You and Eddie had been dating for a year now, and everything between you was—well, perfect. It had taken him a while to work up the nerve to ask you out, despite knowing each other for years and running in the same crowd. But once he did, it just clicked. Effortless. Real.

Eddie was loud, bold, chaotic—and completely in love with you.

But this school year brought a new, unexpected annoyance: Chrissy Cunningham. Hawkins High’s golden girl. Sweet-smiling, pastel-wearing, and apparently oblivious to the fact that Eddie Munson couldn’t be less interested in her.

You’d noticed the way she looked at him more and more often. And yeah, maybe she was harmless on the surface—but her stares were lingering, and her attempts at small talk with Eddie had grown increasingly flirty. Eddie always brushed her off—politely, but firmly. You never doubted his loyalty. The guy practically worshiped you. But Chrissy? She just couldn’t take the hint.

⸻

It was lunchtime, and you were seated at the Hellfire Club table with the usual crew—Dustin, Mike, Will, Lucas, Jeff, and Garth—all of them buzzing about the upcoming D&D campaign.

Eddie had you perched on his lap, arms wrapped snugly around your waist, his chin resting against your shoulder like it was made to be there. You could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing against your back, his fingers occasionally tracing idle patterns on your hip. It was his favorite thing—keeping you close. A hand in yours. A touch to your back. But this? This was his favorite.

The table was alive with energy, the guys tossing around ideas, laughing, arguing over character stats. You weren’t in the campaign yourself, but you loved listening to them talk—seeing Eddie light up when he got into full Dungeon Master mode.

You were halfway through your sandwich when your eyes drifted across the cafeteria—and of course, there she was.

Chrissy. At her usual table, flanked by a few of her cheerleader friends. But instead of focusing on her group, her gaze was locked—again—on your table. More specifically, on Eddie.

You didn’t say anything, but apparently, you weren’t the only one who noticed.

“She’s relentless,” Dustin muttered, shaking his head as he tore into a bag of chips.

The others laughed under their breath. Eddie just sighed and rolled his eyes slightly, arms tightening subtly around your waist.

“When will she just give it a rest?” Mike added, glancing toward the cheerleader table.

You nodded slowly, catching Chrissy’s gaze for half a second before she quickly looked away. You weren’t threatened. Not even a little. But annoyed? Yeah, that was definitely growing.

Eddie leaned in just a bit closer, whispering low in your ear so only you could hear.

“You know there’s only one girl I want sitting on my lap,” he said with a grin in his voice, his lips brushing your skin.

And just like that, your irritation melted into a small, satisfied smile.