When El Was 20
El did not think it was possible to love Mike Wheeler any more than she already did.
When Mike had told her her hair had grown a little she was sure it was because she was so happy and her body was responding to that happiness.
So even though Mike had said he didn't have anything to do with it, El firmly believed he did. He was fully responsible for how happy she felt.
Everytime he looked at her with those eyes, she felt her knees get a little wobbly and had to sit down. He always came over to see if she was alright, and the one time she had explained what she was feeling, he'd blushed.
"When you look at me El… when I see that your smile is for me… I can't breathe, or forget to breathe… that's the effect you have on me."
El would have never imagined she'd have that kind of effect on any guy. This had happened long before Mike told her that her hair was growing. He'd told her she was pretty years ago. He told her that all the time.
Just knowing that Mike loved her made her reel. Mike could have had any girl he wanted. But he had picked her. How did she get that lucky?
The kindness he had shown her that first day when he didn't even know her. He had kissed her knee because he thought it would make her feel better. She liked him that very first day. That like had grown into love. And that love had grown into something she could not put into words.
He had sacrificed a hobby he liked. He had done it for her. Everything Mike had done he had done for her. He made her feel special.
He never brought up her ability or asked her to use it. El had found that if something wasn't important to her, it was not important to Mike. Nobody but her dad, Mike and Dr. Owens even knew. She never used it in front of him, but she practised a lot and was pleased with how proficient she was with. It may not have been the best gift she'd ever received, Mike filled that role, but she would not ignore it.
El could honestly say that she loved Mike so much it hurt her heart the few times she had seen him cry. She did her best to put a smile on his face. Seeing Mike smile made her heart swell to bursting.
When Mike has asked her to move in with him her world there was no hesitation on her part. She had been told this would be a test of their relationship... She knew better. The best thing for her and Mike to do was to be together. As much as possible.
She told her dad that night both things Mike had told her. That her hair seemed to have grown a bit, and that Mike had asked her to move in with him.
"Kid takes forever to ask you anything. " He had grinned.
"You have any place in mind? You know it's going to be up to you right? Mike would never make the decision for you. "
El had hesitated before she answered. She looked down and said, "I thought maybe we could use the cabin…"
When she looked up he was dangling the keys beside his head.
"Good idea. Are you going to grow your hair long for Mike?"
She'd ran over and hugged his middle. "Yes."
"I'm gonna lose my little girl." His voice was a shaky whisper.
"You are never going to lose me dad. I promise."
With the exception of a few personal things, neither of them had to move anything heavy to the cabin. The walk through the woods made carrying anything more than a little cumbersome.
"I can carry you El, your shoes will be in bad shape if you walk in this."
El just gave him a look and laughed, "I'm not a delicate flower Mike, besides I could carry you. You'd collapse after a few steps anyway."
"You're right. I don't have the upper body strength Dustin has. I don't know I'm going to carry you across the…" Mike trailed off.
"Across what?"
"Nothing for you to worry about," Mike said. "Let's get moving, I think we are going to be getting a storm tonight. Could start raining any minute. Are your snuggling abilities, still good? I think we may have to all night long."
She had given him a huge grin. Snuggling with Mike all night was now her number one priority once they got settled into the cabin.
The trip through the woods didn't seem as long as it used to when she was younger. She hoped the cabin wouldn't seem too small.
It would be bigger than any apartment they could get in Hawkins, that was for sure.
El could see Mike's look of fear when he saw the trip wire. He immediately looked around, and moved closer to her to protect her.
"It's ok, Mike," El wanted to reassure him. "The danger is over. It was tense for almost a year, but the bad men are gone. I am safe. We are safe. My dad made sure of that."
"I had no idea," Mike said quietly.
"I've kept a lot of details from you Mike. They would have just made you feel bad. That part of my life was awful, but it's over and behind me. I only want to concentrate on us."
The move into the cabin went smoothly. Mike, obviously had never been there before he hadn't even known about it the entire time he and the guys had explored Hawkins. El had kept it a secret.
"This is cozy!" Mike had said looking around.
"This was my home for a few years. After my dad rescued me. Now it can be our home." She walked up to Mike. He had put his arms around her waist.
"My home is where you are, El."
After her dad had rescued her from the lab, they lived in the cabin where she was safe and loved.
When El was 20, she was back living in the cabin, still safe, and loved beyond her comprehension.
El thought that her life could not get any better.
She was wrong.