Original Sin

“Okay, you’re going to have to wipe that goofy grin off your face eventually,” Sue teased Eddie as they walked down the city street together. “Everyone gets it; you finally hooked up with a girl you’ve been lusting after forever. But you almost look maniacal now. You’re likely to scare children passing by.”

Even while rolling his eyes at Sue, Eddie still couldn’t get rid of the smile on his face that had been there since he parted with Sin earlier that morning. “I’m not that bad,” he said wryly. “I’m just happy. You’re supposed to be my friend; you should want to see me happy.”

“And I do,” Sure replied reassuringly. “Seriously, you are, like, one of the nicest guys in the world. You so deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks,” Eddie answered with a little embarrassment. He liked Sue; she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, Meredith. “But let’s drop this topic for a little while. I guess I have gotten a little obsessive.”

“Obsess away,” Sue grinned at him. The two had been working all afternoon on their school project, along with a couple other people from class. When the group had realized they needed additional CDs to burn their presentation onto, Eddie and Sue had volunteered to run out. “Listening to you talk about your new relationship is way better than having stayed back at the apartment, trying to avoid being groped by Jim.”

Laughing, Eddie nodded. “Yeah, I’d say someone has a crush on you,” he joked.

“A crush?” Sue repeated incredulously. “Um, no. A crush is this cute thing where you a boy blushes when you catch him looking at you, and gets all tongue-tied when you talk to him. Jim is a pervert who wants to get laid, and unfortunately for me, I’m the lucky prize he’s set his sights on this week.”

Shrugging, Eddie couldn’t argue with Sue; Jim was basically a letch. The only reason he was a part of their group was because he had been absent the day groups were assigned, so when he returned, the professor let him choose which group to be a part of. Of course, he had chosen Sue’s group.

“Anyway,” Sue continued. “It’s just good to get away from him for fifteen minutes. Oh, God,” she froze and her eyes grew wide. “That guy looks just like the lead singer of Broken Dynamite.”

His eyes wandering across the street to where Sue was looking, Eddie felt his mouth dry up immediately when he saw who was standing there. Standing outside a diner was Zip – and beside him was Sin. They were talking, Sin with a smile playing on her lips, Zip looking as confident and cocky as ever. “He doesn’t just look like the lead singer,” Eddie said, feeling nausea pouring over him like a waterfall. “That is him.”

“It can’t be,” Sue insisted.

“It is.”

“How do you know for sure?” Sue asked, glancing between the couple standing across the street from them and Eddie, whose whole face had suddenly turned very pale. “It could just be someone who looks an awful lot like him.”

“I know,” Eddie said sadly, looking across the street and cringing as he watched Sin reach over to punch Zip jokingly on the arm while laughing out loud. “Because the girl he’s with is the one that I’ve been so excited about all day. They used to go out.”

Swallowing hard, Sue didn’t know how to respond. Eddie looked heartbroken, and she tried to think of something to say to make him feel better. “So they used to go out?” she replied to Eddie. “So what? It’s not like their kissing or holding hands or anything. They’re probably just hanging out as friends.”

Shaking his head sadly, Eddie forced himself to drag his eyes from Sin and Zip for a moment. “No, he still wants her back,” he told Sue. “He showed up at her apartment last night to tell her. He actually flew into town to tell her.” Looking across the street once more, Eddie was filled with a sense of dread.

“Didn’t she go to your place last night?” Sue put her hand comfortingly on Eddie’s arm, causing him to look at her. “That must mean she chose you, not him. You’re the one she wants to be with.”

“Then why didn’t she tell me she was hanging out with him today?” Eddie asked, looking for all the world like a little boy who just found out there is no Santa Claus. “She never mentioned it to me.”

“Maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Sue suggested. “I’m sure she was planning on telling you the next time she spoke to you.”

Nodding slightly, Eddie’s eyes were wide in apology as he looked at Sue. “Listen, I’m sorry. You’re my friend, not my shrink. Let’s go get the CDs and get back to the group so we can get this project finished, and you can get as far away from Jim and his roving hands as possible.”

Giving Eddie a little grin, Sue fell into step with him as they started walking down the sidewalk again. “You sure you don’t want to talk some more?” she asked kindly. “Come on, I have no love life to speak of right now. The least I can do is live vicariously through the drama and struggles that pain the lives of my friends.”

Finally letting out a little chuckle, Eddie shook his head at Sue. “No,” he said appreciatively. “I’m okay now. You were right. I shouldn’t freak out until I talk to her.”

“Well, you shouldn’t freak out unless she confirms your fears,” Sue told Eddie with a smirk. “Freaking just because you talk to her might make you appear a little insecure.”

