El was shocked at the number of people who attended the premiere of the movie. It seemed like the whole campus was there. The previous few weeks leading up to it had been a blur of dress fittings and school and Mike. She had received the information about her upcoming Hollywood film and they would be leaving for it literally a day after school ended. All they could see was their future.
The night of the premiere, El and Mike were escorted via limousine to the theater where the screening would take place. They both were surprised when they pulled up to a large crowd of people standing behind velvet ropes and were let out of the car onto a red carpet. El's dress was a muted crimson color that was strapless. The bodice was form fitting and the skirt flowed outward from her body. It shimmered in the lights. Mike could barely look away from her for a second. He was wearing a black tuxedo and she thought he looked ravishing. People were actually asking for their autographs. They laughed as they were moved inside by security. El couldn't believe how official the school was making their little production.
The credits rolled she felt Mike squeeze her hand when he saw their names. He had been holding it throughout the entire picture. El looked at him and her smile was radiant as she squeezed his hand in return. She couldn't believe all this had happened to her in just a few months.
Later that night, after the premiere was over, Hopper had everyone over to his house to celebrate, Mike and El, Joyce and Will, Lucas, Max, and Dustin. They all wanted to know more about El's new summer project.
"What is it called?" Max asked.
"I don't know yet. They have a working title that is a decoy. I guess I'll find out when we get there."
"Are you too excited?" Will asked. His mom and Hopper had gone into the kitchen to talk and leave the kids alone.
"I am. I can't believe this is happening. And Mike is going with me. It's just perfect." El smiled contentedly.
"What are you going to do about your apartment here, Mike?" Lucas wondered.
"I'll keep it. My dad pays for it so I'll just let him keep doing that until school starts back. I only have one more year anyway."
"Have you talked to him about that, Mike? You know how he gets." Dustin interjected.
Mike thought about it. He hadn't talked to his father about his leaving the apartment for the better part of the summer to follow his girlfriend to California. As far as he knew his father didn't even know El was living with him. He hadn't actually spoken to him since Christmastime.
"Yeah, I guess I need to tell him. Do the mature thing and be a man about it. We're supposed to leave in three weeks. I'll wait as late as I can. Maybe my mom will help me if he gets mad." Mike was hopeful.
El had changed out of her fancy dress at her dad's house but Mike was still in the majority of his tuxedo, having removed his tie and jacket, but he wanted to go home and change so the friends all hugged each other and congratulated Mike and El on a terrific movie premiere and the two went back to their place for the night. The excitement of the day had made them more tired than they had thought so when they got home they didn't even feel like their regular activities, choosing instead to just kiss each other goodnight and fall asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
As the time drew near to when they would leave for California, Mike knew he had to speak to his father about the apartment situation. He thought it would be best to do it in person, as much as he hated to drive home and do it. So the weekend before he and El were to leave he went home. El had wanted to go with him but she had to study for a final and knew she would be too distracted. He hadn't been away from her in a long time, and he hadn't slept without her in months so he felt like his chest was caving in as he drove away, leaving her behind at the apartment. He wanted to be as quick with his trip as he could be.
When he got home he cut right to the chase with his father. Ted Wheeler was surprised to see him walk through the door, as Mike had not mentioned to anyone that he would be coming home that weekend.
"Hey, Dad. I need to talk to you. I need to tell you something." Mike started, he hadn't even brought in his overnight bag.
Ted Wheeler assumed that Mike would tell him that he had gotten bad grades. Ted was always assuming the worst about him even though Mike had never given him a reason to do so.
"What is it now, son? How have you wasted my money this time?"
Mike took a deep breath, trying to calm his seething nerves. He knew that starting an argument would not be in his favor.
"I wanted to talk to you about the apartment. I'm actually leaving for California at the end of the week and I'll be gone for the better part of two months. It might be a bit longer. I'm not sure how it all works just yet." Mike began.
"How what all works? And are you expecting me to pay for something you aren't even using?" Ted rolled his eyes.
"My girlfriend got a part, it's the lead role actually, in a Hollywood movie and I'm going out there with her while she films it. I don't want her to be alone."
"If she's old enough to go out there then she's old enough to be alone." Ted wasn't even listening to Mike.
"You don't get it, Dad. I'm going whether you like it or not. I'd like to keep the apartment but if you don't want to keep paying for it you don't have to. I just wanted to talk to you about it man to man."
"I'll either pay for your last year of school, which I'm not happy about by the way, or I'll pay for that and your apartment as long as you'll be living there in it all summer. This girl isn't distracting you from your studies is she?"
