.

She groaned. “I was in the middle of a sentence. Way to flare my OCD.”

“Get dressed.”

Em crawled out of bed, sighing. She avoided the mirror as she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She chose the usual black jeans and black shirt with the only pop of color being her orange checkered Vans. Redoing her hair, she caught herself in the mirror and rolled her eyes. Senior year of college, and she was still miserable. One friend. No plans. Plethora of mental illnesses.

“Don’t look so morose.” Robin nudged her as they reached the porch.

The music and drunk shouts bombarded her ears. The sweat and smoke filled her nose. Her head already hurt. “The band better be good.”

“Trust me, you’ll love them.”

“Rob!” someone called, and Robin disappeared before Em could even survey the crowd.

She loved this house. It was the lime green house she passed by daily on her way to the cafe, and each time she imagined her life within it. In the winter, the house glowed against the snow, and in the spring, when the lilac and lavender and iris bloomed, they burst brilliantly against the house. She would cover the wrap around porch with wildflowers. There would be a room in the house dedicated to books, and weird, quirky art would be everywhere. She would have a writing nook in the bay window, and her days would be spent writing, music dancing through the house.

But, as she looked around, she found herself hating it, or rather how the people disrespected such a sacred place. So much wasted potential. There were two stained and ripped couches, a dining table with no chairs, and the sink in the kitchen was filled with dirty plates. College kids. She couldn’t believe she was one of them.

As she looked at the hoard of alcohol, the music cut out, and people began to cheer. She grabbed two drinks and found her way to the makeshift stage.

“Thanks for coming. I hope everyone’s having a good time.” The crowd whooped and clapped. “I see some of you are double fisting,” he chuckled, making eye contact with Em.

She smirked at him and raised one of her glasses. She liked his smile. She’d seen it before, but tonight it was different, brighter, lighter. Eddie was a close friend of Robin’s, and he was often showing up at their apartment. He’d also been in a few of Em’s classes. He was dressed as he always was: band shirt, leather jacket, vest over top covered in pins and patches, black ripped jeans, Converse, rings upon rings, a bandana tucked into his pocket.

“You all know Dustin and Lucas, but we got a new drummer tonight, Mad Max.”

A group in the front chanted her name, and Max pulled her hair up in preparation.

“And we are Corroded Coffin!” Eddie strummed his guitar, and everyone broke out into screams.

“Hey, Em!”

She was shocked by the sound of her name, and when she turned and saw Eddie approaching her, she became even more confused. He never talked to her, not even in class. “Hi.”

“You like the set?”

“Yeah, it was great.”

“Glad Robin dragged you here?”

She adjusted her glasses, laughed nervously, and nodded.

“Wanna get out of here?”

“Sure.” She glared down at her drink, realizing she’d had too much. Since when did she say sure to spending time with people?

He tucked his hands in his pockets as they made their way to the fire pit. “What classes do you have this semester?” he asked, sitting down on rotting wood chairs.

She did the same. “Some graduate writing classes, dystopian lit, and an immigration course. Oh, and my thesis.”

“Thesis?”

She poked at the fire with a stray stick. “Yeah, I’m writing about environmentalism in Irish literature.”

“You started research yet?”

“I’m five books in, about seven or so more to go.”

“Damn. Any suggestions?”

“Solar Bones. Best one I’ve read so far.” She glanced at him, and he was smiling to himself. “What about you?”

“Uhh, well, I’ve got dystopian lit, too. I’ve already read most of the stuff on the syllabus, but I like rereading. Plus I get to rant for a grade.”

She laughed. “That is one of the best parts of being an English major.”

Their eyes met. She noted the warmth in his gaze and couldn’t look away.

And then she collapsed to the ground. Eddie bit his lip, holding in laughter, and she glared at him.

“Don’t you dare,” she growled. But she couldn’t resist either, and the two burst into laughter. “I’m too drunk for this.”