“Funny,” Eddie smirked back at Sue.

“That’s what must drive Jim wild,” Sue replied sarcastically. “My zany sense of humor.”

-----

“I have to say,” Sin told Zip as they stood outside the diner, and he lit a cigarette. He had offered one to Sin, but she had declined. “This wasn’t a complete fucking mess.”

“Oh, you’re so flattering,” Zip replied with a smirk.

“No, I’m serious,” Sin laughed. “You didn’t say anything that made me want to punch you in the face, or touch me in a way that made me want to knee you in the balls. For you, that’s impressive.”

Chuckling, Zip took a drag of his cigarette. “Yeah, well, I promised – no fighting, no fucking. That can be the mantra of our friendship from here on in.”

“Well, it would certainly be a change,” Sin answered wryly.

Studying Sin for a moment, Zip seemed to be trying to figure out what to say. “Listen, I am sorry about last night,” he told her. “I had no right to act like that. When I got home last night, I thought about what you had said. You’re seeing someone, and I should have respected that. Besides,” he gave Sin his cocky grin again. “If I’m not dating you, it means I don’t have disappoint the many female fans that come backstage after shows to show me just how much they like my singing.”

Laughing out loud, Sin punched Zip on the arm. “That’s what it is,” she teased Zip. “Your music. That’s why the girls drop to their knees, huh?”

Shrugging, Zip grinned at Sin. “Hey, there are worse ways for people to tell you they appreciate what you do for a living, right?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sin rolled her eyes. “Models don’t usually offer to go down on me if they like the way the pictures I took of them turn out.”

“Funny,” Zip replied. “Models go down on me, and I don’t even take pictures. Videos, yes. Pictures, no.”

“You’re sick,” Sin shook her head, unable to hold back her laugh. “Well, listen, I should probably get going.”

“So soon?” Zip asked as he threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. “Come on, it’s only, like, 3:30. Let’s grab a beer or something.”

“I don’t know…” Sin was hesitant. “I mean, lunch was good; I don’t hate you right now. Why do you want to push your luck?”

“I’m a gambler by nature,” Zip joked. “No, seriously, I want to be your friend, Sin. You go out for a beer with Joey and Tavian sometimes, don’t you? Why can’t you try to put me in the same category as them?”

“Because I’ve never seen either of them naked,” Sin replied. “Well, actually, I did see Tavian once, but that was an accident, and it really is a memory I hope to one day completely wipe from my mind.”

Zip smiled at Sin’s comment, but his eyes still looked hopeful. “Come on, one beer,” he begged. “I’m not going to be back in town for a month.”

“What the hell,” Sin finally replied, shrugging. “Either you prove that you really do want to be my friend, or I get the satisfaction of kicking you in the balls if you fuck up. It really is a win-win situation for me.”

“That’s the spirit,” Zip grinned. “Come on, there’s a bar I like a couple blocks away.”

-----

Sin smiled to herself as she turned the corner onto the block where she lived. It was amazing that she had such a great time that afternoon with Zip, particularly considering how he had acted just the night before. ‘I guess he really did think about things,’ Sin mused to herself. ‘And I guess he really did decide he wants to be my friend.’

It all just felt too good to be true for Sin. For the first time in forever, she felt like things were finally falling into place. Her work was challenging and enjoyable, her friends were fun and caring, she had worked through her issues with Zip, and most importantly, she had Eddie now.

Chewing her lip as she thought of Eddie, Sin felt a wash of happiness move over her. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked the time. ‘5:30. Eddie should be finishing up with his school work and coming over soon,’ she thought with excitement. At that exact moment, the phone in her hand started ringing and Sin jumped a little.

Letting out a little laugh when she saw the entry ‘Opie’ on her caller ID, Sin flipped open the phone. “Hey,” she greeted Eddie happily. “I was just thinking about you.”

“Really?” Eddie sounded doubtful.

“Yes, you freak,” Sin laughed, entering the front door of her apartment building. “Where are you? Are you coming over soon?”

“I’m already here,” Eddie replied.

As Sin turned onto her hallway, she saw Eddie standing in front of her apartment door holding a plastic bag of Chinese takeout. Flipping her phone closed, she smiled widely at him. “I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she said as she approached him. “I thought you would call before you came over.” Rising a little on her toes, she pressed her lips to Eddie’s, but he was unresponsive. Pulling back, she looked at him curiously. “What’s up?” she asked, suddenly looking concerned.

