Hey, guys! Surprise! Here's a second chapter for you to enjoy this weekend. I wrote this one a while back but never finished editing it until today because I wrote in this part about her locket before actually writing a chapter with her receiving it. Now that that's out of the way, I can finally post it! Happy reading, everyone!
One day, Mike biked over to El's to take her out on a date, but she didn't time it right. She had had trouble getting out of bed that morning, and by the time Mike showed up, she was still in the shower. As he knocked on the door, he heard her voice coming from the inside and wondered why she wasn't answering. After waiting patiently for several minutes, he finally resorted to using the key under the mat to open the door.
"EL?" he half yelled.
It soon became clear that what Mike had heard earlier was El singing. Knowing that and hearing the sound of water running, he gathered that she was probably still in the shower. He considered knocking on the bathroom door but didn't want to rush her, so he just stayed put and listened, admiring her lovely singing voice as he bent down to pick up and pet Eggo. Mike liked the person that she was when she was with him, hell, he even loved the person she was when she was with him, but there was something he loved about walking in on the moments where she could just be herself without anyone else around. He stood there impressed, so captivated by her talent, a talent that she hadn't yet discovered herself. Hearing the sound of her beautiful voice was enough to feel her presence. He could listen to it all day long. Mike's intimate jam session was briefly interrupted by the sound of the running water suddenly getting cut off, but the sweet tunes soon picked back up as she dried off, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out the door.
"Hey! I didn't know that you sang..." he said.
"Jesus, Mike! You scared the shit out of me!"
"Sorry!"
"I nearly dropped my towel!"
"Dammit! So close!" he said.
"Mi-ike!"
"What? I was only partly kidding!" he said with a wink.
"Of course you were!"
"What? You don't believe me? Well, I guess I'll just have to...*begins to tickle* tickle it out of you then!"
As she dodged his tickles, flinching around and trying to peel his fingers off of her, she could feel her towel slowly starting to loosen. She panicked and curled up into a little ball on the floor, but that didn't stop him.
"*chuckles* Mike! *giggles* Mike, stop! I can't breathe! *laughs hysterically*"
He examined the position they were in and stared into her deep brown eyes, falling in love with her all over again.
"Look, I know I'm the one who wanted to wait, and I still do, but right now I'm having the hardest time remembering why!"
"Oh, Mike!"
*both stand up*
"I can't help myself! You're just way too gorgeous..." he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
*smiles*
He started to lean in to kiss her, but she stopped him and said:
"Wait, I'm wet."
"That's what she said!"
"Very funny! *chuckles* You and your dirty mind..." she said, making the 'shame-shame' finger gesture at him.
"I don't have a dirty mind, just a sexy imagination!"
"Oh brother!" she said, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you're wearing the necklace I gave you! Did you forget to take it off before you showered?" he asked, lifting it from her collarbone and holding it up in between his fingers, then letting go.
"No, I just don't like to take it off. I love it too much to do that," she said, sliding the heart-shaped locket back and forth on the chain.
"I'm glad," he said with a smile.
"I am sorry though," she said.
"About what?" he asked.
"Not being ready when you came."
"No worries."
"You shouldn't have had to wait on me though!"
"Seriously, it's no big deal!"
"Let me get changed real quick and then I promise we'll go," she said, grabbing his hands.
"Okie dokie. You sure you don't want to wear that towel out? It's a good look for you!"
"Hah, you wish!"
Several minutes later, she came out, raiding her dad's secret stash of cash for a couple of bucks to spend.
"So, you're a soprano, huh?" Mike asked, bringing up her singing once again.
"Soprano?" she repeated.
"Yeah, if you sing soprano, it means that you sing high, then next to that is alto, which is a lower voice part. Females are usually sopranos and altos, whereas tenors and basses are the male equivalents of that. Some guys are baritones though, which means that they fall somewhere in between tenor and bass."
"Oh. Which do you sing?"
"Me? No, I don't sing."
"What do you mean you don't sing?"
"I mean, I can, but I'm not very good..."
"I'm sure that's not true! C'mon, sing something for me."
"What about our date?"
"Mike, we're going bowling. It's not like we have reservations or anything! We've got some time to kill."
"Fine...Let me just think of a song first."
"How about our song?" she suggested.
"That's a lot of pressure...What if I totally butcher it? I don't want to ruin it for you..."
"You could never ruin our song! You're the reason I love the song in the first place," she said.
"*smiles* And you're the reason why I'm going to sing it, but only if you sing the beginning. I'll sing the bridge."
"Deal!" she said.
She sat on the back of the couch and sang to him. As she sang, he was fighting the urge to dance with her, but when it came his time to sing the song, he couldn't resist.
