Richie looked at the photo. It was just how he remembered it, and couldn't have been taken all that long after he'd done it-the carving still fresh in the wood.
"I...well yeah." he smiled, and a flush that had little to do with the cold crept up his cheeks. He kept his head down, looking at the phone so Eddie wouldn't see it as much. He knew now, that there was nothing wrong with any of it; with feeling that way or with saying it and not being afraid. But somehow, it still made him nervous.
And he didn't know it, but maybe someday he'd realize that it wasn't because he was afraid that his feelings were for another boy but because he was nervous that they were for Eddie. Because he did feel about Eddie in a way that felt almost consuming and he didn't yet know what to do with that. Saying it out loud, especially to Eddie himself meant that it was something he wouldn't be able to take back and hide away again. Richie wasn't a shy person, but he could usually hide behind his voices when he felt too vulnerable. He didn't want to hide now, even if it made him nervous.
"I did it during all of the shit back home." he was willing to talk about a lot, but the clown chasing him after was still something he didn't want to bring up.