๑ 6 ๑
Mike was certain that he had racked up so much on his credit card within those few hours at the mall, there was a good chance of it being declined pretty soon. Of course he had the funds to pay for everything he'd bought for her, it wasn't like he was poor or anything, it was just unusual for him to spend so much at once.
His dad would surely throw a fit if he knew how much Mike was blowing on a girl he literally just met. It would all be worth it though, he could definitely admit that. Seeing this girl so happy over the most simplest of things was something he never expected to have even the smallest bit of an effect on him, but it certainly did.
When she'd discover a new store or something hanging on one of the racks would catch her eye, she'd let out the happiest of squeals and for some reason, it gave him such a warm feeling inside, a feeling he gladly welcomed.
The more time he spent with her though, the more feelings started to rise, feelings that he wasn't too sure if he wanted to let in or not, like the ones that would surface when she looked at him in a certain way or when she would hold his hand.
And don't even get him started on what he felt each time she walked out of that dressing room, wearing clothes that were much more suited for someone her age, clothes that he could tell she truly felt comfortable in. Every time she stepped out, looking at him like his opinion was the only one that mattered, he couldn't help but still at the sight.
Her standing there, doe eyes locked solely on his made time simply cease to exist, allowing him to take in every single one of her undeniably perfect features, to notice just how pretty she was.
Of course, he thought she was pretty from the moment he saw her, but being tied up to a chair and given the third degree by a girl wasn't exactly something he found attractive. At least, not in that particular situation. So, it wasn't really a surprise that he found her to be a pretty girl, beautiful even. It was, however, a surprise that he found himself feeling more than just an innocent attraction to her.
She wasn't just some girl that he passed by at the mall, thought to himself how hot she was, then proceeded to go on with his day. No, it wasn't like that at all and he had no idea what was going on. This had never happened to him before, especially not with a girl he hardly knew.
He'd certainly never been one to let a girl have this much control over him to the point where he was buying her literally anything she wanted and taking photos with her in a silly photo booth. He was even letting her hold his hand, which is something that he never does.
There was just something about this girl though, and he couldn't seem to understand it. She was so different from all the girls he knew, which was something he obviously had known to be true since the moment he met her. Only now, he kinda liked that about her...
Mike was willing let his mind wander a bit more, but a honking from a car just up ahead shook him out of his thoughts. He focused back on the road for a minute, then glanced over at El, sitting comfortably in the passenger seat next to him.
She was staring out the window, as intently as she had been earlier, only now the setting sun cast a glow on her skin. Mike quickly found himself mesmerized by the sight, being simply no match for her beauty.
Thankfully though, he did manage to snap himself out of it before he nearly ran into the car in front of them.
"So, since we spent so long at the mall, we really only have time for one more stop." Mike told her, breaking the comfortable silence that had come over them as they listened to the radio play.
"Bummer." El frowned at him, but just as soon as her lips had turned down, she perked right back up. "Well, I'm getting hungry again. Could we go eat somewhere?"
He glanced at the clock on his radio, the numbers showing that it was nearing six o'clock. He was pretty hungry himself, especially since the last meal he had was at breakfast, not counting the ice cream they'd gotten at the mall. He assumed that was El's last meal too, since she had been with him that entire time.
"Say no more, I know just the place."
A good five minutes later, they arrived at Benny's, one of Mike's favorite places to eat in town. Everyone his age practically ate every meal there, so he figured it would be the perfect place for El, seeing as she was on a mission to experience normal teenager things.
Mike led them up to the small building, holding the door open for her to go in first. As soon as they'd walked in, El rushed over to an open booth. She slid right into one side of it, Mike taking the seat across from her.
"This place is so cute! I've always wanted to eat at a diner like this." El told him, as she curiously looked around at everything and everyone else sat around them.
"Well would you look at that, another dream of yours comes true." Mike dramatically gasped, just as one of the waitresses came over to their table.
"Hi kids, what can I get you two to drink?"
"Uh, I'll have a coke." Mike told the woman, then looked over at El. She was already staring back at him like she didn't have a clue as to what she was supposed to say. "And she'll have the same."
El opened her mouth to speak, but refrained from doing so until the waitress walked away. "Papa says I'm not allowed to have coke."
"What did I say earlier about that man?" Mike groaned. There was still something about this 'Papa' that just didn't sit right with him and he hated that El couldn't do as she liked without worrying about what the man would think.
"What Papa doesn't know, won't hurt him." She recited, smiling proudly over the fact that she had remembered what he'd said.