"No, Dad. If anything, she is the reason I try harder."
"Girlfriends come and go, Mike. Don't let her bring you down. I don't think you should go out there with her. She'll meet someone else and you can focus on your own life."
"She is my life! And if I go with her I'll meet people who work in the field I want to work in. I could meet directors and producers, Dad. I could get my foot in the door." Mike was starting to feel his blood pressure rising for the first time in his life.
"You say that now but how can you be sure? You're only 21 years old, Mike. You don't know anything." His father had dismissed his feelings for the last time.
"No. I love her. I love her now and I'll love her when I'm 40 and I'll still love her when I'm 80. She is it, Dad. She is all I'll ever want or need. Keep your money. I will figure out my life. El and I will figure it out together. I'd rather be with her and be happy than have money and be miserable. I'm sorry I even thought I could have a real conversation with you that might end up with some sort of agreement. I will get my things out of the apartment and you can stop paying for it. I'm going back home now. Looks like I have things to pack."
Mike didn't let his father speak again. He was out the door almost immediately without a glance back. He needed to see El so he raced back to her as fast as was legally possible. It was late when he got home and El was in bed already. He quietly kicked off his shoes and jeans and crawled into bed, wrapping her sleeping form in his arms and breathing her in, feeling himself relax for the first time in hours. She stirred when she felt him behind her.
"Mike?" She sleepily turned her head to look at him.
"Shhh, go back to sleep. I'm home. I couldn't stay there. I wanted you." He kissed her cheek and they both fell asleep.
The next morning she got to find out all about his conversation with his father. She had said she just wouldn't take the part after all so that there wouldn't be tension between Mike and his dad. He was not having any of that.
"This is your life, El. You are going. I will be right behind you. I just have to find some place to put all of our furniture. It may take me a few days. But you are definitely taking this part. It's what you want to be, it's your career. You will not throw it away because of my father. That will not happen."
"What if you can't find anywhere to put it?" She sounded sad and worried. Everything had been going so well. She should have known the other shoe would drop.
"Then I'll leave it and call it a loss. It's just things. It's not you. You are way more important than furniture. I can always get more furniture." Mike kissed her gently. She knew he was right but she didn't want to set off on this journey alone.
"Do you promise you'll be right behind me?" She asked.
"I promise."
Mike drove El to the airport the day they had been supposed to leave together. He hated that he couldn't go and even though she tried to hold back her tears as he said goodbye he could see them in her eyes.
"It won't be long. I will see you soon, okay? I'll get this all taken care of and then I'm on my way to you. I have the address where you'll be. I will be there. Just call me when you get there."
He kissed her, gently and deeply, hoping the feeling would last her until he was with her again. He watched her board the plane and waited until it departed before he drove back towards campus. He didn't go to his apartment though. He went to El's house. He had to talk to her father.
Hopper was surprised to see Mike at his door. He knew there had been some issues with him leaving with El but he wasn't expecting him to show up so close to her departure time. He let the boy inside. Mike looked like he might cry at any minute. They sat in the living room as Mike told him all about the conversation with his father, leaving nothing out. Hopper had an angry expression on his face as Mike told him what his father had said about El being a distraction and how she was bringing him down. Hopper knew the truth about Mike and El. They made each other better.
"So I have my furniture I have to store or get rid of and I only have a week before I'll be kicked out because rent will be due and he's not paying it anymore. I need to get to El as quickly as I can. I told her if I couldn't find somewhere to put it all I'd just leave it but I know that's not a practical idea. I might need that furniture for years. Who knows if I'll get a decent job when I'm finished with school?" Mike ran his hand through his hair nervously.
"That's your father talking, Mike. Don't sell yourself short. Why don't you bring everything you can over here? Get your friends to help you. Hell, I'll come help you. I have that shed in the back and it has room if we stack things. You might not be able to keep every lamp and small thing, but I can keep your bed and your mattress and couch. I'll put your television in my bedroom. I always did mean to get a tv for in there." Hopper smiled. He wanted to help Mike because he knew El loved him so much.
Mike looked at the man, relief washing over his face almost immediately.
"You'd do that for me?" Mike couldn't believe he was being so generous.
"Kid, my daughter loves you. She really does. If you ever need something you can always ask me." Hopper put his arm around Mike as they sat on Hopper's sofa. Mike couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a fatherly hug. He cried.
