CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
TRIPPING, FALLING.
EL'S POV.
"oh eleanor, you're so full of shit right now."
the brunette giggled as she fell back onto her bed, her honey locks sprawling effortlessly across her bright red pillow cases, "i am not!"
it had only been three days since mike and el's adventure around new york. truth be told, the artist had an amazing time exploring the city, going places she had never heard of and spending time not worrying about the real reason she was in the big apple. unfortunately, the day had come and gone too fast for her liking, her thoughts suddenly consumed by the events that occurred only a few days ago.
well more specifically, her thoughts were consumed by the particular writer boy who accompanied her.
it was the way he was so extremely kind, so willing to take the time out of his busy schedule just make her feel better. the way he genuinely cared and took care of her even though they hadn't really known each other for that long. the way he opened up to her so effortlessly and allowed her to see a side of him that no one else besides lucas probably has seen.
to her, the fact that he had even given her his trust was enough to make her insides instantly melt, her heart burning intensely from the heat. it was almost as if everytime she thought about him her mind would fog up like a car windshield in the cold, only allowing her to see the beautiful shadows of what could be in front of her.
it was a terrifying feeling really. probably one of the scariest things she had ever felt in her entire life.
yet, she couldn't get enough of it.
of course, it should be mentioned that they hadn't talked much since hanging out together. not that she was expecting him to be knocking on her door the next morning begging to see her again... but it would have been nice to possibly receive a text or maybe even a phone call. you know, just to talk.
it bummed her out a bit, but at least she could always depend on max to call her in a time of need.
"he took you to some of his favorite places in new york." the red head's voice drowned through artist's phone speakers, her tone obvious and quite frankly unamused. "i dunno about you but i think he lik - "
"he's just a decent human being, maxine." el interjected, rolling over to prop herself up on her elbows before twisting a strand of her golden hair around her finger, "just because he's being nice to me doesn't mean anything."
there was an audible laugh that resonated in the small girl's ears, echoing loudly throughout her childhood bedroom as her bestfriend took a moment to catch her breath, "bullshit."
"MAX!"
"what?! i'm just being honest, why is it such a big deal?" the fiery redhead defended, making the honey orbed girl bite the inside of her cheeks in attempt to stop them from flooding beet red.
it wasn't a big deal? was she acting like it was a big deal?
no, she definitely was not... right?
el could her the distinct click of a cup being placed on a counter in the background, max clearing her throat a bit as if she was waiting for a suitable answer to her question. but of course, when the artist seemed to struggle with finding a response, her best friend decided it was the perfect opportunity to push things further.
"is it because you like him back?" max teased, her voice filled with pure amusement. in all honesty, the redhead wasn't trying to embarrass her friend at all. it was just extremely rare to see el flustered... especially over a boy.
actually, max didn't think she had ever seen her act this way over anyone. not even over a celebrity.
even though her best friend couldn't see her, the brunette rolled her eyes dramatically at the comment, taking a moment to sit up and pull at the fluffy white blanket she kept folded neatly at the end of her bed, "i never said that."
there was a slight pause, max completely too occupied sipping on her cup of herbal tea to answer straight away, "very true, but your lack of denying those feelings says otherwise."
the small girl couldn't help but to sigh loudly, wanting nothing more than to stop talking about her beloved writer boy who was currently not showing her any ounce of attention at the moment. of course he meant something to her. that part was obvious at this point.
but as of right now, she would rather live in her safe little bubble of denial than to ever admit her feelings out loud.
"i'm not judging you, ellie. as long as he's cute i think it'll be great for you to finally step into the boyfriend world." the fiery redhead reassured, the brunette shyly wrapping herself in her blanket as she pushed her knees close to her chest. "speaking of which, send me a pic of him. i need to approve."
"just google mike wheeler. i'm sure something will pop up." the artist mumbled into her phone, toying a bit with the soft fabric that was enclosing her small frame. she'd be lying if she said she had never thought about typing his name into a search bar, but she didn't think she had hit that level of obsessed just yet.
"oh shit, i forgot that he's famous." max admitted, chucking to herself before adding, "do you think he has enough money to fix your grumpy attitude?"
"hey! i'm not being grumpy you bitch."
"love you too." her best friend laughed, making el burst into a fit of giggles. "anyways besides the fact that you might have a potential lover, what else is new? how's the painting going?"
surprisingly, even though the brunette had devoted a lot of her time lately towards a certain raven haired boy who occupied her father's friday afternoons every week, she still had managed to set aside some of that time towards working on the entire reason she was even in new york in the first place. however, let's just say... that project wasn't going as well as she originally thought it was going to go.
the brunette leaned back further into her pillows, the cushions engulfing her so much that her voice was muffled when she tried to speak again, "don't even get me started. it's a mess, max. it looks absolutely terrible."
"you say that about all your pieces and they always end up being beautiful." the redhead giggled at her dramatic attitude. yet, her voice was still filled with genuine honesty.
the comment made the artist blush, the brunette pushing her head against one of the cushions next to her as she tried to formulate a sentence that hopefully didn't sound too coincided, "i know but i just - want this one to be special. to be more than just some simple old painting. but i got nothing."
"i'm sure something will inspire you. you just have to keep looking, incorporate a different style into it. maybe you could - "
there was a string of sporadic beeps that interrupted whatever her best friend had to say next, causing the small girl to sit up from her comfortable position and look down at her phone intently. she smiled shyly, biting her lip before max's voice resonated in her ears once again.
"um, who just rudely interrupted me mid-sentence?" her best friend scoffed, her cup clicking in the background once again. however, el simply stayed quite, signaling to the redhead that it could only be one other person. "oh my god, it's like we manifested him into calling you by talking about him."
"i - what do i say?" the artist fumbled, her voice starting to shake a bit as the reality of the fact that he was actually calling her settled at the bottom of her stomach, a million different questions suddenly piling up in her brain.
what did he want to talk to her about? was it something bad? did something happen? and god, why does he make her feel so nervous but still so excited at the same time?
max chuckled to herself, swirling her spoon around in her cup loudly before teasing once again, "say hi, baby boy. i love you sooo - "
"you're not really helping."
"bitch, just answer the phone!" her best friend laughed, overall very amused with how quick the small girl's attitude had changed over a phone call from some silly boy.
"okay okay bye, love you!" the brunette rushed, earning her a hum in response before ending their call. her thumbs twiddled over the blinking screen, the artist taking a deep breath as she gently pressed the accept button just in time for the connection to go through. "uh - hello."
"why hello, am i speaking a - " the writer's soft yet professional voice seeped through her phone's speakers, the boy clearly pausing for a moment too add to the dramatic effect. "miss hopper right now?"
el couldn't help but to giggle, her nerves almost instantly disappearing but her cheeks suddenly giving off a decent amount of heat, "is this how you speak to your clients, writer boy. i think it needs some work."
this time he chuckled, the professionalism completely gone from his tone. to be completely honest, he sounded pretty tired, almost as if he was on the verge of exhaustion. "i'm sorry for not calling sooner. i got - caught up being mike wheeler and all that bullshit."
"ahhh, i see. it's cool, i understand." the honey orbed girl rested back onto her pillows, twirling a lose thread from her blanket around one of her fingers before subtly adding, "but i mean you could have - "
"oh no, don't even start. i should have known you were just gonna make me feel bad, sweet." mike interjected quickly, making her heart swell tightly at the sound of him using that nickname.
stupid feelings.
the artist pushed the warm thought away, clutching the edge of her blanket with one of her hands in order to pull the soft fabric close to her face."is there a reason you called? i hung up on my best friend to talk to you."
"i'm that special, huh?" he sounded amused by the thought, his soft words echoing back and forth in her head.
el rolled her eyes, her voice slightly muffled by the plush cloth next to her mouth, "apparently so."
the writer laughed again, her cheeks still flaming as he politely spared her anymore unwanted embarrassment by answering her original question, "well i simply wanted to talk to you. plus i wanted to inform you of our plans for friday night."
"our plans?" her honey orbs widened a bit at the gesture, her heart skipping a bit in her chest. it surely didn't help that every time he responded to her, the feeling settling at the bottom of her stomach would whirlpool into a blissful wave of burning lava. "bold aren't we?"
"yes ma'am. you see i completely forgot to take you to one of the best places in the city." the faint sound of a pen tapping in the background resonated in her ears, something telling her that him and lucas were probably still working in the office back at their apartment.
it was just an assumption. again, she wasn't that obsessed.
"wow." the small girl bit her lip, suddenly at a loss for words before deciding to finally, for the first time ever in her completely sober state, openly flirt with the boy. "you just can't get enough of me, can't you mikey?"
a panic arose in her throat when the raven haired boy didn't respond right away, the silence stabbing her as each second clicked along. the longer he took... the more she wanted to curl up in a ball, bury herself in a million pillows and fly back to indianapolis to cry into max's shoulder. yet, the feeling faded when he spoke again, her stomach flipping in the most comfortable way as he mumbled two small words into the phone.
"apparently so."
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a/n: thanks for reading!!
p.s. sorry my writing said 📉.