"Exactly."
"You know, I-"
El's words were cut off by the sudden interruption of one of Mike's friends as he approached the table, with a familiar redhead trailing behind him. That one definitely wasn't his friend though.
"Mike, buddy! Haven't seen you in days!"
"Hey Lucas."
"Who's this?"
"Oh, this is El. She's a friend from out of town." Mike told him, figuring the explanation was as good as any.
"Hi." El greeted him with a smile, though the girl standing off behind him didn't look too happy with that.
"You mind if we join you?" Lucas asked, already moving to sit next to Mike, but he reached out a hand to stop him.
"Actually yeah, uh... We're kind of on a date, so if you could beat it dude, that would be great."
"Oh, I see." Lucas grinned, suggestively wiggling his brows at Mike. "Have fun you two. See you tomorrow?"
"Yepp."
Lucas waved goodbye, then retreated back over to a table with some other people, the red headed girl following right along with him. El was going to ask who exactly they were, but something else on her mind seemed more important.
"We're on a date?"
"Nah, I just said that so they'd leave." Mike shrugged. "I didn't want them to stay and make you feel uncomfortable or anything, especially Max. God, she's the worst."
"Max?"
"The girl with the red hair."
"Oh." El glanced over to where the girl now sat, having the same stern look on her face. "She didn't seem to like me very much. She didn't even say hi."
"That's cause she's a bitch and doesn't want anyone else even looking at her boyfriend. She's probably gonna yell at him the second they leave for asking who you were."
"Wow. What a bitch!" El gasped, her unexpected use of profanity for the second time that day amusing Mike to the point where he had to laugh. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that it was the first time she'd ever used that word.
"You're exactly right." He didn't hesitate to agree, the words a bit muffled due to his incessant laughing. There was just something so funny about her cussing, almost how it is when a small child blurts one of those forbidden words out.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend, Mike?" She asked him, causing his laughter to die down a bit.
"I don't know if I'd call them girlfriends, but sure."
"Do you have one now?"
"Hell no." Mike snorted at the thought. "The girls in this town are all annoying, so the last thing I want right now is a girlfriend."
"Aren't you lonely?"
"How could I be lonely? I've been babysitting you all day." He joked, only she didn't laugh as much as he expected her to. For some reason, she was far too interested in his love life to stop with the questions.
"But don't you want to be in love, Mike?"
"Do you?"
"Of course I do." She sighed longingly, letting her chin rest in the palm of her hand. "But that can't happen."
"And why not?"
El came out of the dreamy state she'd fallen into, giving him a pointed look. "How am I going to find love if I'm locked away in a cabin? Is someone just going to show up at my door and whisk me away without Papa noticing?"
"I mean, it's possible." Mike said, trying to be somewhat encouraging. El didn't buy it, smiling sadly back at him. He quickly noticed her eyes beginning to tear up and figured he should probably change the subject before she got too upset over her love life, or lack thereof. He definitely can't handle crying right now. "Okay, enough with the chit chat. Let's just order some food."
He handed her one of the menus that was placed on the table, taking one for himself too. El opened hers just as Mike did, her eyes drying as she eagerly scanned over the menu.
"There's so much to choose from! What can I have?"
"Anything you want, El. It's on me."
"What's on you?" She frowned, staring back at him over her menu.
"Nothing." He chuckled, while slightly shaking his head. "I'm paying for your food, just order anything you want, okay?"
El's confusion faded away, being replaced by sheer excitement. "Okay yay!"
She ended up ordering three different meals, along with a strawberry milkshake.
Mike really thought she was going to cry when he told her she could have more ice cream. Apparently Papa didn't allow her to have it more than once a day, nor did he allow her to eat certain foods, which explains why she had ordered so much.
He knew it would be more food than she could possibly eat, but he wasn't going to say a thing. If this was the first time she'd ever gone out to eat, then she got a free pass, even if it did cost him an extra twenty five dollars.
He'd just add it all on with the rest of those pending charges on his credit card.
•
The sky had turned dark by the time they left the diner, the sight capturing El's attention as soon as they walked out the door. She had grown so used to seeing glimpses of it out her window, that seeing it in real life, with its seemingly endless amount of twinkling stars was a whole different story.
She couldn't help herself from staring up above her the entire time they walked back to Mike's car, taking in what was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. It was so mesmerizing, she felt like she could stand out there and stare up at it all night long. Mike had already gotten in the car though and it was a bit scary out there all alone, so the stars would have to wait.
