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Empty. The two-story mansion Richie Tozier endearingly referred to as his headquarters felt … empty. It wasn’t though. The décor was modern minimalistic with one-of-a-kind designer furniture filling every room, marble counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms, exposed concrete floors, floating tables and shelves mounted on the grey colored walls, and awards upon awards filling multiple display cabinets, but it all just felt cold and meaningless. It was 2 in the morning and, just as he had through most of his life, a drunken Richie roamed aimlessly though the halls and rooms of his house. This wasn’t his home. He had no home, only a big house filled with beautiful, expensive things.
He gingerly opened the glass doors of the display cabinet and randomly selected one of his many accolades and examined it as he held it in his wrinkled hands. He scoffed dryly. The culmination of six decades of ceaseless work in the entertainment industry stood before him, around him, and in his hands. He nearly worked himself to death in pursuit of these trophies, but in nights like this, it all meant nothing.
“It’s the Academy Award for fucks sake, Annie! If I win this, I think I’ll finally be satisfied with my place in the industry. It’s the fucking validation I’ve been working my ass off for and now I’m nominated!” a 42-year old Richie yelled at his agent over the phone, after she nonchalantly informed him of his nomination. He said something similar about every nomination before it and every single one after it. He convinced himself that each award or milestone was the missing piece- the thing that would finally bring him the happiness that eluded him- but each win was only a momentary high. Soon after he would realize he felt just as hollow as he did before, so he set his sights on a bigger milestone, repeating the cycle.
Unable to bare the sight of the gold plated stature any longer, he allowed his arms to fall to his sides and his grip to loosen. The award made a loud clang as it crashed on to the concrete floor, but he paid it no mind. He clumsily stumbled over to the photos hung on the gallery wall across the room. There were scores pictures of him with different celebrities, presidents, and royalty. He met so many important, influential people over the span of his prestigious career, but never formed any lasting relationships with anyone. He only had photos of himself with strangers, no friends and no family. He would have cried, if he could still feel anything.
He had achieved so much, traveled the world, and lived lavishly for most of his life, but he couldn’t recall the last time he felt … happy. It wasn’t when he won his first Oscar, or the first time one of his films became a blockbuster. It wasn’t when he was named one of the most beautiful people in Hollywood by some magazine he can’t recall the name of. It wasn’t even when he scored his first role after years of living as a lonely struggling actor in LA. He was sure he had been happy at one point in his life, but he just couldn’t remember when. Every time tried to remember, fragments of memories would come to him, but then a searing pain would chastise his mind and he would immediately forget once again.
Richie drank himself to sleep most nights, but this was a special occasion. There was finality in the air that he could sense. This was end of the road, he was sure of it, and he was ready to walk over the edge into the abyss. He admits to himself that this was probably something he’d been subconsciously dreaming of for a long time, but never acknowledged it.
He walked over to the desk he kept in his trophy room and sat in the swivel chair behind it. His bones ached with age and arthritis as he did so, but it was bearable in his intoxicated state. His eyes became lidded as he took in his surroundings. This was the last night he would see these frivolous things and honestly he was relieved.
He was tired. He was tired of crying himself to sleep most nights and coasting by most days. He was tired of always searching for something he couldn’t name and never found. He was tired of the hollow feeling in his chest. He was tired of the particular loneliness he could never describe but always felt so profoundly. He was tired of living a pointless life. He was tired.
He leaned back into his seat, making himself as comfortable as possible as a icy feeling began to spread throughout his body. This was the end and he welcomed it with open arms. His life didn’t begin to flash before his eyes as everything faded to black, but could-have-been’s and should-have-been’s began to prance around his mind. In the whirlwind of regrets, a name began to announce it’s self in the back of his mind and slowly stepped forward becoming louder and louder. A name he hadn’t thought of in decades and hadn’t heard in even longer. A name that made his heart swell and race, his pupils dilate behind his closed hooded lids, and every hair on his body stand. The name of someone who, even now after all this time, meant more to him than all the useless shit that surrounded him. The name of someone he forgot about long ago, but never let go of. “Eds …”
Richie’s eyes fluttered open, and grew confused by his sudden change in surroundings. Moments ago he was sitting in his cold, dimly lit trophy room and now he found himself standing beneath bright sunlight that made his eyes squint, but felt pleasurably warm against his alabaster skin. Once his dark brown orbs adjusted to the light, he began to look around, and immediately realized he was in The Quarry. The same quarry he and his friends spend summer days playing in and nights admiring clear starry skies, but it also looked noticeably different.
