***********
It had been nearly a week since Mike and El had made their relationship official, but it felt like it had been years. Within such a short time period, the girl had already been able to formally introduce her designated partner to her father over a proper dinner. While it wasn't the most comfortable experience, Hopper was more than happy for his daughter. Having seen the way Mike looked at her was enough for him to understand that she was safe; that she would be treated and cared for as she should be.
Prying them apart though had already become the most difficult thing. There was a developed attachment there that caused everyone at school to look at them in confused wonder. Luckily Mike and El didn't care about the on looking stares as they joyfully strolled hand in hand down the hallways together. It did not matter who was watching; even if it had truthfully captivated attention from their peers as they witnessed the resident dork locking lips with the unspoken girl. The only people not surprised by their public displays of affection were the party, and that's because they had known Mike has been head over heels for El since the second he saw her.
After a long week of having the questionable eyes from her classmates upon her, El released a relieving sigh as she found herself squeezed into the passenger seat of her father's cruiser. He was unusually quiet as for a few moments before he murmured, "you look happy, kid."
With a shy smile, El answered, "I am happy," she blushed, thinking of scattered freckles before she felt the need to input, "it's not just because of Mike though. I've always been content in my little bubble."
"Yeah, but the world is much nicer when you have other people besides your old man to talk to," Hop remarked with a smirk before he felt her small hand lightly strike his shoulder. The two laughed for a moment, knowing his statement was true. El is living now as she should have been for years; a life with peers she could experience adolescence with.
As Hopper pulled up to a familiar location, he parked with a sigh. "I'm proud of you for still coming to support group," his eyes wandered, catching sight of something; or someone, before he continued, "by the way, I'm not going to be picking you up afterwards because you have plans."
El's mouth gaped open in surprise as she wondered aloud, "but I didn't make plans. I thought we could watch a movie together—"
Her gentle tone was interrupted by the sound of the old metal door cracking open beside her. As Mike ducked his head and peered inside, he beamed at Hop as he declared, "I'll have her home by nine, chief!"
"You better," Hop deadpanned as he repressed a smile at the dotting couple. He gave his daughter a knowing look as he instructed, "have fun, but not too much fun. I'll be home from work around eight fifteen, but if you need me, just give the station a call."
Still reeling from confusion, El could only mutter a small goodbye to her father as Mike helped her step out of the vehicle. Once her feet were planted on the ground below her, Mike placed two quick pecks upon her parted lips. The petite girl pulled back and analyzed him; noting that his smile was much too wide for them to only be attending another boring session of support group. It didn't help that she could also feel his fingers absentmindedly drumming against hers as their hands remained interlaced.
With furrowed brows, El leaned up on her tippy toes and narrowed her eyes as she questioned, "what are you up to?"
"What makes you think I'm up to something?" Mike cheekily retorted.
Her honey colored orbs simply rolled at his poor ability to lie as she tugged his hand towards the building. Soon though, the lanky boy halted her as he spoke, "I-I don't know how you'll feel about this, but I want you to meet my family." Mike's cheeks blazed as he looked down, scuffing his feet on the concrete as he rambled, "you're the most important thing to me in the world. I know it's lame, but I already know my mom is going to love you. I kind of already asked for your dad's permission, but if you want me to just take you home after group, I can do that. I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."
As soon as the words tumbled from his mouth, El gave Mike a fraction of a second to catch his breath before she pressed her lips to his. She smiled as she felt his fingers splay against her hips as he brought her body closer to his. Just before their chests could touch though, El placed a steady hand on his sternum and whispered, "we probably shouldn't make-out in front of the support group – don't want to traumatize these kids any more than they already are."
Having realized the density of her joke, both El and Mike burst into a fit of laughter for a moment before they collected themselves. Trailing her fingers against his cheek, El murmured, "I'm nervous to meet your family because I want them to like me, but I trust you, so I'm ready to meet them when you want me to."
Heaving a heavy sigh of relief, Mike pressed his forehead against hers as he mumbled, "thank God because my mom is dying to meet you."
"Have you been talking about me to your mom, Mike Wheeler?" El teased with a snicker.
Mike blushed and playfully flicked her shoulder before guiding her into the building. Once they were sat amongst the circle, the pair waited in silence with the other group members. When the facilitator finally began the session, they asked each person to reveal something they had recently achieved.
"Who would like to share first?"
Before El could even process it, her hand had shot up from her side. Everyone looked at her curiously as they never expected the quiet girl to initiate a session. As she stood up on shaky limbs, she could feel the soothing burn echoing into her from Mike's eyes; and that was all she needed to feel safe.
"I made some friends," she bluntly disclaimed with a chuckle. El took a breath as she twirled her thumbs before she continued, "and I'm going to continue being open with other people by meeting my boyfriend's family. I'm really nervous because I want them to like me, but I'm proud of myself for letting people in."
Without another word muttered, El was quick to sit herself back into her chair. Her breathing was slightly amped above normal as she processed all she had just revealed. As she reflected, she found a small gasp falling from her mouth as Mike's pinkie finger latched onto hers. Looking at him through her downcast eyelashes, she saw a glimmer of pride within his irises. Then, within an instant, she watched as her boyfriend rose from him seat.
"I finally asked the girl I'm in love with to be my girlfriend and she said yes," Mike's naturally wide grin faltered as he profoundly added, "but the real achievement will be making sure she's always happy, because that's all that matters to me."
Once he had sat back down, the rest of the group members were granted their time to reveal their achievements. As they did so, Mike and El had to work hard to be respectful listeners. Although, the pair couldn't stop themselves from playing footsies to pass the time; almost like they were two magnets, unable to keep themselves apart from one another.
After support group had concluded, Mike guided El back to his car. On the drive to his house, he noticed her fingers trembling against her knee. Sensing the anxiety falling off of her in waves, he pulled the car over a few blocks away from his house.
With confusion painted on her face, El mumbled, "I'm not a stalker, but I know this isn't your house."
Mike analyzed her nervous jitters as he trailed his fingers along her shoulder. He gently pressed a peck to her cheek, smiling to himself as he felt her shaking subside. Squeezing her thigh, he made purposeful eye contact as he murmured, "they're going to love you, I promise."
"I'm just worried they are going to recognize that I'm not good enough for you."
El's troubling words quickly laid in the space between them heavily for a moment. As Mike reflected on what her statement implied, a hurricane of thoughts proceeded to assault his mind. The idea that he was too good for her was outrageously absurd to him. Sure, Mike knew he had potential to be successful in this lifetime. He was intelligent and motivated; however, he knew within his heart that he was made for one specific thing. And that was to love her.
"Hey, look at me," Mike pleaded as he cupped her cheeks in his hands. He allowed himself the pleasure of becoming temporarily lost in her beautiful eyes before he finally uttered, "I know it's going to take a while for you to realize how amazing you are, and I'm going to help you learn to love yourself," he paused and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he concluded, "but I need you to know that you make me happier than anyone else ever could. Okay?"
El could feel the sincerity dripping from every word he said, leaving her entirely breathless as she whimpered, "okay."
Once they arrived at the Wheeler household a few moments later, it felt like a blizzard of nerves had kicked up within El. Goosebumps from fear arose on her skin, but Mike was quick to kiss them away. She practically molded onto the side of his torso; almost like she was hopeful to not be seen. However, that was seemingly impossible in this particular scenario.
The second they walked in the door, a blonde little girl bounded over to them in quick strides. "Woah, are you El? You look like a princess!"
A fierce blush melted into every portion of El's skin as she beamed, "I am El, but I'm afraid I'm not a princess."
The girl looked at her with critical eyes before thrusting a tiny doll into her open hand, "you're not a princess because you're a queen!" Not giving El a second to respond, Mike's little sister tugged onto the teenage girl's arm as she explained, "I'm going to show you my room. I'm Holly by the way."
As El followed after Holly's quick steps, she threw a bright grin back at Mike. Once she disappeared up the stairs and out of sight, Mike's feet came alive to follow after her. Yet, the second he made it further into the living room, a familiar tone halted his motions.
"Michael, where is she?" Karen questioned her son with bright eyes.
Mike scratched the back of his head and pointed to the upper level of the home as he explained, "you just missed her. Holly already declared her as the queen and abducted her."
A glimmer shined off of Karen's eyes as she murmured, "Holly is quite picky about who she likes. This girl must really be special."
"She is," Mike immediately responded with a dopey expression.
The sight of love speckled across each of his features in starkly recognizable ways. There was a veil of happiness that was falling away from every inch of Mike's body; which did not go undetected by his dotting mother. As Karen stood there looking over her boy, she sensed that this was not some mere teenage fling. No; this was it. Tears quickly flooded into her orbs as she processed the fact that this was the night she was meeting the girl her son would likely spend the rest of his life with.
Flattening her apron against her chest, Karen instructed, "well then, we have to make sure this meal is good enough for a queen."
As the mother and son went into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, the sounds of girlish laughter radiated from above them. There was a certain peace that had filtered through the air; almost like all was finally whole. It seemed as though El was a puzzle piece that fit finely into every aspect of the Wheeler's perfect life, but everything is not always as it seems.
***
After Karen and Mike had finished setting up the table for the evening, the duo moved up the stairs to get the girls. As they hovered near the doorframe, neither Holly or El noted their arrival as the two proceeded to play. The tiny girl had found a spot nestled in her brother's girlfriend's lap as they brought to life a fairytale with the use of a few dolls.
Clearing his throat, Mike questioned, "I'm sorry, are we disturbing you two?"
"Yes," Holly deadpanned and stuck out her tongue.
El merely smiled up at him with a blissful expression. She sent him a wink before encouraging Holly to go wash her hands for dinner. Once the little girl was free from her lap, Mike bounded over to her in a quick stride to help her up from the floor. Once she was on her feet, he pressed a kiss against the crown of her head. El moved to reciprocate his gesture, their lips only a centimeter apart before Karen reminded the pair of her presence.
"El, it's so nice to meet you," Mike's mother chirped, holding out a hand for her to shake.
El maneuvered herself out of Mike's hold as she warmly greeted, "thank you for having me over, Mrs. Wheeler." As she shook the woman's hand, a foreign feeling tingled through her arm. The remembrance of how her mother treated her fell away as she received the outwardly nurturing nature that Karen exuded.
"Please call me Karen, sweetheart," she enforced before wrapping an arm around the girl, steering her down the stairs as they sparked a conversation.
Once settled at the table, the four of them found an effortless rhythm as they fell into normalcy. Karen was just reiterating how much Nancy would love El when the front door opened. A man the same height as Mike in formal business attire walked through the home, soon plopping down at the table without a word. The mood instantly turned dim, feeling as though everything suddenly shifted onto its head.
"Dad, this is El, my girlfriend," Mike proudly introduced.
Ted Wheeler took several bites of food from the plate before him as he looked over the teenage girl. With scrutiny clear in his eyes, he muttered, "chief's secret kid, right?"
El could feel Mike immediately heat up as he leaned forward from beside her, almost like he was preparing to scream. She quickly squeezed ahold of his hand, silently assuring him that all was okay; even if what was said did instantly spark a negative emotion within her. She simply collected herself and the boy beside her by rubbing her thumb along his clenched knuckles as a way to soothe them both.
"I am Jim's daughter, but I'm no secret," El brightly grinned as she took another bite of her own food. She then took initiative to redirect the conversation as she asked, "so Nancy is in school for journalism, right? That's really amazing."
Karen smiled at the girl; however, her dimples didn't appear as prominent as they had earlier. In fact, there was a light that she had radiated beforehand that now seemed to be out entirely. Clearing her throat though, Mrs. Wheeler responded, "yeah, Nancy's always been passionate about writing. She'll probably talk your ear off about the article she's currently working on when she comes home for Christmas."
"Writing seems to run in the family," El smiled as she looked over to Mike.
Before Mike could respond though, Ted's stale voice interrupted, "my son is not going to pursue writing. He's going to get an Engineering degree from MIT, isn't that right?"
It was like all of the air had inflated out of Mike's posture as he slouched down within his seat. His eyes trained onto his plate as he mumbled, "I mean, I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm going to study."
A shade of red tinted upon Ted's face as he looked over his son in disgust. He subtly shook his head, almost like he was preparing to release an onslaught of offenses. It was in that moment that El understood why Mike was able to be so empathetic of her past history of abuse; and that was because he was silently enduring his own.
"Michael, there is only one path in this world for people like you," Ted huffed before dryly chuckling, "and this girl here is nothing, understand? Use the brain you allegedly have and—"
Mike's fist cracked upon the top of the table, causing every piece of silverware to rattle. He brought his pointer finger forward and stared directly into his father's eyes as he lowly threatened, "do not fucking talk about her like that. I don't care that you don't respect me as your son; that's perfectly fine, but you'll treat her with respect." Mike's firm facade almost faltered at the feel of El's dainty palm squeezing his thigh, but before he could give into her precious touch, he brought himself to sneer, "do you understand that?"
As Ted stared at his son in pure shock, El's mind was already ten steps ahead of everyone else. She looked on at Karen, taking in the familiar painting of horrified alarm that remained so clearly upon her face. Her eyes then flickered over to Holly, who was thankfully in a daze as she played with the peas on her plate.
"Holly, would you mind showing me more of your dolls?" El pleasantly asked.
The little girl instantly lit with joy; practically bouncing out of her seat as she took off towards the stairs. El remained back for a mere minute, looking down at her lap quietly. She then brought herself to say, "thank you for dinner, Karen. You have really made me feel welcome," El paused, her eyes dragging towards Ted as she emphasized, "I can see now where Mike gets his heart from."
And on that note, she slid out from her chair. Before she walked away though, El held out her hand, offering Mike the perfect way to escape. As his fingers intertwined with hers and their eyes locked, it was as though everything was complete. It didn't matter how others perceived them because what truly mattered was that they had one another. Hand in hand, they were given the world – they were free.
***
After another hour of playing dolls and a short sit down with a very apologetic Karen, El was back in the car with Mike. A comforting silence blanketed between the duo divinely as he slowly took the path back to her home.
"My mom and sister love you," Mike lowly spoke as he lifted up their conjoined hands to place a kiss upon her knuckles.
El happily sighed, content to hear those redeeming words. She remained silent though as she looked over Mike's features; his unruly raven locks and the beauty of his perfect ivory skin reflecting from the moon's light. She found herself biting down on her lip as she reflected on his heart and loving nature, making her belly boil with butterflies.
"Pull over."
Mike's eyebrows furrowed harshly as he followed his girlfriend's sudden instructions. Once he had the car placed in park, he suddenly began to ramble, "baby, what's wrong? Are you okay? Was it something my family did? I know my dad—"
Before another word could manage to tumble from his parted lips, El had stealthily maneuvered herself to straddle his lap in the driver's seat as her lips descended upon his. Swallowing his shocked gasp, Mike's breath turned into a groan as his hands dug into the dip of her waist. El's hands greedily pried at his locks of hair as her tongue delved into his mouth. Her heated kisses soon moved down his jawline as his lips managed to attach to the sensitive pulse on her neck.
As the two forced themselves to separate, desperately catching their breaths; Mike gazed at her with a stupefied expression. As his thumb caressed her lower lip, he panted, "w-what was that for?"
El kissed the pad of his thumb and giggled, "what, can't a girl kiss her boyfriend?"
Mike leaned his forehead against hers, chuckling softly before leaving a smattering of pecks against her face. He relished in her divine laughter; loving the way joy emanated off of her in gracious waves. He then tucked a stray hair behind her ear, smiling as she pressed her cheek further into his palm. Trailing his fingers against her smooth skin, he lowly murmured, "you are everything to me." Mike took a deep breath, eyes casting away as he revealed, "I was telling the truth when I said I don't know where or what I want to do for college. I just know that wherever I go or whatever I do, I want it all to be with you by my side."
A small gasp escaped El's lips, her eyes turning glassy as she whispered, "really?" She then laughed into her hand, softly crying at the sight of Mike eagerly nodding his head. El wiped away her tears of happiness as she added, "I love you, and I want that too."
"I love you," Mike's spoken breath reached her lips as he managed to steal a few more kisses.
A silence soon snatched the vicinity as they listened to one another's shared breaths. As El traced her fingers along Mike's collarbone, she found herself questioning, "your dad – has he always treated you like this?"
"Yeah," Mike hummed, kissing her temple as he revealed, "it used to bother me when I was in middle school. I could tell he was disappointed in who I was, but after the fire... after almost dying, I realized there's no point in trying to be anything for anyone else but myself." As Mike's hands caressed the small of El's back, he found his vision blurring. As a tear escaped his eye, he cried, "I'm so sorry he spoke to you like he did. I should have intervened better—"
"Don't," El interrupted him, pressing a soothing palm to his chest as she continued, "do not apologize for someone else's actions. You can't control your father, Mike." She sadly sported a knowing smile at him; communicating without words that she understood what it was like to have a negative parent within one's life. Kissing the tip of his nose, El quietly questioned, "you're nothing like him, you know that, right?"
Mike's teeth flashed as he grinned, collecting the girl on his lap tightly within his arms as he confirmed, "I know."
After embracing for another fleeting moment, the two caught sight of the clock on the dashboard in front of them. Eliciting a few expletives, they both scrambled back into their positions as they realized it was nearly an hour past El's curfew. When the pair arrived at the cabin several speedy minutes later, Mike decided to come into the home to offer his girlfriend's father an apology for their tardiness. However, when they entered the small space, the gruff man was already passed out on the couch.
The couple soon found themselves back in the sanctuary of El's bedroom as they caved into their undeniable lust. They were unable to keep their hands and lips separated; which was something the two would find themselves struggling with even in their old age. It was almost as though they were addicted to one another, never able to get enough of the other's touch.
Soon though, as Mike walked towards the bedroom door to leave for the night, El's enchanting tone pulled him under a spell.
"Mike," her doe eyes were captivating and her voice was small as she gently pleaded, "will you stay with me?"
Not even needing a second to contemplate that request, his body was drawn right back to her. As the two pulled back the covers on her bed and settled into a warm embrace, Mike softly promised, "always."
When it came to Mike and El, there was nothing left off the table. Their love was pure and full; consisting of all the light and darkness within their worlds. It was unconquerable, and would certainly last for an eternity.
***********
This is my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
There are only two chapters left before this book will be finished, but I'm loving how the final two chapters are turning out! If you guys have anything specific you'd like to see, let me know & I'll try my best to write it in!
I'll likely have the next chapter up after the holidays, so if I don't post before then, I want to wish you all a happy new year!!
As always, take care & stay safe.
Mel❤️