As if on cue, he opened her door from the inside, allowing her to swiftly hop right in. She pulled her seat belt across and buckled it in, it being so tight against her belly that it made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Her stomach was now so full that the extra pressure made her feel like she could burst at any moment. Really, she didn't think she'd ever be able to eat again.
The food was just so delicious though, she couldn't resist eating as much of it as she possibly could. It was ten times better than the frozen meals that she's used to. She didn't know how she could ever go back to those tasteless things now that she'd tried real food.
Just the thought of those horrid frozen meals made her think of home, which is where she knew they were heading next. It was time for her to go home and that devastated her inside. She thought they would have more time, that they would get to do so much more.
It seemed that being at the mall took up most of their time though, especially after they had gone to see a movie. It was definitely entertaining and possibly one of the coolest things she'd ever experienced, getting to see it up on the big screen like that, but it had lasted entirely too long.
She wouldn't dare complain about it though, not after all the new things she had gotten to experience today. Mike had allowed her to do so much, spending his money on her and pretty much his entire day doing what she wanted. How could she be anything but grateful?
As grateful as she was though, she was feeling just as much sadness inside. Going back home meant that she would have to say goodbye. She would have to say goodbye to her first ever friend and that wasn't really something she wanted to do. She already knew that she would miss Mike, even if she really didn't know much about him at all.
She figured maybe she could do that now, since he still had to drive her back home. Surely, that would give them plenty of time to talk.
"Mike... Tell me about you!" El cheerfully spoke, her enthusiasm slightly catching him off guard.
"Uh, what about me?"
"Tell me about your life."
"Well, it's a bit of a downer, but sure." He sighed, before reaching out to turn the volume on the radio down. "As you already know, my sisters don't live here anymore and my mom's gone."
"What happened to her?"
"She died a few months ago. She was sick and the doctors couldn't really figure out what it was, so they had no clue how to help her. My dad's a doctor and even he couldn't figure it out. He couldn't save her and it really messed him up when she died."
"I'm so sorry, Mike." El frowned, feeling as if her heart was breaking for him.
"After the funeral, he got rid of anything that could possibly remind him of her. He wanted to erase her from his memory, to make it like she never even existed. He sold all her things, even the box she had left specifically for me. Every single thing she owned, he just pawned off like they meant nothing. I went down to buy them back, but the man at the pawn shop had raised the prices so high, I could never be able to afford it without asking my dad for the money. I mean, the man wanted twenty-five hundred dollars for her necklace! Can you believe that?"
"So that's what you stole when you were running from the police?" El wondered aloud, as it all suddenly clicked in her brain.
"Yeah. I had already been going down such a bad path that I figured, why not steal them? I stole other things from the shop too, just so he wouldn't connect it to back to me. If people in town found out that it was me stealing that stuff, my dad would flip out. He'd say it would ruin his good name, which is complete bullshit... Ever since my mom died though, I haven't really been myself. I've been rude and careless and screwed so many things in my life up. My dad just thinks I'm worthless, as he should."
"But that's not true." She argued, though it didn't convince him as she'd hoped it would. All he did was laugh it off. "Really, Mike! You're the best person I know!"
"I'm the only person you know, El."
"Well, even if I knew all the people in the world, you would still be the best." She insisted, leaning forward to place her hand on top of his where it rested on the steering wheel. "You're kind, funny, smart and you're really pretty!"
"Pretty huh?" Mike snickered, his focus so locked in on the road ahead that he didn't seem to notice how his fingers were softly playing with hers. "Well, I'm flattered. I could say the same about you though, Princess."
El blushed at the compliment, wanting to squeal over the fact that he called her pretty again.
She smiled shyly over at him, managing to keep herself from making any noises, before she brought her hand back to rest on her lap. She began to nervously fiddle with her thumbs, as an idea that was surely ridiculous crossed her mind.
She had a good idea of what Mike's answer would be, but she just had to ask him about it.
"Mike, do you think I could... uhm, could I stay with you tonight? I just really don't wanna go home yet. I've been there my whole life and now that I'm out..."
"You can stay with me, El. I don't mind."
"Really?"
She had expected him to say no or at least ponder over the idea for a minute or two, but instead he answered right away.
And he actually said yes!
"Yeah, really. As long as you don't tie me up again and steal all my things." He teased, his words bringing yet another bright smile to her flushed face.
"I would never!"
