❝There's a thin line between love and hate.❞
You will fall in love with a beautiful girl with hair so rich it looks like red flaming embers, and a past so haunting you can see it in her eyes. She'll love you, you know, long before you ever love h...
He looked like nightfall. Like the colors, gray, blue and black swirled together and creating a perfect illustration that was him. Yet even though he was like the night, dark, and looming, he brought out the lightness in her, he made her like the sun, radiant and bright.
He was still staring at her when she said the word that made the thin veil surrounding them drop,
"Stay."
Max avoided eye contact as she saw him wordlessly climbed under the heap of blankets, and situate himself on the very end of the bed. She slipped under the covers after him, making sure that she laid as far from himself as possible, seeking comfort in his presence.
The two lay like that, lapsed in silence, both staring at the ceiling of the bedroom until eventually, they both fell asleep escaping reality momentarily.
Mike Wheeler woke up the next morning with something warm pressed against him. Whatever it was it was cozy, and so soft that he felt himself pulling it closer to him. It was only when he felt it move slightly did his eyes open a fraction of an inch. He froze, his body going rigid, cuddled up next to him, legs entwined with his, and hands weaved through his, was the girl he least expected it to be, Maxine Mayfield. Despite everything in his being telling the boy to walk away and never look back, he did the opposite instead relaxing his body and closing his eyes.
He didn't know why he did. He knew that if he was in the right state of mind he would have never given in so easily, would have never pulled her closer, or actually enjoyed her being this close to him, sharing something so intimate and raw with her. He knew it was wrong. God, it was so very wrong. Yet the other part of him, the one that didn't care about the consequences, the one who lived every moment, the one that he tried so hard to bury within the darkest and deepest parts of him seemed to always surface when Maxine Mayfield was around, and he for the life of him could not figure of why.
He lay on the bed, his mind empty, and for one moment, just forgot that he was Mike Wheeler and that laying next to him was Max Mayfield. He forgot that he had a status to uphold, a role to play, a life to live, he forgot about the people he surrounded himself with, forgot about the ties, about the relationships, about the feelings. He just forgot about it all, because that's what being in Max's presence does to him. He realizes he doesn't hate her, he, in fact, hates the way she makes him feel. She makes him feel like he doesn't have to be Mike Wheeler, leader of the party, the hero, the boy caught up in a world filled with monsters, always serious and cautious. No, she makes him feel like he can just be Mike. The boy who loves to play d&d with his best friends in his basement, the boy who always makes the cheesy science puns, the kind one, who forgives easily and has a warm heart. The one who loves with everything in his being, the real Mike who had somehow been lost in a sea of memories. She was his anchor, the one that could bring him back to shore, and that alone terrified Mike to his very core.
He felt her shift next to him, stirring slightly, and he opened his eyes, facing the reality of the situation once again. He pulled his body away from hers, detangling himself from her. He immediately felt the warmth leave his body, but tried his hardest to ignore it, instead deciding to go to the window and open the curtains, which was blocking out a large portion of the light in his room.
Drawing back the curtains, he heard Max groan behind him as the rays of sunlight fell on the bed. He walked back over to the bed, hovering over her slightly, and shook her awake gently. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and Mike felt himself forgetting how to breathe. His heart hammered in his chest so loudly he was positive she could hear it. Max was looking up at him, and Mike swore that he had never seen such breathtaking eyes in his entire life. Her eyes were a crystal blue and seemed to glimmer in the sunlight.
All he could think was that she looked so damn pretty when the sunlight hit her blue eyes.
"Mike?" she called, her voice reminding him of glazed honey.
He looked at her, still not daring to breathe, something about this moment felt so delicate and pure that he did everything possible in his power not to shatter it.
"Are you okay?"
Mike slowly nodded, something in their conversation feeling very nostalgic,
"I'm fine Mayfield."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Hey guys! I fell in love with this chapter and just let the writing flow out of me. This is longer then usual but I don't regret anything. Every word I wrote in this chapter was meant to be written. Also Mike felt nostalgic cause he had the same conversation with Max the nigh before, only the roles where reverse, which basically symbolizes that the road goes both ways. If you get what I mean. Anyways, I loved delving into Mike's brain and letting the story alter to his point of view. I'm so happy with how this book is going and I want to thank you guys so much for reading, voting and commenting. Everytime I see anyone comment or vote on this book it brings me so much joy because it means that you like this book, and that means the world to me. Thanks for reading!