He reached out and grabbed each of her hands, pulling her up. Once she was on her feet, he grabbed her right hand with his left and placed his right hand on her waist, dancing with her as he sang the words, 'Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace, I dream at night I can only see your face, I look around but it's you I can't replace, I feel so cold and I long for your embrace.' Then, he spun her around and dipped her on 'I keep crying baby, baby,' bringing her back to his face on the word 'please.'
The whole time he sang as they danced, El looked at him with smiling eyes, completely smitten. Is there anything he can't do? she thought to herself. The whole time, she was tempted to kiss him, but once he dipped her and brought her close to his face, the tension was too much and she couldn't hold out any longer.
She quickly scanned his face, up and down- eyes, lips, eyes, lips. Then, she leaned in and kissed him, her left hand on his hip, her right resting on the side of his neck, with his hands still wrapped around her back. Now, their lips were the ones dancing, playing, communicating. Her kiss was screaming I need you now and he responded with one that said Here I am. Then, El bit his lip, taking him by surprise.
"Are you going to do that every time I sing 'cause I could sure get used to this!"
"Haha, only if you ask nicely."
"I'll beg on my hands and knees if I have to."
"*laughs* So, you're a soprano too, aren't you?" she asked, jokingly.
"*chortles* You caught me, I'm a soprano!"
"I had a feeling! *laughs, pauses to think* You're a...baritone?"
"Yeah. I used to be a tenor, but my voice got lower within the past two years."
"I know! I remember how your voice used to crack when I first met you. It was so cute! It's so much deeper now. It sounds really hot!"
"You think so?"
"Yeah, definitely. You're a good singer though, Mike, truly! I don't know why you try to hide it. I swear, sometimes you're way too humble!"
"Thanks! Well, I'm much better at harmonizing than I am at singing myself, but that means a lot coming from you. You're amazing!"
"What's harmonizing?"
"Have you ever listened to a song and heard like more than one voice but all the voices are singing the same words?"
"Yeah."
"You know how it sounds different than the melody that the main singer is singing, yet oddly kind of goes perfectly with it and makes this rounded, complete sound?"
"I think I know what you mean, but give me an example."
"*pauses to think* Bohemian Rhapsody."
"Bohemian Rhapsody?"
"You've got to be kidding me! You've never heard Bohemian Rhapsody?!"
"No...What's that?"
"Only the greatest song ever made!"
"That's it, I'm taking you to the record store!" he continued.
"But what about the bowling alley?"
"We'll go after we bowl, that way we can listen to it when I take you back home."
"Okay!"
Once at the bowling alley, they each switched out their regular shoes for their bowling shoes and picked out their bowling balls. Mike suggested that she try a lighter, smaller one first, just to get used to it and have more control over the ball. She took a deep breath before rolling the ball for the first time and said:
"Here goes nothing!"
Mike noticed that she kept getting gutterballs and decided to help her out.
"So, you just kind of line your ball up with where you see the pins in front of you," he said, reaching over her shoulders to guide the ball with her, "and then you just swing your arm back and forward, like this," he said without actually rolling the ball onto the lane.
"Now you try!" he said.
"Okay."
She gave it a try and knocked about 6 down.
"That was really good!"
"Thanks, I think I kinda got the hang of it now."
She got a couple of strikes every now and then, but Mike was even more proud when she got her first split!
"Holy shit, El! You got a split!"
"I did?"
"Yeah! Look at your score!"
"Wait, does this mean, I won?"
"Yes, you won!"
"Oh my god!"
"I say this calls for a celebration! Pick anything on the menu, I'm buying."
Without hesitation, she said:
"Slushie!"
"Okay. Do you wanna split one?"
*nods*
"Which flavor? No, wait, let me guess...Blueberry!"
"How did you know?"
"That's what you got the last time we went to the movies."
"But you really just remembered that?"
"Yeah."
She smiled, finding his observantness adorable.
"I'll be right back. Just pick a table and I'll meet you there."
"Alright," she said.
He got the biggest slushie they sold and stuck two straws in it, walking around to see if he could find her. She waved him over.
"One slushie," he said like a waiter, setting it on the table.
"Thanks."
"I got us half and half, just to make it interesting."
"Half and half of what?"
"Blueberry and cherry."
"Oh cool! I didn't know that they made those."
"I didn't either! That's why I got it."
Only about 30 seconds had passed and El had already slurped down so much so fast.
"Uh oh...Brain freeze!" she said.
"*laughs* Your face looks cute when it's all puckered up. It looks like a raisin!"
"Eww, raisins are gross..." she said.
"You're right, raisins are gross," he said.
She stopped sipping for a while. Mike then asked:
"Full already?"
"Yeah, weird, right?" she asked.
"Right..." he said sarcastically.
"Do you mind if I have the rest?" he continued.
"No, go for it!"
"Thanks," he said, taking a slurp of what was left.
He then set the cup back down, revealing his ruby red lips.
"*laughs* It looks like you're wearing lipstick!"