•
It didn't take long for them to get back to Mike's house and unlike earlier that day, they weren't alone now. His dad's car was parked outside, which immediately caused El to worry.
What if he didn't let her stay? What if she would have no choice but to go back home?
Mike was quick to assure her that his dad wouldn't care, that he has people over all the time and it would be no big deal. Still, she couldn't help but worry, fearing that his dad would be mean to her. From the way Mike talked about him, he didn't seem like the nicest person. If he didn't like his own kid, why would he like her?
When they finally went inside though, they found the man sound asleep on a chair in the living room, so El didn't see the need to worry that much anymore. The two of them then snuck up to his room, where Mike immediately plopped down on his bed. She did just as he did, making sure to slip her shoes off beforehand.
They watched some television to pass the time, Mike deciding to let El choose what to watch. Luckily, she found some of the channels that played her favorite shows. He thought they were kinda cheesy, but she was enjoying herself, so he silently sat through each and every one of them until finally calling it a night.
"Alright, so you can sleep in the basement or in here and I can just sleep down there. Whatever you want." Mike told her, once he returned from changing his clothes.
El had changed hers while he was out of the room, now wearing a t-shirt of his and some pajama pants instead of her sundress. She thought over the options he'd given her for where to sleep, not finding either of them very appealing. Basements are scary and well, she really didn't want him to leave her, even if they were just going to sleep.
"Could I maybe... sleep in here, but with you?"
Mike seemed surprised at her request, but nodded his head anyway. "Yeah sure. I just gotta warn you though, I snore."
"I don't mind." El giggled, watching intently as he worked on tidying up his bed a little.
"Alright, that's better. Hop in."
El pulled the covers back on her side and climbed into bed, snuggling up to his pillow right away. Mike laid down next to her, attempting to get their blankets situated.
"Could you turn my lamp off? I can't exactly reach it from here."
"Oh sure!" El rolled over to do just that, reaching out an arm to hit the switch.
"Woah El, is that a tattoo?" Mike gasped, causing her to immediately jerk her arm back and hide it under the covers.
"Can I see?"
El didn't make a move, unsure as to whether she wanted him to see it. She knew she probably wasn't supposed to talk about her tattoo with anyone, but this was Mike. She could trust him. Right?
Mike loosely wrapping a hand around her arm as she held it out toward him, his thumb grazing over the three numbers. "What's it mean?"
"That's what they call me at the lab."
"The lab?"
"It's where Papa works. Sometimes he takes me there to help with things. They aren't allowed to call me Eleanor. He won't let them, so they call me Eleven." El explained, staring blankly at the ink that marked her skin. "This has been on me for as long as I can remember, but I'm not sure why he put it there."
"Hm." Mike looked over the tattoo once more, before falling back against his pillow. "Well, it's actually kinda badass."
El finally looked away from her tattoo, turning to face him. Her wide eyes met his, while her smile grew wider than he'd seen yet. "Really?"
"Totally." Mike nodded, as he turned to face her too.
She was looking at him in that way that she had been all day and he couldn't look away no matter how hard he tried.
And neither could El, having gotten lost within those dark eyes of his. She had never seen a pair of eyes so beautiful before and just like with those stars earlier, she felt as if she could stare at them all night long.
She could've gotten her wish too, it seeming like they were never gonna look away from one another. That is, until Mike realized what was going on and cleared his throat, completely ruining the moment.
"Well, it's been an incredibly long day, so I'd say it's time we go to sleep." He told her, a yawn conveniently slipping out mid sentence. "Could you turn off the lamp now?
El leaned up to what she had failed to do before, quickly switching the lamp off before lying back down. "Thank you for today, Mike."
"Yeah, of course."
It was silent after that, both lying comfortably on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. Mike let his eyes shut, thinking the conversation was over, but then El spoke again.
"Could we maybe go other places tomorrow?" She asked, hopeful that he would say yes.
"I don't know... I have something to do with my friends tomorrow."
"Oh, that's okay." She softly sighed, rolling over to hide her disappointment. Really, he couldn't even see her face now that the lights were off, but somehow, she felt like he could and that was the last thing she wanted.
"Goodnight, Mike."
Of course Mike could tell that she was let down, but he didn't know what to do about it. What was he supposed to do? Cancel his plans so he could spend another day driving her around town? If she was trying to make up for every single thing that she had missed out on, he'd probably be driving her around for the rest of his life.
He eventually let out a sigh himself, before turning to face the other side.
"Night, El."