Saturday morning turned out to be beautiful. The air was crisp as Mike rang the bell at the Hopper residence. Someone down the street was already burning a pile of leaves and the air just smelled of autumn. El answered the door wearing jeans and a burnt orange sweater.
"Ready to go?" Mike asked, trying hard to stay in the moment and not stare at her.
"Yes. Just let me get my camera. Come in for a minute?"
Mike entered the house and stood in the front hallway, waiting for her to return from her bedroom with her camera. It didn't take her long.
"I'm ready now. Shall we go?"
Mike had his father's car for the day and they set off for the trail. It was about an hour away, a nice place for a day hike but people often camped there as well in the summertime. The trail passed by a lake that was a pretty popular swimming hangout in the warmer months.
On the car ride there, El felt nervous. She knew she wanted to talk to Mike about what they were to each other but every time she started to bring it up she got scared and changed the subject. He could tell something was bothering her but since he was driving and couldn't really look at her for long periods of time he thought he'd wait until they were hiking to talk to her about it.
Even though she was nervous, the drive was in no way unpleasant. They sang along to the radio, her laughing as Mike tried to hit notes that weren't really in his range. Mike stopped singing altogether a couple of times to just listen to her, how her emotions came through with just simple notes. She would catch him looking at her and then quickly pull his eyes back to the road when she turned her head to look back at him. She thought it was cute and it also made her feel better about what she was going to ask him a little later in the day.
The times they were silent weren't uncomfortable either. El just watched the trees pass by as they got closer to their destination. She felt at ease, not needing to fill the silence with unnecessary conversation. When they did arrive Mike helped her with her pack, making sure the straps were tight enough, but not too tight. He draped her camera over her head so it hung from her neck and then he shouldered his own pack.
They started hiking. Mike planned to stop in a couple of hours for lunch. He had packed a picnic but didn't tell El about it. He was hoping to find a nice spot to stop and then surprise her with it. El walked a couple of paces behind him.
After a little while, El's courage was built up enough. Just ask him.
She was just about to start speaking but Mike started instead.
"My parents don't sleep together anymore. I mean, literally don't sleep in the same room. I used to think it was because my dad would fall asleep in his chair but now I think they just don't want to sleep together. They were never really the type to say I love you a lot, you know? Like, my mom is all about demonstration. She'd cook these big meals that she knew he liked, or that we liked, and she would make sure to have his favorite foods in the fridge or pantry. She always tried to do what she thought he wanted. I think she could only do that for so long without getting what she needed in return. I don't really want to go into what I think she needed, that's weird to think about, but I know my dad doesn't even talk to her much so other aspects of their relationship must be pretty dry as well. I don't know why I just told you that. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry, Mike. I'm always here to listen to you. If you need to talk about something, about anything, I'm here."
Mike had turned around to look at her and she smiled, her eyes so sincere.
"Thanks, El. Anyway, it just made me think about words and how people just throw them around, like if they say them then they don't have to do anything else. There's no proof other than the utterance of them. That seems lazy and unfair. I'd rather be shown how someone feels about me than just hear a string of words. My mom can tell me she loves me but if she never feeds me or hugs me or listens to me or does things just because she thinks I'll like them then what good are the words? Just an example. I'm not all into my mom or anything." He laughed, causing her to giggle as well. "I'm not saying words are bad, just words without actions are kind of, well, just words."
"I agree. I totally agree."
"And I think they did love each other at some time, or at least, they tried to. I don't think either of them ever experienced the kind of love everyone always hopes for because they read about it in book or see it on television. Fictitious love, you know? But I think it does exist. I think it's just about finding the right person and not settling for something or someone that doesn't make you glad to wake up every day. Someone who makes your life better. I think my parents were just being convenient. Marriage shouldn't be a business deal. Now I'm rambling." He shook his head and laughed quietly at himself.