He reached his hand out to her and pulled her out of the wood pile. “Your arm’s bleeding,” he muttered.

“Oh, shit.” She sucked in a sharp breath and shut her eyes. “I’m gonna barf.”

He shook his head. “It’s just a splinter.”

“Mhm.” She gagged.

“Come on.” He led her through the house and to the privacy of the upstairs bathroom, sitting her on the edge of the bathtub. He poured some alcohol on it and grabbed a pair of tweezers. “So, it’s pretty-”

“Don’t. I don’t want to know.”

“Alright, alright.” He yanked the thick splinter out, and she groaned before hurling into the tub. He rubbed her back. “Okay, it’s okay. All done.”

She wiped her mouth. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

He placed a bandaid on the cut and shrugged. She met his eyes again, and he smiled. “Okay?”

She tilted her head and observed his face. He was more attractive up close. His long, dark curls had frizzed rather adorably, and she realized he had a freckle in his left eye. “You’re not what I thought you’d be. Why’d you…” Her voice faded, and his brow furrowed. “I’ve gotta go,” she blurted, jumping up and jogging out of the house.

Unknown: You okay?

She didn’t recognize the number and considered ignoring it, but she couldn’t sleep. Instead, she was thinking about why on earth Eddie suddenly decided to talk to her.

Em: Who’s this?

Unknown: Eddie. Eddie Munson

Em: Oh

Her stomach turned. Robin gave him her number? Why had he asked for it? What did he want from her?

Eddie: You ran out so fast, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright…I don’t mean to bother you

Em: Fine thanks

Eddie: Here if you need anything

She left him on read.

“Woke up late today.” Robin handed Em a cup of coffee as she entered the kitchen. “Why’d you ditch me last night?” she asked.

“Tired. Sorry, I should’ve texted you.”

“It’s okay. Eddie told me you were alright.”

She glanced at Robin. “Why’d he want my number anyways?”

She shrugged. “He asks about you sometimes, and I think he was excited you came to his party.”

“His party?”

“Yeah, that’s his place. He lives there with his uncle. He works nights though so Eddie usually hosts the band’s gigs.”

“He’s never talked to me before.”

“Probably because you don’t talk to anybody. You’ve always got your earphones in.”

“That’s true.�� She sipped her coffee, remembering the few times they’d made eye contact during class. The corners of his mouth would twitch, and Em would look away swiftly.

Her phone dinged, and she glanced down to see a text from Eddie.

***

“Why exactly haven’t you talked to her before?” Dustin asked.

“She’s quiet. And intimidating honestly.”

“You? Intimidated?”

“Em, she’s-she’s somber. Always has her head down, breezing in and out before you can even get a word in. But damn, when she talks in class, I can’t take my eyes off her. Her intelligence, her interpretations, her words, they’re just…” Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know, man.”

“Robin’s always trying to get her to come out.”

“Never does though. That’s why I took a shot last night.”

“And?”

“And nothing. We made small talk for a bit, but she uh-she kind of just ran out.”

“She goes to the cafe on Saturdays.”

Eddie’s head snapped up. “Your cafe?”

“Yeah. Religiously.” He grabbed his keys. “Well, come on. You can buy her a coffee or something.”

And sure enough, there she was, sitting in a corner booth and leaning against the window.

Eddie followed Dustin to the counter as he prepared Em’s regular. “You want one?”

“What is it?”

“Three shots espresso, oat milk, cinnamon. Shit ton of cinnamon.”

“Yeah. And a cinnamon roll.”

He watched her as she read and occasionally smiled when a dog passed by. Every few minutes, she’d purse her lips and begin furiously writing notes.

Dustin handed him the coffee and pastry, giving him a thumbs up. “Good luck,” he teased.

“What’re you reading?”

Em gasped, jumping slightly. “Gosh, Eddie. Uh…hi.”

“I come baring gifts,” he smiled awkwardly, placing them on the table.

“Thanks.” She looked at the coffee, then at Dustin who avoided her eyes, and back at Eddie. “You stalking me?”

