Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1996

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sometimes, no matter how hard you tried not to, you were cursed to end up becoming your mother.

Twenty-eight, on her way to divorce, and nursing a Jack and Diet Coke in some dive bar in Pittsburgh. Yep. Sounded too much like Cici Carew. Only she wasn't Cici. She was Charlie but with each passing day, she was slowly morphing into the one woman she'd tried her whole life not to become.

Only difference was that at twenty-eight, she only had two relationships under her belt. If you could even call the first one a relationship. Charlie had been the only one naive enough to believe it was anything more than her being used for sex. A sophomore in high school she'd had nothing but hearts in her eyes for the new boy and she'd been dumb enough to allow him to use her for six months before having her heart crushed in front of the entire school.

Two? That was barely anything. What number was Cici even on these days? Double digits, she knew that much. Last she'd heard, which had been eight months ago now, not that she was counting, because the longer her mother stayed away the better in her opinion. But the last she knew, her mom was sleeping with some slimy local politician in Huntsville, Alabama. A politician who was married with three kids but that had never mattered to her. She just wanted someone to take care of her. Someone to buy her pretty things and pay her rent.

Well, this is where the similarities ended. If Charlie had learned anything in her short life, it was that men sucked. You couldn't trust a single one of them. You couldn't let your guard down. Don't show weakness because they were just waiting for the opportunity to use it against you. They only wanted one thing and when they inevitably got bored of you, they would find another. And another and another. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, she was a desperate idiot.

She'd pretty much fallen for the same guy, just in different packaging. Pretty words, pretty smile, black heart.

Fuck it. She was done with the male species. She was moving on, starting over, and from here on out she was focusing on herself. Charlie was done giving everything she had to someone else and never getting anything in return. It was time she started thinking about herself because no one else was going to. That much had been proven time and again.

So, back home it was, or the only place she'd ever really thought of as home. When Gran died six months back, Charlie had lost the only person who had ever loved her unconditionally. The only person she could truly rely on besides her best friend since she was nine years old. She would give anything to have Gran back but in losing her, Gran had given her a gift.

She hadn't seen it as a gift at the time but if it weren't for Gran, she would have nowhere to go. Gran had never liked Leo. She'd tried to talk Charlie out of the marriage, even going so far as to tell her there was still time to run as they waited for those doors in the church to open and Charlie to walk down to her soon-to-be husband.

But Gran didn't understand. She'd had the kind of love that was once in a lifetime with Grandpa William, the kind they wrote stories about, the kind only a few lucky ones got to have. He'd died at fifty-five of a massive heart attack while working on the assembly line at the local plant. Gran had never remarried. She'd never even dated, saying she had her great love and nothing could compare.

She'd wanted that kind of love for Charlie and Charlie thought she'd found it but Gran knew better and Charlie should have been smart enough to listen. But she wasn't. She had those damn hearts in her eyes again. But now Charlie could see that what she wanted was to have her person. Someone who would love her and cherish her and put her before anything else. She'd fallen for all of Leo's pretty lies because she was just so damn desperate to matter to someone the way she never had.

And now she knew she didn't. With Gran gone, there was nobody else that cared enough. She had to stop looking outward for what she needed. No one was going to swoop in and save her. It was time to look inward, to take care of herself, to stop putting what she wanted on the back burner.

So, she was on her way back home, to Gran's house. The house she had left to Charlie in her will. The house she couldn't bring herself to put up for sale and was now grateful she hadn't because it was going to be her new home, the site of her rebirth. She was going to start over in the one place she'd been happy, get on her feet, and become the person she was supposed to be before Leo Quinn had sunk his claws at nineteen.

Pittsburgh was just a pit stop on the way to her new life. It was a twelve and a half hour drive. She was running on very little sleep, frazzled nerves, and more caffeine than any human being should safely consume. Stopping for some sleep seemed like a good idea until she'd been alone in her motel room, her brain replaying all the worst decisions of her life, and she'd had to get out and away from it.

So, here she was. Sitting on this barstool, nursing a drink, having just watched the most enigmatic man she'd ever seen belt into a microphone, fingers flying over his guitar. There were three other guys on the stage. She thought their name had something to do with a Coffin, which was a bit morbid. They were clearly a band but that guy made it hard to pull your eyes away from him to even glance at anyone else. He consumed that stage and all of her attention with it.

Yeah, she didn't want anything to do with men but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate beauty when she saw it. And that man was the definition of beautiful. Dark waves cascading over his shoulders, full pouty lips, prominent nose, and striking large brown eyes that she could see all the way from her seat at the bar.

And oh shit. Now that exact man was emerging from behind the stage, heading straight for her. And she knew that smile. He must have noticed how much she'd been watching him during their set. It was the smile of a man who had an agenda and was confident that he was going to achieve it.

Charlie's hand trembled as she set her drink down just as the guy plopped onto the stool next to her, worried that he just might be right.

"Whiskey on ice," he told the bartender with a raise of his hand before turning to her, elbow resting on the top of the bar, feet firmly planted on the floor as her own dangled off the stool. "Like the show?"

She nodded, struggling to find the words she needed but those eyes...those eyes were sucking her in. Big, brown, puppy dog eyes that were as warm as a summer day. What the hell was happening to her? She shouldn't be so nervous. But she didn't exactly have a lot of experience with this. She'd spent the last six years of her life married and she'd been dating that guy for three years before that. She hadn't had to flirt with anyone in almost a decade and it appeared she wasn't any good at it.

His tongue ran over that plump bottom lip, leaving it glistening under the dull lights of the bar, and Charlie's eyes followed it longingly, wishing it were own tongue, wishing she could see if those lips tasted just as damn good as they looked. This man didn't just have power on the stage. Her thighs pressed together, her breath catching in her throat.

His eyebrow lifted, mouth curving up one side, leaving her mortified, knowing he had noticed how that small move had impacted her. God, she needed to finish her drink and go. This was just pathetic at this point. No grown women should be reduced to groveling over some metalhead in a bar.

It had been too long since she'd gotten laid. That was the problem. She was being insane because she was so damn horny. She didn't trust herself right now. It had been eight months since anyone besides herself had even touched her and not even her vibrator was satisfying that need anymore.

"So, I couldn't help noticing you while I was up there on stage. And I have to ask...what is a gorgeous specimen like yourself doing in a dive like this, drinking all alone?" he asked, not even acknowledging the embarrassing way she was lusting after him. Thank god.

Gorgeous? Had he just called her gorgeous? No. She was not going to allow a compliment to make her swoon like that. Just because Leo hadn't made her feel desirable in years didn't mean she needed to fall at the feet of this man because of one compliment. He probably used that line at every bar his band stopped at to play. It wasn't special. She wasn't special. He just wanted to get in her pants. Charlie was sure he left a string of women behind in every city.

"I'm actually just here for the night," she answered, lifting her drink, taking a slow sip to steady herself. She could do this. "I'm in the middle of a big move and it's a long drive. I got bored just sitting in my motel room so decided to venture out and have a drink. And lucky me, I got a concert to go along with it."

"Big move, huh? New job?"

"Divorce," Charlie stated, deadpan.

"Oh shit." He cringed, taking a sip of his own drink. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not." And she wasn't. She wasn't sorry she was divorcing the piece of shit. She was just sorry she'd wasted so much time on him. Her youth, poof, gone, all wasted on some loser who hadn't really ever loved her at all. She'd just been an easy mark for him. He saw her weakness and used it to get himself a dutiful little housewife.

"Okay then." He grinned, his hands dropping down between his thighs and he leaned in, the scent of cologne and sweat enveloping her, his nose almost touching hers. She swallowed. "Well, any man who is dumb enough to lose you isn't worth being sorry over."

"Oh yeah?" She hated how shaky her voice sounded.

"Yeah."

His hand landed on her knee, her eyes following it's movement, taking in the thick fingers, the nails kept short for playing his instrument, the chunky rings that adorned each finger. And her mind betrayed her once again as she imagined all the dirty things those fingers could do to her. Charlie's thighs pressed together so hard she wasn't sure they'd ever come apart.

Was it such a crazy idea letting him get into her pants for one night? She could still stay strong when it came to men. No relationships, ever. She was done with that bullshit but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun, that she couldn't still enjoy herself. Casual wasn't such a bad thing as long as everyone knew the score and was safe. And there was no danger of this being anything else as she was hitting the road again in the morning. She'd be miles away by the time tomorrow night rolled around.

She'd never had casual sex but there was a first time for everything. And casual was a hell of a lot better than putting it all there for someone to destroy you piece by piece until nothing was left.

"You want to get out of here?" she asked, surprising even herself at the confidence in her tone. Who the hell was she right now? Charlie didn't recognize this woman but maybe that was okay. Because she wanted to be anybody but herself lately.

His eyebrows lifted, a slow grin splitting his face, that damn tongue snaking around the corner of his mouth. Yeah. She wanted this, wanted him. Wanted anonymous sex, no feelings involved, no strings attached. A simple transaction of needs being met. She deserved this, damn it. It had been so long. She had an itch and it needed to be scratched and who better than tall, dark, and handsome? She'd never see this man again so what did it matter?

"Hell yeah," he answered with no hesitation, hopping up from his stool. Pulling out his wallet, he dropped a twenty on the bar and then offered her his hand. "My hotel or yours?"

"Mine."

"Alright. I'm..."

"No," she interrupted quickly, shaking her head. "No names."

"Okay..." He nodded slowly as she placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her from the bar. "I can get on board with that. I'll just call you princess for the night. How's that?"

Princess? It should be condescending. What was she? Rapunzel locked in her tower just waiting for the prince to save the day? But the way it rumbled from his chest, rolling out of that perfect mouth, she just wanted to hear him say it again and again.

"Fine...rockstar."

"Oh, I can definitely get on board with that," he grinned.

____________________________________________________________

This chick was something else. Eddie'd had plenty of one night stands but never any who didn't even want to know his name. She wanted anonymous sex? Fine with him. Kept things easy. He wouldn't have to worry about her trying to track him down like that chick in Cleveland did, following them to their next show, convinced they were an item or something after one night.

This woman clearly didn't want anything past tonight. She had a need she wanted satisfied. Divorce? She probably hadn't gotten any in a long time. Unhappy marriage. Two strangers living in the same house ignoring each other or fighting all the time. Yeah. He'd met plenty of lonely women looking for affection. That meant she was horny as hell and that he could take care of..

He'd followed her in his car, erection straining against his jeans at the thought of all the things he was going to do to her once they got into her motel room. She'd looked nervous but he'd fix that. First time after a divorce, he had to be on his game. Maybe she'd never done anything like this before. He wanted her to walk away satisfied, having the best sex of her life.

She stepped out of the car, that little skirt riding up, giving him an eyeful of creamy, pale skin. Deep red hair, bright green eyes, and the most adorable smattering of freckles across her face. She was a vision, like some sorceress ready to cast her spell on him. Well, it worked. He'd been struck dumb when he caught sight of her from the stage, eyeing him like he was a snack she wanted to take a bite of.

The redhead pointed to a door with a number seven on it and he trailed behind her. She struggled to get her keycard out of her purse, fumbling awkwardly, the nerves still on high. Eddie reached around, taking the key from her, expertly slipping it into the door, sweeping his arm for her to enter before he followed, kicking the door shut with his foot.

Eddie stepped into her, his hands on her waist, gently pressing her against the door. There wasn't any reason to waste time. This was what they'd come here for. The most delicious little gasp escaped her pert lips as he moved between her legs, spreading her wide until she could feel how much he wanted her.

"You're sure you want this, princess?" he asked softly, his nose tracing the line of her jaw. Jesus, she smelled good, like cherries and vanilla. She nodded. "Gonna need to hear you say it."

"Yes," she whispered. "I want this."

He reached between them, his hand sliding up her thigh and he could already tell how badly she wanted it. Her panties were already damp, her teeth biting down on her lower lip as he cupped her heat with his hand. How long had it been since someone had touched her? Since someone had shown her just how beautiful she was?

Well, he was going to show her. He was going to make sure she knew how damn desirable she was and he was going to leave her with a pleasant ache between those delicious thighs tomorrow. She wouldn't forget this night soon. He just wondered how far she'd allow him to take it. Was she a good girl or was she willing to step outside her comfortable little suburban box? Because this girl definitely had Stepford wife written all over her.

"Get on the bed, princess," he ordered, his cock throbbing when she whimpered. She walked over on sweet little Bambi legs, looking like she was going to stumble, sitting down on the edge. Eddie smirked. "On all fours, honey."

"What?" Those green eyes went wide.

"Too much?" he asked, worried he might need to bring it down a notch.

"N...no." She shook her head. Okay, so she had come to play. She did want to break out of her comfort zone. Good. "I want you to make me forget everything but this room."

"Oh, princess, I am going to make you forget your own name. Now, all fours and slip that little skirt up so I can see you."

She swallowed, nodding, still looking nervous as hell but she crawled onto her hands and knees and turned around on the bed. Pressing her face into the mattress, she lifted her ass high, grasping the hem of her skirt and flipping it up.

Fuck. Eddie unbuttoned his jeans, his hand slipping inside, down to his erection, sliding over it a few times as he just relished the view of that sweet little ass in her adorable pink polka dot panties.

"Mmm, now that's a peach I'd like to sink my teeth in..."

He stepped up behind her and grinned when she jumped as his hand came down upon her flesh with a loud smack. Eddie treated the opposite cheek to the same treatment, eliciting a whimper from her. Damn, she was not what she looked when he first saw her sitting in that bar. This girl really wanted to get a little down and dirty. His hand wrapped around her thighs, yanking them further apart, spreading her wide for him.

"My, my..." She gasped when his nose slid over her panties from the front to the back. "Damn princess, you smell just as sweet as you look. You taste just as good too?"

"Why don't you find out?" she replied, wiggling her ass back and forth, teasing.

"You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

Eddie pressed his face against her pussy, running his thick tongue over her panties. Her thigh muscles clenched, a low groan pulling from her that he could feel all the way to his cock. Fuck. He needed more. He needed her bare.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he flipped her in one quick move and in another quick move he had her panties off, flung across the room. He settled between her legs, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her once more.

He didn't just lick. He didn't just suck. He fucking feasted like she was his last meal because she just tasted that goddamn good. She cried out, her hips bucking up off the bed. Eddie's large hands landed on each of her thighs, pressing her down as he devoured her.

"Fuck. Jesus...oh my god...that's so good...so fucking good..." she whimpered, her hands opening and closing at her sides like she didn't know what to do with them. He grabbed onto them, placing them on his head. She hesitated for only a second before burying them in his hair, pressing herself against him.

"Mmm...such a dirty little mouth for a princess," he mumbled, groaning at the pull against his scalp as she gripped his hair harder. He scraped his teeth over her sensitive little bud, relishing the noises this damn goddess was making, before his tongue slid down, entering her as his nose bumped and nuzzled over her clit, keeping her climbing.

Her body was fucking humming like his guitar, the skin of her thighs quivering under his hands. He couldn't get enough. He needed to make her come, needed to hear her scream for him again. Eddie slid two thick fingers into her, pumping hard while his lips wrapped around her clit. She screamed with pleasure, her thighs locking around his head. Her hips rocked up into him, her body taking over as she desperately sought sweet release.

"I'm gonna...oh shit...oh god..."

"That's right. Come for me, princess. Come all over my face."

The tension within her coiled so tightly, she was like a rubber band ready to snap and then she did. With a scream so loud he was sure every resident of the motel heard, her orgasm crashed over her, her back bowing off the bed.

"Jesus Christ..." she whimpered, collapsing.

"Mmm..." His lips pressed against her clit, unable to keep himself from teasing her just a bit more, and she squeaked, jerking. "So fucking tasty."

His chin glistened with her juices as he brought his two fingers to his mouth, slipping them inside, sucking the remains of her pleasure off. Her eyes fluttered closed, her body spent, completely wrecked, exactly how he wanted it but he wasn't finished. Eddie slipped first his shirt and then his jeans off, pulling a condom from the back pocket before dropping them on the floor along with her panties. Ripping open the foil, he slid it over his painfully erect cock.

"I ain't done with you yet, sweetheart. One last time, you sure about this?"

"Yes...god yes..." she breathed, spreading her legs wide open for him, all traces of nerves gone. She looked eager for him, ready, wanting, and he didn't think he'd ever seen anything sexier in his life.

Kneeling between her legs, he lifted one up, pressing it against his chest. He was going to make her forget all about that asshole ex husband and how disappointing he was in bed. He didn't have to know the guy. All those fucking suburban guys with their ties and 401Ks were lame in the sack. When you had money, you didn't care enough to learn what a woman wanted but Eddie did and he'd had plenty of practice over the years.

"Gonna get nice and deep. I'm gonna hit places no other man has ever hit."

In one swift thrust, he entered her, stretching her, his cock filling her completely. Fuck, she was tight. Her eyes rolled back in her head, the word more falling from her mouth over and over, like a mantra. He was more than happy to give it. He pounded into her, their skin slapping together harshly, so loud in the small motel room.

Pressing forward, he bent her leg toward her with the weight of his chest. The next thrust sent him in so deeply that she swore once again with that filthy little mouth, gasping, her nails clawing at his back.

"There it is..." he growled, rolling into her again and again, each time hitting a space that had him seeing fucking stars, planets, entire galaxies that he'd never explored but desperately wanted to. Jesus, she felt so damn good. He could spend the rest of eternity buried in her and he would die a happy man.

"Jesus Rockstar...I'm gonna come again...I...so good...fuck..."

She grabbed at his arms, raked her fingernails down his back, mewled and trembled. Her mouth found his, her tongue warring against his own, the two of them gasping, locked together, climbing higher and higher with every thrust.

Her mouth tore from his as a scream ripped from her throat. Her second orgasm rocked them both, her pussy pulsing, pulling him in deeper. Eddie didn't cease his pace but he couldn't hold back any longer. Her teeth clamped onto the flesh on his shoulder as she rode the high and that was it.

"Fuck yes," he grunted, hips slamming into her again. "Shit." Sweat trickled down his face. "Fuck me." His mouth opened wide, his body shaking as he stilled above her, riding out his own release. He collapsed on top of her, his forehead resting on her chest.

Damn. He'd never taken off her shirt. How did he miss out on the chance of seeing those tits? That was alright. They could go for round two. He would get those damn tits in his mouth before this night was over.

"Fuck, princess. Good for you?"

Her eyes found his as he lifted his head to look at her. Eddie went in for a kiss but she turned her head and his lips landed on her cheek. What the hell? Had she not enjoyed herself? She'd certainly seemed like she was enjoying herself.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

____________________________________________________________

Jesus Christ. Her body was limp. She was a noodle. A cooked spaghetti noodle with no shape. Charlie wasn't sure she could ever move again. She was so deliciously numb and yet every inch of her was tingling.

This guy was...she didn't even have words to describe it. She'd never experienced sex like that. Her first boyfriend had been all about his own pleasure and Leo...well, Leo was very vanilla. There was never oral sex, ever. He acted like going down on her was the most abhorrent thing he could ever do. This guy made it seem like the most pleasurable thing he'd ever done. It was hands down the most pleasurable thing she'd ever experienced.

"Something wrong? No," she answered, sliding out from under him to sit up, covering her bottom half with the sheet like he hadn't just been up close and personal. "That was...incredible. It was great. Thank you."

"Thank you?"

Uh-oh. He looked annoyed. Was that the wrong thing to say?

"Sorry. I...well, I've never done anything like this. You know, a one night stand? I don't know what you're supposed to say. I mean, it's a one time thing, right? So, I assumed we said thank you and you got dressed and headed on your way."

He was amused. Great. He found her ridiculous. Rolling onto his side, he laughed, propping his head on his hand. Like she didn't feel stupid enough already. Clearly she did not know what she was doing with this one night stand business. She'd have to get better at this part. How did two people end it once the sex stuff had happened?

"I mean, I can. If you want me to get dressed and go, I will." He sat up, reaching for her, pulling her to him until her chest was flush with his. "Or...I could stay the night and we could do this again. I mean, I didn't even get your shirt off yet."

"Stay the night? But isn't that...I mean, I thought that wasn't..."

"It's still a one time thing. Tomorrow morning I head back to my hotel and you get on the road to your new life. It's still a one night stand if it all happens in one night. There's no reason we can't make the most of the night."

This felt like dangerous territory, allowing a man to stay over before the ink was even dry on her divorce papers. But he was right. Tomorrow morning they would part ways and what were the chances she would ever see him again?

"Alright."

"Alright. Now, let's get this damn shirt off so I can worship those tits."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here it is! New story. I am hoping to post weekly but we'll see how it goes. We're kicking it off with smut right from the beginning. 😆 Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Text

Hawkins, Indiana. Home of the Tigers, the one thing the town prided itself on, high school sports. The town would come out to all the football and basketball games in droves, probably because it was one of the only things to do in this one horse town. No chain restaurants anywhere to be seen. You wouldn’t find a McDonald’s for twenty miles but they did have a Radio Shack and a Family Video. 

Charlie was surprised when she had driven past StarCourt Mall. That was a new development. They must have put that in after she left. When she lived here, the only place to shop for clothes was the vintage shop or Louann’s Boutique on Main Street. If you wanted anything with a label or that didn’t look like it was made for a forty year old housewife, you had to head into Indianapolis or Avon. 

Yeah. The town didn’t have a lot of excitement but man, had she been happy here. She hadn’t thought so when her mom had dropped her off and took off, Charlie chasing after her car until she fell in the street. She still had the scar on her knee from where the flesh had ripped open. Gran had lifted her up, helping her back to the house, dressing the wound as the girl sat, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Her child brain trying to understand why her mother didn’t want her, what was so wrong with her, what made her so defective that her own mother couldn’t love her the way Charlie knew a mother should.

But it wound up being a gift she hadn’t even known she wanted. Charlie realized how tired she was of constantly moving from place to place when Cici’s boyfriends inevitably dumped her. She’d only been nine but she’d already lived in six different places in her short life. Hawkins was the first place where Charlie had stability, where she’d made friends, where she’d felt like she had a home. 

Six amazing years. Years of going to the same school with all the same kids. Getting invited to slumber parties, riding her bike through streets where the neighbors smiled and waved because they knew you, house spent exploring the woods behind the school until she knew them like the back of her hand. It was the town where she’d had her first kiss, where she’d lost her virginity, where she’d suffered what she thought would be her worst embarrassment and heartbreak she never thought she’d recover from.

Until the very end of her sophomore year, when she’d been dreaming of all the ways she would spend her summer vacation. Hanging out at the lake with her best friend, helping Gran in the garden, visiting the library where Marissa always had new book recommendations for her. She even had a summer job lined up at the pool to lifeguard. But none of that happened when Cici came rolling in like the tidal wave she was, destroying everything in her path, and wrenched Charlie from everything she knew and loved, including Gran. 

She pulled into the driveway of the familiar ranch home, painted sky blue, retouched every other summer by local teenagers that Gran would hire, because she took pride in that home. It had been the home she’d shared with Grandpa William, the one he’d bought after he came home from the war and asked her to marry him. The one they’d raised her mother in. It had been the site of a tremendous love story that had ended far too soon. A love story that Charlie was never going to have, no matter how much Gran had wanted it for her.

Charlie could still see that day her mother came barging in, demanding that Charlie come with her. Snatching up a bunch of Charlie’s clothes and throwing them in a bag as she stood there, crying, asking her mother why she was doing this after all this time but getting no answer. Her hand around Charlie’s wrist, dragging her out the front door as she sobbed and begged her mom to let her stay. Gran pleading with her daughter not to take Charlie as Cici reminded Gran that Charlie was her daughter and there was nothing Gran could do. 

But asking had been futile because Charlie knew exactly why her mother had done it. Her latest fling had ended, she had no money, and she knew Gran was done giving her handouts only to have her call six months later asking for more after her next relationship imploded in her face. It was always the same with Cici. 

She brought Charlie to Beech Grove, Indiana, to a shitty ass apartment where the heat rattled loudly, struggling to get the house up to even sixty degrees and the water never got hot. Charlie lived in layers all through winter, trembling under her blankets at night, closing her eyes, imagining she was back in Gran’s house where there was always food and the house was warm. Picturing herself sitting on the couch reading her book while Gran sat next to her, knitting a new blanket for the family across the street that was having a baby in a few months.

They weren’t there for twenty-four hours before Cici was telling her that she had to get a job to help pay her share of things. What she really meant was that Charlie needed to get a job to pay for everything. Cici never worked if she didn’t have to. And without a man or Gran, Cici had run out of options. 

For two years, Charlie waited tables at a greasy diner, evading the grabby hands of slimy truckers, ignoring the disgusting comments they felt comfortable saying to a teenage girl, while she worked her ass off at school because she needed a scholarship if she was going to get the hell out of there. Her mom had three different boyfriends over those two years, one of which liked Charlie a little too much. 

She’d tried to tell her mom that Carl made her uncomfortable. But did her mom care? No. Instead of being angry at him for being inappropriate with her teen daughter, she was angry at Charlie, saying it was her fault, accusing her of flirting with her boyfriend. She told her she needed to cover up more, like the way she dressed excused him commenting on a seventeen year old’s boobs or her ass. 

She applied to schools all along the east coast, desperate to put as many miles between her and Cici as she could. Charlie even considered Europe because there was no way Cici was crossing the ocean to get to her. But in the end, the University of Hartford had offered her a full ride and Charlie had jumped on it, seizing any opportunity to leave behind the mess of a life she was currently living. 

Charlie stepped out of the car, shielding her eyes from the sun as she took in the house. It needed a little upkeep after six months of sitting empty but Gran had maintained it well. Charlie would need to get some flowers for the garden beds, repaint the shutters, and the inside would definitely need a good cleaning from the dust that had probably accumulated. But the paint on the house still looked fresh. 

Of course, to do any of those things, she thought, as she lugged her two suitcases from the back, she would need to get a job first. She hadn’t brought much with her. After she’d confronted him and told Leo she wanted a divorce, he’d screamed at her to get the hell out. Charlie had rushed to toss what she could in a suitcase as he yelled about how everything she owned he’d paid for and she was an ungrateful bitch because she’d have nothing without him, among other things. Barely able to see through her tears, she’d made do with two suitcases, needing to get out of there and away from his vitriol. 

She’d half expected him to tell her she couldn’t take her car because he’d paid for that too. He’d paid for everything since he convinced her to be a housewife, insisting they didn’t need the extra money. But he didn’t. Maybe he’d been glad to be rid of her at that point. Maybe that had been the plan all along, to trade her in for a younger model. 

Using her key, she opened the door, rolling her suitcases over the threshold and into the place that held all of her best memories, the tension of the last week instantly melting away just by being there again. It was like Gran’s presence permeated every single space, her warmth covering Charlie, chasing the chill of all of her failures away. 

The kitchen where she and Gran would bake on Sundays, Dean Martin or Billie Holiday playing on her old record player as they mixed and measured. The dining room table where they would work on puzzles or play Uno. The living room where Gran would always be when Charlie got home from school, munching on peanut butter with Ritz crackers, watching her stories, as she called them. The back porch where Gran would take her evening tea in the summer, Charlie sitting next to her with a Coke, the two of them talking about everything under the sun. 

Because Gran always wanted to listen. She loved to hear Charlie talk about her friends, the boys she was into, her obsession with Prince and David Bowie even if she never understood it. She wanted to know about Charlie’s life, something her mother had never been interested in. Gran was the first person who ever made her feel heard, ever made her feel like she mattered. 

When she died, Charlie had come home to plan the funeral. Cici had shown up, pretending to care, diving in to help with everything until the lawyer had read out Gran’s will. Once Cici realized she was getting nothing, her true colors came out. She lashed out at Charlie, blaming her, telling her that if she was a decent daughter she would give her the house. It should be hers because Gran was her mom and it was her childhood home. 

It was the first time Charlie really stood up to her mother. She would follow through with Gran’s wishes and she knew as well as anybody why Gran didn’t want to leave her anything. Her mom would only waste it and need more money in a few months. 

Leaving her bags by the door, Charlie walked over and flopped back onto the couch, releasing the air that felt like it had been trapped inside her for months, stale and sour. She could finally take a breath. She was here. She was doing it. This was the first step to starting over and she wanted to leave old Charlie, the one who had been a doormat for everyone in her life, in the rearview mirror. 

The pleasant ache between her legs reminded her that she was already on her way. The old Charlie never would have done what she did last night. She’d expected to feel mortified this morning but when she woke up to an empty bed, all she did was smile and burrow deeper into her covers, relishing the way every inch of her still hummed, not even upset that he was gone because that had been the agreement. That had been what she wanted. No strings attached. 

She didn’t know his name but she would never forget his face…or his hands or his tongue or the way he made her feel. It had been exactly what she needed and after the third time, when they both collapsed back on the bed, completely spent, he surprised her again by wrapping himself around her, pulling her into his chest, the two of them falling asleep completely entwined. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so soundly or felt completely at ease.

He’d even left a note on the table.

Had to get on the road for our next show and didn’t want to wake you. Thanks for last night, princess. It was incredible. 

Rockstar

He’d been more attentive and respectful of her in one night than Leo had been in years. Charlie wasn’t going to forget him anytime soon, possibly never, but it was what it was supposed to be. One night. Her needs had been met and no feelings were involved and that was exactly what she needed right now. Hell, that might be all she needed for the rest of her life.  

Well, she was back and after eight hours in the car with stops, the last thing she felt like doing was unpacking or cleaning. That could wait until tomorrow after she did some job hunting. It was time to go see one of the few people she still had in her life. 

____________________________________________________________

Charlie ran her hands over the front of her jeans as she approached the bright yellow door, excited to see her best friend again. She’d never seen Robin’s house. Charlie had been dealing with the funeral and her grief, along with her crazy ass mother the last time she’d been in town and Leo, who couldn’t be bothered to come because of work, kept texting and asking when she’d be home. At the time, she’d fooled herself into thinking he missed her but now she realized he probably wanted to know so he wouldn’t get caught with one of his other women.

She’d mentioned stopping by to see the place before she left but Robin had assured her it wasn’t a big deal and she didn’t need to worry about that with everything else going on. At the time, Charlie hadn’t thought much about it but after she had wondered if Robin hadn’t wanted her to see her house but that was crazy. Why wouldn’t she want Charlie to see where she lived?

From nine to sixteen, the two of them had been inseparable, until her mother literally separated them. They’d stayed in touch through phone calls and letters but it hadn’t been the same. Charlie had longed for the nights when they would sit up in her room or the days they’d lay on the grass and talk for hours. Robin knew everything about her. She was the only person that Charlie had ever shared every sordid detail with about her mother and her past. She knew about Carl’s gross behavior. She knew about Hank, the guy her mom had dropped her for. She knew about Leo’s cheating. She’d begged Charlie to leave him long before she did. 

Robin had come to her wedding and Charlie had noticed how weird she was with Leo. She’d never said it, playing the role of best friend, smiling even though it looked strained, but Charlie could tell that Robin wasn’t his biggest fan. At the time, she’d convinced herself that Robin just didn’t know him well enough, that she hadn’t seen the two of them together to see how much Leo loved her. But her friend and Gran had seen what she refused to see all along. 

When Charlie had pulled into Gran’s driveway six months ago, Robin had been waiting for her on the porch. She’d rushed down the steps, collecting a crying Charlie in her arms. She’d spent the night, the two of them gorging on Twizzlers, popcorn, and poptarts, the way they used to when they were younger, reminiscing about Gran. 

And when Charlie had called her, crying once again, admitting that her marriage had fallen apart and she didn’t know what to do, Robin had been the one to convince her to come home. To stay in Gran’s house and have a fresh start, assuring her that she would be there for her and help her in any way she could. 

So, here she was, and even if her entire life, everything she thought she was going to have, was crumbling around her like a cliff battered by the waves, she was eager to see her person again. Because that was what Robin was. She was her person. Who needed a man when you had a best friend anyway?

Charlie raised her hand and knocked on the door, taken aback when a familiar redhead answered the door. Vicki smiled at her and Charlie stepped back, looking once again at the number on the house to see if she’d somehow gotten the wrong address. 

“Charlie!” she said warmly. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Vicki? Hi! You too. I umm…I think I might have gotten the wrong house somehow but this is the address. I was looking for Robin. Does she live around here?”

Vicki laughed, pressing her lips together as Robin came up behind her. 

“You got the right house, Charlie,” Robin said, moving around Vicki to pull her friend into a hug. “Oh my god. It is so good to have you home again! I am so excited!” Cringing as she pulled back, she added, “Though you’re probably not. Sorry. Circumstances suck and all that but it’s just so damn good to have you back in Hawkins permanently. Come on. Come in! Come in!”

Charlie followed the two women into the house. Robin’s love of music was apparent in the decor. Posters of various musicians and bands adorned the walls in eclectic frames alongside a myriad of unique artwork. A cozy reading nook with a chair and a well-stocked bookshelf sat in one corner by a large picture window. The furniture was vintage, appearing that it had all been thrifted, pieces that shouldn’t go together but somehow meshed well to create a space that felt so completely Robin. 

She wondered if Vicki was a friend. She knew Vicki and Robin had been in the high school band together. They chatted casually, like you do with an acquaintance that you see daily, but they hadn’t been close. Maybe that had changed after Charlie had left. Of course Robin would make other friends. What did Charlie expect? That she was just sitting here alone like Charlie had been?

Robin and Vicki sat down on the couch together so Charlie dropped onto the loveseat. 

“So Vicki, what have you been up to since high school?”

“Oh, you know…I went to college at Indiana State. I actually got my Ph.D.” She laughed, shaking her head, her hands flying up. “I know. Crazy, right? It was a lot of school but I did summer courses too so I could get it done faster. Anyway, I’m a professor at Manchester University. It’s about fifteen miles from here so it’s not too bad of a commute.”

“Oh wow,” Charlie said, impressed. “And what do you teach?”

“Music History.”

“Huh, well, no wonder you and Robin get along with her teaching band at the high school. So, do you live around here?”

Robin and Vicki shared a look that made Charlie feel like she was missing something here. It suddenly hit her like a freight train speeding down the track. She flashed back to Robin asking her if she thought Brooke Shields was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. Robin admitting that she’d never had a crush on a guy. Charlie had always thought it was just because she hadn’t found the right guy yet but that hadn’t been it at all. She hadn’t been interested in guys and now Charlie felt like the biggest idiot for not seeing it, not seeing her best friend for who she truly was. 

“Vicki lives here,” she stated with a nod. “You two…you’re together?”

“Yes.” Vicki wrapped her hand around Robin’s.

The look Robin was giving her about broke her heart. It was fearful, as if she expected Charlie to walk out, to say something awful, to not accept her for who she was. 

“How long have you been together?” she asked, smiling. 

Robin’s teeth caught her bottom lip as she answered softly, “Six years.”

Six years? Her best friend had been in a relationship for six years and hadn’t told her? Charlie’s stomach twisted uncomfortably, her hands wringing together in her lap. All those phone calls and she never said a word. When Charlie came home and Robin didn’t want her to come see her house. She didn’t want Charlie to know that she was with Vicki. But why? Why would she ever think Charlie would be anything but supportive?

“Wow, that’s a…I mean…that’s amazing.”

“Yeah. We became friends in high school but then I moved away for school. We reconnected after I moved back home after my undergrad. I was working as a teaching assistant while getting my Ph.D.,” Vicki explained as Robin sat, staring at her shoes. “We just started hanging out again and then…well, we were hanging in my parent’s basement, watching a movie, and I admitted that I liked her, like really liked her, and suddenly we were kissing and we’ve been together ever since.”

Charlie nodded, hoping her smile didn’t look as pained as it felt. She’d thought Robin was the one person she could trust. She’d told her everything but she had concealed this from her for years. Robin didn’t trust her enough to be her true self around her. Maybe no one in her life was honest with her. 

“Charlie,” Robin said, her voice breaking. 

“It’s okay,” she assured her, shaking her head, blinking back the hot tears that were formed in her eyes. “It’s fine, really.”

“It’s not. I wanted to tell you…I just, I didn’t know how. You weren’t here and…I tried to tell you a few times, when we were younger. God, I wanted to tell you that I was gay. I wanted to unburden myself with this damn secret that always felt like it was going to crush me into a million pieces. Because if I was going to tell anyone it would have been you but I was so scared. I was scared that if I told you that I would lose you. I was terrified that if I told anyone, it would somehow get out, and this is Hawkins. They would have been ready to burn me at the stake. High school is already awful but it would have been unbearable if my secret got out. You know that.”

“I wouldn’t have told anybody,” Charlie said. “Robin, I told you everything. I trusted you with everything, things I never wanted anyone else to know. I never would have said a word and I love you. I love you, all of you, all the parts of you. Nothing changes that. Nothing.”

“I know. I just…well…it was awkward. I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t because it was so awkward and stupid. But I, well, I had a hardcore crush on you back then.”

Charlie’s eyes went wide, looking over at Vicki, and then she burst out laughing. Robin looked at her like she’d lost her mind. 

“Well, you clearly have a type,” she giggled, pointing to Vicki and then herself. “Redheads.”

Robin looked at them both and joined in the laughter, shrugging, “I guess maybe I do.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I didn’t want to ruin anything between us and I knew you weren’t into girls. Your walls were plastered in boys and when Billy Hargrove showed up sophomore year, it was obvious you were not only into guys but guys that were total dickheads.”

“Hey! That’s not fair,” Charlie argued, feeling that moment all over again, her face flushing with the heat of embarrassment as he’d announced to the whole school how she was nothing but a bad lay.

“I mean, you dated that dickhead, Eric, your senior year and Leo isn’t exactly not a dickhead. Your track record is not great.”

“True.” Charlie dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, groaning. “I know. I know. If they’re waving a red flag, I am running toward them apparently. But that’s all over. I’m not interested in dating anyone. You are looking at the new and improved Charlie. I am focusing on myself for the foreseeable future. And the first thing I need to focus on is getting myself a job.”

“Well, actually, I can help you out with that one. I am friends with Harley, who owns our local bookshop, Epic Tales, and she is looking for a manager. I mentioned that you were moving to town and looking for a job and she said you can stop by anytime this week.”

“Robin, that’s amazing! But I…I mean, I don’t have any work experience for the last six years. Do you really think she’s going to give someone like that a managerial position?”

Robin leaned forward, “Yes. Because I told her how you are incredibly smart and have a degree in creative writing and read, like, a hundred novels a year and would be an absolute asset to her business. Harley is all about helping other women and she knows you’re moving here following a nasty split. She is holding the spot for you. Trust me, she will hire you.”

Charlie wasn’t sure if she was grateful that Robin had gone out of her way to get her this job or annoyed that she’d shared her messy marriage falling apart with a total stranger. But this was Hawkins. Her whole sordid story would make its rounds eventually. And either way, she needed a job, and if the woman having a little empathy toward her helped, then she would just have to swallow down her pride. 

“Alright. I’ll go see her tomorrow. Thank you Robin. Seriously.”

“Of course. I told you I was going to be here for you and I meant that. It’s time for you to enjoy your life. Speaking of, a bunch of my friends are going to the movies Tuesday night. Twister is coming out and the guys are all about going to watch some movie about tornado chasers.”

“I think it’s more to see Helen Hunt,” laughed Vicki.

Robin shrugged, “I mean, it’s definitely a perk. Anyway, you should come. We’ll probably grab Benny’s after. How long has it been since you had a Benny’s burger and shake?”

Charlie’s mouth salivated at the thought. It had been too long. Benny made the best burgers and his shakes…they were to die for. Charlie’s favorite was the chocolate while Robin had always been a strawberry girl. They’d lived off burgers and shakes the whole summer after freshman year, popping in there anytime they had the cash. 

“You’re sure your friends will be okay with me crashing?” she asked, nervous at the thought of meeting a bunch of new people. It had been so long since she’d been around people who weren’t fancy schmucks and their perfectly groomed wives that she was expected to impress. 

“Absolutely!” Robin exclaimed. “My friends are the best. I already told them everything about you.”

“Everything?”

“Well, no, not everything,” her friend assured her, “but they know you have been my bestie since we were nine and they are so excited to see you. But listen, do me a favor. I know you’re on this no men thing, and that’s awesome, but can you try not to fall for Steve?”

Charlie laughed, “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Vicki snorted with a roll of her eyes. “No woman is immune from Steve Harrington’s charms.”

“Or his hair,” scoffed Robin. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” Charlie replied. “I am not going to fall for any of your friends. Trust me. I am done with men.”

Chapter Text

Books. Was there anything more magical in the world? Fragile pieces of paper bound together. It didn’t seem that fantastical but the possibilities that a book held within its pages were endless. Books provided an escape when reality was so very disappointing. Books could take you anywhere. You could be stranded in the Canadian Wilderness, making a deal with a witch, battling an alien invasion, or escaping through a wardrobe into a world you could only imagine in your wildest dreams. 

Charlie stood in the bookshop, inhaling that comforting smell of paper and ink. Her fingertips trailed lightly over the spines of books that filled the shelves. These were her friends when she was younger, before she came to Hawkins, before she found Robin. 

Cici never paid her much attention, preferring her daughter to be out of sight and out of mind. So Charlie’s first order of business every time they moved was to find the local library, a place she always knew would welcome her. She would get lost for hours, discovering the most secret nook she could, to sit and devour book after book until the library was closing its doors and she had to head back home. 

The library had been her safe place, her refuge from the tumultuous life her mother provided for her. She knew the heat would work in the winter and most of the libraries had some form of air conditioning or at least working fans in the summer. She knew no one would bother her besides maybe a helpful librarian who would check in with her, sometimes looking like they were concerned this young child was alone but ultimately deciding she was safe. It was a library after all. 

Stories had always held a special place in her heart and that was why Charlie had started writing. From the age of six, she always had a notebook with her, the pages filled with stories she would spin about a little girl who was off on epic adventures, meeting fantastical creatures, and exploring incredible places. 

There had never been anything else she wanted to do but write. Writing was a way for her to escape the life she hated so much. It was a way for her to process the feelings that felt far too large for her tiny body. It was a way for her to try to make sense of a mother who didn’t love her enough, the men she brought home who sometimes resembled the monsters in the stories she read, the father who had abandoned her to start a better family with children he did want. 

She wanted to write that epic story. The story that would help another lost child, just like her, escape their reality when they needed to. But then she’d met Leo and in her desperation to have stability, to have what her mother never had, she had allowed him to strip away everything that she was and everything that she could be. 

“Hello!” a voice greeted her and Charlie looked up to find a tiny little pixie of a woman with long black hair and a wide smile, warmth radiating from her like heat from the sun. “Welcome to Epic Tales. Can I help you find anything in particular?” She came around the counter, her long bohemian dress trailing to the floor so only a peek of her burnt orange toenails could be seen. “Or I can always guide you to the right book if you let me know what kind of books you enjoy.”

“I’m not here about a book actually.” Stepping forward, she offered her hand. “I’m Charlie Quinn, Robin’s friend. She told me that she talked to you about me possibly getting a job here and that I should stop by.”

Harley’s eyes lit up, “Oh! Yes! Welcome!” She waved her hands, gesturing around the space. “I mean, your timing could not be better. I could really use an extra set of hands around here. Come on. Let me show you around.” She walked off, Charlie trailing behind her. “It’s not a huge space and it’s taken me months to get it where it is. I’m not even done with everything I want to do but everything costs money, you know, so I have to take it step by step.”

What was she talking about? This place was perfect as it was. The walls were a vibrant green and golden yellow, illustrations from some of the best fantasy books adorned the walls. A small coffee bar sat in the back with real mugs for customers to help themselves. The light fixtures were antique lamps, hanging low from the ceiling and providing the perfect amount of light to browse or read without it hurting your eyes. Charlie never understood why fluorescents were necessary anywhere besides a hospital. Give her soft lighting any day.

Squishy armchairs, a plush couch, and even a few antique benches were littered around the space, providing a cozy spot for customers to sit and browse their selections. Books weren’t just on the shelves, they were stacked on quirky little end tables and propped up on a variety of antique pieces in dark wood. There was even a selection of jewelry, bookmarks, and pins up by the counter. 

This was Charlie’s idea of heaven. She could happily move in here and spend the rest of her days. She couldn’t see what more Harley would want to do with the space. 

“I think it’s incredible. I love it. This is one of the best bookstores I’ve ever been in.”

“Really? Thank you. That’s so kind of you to say.”

Charlie wasn’t just being kind. She meant it. Hartford had a few independent bookstores but most had closed their doors over the last few years once Barnes & Noble had made their way in. She didn’t have anything against Barnes & Noble but there was something to be said about a space that was as whimsical as the stories available on its shelves.

“So, what would the job requirements be?” asked Charlie. 

Harley laughed. “Of course. Jeez. You want to know about the job, obviously. That’s why you came. Sorry. You will quickly learn that I would forget my head if it wasn’t attached. Just one of the reasons I desperately need someone a bit more organized to help me out here. I have a couple college kids who work shifts but I have been killing myself being here from open to close. I need someone else who can run things so I can actually…I don’t know, have a day off besides just Sunday.” She sighed, shaking her hands over her head. “Anyway, you would oversee daily operations. You know, opening and closing when it’s your turn during your shift, making sure the store stays clean. You would help with the scheduling and supervising of the employees. They’re really sweet. Shouldn’t give you any hassle.”

Charlie nodded and smiled, trying not to show the anxiety she was suddenly feeling at being in charge of anything. She hadn’t worked since she quit her college job, working retail, and she’d never been the boss of anybody. Could she really handle all of this without disappointing Harley or would she be fired within a couple weeks?

“You’ll manage inventory and order new stock if needed. I’ll show you how to do all of that. Oh, and sometimes we have to do special orders for a book if a customer wants one that we don’t have on our shelves,” Harley rattled off, oblivious to Charlie’s stress levels rising. “You might help create displays for promotions, like when a new book release is coming out. We have a couple book clubs that meet here so you might help oversee that. And, of course, customer service.” She grinned widely, sarcastically. “No matter how hard we try, there are always going to be pissed off people who want to speak to the manager. That’s always fun.” With a sigh, she tossed her hands up. “I think that’s about it.”

That was it? Oh, good. That only sounded like a lot. A lot of potential ways for Charlie to screw things up epically.”

“So, what do you think?” asked Harley. “You want the job?”

Just like that. This woman was trusting her based on Robin’s recommendation so if she messed up it wouldn’t just be on her but on Robin who’d put her neck out there for her. She wanted to say this had been a mistake and walk out. Look for something where she wasn’t in charge. She could always go back to waitressing. She hadn’t done it in ten years but that didn’t mean she couldn’t. 

But no. She needed this job. The pay was good and if she was going to start her new life, she needed income. The house might be paid off but she would need to eat, pay utilities, and she desperately needed some new clothes since she’d left almost everything behind. She could handle this. She was a grown woman. Maybe she hadn’t worked in years but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn.

“Yeah,” she finally answered, nodding. “Yes. I would love to take the job.”

“Awesome! When can you start?” Harley asked, laughing at the surprise on Charlie’s face. “Sorry to be so forward but it’s been so stressful running this place on my own. I mean, it’s my dream, but it’s a lot. I am so excited to have someone else to help carry the load.”

“I can start Wednesday if that works.” Charlie didn’t want to say tomorrow because she was supposed to be going out with Robin and her friends. It probably wouldn’t make a great first impression to bail on them before they’d even met her. 

“Great! We open at ten so if you want to get here around nine and I can walk you through opening? We’ll work side by side for the first few shifts so I can show you all the ropes. Sound good?”

“Sounds…great, yeah.”

She really hoped that she could learn everything well enough in a few days to handle this on her own. She did not want to let Harley or Robin down but this was what she needed. This was the beginning of her new life, focusing on herself, bettering herself. She needed to be independent, prove to herself that she was not her mother. She would not rely on a guy to take care of her. She’d been burned three times and they said three strikes and you were out. Well, she was out…she was so far out that she couldn’t even see the baseball diamond. Charlie was done making that mistake. She would never rely on a guy again.

____________________________________________________________

He’d barely been home for an hour before his doorbell rang, Steve and Robin, the dynamic duo, barreling in with pizza and beer. As much as Eddie would like to say he was annoyed, he wasn’t. It was hard to be annoyed at people missing you or giving a damn about you when you had spent a long time being used to the opposite.

Steve Harrington, King Steve, The Hair Harrington, Mr. Money Bags, the man with a million nicknames who used to swagger around the school like he owned it because he did. The girls all wanted him and the guys wanted to be him. Everyone just wanted to exist in his orbit because he was that magnetic and Eddie had hated him for it. 

Robin Buckley, neurotic, talkaholic, clumsy, a total band geek. And not a band geek like him. No, this girl had played in the marching band. Eddie hadn’t hated her but the two of them would not have been seen running around in the same social circles. He’d just thought she was weird and she had thought he was a loser.

It was crazy how things changed. How people who seemingly had nothing in common with you could come together to become some of the most important people in your life. All because of some little shits who looked like lost little sheep in the cafeteria on their first day of high school, leaving Eddie feeling bad for them. That simple decision, extending an invite to join Hellfire, had changed his life in ways he couldn’t have imagined. 

“So, how was the tour?” asked Steve, pulling a piece of pizza out of the box and taking a large bite. No plate. No nothing. Just standing over his counter, eating right out of the box. He’d sure diverted from silver spoons and shrimp forks. 

“It wasn’t really a tour, man. I mean, it was only two weeks.”

“Two weeks where you performed a series of concerts in different cities as a band,” Robin said, grabbing a plate like a civilized person with manners as she sat down on one of the stools. “That would constitute a tour.”

He shrugged, taking a pull of his beer, “I mean, it was cool. We stayed in some shitty motels because obviously these little hole in the wall places aren’t covering our room and board. We lived off a lot of greasy ass food.” He cringed slightly at the pizza, unsure his stomach could handle anymore. “The places all let us eat for free so we took advantage. I mean, I’m not hurting for cash or anything but going out every night for a gourmet meal would have pretty much spent whatever we were making from the shows.”

“And Joe was cool with you taking so much time off?” asked Steve.

“Yeah, I mean, you know Joe. He gave me shit about it because he had to cover all my shifts for two weeks but Jenny’s been trying to pick up as many shifts as she can before her wedding so she was glad to take on doubles.”

Joe couldn’t give him too much shit anyway. Bartending at the Hideout was a good gig. He made decent tips, especially from the regulars who warmed up the stools night after night, but the real cash was in performances. It brought in the crowds who would buy drinks and food all night. Joe didn’t want to risk losing Corroded Coffin. They were his main money maker in a town that didn’t have a whole lot of local talent to pull from. 

“How many cities did you play in?” asked Robin.

“Eight. We did Indy, Muncie, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Steubenville, Pittsburgh, and we played some place called Monroeville the last night.” Eddie shook his head. “Gareth knows some guy who knows the guys who own those bars or something. I mean, it was decent money and it was fun just getting to play.”

“Speaking of playing…” Steve wiggled his eyebrows. “Did you find yourself a girl in every city Mr. Rockstar?”

“Gross,” Robin snorted, elbowing Steve. 

“What? Isn’t that supposed to be a perk of being a rockstar? The groupies?”

“Nah, man,” Eddie smiled, his cheeks warming, “not every city.”

Steve’s eyes widened, “But there were some! I can see it all over your face!”

“Eddie, did you seriously sleep with groupies?” Robin sounded disappointed. “I know you were living the rockstar life for a couple weeks but eww.” She paused, considering. “Randos in a bar you know nothing about? Please tell me you were safe at least.”

“I was. And I didn’t sleep with groupies, okay? There was just one girl. It was one night, when we were in Pittsburgh and there was just something about her, man. I don’t know. I saw her when we were on stage and it was like…I don’t even know how to explain it.”

Beaming, Robin leaned over the counter, “Okay. Well, that sounds promising. What’s her name? Are you going to call her? Is she from Pittsburgh because that’s really far away. It might be hard. Long distance relationships are, like, impossible, you know?”

Eddie held his hands up to stop the babbling of words that would just continue if he didn’t. He loved Robin but sometimes she had far too many thoughts in her head and they all just came spilling out without any control. The girl could ramble for hours if left unchecked.

“No. I am not going to call her. It was a one time thing. I don’t even know her name.”

Steve frowned, “What do you mean you don’t know her name?”

“I don’t know her name. She didn’t want to do names, okay?”

“That’s weird,” Robin said, pursing her lips. “You didn’t think that was weird?”

“Not really,” he said with a lift of his shoulders. “She’d just gotten divorced. It kind of seemed like she was looking for something to take her mind off of it. Like she’d been miserable for a really long time and she just wanted to let loose and have a good time. And trust me, a very good time was had by both of us.”

The truth was, he wished he did know her name and he definitely wished he had her number. Eddie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that night since it happened. That girl had consumed his waking thoughts, her hair, her eyes, her skin, the filthy little mouth that had surprised him. He’d thought he was hooking up with some prim and proper suburban housewife but she’d surprised him at every turn, coming out of her shell like a butterfly emerging after too long being trapped. 

But Robin was right. Long distance never worked. He didn’t know where she was headed after that night. She could be anywhere in the country and it was probably for the best. The girl was reeling from a divorce. It was clear it was fresh and she was probably not in a place for anything more than a night of fun. But Jesus, he would not be forgetting that night of fun anytime soon. 

It had been a long time since a girl had invaded his mind like that. Hell, the last one had been five years ago, Haley Briggs. Eddie had thought she was the one. They dated for a year. He’d bought the ring. He was ready to settle down and finally have the normalcy he’d always craved as a child. He, Eddie Munson, freak of Hawkins High, was ready for the white picket fence, the two point five kids, and even the dog if she wanted one.

But when he dropped to one knee, presenting the simple ring he’d gotten at the jeweler because it was what he could afford, she’d looked shocked, as if the very possibility of them taking the next step had never occurred to her. He’d instantly known he’d made a mistake, his heart falling out of his ass. She’d picked that heart up, crushing it between her hands as she told him that this had been fun but she really needed someone who had aspirations bigger than bartending and messing around with his high school band.

After that, he’d sworn off relationships. He’d been burned one too many times because in the end, he was never good enough. It was better to never put yourself out there than face the disappointment when they looked at you with pity, wondering how you could have thought that you’d ever be enough for them. 

Eddie was used to it. He hadn’t been enough for his dad who had put him down at every turn and got locked up again and again, his son never enough of a reason for him to try to do better. He hadn’t been enough for his mother, hadn’t been enough for her to stay clean, until her demons finally took her from him. He hadn’t been enough for his teachers, always disappointed until they just expected him to fail and gave up on him. He hadn’t been enough for Chrissy Cunningham in high school, who headed off to a fancy college and told him it was best that they split because it was never going to work out. He hadn’t been enough for Frankie, the older woman he met at The Hideout when he was twenty-one, stringing him along until she told him he was just a kid, it was just supposed to be a good time. Haley had been the final straw. He couldn’t take one more rejection.

So, casual was what worked best for him anyway. Feelings didn’t get involved, everyone had a good time, and no one walked away any more broken than they already were. Eddie was always upfront about what he wanted, which was why he’d been perfectly okay with the redhead’s demands. He didn’t want anything more either. Now they both had a great night they could remember fondly instead of another crack in an already broken heart.

“I mean…as long as you both were cool with it,” Steve said. Robin grimaced at him and he shrugged. “What? Look, they’re both adults and they agreed to have a casual encounter with no names. It’s kinky and a bit…unusual but as long as both people are okay with it and nobody got hurt, it doesn’t matter.”

Relenting, she sighed, “I guess. I mean, I guess I understand if she’s just getting out of a divorce that she just wanted to let loose a bit. Speaking of divorces…”

Steve’s eyebrows scrunched low, “That’s a hell of a way to start a sentence.” His eyes widened. “No…Nancy and Jonathan? Or, not Mike and El? Max and Lucas? Oh god…Joyce and Hop?”

“No you dingus!” Robin snapped with a roll of her eyes. “Jesus.”

“Well, you’re the one saying, speaking of divorces, like it’s just a normal segue in a conversation. Why would you say that unless someone we know is getting a divorce? You and Vicki…?”
“We’re not even married you idiot! The law hasn’t caught up on the fact that marriage only being between a penis and a vagina is an archaic practice.” She sighed, shaking her head. “No, Vicki and I are fine.” She smirked. “Perfect, actually. But my friend, Charlie, is back in town.”

“Charlie? The one who lived here for a while? The one with the grandma who passed away?”

“Yep. That one. She is in the midst of a divorce to an absolute shitbag who I knew was a mistake but she couldn’t see it until it was too late. Her grandma told her it was a mistake but she didn’t want to listen. Because she loved him or some bullshit. I still can’t figure out why. I don’t know what she saw in him. I could tell he was a slimeball from the moment I met him and I had to stand there and smile at their wedding like I didn’t think so because she’s my friend and that’s what friends do, right? Even when you know your best friend is making a huge mistake, you have to shut up because you know they won’t agree and then it will be a fight and you’re supposed to be all supportive. All he wanted was some pretty trophy wife to have on his arm as he climbed the ladder at his law firm. He’s cheated on her with like, a hundred different women. Maybe that’s exaggerating but probably not!”

“Whoa,” Eddie interjected, laughing. “Alright. We get it. He’s a dick in the worst way.”

“Right. Anyway, she’s moved back here. She’s going to be living in her Gran’s house because she left it to her when she died. I got her a job at Epic Tales with Harley.”

“Harley’s good people,” Eddie stated. 

“I know she is and Charlie really needs good people right now. She has not had the best life, okay? Her mom’s a piece of shit too and so is her dad.”

Steve snorted, “Join the club.”

“Yeah. Well, she’s…vulnerable, let’s say. And I invited her to go to the movies with us tomorrow and I need everybody to be nice to her.” She spun, jabbing her finger into Steve’s chest. “But not too nice!”

His jaw dropped, eyes looking offensively at her finger, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Charlie is pretty. I mean, absolutely bonkers gorgeous. I had a huge crush on her when we were kids. And neither of you probably remember her because, well, Eddie you were a couple years ahead of us in school at that time and Steve, you didn’t pay attention to anyone that wasn’t in your social circle. But she’s ridiculously cute and she’s hurting and the last thing she needs is King Steve making eyes at her. So, just don’t!”

Steve gasped, pressing his hands to his chest. “I’m offended. Why do you assume I’m going to hit on her?”

“Because I know you and she is not in a place for that, okay? She hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to men. The poor girl lost her virginity to Billy Hargrove.”

Both boys roared with disgust, sharing a look of shock. 

“Wait, was she the tall, leggy blonde?” asked Steve.

“No! Billy didn’t exactly publicize that he was hooking up with a sophomore. They were never together in school.”

“Seriously?” Eddie questioned, grimacing. “Of all the guys at Hawkins, that guy? Poor girl has got some awful taste in men, obviously. Gearhead, couldn’t wear a shirt without keeping the top unbuttoned, constantly swinging his dick around to try to prove it was bigger Billy?”

Robin’s fist clenched, “Shit. Can you not let her know that I shared that with you? Oh my god. She’s going to kill me.” She sighed, shaking her head, slamming her hands down on the counter. “Look, that doesn’t matter. My point is, she’s not in a very good place to be strong and she may just fall for your long lashes if you bat them in her direction so please, Steve, just don’t.”

“Okay.” When she looked at him like she didn’t believe him, he held his hands up. “Okay! I promise. I won’t try anything.”

Robin narrowed her eyes, still not fully believing Steve who tried his best to look innocent. She suddenly spun on Eddie, jabbing her finger in his chest, causing him to jump in shock.

“And Eddie, I know you aren’t always…keen on meeting new people but please be nice. She’s been through a lot and the last thing she needs is you grilling her on everything or acting like an asshole.”

Eddie raised his right hand, “I promise. I will be on my best behavior. We’ll make sure she feels real welcome in Hawkins.”

Chapter Text

Finishing off her makeup with a touch of mascara, Charlie checked out the finished product in the mirror. Black short slip dress over a short-sleeved white tee with some strappy sandals. Black choker on her neck with a silver cross, some silver hoop earrings, and a few bangles on her wrist. She wanted to look nice for her first time meeting Robin’s friends but she also didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard. 

Maybe she should change into jean shorts and a tee. Was a dress too much for the movies and burgers? Would they think she was out of place? That she didn’t belong? Hawkins was a very different place than Hartford.

And Robin was a very casual kind of person. You would never catch her in a dress. The girl had worn pants and a button down to their Homecoming sophomore year. Maybe her friends were the same way. 

With zero minutes to spare if she didn’t want to be late, Charlie headed out the door in jean shorts, a forest green baby tee, her black Converse, and just the earrings. She paused with her hand on the door for only a moment, wondering if she was underdressed, before deciding this was going to have to be good enough or she wasn’t going to make it in time for the movie. 

Pulling into the mall, she inhaled slowly, reminding herself that friends of Robin’s had to be pretty chill people. Sure, her friend was neurotic and could be extremely high strung but she was also one of the most open and accepting people on the planet. She would not surround herself with assholes. This was going to be fine. 

Striding across the parking lot amidst teenagers laughing with linked arms, moms with kids trailing along behind them, couples holding hands, Charlie was amazed at how many people were out and about on a Tuesday night. But this was Hawkins and with not a ton of things to do, the mall was probably a hub of activity all the time. 

In Hartford, the mall always had people but it wasn’t usually this busy until the weekend. People had other things to do. Dinner dates, luncheons, tennis lessons, book clubs, golf…that had been Leo’s favorite. He was out on the golf course with his law buddies or a client three or four times a week. Well, that was what he told her anyway. She wasn’t sure if that was true anymore. She wasn’t sure if anything he’d ever said to her was true. 

Her eyes darted around and relief swept over her when she spotted Robin grinning and waving at her from outside the theater where she stood with a group of people that all looked around their age. Charlie made her way over to them, smiling back at all the welcoming, smiling faces looking at her. 

“You made it!” Robin squealed. “Okay, introductions.” She turned to the others, pointing to each one as she named them. “This is Nancy, Jonathan, you know Vicki already, and this is Steve.” At that, Robin gave her a very pointed look. 

Charlie nodded at everyone, saying, “Hi.”

And okay, she could see why Robin had some concerns. Steve was quite good looking with a full bottom lip, hazel eyes rimmed with long lashes that should be illegal for a man, and a strong, square jaw. And the hair…well, yeah. Robin was correct there too. It was kind of incredible hair the way it managed to swoop perfectly over his forehead as if it was magically kept in place. He had to use product to get it to do that but it somehow still looked so soft. The cutest little freckles dotted his face and neck as if someone had just tossed them in the air and they’d landed haphazardly on his skin. 

Yeah. Steve was gorgeous. She’d have to be crazy not to notice it. He’d really grown into one beautiful man. But Robin didn’t have to be worried because she’d sworn off relationships and casually hooking up with Robin’s friends was not a good idea. Robin was all she had left in the world and Charlie could not afford to mess that up no matter how cute the guy was. A one night stand with Robin’s friend was not on the table. That would be way too damn awkward.

“Charlie, it’s so good to meet you,” Nancy, an adorable brunette with big brown eyes and a button nose, said. “Robin has told us so much about you.”

“Hopefully not too much,” laughed Charlie, trying to ignore the way Steve’s eyes were assessing her before looking over at Robin. She pretended she didn’t see him mouth the word wow because that was not happening. 

Robin elbowed him, causing him to wince and grab his side, before slinging her arm around Charlie’s shoulders, “Only the good stuff. Like, when we rode our bikes all the way to Avon because you had to have a pair of Jordache jeans and your gran found out and made us both paint the whole house as punishment, saying she got the good end of the deal because she didn’t have to pay local kids to do it..”

“It was worth it. They were really good jeans,” Charlie argued. 

“I painted that house once,” Jonathan added, catching Charlie’s attention. “Catherine put up a sign at Melvald’s and my…well, my family could use the money so I painted it for her the summer after my junior year.”

“You knew my grandma?”

“Everybody knew your grandma,” Steve added. “Everybody knows everybody in this town. We were at the funeral but it didn’t seem like the right time to introduce ourselves.”

“Oh, I don’t…I don’t remember any of you. I mean, I shouldn’t say that. I remember Steve. Not because we ever met but you were like, the talk of Hawkins High. Every girl in our grade was always drooling onto their desks talking about you. I kind of got the impression that you were a douchebag, honestly.”

Steve flushed, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“Sorry. That was rude. I don’t have any room to talk. I have dated the biggest douchebags on the planet.”

“No,” he assured her. “It’s okay. I was. I can admit that. But I turned over a new leaf, you know? Changed after high school…changed after I met this dingus over here.” He gestured to Robin with a laugh. 

“Yeah. We actually met here at the mall. We were both working at Scoops Ahoy, the ice cream place. Steve was desperately trying to get a girl to go out with him and was getting shot down every single time.” She straightened up, smirking. “I was keeping a tally board. It was kind of embarrassing how often he was failing but extremely entertaining to watch him try.”

Charlie’s eyebrows lifted, “Really? You? You couldn’t get a date?”

“Well, I can now. I mean, I didn’t care in high school, didn’t really try my best and I didn’t get into college. My dad wanted to teach me a lesson so even though my parents had quite a lot of money, he made me earn a living man’s wage. It’s alright. It actually was good for me. One of the few good things my parents have done. But I guess girls weren’t into some guy who graduated but the best job he could get was slinging ice cream for kids.”

“I don’t think that’s fair. I mean, you had just graduated. What kind of job would they think you’d have?”

“Thank you! That’s what I…”

“There you are!” Robin yelled suddenly. “Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence.”

Charlie turned, her thoughts scattering like birds in a thunderstorm. The world shifted under her feet because this couldn’t be happening. Had she just slipped into some alternate reality somehow? This wasn’t possible. Her stomach twisted, her feet feeling frozen to the spot. Had her heart stopped beating? 

It couldn’t be possible but somehow it was. It was the guy, the guy from Pittsburgh, striding up to them in ripped jeans and a shirt with some band on it that she couldn’t make out because her eyes refused to focus, looking more delicious than any man had a right to. The mall, a spacious and open place, suddenly felt too small, the walls feeling like they were closing in around her. 

“Eddie, this is Charlie, my best friend that I told you about.” 

Eddie. The beautiful mystery man had a name now. No. No, this was not how this was supposed to go. Robin introduced them, completely unaware of the fact that they’d already met. Which was good. She had to be unaware. She could not know what had happened between them. If she’d been worried about Steve, she’d be enraged if she found out what had happened in Pittsburgh. 

His face didn’t show the shock she was sure hers did as he extended his hand out to her. Those rings, those fingers, the things they’d done to her just a few nights ago and now they were supposed to shake hands, watch a movie, grab burgers, as if none of it had happened. As if he hadn’t made her soul leave her body multiple times in one night. 

Of course. Of course the universe hated her. The one time she stepped outside her comfort zone and did something she never did, it had to come back to slap her in the face. 

“Hey Charlie,” he said with a lazy smile, his mouth lifting on one side, as he took her hand in his since she was incapable of moving. “It’s really good to meet you. How are you liking Hawkins?”

Her mouth opened but she couldn’t make words come out. Everybody was watching. She had to talk. She had to act normal or they would all know that someone had happened. Charlie swallowed, willing her brain to work with her here because Robin’s eyes were narrowing suspiciously and Nancy was pressing her lips together in amusement. 

“I…uh…I just got…I just got here yesterday,” she stammered, wishing he’d let go of her hand because how did something so simple feel so erotic? Shit. She had to get a hold of herself. Inhaling through her nose, she rolled her shoulders. “I lived here before, from the time I was nine until I was sixteen. But I’m glad to be back.”

“Good.” Those brown eyes sparkled like fireworks in July as he bent his head down, his nose so close to hers, so similar to two nights ago in that bar. “We’re very glad you’re back.”

“Yeah…okay,” Robin said slowly, her eyes moving between the two of them. “How about we go get our tickets? The movie’s starting in five minutes.”

Charlie turned to follow the group, breaking her eyes away from Eddie, her entire body relaxing once he was out of her line of sight. But then he was behind her, his breath against her ear, as he whispered, “Good to see you again, princess.”

____________________________________________________________

Eddie had no clue how he was doing it, how he was managing to act so calm and casual. Because he wasn’t. His insides felt like they were a torrent of excitement ready to burst from him at any moment. He could not believe it was her. His mystery girl, his suburban housewife turned naughty girl, sitting right across from him at Benny’s Burgers in the asscrack of Indiana. 

Seriously, what were the damn chances? It seemed impossible. All of the places she could have been going and she was headed right here, to Hawkins? He never thought he’d see her again but now, there she was, pink cheeks dotted with those adorable freckles, her teeth grabbing at that pouty bottom lip, those beautiful green eyes trying to avoid making eye contact with him at all costs. And all he could think about was laying her down on this table and licking every inch of that creamy skin. 

He’d followed right behind her in the theater, ensuring the two of them sat next to each other. Charlie, he never would have guessed it, but it suited her, trying to maintain this distance between them. His fingers grazed her bare thigh and he delighted in the way her muscles tensed. What he wouldn’t give to slip his hand down the front of those denim shorts, but Robin was right on the other side of her, Steve on the other side of him, and Charlie clearly did not want anyone knowing they knew each other. 

He got it. Robin would not be happy if she found out that Eddie had screwed her best friend. To be fair, he hadn’t known she was Robin’s best friend when it happened. They were hundreds of miles away. It was a chance meeting in some dingy ass bar. Who would have ever seen this coming?

One night. That had been the deal. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Couldn’t stop thinking about her thighs clamping around his ears, her nails digging into the skin of his back, the soft whimpering sound she made right before she was going to come. He wanted to make her make that sound again. Maybe he could have let this need go when he didn’t know who she was or where to find her but not when she was sitting right across from him.

“What about you, Ed?” asked Steve and his eyes shot over, realizing he’d missed an entire conversation, too busy imagining all the things he wanted to do to the fiery redhead. 

“What about me?”

“Would you chase tornados for a living?”

“Hell yes!” he answered, snatching a fry from Steve’s plate since his were gone, ignoring the annoyed look he got in response. “Can you imagine the adrenaline rush of being that close to death? Witnessing the awesome power of Mother Nature happening right in front of you? I love storms. Always have.”

What he didn’t share was that storms always meant his parents screaming got drowned out. He could huddle under his blanket, watching the lightning flash, listening to the thunder crash, and fall asleep to the sound of the rain hitting the top of the trailer instead of the sound of glass smashing against the wall or his dad calling his mom the most vile things he could think of. 

“So you’re an adrenaline junkie?” asked Charlie, one eyebrow quirked in question. 

Eddie contemplated his answer for a moment, taking a long pull of his chocolate shake. It had not escaped his notice that she was a chocolate lover too. 

“I mean, kind of. I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to get me killed.”

“I would say diving into the middle of a tornado could definitely get you killed,” argued Robin. “They can reach speeds of over three hundred miles per hour. “The low pressure in the eye of the tornado can rip things apart, like, oh, I don’t know, your body.”

“Okay Bill Nye, I didn’t say I would drive straight into the middle of it. But I would definitely go after it, keeping a respectable distance so as to keep my body in one piece.”

Nancy’s eyes lit up, “I get it. I mean, as a journalist you report on all kinds of things, including natural disasters. It would be exciting to be in the middle of it, watching it happen.”

“Yeah. Destruction…super fun.” Steve glanced around the table, twirling his finger near his temple to show how crazy he thought this entire discussion was. 

“Well, no, obviously the destruction and loss of life is awful,” Nancy stated. “But you have to admit, Mother Nature is a force and to see her in action…that raw power…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it would be kind of cool. I don’t want anyone to die. Of course not. I just think it would be a once in a lifetime experience.”

“I’ve experienced one,” Charlie mumbled softly, “and I wouldn’t call it cool.”

“Really?” Jonathan leaned forward. “When?”

“I was seven, I think. My mom and I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a while.” She swallowed, stirring her milkshake with her straw. “I was on the front porch watching the thunderstorm and suddenly the air got really still and everything got really quiet. Then the sky got dark but it wasn’t dark like gray or black, the way you expect during a storm. It was eerie, this weird green. Then suddenly it sounded like a freight train was barreling down on me and the air got so heavy. It felt like it was pressing down on my chest making it hard to breathe. The wind picked up and I got scared. I ran into the house and hid under my bed.”

“Where was your bedroom?” asked Nancy.

“Upstairs.”

“But you’re not supposed to be upstairs,” Vicki said. “Didn’t your mom get you down to the basement? Did you have a basement or a storm cellar? I know some of those older homes that are in tornado alley have them.”

Charlie suddenly looked uncomfortable, her hands fidgeting on the table in front of her. Eddie resisted the urge to reach out and cover them with his own, which would be wildly inappropriate and would definitely give away that they knew each other. But she looked so small, sitting there, as if she didn’t want to divulge the next part of the story and he wanted to tell them all to leave her alone. To tell her that she didn’t have to share anything she didn’t want to. 

“My mom wasn’t home.”

“But you were seven?” asked Jonathan. “She left you home alone at seven…at night?”
“She was at the bar with Greg, her boyfriend at the time. They were playing darts. They always played darts on Wednesdays. And I was a pretty self sufficient kid and we had neighbors I could run to if I needed them.” She shook her head, smiling, as if trying to shake it off, to act like it was no big deal that she’d clearly been neglected as a child. “Anyway, I got really lucky. I didn’t know anything about tornados. I didn’t know that I was in the worst place I could have been. When everything quieted down, I went outside but it was dark and I couldn’t see anything. The next morning, we saw that the house just next door was flattened but ours was still standing. Luckily, they had a storm cellar and they were all safe. But no, I wouldn’t call tornados cool. I would call them terrifying.”

“Damn.” Steve exhaled slowly. “I mean, we are right in tornado alley but we’ve never had an actual tornado come through here. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been.”

“Yeah, and for the house next door to be hit but not yours.” Vicki shook her head. “That’s insane.”

“How long did you live in Tulsa?” asked Nancy.

The laugh she emitted was hollow, “Not long. About nine months. That was pretty much my childhood. My mom was always moving on from one guy to the next. Her relationships never lasted so we were always moving around. We lived wherever she had a man to take care of her and pay the bills.”

“Oh…I’m sorry.” Nancy cringed, clearly wishing she’d never asked in the first place.

“No, it’s fine. I mean, it is what it is, you know? She’s still doing that. I don’t even know where she is anymore and that’s okay with me.”

“But you moved in with Catherine when you were ten?” Steve asked.

“Nine.”

“And how did that happen?” Jonathan inquired. 

Eddie wanted to kick them all. The girl had barely moved here. She was reeling from a divorce and clearly her relationship with her mom wasn’t a great one. The last thing she probably needed was the third degree about all her trauma on the first night they met her. 

“Well, my mom felt like I was cramping her style and ruining her chances with this asshole named Hank. He was a dentist and made pretty decent money. So, she dropped me on my Gram’s doorstep and left me there until I was sixteen and she came back to collect me.”

Nancy frowned. “Why would she wait so long and then just come take you again?”

“Because my Gran had cut her off. She wouldn’t give her any more handouts because Cici was always coming back for more. She’d blow it within six months and if she wasn’t attached to a guy, she’d call with a sob story, some reason she needed just a bit to get on her feet. Well, her relationship imploded when the guy found out she was using his credit card to charge a bunch of shit and Gran wouldn’t give her anything. So, she came to get me so I could work and pay her bills.”

“Jesus Christ,” Steve scoffed, “that’s fucking awful.”

“It is what it is. I worked my ass off at school to get a scholarship so I could get the hell out of there and I did. I got a full ride to the University of Hartford and as soon as I could move into the dorms, I was gone. I put as many miles between her and I as I could and I never looked back. I haven’t heard from her in months. Last I knew, she was screwing some married guy who’s in local politics. But that was eight months ago and I’m sure that’s imploded. How long is he going to keep a side piece before the wife finds out or he gets nervous she will find out?”

“How in the hell did someone like that come from Catherine?” asked Robin, shaking her head. “Her and your grandpa William were the sweetest, kindest people. I will never understand how such a narcissistic bitch like that was raised by those people.”

“Robin!” Vicki chastised. 

Charlie laughed then, a real laugh, “No. It’s fine, really. If there’s anyone who gets to call my mom a bitch other than me, it’s Robin. She’s listened to me complain about her for years now. She knows what Cici is.” Pushing back from the table, she stood. “And as much fun as it is talking about how royally fucked up my life is, I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

“Seriously you guys?” Robin hissed. “I said be nice. I didn’t say act like this is Sally Jesse Raphael and interview the girl until she spills all her deep dark personal shit.”

“Sorry,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t know talking about tornados would lead down that path.” 

“I need to take a leak.”

“Charming, Eddie,” Nancy snorted with a roll of her eyes as he stood from the table. 

The bathroom at Benny’s was down a little hall, away from the eyes of everyone at the table, exactly what he needed so he could talk to her without the group seeing. He stood outside, twisting his ring, anxiously waiting for her. 

When the door opened, Charlie’s eyes went as round as an owl’s at the sight of him before darting to the right, as if she expected the whole crew to be standing there, catching them together. 

“What are you doing?” she hissed. 

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“No. You can’t talk to me.”

“Why not?”

She ran a hand through her red locks in frustration, “Are you kidding me? What do you mean why not? They’re all right over there.”
“They can’t see us.”

“So? Look, the other night was great. It was incredible.”

He grinned, “Incredible, huh?”

She glared at him, her nostrils flaring, and damn if she didn’t look sexy. He wanted to push her up against that wall and ravish that mouth until that red lipstick was smeared all over both of their faces. He reached for her and she batted his hands away. 

“Are you insane?”

He tilted his head, “Lots of people think so.”

“Well, I know so. Robin specifically told me not to date Steve.”

“Well, that works out. I’m not Steve.”

“You’re still her friend! And I’m not looking to date someone. I told you that. This was supposed to be a one and done. I mean, of course, only I would run into the guy I had my first ever one night stand with.”

“I was your first?” He pressed his hands to his chest. “I’m honored.”

Charlie huffed, hands on her hips, and damn it, she was so damn cute. Adorable even. He could haul her over his shoulder and carry her out of here if he wanted to. 

“Eddie, seriously.”

“I am being serious. Look, I know you’re not looking for anything serious. Neither am I. But you just admitted that the sex between us was incredible and I agree.” He stepped into her, placing both hands on either side of her head, caging her between his arms against the wall. “I’m not saying let’s date. I’m not saying let’s hold hands and walk through town or go out to dinner. I’m just saying let’s fuck.”

Her jaw dropped so hard he was surprised not to hear a crack. 

“Come on.” His hand wrapped around her waist, sliding down and around to cup her ass, pulling him against her until she made that little whimpering sound he loved so damn much. Leaning in, his nose traced her jaw, back to her ear. “You know it would be fun.”

“This is so stupid,” she whispered, gasping when his teeth grabbed onto her earlobe.

“Maybe but you know you want it as much as I do.”

“Fuck,” she muttered, placing both hands on his chest and pushing him off of her. “Fine. My house, midnight. But this is the last time this happens.”

“Sure it is, princess,” he laughed as she flipped him off before heading back to the table. 

Chapter Text

What in the hell was she doing? This was stupid, possibly the stupidest thing she’d ever done and that was saying a hell of a lot with her track record. Charlie had been pacing a path into her living room carpet for the past half hour, looking over at the clock nervously with each passing minute. He was supposed to be here in twelve more minutes. Was she really going to do this?

It was one thing to meet a stranger in a bar and have a one time hookup. A stranger whose name she never even knew. That’s all it was supposed to be. They weren’t ever supposed to see each other again. It was something else entirely to hook up with one of her best friend’s friends, in the town she lived in, in the goddamn house she lived in. They were supposed to be miles away from each other. This country was huge. How did they both end up in this random blip of a town on the map?

If Robin found out about Pittsburgh, she would probably forgive them. Charlie had no idea who Eddie was when she met him. He didn’t know who she was. Had no clue she even knew his friends. It was an honest mistake the first time. But this? This wouldn’t be so easily forgivable. This wasn’t something she could call a mistake. She was choosing to do this, knowing what she knew now. 

She knew who he was, knew he was friends with Robin, and she had sat right there in her living room and promised Robin she wouldn’t date her friend just two days ago. And yeah, maybe she’d been talking about Steve, but Charlie assumed that meant all of her friends were off limits. This was not going to end well if they were found out. 

It would be better if Charlie just called the whole thing off, told Eddie this was all a mistake, and sent him home. That would be the smart move. Yes. That's what she needed to do. What happened in Pittsburgh had been fun. It had been one of the best nights of her life if she was being honest but it was going to have to remain just that. One night. One night that they would never talk about again even if she would never forget it anytime soon. 

The muted glow of headlights shown through her curtains and resolute, Charlie inhaled slowly, making her way to the door, prepared to tell him that this was not happening. It was wrong. It was a betrayal. It was a mistake. She couldn’t do this to the only person she still had left who had her back. Robin was only one of two people she had ever been able to depend on and the other one was gone. She couldn’t break her trust like that. It wasn’t fair. She couldn’t risk losing her.

But when she heard the knock and opened the door, all thoughts of Robin or the multitude of reasons of why this was wrong fled from her brain. All she could think about was the way his fitted shirt molded to his chest, tapered on his narrow waist. All she could focus on were the tattoos inked onto his pale skin and all she could see were those goddamn pouty lips that she wanted to kiss and nibble until they were bruised. 

One hand on the casing of the door, he leaned into her, that sexy smirk lifting one side of his mouth. Damn it. Why did he have to be so pretty? The resolve she’d had just moments before was quickly dissolving from her body as if it had ever existed, leaking out through her pores, leaving her vulnerable and she knew she wasn’t going to tell him to leave no matter how much she knew she should. How could she have ever believed she was going to turn him away?

“Well, hey there princess. Miss me?”

Fuck it. 

Charlie’s hands curled into the cotton of his shirt, pulling him to her, her lips crashing into his, drinking him in. She felt like an addict and he was her drug of her choice. Once wasn’t enough. Not when he was right in front of her. Not when she could get just one more hit. She could only hope that twice would get this man out of her system because she couldn’t keep doing this. But, Jesus, he felt so damn good. 

A deep rumble emanated from his chest, Eddie’s hands gripping her hips as he stepped into the house, his lips never leaving hers. The two of them remained attached as he walked her back, kicking the door shut behind him with a loud thud, his hands slipping along her back, fingers tangling in her hair. 

Then her back was pressed against the wall and Eddie’s lips were on her neck. Charlie was sure she was going to burst into flames, consuming everything around her until it was ashes. Her body was on fire as he trailed kisses, licks, and nips over every inch of skin he could reach in her v-neck top. Yeah, how had she ever thought she was going to deny this man? 

No man had ever made her feel this good. She hadn’t even been aware that sex could be this good. Charlie had just assumed that sex was amazing for men and women just pretended like it was great for them to keep the men happy. Because none of the three men she’d been with had ever set her entire body humming the way he did.

And shit, when Eddie’s hand slid under her shirt, cupping her breast through the flimsy fabric of her bra, his thumb teasing her nipple into a hard peak as his lips wrapped around the flesh just under her ear, suckling, she cried out. Her entire body arched into him, needing more, needing everything and anything he could give. The ache between her legs was persistent now, throbbing, every nerve ending on fire from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. 

“I’ve been thinking about that night constantly,” Eddie rasped against her ear, his fingers working at the button on her shorts, sliding the zipper down until he could slip his hand into her panties. “Thinking about the way your skin flushed this beautiful shade of pink, thinking about how sweet you tasted, and…” She whimpered as he slid two thick fingers inside of her, already wet and ready, his thumb pressing down on her clit. “There it is. That sound. Fuck, I love that sound so much.” He pumped his fingers within her, his thumb tracing circles until her thighs were shaking. “Wanna make you make that sound over and over.”

God yes. She wanted that too. But she wanted to make him feel good too, wanted to repay the favor, to make him feel the way he made her feel. She didn’t get a chance to touch him last time, to have him in her mouth and suddenly she was overcome with the desire to do exactly that. To feel that thick length that had stretched her so deliciously along her tongue, hitting the back of her throat. Charlie had never wanted to suck someone off so badly in her life. 

She reached for the button on his pants, struggling through the haze of pleasure, but his free hand wrapped around hers, stopping her. 

“Later princess. Right now, we’re just focusing on you.” He curled his fingers inside of her and she cried out, her fingers digging into his shoulders, needing the leverage to keep herself upright because her legs were threatening to give out on her. “That’s it, baby. You’re so close. I can feel it. Fuck, you’re so tight around my fingers right now. Can’t wait to feel that tight little pussy around my cock again. That’s it. Let go for me, princess.”

As if she had any choice in the matter. Every muscle in her body contracted before exploding with release. Her climax shook her to her core and she screamed his name, hanging onto him for dear life, her entire body shaking with the force of it. Eddie’s free arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight against him. His fingers never stopped, working her through it until she went limp, her forehead collapsing against his chest. 

“That’s it, princess. So good for me. My good girl. Fuck, you’re so damn beautiful when you come,” he crooned, his hand slipping from her panties. She rolled her head back, watching as he stuck his two fingers into his mouth, slowly licking them clean. “Mmm, fuck. Just as sweet as I remembered.”

Charlie’s center clenched at the sight. Christ. How was it possible for her to already be turned on again? She should be completely spent after that. Her legs felt like jelly, her muscles were useless, like a hunk of playdoh just laying there, needing someone else to mold it. But fuck if it wasn’t sexy as hell watching him savor the taste of her like she was a fine wine he couldn’t get enough of. 

“You alright?” he asked softly, his hands gently pressing her hair back and then resting on her cheeks, cradling her face as if she were something precious. The soft smile on his face was too much. She couldn’t handle him being so gentle with her. “You need a minute?”

Instead of answering, Charlie’s fingers moved to the button of his jeans, unfastening them and pushing them down his legs as she dropped to her knees. This had to stay simple. It wasn’t simple if he was being all doe eyed and sweet to her. That wasn’t what she wanted. He came here for sex and that was it. 

And damn it, she wanted him to be out of control too. She wanted him to have his needs met because that was what this transaction was about. Charlie wanted to be in charge. She wanted to make him moan and tremble. She wanted Eddie to know what it was like to not be in the driver’s seat for once because so far he’d had her in his thrall and she was done allowing anyone to control her all the time.

Fingers wrapped around the waist of his boxers, she tugged at them until his cock sprang free, thick and ready for her. The tip already glistened as she wrapped her hand around him, her thumb slipping over the slick head. Eddie hissed, his head falling back, all that dark hair tumbling down his back. 

Charlie had never been good at this. She was also incredibly out of practice. She hadn’t given a blowjob in five years. Leo usually just wanted to get down to the act of penetration and call it a day. At least with her he did. Who knew what he was doing with that twenty-two year old secretary in his office?

Uncertainty crept in. What if Eddie thought she was bad? What if he stopped her, telling her it was alright, to just stop, like Eric had in high school? What if he mocked her like Billy had in front of the entire school? What if he walked out and told all his friends not only had he slept with her but that she wasn’t even good?

But she pushed all that down because if she wasn’t any good, what was he doing back here? He’d told her he couldn’t stop thinking about that night. He’d been the one to initiate this encounter so she must have done something right. She hadn’t done this but after the way he’d made her feel, the multiple orgasms he’d already provided for her, she wanted to give this to him. 

Hesitantly, she leaned forward, flicking her tongue along his slit and relishing the sharp inhale she heard him take above her, the way his hips bucked forward as if eager for her mouth. All doubts left her mind, the only thing she was focused on was getting him off, making him forget everything else existed just the way she had a few moments ago. 

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Eddie sensed her hesitation, was just about to tell her that she didn’t have to do this if she didn’t want to. But then those pretty pink lips wrapped around his cock, her hand gripping his base as her tongue slid over the thick vein that ran along the underside of his shaft. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, princess,” he rumbled, his hand wrapping up her hair and fisting it tightly. 

He didn’t know what her hesitation had been for but she was having zero issues now. That mouth was just as warm, wet, and perfect as he’d dreamed it would be. Eddie opened his eyes, watching her mouth slip over his cock and there could not be a more beautiful sight than that. She turned those green eyes up at him and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to come right then. 

But no. He wasn’t having that. He wasn’t coming until he was buried deep between those creamy thighs. She said this was the last time and if she meant that, he was going to make it count. 

He’d been dreaming of nothing but this moment right here for the past three days and he knew exactly what he wanted. She was going to be on top. That red hair spilling over her breasts as she bounced on his cock. Yeah. That was exactly how he wanted her so he could see every inch of her, watch every expression on her face as she took everything she needed from him. 

This woman was starved for attention and he was more than happy to satisfy her appetite. It was clear that dickhead ex-husband of hers had not been meeting her needs. If she’d let him, he’d meet her needs, every single one of them, every single night if she wanted him to. They didn’t have to date to enjoy each other. 

She wasn’t looking for anything serious and neither was he. Why complicate a good thing? They were really fucking good at this. Beyond good. Why not keep it going? Nobody had to know.

Charlie’s hand cradled his balls as her mouth worked over him and he grunted, pulling on her hair, firmly but gently. Fuck, if she didn’t stop now he wasn’t going to be able to keep it together. She fought him, whimpering when his hand tugged on her hair. Hmm…okay. She seemed to like a little hair pulling. Good to know but shit, if she didn’t get that mouth off his cock he was going to need downtime before they got to the main attraction. And he didn’t want to give her downtime. That meant time to think and too much time to think might mean her changing her mind before he could convince her what a good arrangement this was. 

“Charlie…stop…fuck…” His thighs shook, his eyes rolling back as her nose nestled right against his pubic bone. Jesus Christ, she took him so deep. “Fuck me, princess, you’re taking that so good.” 

That soft little whimper escaped her again. Praise kink? He could definitely work with that and was she…fuck him. He looked down to find her touching herself, her hand buried deep in her panties, her hips rocking against the sensation, as she took him deep in her throat again before pulling back and gagging slightly. 

Her eyes were watering, split slick along the sides of her mouth and he pulled on her hair again. But she was like a goddamn feral animal, her nails digging into his hip as she took his cock back in her mouth. This girl wanted it, wanted him, badly, and fuck he couldn’t hold back anymore. 

“Oh shit, sweetheart, I’m gonna…” He grabbed onto her head, holding her face against him, pumping his hips as hot streams of cum shot out into her mouth. And once again, this girl shocked the hell out of him as she kept her lips wrapped tight around him, swallowing down every single drop and then licking him clean before leaning back, smiling up at him, looking so damn proud of herself. 

She should be. Jesus, that was the most intense orgasm of his fucking life. Eddie gasped for breath, his head dropping back, unable to deal with his pants, knowing his flaccid cock was just hanging there in her face but too spent to care. 

Rising to her feet, Charlie slid a finger over her lips, capturing the mess before licking it clean and fuck, he was already getting hard again. He wanted her. God, he wanted her in every way imaginable. 

“Was it…was I…I mean, was that good?” she asked, looking so uncertain, leaving him flabbergasted. 

How could she even ask? She couldn’t tell?

“Are you shitting me? That was…fucking incredible. That mouth…” His hands clenched in front of him. “That fucking mouth.”

He kicked off his shoes, followed by his jeans and boxers before quickly pulling his shirt over his head. Lunging, he grabbed her face in both hands, devouring her mouth with his. His tongue demanded entry and she opened beneath him like a flower to the sun, melting in his grasp. He tore his mouth away only long enough to rid her of every single scrap of fabric that was between him and that skin he needed to touch. 

“Bedroom?” he rasped between kisses. 

“Upstairs…”

Eddie lifted her naked body and she wrapped her legs around his waist, their mouths connected as he made his way up the stairs. 

“Left,” gasped Charlie, pointing, as he spun them around, walking backward until the backs of his knees hit the bed and dropping them both back so she was on top of him. 

His hands roamed over her, exploring every single curve. The dip of her hips, the swell of her breasts, the soft roundness of her tummy. Fuck, this girl was absolutely perfect. What kind of dipshit gave up a goddamn goddess like her? Robin said he cheated multiple times. Why? Who in their right mind would need more than this in the bedroom? 

Charlie reached between them, taking him in her hand, working him until he was hard again. Leaning over, she opened the drawer of the nightstand, pulling out a condom and tearing the wrapper open with her teeth. Slipping the rubber over him, she wasted no time lining him up, running the head of his cock over her slit, back and forth, moaning softly as she teased herself with him and he knew he’d never seen anything sexier than that. 

“That’s it, princess. Use me, baby. Take what you need,” he urged, wrapping his hands around her hips, groaning deeply as she slowly lowered herself on him until her hips were flush against his. 

Charlie moaned softly and her hips began to rock slowly, pressing him deeper as she stayed firmly seated against him, the two of them attached at the groin. Her hands braced herself against his chest as she swirled her hips in a circle, mewling like a cat, her head falling back, that beautiful hair like flames licking down her back. 

Yes, this was exactly what he wanted, to watch as she took what she wanted. He was willing to bet that nobody had allowed her what she wanted in a long while, maybe ever, and she was taking full advantage of it now. She pressed forward, her clit grinding against his pubic bone and gasped, her eyes flying wide open with surprise before doing it again and then again. 

It was beautiful. Eddie was watching her figure out what she liked and he just lay there, enjoying the show, relishing in the sensations, the way her walls grasped him a little tighter every single time she’d get the friction her body craved. 

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he said, cupping her cheek. 

Charlie smiled, pressing her lips against his palm as her hips began to rock faster, her whimpers coming quicker. She needed more. Eddie held onto her hips again, rising his own up to meet hers, watching as those beautiful breasts bounced with the movement of their bodies. 

Yeah, no, he was not ready to be done with this. Done with her. And she wasn’t done with him, no matter what she said. This girl had gone too long without being well and truly fucked. She needed more than two nights after years with some guy who didn’t know how to satisfy her. Eddie was already learning her body, learning what made her lose control. He could more than satisfy every one of her needs. He was certain of it.

“Oh my god,” she groaned, trembling as her eyes rolled back in her head, her nails raking over his chest, deep enough that he knew he would have marks tomorrow. 

“Yes, baby. You take my cock so fucking well. So good. Yes. Fuck…” He was so damn close and when she cried out, her walls clamping down on his cock like a vice with her release, he quickly followed, gripping her tight against him. 

She exhaled slowly before lifting herself off of him. Padding over to the closet, she pulled out a robe, wrapping it around herself, tying it loosely. Eddie stood, rolling the condom off and chucking it in the trash can before laying back down on the bed, completely spent and satisfied but if she gave him a good fifteen minutes he could go again.

“What are you doing?” she asked, lifting one eyebrow at the sight of his naked body, spread eagle on her bed. 

“What?”

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“Why?”

Charlie sighed, “Because that’s how a hookup is supposed to work. I may not have a lot of experience in that area but even I know hookups do not mean sleepovers.”

“We slept together the other night.”

“Yeah and that was a mistake. I also never thought I would see you again so it didn’t matter. Now I know who you are and that I am going to see you again. It’s kind of inevitable when we share a friend.”

“But if I leave, how are we supposed to do this again?”

“We’re not doing this again!” she scoffed, looking absolutely scandalized at the idea like they hadn’t literally just done it.

“Why not?” he argued.

“Because it’s insane! Casual isn’t hooking up over and over.”

“It can be as long as both parties mutually agree that it means nothing more than sex. We can be friends with benefits. We hang out. We talk. We have sex but no romantic feelings get involved.”

“No,” she stated, shaking her head. “Absolutely not. I’m already playing with fire having you over here again. If Robin finds out about us, she’s going to be pissed at me!”

Eddie snorted, “No she won’t. She’ll be pissed at me.”

“I promised her I wouldn’t hook up with her friend.”

“No, you promised her that you wouldn’t hook up with Steve,” he challenged.

“So? What does that matter?”

“Because I’m not Steve.” When Charlie didn’t respond, he rolled his eyes. “She said Steve because everyone assumes all the girls will fall for that perfectly coiffed hair. No one would be falling all over themselves for the metalhead.”

“That’s not…why wouldn’t girls fall for…no. You know what? That doesn’t have to do with any of this. The point is, I specifically don’t want anything complicated and this is incredibly complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Of course it does, Eddie. Are you kidding? Casual means we hang out, maybe we have sex, and then we go our separate ways. It doesn’t mean hiding and lying and sneaking around. There is nothing casual about that. Robin is the only person I have left in my life. I can’t lie to her. I can’t risk losing her over meaningless sex and I am not even officially divorced yet! I just moved back here. I’m starting a job for the first time in six years and I’m trying to get on my feet and figure out how to be an adult by myself, without depending on anyone. I have too much on my plate to add anything this complex to it.”

She looked so desperate for him to understand and accept what she was saying. And he got it. He did. He didn’t want to sneak around and lie either.

“What if we told them?”

“Told who what?”

“Told everybody,” he said. “I mean, we’re adults. We can make our own choices so let’s not sneak around. We just tell everyone that we’re casual. We’re not together. We’re not exclusive. We just like to have sex together.”

Charlie looked at him like he’d grown a second head, “Are you out of your mind? Eddie, no. Absolutely not! You cannot tell them. I can’t have Robin thinking…oh my god. No!”

What? She couldn’t have Robin thinking what? That she’d be willing to slum it with him? That she’d lower her standards enough to go from a lawyer to some bartender that played in a band? Yeah. He understood exactly what she was saying. He’d heard it before. Whatever. He wasn’t asking her to lower her standards. He wasn’t asking her to marry him. He just wanted to continue fucking her.

He shrugged, “It was just an idea. It would mean you could be honest and still get what you want because let’s face it.” He grinned, running his hand down his chest and over his stomach before taking hold of himself. “We both know you want this.”

She tried to look annoyed but she couldn’t hide her smile of amusement. Shaking her head, Charlie sighed, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose.

“Eddie, please understand. This has been amazing. You have been amazing. But this was a mistake. I mean, it was…a fantastic mistake, a mistake I won’t ever forget but it was still a mistake. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Neither do I,” he said, sitting up.

“Then it has to stop. I came to Hawkins to work on me. I said I wouldn’t be dependent on a man…” When he went to open his mouth, she stopped him. “Even for sex. And maybe Robin specifically named Steve but I can’t imagine she’d be happy I was hooking up with you either. And while the sex has been great, we both know it’s not going anywhere. Neither of us wants it to. So it’s better we just stop it now, right?”

Maybe she was right. The sex was fantastic and he would love to do it again but it was inevitable that sex always led to things getting messy. Neither of them wanted a relationship. And neither of them wanted to screw up everything with their friends either. 

“Alright. I mean, you’re probably right. It’s probably better to just cut our losses and end it. But fuck, it was fun, wasn’t it?”

She grinned and it took everything in him not to yank her back in the bed, “Yeah. It was.”

Chapter Text

Charlie’s head was absolutely spinning with all the information she learned today. She was a bit overwhelmed with all of it but she was also feeling good. Confident. Like maybe she was going to be able to handle this job and do it well. 

She was capable of doing hard things. Maybe she’d lost it for a bit, allowing herself to lose herself completely in a marriage to a man who had taken everything without giving anything. But she could find that girl again. That girl who’d worked her ass off to get out of the house and put herself through college. That Charlie still existed. She’d just been blocked out, like the clouds moving over the sun. It was time for her to start shining again.

She loved Epic Tales and she loved Harley. The woman was a ball of energy, flitting around, always busy, her hands constantly moving along with her mouth as she walked Charlie through how to do inventory, how to use the register, how to fill out the master schedule, how to open and close the shop, and how to respond to upset customers in a polite, but also firm, way. 

It was a lot to take in one day but she had assured Charlie they would be working side by side for two weeks before she’d leave her to her own devices. Tomorrow, Charlie was going to open the store with Harley there to guide her if necessary. She could only hope that after a couple of weeks she would have it all down. 

But she’d always been a fast learner. She’d had to be when she was young, with all the moving schools. She’d walk in and the class would be working on topics her old school hadn’t covered yet or maybe they were on something she already learned and that could prove to be even worse. Charlie quickly figured out that acting like she didn’t know made her less of a target than showing how much she did. Kids didn’t look kindly on you if you were too smart, always raising your hand to answer the teacher’s questions. 

It was a beautiful day and when she’d stepped onto the porch this morning with her coffee, the sun beaming down from a clear blue sky, she’d decided to forgo her car and walk to work. It was only a little over a mile from home and the fresh air and exercise would do her good.

Besides, she needed to clear her head after last night. Eddie’s proposal…while it was tempting, god, it was so tempting, but it was also stupid. Insane actually. There was no way they could keep up meeting for sex without being found out or things getting messy at some point along the way. 

But damn it if she didn’t want to. The things that man did to her body, the way he made her feel…Charlie hadn’t known sex could feel like that. She’d never expected to enjoy sex as much as she did with him. Charlie hadn’t known the kind of pleasure she could feel, that she could cause someone else to feel, until him. It was like a drug and if she didn’t go cold turkey now, she was afraid she’d never be able to quit him. 

Turning onto her street, she saw Robin and Vicki sitting on her front porch. When Robin caught sight of her, she stood up, lifting a bottle of wine high into the air. Charlie laughed as she approached the steps, wondering what in the world they were doing. 

“What is this?”

“We’re celebrating your first day of work,” Vicki explained. 

“Yes,” added Robin, “and your first step to being a totally independent woman who is completely free of the asshole you left in Hartford. So, how did it go?”

“It was good,” answered Charlie as she took out her key, opening the door, the three of them making their way inside and to the kitchen. Charlie dug through the drawer for the wine opener, handing it to Robin. “It was a lot. I mean, my brain feels like it could explode with all of the information that’s been shoved inside of it today but it was good.” 

“That’s great! I knew you’d love that job. I mean, working with books, right up your alley, obviously.” Robin looked over at Vicki as she pulled the wrapping off the top of the bottle and twisted the corkscrew into the cork. “She reads like, a hundred books, every year. I swear, sometimes she would read a whole novel in a day. Like, I love to read but who has that kind of time, seriously?”

“Someone who has nothing better to do with their time when they’re a stay at home wife and their husband is always at the office, golfing, or screwing the perky young blond secretary,” Charlie stated, pulling down three wine glasses and setting them on the counter. 

“Okay, yes, but you read like that when we were kids too,” argued Robin, pouring them each a generous amount, sliding the glasses over to the two women. 

“Yeah. I was a kid. What else did I have to do?” 

“Well,” Vicki raised her glass, “here’s to your new job, new possibilities, and a fresh new start.”

“And to having way less time to read books now that your days of being some boring housewife to a dickhead lawyer are over,” Robin added, winking at Charlie. 

“I will definitely drink to that,” she laughed, clinking her glass against the other two before taking a long drink. “Oh, I needed that. Thanks. You guys really didn’t have to come over and do this.”

Robin’s face scrunched, her hand waving off Charlie’s comment. 

“Of course we did. This is a big deal for you. Out on your own, working a big girl job, making your own money, having your freedom for the first time in…maybe forever. This is huge, Charlie. I told you I was going to be by your side every step of the way and I meant it.”

“I know, and I appreciate it.” She smiled at her friend and then her eyes caught on the answering machine, the light blinking to let her know she had a message. Who could that be? The people who knew she was here, the only person who would even bother to call her, was in this room. Walking over, she pressed it. 

“ Charlie, baby, it’s me.”

Leo. Robin’s eyes rolled as Charlie’s stomach did the same. 

“Look, I know you’re there. I mean, where else would you go? Please just pick up the phone. I just want to talk. I know I told you to get out but I was just angry, baby. We were both angry and we both said things we didn’t mean. But you know we’re better together than apart. Can you just call me, please? I know we can fix this. You need me, Charlie. Who else is going to take care of you? Your mom? We both know that’s not happening. Just call me. I miss you.”

“Eww.” Vicki’s nose scrunched with disgust. “Is that seriously how he calls, asking you to come back home and fix things?”

“Yep.” Charlie took another long drink of wine, erasing the message, wishing she could just as easily erase Leo from her life. “He thinks very highly of himself, if you couldn’t tell. Pretty convinced that I won’t survive in this world without him to take care of me.”

“I never liked him,” huffed Robin. 

“Yeah, I know. Trust me. You made that abundantly clear,” teased Charlie, waving for the two of them to follow her into the living room. Curling up on the couch with her wine, she sighed. “To be fair, for a long time I didn’t think I could survive without him. I mean, I definitely gave him the impression of needing him. I just…god, I just wanted everything I never had. I wanted to be the completely opposite of Cici. I didn’t want to be jumping from guy to guy all the time. I just wanted a solid relationship, a marriage, a love story like my Gran and Gramps had.” She snorted into her glass. “That is so not in the cards for me.”

“Of course it is,” said Vicki. “You can’t just give up on the possibility of having a great love story because of one jerk.”

“But it’s not just one jerk. I’m a magnet for any guy with red flags. They could have a flashing sign, warning me, and somehow I would still wind up with them. I lost my virginity to fucking Billy Hargrove. We snuck around for six months. I thought he cared about me but I was wrong. I was such an idiot. If he cared about me, why would he keep me a secret? He stood in front of the whole school, announcing how I was nothing to him but a pity lay because I wasn’t even good at that. Then there was Eric my senior year of high school. I thought that was love until I walked in on him and Stacy Conrad in the music room, making out. And then you have Leo, my white knight, the guy who swooped in my sophomore year of college, asking me to marry him the day I graduated, made me believe that he was my happily ever after and was screwing anything with boobs behind my back. Trust me, it’s not happening for me and I have accepted that. I’m going to be content with me, myself, and I. This is all I need.”

She raised her glass to the other girls before downing what was left and placing the empty cup on the coffee table. 

“Charlie…” Robin began but she cut her friend off.

“No, really. Most men are assholes. I mean, the vast majority of the species just sucks. There are not even good ones to go around so only a very few actually get lucky to find the happily ever after guys. The ones who look at you like you’re the sun. The ones who aren’t tempted by every girl with big tits and a tight ass who walks by. The ones who legitimately want to take care of you. You two have the right idea because men, as a whole, are awful. I wish I was attracted to women. Seriously. Then I might actually have a shot at finding true love someday but I’m not. So, I’d rather just be on my own. Maybe I’ll get a dog. Dogs are loyal and they’re always happy to see you.”

“Charlie,” laughed Robin, “look, I know you’ve been burned on more than one occasion. But not all men are bad. Steve is a great guy. He used to be a total douche in high school but he’s changed.”

“Maybe but Steve is off limits, remember? You specifically told me to stay away from him,” Charlie reminded her.

“I did and I stand by that. It’s too complicated when friends of friends start dating. The last thing I need is for you two to date, have it not work out, get messy, and then you can’t stand to be in the same room with each other. No. I refuse to have to choose between friends because I won’t and then I’ll have to make sure you’re never at the same place at the same time and…ugh.” She shuddered. “No. But my point is, he’s not the only good guy left. There are still lots of good guys out there. You just haven’t found yours yet.”

“I thought you were all for my swearing off men, Robin.”

“I am. For now. I think you do need to take some time to figure out who you are and what you want. You’ve never had the opportunity to do that. You definitely need some time. You just walked out on your husband, like, five days ago. But down the road, when you’re ready, it’s still a possibility. I’m not saying jump in bed with the first guy who comes along, but don’t give up.”

“Right,” mumbled Charlie, her skin feeling so warm she was sure that Robin could see it. Could see the lies. No, the omissions. But was that really any better?

This was exactly why she couldn’t keep up whatever it was her and Eddie were doing. Maybe it was meaningless sex but it wouldn’t be meaningless to Robin if she found out two of her best friends were sneaking around behind her back. 

“Anybody hungry?” Charlie suddenly asked, feeling the need to change the subject. “I was going to order Chinese.”

“I could eat,” Vicki answered, looking over at Robin who nodded. 

“Great and I could use more wine,” she muttered, heading back to the kitchen.

___________________________________________________________

“No, man. I think we need to take out Highway to Hell and replace it with something new,” Gareth argued, dropping down on Eddie’s couch with a beer. 

Jeff shook his head, “Look, I’m sick of playing it too but it’s what the people want. They always lose their shit when we play it.”

“Yeah. The old geezers do.”

“And that’s most of our audience!” Jeff slammed his hand down on the end table next to the papasan chair he was sitting in. 

“Yeah and don’t you want to appeal to a younger audience?”

“It’s The Hideout, man. Young people aren’t exactly flocking to hang out in that dingy ass place. It was one thing when we were hitting some of these other cities but Hawkins?”

Gareth threw his hands up in frustration, leaning forward, “Yeah, but if we play some newer music and advertise properly in town, we could draw in a younger crowd. Instead of playing the same old seventies rock bullshit all the time. Aren’t you sick of playing the same set over and over two nights a week every damn week?”

“Yeah, but…” Jeff paused. “Ed, what do you think? Eddie? Damn, man, what’s got you smiling like that?”
“What?” Eddie glanced over at the two guys sitting in his living room. Clearly he had missed an entire conversation and now they were both looking at him like giddy children just waiting for a treat. “What? Why the hell are you two looking at me like that?”

Jeff leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “You’ve been over there, looking out the window, lost in your own little world, just grinning like a damn fool since we got here.”

“What?” Eddie snorted, shaking his head. “No I haven’t.”

“Yes you have,” Gareth said. “You haven’t heard a word we’ve been saying, have you?” Eddie’s silence was the only answer he needed apparently. “So, the question is, what has our frontman looking like a teen girl whose crush just asked her to prom?”

“Shut up,” he muttered, grinding the toe of his shoe into the carpet. 

He hated how well they read him. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Charlie. He knew he should. He had to. She had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want to continue this arrangement they had going on, but damn, it had been less than twenty-four hours since he left her bed and he wanted back in it so bad. 

Yeah, sex could complicate things but it didn’t have to if they didn’t let it. 

And he couldn’t tell these two. Charlie had made it clear she didn’t want anyone to know and he got that. But why did they have to tell anyone? What did it matter to anyone else what two consenting adults decided to do? Why was it anyone’s business if they simply wanted to seek carnal pleasure with each other without making it complicated with feelings and commitments? 

Sure, if Robin found out she might be annoyed at first but she’d get over it. Robin was annoyed at him all the time and it never lasted. 

The only reason she wouldn’t want the two of them hooking up is because she wouldn’t want it to affect everyone’s friendship. But it wouldn’t as long as they kept things easy and casual. As long as it didn’t turn into more than simply seeking and taking pleasure from each other, nobody had to get hurt. Nobody had to get angry and it wouldn’t affect anyone. They could just walk away when they’d finally had enough. And maybe nobody would ever find out.

He knew he was just rationalizing it to himself because he hadn’t had nearly enough yet. He wanted more. Eddie wanted more of those pretty, pink lips wrapped around his cock. He wanted more of his fingers buried deep inside of her, Charlie grinding against his hand. He wanted more of her using him like her toy to get exactly what she needed. 

No. He wasn’t done with her and if he had his way, he was going to get that girl back into bed because he knew she wanted it as badly as he did. 

“Seriously man, did you meet a girl or something?” asked Jeff and when Eddie flushed bright red, he hollered, jumping up from the chair, pointing. “Holy shit! You did!”

“No!” he shot back, trying and failing to rescue himself. “No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did! You got that look you had when you did the walk of shame back from that chick’s motel in Pittsburgh,” Gareth said, sniggering softly. “Lucky for you that chick didn’t give you her name because she would have had you groveling. I’ve never seen you so moony eyed after a hookup.”

“Fuck you. That was nothing. She was just really hot and the sex was…” He closed his eyes, remembering Charlie above him, those pert little tits bouncing, all that flaming red hair pouring down her back, that mouth opened in a perfect little ‘o’, making the sexiest little breathy gasps as she swiveled on his dick like it was a desk chair. “The sex was incredible, okay? That’s it. It wasn’t whatever you’re making it out to be.”

“Sure it wasn’t. That girl knew what she was doing when she didn’t give you her name or number because you would have been calling and begging like a dog for more,” Jeff snorted, him and Gareth fist bumping. 

“I gotta be honest. I haven’t seen that look on your face since Haley, man.”

Hearing her name was like a punch to the gut. Not because he still loved her. Not because he wanted her back. But because it was a constant reminder that he was never going to find the one. No one was ever going to think he was good enough. No one was ever going to want him. 

Yeah, Charlie did, but she only wanted him for orgasms. It was all any woman wanted him for. He was a great lay. He was attentive in the bedroom, never allowing a woman to leave unsatisfied. And they never had. Eddie was good at paying attention, honing in on what made them moan, what made them tremble uncontrollably, what made them come undone. 

But that was where the desire ended. No one wanted the thirty year old bartender who still played gigs with his high school band. Nobody wanted the son of a junkie and a criminal, the trailer park trash, the town freak that everyone believed was going to end up behind bars just like his old man. 

He’d proved them wrong. Eddie had some run-ins with the local cops but had only been arrested once in his life and it was minor. Some asshole at the bar had been pawing at a girl, trying to get her to go home with him. He was not taking no for an answer, calling her a cocktease and a slut, asking why she dressed like that if she didn’t want the attention. When he grabbed her arm and she cried out in pain, Eddie had seen red. He’d been over the bar, his fist slamming into the guy’s nose before he even knew what he was doing. 

Luckily, Hop had been the one to take the call. He’d known Eddie all his life and had always given him a fair shake. When the Carvers had tried to blame him for destruction to their son’s car, Hop had asked them where their proof was. They didn’t have any. And yeah, Eddie had been responsible and he was pretty sure Hop knew it but since they couldn’t prove it, Hop didn’t do anything. 

“You didn’t see shit,” Eddie snapped. “I haven’t been dumb enough to fall for anyone since Haley and I won’t be. It was a hook-up, man. You know that’s all anything is for me anymore.”

“You know not everyone is a stuck-up bitch like her, right?” Jeff asked. 

“She wasn’t a stuck-up bitch, man. She just didn’t want to reduce herself to slumming it with me.” Eddie shrugged, lifting his beer to his lips. “I don’t blame her. She wanted more than a washed out wannabe rockstar who tends bar in a piece of shit town.”

Gareth blew a raspberry, “Fuck her. She was a snob. There is nothing wrong with being a bartender. You treated that girl like a queen and she treated you like shit. You deserve better than her anyway.”

“Thanks, man, but I already told you, I’m not looking. I’m good. Just me, myself, and I. Nobody to let down and nobody can let me down. That’s how I like it. I’ve had enough disappointments for one lifetime.”

“Well, whatever had you smiling was not a disappointment,” Jeff said, clearly not ready to let it go.

Maybe he could tell them. They only talked to the others occasionally and these guys had been his family since he’d moved in with his uncle in middle school. They wouldn’t rat on him. 

“Fine. Look, you cannot breathe a word of this to Robin or Steve or Nancy or Jonathan. In fact, this cannot leave this room. Understand?”

“Damn, man,” laughed Jeff. “Sounds serious.”

“It is serious. Do you understand? Because if not, I’m not telling you assholes shit.”

“Okay, okay.” Gareth raised his hands. “We understand, right Jeff?”

He nodded. “Right. You have our solemn oath that what you tell us won’t leave this room.”

“Fine. The chick from Pittsburgh? She’s here in Hawkins.”

“What!?” they both shrieked. Gareth’s mouth dropped open as Jeff asked, “How?”

“She’s Robin’s best friend.”

“No fucking way!” Gareth yelled. “Are you shitting me? You’ve got to be shitting me. That’s not possible. That’s…insane! The odds of that are impossible.”

“I know but it’s true. I mean, what are the chances, right? Some chick I meet in a random bar and hook up with hundreds of miles from here who is moving somewhere to get away from her husband happens to be Robin’s best friend and where she’s moving is Hawkins. It’s insane. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her last night.”

“You saw her last night? Where?” asked Jeff.

“We were all going to the movies. Robin told me her best friend was divorcing her husband and moving back here and she was coming. I showed up to the movies and it was her! The gorgeous redhead from the bar who I had some of the best goddamn sex in my life with.”

“Holy shit. What did Robin say?”

“What do you think, Gareth? She didn’t say anything. We didn’t tell her. What were we supposed to do? Look at everyone and be like, hey, so this is awkward but we actually know each other because I fucked her three times the other night.”

“So what did you do?”

“I fucked her again last night.”

Jeff hollered, “Oh, fuck! Are you serious? So, are you two…I mean, are you like a thing now?”

“No,” he stated, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. I’m not doing serious anymore and she is in the middle of divorcing her husband and she doesn’t want anything serious either.”

“So what?” Gareth questioned. “You’re just…hooking up?”

Eddie shrugged, “I want to but she wants it to stop. She doesn’t want Robin to find out.”

“Why?”

“Because she thinks Robin will be pissed. Apparently, Robin gave her this whole talk about not dating Steve because she doesn’t want to have an issue with her friends if everything goes to shit.”
Jeff frowned, “She just warned her about Steve?”

“Come on. Harrington’s a pretty boy. Pretty sure Robin didn’t even consider she might go for me. This chick was playing Stepford wife to a lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut. Do I look like her type? Let’s be for real. She’s only going for me because she’s in the midst of a huge life change and she’s probably wanting to do something crazy.” He gestured to himself. “I mean, crazy is my middle name, right?”

“Ed, man,” Jeff breathed, “you don’t give yourself enough credit. I’ve seen girls fall all over themselves around you.”

“Yeah, because they see me playing on stage which always gets girls hot. They want to bed the lead singer but I'm not long term material. That’s guys like Harrington.”

“You are long term material,” Gareth said, “you were ready to get married and settle down if Haley wouldn’t have been…”

Eddie held up his hand, “Can we stop talking about her? Anyway, the point is, I cannot get this chick out of my head. I want to sleep with her again but she seems pretty against it. I don’t see what the big deal is if we’re just fucking, you know? I don’t want anything serious. Neither does she. So nobody gets hurt.”

Jeff cringed, “I don’t know, man. Sex usually leads to feelings whether you want it to or not.”

“I don’t have feelings now.”

“No, but you’ve only slept with her a couple times. It’s one thing to have sex and walk away. It’s another to keep sleeping together.”

“Yeah,” added Gareth,” and you’ll be seeing a lot of each other in a social capacity because you share friends. It won’t just be late night booty calls. It will be going out to eat and hanging at someone’s house and going to the movies. And, I don’t know man. You seem to have it pretty bad for a guy who’s saying he doesn’t have any feelings.”

“I don’t have feelings. Yeah, I have it bad. I have it bad for getting her in my bed because the sex is amazing. That’s it. I’m not falling for the girl. Damn.”

They were crazy. He wasn’t going to fall for anybody. Eddie didn’t fall in love anymore because love made you stupid and he was done being stupid.

Chapter Text

It was her last shift with Harley by her side before she was handed the reins Monday morning, opening and running the place all by herself from nine until two when Harley would get there to cover the closing shift from two until nine. Charlie was definitely nervous about being on her own, being in charge, running a store, but her confidence had been growing with each day and she was sure she could handle it. 

Harley had pretty much just been standing in the background, shadowing her, while Charlie did everything herself for the past week. So, it wouldn’t be much different. She just wouldn’t have her safety net to catch her if she screwed up and fell on her ass. 

It had been two weeks since she’d started and she was going to need to buy Robin a thank you gift for getting this job for her. It was perfect. She loved it. Loved being surrounded by books all day, chatting with customers about authors and plotlines, characters that they connected with, stories that made them sob or made them want to throw the book across the room. This was her language, her world, her safest space, and she felt like the luckiest person in the world to get to live it every single day. 

Making her way to the coffee bar, she poured herself her second cup of the day, glancing up when the bell above the door chimed. Three people walked in. They looked young. Not teenagers but maybe a bit younger than her. A guy with tight curls partially hidden under a baseball cap, a girl with long red hair plaited in two braids, and another guy with a high-top fade, their eyes looking around the store before landing directly on her. 

Charlie smiled, lifting a hand in greeting as she said, “Welcome to Epic Tales! Let me know if you need help with anything.”

They all quickly diverted their faces away from her, hurrying down an aisle of books. She frowned. That was weird. Maybe they just didn’t want an employee talking to them while they shopped? Some people were like that, acting like she was a gnat buzzing around their head that they wanted to swat away. 

Shaking it off, she took a sip of her coffee, heading back to the front desk. She looked down at the sheet of paper in front of her. New releases coming out in a couple months. Charlie was in charge of deciding which ones to order and how many to order. 

For all her fear that this job would be too much for her, most of it felt like second nature. For new releases, she looked at a few things. If it was an established author that had sold a lot of copies already, then they probably wanted a decent inventory of those books. If it was a new author or a lesser known one, they would order less, see how the book sold, and order more if needed. They could always special order a book for a customer if they didn’t have it. Better to underbuy than overbuy and have too much stock.

Knowing the popularity of the genre was important too. Popular fiction like Tom Clancy, Stephen King, and Danielle Steele was always going to get a lot of interest. Mysteries and thrillers almost always did decent sales and romance was a huge seller. The women in Hawkins loved them some Harlequin books. 

Fantasy on the other hand, seemed to be fairly stagnant at the moment but Charlie was trying to figure out how to fix that. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe had been one of her favorites as a child. She would pretend to be Susan when she was little, stepping through a magical portal and leaving her word behind for a more fantastical one. One where there weren’t men who made her uncomfortable and a mother who acted like she was a nuisance.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Charlie glanced up to see the two boys who had come in peeking at her from around one of the bookshelves. Noticing they’d been caught, they suddenly lurched back down the aisle. 

Okay, this was going from weird to suspicious. Who were they and why the hell were they watching her? Were they planning to steal? Books? Really? It’s not like they had priceless first editions in this place. What did they really think they’d get?

“Hey Harley,” Charlie called to the woman who was in the back, pulling more inventory to shelve. 

She appeared through the open door, lifting her eyebrows, “Yeah?”

Charlie beckoned her over, watching as the top of that curly headed guy’s baseball cap disappeared into the science fiction section. Seriously. What was up with them?

“Do you know who they are?” she asked, pointing as they tried to stroll very nonchalantly, failing horribly, their fingers trailing over book titles far too fast for them to even be reading them. 

“Yeah,” her boss said, “that’s Dustin Henderson and Lucas and Max Sinclair. Why?”
“I don’t know. They came in and the boys keep on watching me,” she explained. “They don’t even seem to be looking for books. And every time I look at them, they dart behind something like I couldn’t see that they were very clearly looking at me.”

Harley laughed, yelling out, “Hey knuckleheads! We can see you! Come out of the stacks and come introduce yourselves instead of acting like creepy stalkers!”

The two boys came slinking out from behind the bookshelf, red in the face, their eyes focusing on their shoes. The redhead followed them, looking entirely frustrated at the whole situation. Harley shook her head, stepping out from the front desk, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Seriously?” She looked over at Charlie. “These three are friends with Robin. I am guessing they heard about her friend coming to town and working here and were coming in to sneak a peek at you.”

Max rolled her eyes, “No. They heard from Steve.”

“So, you wanted to meet her?” asked Harley. “Then why didn’t you just introduce yourselves instead of sneaking around the store like a couple of creeps?”

“Because Steve told them she was a total babe and they wanted to see for themselves,” snorted Max.

“No!” Dustin yelled. “No. No. That was not…I mean, he may have said…but that wasn’t why…”

“Absolutely not,” Lucas agreed. “We wouldn’t…I’m married.” He held up his hand to display his ring as if that had ever stopped a guy from checking a girl out. “I would never…” He slung his arm around Max who shoved him off. “I have the most beautiful wife in the world. Why would I come in to spy on some chick? Dustin was the one who wanted to come in here anyway.”

“Was not!” he yelled. “I mean, yeah, maybe I mentioned it but only because I wanted to look for that Neil Stephenson book, The Diamond Age. That’s why I was in the science fiction section.”

Charlie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Neither of these guys was helping their case very much. Leaning forward, she laid her elbows on the counter, assessing the three in front of her. They definitely looked younger than her, at least by a few years. She wondered how they’d become friends with Robin and Steve. 

“Well, where is it?” she asked.

“Where is what?”

“The book. I know we have it in stock. I just put a few more on the shelf yesterday. Did you not find it?”

“No…well, I mean…I was looking for it but then Harley yelled at us before I could grab it so we…I mean, Harley can be scary.”

Harley bared her teeth, clawing her fingers at them, “Yeah, that’s me. Terrifying.”

Dustin narrowed his eyes at her, “You’re only proving my point.”

“Alright, well, now that you’ve seen me, what do you think?” asked Charlie, standing up to do a little twirl. “Am I as exciting as you thought I’d be?”

“This is so dumb. I am going to do what we should have done from the start.” Max sighed, stepping forward, and holding out her hand. “I’m Max. These two idiots are Dustin and Lucas and as you heard, this idiot is my husband unfortunately. Steve told us that Robin’s childhood best friend moved into town and we haven’t had a chance to meet you so we wanted to come and introduce ourselves.”

“Charlie,” she said with a smile, shaking Max’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She looked at Lucas and Dustin. “I’m not scary, you know. You didn’t have to sneak around the shelves. You could have just approached me and told me who you were.”

Dustin shrugged, “Sorry. We just…well, you’ve been here for a couple weeks and we hadn’t met you. It was like Robin was hiding you or something. We were just curious.”

“Yeah,” Lucas nodded, “and then Eddie was talking about you at DnD last night and…”

Charlie’s body responded instantly to that name, responded in a way she would really prefer it didn’t. She had managed to avoid him since that night at her house but she definitely hadn’t avoided thinking about him. Luckily for her, she had no idea how to contact him because in her weakest moments she may have done just that.

She knew she was right and it was best they stop…whatever the hell this was. But when she was lonely, a couple glasses of wine in, it was easy to forget that what they were doing was stupid. It was easy to focus on how good he made her feel, how he could make her forget how very fucked up her life was right now, how he could make her body sing a song she’d didn’t even know she knew the words to. 

She swallowed, nodding, “Yeah. I uh…I met him a couple weeks ago. We all went to see that new Twister movie and then went for burgers and milkshakes.”

“Yeah, we know,” Dustin scoffed. “Nobody bothered to tell us about it.”

“They don’t have to invite you to everything,” Max scoffed, shaking her head.

“Why not? We’re all friends. If there’s a group friend thing shouldn’t that include all of the friends that are in the group? What? We’re not cool enough for them? I mean, okay, I got it when we were fourteen and they were eighteen but we’re all adults now. The age thing shouldn’t be a thing anymore.”

Charlie tilted her head, “You’ve been friends with them since you were fourteen? Sorry. That’s just…interesting. I mean, only because in high school that age difference feels a whole lot bigger.”

“Well, Steve dated Mike’s sister Nancy and…” Lucas began.

“Steve was with Nancy?” Charlie interrupted, surprised. 

“Yeah. I mean, they dated when she was a sophomore and he was a junior. They broke up the next year and she started seeing Jonathan, who is Will’s brother and we’re friends with Mike and Will. So, we all just kind of got to know each other.”

“Yeah,” Dustin added, “and then when we were freshmen, Eddie was a senior and he invited us to be part of his DnD club. Him and Steve never would have spoken to each other. They ran in entirely different circles but because we were his friend, we started inviting him to stuff, and…” He opened his arms wide. “Here we are, all friends. Though apparently not good enough friends to get an invite to meet the new girl.”

“I don’t think it was to meet me,” Charlie said. “I think they planned the movie before they even knew I was coming. My coming here was a bit…rushed.”

“Yeah, we heard you split after telling your husband you wanted a divorce,” Max told her, then clenched her teeth. “Sorry. Probably a sore subject, huh?”

She shrugged, “Not really. I’m glad I left. It’s fine. Complicated, but fine.”

“Okay then.” Dustin rubbed his hands together. “Well, we were talking…you know, and we thought it wasn’t really fair that everyone hasn’t met you yet. If you’re joining the group, then you should meet everyone in the group. You know? And you still haven’t met Mike or El or Will. So…” 

Dustin looked over at Lucas and he jumped, eyes wide, “Oh yeah. So, Max and I were going to have everyone over. Figured we could order pizza, have some drinks, just hang out, you know? We were thinking Saturday if you’re free?”

They were adorable. Charlie was actually touched that they were wanting to welcome her into the fold. She glanced over at the schedule to check if she was working. 

“I actually have the whole weekend off so I should be able to do that. What time were you guys thinking?”

“Seven if that works?” Max said, pulling a piece of paper out and handing it to her. “That’s our address.”

“Wow, you uh…you came prepared,” she chuckled, glancing at the paper before sticking it in her pocket. “Yeah. Seven should work for me.” She paused, a thought occurring to her. “Is everyone coming?”

“Yeah. Us, Mike, El, Will, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin, Vicki, and maybe Eddie. He might have to work,” Dustin answered, grinning and she couldn’t help noticing that this kid had one of the most adorable smiles she’d ever seen.

Charlie swallowed down her anxiety at the last name he mentioned. She was going to have to face him at some point. He was friends with everybody. They were going to see each other. It was inevitable. She could do this. They just had to act normal. No problem. What happened between them was casual. No reason to make it bigger than it was.

“Cool. See you Saturday then.”

The three of them grinned, waving goodbye, and Charlie glanced over at Harley.

“Huh…Dustin never got his book.”

“Imagine that,” snorted Harley, heading back to the back room.

___________________________________________________________

“Your set last night was radical, man. Just radical,” mumbled Keith, bleary eyed, sitting crooked on the barstool. 

Keith was a regular, like most of the people who were in The Hideout at the moment. They came night after night, after work, to blow off some steam and have a few. However, Keith often liked to have more than a few and Eddie would usually have to cut him off and call his wife, Sue, to come and pick him up so the man didn’t try to drive home. 

“Thanks man,” he replied, wiping down the bar where Keith had sloshed his beer. 

“Highway to Hell is a classic. AC/DC…hell yeah.”

Eddie struggled to hide his amusement, thinking Gareth would want to knock this guy right off his stool right about now. Gareth was pushing really hard for them to nix some of the old seventies rock they played to incorporate more shit like Alice in Chains or Rage Against the Machine.

The problem, as Jeff pointed out, was that a good chunk of their crowd were old geezers who were teens or young adults in the seventies and wanted AC/DC and Deep Purple. Seventies metal was still good music as far as Eddie was concerned. You’d have to pry his Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden albums out of his cold, dead hands. 

But he saw his point. Eddie wouldn’t mind playing Man in the Box. He’d learned that song on guitar in five days after getting the Facelift album six years ago. He just wasn’t sure what their audience would think and they couldn’t afford to lose them. It wasn’t like they were playing The Garden in New York City. It was the goddamn Hideout in Hawkins. Their pickings were slim. 

His pipe dream of becoming big one day had long since died. Eddie had given up on that years ago but he refused to give up on music entirely. He loved to play. And if that meant keeping a job so he could enjoy playing a couple nights a week, he was okay with that. Joe paid him decent money to work behind the bar. He was able to pay his bills and that was good enough for him. 

Music was his only passion. When it came to work, it was just work. He needed a job. He needed to pay his mortgage, his light bill, and be able to get groceries so he could eat. Eddie didn’t need much. He’d grown up barely scraping by. His uncle worked long hours just so they could have the bare minimum. Eddie knew how to make a dollar stretch. 

“Hey Ed! Can I get another whiskey on ice!?” yelled Hopper from the end of the bar where he sat with Officer Powell, the two guys sharing a drink after another boring ass shift in a town where nothing happened.

“Coming right up!”

Grabbing the bottle of Jim Beam, Hop’s preferred brand of bottom shelf whiskey, Eddie gave the chief a generous pour, sliding it down the bar to him. Hop caught it, giving Eddie a one finger salute in thanks. 

He turned, the air leaving his lungs, as the door of the bar opened and in stepped Harley, a wave of red hair that he’d know anywhere following behind her. Shit. Charlie. 

There she was, wearing a simple black dress made of silky material with thin straps, a white tee underneath, black chunky boots on her feet. Silver bangles hung on her wrist, silver hoop earrings, and a delicate choker around her neck with a tiny little cross just above the hollow of her throat. 

He’d been doing a pretty decent job of not dwelling on her or how much he wanted to get her into bed again while she was out of sight. Well, some of the time. But here she was, in his bar, and just that fast, all he could think about was pushing that dress up and having his way with her right on top of this bar. Fuck. This girl was dangerous to his self control. 

“Hey Ed!” Harley called out and Eddie watched as those green eyes lasered in on him, that pouty little mouth opening in surprise, making him think of the last time that mouth opened for him. Charlie clearly hadn’t known he worked here when she’d agreed to come. 

“Harley,” he grinned, getting his bearings once more. He was not going to act like a fool in front of her. She said she didn’t want him anymore. Fine. But he knew she was lying. That girl couldn’t hide her desire to save her life. He leaned over the bar, tilting his head, his eyes running down the length of Charlie’s body, relishing the flush that crept from her neck all the way up to her cheeks. “Charlie.”

She swallowed, that little cross bobbing with the force of it, “Hey Eddie. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Surprise.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And what are two of the most beautiful ladies in Hawkins doing out tonight?”

Harley rolled her eyes, hitching her thumb in his direction, “Watch yourself, Charlie. Our Ed here is quite the charmer. If you’re not careful, you’ll wake up naked in his bed wondering how in the hell you got there.”

Charlie’s jaw clenched, her eyes slicing over to him. Well, shit. Was she jealous? He shouldn’t enjoy the idea of that quite as much as he did. But just that fast, she fixed her face, laughing as she hopped up onto a stool. 

“Oh really? You two…?”

Harley snorted, “He wishes but I’ve seen girls fall prey to his charms one too many times. Eddie plays guitar and he’s the lead singer of his own band, Corroded Coffin. They play here twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. And you know the ladies cannot resist a musician.” Leaning her elbows on the bar, asked, “Is there a woman in Hawkins you haven’t bedded by now?”

“You,” he teased. Not for lack of trying but Harley was a tough nut to crack. She didn’t seem interested in a meaningless encounter. The girl was holding out for a real relationship. Just hadn’t seemed to find the right guy yet.

Harley’s eyes rolled over to Charlie, “Don’t be his next victim.”

Eddie quickly looked down at his shoes so he didn’t give them away. He didn’t see how Charlie reacted to that statement. Harley was exaggerating. Eddie had not slept with all the women in Hawkins. Quite a few but not all. But it didn’t matter what Charlie thought. They’d just had a bit of fun anyway. He wasn’t wasting his breath trying to explain or defend himself.

“What can I get for you two?” he asked, deciding to put poor Charlie, who looked like she was ready to run out of the door, out of her misery. 

“I’ll have a Vodka tonic please,” Harley told him. 

“Got it and for you, princess?” He grinned, lifting his eyebrows. He really shouldn’t. He was just being mean at this point but damn she made it so easy and fun. The way she gasped, her entire body tensing, the look in her eyes letting him know she was absolutely thinking about their last time together. 

Yeah, this girl could say what she wanted but he knew she wanted him. He’d have her underneath him again, whimpering and mewling, those nails digging into his back as she gasped his name, those thighs locking him against her. She wasn’t done with him no matter how much she wanted to be. 

“Umm…I’ll…uh…I’ll have a Jack and Diet,” she muttered.

Eddie winked at her, “Coming right up.”

“So, weekend off before you start your first shift on your own. Got any big plans?”

“Just that thing at Max and Lucas’s tomorrow,” Charlie answered. “Other than that, probably just working on doing some cleaning. My Gran’s house has been sitting empty for months. There’s dust on top of the dust.”

So, she was coming to Max and Lucas’s tomorrow. Good to know. Might give him a chance to get her alone, make another pitch for why hooking up wasn’t the bad idea she seemed to think it was. If it wasn’t for them keeping this a secret, he would thank Lucas himself. The kid had done Eddie a favor even if he didn’t know it. 

He set the girls drinks down, trying to pretend like he wasn’t listening in on their conversation as he busied himself mixing drinks, checking IDs, and restocking liquor. She was working at the bookstore with Harley. That was good to know too. 

“So, Steve Harrington thinks you’re a babe?” Harley taunted. “You know, there are a lot of girls in this town who would be jealous.”

Eddie’s teeth clenched. Of course Steve thought she was a babe. You’d have to be an idiot not to see how gorgeous she was. 

“Yeah, that is so not happening.”

“Why not? Girl, he’s cute. I mean, the eyes, the hair, the smile…that man is the whole package.”

“Sounds like you want him,” Charlie commented. 

Eddie snorted as he passed a Miller on draft down the bar. Of course she did. Everyone wanted Harrington. They always had. He was like a goddamn unicorn in this town. The man was just insanely picky. He had no idea what he wanted. He said he wanted to settle down like so many of their friends had but none of the girls he dated seemed to ever be good enough. 

“Please. Steve is hot as hell. Don’t get me wrong but he’s not really my type. Seems like he’d totally be your type though. Wasn’t your ex like a lawyer or something? Clean cut pretty boy, I am assuming?”

“Yeah,” Charlie muttered. “He was. Hence why I don’t want anything like that. I don’t want anything at all, actually. I’m done with men. They suck. I’ve done the bad boy. I’ve done the supposed boy next door type. I’ve done the pretty boy. It doesn’t matter. They’re all assholes. It’s just me, myself, and I from now on. Besides, Robin was very clear when she told me to absolutely not date Steve.”

Harley laughed, “I bet she did. Talk about awkward if two of her best friends were hooking up and it all imploded in your faces. You say you can handle it. You’ll be friends but you won’t. It’s always too hard. And then you start avoiding each other and you can’t stand to be in the same room and before you know it, she’s having to carefully orchestrate everything to ensure you’re never around each other.”

“Sounds like you speak from experience?”

“I do. That’s how I lost my best friend in college. She started dating my brother. It was great for a year and then it ended and they couldn’t stand each other. She started avoiding him and in turn, that meant she started avoiding me.”

“That sucks,” Charlie said. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Well, that’s why I can understand where Robin’s coming from. Why she wouldn’t want you to date her friend, especially one with a track record like that. He’s not exactly known for long lasting relationships. Probably best you steer clear.”

“No worries. I’m steering clear of anything with a penis,” Charlie chuckled. 

Yeah. They’d see about that. Dating? Absolutely a bad idea but fucking? Best idea Eddie could think of. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alright, don't get used to two chapters, two days in a row but my in-laws took my kids for the day and I had time. 😆😆😆

Chapter Text

“Eddie!” Dustin whooped as he opened the door, pulling him in for a hug. “You made it!”

“Did you doubt that I would?”

“You said you had to work a shift at The Hideout tonight and might not be able to get off. So we didn’t think you were coming.”

That was true. He had been supposed to work tonight. When Dustin and Lucas had first told him about this impromptu hang-out at DnD the other night, he’d told them he’d have to miss it. But as soon as he’d found out that the hang-out had been manufactured for everyone to get to know Charlie, he’d convinced Jenny to switch shifts with him. He wasn’t missing out on an opportunity to be near that lucious redhead again. 

“Yeah. Well, I moved some things around. I’m working tomorrow instead.”

“You switched shifts just to hang out with us?” asked Dustin, the kid who was far too intelligent for his own damn good, eyeing him. “You never do that.”

Eddie tucked his hands into the pocket of his jeans, shrugging, “Yeah, well, it’s not just a normal hangout, right? I mean, isn’t this for Robin’s best friend who just moved back or something?”

“Uh-huh…but it’s so people can meet her and you’ve already met her.”

He didn’t like the kid’s tone. He never liked the kid’s tone. Henderson was smart, way smarter than him. Not that he’d ever tell the kid that but he seriously needed to check his ego because he was always talking like he knew far more than anyone else in the room. And while it may be true most of the time, it wasn’t cute. 

“So? I know it’s important to Robin that we all make her feel welcome. And hanging out with you guys sounded way more fun than slinging drinks to a bunch of drunks, okay?”

Dustin grinned, pointing at Eddie, “You think she’s hot.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do,” Dustin teased.

“Okay. Maybe but so what? Have you seen her?”

He delighted in the way the kid’s cheeks flushed bright red. Served him right being such a know it all, all the damn time. Who cared if he thought Charlie was hot? It didn’t mean anything. He was betting every red blooded male in this room thought she was hot. Hell, women too. Robin had even admitted that she used to have a crush on her. 

“That, my friend, is a dangerous path you are treading. Robin will kill you. I mean, she will slit your throat and bury you in the woods where no one can find your body if you try anything with Charlie,” Dustin told him. “You know that, right?”

A deep sigh fell from his lips, his eyes rolling, “Yes, man. I am well aware that Robin doesn’t want me trying anything with her friend. And I’m not, okay? But just because I have to keep my hands off the merchandise doesn’t mean I don’t notice how nice the wrapping is. You’d have to have no eyes not to notice. Doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.”

Yeah, lying to the kid sucked but he didn’t have much other choice. Eddie was quickly realizing that Charlie was right. If these guys found out that he’d screwed her, they’d be pissed. They’d think he was just using her. He’d gotten quite the reputation for random hook-ups since Haley broke him. And Eddie didn’t exactly have a ton of people in his life that weren’t currently in this house. He couldn’t risk alienating the few that he did have. 

“Ed! What are you just standing outside for? Come in!” yelled Mike from the living room. 

“If you’re done warning me about my possible murder, excuse me,” he said pointedly to Dustin who raised his hands and stepped back, allowing Eddie to enter the house. 

“Will and I were just talking about that sick campaign the other night,” Mike said. 

But as they droned on about the pitfalls Eddie had spent hours planning out for them, he tuned them out. His attention was elsewhere. His eyes roamed the house until they caught sight of that beautiful red hair, up in a ponytail tonight. There she was, in a navy blue baby tee and a black skater skirt. 

Eddie tried to ignore the painful twist his stomach gave when he noticed her head back, laughing out loud at something Harrington was saying. When Steve’s hand landed on her arm, an ugly monster snarled from within his ribcage and he had to fight the urge to walk in there and shove Harrington back, rip his damn hand off for touching her. 

What the hell was that? No. That wasn’t right. Was he…jealous? No. Definitely not. 

Charlie wasn’t his. He wasn’t hers. That was the deal they had made and if he wanted to continue that deal, he needed to remember that. He had no rights to her and if she chose to laugh at another guy’s stupid ass jokes, it was none of his business. And he was sure it was stupid because it was Harrington. He’d grown to love the guy but funny, he was not. He told goddamn dad jokes for christ’s sake. There’s no way whatever he said was that funny.

A hand landed on his shoulder, Dustin’s voice quiet in his ear, “Dead, my friend. Body decomposing six feet under, slowly being eaten by all the bugs, if you don’t move those eyes somewhere else.”

“Shut it, Henderson,” he snapped, shoving the kid’s arm off of him. Jesus, he was so damn nosy. Why was he always exactly where you didn’t want him to be all the time?

“You planning the next one?” asked Will.

“Huh?” he asked, realizing he had no idea what the conversation was that he was supposed to be a part of. Shit. This was happening too often. He was going to have to get a grip on himself.

“The next campaign?” Will looked concerned. “Are you working on it already?”

“Yeah…uh…yeah. Gonna be killer, man.”

No. He wasn’t working on it. He’d tried to. He’d put on his music, grabbed his notebook, but he couldn’t fucking focus. Every time he tried to look through the manual, his eyes went fuzzy and all he could think about was a soft thigh the color of buttermilk, black fingernails scraping along skin, green eyes rolling back in pleasure. It was infuriating. 

He’d wind up in the shower, his hand wrapped around his cock, desperate to get some relief. But it wasn’t the same. Fuck, he was so damn wound up and horny and he needed to have her again. 

“Well, if it’s anything like this last one, then we better be on our A game,” Mike said with a laugh. “Because Eddie slaughtered us, man. Dustin was our last hope and he failed us.”

Dustin scoffed, “Excuse me? I can’t be expected to carry the entire damn party on my back, Mike. You were out first.”

“Yeah, because that zombie horde came and none of you helped me.”

“I tried to help,” Will argued. “But it was…”

“I’m heading to the kitchen,” Eddie interrupted before this turned into a full-on argument. These guys would fight about DnD for hours and they turned right back into the annoying freshmen they were when he first met them when they did. He had better things to focus on at the moment. 

“So, I said, no, you’re dead and I punched him right in his face,” Steve said as Eddie walked in. “I told him to get the hell out and then we got into this insane fight in Wheeler’s kitchen.”

“Oh, I know this story,” Eddie commented, sliding up next to Charlie so the sides of their bodies were touching. It didn’t slip his notice how her entire body tensed as he did so. His teeth raked over his bottom lip, his eyes taking in the expanse of ivory skin that her V-neck top showed. “This is when you got your ass handed to you by Billy Hargrove, right?”

Steve flushed, swallowing, “I wouldn’t say I had my ass handed to me. I mean, I got in a few good punches.”

“Yeah, of course you did, Harrington. But he would have put you in the hospital if Mayfield hadn’t stepped in.”

“Please,” snorted Steve. “I totally could have handled him myself even if Max wouldn’t have stepped in.”

“Oh, like you handled Jonathan?” teased Robin. 

Charlie’s eyes widened, looking over at Jonathan, who shrugged, his teeth clenching. Poor guy looked extremely uncomfortable and Eddie felt bad. They’d all worked hard to put the awkward history behind them but he’d be damned if he sat here and watched Steve try to make himself out to be some tough guy that he definitely wasn’t. 

“You two fought?” asked Charlie. “About what?”

“About our girl Nancy, here,” Eddie told her and when she looked over at him, he laughed. “What? You didn’t know about the infamous little love triangle in this group? Steve and Nancy dated first.”

“Eddie,” Vicki chided.

Nancy shot daggers at him, “That was so long ago. I was a sophomore. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Big enough deal for these guys to fist fight over you,” Eddie reminded her. “It was all over the school. Nobody could believe that some chick ditched Steve, the hair, Harrington, for Jonathan Byers. Poor Stevie got knocked off his little pedestal at Hawkins High for a while there. Guys didn’t want to be the guy who got humiliated by the freak.” He turned to Jonathan, pressing his hand to his chest. “No offense as us freaks have to stick together. And girls suddenly didn’t find him so attractive if even Nancy Wheeler would leave him for the quiet, weird guy who was always listening to The Clash and reading a book.”

“Hey!” Nancy shrieked. 

“No, it’s cool,” Jonathan said. “I was the quiet weird guy and I’m okay with that. I was never interested in all that popularity bullshit anyway.”

Eddie held out his fist for Jonathan to bump, “I know that’s right. Anyway, you whooped his ass so I guess being popular and cool doesn’t mean everything, right?”

“Why are you being such an asshole?” Steve challenged, folding his arms over his chest. And Eddie had to admit, he was far more intimidating than he used to be. Working construction had definitely filled the guy out but Steve wasn’t going to swing on him in front of all their friends.

“Why are you trying to act like a tough guy?” Eddie shot back. “We all know you wouldn’t hurt a damn fly.”

“I’m not acting like a goddamn tough guy. I only got into a fight with Billy because he was threatening Lucas and I was trying to protect him. I wasn’t being a tough guy. I was being a decent fucking human being. Maybe you should try it.”

“Whoa. Hold up,” Charlie interjected. “Why was Billy starting a fight with a middle schooler?”

“Because he was dating Max and Billy didn’t like it,” Vicki said. 

“Oh, we’re talking about my stepbrother, I see,” Max said as she entered the room. “Fun times.” Leaning across Steve, she grabbed a slice of pizza, taking a big bite and then looking right at Charlie. “In case you haven’t gotten the gist, my brother was a total dickhead in high school.”

Charlie quickly looked down at her hands, her thumb picking at the nail polish on her thumb. Max clearly didn’t know that Charlie had known Billy…quite well, actually. 

“Yeah!” Robin suddenly shrieked, causing everyone to jump. “Total jackass but that’s water under the bridge. Billy is cool now. He decided not to be like his asshole father, which is great! I mean, who would want to be like that guy? Am I right? He’s living in Indy and working as a mechanic and he and Max talk on the phone and visit and stuff. So, no need to reminisce about all that old bullshit, right?”

Robin was clearly covering for her friend and Eddie respected it. He was sure the last thing Charlie wanted was for everyone here to find out that she’d been sleeping with Billy in high school. As far as he knew, only him, Robin, Steve, and probably Vicki knew as Robin didn’t keep anything from her. 

“Exactly, thank you,” Steve stated, his arm swinging out dramatically before both hands came to rest on his hips in the pose they all teased him about, calling it his mom pose. He looked pointedly at Eddie. “No need to harp on the past, right?”

Eddie’s lips pressed together, his hands coming in front of him, “You were the one in here bragging about that fight with Billy like you came out on top. I didn’t bring it up. I was simply clarifying things.”

Max laughed, “Steve, were you trying to act like you beat up Billy to impress Charlie? Because if I remember correctly, he had you on the ground and it was only me threatening him with the bat that stopped him from putting you in a wheelchair.”

“What? No…that’s not…no. He was not going to put me in a wheelchair.”

“Not the way I heard it,” Eddie muttered.

“You know, Munson, you act like you’re so cool but if I remember correctly, Jason took you out in high school.”

“Only because he had a bunch of his basketball neanderthals with him,” Eddie stated. “He never could have taken me by himself.”

“Right.” Steve shook his head. “Of course. Because you were such a tough guy in school.”

“Never said I was, Harrington.”

“You talk big for someone who was always running from somebody whether it was guys wanting to kick your ass or the cops because you were doing some shit you shouldn’t be doing. Like, oh, I don’t know, dealing drugs behind the school.” He looked over at Charlie, lifting his eyebrows. “Yeah. That’s right. This guy was a drug dealer in high school.”

“Yeah and what were you, Steve? A douchebag who slept his way through every girl and looked down your nose at anyone who didn’t bow down to you. When really you were just an insecure little boy who needed attention because mommy and daddy never gave it to you.”

“Whoa!” Steve yelled. 

“Okay! Okay!” Nancy yelled, her hands coming down on the counter with a loud smack. “How about we stop whatever this idiotic challenge is going on here?”

“Yeah, let’s put the penises away guys,” Max snorted. “No one here is interested or cares in the slightest whose is bigger.”

“Yeah, come on,” Jonathan said softly. “Who cares what any of us were like in high school? It doesn’t matter, man.”

“Why are you both acting like morons anyway?” Robin challenged, staring them both down. “You never fight like this. I mean, you argue, but you don’t hit below the belt.”

“Hey Max, where’s your bathroom?” asked Charlie, clearly desperate to get away.

“Upstairs on the left. We have one down here but I think Mike’s in there right now.”

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” hissed Robin as Charlie made her way up the steps. “She’s gonna think you’re idiots. Are you seriously having some caveman testosterone battle in front of Charlie? You know she is completely off limits for both of you!” She pointed to each of them. “I mean it. Off limits! I will murder you, slowly and painfully, if you try anything. So, knock off whatever this asinine bullshit is.”

“Yeah, okay,” mumbled Steve. 

Nancy’s nostrils flared as she looked between the two of them, “Apologize and make nice.” They both cringed, glancing at each other. “Now!”

“Sorry,” Eddie muttered with a sigh.

Steve’s lips pursed for a second and then a painful, “Sorry,” slipped from his lips.

“There. That’s better. Now get some pizza and let the blood rush back from between your legs and to your brains so you can act like normal, sane human beings again.”

__________________________________________________________

Charlie’s hands gripped the edges of the sink, her eyes closed, as she inhaled slowly. What in the hell was all that about? If those guys were friends, she was having a hard time seeing it because they sure weren’t acting like it. 

Maybe Eddie was a jerk. Maybe Robin was wrong about Steve. Maybe all guys were actually just assholes. If so, she was definitely making the right decision. 

She opened her eyes, looking at her reflection. This was it, the twenty-eight year old version of herself. Divorced, starting over. Or maybe just finally starting. Maybe everything that came before this didn’t matter. She had been young and stupid, falling for some fairy tale bullshit she’d fed herself. Now she was older, smarter, and she saw the world for what it was. She got to have a second chance and she wasn’t going to waste it, especially not on some dumb guy. 

But she definitely could do without the talk of Billy Hargrove. The last thing she needed was revisiting her first dumb mistake, one of many. Because that was all he’d been. Her first desperate reach for something bigger than herself, something that meant she mattered, something that made her feel like she wasn’t just a huge mistake that messed up everybody’s lives. 

And she didn’t need all of them to know about that mistake. Max was his little sister? Yeah. She remembered that now but Max had never known about her and Billy. No one had except for Robin until Billy had humiliated her in front of half the school, leaving her there with a broken heart as everyone looked on laughing or feeling sorry for her. If they had somehow missed that humiliation, she’d like to keep it that way.

There was a knock at the door and she shook her head, smoothing her hair back from her face. 

“Sorry,” she said, assuming someone was waiting for the bathroom. She opened the door, quickly stepping back as Eddie stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “What?”

“Just wanted to check on you.”

“Check on me? Why? Because you and Steve were arguing like stupid teenage boys trying to figure out whose dick is bigger?”

He grimaced, shaking his head, “Why does everyone keep saying that? We were not and besides, it’s not even a competition. I know for a fact mine’s bigger.”

Did he seriously just say that? Charlie feigned vomiting. 

“Gross. And do I even want to know how you know that?”

“I don’t. It’s not like we’ve compared.”

“So you don’t actually know if yours is bigger. Steve could have six inches on you.”

“Please. He definitely doesn’t have six inches on me. Besides, I know I’ve never had any complaints,” he remarked cockily, that damn mouth curving into a wicked smile. “It’s not about the size. It’s about if you know what to do with it.” He stepped into her and Charlie stepped back, stuck between him and the vanity. “And you know that I know exactly what to do with it.”

“Eddie…what are you doing?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked innocently, his head ducking down, nose trailing over her jawline. His breath fanned over her ear as he whispered, “We’re just talking.”

Shivers raced down her spine when his hand wrapped around her thigh. Fuck. She had it bad for this man. This was wrong. They were in his friend’s bathroom. This could not happen. No. She was done with this. If they continued, they were going to get caught. 

“We can’t,” she breathed, her eyes slipping closed, a gasp falling from her lips when his fingers began lightly tracing a path up her thigh, moving along the inside, straight for the spot that was aching for his touch. 

“Why not?”

“Because everybody is right downstairs.”

“They have no idea,” he murmured against her neck, kissing the sensitive skin just below her ear, a whimper she couldn’t control escaping. She could feel his smile against her skin. “They didn’t see me leave. They’re all wrapped up in conversation. They won’t even notice we’re gone but if you want me to leave…” His thumb brushed over her panties and her knees went weak, her hands grabbing onto the edge of the vanity. “Just say the word, princess, and I’ll go.”

“Fuck…” she whimpered. 

“That’s exactly what I intend to do,” he growled, his hands grasping her ass, lifting her up onto the counter. His fingers slipped beneath her skirt, under the edge of her panties. “Fuck, princess. You’re already soaking wet for me.”

“Eddie, please. Don’t tease,” she pleaded, her hips sliding forward, desperate for him. 

“Yeah, that’s my good girl.” He undid his jeans, slipping them and his boxers down to his knees. Reaching into his back pocket, he ripped open the condom, slipping it over his length, gently stroking himself a few times to ensure he was nice and hard. “Tell me how much you want it.”

Charlie huffed, annoyed. It was bad enough she was breaking her promise to her best friend. Breaking the rules she’d set for herself. Now he was going to make her wait? Make her beg?

“Come on, Eddie.”

“That’s not what I asked for, princess. Wanna try again?” he asked, amused as he stroked himself. “I can always finish myself off if I need to.”

Fuck. He wasn’t going to make this easy. Fine.

“Please, Eddie.”

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me.”

“Fuck you how, sweetheart? I need you to be a little more specific for me. You want it hard and fast, nice and slow? Tell me exactly what you want.”

Charlie’s body was humming with need. She didn’t want him taking his time. They didn’t have time for him to take his time. 

“Fuck me hard, Eddie. Please. Fuck me so hard I can hardly walk.”
“Fuck yes,” he growled, grabbing onto her hips. “Hold on tight, princess. I’m gonna give you exactly what you want.”

Sliding her panties to the side, he entered her in one swift, punishing thrust that sent her back into the mirror. Charlie cried out and his hand quickly covered her mouth, muffling any sound.

“Need you quiet, princess. Don’t want to get caught, do you?”

Jesus Christ. Something was deeply wrong with her because the idea that they could get caught, that someone could open that door or hear them and know exactly what was happening, only made this that much hotter. 

Eddie slammed into her, hard and fast, exactly as she’d wanted. Each thrust was painful but oh so goddamn good. She was sure her ass and thighs would be bruised tomorrow and that idea caused her to clench down around him, his chest rumbling at the sensation. It would be her own little secret. Proof that this thing existed. This raw, primal, need they had between them for each other’s bodies. 

It was so simple and yet, it complicated her life so much. But she didn’t want to give it up. She didn’t want to give him up. The way he made her feel, the way he made her forget. She was powerful when they were together. It was intoxicating the way he wanted her, kept coming back for more, knowing that her body could have that much hold over another person. 

Hands running under his shirt, her nails scraped over his nipples and he grunted, struggling just as badly as she was to keep silent and she was fucking drink on the power trip it was giving her. His hand slipped between them, his thumb circling her clit and she gasped, her eyes rolling back to the ceiling. 

“Fuck, yes. Don’t stop. Don’t stop…” she breathed and then his mouth was covering hers, his tongue sliding over hers, effectively silencing her as he buried himself to the hilt again and again. 

Charlie’s fingers twisted in his shirt, pulling him against her, devouring him, her legs wrapping around his waist as his fingers tangled in her hair, his other hand teasing her right to the edge. She was so close. Her body felt like a champagne bottle ready to pop. Her stomach clenched, her muscles tensing, and then she was allowing his mouth to swallow all of her cries of pleasure as she finally came undone, Eddie quickly following with one last thrust.

“Oh my god…” she whispered, her forehead pressed against his, her legs collapsing over the edge of the counter. 

Eddie’s mouth lifted on one side, “See? Why would you give this up? I can make you feel like this as often as you want.”

Fuck. She was in so much trouble because right now, with him looking at her like that, her body spent and so goddamn satisfied, she couldn’t think of a single reason why she would give this up. 

“Hey! Charlie? You in there?”

Her eyes snapped wide at Robin’s voice. She pushed Eddie back, his cock slipping out of there as he stumbled with his pants around his feet. Oh my god. What was she going to do? 

Hopping off the counter, she straightened her panties and her skirt as Eddie stepped into the corner, shrugging. Charlie opened the door, praying that Robin would not see Eddie hiding behind it, his pants down and a full condom on his limp dick.

“Hey. Yeah. What’s up?” she asked, struggling to keep her words from sounding breathless. 

“Nothing. You were just gone for a while and I got worried. You okay?”

She grinned, “Yeah. Just needed a minute, you know?”

“Yeah. Look, I know Steve and Eddie were being…hey, what’s up with your hair?”

“What?” She reached up. Shit. Her hair was a damn rat’s nest from Eddie’s hands. “Oh my god. I am such an idiot. I got it caught in the towel hook.” She tried to laugh it off, holding her hands up beside her as Eddie smothered a laugh with his hands, leaving her wanting to kick him. She quickly ran her hands over it to smooth it down. 

“Damn, that sounds like a me move. Not a you move.”

“Right? I don’t know. Head’s in a weird place, you know?”

“Yeah. I’m sure, especially with all that talk about Billy. I’m sorry. I know you don’t like to talk about him after…”

“Yeah!” Charlie agreed loudly, trying to cut her friend off before Eddie knew something that was none of his business and honestly, something she didn’t want him knowing. The last thing she needed was the guy she was hooking up with finding out about the guy who thought she wasn’t even worth a hookup. “Right. Right. Don’t want to talk about him. So let’s not.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s get back downstairs.” When her friend continued to look concerned, she added, “Seriously, Robin. I’m fantastic,” thinking at least that wasn’t a lie. 

Chapter Text

“How’d it go today?” asked Harley, dropping her purse into the locked drawer under the cash register. 

“Really well, actually,” beamed Charlie. Even she was surprised at how well her first day on her own had gone. “Lucy just got here. She’s setting up for the book club tonight. Oh, and Mrs. Wheeler came in and requested a book so I put in an order for her. I told her we’ll call her when it comes in.”

“Really?” Harley dropped her elbows on the counter with a shake of her head. “Our Harlequin selection wasn’t big enough for her to find a smutty novel she liked?”

“Apparently not. She was very specific in wanting To Lasso a Lady.”

“That poor woman,” snorted Harley. “You know Ted is not meeting her needs. That guy couldn’t find the clit if someone drew him a diagram. I seriously do not understand that marriage but hey…” She stood up, raising her hands in front of her. “To each their own, right?”

Charlie had no idea who Mr. Wheeler was. She’d never met him but Karen Wheeler was a beautiful woman. She would have expected her to be married to a guy who looked like those men on the covers with glistening chests and large biceps. But clearly not. 

“You know,” her boss whispered, leaning in, “there were rumors when we were in high school that she was hooking up with Billy Hargrove the summer before his senior year.”

Charlie’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. Why did that guy’s name have to keep coming up in conversation? She would be okay never having to think about him again. Yet, somehow, he was the topic everybody in Hawkins seemed to want to talk about. 

“Really?” she said, trying to sound surprised even though she felt anything but. Billy hooking up with an older woman wasn’t a shock. Billy hooked up with everybody. Charlie had learned that lesson the hard way years ago. Besides, he was a man. Didn’t all men do that?

Harley had made it sound like Eddie did. And apparently so did Steve, the guy that Robin claimed was one of the few good ones left. Men were animals who gave in to their baser instincts with zero self control. Not because they couldn’t but because they just didn’t care to. 

“Yeah.” Harley looked excited to share this bit of salacious gossip that Charlie couldn’t care less about. “Gross, right? But I get it. Billy, while being a grade A asshole, was hot as hell. I mean, that ass…” She whistled. “You could bounce a damn quarter off that thing. And Karen, lonely, unsatisfied…I mean, you could see the temptation of a younger man with stamina. Hell, you can see the temptation of someone who actually sees you and wants you, right?”

Yeah. She could because that was exactly what kept drawing her back to Eddie. He wasn’t younger but he did make her feel seen, desirable, wanted. Things she’d never felt from anyone in her life. Charlie fully understood the pull to do the wrong thing because it felt so right. And Billy knew exactly how to make you feel special if you weren’t because you were just one of many.

“I mean, it was just rumors. No one ever proved anything. I don’t think Ted ever knew.” She snorted. “Not that Ted is aware of much. Holly runs all over town these days. I saw her at The Hideout one night at one in the morning with some guy who was way too old for her.” She rolled her eyes. “I bet Ted was home asleep, unaware his daughter wasn’t sleeping like a good girl in her bed.”

“What about Karen? Doesn’t she know?”

“Yeah, but she’s always been more of a…I don’t know. Cool mom, I guess some people would call it? She’s more their friend than their mom. She was so young when she married Ted and she doesn’t want that for her kids. She wants her kids to have freedom to become who they’re supposed to be or some shit. I mean, she got really lucky with Nancy who is so type A she wouldn’t have been caught dead in a bar at sixteen. She was too concerned with her grades and the paper and her future. I mean, the girl's done well for herself. Editor of the Hawkins post at twenty-eight is pretty damn impressive.”

Nancy was impressive. She was everything that Charlie had hoped to be but failed at, exactly what she was trying to become now. She was her own woman, making her own money, with a successful career. And yeah, she was married but she hadn’t allowed that to dull her shine. She had a true partner in Jonathan, someone who supported her and respected her. She was living the dream. 

“Speaking of Nancy, I’m actually meeting her at the coffee shop so I’m going to head out. I’ll be here tomorrow bright and early.”

Gathering her things, Charlie said goodbye one more time before heading out on Main Street. The schedule was working out nicely for her. She had always been more of a morning person and Harley clearly was not. She said she often didn’t get to bed until three in the morning so she was more than happy to allow Charlie to have most of the opening shifts so she could get more sleep. 

Entering the quaint little shop, Charlie paused, inhaling the aroma of coffee beans and baked goods. Was there any better scent in the world? She didn’t think so. Sometimes Charlie went to bed dreaming of her morning coffee.

Nancy waved to her from a table where two coffees already sat, ready. Charlie smiled, making her way over to the petite brunette, taking the chair across from her at the small, round table for two. Lifting her cup, she took a sip, surprised to find it was exactly what she would have ordered for herself.

“How did you know my coffee order?”

Lifting one shoulder, Nancy said, “Robin. I asked her what you get and she told me that you had become an iced coffee girl with vanilla and cream.”

“Well, thanks. I could use this after today.” She set the cup down, sighing. “First day entirely on my own running the store. It went really well but I am exhausted. I didn’t have any help until noon and we were oddly busy. Lots of people came in saying they were looking for something to read while they lounged by the pool. I am betting the Hawkins pool is crowded in this heat.”

“Yeah, well, it is one of the few things to do on a hot day here. The pool is always cramped. My mom took us to the pool all the time when we were younger. And she practically lived at the pool when Holly was younger. She went every single day in the summer before my senior year, actually. I don’t know why. I mean, Holly liked to swim, but every day? You’d think it would get old.”

Charlie kept her mouth closed because she knew that Billy worked as a lifeguard that summer. She’d left at the end of the school year but Robin had told her how all the girls and moms were drooling over him and it was gross. Knowing what Harley had just told her, Charlie was pretty sure she knew exactly why Karen Wheeler had been hanging at the pool every day that summer.

“Yeah, but really, besides the arcade and the bowling alley, what else was there to do back then? I know there’s the mall now but that wasn’t here when I left.”

“True.” Nancy exhaled softly, shaking her head as if clearing it, her posture straightening. She was in serious mode now. “Anyway, what we came here for.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a business card, sliding it across the table. 

Charlie picked it up, reading the name, Barbara Holland, and underneath that, Family Law. 

“This is your friend?”

Nancy nodded, “I’ve known her forever. She is fantastic. She has worked on a lot of divorces. She actually helped Chrissy Cunningham. Do you remember her?”

“The cheerleader?”

“Yeah. She married some asshole after college. I swear, it was like an arranged marriage. Her parents pushed her into it. He was a surgeon, made a lot of money, and was like fifteen years older than her.” Nancy shuddered. “Gross. She was miserable and finally looked into divorce. Barb’s office is based out of Noblesville but I gave her a call and told her about your situation and she’s more than happy to represent you. She even said you could do most of your meetings over the phone so you’d only have to drive in to sign some papers.”

“That’s wonderful but I…you know, I don’t have a lot of money. I mean, I left with nothing. All I’ve got is what I’ve made at the bookshop so far. I don’t know how I would pay her.”

“No worries there. She’s taking this case pro bono as a favor to me.” Nancy shrugged, smiling. “She also hates jerks and loves to screw them over so she’s more than happy to help.” When Charlie grimaced, uncomfortable with the idea of this girl she didn’t know working for her for free, Nancy said, “Whatever you get in the settlement, she can take a fee out of that if you’re more comfortable with it.”

“But I don’t even want a settlement,” Charlie told her. “Honestly. I don’t want anything from him. I just want to be done with him. I want it over so I can really start to move on with my life without being tied to him in any way.”

“I get that. I do but he owes you. You gave up a whole career and a possible life for him. You gave him years of your youth. You stayed home and catered to him so he could advance in his own career. You should at least get something.”

Charlie considered her words. Sure, she had put her entire life on hold for him because it was what he wanted. He wanted the picture perfect life to go with the picture perfect image he was creating at work. Charlie had pasted on smiles, hosted dinners, attended functions that were so boring she wanted to rip her eyeballs out. She’d picked up his dry cleaning and made sure dinner was on the table when he walked in, even if it wasn’t until eleven o’clock at night. 

But did she really want to put herself through some insane battle that could take months? Hell, years if he really wanted to fight her and knowing Leo, he would. She’d been hoping they could just dissolve their marriage. Have it over and done with quickly so she never had to think about him again. 

“Look, I get what you’re saying but you don’t know Leo. If I try to come after some of his money, he is going to fight me tooth and nail. And he can afford the best lawyers. I don’t want to get sucked into months of fighting and court dates. I can’t keep traveling to Hartford. I don’t want to see him. I just want it done. I don’t care about the money.”

Nancy sat back in her chair and Charlie felt like she was being examined. Nancy’s eyes zeroed in on her like a laser, as if she was trying to understand why anyone would just walk away from a marriage without money when the ex clearly had it. Nancy didn’t seem like the kind of person to back down from a fight.

Her hands raised in defeat, “Okay. Okay. I get it. I think you’re making a mistake because that bastard definitely owes you, especially after betraying you over and over while you were at home, playing the role of the good little housewife.”

“I get that this is hard for you to understand. You wouldn’t have ever put yourself in my position to begin with. You’re far too powerful for that. You never would have allowed a man to make you a docile little housewife. But I did. I’m ashamed of it. I hate it. I wish I had never agreed to go out with him in the first place. I was weak and stupid and…”

“Whoa. Hey.” Nancy leaned in, taking one of Charlie’s hands in her own. “No. That’s not what I think. I don’t think you’re weak or stupid. Weak and stupid would mean staying even when you know he’s a piece of shit. Walking away? Starting over? Moving to a place where you barely know anyone? That’s brave. That’s strong. That’s smart.”

Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them away, “Thank you.”

“Of course. Look, we’ll do whatever you want to do, okay? You want to tell him to fuck off and keep his money? Fine. Tell Barb that and she’ll do whatever you want.”

“But then she won’t get any money,” Charlie said. “Maybe it’s better if I just represent myself. I could do some research and figure it out.”

“No.” Nancy shook her head. “No. You don’t want to do that. You need representation. Barb will be more than happy to do it. It won’t even take that much of her time if you just want to dissolve the marriage without fighting over assets. I can’t imagine this jackass is going to fight it when you’re asking for nothing.”

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

But she knew Leo. Leo didn’t like to lose. Period. He would see the marriage ending as a loss. He would have to look at his bosses, his clients, his co-workers and admit that his marriage had failed, that his wife had left him. He wouldn’t like that. He’d do anything he could to convince her to come back, forgive and forget. Cover her eyes, bury her head, and pretend like she didn’t know what he did when he was out all night.

“No worries,” Nancy said with a wink. “We’ll get you this divorce, whether he wants it or not.”

____________________________________________________________

“Alright, alright. Henderson, give it a break,” Eddie groaned as they walked up main street. “We already told you, we’ll make sure you know about anything we do from now on.”

This kid. Jesus. He was such a pain in the ass. It had been over two weeks since they’d gone to a movie without him and he still wasn’t letting up about it. 

“I’m just saying, it’s really unfair to plan something for a group of friends and then blatantly excuse part of that group.”

“Yeah. You mentioned that.”

“I would never do that to you because…” He paused, sweeping his hands out for dramatic effect. “You’re my friend. See how that works? Maybe everybody isn’t always available and that’s okay but everybody should at least be invited. At least be given the information. Honestly, I would expect something like this from Steve and Robin but you? Come on, man.”

“Yeah. Right.” Eddie stopped in front of the coffee shop. “I will never do it again, okay? I’m a horrible friend and from now on, I will make sure that you get a very detailed breakdown of everything. Would you like me to write down a schedule of my week for you? That way you can see everything I have going on and decide if you want to join? I mean, band practice tonight at eight. You wanna come sit in on that? I’ll be going home then to take a shower. Need to supervise that? How about my morning shit? You want in on that too?”

Dustin huffed in annoyance, “Gross. There’s no need to be a dick about it.”

“Yeah. There is, especially when you’re being a whiny little brat, Henderson. This is a very large friend group, okay? We don’t always do everything together. No one was trying to specifically exclude you.”

“It felt like that,” he muttered, pouting like a child. To be fair, Eddie still often felt like he was a child. The six years between them wasn’t much anymore but he would always be that little guy Eddie saw sitting in the cafeteria at lunch, looking like a lost little sheep that desperately needed a shepherd. 

Eddie sighed, ruffling the top of his curls, “Listen, kid. I’m sorry you felt left out. Really, I am, but it wasn’t meant to be like that, okay? I really will try to keep you in the know from now on.” He glanced up, pointing his thumb to the coffee shop. “Buy you a coffee as an apology?”

“Salted caramel coconut latte with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on top?”

He grimaced, “Dude. That’s not even coffee. That’s just sugar on sugar, man.”

“It tastes like the Girl Scout samoa cookies,” Dustin defended. 

“Sure, okay. I offered to buy you a coffee, not a cookie,” Eddie huffed, opening the door for Dustin to enter. 

El smiled and waved at them as she came out from the back, carrying a tray of her famous Eggo muffins. The girl was obsessed with Eggos. Mike said she had them for breakfast every single morning. 

“Charlie!” Dustin yelled.

Eddie’s eyes shot over and sure enough, there she was, sitting with Nancy at a small table. Jesus, he loved summer. Every time he saw her, that milky skin was on full display. Today in a brown tank top and cut off jean shorts, all that red hair pulled up so he could see the full length of her neck. His jeans suddenly felt tight as he thought about tracing his tongue over it and down over her collarbone before sinking his teeth into the swell of flesh just above her neckline. 

Fuck. He seriously needed to get better control of this shit. That girl and her body had him under some kind of spell. He’d just had it a few days ago in Sinclair’s bathroom but damn if he didn’t wish every single person in this cafe could vanish so he could have her again, right here, right now.

“Hey Charlie! Nance!” Dustin was already racing over to their table, leaving Eddie no choice but to follow or look like a jerk. 

“Hi Dustin,” Charlie beamed and damn if a twinge of jealousy didn’t twist him up inside, wishing she’d turn that smile his way. 

“What are you two doing?” he asked.

Nancy shrugged, “I was just giving Charlie Barb’s information so she can call her about her divorce.” Standing up, she swung her purse over her shoulder. “But I really should get going. I have to give final approval on the paper before it goes to the printer’s tonight.”

“Oh!” Charlie’s eyes widened, looking between Dustin and Nancy as she leaned forward, clearly ready to cut and run. “Umm, I guess I should…”

But Dustin had already taken Nancy’s chair, calling, “Eddie, grab another chair!”

Charlie was stuck. Deflating, she sat back in her seat, accepting her fate. Damn, his little friends just kept helping him out without even being aware they were doing it. 

Pulling a chair over, right between Dustin and Charlie, Eddie plopped down. His knee pressed against her thigh, causing her to tense. It wasn’t his fault there wasn’t much room at this table. 

“So, you haven’t started the divorce process, huh? I guess I just assumed you had,” Dustin said. 

Charlie shook her head, both hands wrapping around her coffee, “Nope. Didn’t have the time, honestly. I pretty much told him I wanted a divorce. He screamed at me to get out, among other things. I left and here I am.”

“He…he screamed at you?” asked Dustin, tucking his hands between his knees and leaning in. “Charlie, was he…I mean, he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No,” she stated with another shake of her head. “It was nothing like that. He never put his hands on me. He was just angry he wasn’t getting his way. That’s all. He was pissed that I had found out that he was banging his secretary and wasn’t just accepting it and shutting up like the good little housewife he wanted me to be. Like all the other good little wives of his fellow lawyers are. He’s an asshole but he never put his hands on me.”

Yeah. Didn’t make him any less of an abuser. Eddie knew people didn’t need to use their fists to leave scars that would burn forever. Words were more than enough to leave you battered and bruised, never fully whole again. 

His hands clenched at his sides, wishing he had the chance to meet this douchebag. Charlie didn’t have to tell him shit. He could see it in the way her mouth tightened when she talked about him. The way her shoulders slumped forward, as if she were working to make herself smaller, less visible. He’d done a number on her. 

“Hey guys,” El said, approaching the table, two coffees in her hands. “Since you didn’t order, I took the liberty of getting your drinks.” She handed Eddie a black coffee and Dustin whatever insane concoction he thought was coffee. 

“El, hey,” Charlie said, clearly glad for the interruption. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Yeah. Joyce is the owner.” When Charlie looked confused she explained, “She’s Will and Jonathan’s mom. She bought the place about seven years ago, not long after her and Hop got married.”

“Hop? The police chief?” asked Charlie, remembering the big, gruff guy from her time in Hawkins. 

“That’s the one,” El grinned. “He’s my Dad.”

“Really? Wow. You guys are all…I mean, you’re family, for real,” she said, the wistful longing in her tone apparent to anyone listening. “That’s incredible.”

“Yeah. Well, it works out because Mike and Will have been best friends since kindergarten so they’re pretty much brothers anyway. And I love Will and Jonathan. I always wanted siblings and at least the ones I got are pretty amazing.” She glanced back at the counter where a customer was waiting. “Gotta go. Duty calls. I just wanted to hi. Enjoy your coffees.”

“Thanks El,” Dustin called to her back, taking a long drink of his dessert in a cup. “Mmm.” He looked pointedly at Eddie. “It’s delicious. Sweet, caramely, chocolatey…perfect.”

Eddie pulled a face, saying to Charlie, “This kid thinks some coconut caramel monstrosity counts as coffee.” He glanced at her drink. “Coffee on ice isn’t much better so maybe you’re not the best judge either.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped open, “Excuse me? Iced coffee is far superior to…what is that?”

“Black coffee, the way God intended.”

Those forest green eyes rolled, “Sure. Okay, old man. That sounds like something my grandpa would say.”

Eddie’s head snapped back, “It doesn’t make me old that I like my coffee to taste like coffee.”

“Dark and bitter?” she questioned.

“Yep.” He smirked. “Just like my soul, sweetheart.”

Dustin snorted, “Don’t let him fool you. Eddie might look dark and dangerous but he’s really just a big old teddy bear.”
“Is that so?” asked Charlie, amused, looking over at him with a closed lip smile, her long lashes batting playfully. “Is that true, Eddie? Under all the denim, metal, and leather, is there really a heart of gold?”

What he wanted to say he couldn’t, not in front of Henderson. He wanted to remind her that she knew exactly what was under all of the denim, metal, and leather. But if Dustin suspected anything was going on between the two of them, the entire group would know before the sun set that day. 

“Maybe,” he replied, leaning into her. “But that secret goes to the grave. Most of the people in Hawkins think I’m an asshole and I prefer to keep it that way.”

“You know that makes you a walking cliche, right?”

“What?”

Charlie laughed, “Come on. Dylan McKay in 90210, Bender in the Breakfast Club, Danny Zuko from Grease, Jason Dean in Heathers, every character in The Outsiders…that trope that has been done again and again. Oh, he’s a bad boy. Stay away. You can tell from his leather jacket, his motorcycle, his hair, his tattoos, the way he’s so silent and mysterious.”

Dustin guffawed so loud, every person in the cafe turned to look. “Sorry, sorry, but Eddie could not be further from silent or mysterious. Everybody knows what he’s thinking all the time.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know, princess,” he mused, his finger lightly tracing the grooves of the wood grain in the table. Flicking his eyes up to her, he said softly, “What do you think I’m thinking right now?”

Her cheeks flushed that perfect strawberry color. Damn, she was delicious. Yeah, she knew exactly what he was thinking and now she was thinking it too. 

“He’s probably thinking about what you look like naked,” Dustin statedcasually, holding his hands up when Eddie glared at him. “What? Just telling it like I see it. You and Steve were beating your chests like two primates about to go to war over their territory the other night.”

Henderson did not know when to shut up. 

“Okay…” Charlie breathed softly, grabbing her purse and coffee and standing up. “I really should go. This has been…interesting. Thanks for the company.”

Eddie looked up at her, one side of his mouth lifting as he gave her a knowing smile, “I’ll be seeing you soon. I’m sure.”

“Yeah. Okay. Uh, bye.”

She hurried out, Eddie’s eyes following her all the way out the door, until she disappeared past the windows, moving like she thought he was chasing her or something. If Henderson weren’t here, he may have. He did love a good chase. 

“Dead man walking.”

“What?” Eddie asked, turning to him. 

“You’re dead,” Dustin laughed, shaking his head. “Robin is going to butcher you.”

“Shut up, Henderson.”

Chapter Text

“Thank you so much for doing this,” Charlie said as she, Nancy, Max, and El made their way through the mall. “Robin hates shopping and shopping alone is so much less fun.”

After working at the bookshop for a month, she finally had a bit of money she felt she could spare. It was a good thing too because she desperately needed more clothes. She’d been trying to style the two suitcases of outfits she had in as many different ways as she could but she was running out of options. It didn’t help that she’d only brought so many warm weather options because she’d tried to bring cold weather stuff too so she wasn’t entirely without.

“Of course. I love coming to the mall,” El said, looping her arm through Charlie’s. “Max is actually the one who showed me the joy of the mall.”

“Well, I had to do something to get your mind off of Mike Wheeler.” 

Charlie’s brows furrowed in confusion, “But, aren’t you and Mike married?”

“Yeah. But we’ve been together since we were thirteen and he was being a jerk and we broke up for a while.”

“Like three days,” laughed Nancy. “That’s hardly a breakup.”

“Holy shit! You were practically babies when you got together.” Charlie couldn’t believe it. A relationship that lasted to adulthood and it started at thirteen? That was insane. “I can’t believe it. Most young relationships fizzle eventually.”

“Well, Lucas and I have been together since we were twelve.”

“Yeah, and not quite as early as all that, but Jonathan and I have been together since sophomore year of high school,” Nancy added.

“What the hell is in the water in this place?” laughed Charlie. “Is everybody with their childhood sweetheart?”

It seemed impossible to her. How could so many people have found the right person so young? The odds just didn’t add up when you thought about how many couples didn’t make it, how many asshole men there were in the world. How did so many couples find success in this tiny town in Indiana? It just made her feel like more of a failure because if all of them could have done it right, what the hell was wrong with her?

“Not everybody,” Max assured her. “Joyce was with a guy named Lonnie in high school. That’s Will and Jonathan’s dad.”

“Yeah. He’s an asshole,” muttered Nancy. “Then Joyce dated Bob for a while. He owns the Radio Shack in town. They were so cute together. We all thought they were going to get married but I think Joyce and Hopper were just meant to be. They’ve known each other since school but they weren’t ever together then.”

El shrugged, “Yeah, sometimes you have to go through a few before you find the right one. My dad struggled in the love department for a long time. I mean, a long time, before he settled down with Joyce. I think he was pining for her for a long time.”

“And look at Steve,” Max pointed out, “he’s still making his way through the herd, searching for the perfect girl.” She snorted. “Of course, he may never find what he’s looking for. I’m pretty sure that guy’s standards are too high. He finds something wrong with every single girl that he dates.”

“I don’t know,” sang Nancy as they walked into Wet Seal. “Both Steve and Eddie seemed pretty interested in Charlie here the other night. They were like two male peacocks during breeding season. Showing displays of aggression, puffing up their feathers, trying to establish dominance.”

“Yeah.” Max grimaced as she pulled a striped top off the rack, holding it up to herself. “It was gross.”

Charlie’s stomach twisted and she hoped they couldn’t see how uncomfortable this conversation was making her. None of them had any idea what had happened just moments after that display up in Max’s bathroom and that was how she planned to keep it.

She didn’t know what had happened to her. She had never been the type of girl to have sex in public places, certainly not someone else’s house while a bunch of people were downstairs. But Eddie did something to her. It was like he switched on something that had just been lying dormant, waiting to come out and now that it had been unleashed, she wasn’t sure she could force it back down again. 

It was exciting. Sneaking around, having this thing that no one else knew about. Knowing that she could just pick up the phone, have her needs met, and then go about her life without worrying about all the shit that came with a relationship. 

She didn’t have to worry about having dinner on the table or overthink what she said because she might piss him off. She didn’t have to stress about what he needed. She didn’t have to plan her day around him. She didn’t have to wonder where he was because it wasn’t any of her business. There were no arguments, no harsh words thrown around. There was no pressure or commitment. It was just fun and freeing while allowing her to maintain her newfound independence. 

But she didn’t think these people, who had been in serious relationships since they were tweens and teens, would ever be able to understand that. They’d found their person. They’d never had their heart horribly mangled beyond recognition. They’d never been made to feel like a moron for believing in someone they shouldn’t have, for putting all their hopes and dreams into the wrong person. They’d gotten it right the first time. Must be nice.

Grabbing an emerald top from the rack, Charlie tried to play it off, saying, “That’s nothing. I’m just the new, shiny thing. You don’t get much new in Hawkins. They’ll forget all about me once they actually get to know me. Besides, it may have had nothing to do with me anyway.”

“Oh, it definitely had something to do with you,” Max stated, pointing at the top. “That would look great on you. Green is a redhead’s best friend.” She smiled, tilting her head. “I should know.”

“You never know, maybe there is something in the Hawkins water, and you will find your happily ever after here too,” El told her with a wistful smile that was more hopeful than Charlie could ever feel. 

“I doubt that,” chuffed Charlie. “No. I’m good. I am not looking for a man or a relationship or anything in that ballpark right now. I just started the divorce proceedings with my ex and honestly, if I never find another relationship, I think I would be okay. Living alone is not that bad.” She added a pair of high-waisted jeans to the clothing on her arm. “I can eat what I want without anyone questioning my choices. I can watch what I want without listening to someone’s commentary on how stupid it is. I can sit in my pajamas all day on a Saturday without judgement if I want to. It’s kind of heaven.”

Nancy paused, the dress she was considering hanging midair, “Wait. Excuse me. Did you just say you can eat what you want? Could you not eat what you wanted before?”

Charlie lifted a shoulder, “I mean, there’s a certain standard when you’re married to a lawyer at a top firm. Leo wanted me to look a certain way and extra pounds was not it. All the wives do Pilates and Tae-Bo and get nipped and tucked. So, there was no sugar allowed in the house and certainly no fat. Having Benny’s that first time after I got back was like heaven. I had not tasted a burger or a milkshake in years.”

“Jesus, no offense, but your ex sounds like an asshole,” Max muttered, her face screwing up with distaste. 

“I’m not offended. It’s the whole reason I’m here with you guys and not in Hartford. I put up with his shit for a long time, excusing it, twisting it in a way to make myself feel better. But when I found out he was screwing his secretary and she wasn’t the first one, I couldn’t justify that in any way. I knew I’d been an idiot. He’d never loved me, not enough anyway, maybe not at all. So I left.”

“Well, I can completely understand why you’d be happy being on your own for now,” Nancy said. “But don’t count love out. It could happen and I, for one, think you and Steve would make an adorable couple.”

Max rolled her eyes, “Don’t let her pressure you. Nancy still has residual guilt from years ago because she’s convinced that she broke his heart and ruined him somehow and that’s why he’s still single.”

“No. No, I don’t,” argued Nancy as they made their way to the counter to pay for their purchases. “I just think Steve is a good guy who deserves happiness. And it sounds to me like you do too.”

Charlie swallowed, “What about Eddie?”

The three girls all laughed and Charlie frowned. What was so funny about Eddie? Why didn’t they consider him someone she could find happiness with?

“No. Sorry,” Max said. “Eddie is a wonderful person. Really. Truly. I love him. He was…well, he was really there for me when I was younger and my mom and I had to move to the trailer park where he lived after her asshole husband left. But he’s…not really relationship material.”

“No,” El agreed. “He doesn’t want to ever be in a relationship again.”

“Again?” asked Charlie.

“Well, he was with this girl, Haley, a while back,” explained Nancy. “He was head over heels but she clearly wasn’t. He even bought a ring. He was ready to propose but she told him she wanted more than a bartender who still hung onto his high school dream of being a rockstar. It really crushed him.”

“Demolished him,” El added. “Dustin and Mike had to go drag him out of his house. He hadn’t showered. He’d been drinking. It was…bad.”

“And all of that after…look, maybe I shouldn’t be telling you but you’re one of us now so you should probably know. Eddie’s had a hell of a time. He had a bad childhood. I mean, a really bad childhood. The worst, actually. His mom was an addict and she died of an overdose. His dad was an asshole who was in and out of jail. Eddie wound up living with his Uncle Wayne, which was for the best. Wayne is the best. But then he dated Chrissy and she broke up with him when she went off to college because she didn’t see it lasting. Then he was with this chick, Frankie, who was way too old for him. He was way more serious than she was. And then there was Haley. You see the pattern here?”

Yeah. Charlie did see the pattern. Everyone in his life always left him, disappointed him. She could understand that. It made complete sense why he was good with their arrangement too. He was in the same place she was. Better not to commit and possibly have your heart broken again. It was why this worked. They were the same.

“Don’t tell him I told you,” Nancy begged. “I don’t know if he’d want you to know. But if you’re even considering him, I think you deserve to know what you’re up against. There’s a lot of baggage to unpack there. Eddie is a project that someone really strong is going to have take on because getting behind those walls will be almost impossible.”

Charlie shook her head, “No. No. I’m not considering…I mean, there’s no consideration.”

“Okay.” Nancy gave her a knowing smile. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were looking at him at the movies when you first saw him.”

“No, that wasn’t…”

“Okay. Okay. If you say so. I’m just telling you that if you do reach a point where you’re considering somebody, Steve might be your better bet. He’s got some baggage too but his is more like…a couple suitcases while Eddie’s is like an attic your grandma accumulated eighty years worth of shit in.”

“I’m not considering anybody,” Charlie firmly stated. “Seriously and even if I was, it wouldn’t be one of those two. Robin made it pretty clear that she doesn’t want me dating her friends.”

Max waved her off, “Please. Robin would get over it, especially if her two best friends in the world were all happy and in love. Little babies with Steve’s hair but your red color.”

“Oh,” El sighed, “you two would make pretty babies.”

Charlie winced, “No thank you. I am not having babies with anybody.”

“For now,” laughed Max. “Food court anybody?”

“Oh, I could totally go for an orange julius!” El exclaimed, clapping.

Charlie trailed behind them with her bags, thinking how off base they were. Steve was not the one she was interested in and she wasn’t being all happy and in love with anybody. She certainly wasn’t having anyone’s babies anytime soon, if ever. She could only hope that they let this go because she really didn’t need them trying to hook her up with Steve. That would add a whole different level of complicated she really didn’t need.

___________________________________________________________

“Seriously Harrington?” Eddie whined. “You know I hate the mall. The mall is Hawkins selling out. It’s a large corporation exerting its power and erasing individuality. I mean, look!” He pointed to Waldenbooks. “You want to see Harley’s business get closed because that place can afford to sell books at a fraction of the cost? Or there!” He pointed to Sam Goody. “Perfect example! No thanks. I don’t want to get my albums there and earn points in the store. I will go shopping at The Rewind on Main. The little guys are losing out to the fat cats with cash. It’s disgusting and I refuse to participate in it.” He looked around at the crowds of people moving through the mall and shuddered. “Besides, have you seen the people here?”

“Oh, people like me, you mean?” Steve asked, gesturing to himself.

Eddie considered him for a moment before nodding, “Yeah. Exactly. People like you in your Guess jeans and your goddamn Gap shirt. Have some dignity, Steve. You’re not in high school anymore. You don’t have to stay on top of what’s trendy with the teen crowd.”

“Shut up, man. I don’t wear this shit to be trendy with teens. I try to look nice for the ladies.” He ran his eyes over Eddie in his Hellfire shirt and ripped jeans. “Maybe you should try it. I can’t imagine that look works on much more than the trashy, drunk, groupie girls who hang out at The Hideout.”

It took everything in him not to point out that actually, that look worked on the hottie Steve had been eyeing up lately too. But no, he wouldn’t use Charlie just to make Steve eat his words. But it was damn tempting. 

Those actions would have consequences because while they were all friends and they were all close, Steve and Robin were different. They were like platonic soulmates. Those two told each other everything and Robin would know all about him and Charlie in ten seconds if he let his ego get the better of him and blabbed right now. 

“Why are we even here, man?” he huffed, already sick of the mall with its chattering teens and fluorescent neon lights. 

“Because there’s this girl…”

“Oh Jesus.”

“Just stop, okay? There’s this girl that works at JCPenny at the make-up counter. Her name is Trish and I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask her out.”

“So, what are you gonna do? Ask her for a make-over?” Eddie asked skeptically. “And what the hell do you need me for?”

“To be my wingman! I thought you could talk me up. You know?”

His eyebrows lifted, an amused smile lifting the corners of his mouth, “You want me?” Eddie pressed his hands to his chest. “Me? Really? You want me to talk you up with this pretty girl?”

“Yeah. I mean, look, you weren’t exactly my first choice.”

“Yep. There it is.”

“But Robin’s busy. Her and Vicki had some function at the college or some shit. And Nancy was hanging out with Charlie and I really want to ask this girl out.”

“Have you even spoken to her?”

“Yeah. I mean, kind of. I’ve said hi and stuff.”

“Hi and stuff?” Eddie was working really hard not to laugh. It was still so strange to see Steve, the guy who used to swagger around Hawkins High like he owned the place, be so unsure of himself. “You know, after you say hi, you could continue the conversation. Try to get to know her a little better and then see if she wants to go get a…” He looked around the food court where they were standing. “A pretzel or a great cookie, whatever the hell that is.”

“Well, if it isn’t the peacocks!”

Eddie and Steve turned to find Nancy, Max, El, and Robin walking toward them. Eddie frowned at Nancy, tilting his head. 

“Excuse me?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asked Steve.

“Nothing,” Charlie quickly said with a shake of her head. 

She was looking awfully cute today with that long hair in a braid that draped over her shoulder. She had on white shorts and a simple black tee, just a hint of blush on her freckled cheeks and a swipe of gloss that made those lips look delicious enough to bite. If they didn’t have so many onlookers, that’s exactly what Eddie would do. 

They’d hooked up twice more in the past two weeks. Eddie always went her way and she always kicked him out after. He hadn’t slept over once. Charlie was very clear about that. If this was going to be casual, she was going to keep it as casual as possible and that came with rules apparently. He was fine following her rules, as long as she kept up this arrangement. 

Eddie eyed the bags they all carried, “You lovely ladies doing some heavy duty shopping today?”

Max shrugged, “Charlie really needed some clothes since her asshole ex insisted he owned everything of hers. So, we decided to tag along to keep her company and may have found a few things for ourselves.” She leaned in. “Don’t tell Lucas, okay? He never notices I’m wearing anything new but we’re supposed to be saving money for a new roof.”

Fuck. Every new tidbit of information he learned about this ex only made him want to punch the guy in his stupid face even more. 

Steve’s hands went to his hips, “Seriously, Max? How many times do I have to tell you? You’ve got to be more responsible with money. It doesn’t grow on trees, you know and you’re going to be real sorry when it rains and suddenly it’s coming through your roof that you couldn’t afford to get replaced/”

“Oh, don’t go all mom mode on me. I’m allowed to treat myself. Lucas just spent money on a new dice tray for DnD tonight.”

“Pretty sure that tray didn’t cost as much as all those bags,” Steve pointed out. 

“I’m sorry. Are you in charge of my finances? No? Then maybe mind your own business,” Max challenged, staring him down. That little redhead was scary as hell when she wanted to be and it worked. Steve instantly backed down, averting eye contact. 

“And what are you two doing here?” El looked at Eddie suspiciously. “I thought you hated the mall.”

“I do. Trust me, you wouldn’t catch me dead in this place, usually, but this dipshit dragged me here because he’s too scared to talk to some chick that works at JCPenny.”

“Aww, Stevie’s got a crush?” teased Max. “What’s new? What are you going to find wrong with this one Steve?”

“Maybe her eyes are too close together,” offered Nancy.

El grinned, “Or maybe she chews too loud.”

“Or…what was it?” asked Max. “She had a strong foot odor?”

“Hey! That was serious, okay? That girl took off her shoes and even the people one block over would pass out from the smell, okay? I don’t think that’s ridiculous.” His nose scrunched up in distaste. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask for someone with proper hygiene.”

“Maybe she couldn’t help it,” Max pointed out.

“There’s powders and shit, okay? She could have sprinkled something in her shoes. She either didn’t care or she didn’t notice but trust me, I noticed.”

“So, what’s wrong with this one?” Max repeated.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing. That’s why I want to ask her out.”

“For now,” Nancy rolled her eyes toward Charlie. “Steve is forever asking girls out and then inevitably finding something wrong with them within a few weeks. He hasn't had a girlfriend for longer than a few months.”

“Not since you,” El said and then cringed. “Sorry.”

“That’s not…” Steve turned to Charlie, sighing. “That’s not it. I mean, is it so wrong to have high standards? To not want to settle? I mean, I want someone but I want the right someone. I just want what all of you have. Is that so bad?”

“No,” Charlie told him, biting at her lip. “No. I don’t think that’s bad. I mean, more relationships than not don’t make it. You don’t want to attach yourself to someone that you know isn’t worth it. Trust me. I know. That’s why I am staying single.”

“See?” Steve gestured, looking vindicated. “The new girl gets it.”

“And on that note, we were just going to grab something at the food court,” Nancy said. “Did you guys want to join?”

“Oh, no, we came for…”

Eddie clapped a hand on his shoulder, silencing him, “Come on, man. Fuel up before you make the big leap. You need your energy if you’re going to humiliate yourself in front of a girl.”

Steve frowned, “I guess. I mean, I haven’t eaten anything but my stomach is…”

“Great! Lead the way, ladies.”

Everyone discussed what they were getting. El and Max headed over to Orange Julius to get a drink before grabbing their pizza. Nancy said she was in the mood for a pretzel, which Eddie didn’t think counted as real food, and Steve wanted Hot Dog on a Stick. Well, this was working out perfectly.

“I’m gonna grab Imperial Panda,” Charlie told them. “So I’ll meet you at the tables.”

“Oh, Chinese sounds great,” Eddie grinned. “I’ll come with you.”

“Ooookay,” Charlie said slowly, giving him the sexiest little smile as the two of them made their way over to the line.

“So, I was thinking I could come over later,” he told her as they waited. “I have DnD but that usually wraps up around eleven. I could swing by your place after.”

Charlie paused, looking up, as if she needed a minute to consider his offer. But she couldn’t fool him. She craved their hookups just as much as he did. Her tongue slid over her bottom lip and fuck if he didn’t want to take her in his arms right there and find out exactly what that lip gloss tasted like. 

Finally, she nodded, one eyebrow lifting, “Okay.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his fingers twitching, wanting to touch her. This was the only part he hated about this arrangement, that he couldn’t just put his hands on her whenever he wanted because she was so damn tempting all the time. 

“Yeah,” she breathed. He could practically feel the want emanating off of her in waves. It was pulling at him. Her eyes were saying take me and he so wanted to. Just a few hours and he would. 

“So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to leave your front door unlocked for me.” He leaned in close, whispering softly so no one around them could hear. “I want you in that little black skirt you wore to the Sinclair’s a couple weeks ago. Just that. Nothing else. And I want you on top of the kitchen table, spread open, ready and waiting for me to sit and devour my favorite meal. Can you do that for me, princess?”

Charlie shuddered, her eyes slipping closed, throat moving harshly as she swallowed and nodded. 

“That’s my good girl,” he growled softly, unable to stop himself from running his finger along her cheek, relishing the way her face turned into him, seeking his touch. For just a second forgetting that this was supposed to be secret. That they didn’t want anyone else to see or know. So lost in the moment, in his promise of what was to come, that she just didn’t care. 

“Can I help you?”

Charlie jumped at the interruption and he watched as the fact that they were in a very public place suddenly came back to her. Eddie watched as her eyes widened, her mouth gaping, shocked at herself for losing control in the middle of a mall with their friends so close. She quickly backed away from Eddie, looking dazed and confused.

“He needs to know what you want, princess,” he said, knowing exactly what she wanted and he was going to give it to her.  

Chapter Text

Eddie reached down to shift his pants as his cock twitched with anticipation at what might be waiting on the other side of that door. He turned the knob, finding it unlocked exactly as he’d told her to. He kicked off his boots in the foyer, nudging them onto the mat. He’d been thinking of nothing but this ever since he’d whispered the instructions in her ear this afternoon. 

In fact, he’d almost made grave mistakes twice during DnD, forgetting things he’d planned that would have allowed the guys to demolish his entire campaign, ending it far sooner than he’d planned. Dustin had been watching him suspiciously, guessing that something was off. Will had even quietly asked him if he was okay when they took a break. 

If they were going to keep this secret, the way they planned to, then he was going to have to get his shit together. Charlie was proving to be a dangerous distraction but he was willing to walk straight into the fire of everyone’s judgement if it meant he got to keep having her. 

Coming around the corner of the kitchen, he faltered, his hand grabbing onto the wall for support because she’d definitely listened. God, she’d followed every single instruction to the letter. There she was, lying open for him, nothing but that little black skirt, red painted lips curved in a wicked smile, looking like not just a snack, but a whole damn meal that he meant to savor. 

“Oh, that’s my good girl,” he growled, unfastening his pants, allowing them to drop to his feet before kicking them off. “Fuck, baby, you have no idea how damn perfect you look right now.” He tugged his shirt over his head, flinging it across the room. “So goddamn hungry for you.” Lifting each foot, he wrenched off his socks until he stood, naked before her. “Bout to sit down and enjoy the hell out of this meal you’ve laid out so nicely on the table for me.”

Eddie watched as her eyes flashed with need, following him as he sat down at the chair in front of her. Wrapping his hands around her thighs, he tugged her down the table just a bit, her pussy directly in front of his mouth. Leaning in, he inhaled her sweet scent, trailing his nose over the soft skin of her inner thigh. 

“Fuck, you smell so good…you been wanting this the way I’ve been wanting this, princess?”

“Yes,” she breathed, her hands gripping the edge of the table with anticipation. “I haven’t been able to think of anything else all day.”

“Yeah, I can tell. You’re so wet for me, sweetheart. You get that wet just thinking about my tongue in this pretty little pussy?”

Biting her lip, she nodded, “Yes. Jesus…please Eddie. I need it. Need you.”

Shit. He loved hearing that. Loved the way her hips rocked toward him, her breath catching, a soft whimper falling from those perfect fucking lips. She needed him. It was goddamn intoxicating. Yeah. He was going to give her exactly what she needed. It was why she kept running back to him and he wanted her to keep running back to him. 

Eddie slid his tongue along her slit, the sound she made reverberating all the way to his cock. Needing to quell the ache, he reached down, moving his hand over the length of himself as he spread her lips apart with his tongue, wrapping her clit in his mouth, suckling gently until her body was writhing on the table. 

Fucking idiot. That’s all he could think every single time he had her. Her ex was a fucking idiot. If he’d given her what she needed, he could have this every night in his bed. Instead he’d sought out something else. Why? Boredom? Eddie couldn’t imagine ever getting bored of this girl. She was as close to perfect as a woman could come. 

“Fuck yes,” she cried, her hips rocking against his face as his tongue slid inside of her, his nose rubbing over her clit. “So good…fuck, that feels so good.”

Releasing his hold on himself, Eddie slid his tongue back up to her clit, flicking and circling as he slid two fingers inside of her. She groaned deeply, her head dropping to the table with a loud thunk, her legs wrapping around his neck, thighs pressing against the side of his head just the way he’d been dreaming about since the mall. 

“Just like that…don’t stop…yes…oh fuck…” she moaned, the muscles in her thighs shaking against his skin. 

Eddie knew just how to send her over the edge. He’d studied her body in a way he’d never studied in school. Over the past month he’d learned every little button to push. That tender flesh behind her ear made her mewl like a kitten when he suckled at it. He knew that when she tensed up when he was using his fingers on her, it was too much pressure and he needed to shift to circles just around but not actually on her sensitive bundle of nerves. And when he curled his fingers and found that perfect spot…

“Oh fuck! I’m gonna…” she cried, her back arching off the table. 

Yeah. That was it. Eddie stood and watched as she rode out her orgasm, keeping his fingers buried deep inside her. Jesus, she had the most beautiful face. The way her jaw dropped for a moment before her teeth dug into her bottom lip, her eyes rolled up before falling closed, lashes fluttering gently against her cheeks. The flush of her skin was the shade of cotton candy at the fair. He could get off just from watching her get what she needed. 

“Jesus…that was…oh my god…” she gasped, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she slowly came down. Charlie hopped down from the table and he tilted his head.

“Where do you think you’re going, princess? We’re not done yet.”

“No…I just…I thought the bedroom…”

He shook his head, grinning down at her, “Uh-uh…” Reaching down for his jeans, he grabbed a condom from the back pocket, ripping it open, sliding it over his achingly erect cock. Stepping into her, he spun her around, her back pressed against his chest. His hands cupped her breasts, kneading as his thumbs brushed over her nipples, loving the way she shuddered, her head rocking back against him. “Gonna take you right on this table so every time you sit down in the morning with your coffee, every time you get your dinner, when your friends are over and you’re sitting here chatting…” He shoved her front half down onto the table, flipping her skirt up. “You’re gonna be thinking about this.”

Wrapping her hair in his fist, he pressed into her hard, watching as her hands wrapped around the table to keep herself from sliding. Jesus, she felt so good. It was like her pussy had been expertly created just for his cock. 

“Yeah, never gonna look at this table the same way,” he grunted, thrusting into her again and again. “Gonna be thinking about my tongue buried in your pussy while you sip your coffee. Thinking bout my cock splitting you open while your friend is telling you about their day.”

“Eddie…yes…oh god…” 

“That’s right, honey. You love this cock, don’t you?”

“Yes.” She moaned deeply as he tugged at her hair. “Yes. So fucking good…”

He was so close. There was no way he was lasting much longer but she had to come again before he did. Yanking on her hair, he lifted her off the table just enough for him to slip his free hand between her legs. Charlie braced herself against the wooden top, her ass grinding down against him as he teased her clit. 

“Come on, honey. Come for me,” he urged because the way she was moving against him, he was quickly losing control. Leaning in, his mouth found that spot beneath her ear, and he wrapped his lips around it. 

Eddie delighted in the way she squeaked, every muscle in her body shaking in a way that told him if she wasn’t holding onto that table, she would be on the floor. And just when he couldn’t hold back anymore, she lost all control, crying out, the two of them cresting at the same time. Slipping out of her, the two of them slid to the floor. 

Sliding off the condom, he tied it off and tossed it over his head into her trash can. Luckily, he made it because he wasn’t sure that his legs were going to be able to carry him over there right now. Rolling next to her, he wrapped his arms around Charlie, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“Holy shit,” she sighed. “How are you so damn good at that?”

He laughed, burrowing his nose against her hair, inhaling her scent, “Years of practice, princess. Years of practice.”

“My ex had years of practice with me and he never…I mean, it was never like that.”

“Because he didn’t care enough to try. It’s not hard. You pay attention. You notice what touches cause her to gasp or moan. What motions make her quiver. You watch her face for those subtle little expressions that let you know you’ve hit the right spot. Every woman is different. If these dickheads would get their heads out of their asses and not be so concerned with their own orgasms, they might actually learn a thing or two because sex is infinitely better when both parties leave satisfied.”

“Is that so?” asked Charlie, rolling to her side so she was facing him. “And how many women, exactly, have you studied to know exactly what they like?”

Well, that took a turn. Eddie grimaced, his tongue slipping between his teeth. This was not exactly a topic of conversation he wished to have after a mind blowing orgasm. 

“A few,” he replied vaguely. 

“And when we say a few…” she mused, fingers walking up his chest. “Are we talking in the single digits or double digits?”

“Double.”

“Hmm…teens, twenties, thirties?”

“Do you really want to know this?” he asked, assuming her answer would be no. No woman wanted to actually know how many other women a man had bedded before her. 

“Yes. I feel it’s only right. Should I be concerned about STDs?”

“Princess, I think that ship has sailed if you should be. I mean, my ship has already slipped into your port more than a couple times at this point.” At her look of disgust, he laughed. “No. You don’t have to worry. I always wrap it up. And if you really want to know, it’s twelve, okay? I’ve been with twelve women counting you. How about you?”

“Me?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah. It’s only fair. I told you my number. Tell me yours. How many men have made their way between these sweet legs?” He slipped his hand between her thighs, his tongue running over his bottom lip when she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. “Huh?”

“Three,” she managed between gaspy moans. “Just three.”

“Only three and one of them was Billy Hargrove?” He whistled low. “That’s sad, princess. I would have thought you’d be smarter than that.”

Just like that, a switch had flipped. Charlie grabbed his hand, stilling it, shooting upright, her wide eyes looking at him like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Knowing the crash was coming, the impact was imminent, but still not believing it somehow.

Shit. He forgot that he wasn’t supposed to know that information. Robin had explicitly told them not to tell her that she shared that. She was going to be pissed off if she found out. It probably also wasn’t the smartest comment to make when he was laying next to her, naked, on her kitchen floor. He really needed to learn to think before he spoke.

Rolling to a seat, Eddie cupped the back of his neck, peeking at her through squinty eyes. Her nostrils flared, her shoulders back, her spine ramrod straight. God, she was pissed, and she looked so damn gorgeous, like an avenging angel ready to rip his eyes out. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. 

Charlie snatched at her skirt, her eyes roaming the kitchen, realizing she didn’t have any other clothes. With a grunt of annoyance, she jumped up, striding out of the room, returning wrapped in a blanket she must have grabbed out of the living room. She pointed at him, her sex mussed hair like a mane around her head. 

“I think it’s time for you to go.”

“Charlie, come on,” he pleaded as she grabbed his jeans, tossing them at him. “Stop.” His shirt smacked him in the face followed by his socks. Eddie scrambled to his feet, yanked on his boxers and reached for her but she backed away. “Charlie, just listen. I’m sorry. Robin told me and…”

___________________________________________________________

“Robin?” she squeaked, anger giving way to betrayal. 

How could Robin do that? How could she share one of her worst moments, one of her greatest embarrassments, with this guy she barely even knew? Hell, as far as Robin knew, she’d only hung out with him a couple of times. 

“She was telling us about you moving here and she was warning us to stay away from you and that turned into talking about your past with guys. It just slipped. You could see she didn’t mean to say it. She immediately made us swear not to say anything.”

“Us? What do you mean us? Does everybody know?”

“No,” he assured her, shaking his head. “No. Just me and Steve.”

“Oh, just you and Steve,” she groaned, holding the blanket with one hand and covering her face with the other, turning away from him. “Jesus.”

“Hey…” His voice was soft, hesitant, and then he was behind her, his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, seriously. It’s not a big deal, Charlie. We all have shit we’re embarrassed about, okay? You think I don’t? Please. I don’t just make mistakes once or twice. I go for three or four times just to make sure I’ve really fucked it all up.” 

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest and damn it, she knew it was a bad idea. It was wrong to allow him to comfort her but it just felt so good to be held. Charlie found herself sinking against him, closing her eyes when he placed a kiss on top of her head. 

“Charlie, I’m not judging you.”

That did it. Her eyes shot open and she stepped away from him, “It sure sounds like you were.”

“No.”

“Really? Only three guys and one was Billy Hargrove? I thought you’d be smarter than that,” she repeated in a tone that didn’t sound like him at all but wasn’t meant to. “How is that supposed to sound, Eddie?”

He winced, rubbing the back of his neck, “Okay, I mean, yeah. It sounds like that. Look. I’m sorry. It’s just…Billy Hargrove…man, that guy was such a dick. And I know he’s turned it around.” He sighed, shaking his head. “He visits Max a lot. He usually joins us for holidays and big events and shit and he seems like a decent person now. But high school Billy? That guy was such a douche with his mullet and his muscle car and his shirts he always had to leave unbuttoned. I don’t know if there was a girl in junior or senior year he didn’t take to bed.”

“I know that!” she snapped. Charlie inhaled, rolling her head around her neck a few times. “I know that now, okay? I was sixteen. I was a sophomore. I was young and dumb and he made me feel…god, this sounds so fucking stupid now but he made me feel special, okay? He made me feel like I mattered and at that point in my life only two people had ever made me feel like that. My gran and Robin. That’s it.” She laughed, tears pricking her eyes. “Hell, that’s still it. Actually, I’m down to one because gran’s gone. How fucking sad am I, right?”

“Hey, no.” Eddie walked over to her, stopping just in front of her. “You’re not sad, okay? Before I met Henderson, Wheeler, and Sinclair and they led me to all the others, I only had my uncle and a couple friends. You were dealt a shitty hand in life. That’s not your fault.”

“What? You know about my life too? Robin fill you in on my whole sad, pathetic childhood? Poor Charlie, her mom dropped her at her grandma’s doorstep because she was cramping her style. And then just when I’m finally happy she swoops back in to get me, not because she missed me, not because she loved me, but because she needed someone to pay her fucking bills. Robin tell you all that too?”

Eddie reeled back, hands held open at his sides, eyes wide, “No. Uh, no. She didn’t tell us all that.”

“Fuck.” Slamming her hand on the counter, Charlie growled in frustration. How had she let herself get here? This was supposed to be fun. This was supposed to be easy. Eddie was not supposed to know about all her bullshit. 

“Charlie, it’s…”

“You want ice cream?” she asked suddenly. 

“I…ice cream…I mean…sure,” he stammered, thrown by the sudden shift in the conversation. 

She reached into the freezer, pulling out the carton of Mint Chip she’d picked up at the store the other day. Grabbing two spoons, she sat down right on the kitchen floor, gesturing for him to join her. Eddie followed, the two of them propped against the refrigerator as she opened the carton and handed him a spoon. 

They sat silently for a while, just spooning the cold, creamy ice cream into their mouths. Charlie sat wondering whether this was worth it. Would he even want to continue this arrangement now that he knew how royally fucked up she was? Maybe it was better if they didn’t anyway. It was getting too personal. Personal wasn’t casual. It wasn’t easy. It wasn't meaningless. It was none of the things they had agreed to.

“You know, everything you told me is really fucked up,” Eddie said finally, breaking the silence. “But fucked up is kind of my middle name. My dad is a piece of shit. He’s spent my whole life going in and out of jail. Didn't matter whether he was in or out because he didn’t give two shits about me either way. My mom was a junkie. I spent most of my childhood just trying to take care of myself. She OD’d when I was just a kid and I’m the one who found her.”

“Jesus Eddie,” Charlie replied, not wanting to tell him that she already knew some of that because Nancy had told her. But god, it was so much worse hearing it from him, hearing the pain in his voice as he talked about it. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not looking for pity or anything. I just wanted you to know you’re not alone.” He dropped the spoon, taking the ice cream from her and setting it on the floor. “Most people don’t have some dream childhood and perfect families like in fucking Family Ties. Max? Her mom married Billy’s dad who was an abusive asshole and when he left? They were struggling to get by. They had to move into the shitty trailer park where I live and her mom became an alcoholic.”

“Oh my god.”

“Yeah? And Steve? I know he looks like Mr. Perfect and all but he has a completely fucked up relationship with his parents. They’ve got money and he could have whatever he wanted but their love. That guy’s been chasing that missing piece forever. It’s why he can’t just settle down with someone. I think he’s scared as hell he’s going to end up like his parents. His dad is always cheating on his mom and then buying his mom some expensive bullshit to make up for it. And his mom chooses to ignore the cheating because she gets pretty things.”

Charlie frowned, surprised that he was telling her all of this. Maybe he shouldn’t be but it was, oddly enough, making her feel a bit better that so many people in this group also had shit in their past. 

“Dustin? His dad took off when he was a kid. Just left. His mom stepped up but it was hard. I mean, Mrs. Henderson is the sweetest lady but…I think that’s why Dustin bonded with me and Steve so much. He was looking for an older male figure in his life.”

“Wow…I had no idea.”

“Yeah. Oh, and Jonthan and Will? Don’t even get me started on Lennie. Total piece of shit. He left Joyce and shacked up with some chick that was damn near Jonathan’s age. He has nothing to do with either of them. Joyce had a really hard time as a single mom. She did her best and loved those kids like crazy. Now she’s got Hop and trust me, that lady deserves all the happiness.”

“Eddie…why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you need to know you’re not the only one. Okay? The Wheeler household may look cookie cutter happy on the outside but Ted and Karen don’t even touch anymore. It’s all for show. Nance thinks they married because her mom saw a guy with a good job who could give her an easy life. And I’m pretty sure Karen slept with Billy too. Gross, right? But the point is, everybody’s got shit, okay? Nobody is walking around here judging you. Everybody’s got baggage, some just have more than others.”

Charlie blinked back tears, nodding slowly. 

“We don’t get to pick our parents, Charlie. Some of us definitely wouldn’t choose the ones we got if we could. Our family, blood, whatever the hell you want to call it, that’s not on us. We didn’t ask for it and we’re damn sure not required to put up with it when they’re shit.”

She leaned back, considering his words. No, they didn’t get to choose their parents. If she could have, she definitely wouldn’t have chosen Cici, the queen of chasing relationship after relationship, always putting guys and money before her daughter. She sure as hell wouldn’t have chosen Kenny, absentee dad who took off after she was born but remarried and had two more kids he actually wanted. 

“Hey.” Eddie bumped his foot against hers. “You wanna tell me what happened with Billy?” He held his hands in front of him. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to but I am curious. I mean, nobody ever saw you hanging off his arm like so many other girls. I mean, I don’t even remember you from school and I am pretty damn positive I would have noticed you.”

Charlie laughed, “You would not have. I was happier hiding in the background. And no, no one ever would have seen us together. Billy made sure of that.”

“What do you mean?”

“He…I don’t know. Jesus, it sounds so stupid now that I believed him but he said he wanted to keep us a secret. It was more special that way. If it was public, then everyone would be sticking their nose in our business. I believed him. He was just using me. The truth was, he didn’t want anyone knowing he was hooking up with a sophomore and he didn’t want anyone getting the impression he was in a relationship. That would ruin his reputation of being a badass.”

Eddie snorted, “So, he was keeping you a secret and sleeping around on you?”

“Pretty much. Robin tried to warn me. She told me he was no good. She told me he was a piece of shit. I got angry at her. We didn’t talk for two months. Billy talked about the two of us moving back to where he grew up in California after I graduated and I fell for every damn lie that came out of his mouth. Because he was pretty and he could be so damn charming when he wanted to be.” She sighed. “That smile…it got me every single time.”

“So, what happened? Why did it end?”

“I saw him with Julia Hanes behind the school. I confronted him about it. I was crying. I was asking him why he would do that. I thought he loved me. And he…he just laughed. I swear half the school was there. It was probably only twenty people but it felt like a thousand as I stood there humiliated. As he loudly laughed about how could he love me when I wasn’t even a decent lay? That he only hooked up with me because he felt sorry for me.”

“What a fucking dickhead,” growled Eddie.

“Yeah, well, it was forever ago, right? I mean, you said he’s different now.”

“He is but that doesn’t make me want to punch him any less for what he did to you.”

Charlie smiled, covering his hand with her own, “That’s very sweet but please don’t. That’s water under the bridge. I have no intention of seeing him again. I just…it seems Billy was the first of many mistakes in my life. Mistakes I have no intention of making again. That’s why this situation is working so well for me. I don’t want to give my heart away. I don’t want to give any man that kind of control over me anymore. But being with you is easy and fun and…deeply satisfying.”

Eddie’s smile stretched wide, “Yeah?”

“Yeah, but I get it if you think we should end it. I mean, it wasn’t supposed to get like this, right? This…” She gestured around them. “Sitting on my kitchen floor, eating ice cream as I spill all my drama, that’s neither easy or fun.”

His thumb and forefinger wrapped her chin, turning her face to his, “Hey. Okay. This isn’t a one night stand but we knew that. It’s more like friends with benefits, right?”

“I guess.”

“And friends talk about shit.”

Charlie nodded, “Yeah. They do.”

“So why can’t we have both? I mean, we can hang and laugh and bitch and fuck and it’s all good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And you know, I was thinking…I mean, friends have sleepovers, right?”

Her eyes narrowed, “They do…but not usually when they’re different sexes.”

He shrugged, “Robin and Steve used to.”

“She’s gay. There was no chance of anything happening there.”

“Yeah, but we already know it’s happening so does it matter if I sleep here after?” He pushed the carton of ice cream away with his foot, his hands wrapping around her waist and pulling her into his lap. “I mean, morning sex is completely underrated. I think we should try it.”

“Oh, do you?” she asked, that familiar tingle appearing between her legs as his finger trailed over her collarbone. 

“I do, but if you want to sleep like a baby, I think a couple more orgasms are in order.”

Before she could respond, he was on his feet, flinging her over his shoulder. Eddie carried her up the stairs as she laughed, the blanket trapped between them, trailing up the stairs behind him. 

Chapter Text

“I come bearing chicken salad!”

Charlie glanced up from where she had been sketching out a display for a brand new fantasy book, A Game of Thrones, that was coming out in just a little over a month. She was really hoping the release would spark new interest in the genre again and had lots of ideas for ways to push some of her favorite fantasy books, making them visible around this new release in the hopes people would grab them out of curiosity.

There was a lot of chatter around this new book. Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time, had given an endorsement on the cover which was sure to attract new readers with the popularity of his series. It was also being compared to Tolkien’s work but Charlie was hesitant to buy into that. Those were some big shoes to fill and she was going to reserve judgement until she actually got to read the book.

“Robin!” she exclaimed, surprised but happy to see her best friend. “Did we have plans? Did I forget?”

Laughing, Robin shook her head. “No. No plans. I just decided to surprise you. Can’t a girl just bring her bestie lunch because she wants to?”

“Of course.” Charlie cleared off the front desk to provide them a place to set their food. It wasn’t very busy right now. She could manage taking a little break and Harley didn’t care if she ate at the front desk. “You are just loving having the summer off, aren’t you?”

Pulling a stool up, Robin grinned, “I am. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. Teaching is definitely not something to get into if you just want summers off. Kids are hard. But ten weeks, completely free, to enjoy sleeping in and doing whatever the hell I want? It’s definitely a perk. I can’t deny that.” She glanced over at the paper Charlie had been sketching on, tilting her head to get a better look. “What’s that?”

“Oh.” Charlie grabbed it, holding it up so she could see better. “There’s a new book coming out August 1st that I am really excited about and I was just planning out a possible display for it.”

“Nice! What’s it about?”

“Well, all we know right now is it’s a sophisticated and gripping high fantasy novel focusing on seven kingdoms and the intricate game of politics being played between them. There’s supposed to be a very large cast of characters. I mean, there’d have to be with seven kingdoms. And I guess there’s magic but it’s not the main focus.” Charlie shrugged. “His writing is  being likened to Tolkien.”

Robin gasped, dramatically clutching her chest, “Blasphemy! The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are masterpieces. Nothing can touch them.”

“I agree but I guess we’ll see when it comes out. I intend on purchasing it the day of release so I’ll let you know my thoughts when I finish it.” She watched as Robin pulled out two chicken salad sandwiches, sliding one over to her. “Oh, also, I talked to Harley and I am totally good for the fourth. The store is actually closed that day since she said no one ever comes in since they’re all at the fair anyway.”

Robin and Vicki had stopped over a couple nights ago and informed her that she needed to make sure she was free for the Fourth of July. Apparently Hawkins had started the Fun Fair in 1985 and it had become a tradition. Mayor Kline, who had started it, hadn’t lasted but the fair had. They all went together as a group and the two girls insisted she had to be there.

“Great! But uh…about that…” Robin chewed at her bottom lip, nervously tearing off a small piece of her croissant. 

“Uh-oh. What?”

“So, Max just told us that Billy is coming in for the fourth. He’s getting the long weekend off because of the holiday so he’s planning on staying with her and Lucas. He’s coming in Wednesday night and staying through the weekend.”

Charlie dropped her sandwich back on the paper as her appetite seemingly vanished at this news. Billy? Billy Hargrove. The guy who’d haunted her for years. The look on his face. The way his words just cut into her so easily like a knife through butter. The laughter on his little followers' faces as they watched her crumple, realizing that she’d meant nothing to him when he’d meant so much to her. The knowledge that she’d been stupid for believing his words, falling for that smile and those eyes that had felt like they’d seen into her soul, that had made her believe they were two broken people who’d found something healing in each other. 

“Look, if it’s going to be a problem for you, then we can do something else for the fourth,” Robin said quickly, sensing her friend’s hesitation. Robin, who had been there to pick up the pieces when Charlie had fallen apart. Robin, who had held her while she cried. Robin, who had told Billy what an asshole he was. “Seriously. We don’t have to go to the fair. The three of us can hang at our place. We can see the fireworks from there. We can just order pizza, drink some wine, and say screw the fair. I’m fine with that. Seriously.”

“No,” Charlie insisted, shaking her head. She was not going to be the reason that her best friend missed out on a tradition she did every year with her friends. Charlie hadn’t been around for over a decade. It wasn’t fair to ask her and Vicki to miss out with the people they were closest to. “No. Really. It’s fine.”

Robin gave her a look that let her know she did not believe her. 

“Seriously, Rob. It will be fine. I swear. That was twelve years ago. It was high school. It’s over. Besides, you all said that he’s not the same guy, right? So, it will be fine.”

“I mean, yeah, we did. And he is. I swear it’s like that body snatchers movie. He’s like a totally different person. It’s like someone went in and replaced his brain and gave him a soul because, trust me, I am pretty sure he didn’t used to have one. But you haven’t had a chance to see that. I mean, the last time you saw him was…well, it was when you were hiding from him at Melvald’s. Remember? It was the weekend before Cici came and took you. We were walking and he was coming up the road with that bimbo, Tina and we ran into Melvald’s and you hid behind the counter and Joyce asked you what you were doing and you burst into tears and she had to calm you down.”

Charlie groaned, pressing her hand to her forehead, “Yeah, Robin. I actually try really hard to forget that particular mortifying moment of my life. Thanks very much for bringing it up again.”

“Sorry. I just don’t want you to agree to something that’s going to make you uncomfortable. I mean, I know how hard that was for you. Even though I told you he was a douchebag, you insisted that he was a good guy underneath it all. I told you he was lying and you insisted that he cared about you. I told you he would break you and you…”

“Okay, Rob. Yeah. I got it. You warned me and I didn’t listen. I was stupid when it came to him. I know that.”

“You really were.” She shrugged, pressing her lips together. “Sorry but it’s the truth. You’re not…I mean, if he tries…you’re not going to…”

“Oh my god Robin!” Charlie threw her hands up, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. Did her friend really think so little of her? “Do you really think I’m the same dumb girl I was at sixteen?”

“No. No. Of course not.” She cringed. “But I mean, you did marry that douchebag Leo even though…”

“Yeah. I know. Even though you warned me. I also married him when I was only twenty-two. I’m twenty-eight and even though six years don’t seem like a lot, I have grown a lot in that time.”

“Yeah. I know. But you just…Charlie, you’ve always fallen for a pretty smile and sweet words.” Charlie shot her a look and she reached over, covering her hand with her own. “It’s not your fault. I know it’s not. Your dad took off, remarried, and had more kids and just pretended like you didn’t exist. Your mom ignored you when you were around and then just abandoned you when she didn’t want to deal anymore. You’ve always been seeking love. You saw your Gran and Gramps and you wanted what they have and I don’t blame you. But it’s caused you to jump headfirst into some pretty shitty guys who are waving the biggest red flag that you just ignore because you think you can change them somehow. But you can’t.”

“Thank you Dr. Laura. You don’t think I know that? I know how stupid I’ve been over guys. Hence why I am swearing off relationships for a while…or maybe forever.” No need to mention Eddie. He wasn’t a relationship…more of a situationship, a friend she also let fuck her. It didn’t count. “I’m not going to run back into Billy’s arms. Besides, I thought you said he changed and he was all a good guy now. No big red flag anymore. So what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried about you. You’re…vulnerable right now. You just got out of a messy relationship and you don’t need to run right into another one like you usually do.”

“Wow. Nice to know you think I’m completely helpless and unable to control myself. Any other guys you want to warn me off of? At this rate, it’s a good thing I’ve sworn off men because according to you, they’re all off limits to me.”

“No. Not all. Just, yes, Billy had changed a lot, but I haven’t seen him in a relationship. I mean, Max told us he was living with this girl…I can’t remember her name. But they lived together for a couple years and then they split. I don’t know why. Maybe he’s still a total asshole to the people he’s with. Look, I don’t get it, but clearly he’s the kind of man pretty that women like. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. Because I love you and this time I might have to kill him.”

Charlie smiled, running her hands over her face. She knew Robin meant well. She was just looking out for her. She understood her concern. She’d been a mess for weeks after Billy had torn her heart out and crushed it like it meant nothing. But she had zero intention of getting involved with Billy Hargrove again. 

“I love you too but there will be no need for homicide, okay? I have no intention of hooking up with Billy again.” When Robin’s eyes narrowed, she sighed. “Seriously! Zero. I’m good.”

“Well, I know a girl has needs and it’s probably been a long time for you. Just don’t give into your urges because you’re lonely.”

“I won’t,” muttered Charlie, knowing Robin was completely unaware that her needs were being met quite well and on a regular basis. “Seriously. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll probably barely speak to him besides a quick hi and how are you doing. I don’t have much to say to that man.”

“Good.”

Two hours later, Charlie was walking out of the bookshop, having handed over the reins to Harley for the second shift, thinking how insane Robin was if she thought Charlie would entertain the idea of Billy Hargrove for even a moment. 

She had walked to work again and was looking forward to the stroll back home in the sunshine when a hand clapped over her mouth. Her eyes went wide, heart drumming with panic when another hand wrapped around her waist like a vice and she was dragged backward into the alley next to the store. 

Her hand grasped toward her purse, desperate to get to the pepper spray she kept in there when she was spun around, her back pressed up against the side of the building. 

“Eddie!” she gasped, yanking his hand from her mouth. “What the hell are you doing!?”

__________________________________________________________

“What? I was surprising you.”

Charlie grabbed her chest, gasping for air. “You scared the shit out of me! You don’t just put your hand over a girl’s mouth and drag her down an alley. You were five seconds away from being blinded by pepper spray!”

He cringed, holding his hands up, taking a step back. Okay. Maybe he hadn’t thought that one through. Yeah. Grabbing her off the street probably wasn’t the best move. 

“Sorry. I was just trying to be careful. I wanted to see you but I know we don’t want other people seeing us. I was trying to be discreet and I thought it would be exciting to surprise you.”

She looked entirely unamused, “Trust me, thinking I was getting kidnapped was definitely exciting. Probably all of the excitement I can handle for the day if I don’t want to have a fucking heart attack.”

Eddie jutted out his lips, placing his hands on her hips, as he backed her gently against the wall again. Charlie’s breath caught as their bodies came together and he smiled smugly, keeping one hand on her hip, placing the other on the brick wall next to her head. Leaning in, he placed his lips against her ear, whispering softly. 

“Well, that’s too bad because I had something special planned.” He sighed, tossing his hands up, stepping back from her. “But if your excitement has already been used for the day…”

Charlie stepped forward, grabbing his wrist, “Oh yeah? You planned a special surprise? Is it a sexy surprise?”

Eddie shrugged, “I mean, maybe. It could be, I guess. Nothing’s off the table, strictly speaking, but that’s only if you’re into public displays.”

A deep groove appeared between her eyebrows, “Okay, but that doesn’t make sense. We can’t have public displays when we’re trying very hard not to be public.” She stepped back, releasing his wrist. “Maybe it is best if I call this enough excitement today and just go home. I don’t know if I want to know what insane plan you’ve dreamt up because I am not having sex with you in the alley right next to the shop I work in.”

“No. Jesus.” He paused, considering. “Although…” If looks could kill, he’d be on the ground with no heartbeat. “Kidding! Kidding. Damn. No, it’s not a public display. There’s just a spot I wanted to show you.”

“What spot?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now, would it?”

“Eddie…” Charlie replied warningly. “I’m not sure I trust you right now.”

He gasped, clutching his chest, “I’m wounded. After everything we’ve been through together…” His hand found her hip again, his fingers dipping under the hem of her shirt to trail over the soft skin of her side. “After everything you’ve allowed me to do to you…how could you not trust me, Charlie?”

Those green eyes narrowed, “Fine. I will go along with…whatever this is but…” She jabbed her finger into his chest. “I am warning you. If at any point I think this is stupid or…risky, I am out.”

“It’s not. You have my word.”

“I don’t know if that makes me feel any better,” she huffed, letting him lead her down the alley and around the back of the store where his van was waiting.

___________________________________________________________

“Eddie! Eddie! Seriously,” Charlie hissed. “Where are you taking me?”

He laughed. The poor girl had sat on the floor in the back of his van to ensure no one spotted her riding with him over to the high school parking lot. That would have been a bit difficult to explain. There was no logical reason for the two of them to be hanging out together, alone. 

“You don’t remember these woods?”

“Yes I remember these woods but what are we doing here? You know, a sane person would be running away right now. Because leading a girl off into the woods, when nobody knows where she is, is something that a serial killer would do.”

“I’m not a serial killer.”

“How do I know that?” argued Charlie. 

“Princess, I have had you alone, without anyone knowing you’re with me, on multiple occasions. If I was going to murder you and chop you up into tiny pieces, I would have already done it by now.”

“No one said tiny pieces. Why did you go to tiny pieces?”

He shrugged, pulling a branch out of the way so she could pass without getting hit in the face. “I mean, it’s the best way to dispose of a body.”

“And you know this why?”

“Doesn’t everyone know this?”

“No, Eddie. I don’t think most people know the most efficient way to deal with a corpse is to cut it into tiny pieces.”

“Seems logical to me,” he said, hefting his backpack up onto his shoulders again. “A body is big. You just leave it laying around and something is bound to find it. You cut it up and then you can scatter the parts. Much less chance of being found and you being caught. No body, no crime, sweetheart.”

“Something is very wrong with you,” she huffed, stopping and crossing her arms.

“Oh, that’s already been established. Trust me.”

“Seriously, how much farther are we going and where are we going? This isn’t the way to the lake so where are you taking me?”

“Definitely not the lake. It’s June. Do you know how many kids will be hanging at the lake in the middle of the afternoon on summer break?”

“Okay. So where are we going?”

“You’ll see. We’re almost…ahh, here we are.”

He stepped into the clearing, sweeping his arm out toward the picnic table, the same one from when he was in high school. It was old and worn, marks in it from kids carving their names and faded sharpie marks littering the top of the seats and table. Eddie had always wondered what it was doing here since no one was ever this far out in the woods. It was like it had been abandoned and forgotten. 

Charlie turned to him, eyebrows lifting in confusion, “This is where you were taking me? To a picnic table in the woods?”

“Yeah. Look…” He dropped the backpack to the ground, hopping up to sit on top of the table, his feet on the bench. “No one ever comes out here. This used to be my…secret spot when I was in high school.”

“Your secret spot? And what exactly did you need a secret spot for?”

Eddie considered for a moment whether he should tell her but hell, Harrington had already blabbed about it so he wasn’t going to be telling her anything she didn’t already know about him at this point. If it hadn’t already scared her away, it wasn’t going to now. 

“Hiding from jerk jocks who wanted to kick my ass for wearing my hair long and playing DnD.” He paused, running his tongue over his bottom lip. “And for dealing.”

“Drugs? Steve mentioned something about that,” she said, pressing her lips together. “What did you…deal?”

“Weed mostly but I dabbled in other things when I could get my hands on them. Shit like special K or prescription drugs when I had them. You’d be amazed what the moms in this town take.”  She was quiet, too quiet. He didn’t like it. “Look, I’m not proud of it but I’m also not ashamed of it. I did what I had to do. My uncle worked his ass off and I couldn’t ask him for more than what he’d already given me. So I did this on the side so I could buy my guitar and my records and shit. We lived in a fucking trailer and he worked sixty hour weeks, sometimes more. It was bullshit and I just wanted to help however I could and I know that makes me…”

Charlie was suddenly in front of him, so fast he hadn’t even noticed her moving. Her hands were on his face, her thumbs over his lips, tracing gently back and forth. Eddie’s eyes slipped closed, allowing himself to sink into her touch for just a moment, to pretend this was something it couldn’t be for just a moment, to pretend that he meant something more to her than he did.

“Hey. I’m not judging you. I don’t care what you did in high school, okay? We all do what we have to do to survive and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person, just a person.”

His hands grasped hers, pulling them away from his face because this wasn’t that and he didn’t matter to her, not really. And that was okay because that was how they both wanted it. It was moments like this, moments when you let your guard down, that put you at your most vulnerable and he wasn’t going to allow another person in his life to have that kind of power over him. 

“Yeah, well, you know…dealing wasn’t all bad. I met my high school girlfriend that way.”

“Oh yeah?” Charlie asked, stumbling back, looking as confused as he felt at this moment. 

“Yeah and she was a cheerleader. Can you believe that shit? I know I couldn’t. Chrissy Cunningham, the queen of Hawkins High. You remember her?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I do. Wasn’t she…I thought she was with Jason Carver? I mean, I guess she was when I left. They were like the it couple in their junior year, right?”

“Yeah. Senior year too until she dumped him for me. Trust me, that didn’t help my issue with the jocks. Jason was pissed that his perfect little cheerleader girlfriend would drop him for the metalhead freak.”

“Were you together long?”

“Nah. It only lasted about six months. She graduated and was headed off to a fancy college and she ditched me. Couldn’t have the loser trailer trash pulling her down when she had such a bright future ahead of her, right?” He shrugged, twisting his chunky ring around his finger. “I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t see a future with me either. She got married to some fancy pants surgeon and now she’s divorced and has all his money so good for her.” Hopping down from the table, he grabbed the backpack, wanting to change the subject badly before he embarrassed himself any further with all his failures. He couldn’t stand the look of pity Charlie was giving him with each confession. “Anyway, I brought some snacks for us. You hungry?”

“You brought snacks? Is this like…a picnic?” Charlie asked, smiling. 

“I don’t know. I guess, maybe.”

“Eddie, why did you bring me out here?”

“I just wanted to hang out with you,” he admitted. “Like, really hang out with you without having to worry about being caught or hiding. And I knew no one ever came out here anymore. They used to, obviously.” He pointed to the marks on the tabletop. “But they don’t anymore and I knew we’d be safe from prying eyes. This town has plenty of those. Trust me.”

“But we…”

“Yeah. I know. We just fuck but we decided we’re friends too, right? We had that sleepover and everything. So, I just thought if we’re friends, we can hang out too, can’t we?”

“I mean, yeah,” she agreed, nodding. “We can hang out. So, what did you bring?”

He unzipped his backpack, pulling things out and setting them on the table, “Nothing fancy. I’ve got some crackers and cheese slices. I grabbed some grapes because you seem like the kind of girl who wants some healthy options. I have some chocolate covered pretzels and Pringles and Twizzlers. And I have some Cokes or I have water bottles.”

“Wow.” Charlie laughed, sitting down on one side of the table while he sat on the other. “You’ve got everything.”

“Yeah, you know, I figured some savory, some salty, and some sweet.” He shrugged. “The major food groups, right?”

“Yeah, okay. The major food groups. I mean, the important ones anyway.”

“Right. I’m not, I mean, don’t worry about it. I’m not trying to make this anything more than it is. This isn’t a date or anything. Really. It’s not. We don’t do that. I don’t want to do that. It’s just two friends hanging out, talking, and sharing some snacks. Definitely not a date. I don’t want to date. Not just you but like, at all. Dating is stupid because it leads to feelings and feelings suck and I definitely don’t want…”

“Eddie,” Charlie laughed, reaching out to take his hand in hers, her thumb gently running a line back and forth over his skin. “Relax. I don’t think it’s a date. This is really nice. Really…I could, you know, use a friend now. I mean, I have Robin but it would be nice to have another one. Thank you.”

“Oh. Good.”

Because this was not a date. It was definitely not a date. He didn’t want that. Nope. Not him. 

Chapter Text

Charlie walked up the path to her house, ready to take a long bath, slip into her pajamas, and get lost in a good book. She’d worked the opening shift at the bookstore and then gone out to dinner with Robin, Vicki, Nancy, and Barb who had driven in to meet Charlie and have her sign some paperwork to get the divorce proceedings moving.

Thank god for Robin who hadn’t tried to talk her out of giving everything up. In fact, she shut all that talk down and had Charlie’s back the minute she stated she didn’t want any of it, she just wanted out. She and Vicki had been there as her backup, her support system as she signed off on the end of her marriage. 

Barb had tried to convince her to go after his money but Charlie didn’t fault her for that. It was her job after all. She had spelled out all the reasons she was entitled to something, the same way Nancy had two weeks ago, but she didn’t want it. Charlie didn’t have the fight left in her to care enough. She just needed it to be over so she could finally move on. 

Leo had left six more messages since the first one and she hadn’t responded to any of them. Each message he grew more and more angry, until he was finally screaming, calling her an ungrateful bitch who didn’t appreciate everything he’d given her. She was sure more would be coming when those papers arrived at the house. She had humiliated him and he wasn’t going to take it quietly. 

Slipping her key into the lock, she frowned when she found the door already unlocked. Charlie slowly pushed it open, ‘Stand by Your Man’ by Tammy Wynette greeting her ears. Every hair on her body stood on end at the sound, her purse slipping from her shoulder to thunk heavily on the floor, her heart pounding in her chest. It was like a horror movie. She was just waiting for the evil…

And there it was. A flash of wild red hair came around the corner, eyes just like hers except for the crinkles in the corners from age, a huge smile, and arms opened wide, as her mom yelled, “There’s my baby!”

“Cici?” she squeaked, her stomach rolling, the burger she’d had for dinner threatening to make a reappearance. “What…what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? Well, I came to see my girl, obviously.” She stepped forward, the familiar smell of Hypnotique, her mom’s preferred brand of drugstore perfume since the sixties, only making her nausea worse as she wrapped Charlie in a hug. “Let me look at you. My word, you’re so pretty. All grown up.”

“How…how did you know I was here?” stammered Charlie, reeling back and away from her mother. 

“Well, I called your house and that husband of yours answered. Leon?”

“Leo,” she corrected, ignoring the fact that her mother should know the name of the man her daughter was with for eight years. 

“Yeah, Leo, and he told me that you just up and left him out of the blue and came to stay at Gran’s house. I mean, he’s a lawyer, honey. What are you thinking? That’s big money you’re just throwing away. Why would you leave?”

“It wasn’t out of the blue. He was cheating on me.”

Cici scoffed, waving her hand, “Oh please. I know I taught you better than that. Men are animals, sweetie. They aren’t made to be monogamous. They’re always going to be tempted by anything pretty with boobs but it doesn’t matter as long as they come home to you and you’re the one getting the paycheck.”

“He was cheating on me with multiple women, mom. He’s been cheating on me since we started dating. He’s never been faithful. Not even at the beginning.”

That was the part that hurt the most. That he hadn’t just cheated, that he had been doing it from the moment they met and she’d been dumb enough not to know. That she had never meant anything to him. She was just a weak girl that he knew he could mold into the perfect little wife he needed for show. 

“Of course not. If you’re waiting for a faithful man, you’ll be waiting until you’re dead and in the grave, Charlie. Men aren’t built like that.”

Charlie swallowed down her anger. She could not do this right now. No matter how pissed off her mom made her, she’d never been able to tell her off. She wanted to. God, she wanted to so badly but even if Cici was a poor excuse for one, she was still her mother and Charlie just couldn’t bring herself to be disrespectful to her. Not that the woman had ever cared about Charlie’s feelings. 

“Mom, seriously, what are you doing here? I’m guessing the politician didn’t work out. Are you in trouble? Do you need money again? Because I don’t have any. I left Leo and I work at a bookshop. I don’t have anything to give you.”

Cici clutched her chest, gasping dramatically, and Charlie fought not to roll her eyes. Of course she would act offended, as if that hadn’t been the driving reason for Cici to show up every single time. As if it wouldn’t be completely rational for Charlie to think that. 

“Damn, Charlie. That’s hurtful. No. I’m not in trouble. I don’t need anything. Is it really so wrong for a mother to just want to see her daughter? I was worried after I called Leo. A divorce is hard and I just thought you might need your mama here to support you. I mean, who else have you got honey, with Gran gone?”

Charlie straightened, staring her mother down, “Actually, I have people. You remember Robin? The friend I begged you not to take me away from? Well, she still lives here and she has a lot of friends and they have all been very kind and welcoming to me. In fact, I just got back from having dinner with some of them. I have people. Lots of people, actually. So, while I appreciate you coming to be with me, I am fine. You don’t have to be here.”

Cici waved off the idea, “Oh please. I’m glad you aren’t alone but none of those people can replace a mother. And a girl needs her mother when she’s going through deep shit like this. I am staying.”

“Staying? Staying where?” asked Charlie, her stomach sinking because she knew what her mother was going to say before she even said it.

“Well, here, of course, with you. Where else would I stay? I mean, this is as much my house as yours.”

“But it’s not. Gran left it to me.”

“Yes, well, we both know how I feel about that. But regardless of what some silly little piece of paper says, this is my home too. I was raised here and nobody is going to tell me otherwise. I will be staying right here with you to help you get through this.” She smiled, shaking her head. “Hopefully I will be able to convince you what a huge mistake you are making and get you back to Connecticut where you belong. I can’t believe you’d give up that big, beautiful house for this old dump. You really need to do what’s best for you, honey.”

Yeah. Charlie was sure this was all about her, what was best for her. It wasn’t at all about the fact that if Cici could convince her to go back to Leo, then she could keep the house and have access to Leo’s money when she needed a handout. But once again, she bit her lip, staying quiet, hating how small her mother could make her feel. 

“I made grilled cheese and tomato soup,” beamed Cici. “Your favorite.”

It was only her favorite because it was one of the few things her mother actually knew how to cook when she felt like cooking, which was rare. It had meant Charlie was eating something other than cereal or poptarts or whatever the hell she could scrounge up in the kitchen for dinner. 

“I told you, I already ate. I just came from dinner.”

“Well, you could at least have a little bit. I mean, I did take the time to cook for you.”

“You dropped buttered bread on a pan and dumped soup in a pot. It didn’t exactly take you hours to prepare,” snapped Charlie, surprising both Cici and herself. 

“It’s the thought that counts,” Cici huffed, turning and stomping into the kitchen. 

Her hands clenched into fists, Charlie pressed them against her eyes, wondering how she was going to survive even ten minutes with her mother, let alone however long she planned on staying. The woman was insufferable. Nothing Charlie ever did was right. 

And the whole mommy dearest routine was bullshit. Cici had never been warm or fuzzy. She wasn’t the kind of mom who baked brownies and painted your nails. She certainly wasn’t going to hold you while you cried over your first heartbreak. She hadn’t even been around for Charlie’s first heartbreak. She only cared about one person and that was herself. She was playing a game, just like always. It was only a matter of time before she showed her cards. 

Fine. She could do this. Charlie was simply going to avoid her the best she could for the rest of the night. Just as she was thinking she would go upstairs, take her bath like she’d been planning, and then hide in her bedroom with her book, there was a knock on the door. 

“Great,” she muttered, wondering who it could be and hoping she could get them to go away before Hurricane Cici blasted her way back in to embarrass her the way she always did. Charlie pulled open the door to find Eddie on the other side, his sexy smirk instantly dissolving as he took in the look on her face. 

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, concerned. 

“No. Not really. And this isn’t really a good time, okay?” She knew why he’d come and as much as she’d love nothing more than allowing him to make her forget everything for a while, she couldn’t. Not with her mother in the house. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, taking a step inside and forcing her to back up. Eddie’s eyes moved around the house, as if expecting to find someone else there. “Is…is it your ex? Is he here?”
“No,” she stated, shaking her head. “No. It’s nothing like that. I just…”

“Oh, hello there.”

Shit. Charlie turned slowly to find Cici standing there, eyeing up Eddie like he was the featured dessert in the case at the bakery. Her head dropped back with a sigh. There was going to be no avoiding this. Her mother was going to humiliate her…again. She groaned, accepting her fate. 

“Eddie?” Cici grinned at her daughter, her tongue running over the front of her teeth. “Wow. Nice, Charlie.”

Those brown doe eyes of his widened, looking uncomfortable, looking to her for help, but she had none to give. Charlie wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. 

This wasn’t new. When she’d moved back in with Cici, the woman would show up to her high school in a mini skirt and a low cut top. Charlie would have to listen to all of the boys drooling over her mom, whispering in her ear the next day how they were going to be her stepdaddy. And she didn’t help the situation, flirting every chance she got. No man or boy was safe from Cici. It didn’t matter his age. 

“Mom,” she groaned, “please stop.”

“Why? It’s a compliment. I mean, look, if you were going to leave your husband, at least you left him for this. God, you are dreamy, aren’t you? You remind me of Eddie Van Halen. I was supposed to marry that man, you know. Damn Valerie Bertinelli got there first.” She sighed, smiling. “God, I miss the seventies and eighties. Men were so pretty then.”

Eddie cleared his throat, fighting through the discomfort, stepping forward to offer Cici his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs…?”

“Oh, not Mrs., honey,” she smirked, shaking his hand. “Lots of men in my life but never been married. It’s Ms. Carew.”

“Ms. Carew,” he said, glancing down at his hand that her mother still had a hold of, her fingers tracing over his rings. “God, look at these fingers, so callused. I bet you play guitar, don’t you know. And my, they’re so thick and…”

“Jesus Christ, mom!” Charlie cried, stepping in, pressing her hands against Eddie’s chest to save him from her mother and her friendly hands. She mouthed sorry to him. She could never convey how very sorry she was that he had to be subjected to Cici. 

“Charlie, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you to leave your husband for another man.”

“I didn’t…oh my god. I did not leave Leo for another man. I met Eddie when I moved here.”

“Well, lucky girl. Who knew they grew them like you in Hawkins? Sure weren’t any boys like you when I grew up here. Maybe I wouldn’t have left if there were.”

“Umm…thanks?” Eddie replied, unsure. 

“We’re just friends,” stated Charlie. “He’s friends with Robin.”

“Yeah, that’s why he’s popping by at nine at night,” Cici said, knowingly, pointing to the clock on the wall. “Friends…especially man friends don’t do nighttime visits unless it’s for…”

“Oh, well, I was just…uh…in the neighborhood?” Eddie interrupted quickly.

Yeah. That was convincing. Christ. This was all she needed. 

“Well, it was great of you to pop by, Eddie. Really. But my mom is actually staying for a while.” His eyes widened. “Yeah. So, maybe it would best if…”

“Oh, don’t kick him out on my behalf. He could stay. You like grilled cheese Eddie?”

“I mean, who does…”

“No. He’s lactose intolerant,” Charlie quickly said, ignoring the confused look Eddie gave her. She could not deal with any more of this. Cici would keep grilling them until she got to the bottom of it and Charlie could not let her figure it out. Her mother may be bad at parenting but she had a nose for who was sleeping with who. “I’ll walk you out.”

“Uh…okay.”

Ignoring her mom’s pointed look, Charlie shooed him out the door, following behind him and closing it tightly behind her. 

“So, your mom is really something,” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That’s one way to put it,” snorted Charlie.

“Are you okay with all this? With her staying?”

“No. I’m not but I don’t really have a choice.”

“Why not? It’s your house, right? Your Gran left it to you.”

Charlie exhaled slowly, laughing, “Yeah, you’d think it’s that simple but it’s not. She’s still my mother and as far as she’s concerned, it’s her house too. No matter what the lawyers say. Look, I’m really sorry but you’re not going to be able to come over while she’s here.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, his hands coming to her shoulders. “Hey, look. If you need to get out of here, you can always come to my place instead. I can tell you’re not exactly…comfortable with having her here. So, you wanna get out of here?” He tilted his head toward his van that was parked down the street just in case anyone noticed. 

Charlie glanced back at the house, thinking about having to sit at a table and listen to her mom pretend like she cared. No. She didn’t want to. She wasn’t sixteen anymore. She was twenty-eight and she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to do. She turned back to Eddie, grinning. 

“Let’s go.”

__________________________________________________________

“Well, this is it. Welcome to my castle,” Eddie said, unlocking and swinging the door open to his small house he’d bought just two years ago.

Charlie had clearly been agitated and anxious the entire drive over but now she stopped, taking in his place, assessing everything with those green eyes in a way that made him uncomfortable. What was she thinking about where he lived?

It wasn’t much but it was his. Until two years ago, he’d been living in a trailer just a few down from his Uncle Wayne. But he’d wanted out of that trailer park. It was all he could think about for years. That trailer park was like a stamp of failure that this whole town could just smell on you. He’d lived with that mark for too long. 

“This is…” she began.

Eddie cut her off, “Small? Messy? Chaotic?”

“No.” Charlie smiled, shaking her head. “This is nice. It feels like you.”

His tongue traced the seam of his lips as he nodded, laughing, “Yeah. I mean, I am messy and chaotic. Don’t know about small, though.”

She laughed and god, it was such a beautiful sound, especially after the silent, tense car ride over here. Her mother’s presence did a number on her. It was like she was a totally different person, anxious, angry, a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow. He’d known he had to get her out of there. All he wanted to ease that tension, to bring back that smile he’d come to enjoy so much.

“Definitely not small,” she agreed and then was striding up to him, grabbing on his shirt, and pressing her mouth against his in a kiss that was so hungry he thought she might swallow him whole. 

Eddie wrapped his hands around her arms, gently pushing her back. It took every ounce of willpower he had because, damn it, he wanted this woman like a drug. But she was not in the head space for this right now and he wasn’t going to take advantage of her because she was a mess even if she didn’t want to admit it. He could feel it in the way she trembled in his hands. 

“Hey, hey,” he said softly. “Whoa, okay? Just hold on a minute.”

“Why?” She looked up at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Isn’t this the whole reason we came to your place? Because we couldn’t fuck at mine with my mom there?”

Eddie’s heart sank and he didn’t know why. That was all this was supposed to be, wasn’t it? But no, it wasn’t. They were also friends. And as her friend, he wanted to take care of her.

“No. I brought you here so you could get away from your mom. I could see how uncomfortable you were having her there, Charlie. I thought maybe we could come to my place and…”

“And what?” she demanded, appearing far angrier than Eddie felt the situation warranted. He’d only been trying to help. “Talk? You want me to talk about my fucked up relationship with my mother?”

“We can.”

“No.” That word, that one syllable, was full of so much desperation. “I didn’t come here because I wanted to talk. I don’t want to talk about my mother. I don’t want to talk at all. I came here because I wanted you to make me forget all of it.” She stepped into him, pressing her body against his, her fingers working at the button on his jeans. “So, just make me forget Eddie. Please. Fuck me, right here, right now, against the door, until I can’t think about anything else.”

Damn it. He couldn’t resist her. Taking her face in his hands, his mouth crashed against hers, his tongue tangling with hers as he spun their bodies around so her back was to the door. One hand slid under her skirt, yanking her panties down to find her already wet and ready for him. Jesus. There was nothing he would deny her.

“Yes,” she breathed as his tongue traced the line of her jaw, his lips wrapping around that tender flesh on the side of her neck. 

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he growled, working his pants down his legs, pulling the condom from his pocket that he always kept there now just in case a moment like this presented itself with her. 

“But what better way to go?”

Fuck. Lifting her leg into the crook of his elbow, Eddie pressed into her thinking how right she was. This would be one hell of a way to go. He’d die with a smile on his face if he could do so while between these thighs. 

“More,” she growled, her hands slipping under the back of shirt, nails digging into his flesh. “Harder. Fuck me harder.”

Christ. She wanted harder? He’d give her harder. He’d give this woman anything she wanted. One hand keeping her leg propped, his other wrapped around the back of her head to protect it from hitting the door as he slammed into her again and again. 

“Yes. Fuck, Eddie. That’s it…don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” begged Charlie, those nails scraping across his back in a way that was sure to leave tracks. 

He wouldn’t stop. He’d never stop. Hell, he’d fuck her from now until eternity if she’d let him. This was all he wanted to do for the rest of time. Make her scream, make her gasp, make her come over and over and over again. 

“Come for me baby,” he urged, feeling his own orgasm coming on fast but he couldn’t allow himself to finish before she did. She had to be satisfied, always, every single time. “Come on. Let go. Let go of all of that shit and come all over my cock like a good girl.”

“Oh god…oh shit…oh, I’m…” Charlie’s back arched against the door, a scream that sounded like pleasure and rage and everything she was feeling inside pouring out of her. 

“Shit, baby, yes,” he grunted, thrusting once more, emptying his cock inside her. His forehead dropped to hers, their skin slippery with sweat. “Jesus Christ.”

“Mmm…” she purred, her fingers slipping into his hair, her tongue slipping out to trace the seam of his lips. “That was perfect.”

“Yeah it was,” he grinned, slipping out of her. Rolling off the condom, he waddled into the kitchen with his pants around his ankles to drop it into the trash before pulling them up and fastening them again. Walking back into the living room, he found Charlie straightening herself out and grabbing her purse from the floor where she dropped it. “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna head home,” she answered, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. 

“What do you mean? How? Maybe you’re forgetting princess but I drove you here. You don’t have a car.”

“I’m just gonna walk.”

“The hell you are. It’s ten at night.”

Charlie rolled her eyes, “It’s Hawkins Eddie. What do you think is going to happen to me in Hawkins?”

“Listen, shit happens everywhere. Even in small towns. You’re not walking home. That’s at least a fifteen minute walk.”

She shrugged, “So? It will give me some time to clear my head before I have to deal with fucking Cici again who is definitely going to give me the third degree after I disappeared when I was supposed to be walking you out.”

“If you don’t want to go home to her, you could always…” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, you could always crash here instead.”

Charlie’s head tilted, considering his words, “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said with a lift of his shoulders, “I mean, I’ve stayed at your place. Granted, it’s not quite as nice here as it is at your place. My sheets are from Kmart, for one thing.”

“I love Kmart,” she replied, grinning. 

“Yeah?”

Charlie nodded, “Yeah. I mean, I would love to not have to go back to…I mean…”

Eddie closed the distance between them, taking her hands in his, “Then don’t. Seriously. You’re welcome to stay. I don’t bake so you won’t get killer muffins like I got at your place. All I got is coffee and Honeycomb but it’s food.”

“I love Honeycomb.”

“Hmm,” he commented, smiling. “Seems like we’re pretty compatible.”

“Yeah, we are,” she agreed and then her eyes went wide, her mouth dropping. “I mean, as far as fuck buddies go, right?”

“Yeah. Absolutely. Right,” he answered, clearing his throat. “I mean, we know we’re compatible there.”

“Very compatible,” Charlie nodded, pressing her lips together. “So, if I stay…that doesn’t mean…nothing changes? I mean, regular sleepovers doesn’t make this a relationship. Right? This is still just two friends having a sleepover?”

“Yeah. Two friends having a sleepover who also have sex,” laughed Eddie, his hands going to her hips, pulling her into him. “Because if you stay, there will definitely be more of that tonight.”

“I like more.”

“Alright. Then you’re staying?”

“Yeah, I’m staying.”

Eddie tried not to think about how happy it made him that she was staying because if he let himself dwell on it too much, he might ruin everything. 

Chapter Text

Eddie drummed out the beat to ‘Walk’ by Pantera on the countertop as he waited for the coffee to brew in the pot. He was on top of the world this morning and it felt like nothing could knock him down from his exalted spot above everyone else. 

Charlie had spent the night in his bed and she hadn’t seemed to mind the cheap sheets or the decor being band posters and guitars hanging on the walls. He was sure her big house in Hartford had been full of shit from Pottery Barn or wherever rich people got their stuff. It had made him nervous to invite her over, for her to see how he lived, how minimal his space was, how most of his stuff had come from thrift stores and garage sales or been hand me downs from someone else. He wasn’t exactly rolling in dough and he took what he could get when he bought the place. 

But she hadn’t seemed to be bothered at all. In fact, she’d walked around his room, looking at each poster, commenting on her favorite songs by the bands she knew. He’d been impressed at the fact that she even listened to some of them. This sweet faced Hartford wife did not look like she’d be into heavy metal. 

They’d spent over an hour, lying in his bed, just talking about music. Talking about the songs that were a part of the fabric of who they were. The songs that would make up the soundtrack of your life. His included Running Free by Iron Maiden and Children of the Grave by Black Sabbath. Hers included Starman by David Bowie and Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. 

Just as he was pouring coffee into two mugs, Charlie appeared in the kitchen, looking positively sinful in his Judas Priest tee, the creamy skin of her legs on full display. That beautiful red hair was all mussed from sleep, her eyes ringed with smudged eyeliner. Damn. She looked good enough to eat. He could get used to this being the sight that greeted him in the mornings. 

He straightened uncomfortably at that thought, shaking his head as he added cream and sugar. That thought had come unbidden and was unwelcome in his brain. Jesus, he really needed to get control of himself because that wasn’t what this was. It wasn’t what they agreed to. It wasn’t what he wanted. Was it? No. Definitely not. Relationships were just a one way ticket to pain. 

“Morning sleepyhead,” he said, stepping forward, holding one of the mugs out for her. 

Charlie moaned softly, causing his dick to twitch in his pajama pants, as she took the mug from him, taking a sip. Her eyes rolled back, a soft sigh falling from her lips. He had never seen anyone take such enjoyment from a cup of coffee. It should be a sin to look like that when drinking a beverage. 

“Thank you. Oh my god. You have no idea how much I needed this.”

Eddie's mouth lifted gently, “Well, I did keep you up pretty late last night.”

Her cheeks flushed, her teeth catching her bottom lip, “Yeah. You definitely did. Not that I’m complaining.”

“You want some breakfast?” he asked. “I thought all I had was cereal but I actually have some pancake mix in the cupboard.”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Pancakes would be great.”

Taking her cup of coffee, she meandered into the living room, drifting over to his bookshelf as he pulled out what he needed and started mixing the batter. His eyes kept darting up, watching as she trailed her fingers over the spines of his books, perusing the titles. She stretched onto her tip toes to look at the top shelf and his shirt rode up on her, revealing even more leg, almost causing him to drop the bowl he was whisking. 

“You like fantasy?” asked Charlie, walking back into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he dropped some batter into the pan. 

“Love it. It’s pretty much all I read. Well, and some horror.” He shrugged, spatula in hand. 

Her lips pressed forward in contemplation, “What’s your favorite fantasy book?”

Why did he feel like she was testing him? This girl who worked in a bookstore and had a college degree probably had very specific opinions on literature. He was suddenly nervous that he would fail. 

“Uhh…Lord of the Rings, actually.”

“Nice. Mine’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.”

“I read that when I was…maybe in fifth grade,” he told her, flipping the pancakes. 

Charlie smiled, her hands cupping her mug, “When I was a kid, I used to pretend that my closet was like the wardrobe to Narnia and I could walk through and be somewhere else. Anywhere else.”

“Oh yeah? If you could be anywhere else, where would you be?”

“I would have taken just about anywhere at that time but Narnia would be nice. Talking animals and mythical beings? Magic and enchantment? The way time flows differently so you could spend a hundred years there and only have been away for a year here. Mostly I felt like if I had an Aslan, this great powerful lion on my side, he could protect me from all that was bad in the world.”

Eddie dropped the pancakes on the plates, considering his words carefully. He didn’t want her to shut down on him. He wanted her to keep talking but he worried if he questioned her too much, she’d lock him out the way she did last night. Because yeah, he got that she wanted to forget but he also got the impression that she didn’t want to talk about it all. Or maybe she just didn’t want to talk about it with him.

“I wanted to be Aragorn,” he admitted, walking the plates over to the table before grabbing the butter and syrup. He sat down and Charlie joined him. “That guy was badass. No one would have called him a freak or ganged up on him to kick his ass. They wouldn’t have dared try. He got to marry a beautiful elf who loved him even with his human weaknesses and he got to be a king. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be that guy?”

Charlie spread butter on her pancakes quietly before looking up at him and asking, “Were you bullied a lot as a kid?”

“Oh yeah. I was the freak who lived in a shitty trailer. It came with the territory. My mom was a junkie and my dad was a criminal. I was definitely from the wrong side of the tracks as far as everyone in this town was concerned.” He shrugged, taking a bite of his pancakes. “It didn’t get better when I got into DnD and I was a metalhead on top of that. I didn’t dress the part or act the part of the all American boy that a small town like this expects. You know? Clean cut, polos and jeans. The jocks were especially shitty to me. High school sucked and it took me longer than most to get through high school so I got to have even more years of that bullshit.”

“It took you longer to graduate?”

“Yeah.” Great. Now she was going to think he was an idiot. “I had a hard time in school. I struggled to focus. Now they call it ADHD but they didn’t know that in the eighties or maybe they just weren’t looking for it. My teachers all thought I was just a loser who wasn’t trying so they didn’t offer me much help. I failed twice before I graduated. And honestly, it was Henderson who helped me. That kid is like a certified genius. I met him in my third try at senior year and he saved me ass. But if you tell him I said that, I will deny it. That kid’s ego is big enough as it is.” He tossed his arms out. “So on top of being the freak, I was the idiot who couldn’t pass his classes.”

“You’re not an idiot. You needed support that wasn’t provided. Just because you need support to be successful doesn’t make you a failure. Everyone learns differently. That’s on your teachers. Not on you. I can’t believe none of them saw something was going on and tried to help. No one who is an idiot could have read all those books on that shelf.”

“Says the college graduate,” he laughed. 

Charlie snorted, “Yeah. The college graduate who decided to get married to an asshole, become a housewife, and do absolutely nothing with her degree.”

“Well, now you can. You dropped the asshole, right? You’re not a housewife anymore. You’re on your own and you can do whatever you want with your life. What was your degree in?”

“Creative writing,” she answered softly. “I wanted to be an author. I wanted to write the kind of book that can help kids escape their world when it gets to be too much, the way The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe did for me.” She shook her head, snorting. “I know. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not. It’s not stupid. And why can’t you? There are a lot of kids who could use an escape. I know I needed it. When my mom was passed out on the couch or gone for hours and I was alone, sometimes books were the only things that made me feel safe, made me feel like I wasn’t alone.” He cleared his throat, hoping he wasn’t going to push her too far. “If you don’t mind my asking, what did the books help you escape from?”

Charlie’s lips pressed together for a moment and he thought she was about to shut down again. Tell him that wasn’t what this was. They weren’t here to share but it was clear she needed to. She kept so much inside. He could see the hurt and pain in her eyes. 

“When I was a kid, my mom was with a lot of different guys. Lots of them were jerks but when I was eight my mom had this boyfriend…Hank.” She swallowed hard, her body tensing at just the name, giving Eddie a sick feeling in his stomach, knowing he wasn’t going to like what she said next. “He was…a bad man. He was way older than her and he…I would hide in my closet sometimes when he got mad. I could hear him screaming at her. I could hear things breaking. He would hit her and she would just act like it was fine, putting makeup on to cover her bruises and smiling through it. She pretended like it didn’t happen.”

Eddie’s body felt frozen, still, taking in every word she was saying. Imagining her as a frightened little girl, hiding in the closet, pretending it could take her away from the screaming and the fighting. He stayed quiet, not wanting to stop her from sharing. 

“And that wasn’t…that wasn’t even the worst of it. I…he was inappropriate with me.”

His fists clenched under the table. Fuck. He did not want to hear this but he couldn’t not. Charlie was finally sharing something from her past. Something he got the feeling she didn’t often do and he couldn’t shut her down, not when she was finally opening up. 

“He would…” Her voice broke, her eyes squeezing tight against the memory. “God, I can still smell him. It’s this mixture of Old Spice and sweat that clings to the back of my throat. He would lean in close and whisper about how much I was growing. How I was turning into a little woman. I developed early and I already had breasts. He was always saying shit like that and I tried to ignore it. I would hide and try to avoid him if I could. But then one time he…he slipped his hand under my shirt and groped me. I couldn’t…I couldn’t ignore it anymore.”

Eddie had never wanted to beat anyone into a bloody pulp more than he did right now. This monster putting his hands on a little girl. This bastard who had traumatized her for life.

“I told my mom. I mean, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Tell someone? She didn’t believe me. She accused me of flirting with him. I was nine years old! I didn’t even know what flirting was but she made it sound like it was all my fault. She said I was ruining her life. She could never be happy and that’s when she dropped me on my Gran’s doorstep and left me there.”

Eddie knew her relationship with her mom had been bad but he’d had no idea how bad. Of course she didn’t want the woman around. That woman had abandoned her instead of protecting her. That woman had crushed her heart and soul, accusing a little girl of something so insane, blaming her for the sins of a grown ass man. 

“Anyway.” She sat up, laughing, wiping away tears from her eyes. “That’s my fucked up relationship with my mother in a nutshell. I’ve always been the thing that ruined her life. I was useless to her unless she needed money and now she’s back and I’m just waiting for the ulterior motive to be revealed because she always has one.”

“Jesus Christ, you know none of that is your fault, right?”

She didn’t answer, looking down at her hands, clasped in her lap. 

“Charlie, none of that is your fault. A mother is supposed to love her child unconditionally. She’s supposed to protect them at all costs. She’s supposed to put them first. You were a kid. You didn’t ask to be born. That’s not on you. And all that other shit, no grown ass man should put his hands on a child. He shouldn’t even be thinking about a child like that. There is nothing you could have done to justify that. He’s a monster. You were just a little girl and honestly? Your mom is a fucking monster for not believe you and blaming you for it.”

“I know,” she said, but he wasn’t sure she really did. She suddenly pushed herself back from the table. “Well, I have to work at two. I normally open but Harley has a date tonight and asked if I could work. I should really get home so I can shower and get ready.”

Damn. She could really just flip that switch and shut it all down so fast. Eddie hated letting her go like this. 

“Are you sure? I mean, it’s only nine. You’ve got time. We could talk some more or…”

“No. Thanks. I…look, I’ve never told anybody about Hank. I mean, anybody. Not even Robin. Can you…?”

“Of course. I would never tell anyone your personal shit, princess. You can tell me anything and it will die with me. I swear.”

“Thanks. Uhh, I’m gonna go change back into my clothes and then I’ll head out.”

“Okay.” He stood as she walked away, wrapping his hands around her upper arms. “Hey. You wanna come over later, after work? You could stay again if you want. I mean, you know, if you don’t want to be there with her.”

“That’s really nice of you. Thanks but not tonight. I can’t be gone every night or my mom is going to figure it out and if she does…I don’t know who she’ll tell.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah. We don’t want that. But you know, anytime you need to get out of there…”

“Thanks, Eddie. Really. That’s very sweet of you but I’ll be alright. I’m, uhh, I really should get going.”

Shit. He hated the idea of her going back to that woman but he couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

____________________________________________________________

Eddie had offered to drive her but Charlie had just wanted to walk. His arguments from last night didn’t hold anymore. It was daytime, morning, people were outside, and she was perfectly safe. And she really needed the quiet time and the fresh air to get her thoughts straight before she had to walk back into the viper’s den. 

She wasn’t sure why she’d admitted all that to Eddie. Charlie had held onto the secret of Hank for years. She hadn’t even told her Gran about it. Not Robin. Not Leo. No one. So why in the hell had she told him? Why had she bared her soul to this guy that was supposed to just be a casual friend and an occasional hook up?

Charlie just hoped that he kept his word. This had been twice she’d laid stories of her fucked up life in front of him. Hopefully he didn’t decide to share with the class. If Robin knew that she’d told him something she’d never shared with her, their cover would certainly be blown. Because why would she tell some random guy she’d only known for a couple months over her best friend since she was nine years old?

She didn’t want to investigate that too closely because she knew she might not like the answer. And if she looked too closely, she might have to call this whole thing off because it was becoming something more than it was supposed to be. Something they’d both agreed they didn’t want when they decided on this arrangement to begin with. 

It was his own fault. Eddie was just…so damn easy to talk to. He didn’t judge. He was so understanding. He would really listen. She’d never felt like anyone listened to her the way he did. He’d look at her with those big, brown eyes and she found her mouth opening and words spilling out, baring her soul to the guy who was supposed to give her orgasms, not be her therapist. 

“Where in the hell have you been?” Cici yelled, greeting her at the door like the mother she never was. Like Charlie was fifteen and not twenty-eight. Like she had any right to know or ask about her whereabouts, ever.

“I stayed over at a friend's,” she answered shortly, hanging her purse on the hook by the door and kicking off her shoes. 

“Uh-huh. I bet. And was this friend about five foot eleven with long, dark hair, dreamy eyes, and lips so juicy you just want to suck on them?”

“For fuck’s sake, Cici!”

“Mom!”

“Really? You never wanted me to call you that when I was a kid. You said you weren’t old enough to be a mom. Fine. For fuck’s sake, mom! He’s fourteen years younger than you. You’re forty-four. Get a grip on your hormones.”

“Please,” scoffed her mom, “that’s nothing. My boyfriend before this last one was twenty-four.”

“Eww!”

“Age is just a number, honey. Get over it. As long as everybody’s consenting adults, it’s fine. Besides…” She grinned conspiratorially. “Young guys like older women. They know the ropes. And younger men…oh, they’re teachable. They’re so eager to learn.”

Charlie grimaced, feeling the pancakes turning in her stomach. Was her mother ever going to actually grow up? She’d long since given up on her mother ever acting like a mom but would she ever act like an adult? 

She moved to go around her and Cici placed a hand up, halting her. 

“What?”

“You’re sleeping with that boy, aren’t you?”

“No and even if I was, it’s none of your business. It has nothing to do with you. Why do you care so much anyway?”

“I care because you are about to ruin any chance you have of getting Leo back.”

“I don’t want Leo back!” Charlie stated, wondering what it would take to finally drill that fact into her mother’s brain. 

She had no interest in going back to that life. That life where she was nothing but a trophy he took out to show off and prance around before putting her back on the shelf and ignoring her for weeks. She had been dying in that life, slowly decaying, stagnant, unmoving. She had lost herself entirely and she was just beginning to find herself again.

“You don’t know what you’re saying. You’re throwing away a good thing and for what? Some metalhead boy toy? A metalhead who I bet doesn’t even have a job. Who’s taking someone seriously when they walk around like that?” She smiled, raising her hand. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I personally think he’s delicious. I always did love me a rockstar wannabe but really, honey? That’s the kind of guy you have some fun with. That’s not the kind of guy you tie yourself to. He’s not going to be able to provide you anything in life.”

Charlie closed her eyes, inhaling slowly, trying to remind herself to remain composed, not to completely lose her shit on this woman who thought she just got to walk in the door and dictate Charlie’s life after not being in it or giving a shit about her for years.

“First of all, I am not throwing my marriage away for Eddie. I am not with Eddie. This has nothing to do with him. Secondly, he does have a job. He’s a bartender and his band plays gigs two times a week at the bar.”

Cici snorted loudly, “A bartender? That’s not going to get you a nice house, dinners out, pretty jewelry, and nice clothes.”

“Who are you to judge him? You, who’s never even had a job! And I don’t care about any of that stuff!”

“Please. Everybody cares about that stuff.”

“I don’t,” Charlie sighed. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, mom, but not everybody cares about material bullshit. I had all of that stuff and I still wasn’t happy. What does any of that stuff matter if you aren’t happy?”

“How could you not be happy with money?”

“Were you not listening to me last night when I told you that Leo was cheating on me? Constantly? With multiple women? He basically ignored me unless he had some function where he needed to show off his wife that he made sure I stayed a certain weight and went to the salon every month and always had my damn nails done so I looked the part he wanted me to play. I was like a fucking doll! I didn’t mean shit to him.”

“So what?”

“So what?” asked Charlie, wondering how this woman could even shock her anymore. Of course she didn’t think it was a big deal. She’d never been in a relationship that mattered. She’d never actually loved anybody but herself. 

“Yes. So what? When you have money, my dear girl, who cares what he does? You have the money. You can buy whatever you want. You can go out to nice dinners on his dime. Who cares what he does in his spare time?”

“I do! I care! Maybe you’re fine having a relationship without love but I’m not. I want someone who actually values me as their partner. I want someone who’s not just my lover but my best friend, someone I can talk to, someone I can have fun with. God, at the very least, I want someone I can trust!”

“Please,” Cici scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You can’t trust anyone. Haven’t I taught you that?”

“You haven’t taught me much considering you weren’t around.”

“Yes I was. I visited you.”

“Only when you needed money from Gran. You were never actually here for me. You were here for you. And just because you don’t trust anybody doesn’t mean I can’t. Just because you’re happy to be in a relationship for money doesn’t mean that I am. I already sent the divorce papers to him, mother. It’s done.”

Cici lurched forward, grabbing onto Charlie’s hands, “But it’s not done! Leo called.”

“What?”

“He called and I talked to him.”

Charlie yanked her hands away, stepping back, “Why? Why would you talk to him?”

“Well, somebody has to. He said he’s been calling and leaving messages for weeks and you won’t call him back.”

“Because I don’t want to talk to him!”

“Oh honey, he misses you. He got the papers but he doesn’t want the marriage to end. He wants to talk things out. He wants to fix it. What can it hurt to have one conversation? Maybe you two can figure everything out. He swears he won’t cheat anymore.”

“Right,” snorted Charlie, walking away to the kitchen. She needed a drink but she had work in a few hours so a Diet Coke would just have to do for now. 

“Look, we both know he’s lying. That’s what men do. Obviously he’s going to sleep around at the next opportunity,” Cici said, following her. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t make this arrangement work for you. You could still have your boytoy on the side if you wanted. I mean, fair’s fair, right? If he gets to play, why can’t you?”

“Oh my god,” Charlie moaned, slamming ice into her glass, spinning to face her mother. “What is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with you? This is the best of both worlds. You get money and power being the wife of a prestigious lawyer and you also get to have your fun. That’s the dream, honey!”

“No! That’s your dream! I don’t want a bullshit marriage. I don’t want clothes and cars and a big house. It doesn’t mean anything when the person who’s sharing it with you doesn’t even care about you!”

“Charlie, you’re being ridiculous.”

“No, mom! You’re being ridiculous. Listen, this is my house. You want to stay here for a while? Fine. I won’t throw you out because you’re my mother. But you don’t answer my damn phone. You don’t talk to Leo and you butt out of my life because it’s not your business! I’m not going back to him. So, if you’re hoping for a money source, it sure as hell won’t be me. Guess you’re going to have to go find a new idiot to sink your claws into because I’m guessing the last one dropped you and that’s why you’re here anyway. But you’re out of luck because I have nothing to give you. Gran’s gone. The bank is officially closed. Now, I have to go get ready for work. Find something productive to do with yourself.”

And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving her mother flabbergasted that she’d had the nerve to actually stand up for herself for once. And damn, it felt good.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rainy day meant writing time. 😘 So, here you go, two chapters in two days. 

Chapter Text

The Fun Fair pulsed with energy, the scent of funnel cakes and chili dogs wafting through the humid evening air. American flags flapped against a sky streaked with pink and gold, while kids in light-up sneakers chased each other past game booths stacked with Beanie Babies and slap bracelets. This is How We Do It spilled from scratched up speakers near the dunk tank. The Ferris Wheel turned slow and steady, casting shadows as the sun dipped low. Fireflies blinked in the tall grass, and everything smelled like sugar and sunscreen. 

Eddie stood back with Will, lazily looking on as Dustin attempted to win a giant Pikachu from the shooting gallery, his gaze constantly drifting to see if Charlie had shown up yet. Robin had said she was coming but so far he’d seen no sign of her. 

Robin, Vicki, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan had headed off in search of funnel cake. Mike and El were in line for the Ferris Wheel. He’d only been told about five minutes ago that Max and Lucas were bringing Billy and he wondered if Charlie knew but didn’t know how to ask without giving away that he and Charlie were more than casual acquaintances. Why would he care if her ex was coming? 

But he did care because if she didn’t know, she was about to be blindsided by a guy who had clearly done a number on her in the past. A guy she hadn’t seen since high school and probably never expected to see again. He didn’t want her hurt and, selfishly, he didn’t want her taking off because she couldn’t manage to be around him. 

He knew everyone was here and they would have to be careful. But in the chaos of the fair, he was sure he could get a few moments alone with her. No one would bat an eye if they rode something together or headed off to grab a corn dog. The group broke off all the time. Hell, they were doing it now. 

So, no, he did not want goddamn Billy Hargrove to ruin what he’d been expecting to be a pretty good night. He’d envisioned them sitting together to watch the fireworks. Maybe he could even sneak in a few touches in the dark when everyone was too busy watching the show to notice. 

“I did it!” Dustin screamed, pulling his attention back to him as the guy working the booth handed over the massive yellow stuffed animal and Dustin held it high over his head, shaking it vigorously, as if he’d just won the World Cup or something. 

“Wow, Henderson,” Eddie replied, putting as much excitement into his tone as he could muster for a three foot tall Pokemon. “That’s uh…that’s really something. Good job.”

“Thanks man,” the curly headed kid beamed. “He only cost me about ten bucks to win but I did it.”

“And where are you going to put the yellow squirrel?”

“Pikachu? Come on, man,” Dustin groaned. “You’re like a class A nerd. You should know these things. What self-respecting nerd doesn’t know Pokemon?”

“I am a proud card carrying member of the nerd club but that doesn’t mean I know everything about anything nerdy. Sorry, man. You’re on your own with Pokemon.” He shrugged. “Don’t know anything about it.”

“Yeah. Neither do Mike and Lucas,” Will shrugged. “It’s huge in Japan right now and only just coming to us. By next year, every kid in America is going to be obsessed. Just watch.”

“You do know you’re not actually…kids anymore, right?” asked Eddie.

“Obviously,” Dustin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t be obtuse.”

“How can I when I have no clue what that means?”

“Jesus Eddie. It means slow to understand or perceive something.”

 “Wow, Dustin. I see age has not made you any less of a dick.”

“Whoa!”

“You just called me slow!” Eddie snapped, probably sounding harsher than he needed to be but he’d been called that enough in his life and he sure wasn’t taking it from Henderson.

“I did not. I said you were being slow to understand that particular concept. That’s different.”

“Sounds the same to me,” Eddie stated, folding his arms over his Black Sabbath tee. 

“It’s not. Jesus Christ.” Dustin pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose as if Eddie was the one being insane.

“Hey man, you’re the one getting all bent out of shape over some damn anime characters.”

“I am not! I’m just…”

“Am I interrupting something?”

They both looked up to see Charlie standing there, wide eyes batting between the two of them. Damn. She looked good, just like always. She wore a cut off tee with Smashing Pumpkins on it underneath a flannel shirt with high-waisted cut-off jean shorts and white Reeboks. A black choker adorned her throat, little silver hoops hanging from her ears, and her long red hair was pulled up in a scrunchy. 

“Charlie!” Will announced, tilting his head, an amused smile on his face. “No, you’re not interrupting anything unless you want to get involved in a rousing battle about whether Eddie is obtuse for not knowing Pokemon or not.”

“Oh…well, considering I have no idea what that is, I think I will stay out of it. Thanks.”

“Oh my god. You too? Come on,” Dustin huffed. 

“Dustin, Pokemon isn’t really known here yet. Most people don’t know what it is. I’m surprised they even had a Pikachu here,” Will said in an attempt to mollify the kid. 

“Yeah, and speaking of things people don’t know, did you know obtuse means slow?” Eddie asked her, not really offended anymore but not able to pass up messing with Henderson. “Apparently that’s what Dustin thinks of me. Isn’t that nice after years of friendship. After I went out of my way to extend an invitation to him when no one else would even talk to him in high school. That’s the thanks I get from this guy.”

“Well, actually…it depends on the context in which he used obtuse in,” Charlie said.

“See!” Dustin threw his hands out toward Charlie. “Thank you!”

“Yeah. Thanks so much for coming to my defense,” Eddie told her, adding a smile to let her know he was only teasing. 

“Just forget it. Will, do you want some cotton candy?” Dustin sighed, admitting defeat. 

The two boys strolled away, leaving Eddie and Charlie alone. He glanced around but no one else was there. Perfect. This was exactly the type of situation he’d been hoping for. 

“So, how are things going with your mom?” he asked softly, concern he’d been unable to shake since she’d left his house the other morning apparent on his face. 

Charlie’s face tightened, her jaw clenching, “Oh, you know, peachy. Let’s see. She leaves a mess everywhere she goes and never cleans up after herself. She orders food and expects me to pay for it when it arrives because she never has any money. She wears my clothes. She uses my shampoo and conditioner. Oh, and she talked to my ex and is really pushing for him and I to talk so we can try to work things out because she thinks I’m making a huge mistake.”

“What?” Eddie shook his head, his hair flying. “Doesn’t she know about the cheating?”

“Yep but that doesn’t seem to phase her because apparently, all men do it. And why should it matter if he cheats if he has money? The way she sees it, I should stay married to him, spend his money, and get my own little boy toy on the side for fun. Because love? What’s that? As far as Cici Carew is concerned, that does not actually exist and I would be stupid for holding out for that.”

“Damn. Really? Your mom’s even more cynical than I am.”

“Yeah. I know, right?” She exhaled slowly. “I mean, I know her and my dad didn’t work out. He took off not long after I was born but I guess I always thought they’d loved each other. But now I’m not even sure of that. Knowing Cici, she probably got pregnant on purpose, knowing Kenny Dawson was from money and going to college to work in corporate finance. She probably thought she could trap him with a baby.” She laughed loudly. “Well, joke’s on her! He didn’t care. He just took off and made a new family, one he actually wanted.”

“Charlie…” Eddie stepped toward her but she backed away, holding her hands up. 

“Eddie, stop. Look, I appreciate you caring enough to ask but I really just want to forget about Cici for the night and actually have some fun.” Her head cocked, her eyes pleading with him. “Please. Can we just let it go and have some fun?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Of course.” He took her hand in his, smiling down at her, thinking he’d do anything to erase the stress so clearly etched on her face. “So, what would you like to do first, princess? Play a game? Ride a ride? Eat some food?”

“Charlie!” came Robin’s voice.

Her hand instantly dropped from his and she leaped away, placing half a foot between them as she turned. Robin, Nancy, Vicki, Steve, and Jonathan were approaching, the girls each holding a funnel cake that the boys were picking pieces off of. 

“Oh! Funnel cake,” Charlie grinned, stepping forward to snag her own piece. She popped the piece into her mouth, moaning in a way that was entirely unfair if she wasn’t underneath him. “Damn. That is my favorite part of a fair.”

“I know, right?” Nancy agreed. “We got three so there’s plenty to share. Oh. There’s Max. Max!” She waved her free hand in the air as Max, Lucas, and the guy Eddie hoped Charlie had been warned about made their way over to them. 

Charlie immediately melted into the background, ducking behind Eddie’s height in an effort not to be seen. God, he wanted to punch this guy and that sucked because he’d actually grown to like Billy. But watching the way she made herself small at the mere presence of him just pissed him off. 

“Hey Billy!” Steve greeted. Steve may have been one of the most shocking people to forgive Billy after Lucas, considering Billy had kicked his ass, but even he had come around. “Oh…Billy.” His eyes darted over to where Charlie was hiding and Eddie knew he was thinking about what Robin had told them both. But he didn’t even know the half of it. “Shit…” he muttered. “That’s awkward.”

“What’s awkward?” asked Max with an oblivious smile. 

“Nothing,” Robin snapped, glaring over at Steve. “Absolutely nothing. Good to see you Billy. How have you been?”

Tucking his hands in his jeans pockets, he shrugged, “You know? Living the life. Working and existing. Just trying to make it day to day.”

“Charlie, have you met Billy?” asked Max, frowning as she noticed Charlie hiding behind Eddie. “Charlie?”

“Charlie?” echoed Billy and when she stepped out, his eyes resembled an owl’s with as wide and round as they got. “Holy shit. No way. Charlie Dawson?”

“Charlie Quinn now, actually,” she replied softly, her hands wringing together nervously in front of her. Eddie had to fight not to sweep her back behind him, to protect her, to shield her from all of this. 

He watched as Billy’s eyes dropped to her left hand, eyebrows lifting when he noticed the absence of a ring. 

“No shit. You’re married? Wow. Congrats.”

“Oh, well, thanks. I was but actually…I’m getting divorced. Probably going to change my name back after it’s all over too.”

Billy sucked at his teeth, wincing, “Damn, darling. I’m real sorry to hear that.” Eddie didn’t miss the way his eyes moved from the top of her to the bottom and back up again. “It’s his loss, though because damn, girl, you’re looking gorgeous.”

Eddie hated the way her skin flushed at his compliment. That flush was his. He owned that perfect shade of pink, like the swirls of cotton candy that Dustin was currently chomping on as he and Will approached the group. 

“Thanks,” she breathed.

“So you two know each other already?” asked Max, clearly trying to figure out what was happening here. Sensing that it wasn’t a simple high school reunion. 

“Oh yeah. Charlie and I…well…” Billy cringed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was kind of…I mean, shit, I’m sorry. We…”

“Who wants to ride the bumper cars!?” Robin called loudly, clearly as unhappy at this turn of events as Eddie was. “Anybody? Charlie? Come on!” Looping her arm through her friend’s, she practically dragged her away before anyone could say anything else.

“Damn,” Billy sighed, watching them go. He glanced over at Eddie. “I think she may have been the biggest mistake of my life, man. That girl is hot as hell these days.”

Probably but if Billy didn’t shut his mouth, he was about to make a bigger one. Eddie clenched his jaw, hands fisted at his sides, as he followed the rest of the group, reminding himself that he needed to keep it in check. Punching Billy in the mouth would raise a lot of questions no matter how tempting it was.

___________________________________________________________

Charlie took a long sip of her lemon shake-up, needing it with the way Robin had been toting her all over the fair. The girl was a menace. She hadn’t left her alone for one moment since Billy had shown up. They’d ridden just about every single ride, played multiple games, and gone through the funhouse. 

She appreciated her friend’s concern but she really didn’t need to act like her personal bodyguard, placing herself between her and Billy anytime the guy even tried to speak to her. Charlie was not sixteen anymore. She wasn’t going to be stupid the way she’d been then. 

And yeah, Billy was looking good. And yeah, that smile could still melt your panties right off. And, okay, Charlie would be lying if she said she hadn’t checked out his ass on more than one occasion. Who could blame her with the way that guy filled out jeans? But she wasn’t going to fall for a nice smile and a tight ass anymore. She wasn’t some hormonal teenager who couldn’t keep it in check. 

Well…unless you counted Eddie. There was something about that guy that caused her to throw all her inhibitions and common sense out the window. He hadn’t been looking very happy tonight either. Charlie hadn’t missed the way that little muscle just under his ear had been clenched all night or the way he kept twisting those chunky rings on his fingers. Something was clearly bugging him. 

She approached the group to hear Billy say, “Yeah. I heard you normally play on Thursdays but since it’s the fourth they’re having you guys play tomorrow and since I’m in town, I told Max we should come see the show.”

Eddie’s smile looked more like a grimace as he replied, “Cool, man.”

“I was thinking we could all go,” Max added. “It would be fun. It’s been a while since we all came to cheer you on.”

“I was there Tuesday,” Dustin stated.

“You’re always there,” laughed Lucas. 

“Well, excuse me for wanting to support our friend.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” El agreed. “It will be fun to all go. I haven’t seen Eddie play in a few weeks.”

“I’m in,” Mike shrugged. 

A chorus of agreement made its way around the group before Nancy turned to Charlie, asking, “How about you? You available tomorrow?”

“Oh, no. I bet Charlie has something…didn’t you say you have…?” Robin was desperately trying to find a way to get her out of it and Charlie loved her for it.

“No. I’m actually free,” she said, giving Robin a reassuring smile because she could handle it. Besides, she really wanted to see Eddie play and she loved spending time with this group. 

“Awesome!” Steve stepped up to her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “The whole gang’s going. What do you think, Ed? Full house for your show!”

“Yeah,” he muttered, giving that tight smile again, his eyes zeroing in on Steve’s arm around her shoulders. “Awesome.”

“We should probably go grab our spots for the fireworks,” Will told them, “before they’re all taken and we have to stand or have the Ferris Wheel in the way.”

“Good idea,” Steve agreed, dropping his arm and moving away. “I know the perfect spot.” 

“Hey, uh, Charlie,” Billy said, stepping toward her. “Could we maybe talk? I mean, just the two of us?”

Robin’s eyes narrowed in and her friend took a step in their direction before Charlie held her hand up, fending her off. She really did not need Robin to go all Terminator on Billy. Charlie also didn’t miss the look Max was giving them, the poor girl trying to figure out what exactly was going on with her and her brother.

“Yeah,” she answered, nodding. “Yeah, uh, we’ll meet you guys over there, okay?”

“We’ll be right by that big tree!” Steve called out, pointing off in the distance. 

Robin’s eyes found hers, questioning, and Charlie mouthed that it was fine because it was. This was ridiculous. The bullshit between her and Billy was old news. They’d been teenagers. She didn’t know what he wanted to say but there was no reason for her to harbor hatred toward him twelve years after the fact. She wasn’t going to be a total bitch to him because he’d been an asshole at seventeen. 

Robin shrugged, looking unhappy, but turned to follow Steve and the rest. The only person who hadn’t walked away was Eddie, his arms crossed, watching the two of them like a bouncer at the club just waiting for someone to screw up so he could throw them out. Charlie looked pointedly at him and he sighed, walking off with the rest. 

Jesus. Did she really give off save me vibes? Was she that pathetic? Was she that weak? Why were they both so worried about leaving her alone? What exactly did they think was going to happen in the middle of a fair full of people?

“So, what’s up?” she asked, trying to sound far more casual and relaxed than she actually felt at this moment. 

“I…uh…damn, this is really awkward,” he said with a laugh, shifting from one foot to the other. Was Billy actually nervous? Charlie couldn’t remember ever seeing him look unsure of himself. That boy had walked around Hawkins High with all the swagger of a guy who had zero fear. “Look, I just wanted to apologize. I mean…this is crazy. I never thought I would see you again.”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us,” she agreed, swallowing down her nerves. 

“I was such a dick to you. I mean, a total shithead and I am so sorry, Charlie. I was in a bad place then, man. My dad and…no. You know what? I’m not going to make excuses for myself. I treated you like shit and you didn’t deserve it. You deserved so much better. You were so good to me back then and I was just too fucking stupid to see it.”

“You were seventeen, Billy. I think most of us were pretty fucking stupid when we were seventeen.”

“Maybe but not everybody was an asshole and I was. I didn’t…the way you…shit. The way you looked at me, the way you saw me…it scared the shit out of me because I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t understand how you saw anything good in me, anything worth…”

“Anything worth loving?” she finished, realizing she was looking at a human who had been just as broken as she was. The difference was, while she had been seeking out something to feel good about, he hadn’t felt like he deserved anything good. 

“Yeah,” he said, that one little syllable sounding like a sigh of relief that she understood, that someone saw that all that rage and bravado had been a mask he’d been using to hide a scared little boy. 

“Billy, it’s okay. Really. I mean, it wasn’t. Not then. I was mortified and heartbroken and…” She laughed. “I sat in my room, listening to Careless Whisper on repeat and just crying my eyes out. You hurt me. You did.”

“I know and I cannot say I’m sorry enough.”

“You don’t have to keep saying it. I forgive you. I was sixteen. Everything felt so much bigger than it was then. And I’ve learned recently that everybody is a bit broken and that’s okay. Ed…a friend,” she said with a smile, “helped me see that. That none of us are actually whole. All of us are dealing with shit and we’re doing our best to carry it but sometimes it gets messy and it spills out onto others. And that’s not okay but as long as we own up to it, which is what you’re doing, I mean, isn’t that the best any of us can do?”

Billy’s lips pursed, his head tilting slightly, and he slowly nodded, “I like that. Yeah. I mean, I guess it is. And I am dealing with my shit. I’ve been to therapy. Can you believe that?”

“No,” she laughed, “the Billy I knew back then would never admit anything was wrong with him but I’m proud of you. Good for you. That’s great.”

“Yeah, it’s been really eye opening for me. I hated the fucking world, man. I thought everything and everybody was out to get me. I wouldn’t show an ounce of weakness because I’d learned not to. That wasn’t allowed in the Hargrove household. You had to be a man and men didn’t flinch. But I’m learning to be more…how did my therapist put it? Be more aware of my emotions, understand their manifestation, and label them accurately. Basically, how am I feeling, why am I feeling like that, and what is that feeling called.” He shrugged. “It sounded like bullshit to me at first but it’s really working, just taking that pause to figure out what I’m feeling and why.”

Charlie smiled, “I’m glad that it’s working for you.” She cleared her throat and gestured toward the tree. “We should probably start heading over there. I think the fireworks are starting soon.”

“Yeah. Okay. How about you?” he asked as they walked. “Have you gone to therapy about all your shit with your mom and dad and stuff?”

“Me? No,” admitted Charlie, shaking her head. “I probably should but, well, my husband…soon to be ex-husband, wouldn’t have wanted his wife in therapy. It’s not a good look when you’re trying to impress all the fancy lawyers you work with. Looks like your wife isn’t stable and you can’t possibly have that.”

“Wow. No offense but it sounds like you married a douche.”

She laughed, “You know, everybody keeps saying that, no offense, right before they say something offensive about him. But really, none taken. He was and is a total douche. Hence why I’m divorcing him.”

Billy reached out, taking her hand to stop her, just as they spotted the group sitting on blankets in the grass right next to the big tree, just where Steve said they would be. Charlie turned to him, lifting her eyebrows in question. 

“Before we get over there, I just wanted to say thanks. You know? For giving me the opportunity to apologize. What I did to you…it’s been eating at me for years. When I finally saw who I was becoming, basically my asshole dad, and decided I didn’t want to be him, I had a lot of regrets. I saw my actions for what they were and how much they had hurt others. And you’ve always been one of my biggest regrets.”

“It’s okay, really.”

“No. I know you say that but we both know it wasn’t, so just, thank you. Thank you for even taking the time to listen because I don’t know if I would have.”

“Of course,” she said, meaning it. He had been a total asshole but sometimes people could change and she was glad to see that he had. She’d always seen the pain he was carrying. She just hadn’t been enough to help him deal with it, probably because she was carrying her own that she wasn’t dealing with. Two people with massive baggage they were leaving in the middle of the floor just meant they kept tripping over it and nothing ever got unpacked and put away.

Billy held his arms out, “Hug it out?”

Charlie smiled, stepping into him, suddenly transported back to sophomore year. He still smelled and felt the same, despite the time that had passed. It was easy to pretend they were in her room at her Gran’s, Billy having snuck in through the window. 

As they parted, she made her way over to the blanket, sitting down between Eddie and Robin where her friend had saved her a spot while Billy made his way over to Max. 

“Hey, you okay?” Robin whispered and she nodded. “What was all that about? Were you two hugging?”

“It’s nothing,” she assured her friend. “Seriously. He just wanted to apologize and make things right. That’s all. We were just hugging it out. It didn’t mean anything.”

There was a definitive snort from her other side and she looked over to see Eddie pointedly looking at the sky instead of at her. Charlie crept her fingers across the blanket to touch his but he pulled his hand away. Okay. Now what the hell was this? Was he seriously jealous? 

There was no reason to be jealous. One, they weren’t even in a relationship and two, she hadn’t done anything with Billy and had no intention of doing so. Those feelings had long been squashed and seeing him again hadn’t flickered any flames. But there wasn’t much she could say with so many ears close by. 

She was just thinking of asking him if he wanted to go grab a drink when the first firework went off and she decided it would just have to wait. She could talk to him tomorrow at the show. She was sure she could get him alone at some point. 

Chapter Text

The Hideout sat on the corner of the relatively quiet street, its neon beer sign flickering in the window like a half-hearted invitation. It was the kind of place that smelled like cigarette smoke and stale beer before the door had even swung open. 

Charlie headed inside. It was dim, lit mostly by string lights above the bar and the red glow from an old jukebox that had been turned off to make way for the night’s live act. The floors were worn wood, sticky in places, and the tables were mismatched with scarred tops from years of use. It was the exact kind of place you’d expect to find in a small one-horse town like Hawkins. 

“Charlie!” called Nancy, waving her over to a large table they’d created by pushing multiple smaller tables together. 

“Hey!” she greeted with a grin, slipping her purse off her shoulder and hooking the strap on the back of the chair next to Robin. “Where’s Eddie?”

She didn’t want to sound eager but she needed to find an opportunity to get him alone. Charlie had the feeling that he thought something was going on with her and Billy. He couldn’t be more wrong and though he really had no right to be jealous or upset if they were just having fun together, she couldn’t shake the need to fix it, to make sure that he knew nothing happened and nothing was going to happen. 

“In the back,” Steve answered, pushing back his chair to stand. “Him and the guys are getting ready to go on in just a few minutes. I was just heading up to the bar to get another beer. What do you want to drink? I got it.”

“Oh, thanks! Jack and Diet Coke, please.”

“You got it,” he said with a finger gun and a wink, making his way over to the bar. 

“So, how’s it going with mommy dearest?” asked Robin as Charlie sat down. “You kicked her out yet?”

Since Charlie had told Robin about Cici randomly showing up, Robin had not let up. She kept insisting that Charlie needed to throw her out on her ass, that she had every right to do so because the house was hers. And Charlie knew all that but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She knew she should. Her mother had done nothing to earn her loyalty over the years. She knew she owed her nothing but she was still her mother and that meant something to Charlie, even if it didn't mean squat to Cici. 

“Oh, you know, being a menace as usual,” Charlie muttered. “It’s been a relief having something to do these last couple nights so I don’t have to be in the house with her.”

“You know, Robin’s right,” Max interjected. “Your Gran left the house to you. She doesn’t have a right to be there. You can tell her to leave if she’s making your life hell.”

Billy nodded, “Yeah. I know a thing or two about parents who shouldn’t be parents. My therapist says you don’t have to allow anyone toxic in your life. It doesn’t matter what their relationship is to you. You are allowed to protect your peace. If she’s toxic, get her the hell out of there, Charlie. You don’t have to put up with it.”

Great. Now she was getting life advice from Billy Hargrove? Really? She knew everyone here meant well but they weren’t in her shoes. Her mother was the only family she had left. And yeah, she was a poor excuse for that, but that didn’t change the fact that they were the only family each other had anymore. She couldn’t just throw her out on her ass no matter how much she wanted to sometimes. 

Cici had shown up at the bookstore that morning, out of the blue, saying she just wanted to see where her little girl was working. They’d had a good hour together, Charlie showing her around the small shop, explaining what she did at the store. Then Cici had asked if she had twenty bucks because she really needed new shoes. And what had Charlie done? Not what she should have. No, of course not. She’d reached into her purse and handed over the money. 

Then she’d come home to Cici, laying on the couch, eating chips and dip, watching a rerun of Mad About You. The house was a disaster. Dishes piled high in the sink. Cici’s clothes laying all over the living room, dirty socks bunched up in the corner of the couch and a sweater thrown over the chair, her pajamas on the coffee table. Wet towels sitting on the floor of the bathroom. The kitchen counters were covered in something sticky, that smelled an awful lot like that damn box wine her mom drank no matter the time of day. 

So Charlie had spent two hours cleaning up her mother’s mess and doing laundry before getting herself ready for tonight. 

“Thanks, but I’ve got it under control,” she lied, ignoring the very pointed look Robin was currently drilling into her skull from beside her. 

Luckily, she was cut off as the band entered the stage, backlit by harsh colored lights. Eddie looked good in a faded Metallica tee, ripped at the collar, and a pair of worn black jeans slung slow on his hips. Charlie smiled, giving Eddie a tiny wave, but he ignored her once again as he picked up his guitar from the stage, slipping the strap over his head. 

For the next ninety minutes, she forgot everything else. She forgot about her mom barging in and ruining the little slice of peace she’d carved for herself here. She forgot about her anxiety that Eddie was angry with her for something she hadn’t even done. She forgot about Leo and his angry phone calls. She forgot everything but the man on stage. 

His long, dark, wavy hair clung to his face, damp with sweat. His fingers, decked out in those chunky silver rings, moved with raw precision across the neck of his guitar. He leaned into the mic like he was sharing a secret with the room, his voice gravelly and deep, pushed just to the edge of control. 

The music was heavy with gritty riffs and deep, pounding drums that seemed to vibrate through the walls. It was too much for the old sound system this place was working with, which crackled now and then, but no one seemed to care. The energy was messy but alive. Eddie’s performance was magnetic, pulling everyone in the room in, like someone who didn’t just play music but bled it. 

He was beautiful. He was…otherwordly. The way he snarled into the mic on the chorus, the way he closed his eyes and lost himself in the guitar solo that could rival any rock guitarist that had ever graced the cover of Rolling Stone or played The Garden. 

The crowd was small, mostly regulars, but they were into it. Heads banged, a few guys shouted lyrics back at the stage, and someone knocked over a barstool without even noticing as they jumped to the beat. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it but for her, sitting there in the thick heat of the music, it felt like something more, something she couldn’t even find words to explain if she tried because they didn’t exist. 

“Wow,” she breathed as Eddie thanked the crowd and the band exited the stage. “That was incredible.”

“Uh-huh,” Nancy mused, grinning around her straw at Charlie. “I bet it was. You were completely absorbed in the…music.”

Charlie fought the urge to kick her under the table. Nancy was too damn observant and she didn’t like it. The girl was going to figure something out if she hadn’t already. It was probably the reporter in her, always sniffing out a story. 

“Wasn’t it?” Dustin asked. “I come to every show.”

“Yeah, we know,” Steve groaned loudly. “You’re the bestest friend ever.”

“As long as you know that.”

____________________________________________________________

Eddie ran a towel over his face to gather most of the sweat. He was exhausted, having put everything into the show. All his anger. All his energy. All the raging emotions he couldn’t seem to get control of since last night. He’d left it all on that stage and it had felt damn good but now he was exhausted. 

He’d seen her sitting there. He’d seen Charlie wave to him but he hadn’t even acknowledged her. Why should he? If she was going to drop him faster than a hot potato because her ex who’d been an asshole to her showed back up, then he had nothing for her. 

Eddie wasn’t stupid. He saw how she laughed when Billy made a joke, how he bought her a drink during their sixth song, the way she smiled at him when he handed it to her. He saw the way Billy was looking at her the whole time. The guy wanted another shot, a chance to fix the dumb mistake he’d made so many years ago. He saw how hot Charlie was and he wanted to have another go at it. And if she was going to be dumb enough to let him, then that was on her. 

“That was awesome!” Gareth yelled, pumping his fists in the air. “I told you! I told you we could add something new and the audience would love it. They were losing their shit over Black Hole Sun!”

“Yeah, but we still gave them AC/DC,” Jeff shrugged.

“Yeah but we switched it up and did Back in Black instead of Highway to Hell,” argued Gareth. “I just feel like if we occasionally switch up the set, either switching songs or just totally changing them out, we can keep it fresh. I finally felt excited about playing our show again. I haven’t felt like that in years, man.” He grinned, elbowing Eddie gently in the side. “And I noticed your girl was here tonight. I think she liked it.”

“Yeah, she couldn’t take her eyes off you, man,” Jeff agreed. 

“She’s not my girl,” Eddie snapped, throwing the towel. “We were just having some fun. She was a girl I called to fuck when I was horny. That’s all.”

Jeff snorted, “Man, you can try to fool yourself all you want but you ain’t fooling us. We’ve seen your face after you’ve been with her. That girl is more than just a booty call.”

“Yeah, Ed. Come on. It’s us. We’ve known you since middle school and we know what that look means. You’ve only had it twice before and both times you were head over heels, gaga, hearts in your eyes.”

“Shut up,” he growled. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I don’t feel shit for her. She’s just a piece of ass. Jesus, I need a goddamn beer.”

“Sure she is!” called Gareth but Eddie ignored him, walking with purpose out of the back and straight to the bar, ordering a beer. 

“Thanks, man,” he said, taking a long drink, pushing all of his friend’s words way down into a box that he was locking up tight. They didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. His heels were not over his head. They were planted firmly on the floor. 

“Hey there. That was a great set.”

Eddie glanced over to find a tall blonde standing next to him, wearing a skirt so short and a top cut so low that her outfit didn’t leave much to the imagination. She batted her overly done lashes at him hopefully, letting him know exactly what she was approaching him for.

“Oh yeah? Thanks.”

“Yeah. I mean, the band was great but you? You were incredible. I couldn’t stop watching you. The way you played that guitar…” Her fingers gently wrapped around his. “It made me wonder what other things these fingers are skilled at.”

Eddie was bored. He couldn’t care less about this girl or what she thought of his fingers. She didn’t care about the set. She didn’t care about music. She probably couldn’t even tell him the name of a single song that they played. She just wanted to get him in bed. Just another girl who wanted to have a great story to tell her friends about how she fucked the lead singer of a band. 

He was just about to tell her thanks but he wasn’t interested when he caught sight of Charlie heading his way. Fuck that. She wanted to play games, he could play games too. 

Eddie dipped his head down to the blonde, whispering softly, “These fingers could play your body just as good as that guitar.”

She turned into him, pressing her chest against him, “Wanna go in the back and show me?”

Eddie grinned, his eyes darting up to make sure Charlie was noticing this encounter. And oh yeah, she definitely was. She stood there, appearing dumbstruck at what she was seeing. Yeah. It didn't feel good, did it? Knowing you could be easily flung to the side as soon as another offer came along. Maybe it was juvenile but Eddie couldn’t ignore the hum  of satisfaction it brought him.

“I’m gonna go grab a smoke out back, honey. I always need one after I play a set. Why don’t you go wait for me in the dressing room? I’ll be there in ten.”

She beamed, nodding eagerly and bounced off like he’d told her there was a puppy waiting for her. Eddie sighed, heading for the back door. Just another meaningless encounter. His specialty. 

___________________________________________________________

It was this weird, heavy mix in her chest, not quite heartbreak but not nothing either. She couldn’t tell if she was more mad or embarrassed. Her stomach had dropped the second she saw him leaning in, smiling that same smile he had used on her so many times. Her face got hot. She wanted to leave and cause a scene at the same time. 

Charlie had thought they had…something. Even if they never said it out loud, she assumed, stupidly apparently, that they weren’t sleeping with other people. Had he been screwing other girls this whole time? She felt like an idiot. Had she misread everything?

Part of her wanted to confront him, ask him what the hell that was. But what right did she have to ask that? They had never exactly defined whatever the hell this was. Still, it was shocking how much it hurt and now she was going to have to pretend that it didn’t because nobody knew about any of this except for the two of them. 

She was just going to go home. Grab her purse, tell everyone she wasn’t feeling well, and get out of here as quickly as possible. But then she saw Eddie slip out the back door as the blond headed down the hall to the backstage area. 

No. She wasn’t stupid. This wasn’t a relationship but she wasn’t crazy in thinking that it had just been the two of them. She deserved answers and she was going to get them. Maybe it was time they actually defined whatever this was so they didn’t get their signals crossed anymore. 

Charlie moved through the bar, pushing open the back door to find Eddie, his boot propped against the wall, smoking a cigarette. A lifted eyebrow was the only indication he gave that he even noticed she was there. She crossed her arms, mustering up every ounce of confidence she had to not curl in on herself and bail. 

“What the hell was that?” she demanded. 

“Sorry?” Eddie dropped the cigarette, crushing it out with his boot. “What was what exactly?”

“You and that girl in there.”

“What about it?”

He was so damn cold. Where was the guy who’d offered to let her come to his place anytime she needed? Where was the guy who’d whisked her away when he saw she was on the edge of completely losing it? Where was the guy who’d told her how everyone was fucked up so she wouldn’t feel alone? 

“What about it?” she asked, struggling to align this guy with the one she’d just sat across the table from the other morning, sharing pancakes. “I thought we…I mean…”

“You thought we what?” he snapped, pushing off the wall. “What, Charlie? What was this exactly? What did we have?”

“I mean, I know it’s casual but…”

“Exactly. It’s casual, right? No strings. No feelings. We were literally meeting up to fuck. That’s it. That’s all it was. We’re not exclusive. We never said that.”

“No, but I…have you been sleeping around this whole time that we’ve been hooking up?” she asked, both needing to know and not wanting to know at the same time. 

“And so what if I was? You’re not my fucking girlfriend. I can do whatever the hell I want with whoever the hell I want and so can you.”

Ouch. Okay. So clearly he had been sleeping with other people this whole time. What had she really expected? They’d never outlined what this was. They’d never set ground rules. It was supposed to be fun and if he was having fun with her, why would she think he wasn’t having fun with other people too? Of course he was. 

Her mother was right. All guys were the same. What the hell was she even doing? This was supposed to be easy but it wasn’t. Nothing was ever easy. 

“Okay. I guess I misunderstood what this was then. I just thought that…”

“You thought what? That you were the only piece of ass I’d want? You really think you’re that good in bed, honey? You think you’re so good that I wouldn’t need anyone else? Come on.”

Charlie blinked back tears because she would not cry in front of him. She was not going to give Eddie the satisfaction of knowing that he’d managed to hurt her. She was right back there, sophomore year, behind the school, Billy announcing loudly how bad of a lay she was. How she was nothing more than a pity fuck. 

“You know what? Fuck you, Eddie!”

“You already did that, princess. Multiple times.”

“I am so stupid. I thought you were better than the assholes I’ve wasted time on but you’re just like all the rest of them. Go to hell.”

____________________________________________________________

Eddie flinched when the back door slammed behind her. Shit. With a roar of anger, he slammed his fist into the door. 

“Fuck!” he screamed, wrapping his hand around his knuckles. Great. That’s all he needed. To have a broken hand and not be able to play for a while. That would just really be the cherry on top of this fucked up sundae. 

Why had he said all that? Jesus, he was such an idiot. He was just so damn mad. It was just another situation where he was being tossed to the side like trash. It was another person who didn’t care enough about him. He was so easily replaceable. He always had been. He was never good enough. 

It shouldn’t matter. They weren’t anything to each other. They had agreed to that. This was nothing, just two people who met each other’s most basic, carnal needs. Of course he didn’t mean much to her. That was never what this was supposed to be but fuck, it hurt to know she didn’t care about him anymore than Chrissy or Frankie or Haley. 

He’d let himself get too attached. He’d gotten in too deep. Caring about her, about what she was going through. Trying to make her feel better, trying to save her. That was his mistake. That was where he went wrong. He should have just stayed her fuck buddy. Meet, have sex, go home. He’d complicated it by pushing for them to be friends too.

Heading back in, he almost walked right into Dustin. 

“Hey man. I was looking everywhere for you. Where’d you go?”

“Just out for a smoke.”

“Oh, dude. That was the most metal ever!” Dustin clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I was just telling Gareth and Jeff that those few switches and new songs really made the set. It was the best I’ve seen in a while. You guys were killing it!”

“Yeah, thanks man,” he mumbled, thinking he just needed to get the hell out of here. He didn’t want to see her again, to see that look of utter contempt on her face for him. 

“Hey Ed,” Jeff said, walking up, hooking his thumb toward the hall that led to their small dressing area. “There’s some chick back there, fully sprawled naked on the couch, man. She said she’s waiting on you and I gotta say, I’m a little confused because...” His eyes darted over to Dustin. “Well, you know?”

Fuck. He had completely forgotten about the blonde. Eddie grimaced, squeezing the bridge off his nose as the beginnings of a headache began to pound behind his eyes. 

“Man, can you just tell her I had to go? I can’t…fuck, I just don’t want to deal with it right now.”

“You want me to go tell the naked chick that you left?” Jeff questioned, clearly thinking Eddie had lost his mind because he’d never passed up a willing, naked girl before. 

“Yeah, man. Please. I just…” There was Charlie, sitting at the bar with Billy, the two of them having some kind of serious conversation. His hand reached out to her shoulder and Eddie saw red. He had to get the hell out of here before he did something stupid. “Fuck, man. I just need to get out of here, okay? Can you please just tell her…I don’t know! Tell her I was sick or something. Hell, fuck her if you want. I don’t care.”

“Ed, are you okay?” Dustin asked, following his line of sight toward Charlie and Billy. He frowned. “Are you and Charlie…?”

“Henderson, just shut it, okay? I’m fine. I just need to leave.”

And then he did what he always did best when shit got hard. He ran down the hall and out the back door where his van was parked. He got out of there before he punched Billy in the face and caused a lot of questions that he wouldn’t be able to answer. He wasn’t even sure he could answer them for himself. 

____________________________________________________________

“Hey, you alright?”

Charlie glanced over as Billy dropped down on the stool next to her. She’d come in from her confrontation with Eddie and all she wanted was another drink, something to numb her embarrassment and anger over her own stupidity at believing another guy with a pretty face and sweet words. 

Billy smiled, “Sorry. You just looked…I don’t know. Sad, maybe? Just wanted to check on you.”

She shook her head, taking a long drink of her Jack and Diet, “No. Not really. My life is pretty much a shitshow right now between my mom and my ex and…” She’d almost said Eddie. Shit. She really needed to be careful. 

“And?”

“And nothing. I don’t know. Isn’t that enough? Everything just feels fucked so…” She held up her drink. “Alcohol.” Charlie laughed tightly. “I just want it over, you know? I want my mom to finally realize that I’m not going back to my ex and to get out of the house. I want my divorce done with. I want it to be six months from now and everything to be settled. I want to be happy. I want to feel secure. I want to…I don’t know, have a dog, something that will actually love me unconditionally the way my mother should but doesn’t. The way my husband should but didn’t. The way my Gran did but can’t anymore.” Groaning, she rolled her head toward him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you. I’ve probably had too much to drink and my mouth is just running.”

Billy’s hand came to her shoulder. Charlie looked past him to see Eddie talking with Dustin and one his band mates, his hands flailing around in clear agitation. She fought back the urge to go see if he was okay. That wasn’t her job. Not anymore. No, it never had been. Then he disappeared down the hallway. Probably off to hook up with that blond that had been hanging all over him after the show. 

“You don’t have to apologize,” he told her, smiling. “As someone who’s middle name is basically fucked up, I completely get it. I get wanting to just skip a chapter to try to get to the good part. But unfortunately we have to live the whole story, the hard parts and the good parts. We have to get through the hard parts before we can get to the happily ever after. If that bullshit even exists.”

“Right?” She snorted, shaking her head. “My Gran and Gramps had it, you know? The happily ever after. I’ve never seen two people love each other the way they did. After he passed, Gran said she’d never be with anyone else because he was her person. There was no one else for her. I wanted that but I’m starting to think they were just lucky because most people don’t get to have that.”

“I think it’s real, I guess. I think we’re all just waiting to find the right person and some people don’t ever find them. Maybe they don’t exist but maybe, just maybe, we sometimes get in our own way and push them away before we can find out they’re right for us.”

Charlie swallowed, blinking away the pair of brown eyes, the full lips, the wild dark hair that appeared in her mind at his words. No. He was not the right person. The right person wouldn’t have spoken to her like that. The right person wouldn’t have been sleeping with a million other girls while they were sleeping together. If it had been right, he wouldn’t have felt the need to. 

“That’s why I was thinking maybe we should give this another shot.”

“What?” she asked, blinking and looking up at Billy, completely missing whatever he’d been saying. 

“Us? You know. I thought maybe we should give it another shot.”

Charlie couldn’t help herself. She laughed out loud, instantly regretting it when she saw how hurt Billy looked. 

“No. No. I’m sorry but we…Billy, we were a disaster from the word go.”

“Maybe but we were so young. We’re older now. We’ve learned from our mistakes. I mean, I know I have. I’m not that guy anymore, Charlie. Come on. Let me take you to dinner tomorrow and just see if there’s still anything there.”

For a split second, Charlie was tempted. What did it matter anymore? Whatever she and Eddie had going was definitely over. What would dinner hurt? It was just a meal and maybe there was something still there. Billy had clearly grown up and changed. Maybe it would be worth finding out. 

But no. She didn’t need to find out because she already knew. She didn’t feel anything for Billy anymore and it wouldn’t be fair to make him think there was a chance when she knew in her heart that there wasn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to use him just because she was hurting. She didn’t want Billy. She didn’t want anyone right now. She should have stuck to her original plan and just steered clear of men altogether. 

“That’s really sweet,” she said, trying to think how to word it so she didn’t hurt him. “I just…I don’t think so. I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s anything here anymore.”

“Right,” he said softly, “because of what a dick I was to you.”

“No. No. Really. I don’t care about any of that anymore and I would love to be friends. I hope we can be friends. I am so proud and glad for you that you’ve dealt with all of your shit. You really seem to have become a great guy, Billy. But I don’t really feel that way about you anymore. I haven’t for a long time and seeing you again, it didn’t bring any of those feelings back.”

He pressed his lips together, nodding, “Fair enough. Okay. You can’t blame a guy for trying though. I mean, look at you. You’re gorgeous, Charlie.”

“Thanks.” They were nice words but her looks clearly hadn’t been enough to hold Eddie’s interest. Inhaling softly, she grabbed her purse. She needed to get out of here before Eddie emerged again with the blond hanging all over him. “You know what? I’m gonna go. Can you just let everybody know that I headed out?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” Leaning in, she gave him a hug. “It really has been good seeing you.”

“You too, darling.”

Then she left. She just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t put on a happy face in front of all of her friends. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t cracking open, her insides dripping out like the yolk of an egg. Robin would see through it and she couldn’t explain it. She needed to just go home and pray her mom was already in bed so she didn’t have to talk to anyone else.

Chapter Text

It had been a week since the ugly scene in the alley behind The Hideout and Charlie had not seen or heard from Eddie since. Which was fine because she’d really rather not. If she could go the rest of her life without having to see his face, that would be okay. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to do that because she’d stupidly gotten involved with someone who was an integral part of her life now that she’d moved to Hawkins. 

Heaving her bag up onto her shoulder, Charlie inhaled slowly, looking up at the two story house in front of her. Steve’s house. The site of a cookout and pool party that Robin would not let her back out of no matter how hard she tried once she found out that Charlie was off for the day and had no real excuse to miss it. 

And what was she supposed to say? I can’t come because I’ve been screwing your friend and it all went to shit, exactly like you said it would, and now everything feels awkward, exactly like you worried it would, and I can’t be around him anymore? Somehow she didn’t think that would go over well. 

No. It was better to just go and avoid him the best she could. Nobody would even notice if they weren’t interacting, right? There wasn’t really any reason for her and Eddie to be chummy. As far as they all knew, she and Eddie had only hung out a few times. It shouldn’t make a difference to anyone if they weren’t actually talking to each other. 

Charlie knocked and Steve answered in his swim trunks, a chest full of freckles greeting her as he swung the door wide with a grin and a beer in his hand. 

“Charlie! Welcome to my abode.” Gliding his arm out, he ushered her inside. “Snacks and drinks are in the kitchen if you’re hungry or thirsty. Pool is out back. I’m gonna start cooking the burgers and dogs in about an hour. Bathroom is down there, just past the kitchen or there’s one upstairs, first door on your left. I think El and Mike are up there changing into their swimsuits right now but there’s also a couple bedrooms you can use to change if you want.”

“Oh, thanks, but I’m actually wearing my suit under this,” she replied, pulling on her bathing suit strap under her shirt. “Where’s Robin?”

“In the pool,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him. “Basically everyone’s in the pool except for Max and Lucas who are running late. I’m so glad you could make it. Robin said she had to practically twist your arm to come.”

“Oh,” she laughed uncomfortably. Damn it Robin. “I just…I don’t know. I wasn’t really feeling very sociable at the moment. Sorry.”

“Yeah. She told me about all that shit with your mom and how your asshole ex keeps harassing you and leaving you messages.” He turned to her, smiling softly. “Just all the more reason to come let loose, relax, and have some fun, right?”

“Right.” Charlie smiled back as he slid open the glass door, stepping out on a deck that was built right off the back, leading up to the pool. 

“Charlie!” a chorus of voices greeted her from the pool. 

“Hey guys.”

“Get your suit on!” Dustin yelled and she glanced over to find him right next to Eddie. Their eyes met for a fraction of a moment before she quickly looked away. “The water is perfect. This guy sprung for a heater this year.”

She glanced over at Steve who shrugged, “I like my pool water a perfect seventy-eight degrees. It’s cool enough to feel nice against the heat but not so cold that you take five minutes just sticking your feet in to get used to it. Trust me. It was worth every penny.”

Charlie slid off her shorts and pulled her shirt over her head, revealing the red bikini she’d purchased just two days ago when she realized she hadn’t brought one and she wasn’t getting out of this little get together at Steve’s. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up to find Eddie watching her, his eyes like laser beams burning right through her skin. 

Shaking off the heat that instantly flared within her, she folded her clothes and placed them in her bag. Let him look. He wasn’t getting to touch any of this ever again. The asshole. She knew they were casual but he could have at least let her know that he wasn’t just being casual with her. She had a right to know that. He could be putting her in danger with all the women he was sticking his dick into. 

Heading over to the ladder, she stepped down, surprised to find that Steve was right. The water was perfect. She didn’t hesitate for even a moment before submerging herself completely into the pool. It was refreshing but not jarring the way a cold pool usually was. 

“Hey girl,” Robin grinned, swimming for her. “So, what’s the evil bitch queen up to today while you’re here?”

Charlie groaned. Much to her dismay, her mother was still staying with her. She’d really hoped that Cici would have lost interest and left by now. Found some new guy to foot her bills and gotten the hell out of her life but no, she was still at the house, still hovering around, leaving messes for Charlie to clean up, and Charlie had yet to figure out what game she was playing. 

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” she answered. “I don’t know. She’s been really weird lately, actually. She keeps taking phone calls all quiet, whispering and being suspicious. And she was gone for three hours yesterday and when I asked where she’d been, she got all defensive and told me what she did was none of my business. Please. Like she doesn’t stick her nose in my business all the damn time. Whatever. It’s probably just some new guy and if it is, good. Then maybe she’ll get the hell out soon.”

“Is she still harping on about you and Leo getting back together?” asked Vicki. 

“Oh my god.” Nancy’s nose crinkled with distaste. “Your mom is really pushing for you to get back with that cheating scumbag?”

“She only wants me to get back with him because she knows he has money. Money means that Cici would have her own personal bank to call on for a loan whenever she needs one.”

“Eww. That’s disgusting. My mom would never push me to stay with a guy who treated me like that.”

“Yeah, well, that’s because your mom knows what it’s like to be in an unhappy marriage,” Jonathan piped up, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere. Nancy shot him a look and he shrugged. “Sorry babe but you know it’s true. Karen and Ted are not exactly the model for a happy marriage. She is out of that house more than she’s in it.”

Nancy sighed, “He’s not wrong. My parents basically got married because my dad had a cushy job and my mom saw an easy life for herself. I’m not sure if they were ever in love, to be honest. I think she’s always wanted more for me.” She hooked her arm into Jonathan’s, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “And luckily for me, I found it.”

Charlie smiled, “You two are so cute. You’re what everyone hopes for but so few ever actually find.”

“You’ll find it too,” Robin assured her, poking her finger in Charlie’s ribs. “Your divorce isn’t even final. Give yourself some time. I guarantee you the right guy is out there.”

Yeah, she wasn’t so sure about that. Charlie was beginning to believe her mother, of all people, might be right about men. Maybe all men were liars and cheats. Or maybe not all but most. Maybe only a few lucky people got to find the good ones and the rest of the population was stuck wading through the shit, hopelessly looking for something that didn’t exist. 

And she was really good at wading through the shit. It was all she’d ever found. She was like a magnet for it. Pulling in all the men who would only shatter your heart, tell you pretty lies, deceive and betray you the first chance they got. 

“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “I don’t think I have to worry about her bugging me about Leo anymore. I told her not to speak to him and to stay the hell out of my life. She hasn’t mentioned him once since then.”

“Wow,” Robin grinned. “I’m impressed. Look at you, finally standing up to Cici. It’s about damn time.”

Charlie flushed, “Yeah, I know. She was definitely surprised. So was I, honestly. I have no idea where it came from. I was just so damn pissed and so tired of her bullshit, you know?”

“Girl, you needed to get tired of her bullshit a long time ago. But hey, better late than never.” Robin placed her arm around Charlie’s shoulders, squeezing her in. “I’m proud of you. Look at my girl, all grown up. Divorce looks good on you.”

She laughed, “Gee, thanks. Because that was always the goal in life. Get into a marriage with a guy who doesn’t even love you so it can fail six years later and you can finally find yourself and become somebody worthy.”

“Oh, sweets, you’ve always been worthy. You just had to realize that for yourself,” Robin told her. 

“The party has arrived!”

They all turned to see Lucas holding his arms out as if he were a king making a proclamation to his subjects. Max rolled her eyes, slamming both hands into his back, sending him flying into the pool. Lucas came up sputtering, wiping water from his eyes, looking at his wife, agape that she had the audacity to throw him in the pool. Charlie got the impression that it really wasn’t out of character for Max. She seemed to have no problem putting Lucas in his place when it was needed. 

“Oh really? That’s what we’re doing?” he asked, swimming to the edge. “Come on. Just give me your hand, babe. Help me out of the pool.”

“Right,” she snorted. “Like I’m falling for that.”

Steve appeared behind her, pressing his finger to his lips. Max screeched as he swooped her up into his arms before tossing her into the pool where she landed with a loud splash. 

Max rose from the water like an angry siren, jabbing her finger toward Steve, “Oh, you are so…” But they didn’t get to find out what he was before Steve was leaping into the air, cannonballing right next to Max, everyone shrieking as water flew into the air and crashed down around their heads. 

“Oh, yes!” screeched Mike as he and El came walking out of the house, taking off at a run and dropping into the pool, sending another cascade of water over everyone near him. “Come on, El!”

“I think I’ll just use the ladder, thank you,” she laughed, stepping down into the pool, swimming over to the girls and Jonathan. 

“No cannonball for you?” asked Nancy.

“No. I’m not an immature neanderthal, thank you.”

“Hey!” yelled Mike. “I heard that!”

El stuck her tongue out at him, “You were supposed to!”

And just like that, it was on. Mike lunged at El, pushing her underwater. Max jumped on Lucas’s back. Steve pushed his hands through the water, sending a huge spray right at Robin’s face. Robin shrieked with shock, cursing at him and slicing through the water to get her revenge. 

It was absolute pandemonium. Charlie tried to back away as everyone began splashing and jumping at everyone. Eddie let out a roar of offense at getting his hair, that he’d put up in a ponytail, wet when Dustin shoved him down under the water, immediately going after the kid. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Steve asked, noticing the way Charlie was slowly inching toward the ladder. 

“No, no, no, no!” she shrieked as he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her into the air and tossing her to the other end of the pool. 

Hands wrapped around her arms, pulling her up from under the water as she spluttered. Wiping at her eyes, she opened them to find Eddie in front of her. 

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, pushing herself through the water back and away from him, ignoring the pointed look Dustin was currently giving them both. Turning, she set her sights on the guy who had pulled her into this mess in the first place. “Steve!”

“You can’t take me,” he scoffed as she swam toward him. 

“Just watch me!” shrieked Charlie, leaping at him, both hands on his head, laughing at the shock on his face as he went right under. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Eddie grabbed another beer, twisting off the top and taking a long pull. He needed it. When Steve had told him about this little get together, he’d figured that it would include Charlie. What he hadn’t figured was how hard it was going to be to be around her after their big blow last week after his show. How hard it would be to see the absolute disgust with him in her eyes every time she looked his way.

He’d assumed that even though they were only hooking up that they were only hooking up with each other. But apparently she hadn’t seen it like that. She saw her old flame from high school and decided that Eddie was dispensable. Time to throw him out and upgrade to the better model, the one she’d wanted anyway, the one she’d probably been pining for since fucking high school.

Let her be mad. This shit wasn’t on him. He hadn’t been the one to make the first move. She had. Going off alone with Billy, the two of them wrapped around each other. Yeah, he could read between the lines. He wasn’t stupid. She’d probably already hooked up with him. Probably invited him back to her place after the show. Were they fully dating now? Would she wind up moving to the city to be closer to him or would he come back to Hawkins for her? Was Eddie going to have to stomach the sight of the two of them all the time?

“Hey man,” Dustin said, stepping up beside him, placing his ballcap on his head. “So, what the hell was that all about?”

“What was what all about?” huffed Eddie, not in the mood for any of Henderson’s cryptic games. 

“You and Charlie in the pool? Look man, I’m not stupid. Something is clearly going on with the two of you. I saw the way you looked at her and Billy last week and that look she just gave you in the pool? That shit was personal. So, what gives?”

Eddie grabbed him by his arm, dragging him away from the group. All he needed was this little shit blowing their cover when it didn’t even matter anymore because whatever had been going on between them was beyond over. 

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he hissed. “But keep your damn voice down. The last thing I need is to be interrogated by the Scooby gang over there.” He lifted his chin over to where Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin, and Vicki were all sitting, their legs dangling in the pool. “If they so much as think something, they will be all over me like flies on shit so cool it, okay?”

Dustin gave him a shit eating grin and Eddie wanted nothing more than to smack it right off his smug little face. 

“So, there is something going on.”

“No! There is nothing going on.”

Dustin folded his arms, “Then why are you so worried about someone hearing?”

“Because it won’t matter if it’s true or not. If they even think it, they will badger me about it and I am not in the mood for that shit, okay?”

“Right,” Dustin nodded slowly. “Come on, Ed. I’m not stupid. As far as I know, I could count on two hands how many times you and her have even come into contact with each other. There would be no reason for her to slice you open with her eyes unless she was really pissed off at you. And what could she possibly be pissed off at you about?”

“I don’t know, Henderson. Why don’t you ask her?”

“Okay. Maybe I will.”

He turned to walk away and Eddie grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him back. Jesus. He was relentless. He was going to have to fess up. If not, Dustin would not let this go and then everybody here would know what had happened. 

“Fine! Fine! But not here. Let’s go inside.”

He stomped into the house, Henderson following him as he led him upstairs and into Steve’s spare bedroom. Checking no one else was up there, he closed the door, flipping the lock to ensure their privacy. The last thing he needed was someone overhearing him. 

“Jesus, man,” Dustin commented, wide eyes watching him. “Is it really this serious that we have to be locked in?”

“Yes.” He stepped into Dustin, using his considerable height to tower over the kid. “Now, listen. If I tell you this, you take it to the grave. I mean it, Henderson, the goddamn grave because if you don’t, I will murder you, chop you into little pieces, and scatter you in the woods for the animals to snack on. Got it?”

“Jesus Christ, man,” he squeaked, holding up both hands in surrender. 

“Swear it!” he hissed. 

“Yeah. I swear it.” When Eddie backed down, the boy sagged with relief. “Shit. You know, you can be as scary as people think you are sometimes.”

“Yeah and don’t forget it.” He groaned, running his hands over his face, walking over to the bed and dropping down on it. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Alright. Charlie and I have been hooking up.”

Dustin’s jaw dropped, “I knew it! I knew it! I knew something was going on with you two.”

“Yeah, good for you, Columbo,” snorted Eddie. “It was nothing, okay? It was just casual. We weren’t dating or anything but it’s over now so it doesn’t even matter. And you can’t say anything to anybody because Robin would be really pissed off at us both.”

“Hell yeah she would,” chortled Dustin. “I mean, she’d be mad at Charlie but she’d want to murder you.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks. Seriously, dude, you can’t tell anybody. I’m trusting you, man. Can you keep this fucking quiet?”

“Yeah. Of course.” Eddie narrowed his eyes. “I swear on my mother, man. I won’t tell a soul but why is it over? I mean, she’s gorgeous. You’re both single. Why not just make it real?”

How nice it was to be young and still believe in the bullshit that was a happily ever after. Eddie would give anything to be able to still think it was possible but he’d learned a long time that it wasn’t. Maybe for some people but definitely not for him. 

“Because neither of us wanted a relationship.”

“But why?” pressed Dustin. 

“Because it’s bullshit, okay?” Eddie snapped. “It’s all just bullshit. She knows that as well I do. Relationships just lead to people being hurt and neither of us were looking for that.”

“Kind of seems like you both got hurt anyway,” muttered Dustin. “I mean, from what I’m seeing. You don’t look that mad at someone if you don’t care about them.”

“Trust me, she doesn’t care about me. She jumped at the chance to hook up with her ex the moment he showed up.”

“Leo?” asked Dustin. “The dude who cheated on her?”

“No. Not Leo but a douchebag who cheated on her.” When Dustin looked confused, Eddie told him, “Billy.”

“Billy? Billy’s her ex?”

“Yeah, man. They dated in high school or something and he was cheating on her the whole time. But he shows back up in Hawkins a changed man and she went running right to him.”

“Charlie is hooking up with Billy?” Dustin whispered, shaking his head. “Why haven’t I heard about that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think Charlie wanted anyone to know she used to date him. Robin told me and Steve by accident. Made us swear not to say anything. Look, just…none of this shit matters anymore, okay? Just keep your mouth shut like you said you would.”

“I will.”

After making Dustin swear about four more times, Eddie headed back downstairs and out to the deck. Charlie, Will, Mike, Lucas, Robin, Vicki, Nancy, and Jonathan were all back in the pool while Max, Steve, and El sat on the patio furniture, finishing up their burgers and talking. Eddie’s ears perked up when he overheard what Max was saying.

“Yeah. I couldn’t believe it. Billy told me all about it after the fourth. Him and Charlie dated for like six months in high school but nobody knew about it. Apparently he was a total dick to her. What a shock, right? He didn’t want everyone finding out he was screwing around with the sophomore who’d been dumped at her Gran’s by her whore of a mother. Not my words, by the way. I just, I guess that’s the way everyone at school talked. Anyway, he was sleeping around on her the whole time.”

“Seriously?” El asked, eyes wide. “How did you not know about it?”

Max shrugged, “No idea. They must have been hooking up when I wasn’t around. I mean, it wouldn’t have been that hard. I avoided that house as much as I could. I was always out on my skateboard or hanging with you guys.”

“That’s so messed up. Isn’t it?” El breathed, glancing over at Steve. “Wait. Why don’t you look surprised?”

Eddie walked over to the table with the food, pretending to be perusing his options while actually listening in on the conversation, curious to see where it was going. He both wanted to know and didn’t want to know if Billy and Charlie were officially dating now. 

Steve sighed in defeat, “I kind of already knew?”

“What!?” both girls exclaimed. 

“Yeah. Robin knew because they were besties when it was going on and she may have accidentally spilled it to me and Eddie.”

“Eddie?” Max called and he tensed. Shit. He was being pulled into the conversation whether he wanted to or not. “You knew too?”

He turned to the girls, giving them a sheepish smile, “Yeah. Sorry. But I mean it all worked out in the end, right?”

Max frowned, “What are you talking about?”

“Her and Billy. I mean, he’s all a reformed man now and they’re getting their second chance to get it right.”

“What are you talking about?” Max scoffed, shaking her head. “No. Not even close.”

“What do you mean no?”

“He told me he tried,” Max said. “The night of your show, he asked her if she wanted to give it a second shot since they’re different people now. I guess he asked her to go to dinner the next night but she turned him down.”

“But they looked all cozy and happy at the fair,” he argued, a pit of dread beginning to knot his stomach. No. He could not have gotten this wrong. He could not have fucked everything up for nothing. 

“Yeah. I know. That was when I got suspicious but I asked Billy about it when he got home and he wouldn’t tell me anything. Just said they knew each other in high school and were catching up. But after she turned him down, he was pretty sad about it and he fessed up about everything. He was apologizing for the way he treated her back then. She accepted his apology and they hugged it out. He thought that meant he might have another shot but she told him she doesn’t feel that way about him anymore and seeing him didn’t bring anything back. So, that was the end of it. He hung out with us the rest of the weekend and went home.”

“Ouch, man,” Steve cringed. “That hurts.”

“Yeah but I guess they agreed to be friends so hopefully they won’t be awkward or anything because he will be around again. He’s planning on coming in next month for a couple days.”

“I can’t really blame her,” El said. “I mean, when someone treats you like dirt and acts like you’re nothing to them, why would you ever want to give them a second chance?”

Yeah, why would you?