"I think you're right." El thought about the soap operas she was so fond of watching. She liked the idea of their passionate love but the people on the shows were always jumping around from person to person, claiming the same undying love to each of them. She wanted the passionate part but she wanted it to be with one person forever. Why did it have to be so hard to fall in love and mean it? The people on television couldn't seem to do it for long. She knew how she felt about Mike and she couldn't imagine not feeling that way. She could imagine feeling it even more deeply and the idea excited her.
"I'm glad you came with me today, El." Mike smiled, having stopped again to look back at her.
She smiled. "No other place I'd rather be."
They walked along. El thought the trail Mike had picked was indeed very pretty. She stopped them to take their picture on a few occasions. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and everything seemed dry, a definite difference from their previous outing into the woods. She was very cognizant of staying on the path at all times. They came to a bend in the trail that overlooked the lake. Next to the main trail, about thirty feet from the path, was a little alcove of trees that formed a sort of semi-circle. Mike walked into it.
"You're going off the trail!" El complained.
"I can still see the trail. I'm only going to right here. See? The trail is still right there. Come look."
El walked down into the little grove of trees with Mike. He had been right, she could see the trail. The area seemed secluded still though and she thought it was a nice place.
"This is a great spot. Are you hungry?" Mike asked. He had already taken off his pack and was digging in the top of it, looking for something.
"Yes. I didn't have breakfast."
Mike took a blanket out of his pack and went about spreading it out on the ground. Then he took a couple of plastic containers out.
"I brought turkey sandwiches with lettuce and tomato, some strawberries, and Eggos. I hope that's okay with you." He set the containers on the blanket and took the lids off. "Oh, and this water bottle has lemonade in it. I thought we could share."
El was touched. He had mentioned having lunch on the trail but she hadn't expected a picnic. She had never had a picnic before with another real person. There were a few times when she was little that she pretended with a stuffed bear but she never had real food and she never had someone make food for her and bring it unbeknownst to her.
"You brought a picnic? For me?"
"Well, um, sure, I thought you'd like it." He had been sitting on the blanket on his knees, unpacking the food while El still stood looking down at what had just become a picnic that she had not expected. She knelt down on her knees in front of him as he was still taking the lid off the strawberries. He looked up and she kissed him softly on the lips.
"Thank you, Mike."
They sat on the blanket and ate the sandwiches he'd made and each had an Eggo. Since Mike was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him El laid her head on his thigh while they lazily ate strawberries.
"In the car earlier, you seemed distracted. What was that about?" Miked asked. He had started to run his fingers through her hair softly.
"I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?"
El didn't want to embarrass herself. She had been thinking about a lot of things really. Mike's fingers in her hair were making her feel uninhibited and she started to say everything that was on her mind.
"I was thinking about the last time we were in the woods. Do you ever think about it?" She asked, lying on her back so that she could see his face.
"All the time actually." Mike admitted.
"What specifically do you think about?"
Mike thought for a moment. He sighed. "I will definitely embarrass myself if I tell you." He chuckled.
"No you won't. I won't make fun of you."
"Okay. If you promise."
"Obviously I promise."
"I think about our first kiss and giving you a foot massage. That's what I think about most. I mean, I remember it all but if I had to choose memories to put in a time capsule, those are the ones."
El smiled. Those were definitely some high quality memories. "Yeah, those are good ones. Very good ones. Do you mean you think about that more than me being all weird and using my "powers" and stuff?"
"You are definitely truly special in that regard, you're not weird, but yes, I mean I think about kissing you and the other things that didn't use your powers more than anything." Mike took a strawberry from the container and moved it to El's lips. Her eyes never left his as she took a bite. He watched her eat it and then he used his finger to wipe some strawberry juice from her lip. She licked his finger seductively and he thought he was going to lose his mind. She sat up as he was bending forward, meeting his lips with hers. She tasted like strawberries.
"I wish I could be with you all the time." Mike said between kisses, whispering, like it was only for her to hear, not even allowing the trees to be privy.
"Really?" El stopped and looked at him. Her hands stayed where they had been, gripping his soft hair in both of her fists loosely.