“Nothing,” Eddie said, cringing a little because he knew he was lying. As much as what Sue had said to him earlier that afternoon had made sense, Eddie still had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach about the idea of Sin and Zip hanging out. “Wow, you taste like beer,” he said, hating the fact that he knew his voice sounded accusatory.

Looking a bit annoyed, Sin pulled out her keys and opened the door without saying anything. Walking inside, she threw her keys on the coffee table and turned around to face Eddie, who had just placed the takeout on a nearby chair. “Yeah, I went out for a couple beers this afternoon,” she told Eddie, her hands on her hips. “Is that a problem?”

Eddie had seen Sin get pissed off at other people enough times to know he didn’t want to be the target of her anger. “No, of course not,” he took a step towards her, but when he saw her body stiffen, he stopped. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved like that.”

Eyeing Eddie warily, Sin tried to understand why he was acting like this. “No, you shouldn’t have,” she said, sitting down on the couch. “Look, Zip called after you left today and apologized for last night. We went out for lunch, which went fine, so we went out for a couple beers afterwards.”

Sinking down on the couch beside Sin, Eddie looked at her shyly. “I can’t lie to you,” he said softly. “I saw you and Zip on the street today, and I got freaked out. That’s why I was acting like that. I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

Shaking her head, Sin didn’t look mad, but she did look a little hurt. “Eddie, we’ve been dating for, like, 18 hours or something, and you’re already getting jealous? Don’t you think that’s a little fucked up? God, the entire time we’ve been friends, I never gave you a reason not to trust me. Is this just how you are with girlfriends? Because if it is, I want to know now, because I can’t deal with that kind of shit.”

“No, it’s not,” Eddie reached over and touched Sin’s face gently. When she didn’t recoil, he let out a soft sigh. “Listen, you’re completely right, and I’m an asshole. It’s not that I don’t trust you… I guess I just still can’t believe you want to be with me. I’m just a little insecure. But I promise, I won’t do this again.”

Studying Eddie’s sincere expression for a moment, Sin couldn’t help but give him a small smile. “Well, you’re right,” she said, reaching up to where his hand was cupping her cheek and covering his hand with hers. “You are an asshole. There’s no reason for you to be insecure – especially in regards to Zip. I want to be with you, you big dummy.”

A grin slowly spread over Eddie’s face, and he leaned forward to kiss Sin’s lips lightly. “I’m sorry,” he said again as he pulled back. “I am a big dummy. But I’m a big dummy that would like to make it up to you.”

“Really?” Sin asked, taking Eddie’s hands in hers. She then began leaning back on the couch, pulling Eddie down above her, until she was lying flat on her back and blanketed by Eddie’s body. “How do you think you would go about making it up to me?”

Dropping his mouth suddenly to Sin’s throat, Eddie smiled to himself as he nipped at her neck gently with his teeth, eliciting a contented sigh from her. “I don’t know,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll have to think of something.”

All hurt and annoyance having melted away, Sin closed her eyes. “Damn right you will,” she replied, letting out a soft moan as she felt Eddie hand reach up to begin gently massaging her breast. “Well, this is a good start, just so you know…”

-----

Eddie could feel the early morning sunshine on his face as it crept in through the slits in his blinds. Knowing he didn’t have to be up for a while still, he rolled over and reached over to pull Sin close to him. As his hand hit the empty space of bed beside him, Eddie opened his eyes in confusion.

Suddenly, Eddie smiled sheepishly to himself. He remembered that Sin had an early morning shoot that day, and had told him she was going to leave without waking him. She had, however, left a short note on a piece of paper on her pillow. ‘Eddie – Last night was great. Call me later. Are we staying at your place again tonight? – Sin’.

Leaning back into his pillows, Eddie closed his eyes and grinned. This was the first morning in the two weeks since he and Sin had shared their first kiss that he hadn’t woken up beside her. And with the exception of his little freak out about Zip that first day, things had been going wonderfully.

Being with Sin was turning out to be everything Eddie had hoped for and more. They still shared their friendly banter and teasing; they still introduced each other to things the other hadn’t been exposed to before. But now, Eddie had the right to wrap his arms around Sin whenever the mood hit, to press his lips to hers, to suck gently on her neck just because it was there. And now Sin would randomly slide her hand to his thigh when they were watching a movie, massaging gently, driving him insane until he just couldn’t take it anymore and they would end up naked and sweaty and completely spent.

There was no question that the sex was incredible, but that isn’t what really stood out to Eddie. What he really adored was the way Sin was slowly letting down her defenses when they were alone, breaking down the walls she had built around herself, allowing Eddie into parts of her mind and heart that she hadn’t let anyone touch for years, if ever.

