Disclaimer: Still not in anyway affiliated with Stranger Things, much to my chagrin

Shit. I sounded like such an idiot then.

"Eleven?" Oh my God, ok. She's responding. Ok, calm your shit, Wheeler. Her eyebrow was raised, head tilted to the side, lock of hair still firmly wrapped around her finger.

"Uh, uh. Yeah. Like y-you have el-eleven books there. That-that's quite an undertaking for, um, a, uh, a Saturday morning in-in Hawkins," I manage to stammer out with my arm up, scratching the back of my head, trying to play it cool like all the guys in movies I've seen.

Her eyes still looked confused, eyebrow still quirked, with a smile slowly starting to form on those perfect bow-shaped lips. She was like a fairy goddess sitting here, indiscreetly, in the corner booth of Benny's Cafe.

"I-I, I just mean that, um. I just am surprised anyone would lug eleven books around on a weekend."

"Oh!" Her face opened into a laugh. Angels, I swear. "That. I have a paper and a couple of exams next week in three different classes. Figured I would force myself to do all of it by bringing all the books with me," she looked sheepishly at the books around her and then at her laptop that was still in her bag on the floor by her feet.

I gave her a small chuckle. "And is that," nodding to the book in her hands, "one you have a test on? Some English class reading?"

Blushing even further and letting the book close over her thumb, "Not-not really. More like a personal reading book on a self-made syllabus for myself this year," she gave a shy smirk. "While Tolkien is a genius, Return of the King isn't on any class syllabus, as much as I would wish it would be."

Geez, this girl reads Lord of the Rings. It's like after 21 years of always being this loser and nerd has finally paid off to have her in front of me.

"Well," I remarked while glancing at my watch, "I'd say you have a solid two hours before Benny's gets crazy."

"Yeah," she gave a slight huff. "That's why I usually go to the library after." I liked the way her eyes crinkled when she grinned.

"With eleven books in tow?"

"Well, that's what my bike is for," she explained while pointing out the window to my right. I could see a teal blue bike, one of those classic style ones that came back to being really popular lately. It had a basket on the front as well as a pair of overhanging ones on the back tire. "When there aren't morning games, or when football is over, I like to come to Benny's for a bit. He's friends with my dad, so he usually feeds me, and supplies my coffee addiction for free," the side her mouth tilted up in amusement.

"I can see how that would definitely be a perk in college."

"Oh, for sure."

I stood there awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, not really sure what to say. My weakness of being socially inept rearing it's ugly head at the most inopportune moment. Speaking of.

"Yo, Wheeler," I heard Dustin's voice yell from behind me. Turning to him, I saw him make a wrap-it-up gesture with his hand. "We gotta go! I promised my mom I'd feed Tews for her before we went pre-gaming. And Will's going on about some run he said you guys wanted to get in. And you promised to get us the beers, birthday boy."

"Hold. On." I gritted through my teeth as I made a threatening gesture back "One more second!"

Turning back to her, face fully flushed from my friends being Grade A wingmen, I gave her a small smile and a nervous chuckle. She looked like she was trying really hard not to laugh.

Blushing even further with overwhelming embarrassment, I managed to get out a "Well-" before she chimed in.

"Well, Michael Wheeler, it was very nice talking to you."

"Uh, yeah. Same. Uh, could I get- could I get your number?" God, could I sound any more presumptuous? I said like ten words to her and am already pulling that line?

I saw her shake her head and felt my stomach drop. Way to go Wheeler. Barely five minutes in and you already screwed up. But then she did something I didn't expect at all, she held her phone out to me.

"You can give me your number, how about that?" her eyes sparkled.

"Uh, sure! Absolutely," I answered, flustered. I quickly typed in the tiny digits and almost fumbled her phone back to her. "So, I'll talk to you later then?" I ask, hopeful.

"Do you believe in fate, Michael Wheeler?" she responded cryptically.

"Um, sure, I guess," my eyebrows bunched together.

She just nodded her head back to me before opening her book back up, eyes scanning to see where she had left off.

Ok, weird, I thought to myself as I turned to walk away. "Wait, I never got your name," I whipped back around to face her.

Her hazel eyes, full of mystery, snapped up to meet mine. "Fate, Michael Wheeler. Fate." Her voice was quiet, like a breath of air. She resumed twisting her shoulder length hair around her forefinger, while giving me that small, secret grin again.

"How did you even know my name?" My brain felt muddled in confusion.

Her finger paused and she looked pointedly me and then at a spot behind me. When I turned to glance at the spot, I could see all my friends practically bouncing on the balls of their feet and looking our way.

I could feel my face redden in mortification. "Ah. Yeah, they are pretty loud."

She just gave me a reassuring smile, tilted her and shrugged.

"You can call me Mike, you know, instead of Michael. No one calls me Michael besides my mom," I pointed out as I stared at my feet. Being vaporized on the spot was sounding spectacular at the moment.

"Mike," she tested it out, looking contemplative, like she was debating if she like the way it sounded. She finally nodded after a few seconds. "Ok."

"Well… I should probably get going. These guys aren't really known for being patient."

"WHEELER!" I heard Dustin screech behind me. I stuck my finger up at him as she let out a laugh and a small nod.

"Uh, see you around, I guess?"

"Fate. Goodbye Mike," she replied with a small wink I almost missed and then returned to her coffee and reading.

It felt like my heart swooping in my chest as I stumbled my way back over to the three of my friends.

"You look like a lovestruck puppy," Will remarked when I reached them. My eyes shifted to him, my voice still gone from the encounter I just had.

They dragged me out of the cafe laughing and hollering about "Mike Wheeler likes a girl" or some shit.

As we lumbered past the window she was sitting in, I couldn't help but to glance at her once more. I saw her give a quick glance, a coy smile, and a tiny wave with her fingers. Man, I was beyond starstruck.

I don't know about fate, but god. I had to see her again.

A/N: I struggled with writing this because it was so hard for me to figure out what I wanted in this scene and what would be realistic first encounter, so sorry if the end feels a little abrupt. It is a lot shorter of a chapter, but that's because I just wanted to get started on the next one ;)

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