eastside

chapter twenty nine

"I just wanna go home, Eddie."

A few hours and a plane ride later, that's exactly where they were headed.

Piper had spent most of the flight sleeping, holding on tight to Eddies arm as he watched her chest rise and fall peacefully. She would twitch every so often, a pained look on her face as she mumbled something unintelligible. He was tempted to wake her a few times but after their near all nighters and what went down at the bar, he decided to just let her rest.

The only thing he could really do was hold her closer and smooth her hair out of her face, trying his best to bring her comfort without disturbing her sleep and just hope that the dreams weren't too terrible.

But now she was awake, back in Seattle and those terrible dreams had turned into terrible thoughts..

They were heading from the airport to her apartment with Eddie driving as she sat folded into herself, staring out the passenger window. She hadn't spoke much since getting off the flight, although the silence probably said more than any words ever could.

As they drove through the city, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of deja vu, making her reminisce on all the times they had spent in Eddies truck. It was weird to be riding shotgun with him again, especially in her own car, being that just a little over a week ago, she was busy distracting herself and trying to move on and forget all the memories they had accumulated together.

But now here they were, together again and even better it seemed, and it was all thanks to Chris because surely if it were left up to her, she would've still been sulking in the bed surrounded by empty junk food packets and crumbs. Thankfully, he made the decision for her by busting into her apartment that early Saturday morning, throwing her out of bed whilst demanding that she went.

And nearly making her shit herself in the process.

Turns out she isn't the only one who knows how to use a bobby pin and a screwdriver.

Piper couldn't help but crack a small smile as she remembered, leading her to wonder where he was, if he had found Pops, what they were doing, if they were safe.. He was supposed to call her today, at 6 she thought.. But that smile soon faded as she realized everything had become somewhat mangled in her mind.

She struggled to remember the previous 24 hours.. Not the traumatic parts, no. Those replayed constantly in her head like they were on a fucking loop. The ones that mattered, those had disappeared, along with how she got back to the hotel, how she packed and got onto the plane.. Seemed as if she were on auto pilot.

What she could remember, though, was every single dream she had on the flight home with excruciatingly fine detail, the memories vivid like an old movie redone into technicolor.. Each one started out with her and Eddie in her old bedroom. The way his hair hung down in her face, almost feeling the ends on her cheek as he was positioned above her, the soft yellow glow casted across the walls of the room, his fiery blue eyes staring down.. But eventually, those colors burned and gave way to a strange neon blue that washed over everything until only one blackened, smiling silhouette was left standing over her.

Piper shivered and subconsciously pulled Eddies jacket around her tighter, pulling the sleeves down over her hands, hiding herself away. She had been so still for most of the car ride that her sudden movements gathered Eddies attention away from the road.