As Eddie thought happily about how things were going with Sin, he began to doze back into a comfortable sleep. The only thing that would make things better for him just then is if he had the object of his thoughts in his arms. ‘Later,’ he promised himself as he fell back to sleep.

-----

“Okay, Candy, that’s enough,” Sin called out to the model in front of her as ocean winds whipped around her. “You must be freezing your ass off. You would think the magazine would fucking spring to fly us out to somewhere where it’s above forty degrees if they want the models in bathing suits on the beach. Here, Candy, put this on before you get hypothermia.”

Taking the warm fluffy bathrobe that Sin was holding out, Candy looked warily at the photographer. “Thanks,” she said, still appearing unsure. “And not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but when did the pod people come down and take over your body, Sin? Usually, you couldn’t care less if I got hypothermia or malaria or if an asteroid went off course and managed crash directly into my house. So why are you being so nice?”

Sin opened her mouth, but Ava cut her off before she got the chance to respond. “Oh, Sin’s just getting laid regularly,” Ava smirked, glancing from Candy to Sin and back. “And if her boyfriend’s half as good a fuck as he is a cutie, I can understand why she’s walking around with that perma-grin on her face.”

“Well,” Candy smiled at Ava. “In that case, give her boyfriend my regards. If he keeps this up, me and the other models might have to come up with a different nickname for Sin other than ‘heinous bitch’.”

Looking between the two women standing in front of her, making jokes at her expense, Sin tried to scowl, but failed miserably. It was no use. She was just in too good a mood. “All right, enough,” she told Candy and Ava. “Let’s stop talking about my sex life and try and focus on the shoot instead, so we can all get the hell out of here.”

At just that moment, though, Sin’s cell phone went off. Reaching into her pocket, she smiled to herself. “Take five,” she told the crew, turning away a moment too late to miss the smirk that Ava and Candy shared. “Hey,” she greeted Eddie happily, ignoring the women. “You just wake up?”

“I did,” Eddie admitted, his voice still tired.

“Lazy ass,” Sin teased.

“Yeah, well, maybe if someone hadn’t woken me in the middle of the night for some nookie…”

“Okay, two things,” Sin smiled to herself. “First of all, you call it nookie and you ain’t getting any ever again. Secondly, if you would prefer I not wake you when you’re sleeping-”

“No, no,” Eddie insisted, chuckling. “I was just kidding. A lack of sleep is well worth the exchange. So how’s the shoot going?”

Looking around the beach, Sin smiled. Her photography work had just been getting better and better over the last few weeks, and she was fairly sure that today’s shoot would be some of her best work. It was as if being with Eddie really was bringing out the best in Sin, whether professionally or just in her interactions with other people. “It’s fucking freezing out here,” she told Eddie. “But the actual shoot’s going good.”

“I’m glad,” Eddie replied. “Well, I should let you get back to work; I have to leave for a class in half an hour anyway. But do you just want to meet over at my place again when you’re done? I know your place is bigger, but your walls are paper thin, and I feel like your neighbors give me dirty looks every morning when I leave.”

“Fuck ‘em,” Sin told Eddie with a grin across her face. “They’re just jealous. But sure, that’s fine. So I’ll see you tonight.”

“I can’t wait,” Eddie replied.

As Sin hung up the phone, she couldn’t wipe her grin off her face. Turning around, she saw Ava a few feet away, an amused smile on her own face. “What?” Sin barked at her assistant, embarrassed that Ava overheard her conversation.

“I never thought I’d say this,” Ava shook her head in bemusement. “But that boy has actually managed to make you sickeningly sweet.”

“Fuck you,” Sin shot back.

“Well,” Ava rolled her eyes. “He hasn’t changed you completely. But definitely in some good ways.”

Sin watched Ava walk off and over towards the rest of the crew. She couldn’t help smile as she thought about her assistant’s words. ‘I guess it’s true,’ Sin said to herself. ‘I guess Eddie has brought out a part of me I didn’t even realize was in there.’

-----

“This is the last time you get to choose the movie,” Sin grumbled later that night as she and Eddie were curled up on his couch. “Can’t you be like a normal guy and want movies with guns and fire and explosions and tits? Instead, I get stuck with either documentaries that are beyond boring, or shit like this. Seriously, Field of Dreams? What are you, a twelve year old girl?”

Shaking his head in amusement, Eddie smirked at Sin. “You can be so mean when you want to be, did you know that?” he looked at her. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

Turning slightly in her seat, Sin reached over and put her hand on Eddie’s thigh while leaning over to put her mouth right next to his ear. “Me either,” she teased, squeezing his thigh. “I mean, why the hell would you stay with me when I’m this mean?”