The grass that surrounded it seemed much greener, free of any brown hay-like patches and bald spots of sand. The quarry water was clear and blue, not grey and murky. The soft breeze smelled of honeysuckle and felt refreshing against his face. Birds cheerfully sang from within the branches of the towering lush trees and made Richie feel a joyfulness he hadn’t experienced since he was a child. It was like he was seeing the quarry through some nostalgic, rose-colored filter.
If Richie had to guess by the temperature and amount of sunlight, it was probably a mid-April day, but that made no sense. It was winter when he closed his eyes and now it was spring? How was that even possible? He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, something he did whenever he felt stressed or overwhelmed, and was surprised to encounter the feeling of hard plastic. With both hands he began to feel around his face and scolded himself for not noticing he had been wearing glasses this whole time. He hadn’t worn glasses since he was in his early twenties, where the hell did these come from?
He also took notice of his skin, which no longer felt soft or saggy, but taught and firm. Perplexed he looked down at his hands and was shocked to see them free of any sunspots or wrinkles. In an attempt to better inspect his appearance, Richie ran to the edge of the water and kneeled down to see his reflection. What he saw only further bewildered him.
Where there was once thinning grey hair, there was now a head full of luxurious shiny ebony curls that framed his plump face. His cheeks and nose were littered with splatters of freckles; the same ones that had faded with age, long ago. His lips were now rosy and full, instead of thin, pale, and lined from years of smoking. He was also smaller and thinner than he had been when he last saw himself. He was younger. He was 14 again.
“Richie?”
A chill furiously coursed up his spine and all the blood in his body felt as it plummeted to his feet at the sound of that voice. His heart began to pound violently against his sternum and goosebumps spread across the surface of his skin. Beads of sweat collected themselves upon his brow and his fists balled tightly by his sides. He began to tremble and tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision, as he stood, but didn’t turn around to see who was calling his name. Not yet. He couldn’t.
He recognized that voice. It was like a song he hadn’t heard in years, but still remembered every lyric, every interval, and every note to. It was unmistakable, but it was also impossible. Richie wouldn’t dare allow himself to believe, even for a second, it could be was whom he thought it was. What for? Just to have his heart ripped apart once again? No!
Slowly he turned around to face the source of that voice, dreading what he might see, but his heart rebelled with hope. Richie had been to hundreds of auditions and performed in front of millions of viewers, but has never felt as anxious or nervous as he felt at this moment. It felt as though time was going in slow motion. His feet felt like they weighted a hundred pounds each, and his body felt stricken with rigor mortis. The tears that collected themselves on his waterline were now cascading freely down his crimson, sun-kissed cheeks. It just wasn’t possible.
“Eddie?”
There he was, the gasp of fresh air after decades of suffocating -the rising sun after forty nights of darkness. He was the spring after the brutal winter that was his life. It felt magnificent, but overwhelming all at once. Every one of his senses felt over-stimulated, but he loved every second of it. He loved him. Richie broke down, burst into tear as sobs erupted from the depths of his convulsing chest.
Looking like a scene out of a movie, a 14-year-old Eddie Kaspbrak- Eddie Spaghetti- His Eds- stood across from him with a look of amorous longing hanging on his little face. His warm rich-chocolate eyes had tears of their own that fell down his red-tinged cheeks, but the smile on his pink lips made his expression appear tender. Draped in a coral polo shirt and red short shorts, he looked exactly as Richie would have imagined him. His brown locks shined with a golden hue in the sun and danced in the breeze. “He is so beautiful,” Richie thought.
“Hi, Rich,” Eddie said in his familiar soft, slightly high-pitched, voice breaking through the silence.
“W-w-what are,” Richie did his best to speak in between his sobs, but found it difficult to even catch his breath. “What are- what are you d-d-d-oing here?”
“Waiting for you.” Slowly, Eddie walked over to Richie and reached up on his tiptoes to wrap his tiny arms around Richie’s neck, taking him into a comforting embrace. Richie own arms snaked around Eddie’s waist and he hugged him tightly, burrowing his face into the crook of his neck.
“You can’t- I saw you- I held you in my arms as you died! How are you here? H-how-how am I holding you? This isn’t possible! … A-am I going crazy?” Richie stuttered through his questions, which came off more like pleas. He placed desperate kisses on to Eddie’s neck, as his fist grabbed on to his polo, afraid that he might vanish into thin air at any moment.
“Chee, you’re not going crazy, idiot. If this life should have taught you something, it’s that anything is possible,” Eddie giggled as he places small kisses onto Richie’s temples. “I was waiting for you to cross over, so we could be together again.”
“Cross over? A-am I’m dead?” Richie asked, startled.
“Yes. I know you are probably really confused and have lots of questions, but it’s all gonna come back to you eventually. It’s just gonna take a little time.” Eddie rocked them side to side, as he tangled his fingers in Richie’s thick hair and massaged his scalp as an attempt to comfort him.
“But I remember everything.” Richie pulled away, but kept his arms wrapped around Eddie. The distance between them was only enough for them to get a good look at each other’s cherub faces, but still close enough to keep their bodies pressed firmly against each other. “I remember the losers, the summer of ‘89, and the curse- and It- and you- loving you … and losing you.”
Eddie smiled sweetly. “I’m glad you finally remember, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about all our other lives.” Richie’s onyx eyes widened and his mouth gaped in astonishment.
“Other lives? What do you mean ‘other lives?’” Eddie pulled himself out of Richie’s arms and took his hands in his. His eyes darted around searching for a way to articulate his explanation, before he confidently met Richie’s gaze with a nurturing smile. “I know this is going to be a lot for you to take in right now, but this isn’t our first life with each other. You and I have lived countless other lives … together. We’re soulmates, literally.”
“Soulmates? The fuck … ” Richie furrowed his brows and crinkled his nose as he tilted his head, aghast. “Okay, now I know for sure I’ve gone crazy.”
“Seriously, Richie! That’s why our love for each other felt so intense. Didn’t you ever feel like you loved me long before you met me, but couldn’t explain it? Like our first encounter was just a confirmation of those feeling? Like something pulled us towards each other?” Eddie’s eyes sparkled with wonder and adoration as he looked towards Richie, hoping he could remember the unexplainable feelings he knew in his heart they both shared.
“Yeah, but like, I didn’t wanna sound bat shit crazy, so I never said it. You sound bat shit crazy right now.” Richie joked with a cocky smirk. He had indeed reciprocated those same feeling in his youth, but could never comprehend them. They frightened him. Boys couldn’t like boys! But if that was the case, why did he feel so drawn towards the petite asthmatic? He tried so hard to fight suppress feelings, but they never wavered. He loved Eddie, beyond his years.
Eddie rolled his eyes in amusement. He was glad Richie was beginning to feel more like the Richie he knew and loved. His face was still stained with dried tear tracks, but Eddie thought he never looked more beautiful. “I’m serious Richie. You and I were destined to be together. We always have been and always will.”
The playfulness evaporated from Richie’s face. He looked away, trying to blink away the new tears that began to form. “Then why was it so hard, Eds? Why couldn’t we be together? Why were you taken from me? Why did it feel like the universe was doing everything it could to keep us apart?” Eddie’s heart broke at the sound of Richie’s words. He cupped Richie’s cheek, as a plea for him to meet his gaze and not feel ashamed.
“It wasn’t supposed to be that way. When you and I came into this life, we had a plan. We chose this life to grow, to learn lessons, and to become better souls. IT … that THING … wasn’t supposed to be a part of any of it. I mean, think about it! We were two gay boys that grew up in a small conservative town, in the 80’s, with abusive parents. Getting through that shit was hard enough! IT just showed up and fucked everything up. It wasn’t supposed to be that hard, baby. You and I were supposed to help each other get through our abusive childhood and get out of that town, together. Our lives were supposed to play out very differently,” Eddie explained with furrowed brows and tears flooding down his face.
Richie’s face contorted in disbelief. “So then, we were supposed to end up together? You weren’t supposed to … to die?” Conflicting thoughts began to swirl within his head. He was elated knowing they were always destined to be together and that he wasn’t wrong in feeling the way he did his entire life. He was infuriated at the demon clown that destroyed all chances they had at happiness, fucking them over even after IT’s defeat. But he was also heartbroken over what could have been, but never was.
“We’ve always found one another in every other life, and even though we’ve died at different times, it was never by this much. We were never apart for this long. You weren’t supposed to suffer like you did, Richie. I’m so sorry it was so hard. You didn’t deserve that.” Richie collapsed onto Eddie once more and began to cry into his shoulder. The smaller boy reached up and placed his little hand on the nape of his head, while his other hand massaged circles into his back soothingly.
“I-I-I missed you so much Eddie. I forgot you, but I never stopped missing you. I felt so empty without you!” Richie’s mumbled sobs became muffled in Eddie’s shoulder and Eddie could feel him trembling in his arms.
“I missed you too, baby. I never stopped missing you, not even for a second. I visited you every night and watched over you. It was so hard, but I knew one day we’d be together again,” Eddie said earnestly.
“I wasn’t strong, Eddie. When I lost you, I lost myself. I focus on trivialities and lived a pointless life.” Richie kept his face pressed against Eddie’s shoulder, afraid of what his reaction might be to his confession. Eddie had always looked at him with admiration- he was terrified that he would no longer see him the same way.
Eddie tightened his embrace and placed kisses in quick succession onto Richie’s hair. He could never be disappointed in his boy, not after everything he overcame. “It wasn’t pointless, Richie. Look at all you accomplished. You lived a full life and made all your dreams come true, all by yourself.”
“And where did it get me?! I died cold and alone; surrounded by shit that meant nothing in the end. My life meant nothing.” Richie yelled in frustration, pulling himself off of Eddie and turning to face anywhere but at him. His shoulders bounced with each sob that escaped him and he crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to steady himself.
“Richie, look at me!” Eddie ran around the tall boy and cupped his cheeks with both hands, looking into his eyes reassuringly. “That is not true! You kept going, even when you felt you couldn’t. You moved forward and did something with your life. You persevered and overcame everything that was thrown your way and I am so proud of you. I’m so proud of you, for everything you’ve endured.”
Richie’s eyes scanned over Eddie’s face, perplexed by his kindness. He felt so much guilt. Even after he failed Eddie in life, here was the small boy trying to comfort him. “I never got to tell you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you. I felt so guilty for never telling you. I should’ve- I should’ve held you more, kissed you more, told you I loved you more.”
Eddie looked up at his him, wishing for a way to make his pain subside. He knew there were no words that could ever erase the years of heartache Richie had to brave through, so he reach up on the tips of his toes and kissed him passionately. Surprised, Richie tensed before melting into the kiss. Electricity coursed through his veins and butterflies began to pool in his stomach; this was everything he had been longing for. It was the drink of water that quenched his thirst after withstanding weeks lost in a desert. This single kiss meant more than all the one-night stands and brief flings he had throughout his life combined. It made him feel complete and ironically alive. He smiled as they kissed and Eddie pulled himself away with a smile of his own adorning his lips. “You didn’t have to do anything, Richie. I knew. I always knew. The moments with you were the happiest moments of my entire life. I love you, Trashmouth.”
“I love you too, Eddie Spaghetti.”
“Is this heaven?” It had been a couple hours since Richie’s arrival and the sun had set. The night was cool, and the wind was calm as fireflies buzzed around them. It was like a fairytale. Eddie, whose elfin features coincidentally fit the scenery quite well, sat atop a boulder at the edge of the quarry with Richie lying beside him with his head on Eddie’s lap. The small boy amorously played with the other’s curls as he looked out into the night sky, asking questions Eddie was more than happily willing to answer.
“Mmh, no,” Eddie chuckled. “I just brought you here and took this form to make it easier for you to adjust to crossing over- to ease the transition.”
Richie’s magnified eyes shot up at Eddie wide and flabbergasted. “Wait, so you don’t really look like this?” Eddie looked back down at him, unaffected by his reaction, the gentle smile on his face never faltering. “Yes and No. You and I have been many people, men, women, and being that identified somewhere in between. The only constant was that we always were a pair.”
“Does everyone have a soul mate?” Richie looked up at Eddie with raised brows and a child-like scrunched nose. Eddie found Richie’s curiosity charming.
“No. Some souls exist singularly and are happy that way. Some exist in clusters, sort of like a family, like the losers club, but there are also soul mates like me and you.” Richie smiled up at Eddie fondly, overjoyed by his explanation. Eddie brushed the hair off Richie’s face with his hand and gave his forehead a quick peck. “I know this is a lot, but give it time. It will all come back and you’ll feel better.”
Richie’s cheeks flushed. His eye darted away, settling down on his chest, as began to toy with the hem of his t-shirt awkwardly. “W-when you came here, were you scared, too?”
“I was more confused than afraid. I called out your name over and over. I just wanted to get back to you.” The tone of Eddie’s voice changed, becoming serious and somber- it tugged at Richie’s heartstrings.