“No! No. I just-I was coming in with Dustin, and he asked me to bring this over to you.”

She opened the lid, nodded in approval. “Thanks, Dustin! And thank you, Eddie.”

He took the invitation to sit with pleasure. “Cinnamon bun as well.” He slid it over to her.

“Stalking and bribing. Hmm.”

He chuckled. “So, what’s that, then?”

She handed him the book and sipped her drink. “Excavation of Ireland after nuclear devastation for my-”

“Thesis.”

She gave him a faint smile as he flipped through, intrigued by her notes.

“About last night…I’m sorry I got sick in your bathroom and just ran out. That was-was rude.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. How’s the cut?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve gotten so sensitive to blood ever since my injury.”

“Injury?”

“I fractured my leg a while back. Had to get screws and plates. They stapled the cut shut.” She shuttered. “Makes me sick thinking about it. Staples are for paper, not skin.”

He laughed. “How’d you do that?”

“Oh…uh. Honestly, I just fell. Lost my footing and went down. My sister says I should tell people I was doing some elaborate skateboard trick and that the doctor says I can never skate again so no one can prove that I never learned how to skate in the first place.” She adjusted her glasses and picked at the pastry.

“What did you mean last night?” he blurted out.

“Hm?”

“Last night, you said I wasn’t what you expected.”

“Scary. I thought you’d be scary.”

“Me?”

“You ever look in the mirror or listen to your music? And whenever you talk in class, something incredibly insightful comes out of your mouth. You’re intimidating.”

“You’re the intimidating one!”

“What?”

“You ever looked in the mirror or heard yourself? Head down. No smile. You never say or do anything not worth being said or done. Don’t waste time.”

“Can’t afford to.”

“I don’t know. I think you’re just afraid to. It’s terrifying giving yourself to something that may not work out.”

She met his eyes. “Eddie…”

He held her gaze and waited. But nothing else came.

“You gonna answer my text?” he asked after some moments of silence.

“Favorite movie? I think I’d have to say Fargo. You?”

“Oh yeah?” he said, imitating a Minnesotan accent. She giggled as he thought, but he was distracted by the smile on her face. A genuine smile.

“Well?”

He snapped out of his trance. “Spontaneous.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s this great horror, comedy, coming of age love story. Rather elementary of me considering that I’m a film connoisseur,” he joked, “but I can’t get enough of it.”

“Eternal Sunshine has always been my favorite love story.”

He beamed. “I recommend that movie to everyone.”

“As you should.”

He bit his lip nervously. “So, uh…if I were to invite you to another one of my gigs, would you show?”

“Yeah, yeah I would.”

“Really?”

“I actually am a bit of a metalhead myself. Probably why Robin knew I’d like your music.”

His jaw dropped. “No.”

“Yes,” she laughed. “Bring Me The Horizon. Slayer. Motley Crue. Halestorm. Black Delilah. Day to Remember. Girlschool. Hole, ugh I love Hole. Destroy Boys. Bratmobile. Bikini Kill!”

“Okay, okay.” He chuckled. “You can stop listing. I believe you.”

“And now Corroded Coffin.” She became distracted and pouted at a passing puppy. “Look at those little legs,” she squealed. As if it knew she was talking about it, the pup turned to her and began wagging its tail ecstatically. She waved as it barked and then smiled at the owner, mouthing, “So precious.” She looked back at Eddie, smile still clinging to her face.

“You’ll come?”

She nodded, glancing at her buzzing phone and stuffing her things into her tote. “I have to go, but text me the details, okay? Thank you for-for this.”

“My pleasure.” His eyes followed her out and down the street until she disappeared. He looked wide eyed at Dustin, and both began laughing.

“I’m quite impressed, Munson.”

“And I’m in absolute shock.” He whipped out his phone and texted Em.

Eddie: 10 Tuesday night at the upsidedown. Drinks on me

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