It's Not Three Inches With You

Chapter 26

Max

The music was loud enough to mask the sound of two girls making out.

We hoped.

El's hands were tangled in my hair as we sat on her bed, kissing. We had been at it for a while now, pulling away every minute or so to smile and giggle at each other. It was only now that I realized Lucas needed a lesson in kissing girls.

Or maybe I was just gay.

But perhaps the music had worked too well, as it masked the sound of someone's father and his female counterpart returning home from work.

The door swung open, El and I still in each other's embrace, lips melting together.

Quickly we sprung apart, though it was far too late to stop them from seeing what we were doing.

"Woah," Hopper said from the doorway, Joyce standing right behind him.

"Hi," El murmured softly, her cheeks bright red, neither of us looking up to face them.

"So," Joyce started, and El gestured that they come in.

"You were kissing," Hopper said as he and Joyce walked inside, closing the door quietly behind them

Yeah, no sh!t, I thought to myself, though my lips stayed tightly pressed together.

El nodded slowly.

"Are you two...dating?" Joyce asked and we both nodded.

"Are you gay?" Hopper blurted out and Joyce sent a glare in his direction.

"Yes," El said. "Les...bians."

Hopper's eyes widened as he looked between the two of us.

"How...how long has this been going on for?" he asked.

"A few days," I muttered, fear hiding behind my words.

"A few days? So...while you were in California?" Joyce clarified.

"Yeah," El said.

There was a long pause; nobody knowing exactly what to say, the situation so unexpected it had become awkward.

"You fell in love at Disneyland. How romantic," Joyce teased finally and I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Love?!" Hopper exclaimed. "Who said anything about love?"

El smiled.

"Me," she said timidly and I smiled secretly to myself, my face turned away from the others in the room.

Hopper smiled slightly.

"You love Max?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Yes."

Hopper flicked his gaze over to me.

"Do you love El?" he asked.

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"Okay. Then go for it." He said.

Joyce smiled at him and Hopper took her hand in his.

"Oh and one more thing," he said, turning back to face El.

El stared back at him, eyes wide like a deer in headlights.

"You don't have to keep your door open three inches. Not with Max."

I smiled.

"Why not?" I had asked El the same question only days ago.

Hopper grinned at the two of us and then glanced back at Joyce.

"You're not Mike."

There was silence in the room for a moment before all of us burst out laughing.

It was then that I realised something.

The world can be cruel. It can hurt you so much that you fear what lies ahead. That sometimes, you don't want to continue.

But for some people, and to me, these people are the luckiest ones of all, they have family.

And maybe family isn't what I thought it was after all.

Maybe family isn't simply blood; something you're stuck with for your entire life.

Maybe family is more than that; people who are related, by blood or by heart, that care for each other so deeply that who they are, or what they look like, or who they love doesn't matter.

They love each other. With all of their heart. Unconditionally.

Maybe that, that is the true meaning of family.

(A/N: HEYYYYYYYY!!!!! Guess who's finally on summer break?!?! I have so much time to write now hahahaha- Hope you guys liked this chapter; Joyce and Hop know now! So glad it turned out well hehe. Stay safe and totally tubular and I'll see you in the next one xx)