Mike was in bed already when the phone rang. El had made it to the condo they were putting her up in for the extent of filming. Her voice sounded like angels singing. They talked for two hours.
"I miss you." El said.
"I miss you too. I'll see you soon. I love you." Mike said as they ended their call. He sighed and rolled over, feeling where she should be.
Max and Lucas had the sofa, bed frame, and mattress in the back of a truck that Lucas had borrowed. Dustin was bringing the electronics and anything from the kitchen that would fit in his car, like the microwave and Mike's toaster. Mike had all of his clothes, the clothes he would take to California packed in two suitcases.
They pulled into Hopper's driveway and were met by Will Byers and El's dad. Joyce had come over when Jim told her what was going on and was busy cooking so they could all eat together one last time before Mike left. His father had cancelled the credit card he'd given Mike for emergencies so Mike was going to have to use his own card to fund his plane ticket out there but he was just glad to be getting to go at all. The friends made quick work of getting his things moved around to the shed in the back. It took up less space than they had anticipated and Mike got to keep a few items that he had figured he'd have to part with, like his coffee maker and his bedroom lamp.
Before they ate, Jim pulled Mike aside.
"Here, I want you to have this." He handed Mike $500.
"What? I can't take this!"
"You can and you will. It's to pay for your plane ticket. I talked to her last night and she misses you so much I'm afraid it's going to affect her performance. Take it and buy your ticket. Go tomorrow. Call me from the airport and let me know what time you should arrive and I'll call her and throw her off track so you can surprise her. Maybe it's the theater in me but I like some drama." Hopper smiled. "Just take it, kid. Get to her as fast as you can." Mike didn't know what to do other than hug the man.
He felt light as he ate dinner with his friends, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had called and reserved a plane ticket at Hopper's and would pay for it the next day at the airport. He needed to know that he'd have a seat on the plane. He would be arriving at 6:35 p.m. PST if there were no delays. He told Jim he would still call him and keep him informed.
He spent the night that night at Olympus with his friends. They were reminiscing about the school year and how many things had changed for Mike throughout it.
"When did you know that you were in love with her, Mike?" Max wanted to know. She had her own ideas but she wanted to know what he thought.
"I think I knew the night of the party when you guys named this place. When she got sick and I came down to ask you if I could put her in your bed, remember? Right before that she was sitting on the floor of the bathroom and when she looked at me and said she didn't feel good I felt like all I wanted to do the rest of my life was make sure she felt good. I know, it's sappy. But it's true."
"Awww, you're such a romantic dork!" Max laughed. "I'm kidding. That may be the sweetest thing I've ever heard."
"I'm gonna miss hanging with you guys this summer. But I'm so excited to watch El do her thing. I'll call as often as I can." They all toasted to Mike and El and the upcoming summer, toasted to promises kept.
The next day Lucas dropped Mike off at the airport. He was feeling worried until he had his boarding pass in his hand because he didn't have full trust in over-the-phone reservations. He felt much better when the pass was in his hand and he found his gate. He called Hopper to let him know that so far everything was on schedule. He and Hopper both had calculated how long it might take to get from the airport to her condo by taxi and had factored in the extra time. Hopper would call her an hour or so before Mike would show up. The plan (Hopper's idea) was to tell her that he hadn't talked to Mike, knowing that she wouldn't have talked to him either, and let her worry a little about where he might be. She of course would assume that when he was coming he would let her know so she could meet him at the airport so she would not be expecting him to show up at her place. Mike thought Hopper was a bit devious but he had to admit he wanted to see the look on her face when she opened her door and he was there.
Mike's leg would not stop bouncing up and down for almost the entire flight. He knew he was annoying the woman sitting next to him but he couldn't help it. Finally they touched down and he deboarded the plane. Somehow both of his suitcases had made it there as well. Mike found a phone and called Jim Hopper.
"Hey, I'm in California! I just got my bags and I'm about to go hail a taxi. If traffic isn't too bad I think I can be at her place within the hour. Are you ready to do your thing?" Mike asked.
"Son, it was my idea. I was born ready. Be safe and take care of her."
"I will. Oh, and Hop? Thanks." They ended their call and Mike went to hail a cab.
El was feeling off, she hadn't talked to Mike today and he always called around the same time. She had called his place but there hadn't been an answer. She thought it was odd that his machine didn't pick up either. It just rang and rang until finally she gave up. When her phone rang she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. He's calling.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Eleven, how's my girl?" It was her dad. She felt a wave of disappointment that it wasn't Mike.
