eastside

chapter six

Piper decided to stay cuddled up next to Eddie, her head resting peacefully on his shoulder as they drove towards her work. After their heart to heart, they decided to just drive around the city.. talking about any and everything they could think of. She'd peer up at him, sneaking glances while his focus was on the road. He was undoubtedly the most attractive person she had ever saw. He didn't even have to try, it was just effortless. His little quirks, his deep laugh, the faces he made when he talked about something near to his heart, the way he used his hands to explain things...

She was definitely falling hard for this guy and she knew it.

She didn't know what they were yet, she felt like it was too soon to put a label to anything which was fine for her, honestly. She just wanted to be in his presence. They could have drove around the entirety of the Pacific Coast and it still wouldn't be enough for her.

She was zoned out in her thoughts when she felt a hand squeezing lightly just above her dress covered knee. "What ya thinkin' bout?" Eddie smiled down at her, resting his hand on her leg where he had just squeezed. He had his wavy hair tucked behind his ears to keep it out of his face since the wind was swirling through the cab. "You want an honest answer or..." She smiled back at him, her blue eyes gleaming from the sunlight filtering through the open window of the truck. "Honesty, always." He said simply, slowly nodding while he looked ahead at the road. She knew he had gotten pretty good at picking up on her feelings so she was honest with him.

"I was thinking about you.." She could feel his eyes on her again when his hand moved up to grip the one that was in her lap. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a small kiss on the back of her palm. "You just came out of nowhere.." She started, shaking her head in disbelief before his laugh interrupted her.

"I think you're the one who came out of nowhere, Pipes... You rounded that corner like a tiny damn bull." She quietly chuckled at his joke and removed her hand from his before slapping him lightly on the chest. "That's not what I'm talking about. I meant that I never expected to come across someone like you. I'm used to abusive, manipulative assholes. You're too good for this world, Eddie... Yknow ever since I saw you walking past my apartment that day, I always wondered what type of person yo—"

She suddenly realized he had no clue what she was talking about, making herself feel and look like an absolute creep. He turned and looked at her, the expression on his face somewhere between being humored and puzzled. She smacked her sleeve over her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose in embarrassment.

"When did you see me outside your apartment?" He asked, an eyebrow raised as he took a hand from the wheel and pushed her sleeve aside so that he could see her face again. She groaned, her cheeks were burning hot as she tried to think of a way to explain that didn't sound like a stalker. "You were walking to the studio, I assume anyway, with the rest of your band earlier this week.. You had a notebook with you." She stared up at him, hoping that he wouldn't be too weirded out. She could tell he was trying to remember. His eyebrows creased hard when suddenly, it clicked and his face dripped with amusement.

"So that was you in the window, huh.." He teased at her. "I didn't realize that was your apartment until now." She was beyond mortified as she slid down in the seat, groaning loudly. This time she used both of her sleeves to cover her entire face.. It was probably the same color as her cardigan at this point. "I didn't think you'd saw me." She said muffled behind her sleeves, she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. Her people watching habits were supposed to be kept a secret, but now that he had seen her, she'd have to tell him.. Just so that it didn't seem like she had planned everything.