Everything I Ever Wanted {A Billy Hargrove + Stranger Things Fanfic}

29. Living Again

{Three Months Later}
I always seemed to live my life in black and white, never excepting things that I know would be good for me, and simply ignoring everything that felt too right. Mostly because I was afraid to. The what if's are what always held me back. And the day Billy came to Hawkins, wasn't any different. Until it was. I so badly wanted to tell myself that it was nothing, that this boy who came into my life out of nowhere, would forget all about me in a few days time and move on to another girl at our school. But things played out entirely different from the visions I had in my head of my fling with Billy. The thing is, it wasn't just a fling. It wasn't anything I was used to. Because I felt as if I didn't need love, simply because I was afraid of the outcome. All because someone really important to me, left me and showed me what real, emotional heartbreak felt like. I was destroyed after that.

"Good morning Lan." The moment my tired eyes popped open from a blissful night of amazing sleep, I was greeted with the beautiful blue eyes of Billy. And that smile that melted my heart every single time I gazed upon it. His shirtless torso was in full view, a reminder of the things we really did last night. The way he truly made me feel loved. And had absolutely no problem proving I was. After the events of Starcourt and leaving the Flayer behind us, we struggled to regain a life we so badly wanted. The emotional toll was horrible, losing Hopper and not understanding just how it happened. The void it left in all of us, was utterly terrible. It was like losing your dad in a way. He was the closest thing I ever had to one. And he is someone's dad. Eleven's. But thankfully, Joyce brought her into their home with open arms, and I knew she would have the life she deserved with them now that they had left Hawkins behind to start over, leaving behind the horrible memories that lingered. But also taking the amazing memories we all made over the years together. And thankfully, I can make new ones. With Billy.

"Good morning Bills." My hoarse voice and tired eyes, reigned in just how troubling these last three months had been. But also, how rehabilitating they are. We've grown, far more than we thought possible. We aren't afraid anymore. Because this, seemed to show us just how true are feelings are. We have been connected since that day we first met in the high school parking lot. And all throughout the horrors we endured over the course of this summer, we never lost the notion that this was real. What we felt for one another, the things we had done and the time we had spent, meant something to us both. A brush with death was more than enough to convince us both that we simply can't go on without each other without being miserable. The thought of losing Billy, kills me more than anything.

"Goooooood morning sis and..... possibly, probably, most likely, future brother in law! Steve and Robin are currently in our living room, wondering if you are coming out? Or if they need to come in and drag you out? Which by the looks of it, you're probably naked. So thanks for that image." I threw a pillow at Dustin to shut him and his rambling up, seeing Billy's humored smile coming into view once I turned back towards him and his relaxed position on the pillows. I decided to work at the Home Videos store for a bit until college was an option. And well, it just so happens that my best friends are working there as well, thanks to Robin and her awesome Jedi mind tricks she used on Matty. But eventually, Billy and I wanted to leave Hawkins behind as well and finally start our lives together.

"Well handsome, I guess that's my cue. Although I would much rather stay with you than at the video store." He simply laughed, before placing a heated kiss to my lips in a moment of passion that never ceased to take my breath away with it. Everything was seemingly forgotten whenever I was in his arms. My comfort zone.

"I could show you a better time than they ever could." His suggestive tone and very subtle wink, made it all the more difficult to get out of my very comfortable bed. But money needed to be made for our day that we would be leaving Hawkins behind us. I was counting down the day until we did. Just us, the Camaro and the open roads for us to explore. On our way to our final destination. California.

"I don't doubt it Hargrove." I kissed him once more, before proceeding to get dressed and get this day started, when my eyes landed on my Hawkins Pool lifeguard gear, remembering the good times we had there. Pictures of our first day, were tapped to my full length mirror of us sitting on the hood of his car with major smiles upon our young faces, sporting bitchin glasses and our whistles we would terrorize people with. Especially Billy. He loves it. But the one picture that always makes me truly smile, is the first one we ever took together over the summer. The one of us and Max, goofing around that Susan took of us all. That day was one I would never forget. So many memories were embedded in my mind that meant everything to me, that made me forget all the bad ones so easily. Just how I wanted it.

"We'll be out of here soon. And I promise you Lan, our lives will really begin. Together." I simply smiled at him from the mirror, seeing him getting dressed himself for some of his last shifts at the pool, noting just how much he had been working out again. For a while, he didn't. Neither of us were the same. Hell, we still aren't. But we are finally starting to fall into a pattern we used to have. Him working out, was the best sign I could ever ask for. What happened affected him more than any of us could ever possibly understand. He struggled and fought with it for so long after that night at the mall, wanting it to go away so badly, to never see the Flayer haunting his dreams ever again. So we decided, since we're done with high school and need a fresh start, we would hit the road and go to California, get back to Billy's roots and let him live again. Let us live again.

"I wouldn't want it any other way Billy. I love you so much." I fixed my hair before hugging a now ready to go Billy, kissing him so tenderly. Each kiss was just as intoxicating as the last and I loved every single second of it. Our lives were just beginning. Discovering each other, seeing the bigger picture and realizing that we had so much more living to do outside of this town. We weren't those two kids from Hawkins High School who were afraid to let one another in anymore. We aren't scared. We aren't building up our walls. We finally broke each other's down, mending the pathway to our hearts. I knew from the moment I first saw him, that something was going to happen. That he was meant to be apart of my life, in a way that I never fully expected. But how it played out, led to the best thing that could ever happen to me. Billy Hargrove is the best thing that ever happened to me, and everything I ever wanted.