Used to Sin’s teasing by now, Eddie decided to take her by surprise. With one quick movement he grabbed both her wrists in his hands, flipped her onto her back, and pinned her down beneath his body. “You know,” Eddie whispered, looking into Sin’s gray eyes, which were dancing. “You’re not the only one that can be mean. Damn it,” he said, releasing her wrists as his phone started ringing. “This better be good,” he grumbled.

Laughing, Sin sat up and watched as Eddie picked up his phone. “Zach? Damn man! I haven’t heard from you in forever.”

‘Zach?’ Sin thought. ‘I don’t remember him mentioning a Zach.’

“Next weekend? No way, that’s awesome,” Eddie paused, obviously listening to the person on the other end of the line. ‘Yeah, that would be great… Saturday night, then… Yeah, just give me a holler when you get out of the trade show… Yeah, I’m looking forward to it, too. Take care, Zach. And tell Mary I say hello…. Later.”

“So you and Zach have a big date next Saturday?” Sin joked when Eddie turned back to her. “He sounds like he would be sexy, but you shouldn’t put out on the first date, remember.”

“Like you do?” Eddie shot back, a smile dancing on his lips. He wasn’t at all surprised to watch Sin grab a throw pillow from beside her and smash him with it. “Fine, fine, I give! I’m sorry!”

“Jackass,” Sin smiled wryly as she put the pillow back down. “So who’s Zach really?”

Eddie smiled as he thought back. “Zach was my best friend back home,” he told Sin. “We knew each other since before we could remember. We used to do everything together. But he got married and his wife had a kid our senior year of high school, and we started to drift apart after that. Different lives, you know. But he’s going to be in town for a trade show next weekend, so we’re going to hang out.”

The idea of meeting someone who knew Eddie his whole life was an interesting idea to Sin. “So,” she rose up on her knees and scooted closer to Eddie. “As the girlfriend, do I get to meet this long-lost friend of yours?” Throwing one leg over Eddie’s thighs, Sin placed herself on his lap straddling his hips, as she wrapped her arms around Eddie’s neck. “Or are you afraid I’m going to be mean to him, too?”

Placing his hands on Sin’s hips, Eddie slowly began running them down her thighs and back up again. He couldn’t imagine that there would ever be a situation where he wouldn’t want Sin any time of the day or night. “Of course you can meet him if you want to,” Eddie’s hands moved up over Sin’s thighs again, but kept moving up this time to slide over her hips and the waist of her jeans, and below her t-shirt, until his fingers met the silky smoothness of her skin. “Although I don’t think you guys have much in common.”

Shivering a little from the feeling of Eddie running his fingertips over the sides of her stomach, Sin gave him a smile. “You and I don’t have much in common either, remember?” she told Eddie. “Besides, Zach and I have you in common. And that’s what matters.”

Leaning down, Sin closed her eyes as her mouth met Eddie’s in a deep, moist, warm kiss. Feeling Eddie’s hands slide to her back and pull her closer, Sin released a soft moan into his mouth. Pulling back, she looked into Eddie’s eyes, loving the way the golden flecks seemed to sparkle when he was turned on. “I just want to know everything about you,” Sin whispered in a rare moment of honest tenderness. “I want to meet someone who’s known you forever.”

“Of course you can,” Eddie reached for the hem of Sin’s t-shirt and pulled it over her head. “If that’s what you want.” As his mouth descended onto Sin’s chest, kissing the soft skin just above the fabric of her satin bra, Eddie tried to shake an uncomfortable feeling that was forming in the pit of his stomach.

It didn’t make any sense. After all, Zach had been his best friend for years, and Sin was quickly becoming the person he cared about most in the world. So why would Eddie have a nagging doubt that their meeting might not be the best idea?

-----

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS STORY. I HAVE THE REST OF IT FULLY OUTLINED NOW, SO I HOPE TO UPDATE FAIRLY FREQUENTLY. NOW A FEW WORDS:

WOLF: I HOPE THIS UPDATE WAS FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU. ALSO, SORRY I HAVEN’T EMAILED BACK. I’LL TRY TO SOON.

PIKACHEESE: THAT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE MESSY.

LUMINOUS BLANE: I DEFINITELY HAVE SOME ISSUES WITH ZIP, BUT APPARENTLY NOT AS MANY AS YOU DO :)

ADAEE: YOU MADE ME BLUSH! THANK YOU.

AND SPECIAL THANKS TO FOAMYFAN15010, CARIAD, FLOWER, TAYE, EBONI, MEMORY CHASE, NISH, AND ANGEL FOR THE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT.