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If you had asked El a little over a month ago what she'd picture her life to be like now, she would've never told you it would be like this— her days filled with an unbelievable amount of joy all thanks to a boy who was once just a stranger.
She was so used to being on her own, going straight to work or her classes, then right back home. She never really had much to look forward to, getting through each and every day like it was strictly routine.
But now, she wasn't alone anymore, hardly ever actually and she loved it. She got through the many hours at work and her often stressful classes much easier now, knowing that Mike would be there when everything was all over.
Her life had somehow become so perfect.
She's doing well in all those stressful classes, she's getting paid a little bit more for working those many hours and best of all, she has the most amazing boyfriend.
He's always so good to her, treating her like she's a princess or something. Gosh, even the way he looks at her makes her feel so perfect in his eyes, as if she could simply do no wrong. That of course, was not true, but the thought alone made her feel as if she could combust at any second, overcome with the happiness he creates within her.
How she ever managed to get through her days without him was a mystery to her. It had only been about four hours since she'd last seen him and her thoughts were constantly overrun by when she'd get to again.
She wanted to melt at the sight of his warm smile, to have his strong arms around her, to kiss those plump lips of his, preferably right this second.
If she wasn't literally about to see him, she'd be going crazy just thinking about it.
Luckily, Mike had texted not too long ago, telling her that he was about to head back from campus, so she only had to endure another five minutes or so.
Those five minutes still felt like hours, but eventually he had gotten home. As soon as El had received his text letting her know she could come over, she nearly ran for the door, heading straight to his.
Mike had told her once before that she didn't need to waste time knocking, that she could come in whenever she wanted, but she didn't feel right barging in like that. So, she brought her fist up, knocking heavily.
A few seconds passed before the door was opened.
El nearly lost her breath at the sight, those feelings of hers from before growing stronger. He was smiling at her, in that dreamy way that he does and those lips... they had truly never looked more kissable.
"What did I tell you about the knocking?" Mike teased, though El couldn't bring herself to say anything back.
She couldn't speak, not when her eyes had gotten stuck on one particular part of him that she needed in indulge in right that second.
She quickly stepped inside, planting her hands on each side of his face and bringing his lips straight down to hers.
Her mouth was moving on his before he could even realize what was happening. The kiss was so sudden, he hadn't even seen it coming. It didn't take him long to catch up though, matching his enthusiasm with hers. He kicked the door shut behind them, which El took advantage of, instantly spinning them around and pressing him right up against it.
She could feel his hands grip her waist a little tighter, as their mouths continued to chase after one another. El's heart was racing at that point, this being exactly what she had needed.
"What's gotten into you?" Mike asked, once they'd actually managed to pry their lips apart, amusement all over his face.
The separation didn't last very long though, because El leaned up to kiss him yet again, her movements more sloppy this time. "I have no idea."
"Well, I'm certainly not complaining." He breathed, then went right back in for more.
Before they got too caught up in each other though, Mike had made the move to pull away, El nearly whining as he did so.
"Okay okay, I need to make us lunch, unless you'd rather eat me? You wild animal!"
El let out a soft giggle, though she had no shame in how needy she was being right now. It was his fault, after all. He's just so perfect, she can't possibly resist him.
Mike held his hand out for her to take, El slipping her fingers through his as she followed him to the kitchen. She couldn't help him with making lunch, given her inability to cook even the simplest of meals, but she could definitely watch him.
And that's exactly what she did, watching closely as he did his thing, while they chatted away.
Not too long had passed, before he had finished and like always, El was not disappointed.
Mike made yet another meal that had her taste buds going insane. She was unable to believe food could taste this good, to the point where she was already bragging about it before she'd even finished.
Her kind words went on as they ate the rest of their food, until the sound of the front door opening brought her words to a halt. The slam of the door was immediately followed by the shrill voice of a girl El hadn't ever heard before.
"Mike, I want my dog back already! I don't care how much you need her to keep this El in your life. I-" The girl's words were cut short once she walked into the kitchen, noticing that Mike wasn't alone. "Oh, hi."
"Did you seriously have to just barge in like that, Nance?" Mike questioned, though his sister only ignored him.
"You must be the famous El?"
"Uh yes, that's me." El nodded, while smiling politely at her. "And you're Nancy, I'm assuming?"
"The one and only." She proudly said with a wink. "It's so nice to meet you, El! I've heard nothing but great things about you! Seriously, nothing. I swear, this boy has sent me more text messages freaking out about you lately than anything else."
"Oh, has he?" El asked, looking straight at Mike with playful eyes. He carelessly shrugged in defeat, being guilty of everything his sister had said.
"Okay Mike, your girl and I are gonna chat and get to know each other! Can you brew me a cup of coffee?"
"Uh. I don't even have a coffee maker, Nance."
"Fine, tea will do." She shrugged, before shoo-ing him over toward the counter.
Mike rolled his eyes at her, then proceeded to do as she asked of him.
"Oh! There's my baby!" Nancy hollered out, as Coco came running into the kitchen, suddenly freaking out over the sight of her owner. "I've missed you so much!"
"You know, your dogs are all so adorable, but Coco is by far my favorite." El told her, as she watched the two get reacquainted.
"Oh I know, Mike told me. Can you believe he actually begged me to let him keep her? He said 'El loves your dog, Nancy! Please! If you take her away, I'll just die!' or you know, something along the lines of that. He can be quite dramatic sometimes." Nancy chuckled to herself, clearly enjoying throwing her brother under the bus like that.
El wasn't too sure if what Nancy was saying was true, until she looked over at Mike. He didn't look too happy with what his sister had told her, not at all.
She really hoped that he wasn't embarrassed by the whole thing, because he had no reason to be. Him begging his sister to let him keep the dog she had taken a liking to, hoping it would keep her around? Adorable.
"Enough about Mike though, tell me all about yourself!" Nancy insisted, grabbing El's hand and dragging her into the living room.
El was a little caught off guard by her forwardness, but really didn't mind it. Nancy was exactly as Mike had described her to be and she was already enjoying her company. So without a second thought, she plopped down on the couch next to her and dove right into telling the girl just about everything worth knowing.
•
Mike felt like he was going to die.
He had been forced to listen to El bond with his sister for hours, when really, he just wanted Nancy to leave already.
He wanted El all to himself, especially after the way she'd practically attacked him when she got there earlier. He craved to pick up right where they left off, but no. His sister had to barge in and snatch El away from him.
Was he acting like a child who had gotten his toy taken away? Yes, yes he was. Did he care? No, no he didn't. So, he sat there nearly pouting as the two chatted away.
Truthfully though, he was glad that they were getting along so well. Nancy never really likes any of his girlfriends, usually having one conversation with them and already deciding that they're not good enough for her little brother.
That was definitely not what happened here. It seemed that she loved El from the moment she saw her. The feeling was definitely mutual, as El was pretty eager to get to know the girl, telling Nancy just about anything she wanted to know.
It was clear just how much Nancy loved his girlfriend though, when she was getting ready to go home and insisted that she and El have a girl's day soon.
Mike never thought he'd see the day Nancy willingly hung out with one of his girlfriends, but here it was and he couldn't be more thrilled that it was El she had chosen.
El happily took her up on the offer, leading to the two exchanging numbers right away.
Once Nancy had finally decided to leave, unfortunately taking Coco right along with her, El's full attention went back to Mike. She spun around to face him with a grin so smug on her face, he knew exactly what was coming.
"Please don't." He whined, while her grin only grew wider.
"You only kept Coco because of me?" She asked, her voice soft now, no teasing whatsoever behind the question.
Mike nodded his head, groaning at the thought.
He really couldn't believe Nancy had told her that. It was embarrassing, having El know he was so insecure that he stooped so low as to use a dog as his wing man. That wasn't very mature in his book.
El walked over to him, reaching out to take his hands in hers, the gesture already giving him comfort. "You really thought that I wouldn't want to be around unless there was a dog with you?"
"I mean, I haven't thought that for awhile now, obviously. I did at first though." He shrugged, the thought seeming so silly now.
"Well that's crazy!" She insisted, softly shaking her head at the thought. "I'll admit, the dogs were adorable and I did love them, especially Coco, but they're just dogs, Mike."
"Yeah, I know. I know... It was stupid." He sighed, leading to her wrapping her arms around his waist and bringing him closer to her.
"You were so nice to me all those times I'd see you and as you already know, I wanted to say something, but couldn't. Then, that day when you came over to get Coco, I don't know, I just suddenly had the guts to talk to you. We kept talking and it just felt so easy, like we'd been friends for life." She smiled at the thought of that day, that day that changed everything, before she went on with what she wanted to say.
"After that, I knew I had to be around you again, to talk to you again, even if it was only for a minute or two. Of course I had lost that confidence I had before to try and make that happen myself, but I ended up forcing myself to go knock on your door. Then, you opened it and while I was internally panicking, I decided to use the dogs as an excuse."
"And what about the times after that, when you-"
"Acted like a weirdo?" El snorted, to which he nodded in agreement. "I don't know, I just got scared again. And I guess when the dogs were around, their presence did give me a sense of comfort. Without them, it would just be us two, nothing to use as a distraction if I got too awkward or anything. I'm sorry, that probably sounds so dumb."
"No, it doesn't." He assured her, his thumbs starting to rub circles against her skin. He still thought it was incredibly cute that he had made her so nervous.
He also felt like less of an idiot now that he knew they both used the dogs as a way to get closer. When really, they didn't need the dogs at all.
"I'm sorry I acted so strange Mike, but I was never there for the dogs." She assured him, leaning up to lightly peck his lips. "It was for you, it was always for you."
"Good to know." He said, his gaze softening on hers. "I just wish I had known that a little sooner."
"Why's that?"
"Do you know how much time that dog took away from me?" He exclaimed, his dramatic outburst getting a few uncontrollable giggles out of her. "All that time that she had your attention could've been mine!"
El began to laugh harder, the sound like a beautiful song to his ears. Her forehead dropped against his chest, as she let her laughter die down, before looking back into his eyes. "Don't worry, it's all yours now."
Mike couldn't help but grin like a fool, the thought of anything relating to her being 'all his' making him want to thank every single star in the sky for such an honor.
"Lucky me."