Richie could only imagine how Eddie felt when he crossed over. He had Eddie to soothe and pacify him, but who did Eddie have? Did he have to figure this out all by himself? “Eddie, w-who was the person that, I dunno, “welcomed” you here, I guess? Was it Stan?”
Eddie’s brows rose at the question. “No. It was … um … my dad.”
“Oh. Okay.” Richie’s face became blank, devoid of an expression as he started fidget, twirling his thumbs.
Eddie wasn’t telepathic, but he knew something was on Richie’s mind, but was afraid to vocalize it. “I know what you’re thinking. You can go ahead and ask me, it’s okay.”
“You can read me like a book, Spaghetti Man.” Richie chuckled, trying to stall so he could gather himself. He was about to ask something he’s wasn’t entirely sure he really wanted to know. “Well … um … A-are our parents here, too?”
Eddie sighed; knowing what he was about to say was going to be very upsetting for Richie. “Yes. My mom, your mom, your dad, my dad … they’re all here too.”
Richie shot up angrily and turned to face Eddie. His voice began to break as he spoke, “Why? After everything they did to us? They don’t deserve to!”
“Richie … “ Eddie’s voice had a sympathetic quality that did not go unnoticed by Richie.
“So nothing we do even matter? Everyone gets into heaven regardless of how evil or despicable they are in life!? How is that fair?” Richie’s asked with tears of frustration as his voice gradually increase it volume.
Eddie’s face softened, supplicating for Richie to give him a chance to explain. “It’s not that simple; the universe works in a much more complicated way. There is no good or evil here, just people. They came into the world just as we did-blank, but life broke them along the way. They were trying their version of their best, but they made … mistakes.”
“MISTAKES!? Eds, come on!” Richie threw his hands up indignantly as he began to yell furiously. “What they did was a little more than a fucking mistake! They … t-the-they degraded me! They-They b-beat the shit outta me EVERY SINGLE DAY of my young life! They made me believe I was worthless- better off dead! What did I- what I do to deserve that? From the moment I was born I had to trust them! I-I lo-I loved them! There is evil Eds, and those people are it!”
Eddie’s heart shattered and his eyes swam in tears as he tried to reason with Richie. “Babe, I know it doesn’t make sense now, but it will in time,” Eddie spoke softly as he scooted closer. “They paid for their sins during their lifetime; nothing goes unpunished. When they crossed over, they realized what they did was horrible and were finally able to feel remorse. They learned from what they did.”
Richie’s eye narrowed with acrimony. “Well as long as they fucking learned! I guess everything is cool then, great!” Richie’s said sarcastically.
“Richie, look at me.” Eddie turned himself to fully face Richie, sitting himself on his knees, becoming eye level with him. “Do you trust me?”
Richie wanted desperately to look away, but didn’t. “Mhm.”
“Give it time, wait until everything comes back to you. If by then you feel the same way, you will never have to see them again. I will make sure of that.”
“Hmm,” Richie hummed skeptically. “So, what about IT?”
“What ABOUT IT?” Eddie was surprised by the question. He could’ve gone the rest of eternity not talking about that fucking clown and been perfectly content.
“Is it here too? Was it also not actually evil?” Richie didn’t know what to believe anymore. The way he saw it, if someone as malevolent as his father could have a happy afterlife, then anyone or anything could.
Eddie paused with fearful uncertainty. “No, IT was something else entirely, from somewhere completely different.”
Richie picked up on Eddie’s change in body language and immediately felt regret for his unintentional insensitivity. He knew this was a sensitive subject for the boy. How couldn’t it be? He had already initiated the topic and now he had to proceed cautiously, not wanting to hurt Eddie any more with his careless trashmouth. “Where is it now?”
Eddie shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. Dead, hopefully,” he said, honestly.
Richie nodded. “Hopefully.” Eddie moved back into his seated position and tapped his lap for Richie to rest his head on it as he had been before, a plea to go back to the way they were before. Richie smiled, relieve that they didn’t have to talk about that fucking clown anymore, and lied down. Eddie began to delicately rake his fingers through Richie’s silky locks again, just as he did when they were teens. The nostalgic gesture felt pleasurable to Richie, and brought warmth to both of their hearts. “So, what happens now?”
A smile tugged at Eddie’s lips as he looked down fondly at Richie. “We go over our lives and learn from them, then we can take a break for as long as you want- enjoy ourselves before we start our next lives.”
