Summer of '86

04.

The summer has been moving along smoothly, Billy and I still seeing each other fairly often & Robin keeping us good and busy with her trusty sidekick, Steve, who actually is becoming someone I'd consider a close friend.

I'm having the time of my life here, the idea of having to leave at all is beginning to devastate me. I didn't anticipate the new friendships, the potential love interest, the slow paced way of life being exactly what I needed. Sadly, it's back to reality in a month, so I'd best start preparing myself now.

"Anna, Steve just called and apparently there's a party out at skull rock tonight. Wanna check it out or hang here tonight? Watch a movie or something." Robin yells out to me.

"Umm, I don't know, a party sounds kinda fun. What do you think? I'm okay with whatever you want to do." I reply, trying to contain my disappointment about potentially staying in.

"Party it is! I'll call Steve back and ask him to pick us up." Robin states with more excitement than I expected.

Billy stopped in before we were about to head out, unaware of my plans this evening, he came by with the intention of taking me out.
He has been wonderful at giving me my space to spend time with my friends when we've planned something but I noticed he became a little annoyed at the discovery of the party tonight. Maybe it was disappointment, maybe it was the drinking with people I don't know. Either way, he seemed upset and I felt inclined to fix it.

"You're welcome to come with us, Billy. I don't think it would be a big deal to anyone if you showed up." My offer a little insincere.
What Billy doesn't know is that since the day at the lake, I've been dying to see Eddie again and the last thing I wanted was for him to find me under Billy's arm. Further fuelling the idea that I'm Billy's girl, I'm not anyones girl.

Not officially.

"No, I'm good dollface." He says, looking away from me. "You go, have fun, but be safe. I don't like the idea of you out in the woods, people you don't know. Other guys. Plus alcohol. Just don't be stupid." His words come out harsh.
I'm taken aback by him using the word stupid, he's never spoken to me that way.

I reassure him I'll be fine, standing on my tippy toes I give him a quick peck on the cheek and rush over to Steve's car, who was just pulling up. Perfect timing.

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The sun was setting as we make it to Skull Rock, others arriving alongside us, groups of people ahead and behind as we all walk the forest heading to the same destination.
There's more people than I expected.

Suddenly I hear a rush of footsteps close behind and feel a firm grip on my hips in attempt to scare me. I turn around quickly, visibly startled, to find Eddie laughing hysterically.

"You ass. You scared the shit out of me!"
"I'd do it again, you came pretty far off the ground there, Anna" still laughing at me "I didn't think I'd scare you that bad."

I laugh along with him and he joins the three of us on our walk to the party.
He's carrying a black lunch box, I'm curious as to why so I ask him "What's with the lunchbox, Munson?"
"When we get to where we're going, Anna, I'll show you" his smirk creates butterflies in my belly almost instantly.

It wasn't long before we arrived, there were already so many others standing around, talking and drinking and someone had started a bonfire in a clearing in the woods.
I make my way to the keg and pour myself a beer, I look to Eddie, holding mine up and pointing at it as to ask if I should get one for him too.
He nods, and I pour another.

"Thank you, cutie. I appreciate the drink."
Cutie?! The pet name caught me off guard and if the sun was still up, he'd probably notice my cheeks became flushed. He doesn't take his eyes off of me, so I smile at him, taking a sip of my beer to avoid nervously saying something to embarrass myself.

Without warning, he takes hold of my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine and leads us to a quieter part of the party, tucked behind some trees, we find a couple of logs on the ground to sit on. My heart begins to beat a little faster as I look down and see our hands together.

"I thought I'd show you what I've got in here" he says, opening his lunchbox. He rummages through it before pulling out a neatly rolled joint.
"Shall we?" He asks.
"Absolutely!" I reply.

He sparks the joint immediately, taking a drag and holding it before passing it to me. I follow suit and we both exhale together.
"I had a good time at the lake last week, Anna. I had been hoping I'd see you again and I was pretty excited to find you here with Robin and Steve."
"I'd actually been hoping to see you too." I reply. We smile at each other before both looking down to our feet.
The silence between us beginning to feel awkward, Eddie decides to scoot closer, leaning toward me, his shoulder against mine.
"I'm glad you cleared things up about Billy. I was disappointed thinking you two were together"
"Mmm" I say, taking a drag off our joint and exhaling the smoke "I'm glad you asked."

I look to him to find his eyes already on me. They bounce back and forth between my lips, to my eyes and then back to my lips again. He takes my face into his hand and leans in, looking at me one more time before kissing me softly.
I kiss him back, welcoming his tongue in my mouth, dancing along with my own.
We break away from each other, I put out the joint beneath my foot and waste no time before pressing my lips to his again, this time harder. His hands explore my body. One sliding up and down my leg, the other held the back of my neck tightly. My hands in his hair, grabbing fistfuls of his soft, curly locks. Growing more and more desperate, I climb into his lap and he keeps me there with both hands now on my ass. Grinding my hips down onto him, I feel him growing hard beneath me.

I allow my head to fall back as he kisses his way down my neck and to my chest. I want nothing more than for this man to take me right here, right now but we're interrupted by the sound of Robin's voice growing closer.

"Steve, where did Anna go? She was with Eddie."
"Anna! Where the hell are you?! We're gonna head out now!" Steve yells.

We both snap out of the euphoric state we're in, completely unaware of how long we've been away from the party and put ourselves together. I catch a glimpse of Eddie readjusting the visible bulge in his jeans and it takes everything in me not to jump his bones.

"I need to see you again" Eddie says, stepping closer to me "Let me take you out."
I wrap my arms around his waist, my lips so close to his he can feel my breath against them, "I would love nothing more, Eddie." I say.

Breaking away from him, I smile and make my way back to Robin and Steve. Eddie hangs back, giving himself a minute to recoup from the unexpected hot & heavy make out session.

As we're walking back toward Steve's BMW, I stop dead in my tracks to find Billy waiting for me. Leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette.

Shit.