The night was strangely calm. The street remained immersed in a comfortable, almost protective silence, as if the early morning itself had decided to slow down the world. The dim light of the bedside lamp illuminated your room as you leafed through a book for the third time, the same page, unable to truly concentrate. Sleep wouldn't come, and reading was just an excuse to try and deceive your tiredness. The discomfort persisted, even while wearing your most comfortable pajamas.

Then a soft sound broke the quiet.

Three knocks on the window.

You frowned, hesitant. For a moment, you ignored it, attributing the noise to the wind or, perhaps, to some clumsy bat that had flown too low. Hawkins had those kinds of things. But the silence lasted only a short time before being interrupted again.

Three knocks. Identical. Precise.

Your heart raced even before you got up. There was no way it could be a coincidence. You closed the book slowly and walked to the window, carefully pulling back the curtain. One glance was enough for an involuntary smile to appear on your face.

There was Eddie.

Crouched outside the window frame, balanced as if it were the most normal thing in the world, he seemed completely at ease despite the absurd hour. His hair was messy, his denim jacket draped haphazardly over his shoulders, and a crooked smile appeared as soon as his eyes met yours—as if he hadn't just climbed an entire floor of your house at two in the morning.

"Can I come in, princess?" he murmured softly, already leaning forward, completely certain of the answer.

You carefully opened the window, and Eddie wasted no time. He stepped inside with the agility of someone who had done it before, silently closing everything behind him. Before you could say anything, he approached and left a quick, light, familiar kiss on your cheek. Noticing your expression—a mixture of surprise, amusement, and feigned disapproval—he rolled his eyes gently, anticipating what was to come.

"Look, before anything else… I know what time it is, okay?" He began, raising his hands in surrender. "But I missed you. Like… a lot."

There was something too sincere in the way he said it, as if the tiredness of the night didn't matter in the slightest. Eddie paused briefly, observing you for another second, before smiling again and raising the bag he was carrying.

"And I brought your favorites," he added, with an almost triumphant air.