“What will our next lives be?” Richie asked enthusiastically.
“I don’t know yet. I was waiting for you so we could plan them together,” Eddie responded, shrugging his narrow shoulders.
Richie pressed and rubbed his lips together with a stoic expression on his face, before he looked up at Eddie with sad, distant eyes. “Eddie, I’m afraid to let myself believe this could actually be true. After everything I’ve been through, how can I possibly be this happy- this at peace? It doesn’t seem real. I keep waiting to wake up and find out this was all some beautiful dream.”
Eddie looked at Richie empathetically with slightly furrowed brows. “You’ve been through so much, baby. Its daunting-I know, but give it time. We have plenty of it. I am here. I finally have you back and I am not letting go ever again.” Eddie beamed as he nuzzled his nose against Richie’s.
Richie’s cheeks flushed as he giggled. He puckered his lips pleadingly up at Eddie, his way of silently begging for a kiss. Eddie rolled his eyes in pseudo-annoyance, but then gleefully leaned down and placed a loving peck onto the other’s lips. Richie sighed blissfully then turned to his side to look out at the water, intentionally making it difficult for Eddie to see his face. “Eddie?”
“Yeah?”
“Were-were you mad about how what happened? Being forgotten?” Richie asked with timid reluctance.
Eddie paused as he gathered his thoughts, but didn’t stop playing with Richie’s hair, relaying that no thresholds were crossed. “No, not mad- maybe hurt, but only at first. I was scared that you wouldn’t love me anymore, after you forgot.”
Richie turned over to face Eddie so fast he was surprised he didn’t give himself whiplash. His eyes were filled with dread and shame as he took Eddie’s hand in both of his and held it against his heart. “I didn’t want-I never stopped loving you. I could NEVER stop loving you. I just- I was weak and-”
“It’s okay, Richie. None of that matters now,” Eddie interrupted with a comforting, dulcet tone to his voice. He gave Richie an understanding look as he affectionately caressed his face with the back of his free hand.
Looking deep into Eddie’s amber eyes, that glimmered as they reflected the lights of the fireflies that hovered around them, he began to speak with compunction, “I just feel so guilty. You deserved better- you deserved to be remembered. I was weak. Losing you was the most painful thing I ever had to experience and I ddin’t know how else to carry on, but that was selfish. I’m so sorry.”
“Shh…None of that matter, anymore.” Eddie voice was drenched with compassion as he leaned down to gently kiss Richie on the lips, pacifying him; and as he pulled away he kept his eye fixed onto his. “We’re together and we can finally do everything we didn’t get the chance to do before.”
“Really? Like what?” Richie asked with a smile spreading on his tingling lips.
Eddie scrunched his nose, jokingly, as he smiled. “Literally anything. We can have our dream wedding, with all our friends and family. We can travel the world or whatever- anything you can think of.”
Richie’s eyes widened with amazement. “You can get married in heaven!?”
“You can do anything. There are no rules,” Eddie replied matter-of-factly with a crooked but yet charming grin.
Richie’s smile dropped and his eyes narrowed in disappointment. “So then it doesn’t really mean anything? We’d be doing it for fun?”
Eddie threw his head back and laughed, shoulders bouncing as he did. “Yeah, kinda, but we’re already SOULMATES. What else do you want?”
“Oh yeah, I guess you’re right!” Richie’s smile returned, realizing the absurdity of his previous question. There remained a comfortable silence between them as they lovingly looked into each other’s eyes, before Richie spoke again, “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” Eddie responded cheerfully without skipping a beat.
“Where are the others?”
Eddie’s eye’s lit up at the mention of their friends. “Everyone except Bill is waiting for you. He hasn’t crossed over yet,” Eddie gleefully explained. “When you feel ready we can go and see them, even Georgie! There is no rush though; you can take as long as you need.”
“Oh.” Richie pondered for a few seconds and Eddie attentively waited for his decision. “Lets wait a little longer. I wanna just spend time with you looking up at the stars like we used to do when we were kids. I can’t tell you how much I missed this- how much I miss you, Eddie Spaghetti! Those assholes can wait.”
Eddie’s heart swelled with the warmth of Richie’s words. He nodded with a wide smile, and then lightly placed a soft kiss onto Richie’s tanned forehead. “Sure thing, babe. Anything you want.”
“Eddie?”
“Hmmm?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”