"I dream about you, I think about you all of the time. I don't want you to leave when you have to go home." Mike was looking into her eyes again, his pupils huge. His hands felt warm and safe in her hair.
"I feel that way too. Constantly."
Then they were kissing again. Mike's hands moved to her back and she felt him tug her against his chest. He smelled like a wood burning stove mixed with pine needles and laundry detergent. He smelled like heaven. When they parted El went back to resting her head on his thigh.
"What do you remember when you think about us being lost?" Mike asked, his fingers had found her hair again.
El turned visibly red.
"Oh, now I have to know, if you're going to blush without even saying anything." Mike was smiling down on her and he just looked so pretty.
"Ugh, okay, I guess it's only fair. I remember when you stopped us from going too far. I was kind of disappointed. For all I knew we were going to die out there and I wanted to..." She trailed off.
"Yeah. I know. So did I."
"Do you still?" She asked, almost too quiet for him to hear.
He stopped running his fingers through her hair. She looked at him. He was looking at her intensely.
"All the time."
He shifted so that he was lying down and she moved up so he could put his arm around her. They looked at the sky together.
"Do you think our friends would ever want to go camping? Like, all of us?" El wondered.
"Probably. You know, if they don't have to hike too far or carry too much. If we allow them to complain they'd probably enjoy it." Mike laughed softly.
"I think it would be fun. That's something I'd like to do. If you share a tent with me." El said, moving her head so that she was face to face with Mike.
"We can ask them. But you know all you have to do is say the word and we can go camping ourselves any time. I think we've proven that we can handle it. And I'll totally share a tent with you. Sleeping bag too." Mike hugged her and she giggled. Then she kissed him again as they lay on the blanket. Her leg went over his as he pulled her into his side. She put her hand on his cheek as her lips touched his, gentle, barely ghosting over his mouth and then kissing with determination, softly sucking his bottom lip until he returned the favor, causing a breathy moan to escape.
"El? Do you want to be my girlfriend? I know I said all that stuff about words–"
"Yes. I definitely do." She kissed him again. To show him.
They finished the berries and packed everything back up. They wanted to be back at the car before the sun set so when they got back to Hawkins it wasn't too late and maybe El could stay and watch a movie with Mike again. She'd had the best day. She couldn't believe that he had asked her to be his girlfriend. She was almost giddy with excitement.
Mike's parents weren't home when they got there and they were surprised to have the house to themselves. They sat on the basement sofa and started to make out again. A few minutes into it though, Mike pulled back. He had a furrowed look on his face and his eyes seemed a little glassy.
"What's wrong?" El asked. His face looked different than it had a little while ago.
"My head just really hurts all of a sudden. Maybe it was from being out in the trees today. I'm sorry. I want to do other things."
She got up and went to the basement bathroom, looking in the medicine cabinet. She found what she was looking for and got a cup of water as well. She went back to Mike and had him take the pills. Sitting back down on the sofa, she pulled him down into her lap and rubbed his head, massaging gently in the places she thought it might hurt. His temples, the back of his head, his forehead. She lightly scratched his scalp with her fingernails and Mike sighed, feeling a ripple of tenderness course from his head to his toes. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over his body and shoulders.
"I'll stay as long as you need me to. Just close your eyes and try to relax. We can talk to everyone soon about us all going camping together." Her voice was soothing, quiet and tranquil, and it was lulling him to sleep. "Hopefully they'll all want to go. I really like them. I like having friends. It's all because of you."
Her fingers in his hair caused warm waves of contentment to rush through his body. He snuggled into her leg, putting his hand on the thigh he was using as a pillow. His head was hurting but he felt so loved at the moment that it didn't matter. She didn't need to say it. He knew.
A/N: Sorry so much dialogue in this one! Things will pick up soon. Just bear with me. Mike just has a headache, he's not dying or anything. The Party will be in the next chapter. I hope Mike and El can talk them into going camping. I think that would be fun.