*vicious*, eddie roundtree

ix.

. . .

INTERVIEWER: How did you feel after reading the note Christine left?

EDDIE:  ...I felt that I had lost one of the most important things in my life.  

. . .

Eddie had overheard Karen's phone call with Chris the week she had gone home to Pittsburgh. He heard her say that she'd be back late Sunday night, and he knew he had to see her the minute she got back.

Christine, although having a great time with her family, missed Los Angeles more than she ever thought she would. She missed Tower Records. She missed playing above the Roxy. She missed Ronnie and Camila most of all. They'd been her rocks the past year, and to be away from them for more than a day made her realize her codependence. Although she missed them like hell, Chris figured she would benefit from the distance.

Eddie thought the exact opposite. He didn't anticipate missing Chris as much as he did. He'd missed her the moment she'd left his vision from the side of the house at Billy and Camila's wedding. He knew he fucked up the minute she said, "You're a fuckin' asshole, and I can't wait to be away from you for a year."

For some reason, the thought of not seeing her every day for nearly an entire year had not crossed his mind until that moment. He stilled at the thought of this. Eddie became frozen in place as he thought about how much he would miss her. For the past few months, Chris had been the person he confided in the most. He realized in that moment that he enjoyed spending time with her more than any of his other friends. He'd had more fun hanging out with her in her apartment in those two weeks than he'd had his entire life. He loved watching her mannerisms; the way her eyes lit up when she talked about music, the way she played with her hair when she was tired, the way her nose crinkled as she squinted at the television because she refused to wear her glasses. She was the person he thought about most; she was the first thing he thought about when he woke up and the last image in his head before falling asleep. He couldn't believe he didn't realize it before.

He had feelings for Chris.

This time, Eddie was the one throwing up. 

This was triggered by two things: One, his newfound feelings for the girl he'd hated for years, and two, his realization that he had said the vilest things to her just a few seconds ago. He wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to speak to him again.

By the time Graham reached Eddie at the side of the house, he had finished throwing up and began running after Chris, leaving poor Graham more confused than ever.

Eddie ran out into the street as he saw Chris' car speeding away. He would've hopped into the van and gone after her, but he'd had far too much to drink, although his sudden realization had promptly sobered him up. He put his hands to his head, fully internalizing how severely he'd messed up.

Graham had caught up to him and placed his hand on the distressed man's shoulder. "Give her space for now. You can talk to her in the morning."