So, here was the thing, Richie was allowed to be friends with and talk to whoever he wanted. Really. Eddie wasn’t that guy.
He couldn’t say that he’d never butted in on any of Richie’s conversations because he had, a few times. The first time, however, shouldn’t count because the guy was too pure, too good to realize he was being teased so Eddie had to step in and inform him that Richie was not, in fact, sleeping with Sonia Kaspbrak. He’d been aware of this Bill person back then, around his arrival, and the way he called Richie ‘love’. Eddie hadn’t liked it. He had just figured that Bill was probably English and it was probably just a meaningless word that he threw around instead of term of endearment or something. Even if it was it didn’t matter because, back then, Eddie was sure that what he felt for Richie was wrong and bad. That Richie didn’t like him the same way and, even if he was attracted to men, he wasn’t attracted to Eddie. They weren’t a thing. He could frown and wonder all he wanted but he had no right and, maybe, it was better if Richie went off and did whatever with whoever because he couldn’t look at Eddie back then without getting upset.
A younger Eddie had no qualms with disliking Bill for occupying some part of his best friend’s mind. For becoming someone that Richie seemed to seek out when they were in a bind. Maybe it was a little telling that he had, eventually, decided against taking Eddie to him and the boys had broken into a coffee shop and just helped themselves to whatever they could grab. Then again, maybe this would’ve played out differently if Richie had introduced them and Eddie figured out there was nothing to worry about. It would’ve settled an adult Eddie’s mind later down the line. He would’ve frowned less about the word ‘love’ or Richie telling this guy that his “existence” wasn’t “fair” over one of those jokes about someone because, well, those jokes had always meant something. Whatever deeper meaning Richie attached to jokes about his mom wasn’t the point. The point was that, maybe, he would’ve taken the flirting better. Maybe he wouldn’t have actually cared about the two of them dancing at that stupid party he hadn’t wanted to be at or disappearing, and maybe he wouldn’t have cared about what felt like a moment of, finally, comfortably flirting and saying these things on public forum being interrupted for someone else’s “your mom” joke. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt like Bill had butted in on a moment to remind Richie that he was there and existed and probably available and should focus on him instead.
So maybe he was jealous, but Eddie was pretty sure he handled it well. There was no yelling. No screaming. No accusations thrown around. Okay, no false or crass accusations through around because Richie did think highly of Bill and Eddie hadn’t jumped to accusing the other of sleeping with the guy. He’d just disengaged and walked. He’d let Richie know he was done talking (about everything, including romance) and left. With Stan for a while which made him feel a little better. It meant he didn’t have to focus on any of it. He could focus on Stan and Stan’s conversation and they could squint at trees or up in the sky in an attempt to find birds and Stan hadn’t minded if Eddie didn’t smile or contribute or clung to him a little more or tighter than usual. He’d dropped Stan off safely back home but continued to walk because he hadn’t thought about anything and, this time, he needed to be alone or he’d do something stupid. Like talk.
He hadn’t expected to run into Bill but that was his own stupidity. The town was small. Of course, he’d run into the other. Any other time he would’ve been warm and kind of nice because Eddie was a good person. He was capable of being nice, capable of warmth and empathy. He wasn’t an asshole all the time. This time, however, he wasn’t in the mood to be polite or make friends. He didn’t want to punch the guy either because… what would that solve? Instead, his eyes moved from Bill to the offered hand and back again. “Sorry. I don’t do handshakes.” He said, actually taking a step back. “There are approximately 5,000 germs on the human hand at any given time.”