Once they all stepped in the cabin, Hopper glanced between the two of them and debated his next course of action. The proper thing to do would be go help Joyce set up for the kid and check on things down at the station. The fatherly thing to do would be sit across from them and scrutinize their every interaction. Both halves warred within him until he saw Eleven sit peacefully next to Mike, resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes closed and he visibly saw the tension leave her shoulders. He knew she would be safe with Mike and that he would never hurt her. He reluctantly announced that he would be back in one hour and they were to behave, ignoring the look El gave him.

She leaned into Mike's shoulder and breathed in his scent. Her mind was reeling from the events of today, but she reminded herself that Mike was unequivocally on her side. He could feel her trembling slightly in his arms and he absently ran his fingers through her hair. She allowed that feeling and the sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear to calm her.

"El, what's going on?" he ventured quietly, not ceasing his movements. She lifted her head and met his eyes, wanting to convey how much she cared about him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"I met someone today," she began, panting slightly with guilt she couldn't understand the source of. Mike heard her quickened breaths and placed a hand on her chest, over her racing heart. She winced a little and he was taken aback by her response. He cupped her cheek and stared at her in concern.

"El, please tell me what's wrong." She leaned into his hand on her face, relishing in the warmth it brought her.

"You are…" she struggled to find the right word for what he meant to her. He waited patiently, seeing her effort to search for what she wanted to say. She took his hand away from her face and lowered it back over her heart. "In here. You are in my heart." she concluded, still not content with her articulation of her feelings. Mike nodded and pecked her cheek to convey his understanding, but she knew he wasn't getting it.

"Dustin and Lucas and Max are not here." she stated, pressing his palm tighter against her. He beamed at her, not processing her distress. She kept his hand there and tried again, "Spencer is not here."

She watched his face contort- first in confusion and then jealousy. "Spencer." he repeated slowly, the word sounding more like a curse than a name.

"He was hurt by Papa like me." she whispered, their faces inches apart. His jealous attitude faded and was replaced by an emotion she couldn't interpret. He loosened his hand from her grip and let it fall in his lap, staring past her at the wall.

"He's my friend." she clarified again, but Mike didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were distant and she felt her stomach drop as they clouded with tears.

"Elle, I can't…" he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I can't compete with that." He finished in just a whisper and she almost doubted she had heard him correctly. She acted on instinct and pulled him toward her.

El never got over the feeling of kissing Mike; it wasn't something she could get used to over time. With each kiss, there was a new wave of euphoria that washed over her as perfect and inexplicable as the first time.

When she pulled back and stared him in the eye, he was overcome by the look of adoration on her face. "You saved me." she said fiercely, squeezing his shoulders. "You make me feel okay. You are in my heart." The adamant insistence in her voice filled him up and abolished his doubts. She loved him.

Driven by the sense of confidence she instilled in him, he leaned forward and kissed her temple before whispering in her ear, "I love you too, El."

"Yes!" she exhaled in relief. "I love you." Mike laughed at her joy in finally articulating her thoughts. She said it forcefully upon discovering the phrase and blushed at his reaction, burying her face in his neck. He didn't tease her about it and silently slipped his arms around her. They stayed that way for sometime and eventually, Mike wondered if she had fallen asleep. When they heard the roar of Hopper's truck approaching, they both scrambled apart and El moved an 'appropriate' distance away from him on the couch. Mike switched on the TV and feigned interested when Hopper entered a moment later.

"Hey kids," he said in a good-natured tone. He appraised their positions and deemed them acceptable, convincing himself they were actually in those distant spots since he had left. He put the milk and cold-cuts in the fridge and the Eggos in the freezer. Mike gathered his things in anticipation of leaving. El felt her chest tighten, constantly fearing she wouldn't see him again. Hopper pretended to ignore them as he put out dinner, but kept a careful ear on their conversation.

Mike looked at her and saw her pain at separating. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Just forty-eight hours and I'll be back."

She nodded glumly, but he saw a gleam in her eye. She pulled him back down to her and whispered back, "I love you Mike." She wanted to test out her new powers and his response was to lightly kiss her without thinking. She forgot to breathe for a minute and she only registered the outside world when Hopper groaned in the background.

"Get out while you still have two legs," he muttered and that was Mike's cue. El watched him descend the porch steps and ride away. She looked up at the setting sun and felt like a regular girl for the first time. She was safe and in love and nothing else mattered. As she headed back into the house for the night, her daze distracted her senses from detecting the presence just fifty feet away in the bushes.