"Hey, Dad. How are you? It's nice to hear your voice."
"I'm good, everything is good. How are things going there?" He went on.
"Things are fine. I met my co-stars and they're nice. I got the script. I can't tell you anything about it but I think you'll like this movie when it's all finished. I don't even have to kiss anyone! It's more of an action role. Hey, Dad, have you talked to Mike recently?"
"Not for a few days. Why? Doesn't he call you every night?" Jim prodded.
"He does but I haven't heard from him. I didn't hear from his last night either. It's weird. I don't know if I should worry or what."
"Try not to worry about it. I'm sure he'll call later tonight. He might just be busy. You know how it goes." Jim thought he might be enjoying this a little too much. "Look, I'm sure he's fine. Just get some rest and I'm sure you'll talk to him soon. I love you, kid. I have to get my food out of the oven. I'll talk to you in a few days."
"Okay, I love you too. Bye, Dad." El hung up the phone.
A short time later she heard a knock on her door. Thinking someone had the wrong address she went to let them know that. She only opened the door a little, leaving the door guard latched. She peeked through the opening ready to tell the person they had the wrong place.
There was Mike. Her Mike.
She slammed the door so she could throw back the door guard and then ripped the door back open, pulling him in with all the force her little body could muster.
"Mike! Oh, Mike! I missed you so much!" She was kissing him all over his face.
"I missed you too. God, I missed you." They stopped long enough to get his bags and then she locked the door back. She crossed to him and let him envelop her in his arms, feeling like she could never get close enough to him.
"I love you." Mike whispered as he held her close.
"Show me."
They were kissing and undressing each other as they made their way to the bedroom, clothes strewn the entire way. Unlike sometimes, their kisses were passionately tender, like both of them were trying to make up for missing each other the past few days.
"I needed you so badly." El whispered into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe the way she knew he liked.
"Yeah? I needed you too. I needed to feel you." Mike responded, his hands exploring her body and causing her to moan softly. She felt him on her leg and didn't wait any longer. She moved herself with precision and he was inside her with ease.
"Oh, fuck. I almost forgot how good this feels." She whimpered as she felt him slide all the way inside her. She was on top again and they were both sitting up, her legs wrapped around him. He was controlling how hard she bounced on him and he wouldn't let her have her way totally, grinning at her frustration. She kissed him harder, like that would make him yield.
"Please, Mike! I need to have you deeper." She begged.
"Are you sure? It's been a few days. I wouldn't want to hurt you." He was teasing her now.
She called his bluff and when she bounced up again she used her legs to give her more momentum and she pulled herself off of him entirely. She smirked at him, thwarting his teasing.
"You don't give me what I want then I don't give you what you want." She said, her eyes shimmering with desire.
Mike hadn't expected her to hold out when she was so clearly turned on. He pulled her closer to him, neglecting his throbbing member for a minute, and kissed her deeply, trying to convey his apology for frustrating her.
"I'm sorry." He breathed as he continued kissing her. "I won't do it again." El cut him off with a steamy kiss.
"Don't say promise. Sometimes I like it when you do that. Just not today. I need to feel you too much."
Mike nodded and pushed her back down, she let him and in seconds she was mounted again, her legs and arms wrapped around him as they sat in the middle of the bed. This time he let her take what she wanted. It only took a few minutes of him moving her up and letting her fall back down before she pulled back from him enough to look him in the eyes. He knew that look.
"Mike. Oh, Mike!" She could barely form any other words. Every other sound she made was a moan or a gurgle.
"Do it, El, I will too. I missed you so much." He watched her brow crease and he dropped her hard, pushing her down further as he bottomed out inside her. They came together. He pulled her close and they held each other afterwards.
"I'm glad you're finally here." El said as she rested on top of him, her head on his chest listening to his heart beat. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"You know you can."
"It doesn't matter what your father does or doesn't pay for anymore. You won't believe what I'm getting paid for this movie. We will never need your father's money for anything." She lifted her head and looked at him. She smiled when she saw his astonishment.
"I love you so much, El. I don't know where or what I'd be if I hadn't met you in the bookstore that day, if you hadn't changed your major, if I hadn't taken the part. Everything just lined up like it was destiny. You are my destiny." She kissed him, long and deep, and then they both fell asleep, dreaming of their future together.
A/N: Okay, sorry they can't keep their hands off each other. It's their thing. Just the epilogue to go. I know this story kind of petered out and I'm sorry. Hopefully my future ones will be better. Thanks as always for reading!