"Oh, haha!" he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Wait, stick out your tongue!" he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Just trust me," he said.
*sticks out*
"Yep, just as I suspected."
"What was the point of that?" she asked.
"Your tongue's blue!"
"Oh, haha. Let me see yours!"
*sticks out*
She moved closer to him as if she was inspecting the color on his tongue, but really, she was just leaning in to kiss him with her tongue.
"Is it purple now?" she asked, sticking it out.
"*giggles* Sorta, but not really. *pauses* Maybe you just didn't do it right...Here, let me try," he said, leaning in.
He was perfect, simply perfect. One minute he was teaching her how to bowl, the next he was slurping a slushie with her, and the next thing she knew, they were making out.
"What kind of shirt is this?" she asked, pulling away from the kiss, holding a pinch of the fabric between her fingers.
"It's a bowling shirt."
"It's soft," she said, rubbing the lining of the sleeve.
"What's this?" he asked, pointing to a spot at the top of her chest.
She looked down and he flicked her chin up.
"*giggles* What are you, eight?" she said.
"What can I say, I'm a kid at heart!"
"How is she by the way?" he asked.
"Who are you talking about?" asked El.
"Kali. Have you checked in with her at all since you left Pittsburgh?"
"Yeah, I have a few times. Not much has changed though. It's like I was never there!" she said.
"Oh, don't say that! You know she loves you, El."
"Yeah, but not enough to give up her vengeful heists..."
"*holds hands* Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up, I just want to make sure you're doing okay. I know it must've been hard for you to say goodbye to her so soon."
"It was, but not nearly as hard as it was to say goodbye to you."
"That was the best and worst day of my life when you said goodbye to me," he said.
"What made it the best?"
"Our first kiss."
He reached a hand in her direction, moving the hair away from her face out of endearment, then placing it on her cheek, which he rubbed with his thumb. She held the hand on her face and looked at him with glassy eyes. He leaned over the table and kissed her forehead, saying:
"I love you."
"I love you more," she said.
"Not possible," he said.
"Anything's possible when we're together," she said.
*smiles*
"Well, are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready for what?" she asked.
"To have your mind blown by the gods of rock, of course!"
"*laughs* I sure am!" she said, returning her ball and bowling shoes before they left for the record store.
There was only one record store in all of Hawkins and it was always busy. It was called The Gold Standard. They had everything from Billie Holiday to Bon Jovi!
Once they got there, she looked around the room in awe. She had never been to the record store before. Jim Croce, Madonna, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Police- All of her favorite music in one place. She couldn't believe it! She came in holding Mike's hand and came out holding 5 records. Two of them were the actual ones they intended to buy in the first place, A Night At the Opera and Greatest Hits (1981) by Queen. The others were just for El, well, and Hopper of course.
"Fleetwood Mac. That's an interesting choice!" said Mike.
"Oh yeah. I just saw this Live In Boston vinyl with the other new arrivals and thought my dad might want it. He likes them a lot."
"He's gonna love that."
"Have you heard it?"
"No. My mom's music taste consists of more ballad and pop songs than rock. She listens to a lot of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. My dad listens to pretty much anything as long as it's not country or metal."
"Ah, gotcha."
"What else did you get?" he asked.
"Like A Virgin-"
"A classic!"
"*giggles* And Bad Reputation."
"You like Joan Jett & The Blackhearts?"
"Hell yeah! They're so bitchin'."
"Yeah, they are pretty badass..." he said, examining the record.
"I first heard them when I was with Kali and her gang, but Max likes them a lot, so we've listened to them at her house a couple of times."
"Why am I not surprised! *laughs* Well, I got you the album with Bohemian Rhapsody on it and another album with a bunch of Queen's greatest hits. I think you'll really like it."
"Aww, Mike...You're so thoughtful! *looks down at records and smiles, looks up at him and squints eyes* Are you spoiling me again?"
"Maybe..."
She kissed his cheek and he threw his arm around her. Once they had each paid for their stack of records, they headed back home.
*unlocks latches, opens door*
"This is Queen," Mike said as he placed the vinyl on the turntable and set the stylus against it.
El was blown away. She had never heard anything like it. It was so unique, like her.
"It's really pretty," she whispered.
*nods and smiles*
She giggled as Mike air-guitared Brian May's solo and shot him a funny look once it got to the third verse, chuckling when it got to the "Galileo" part. She laughed as he mouthed each and every word.
"Whoa! That part was so high! Oh my god!" she squealed, referring to the part where Freddie Mercury sang the last "for me."
He paused it for a moment, lifting the arm first, then stopping the turntable.
"Do you think you could hit that note?" he asked.
"Maybe...I'd have to hear it again."
"You're gonna love this next part," he said, continuing to play it.
They then nodded their heads to the wicked rock music that came after and swayed to the last bits of piano at the end.
"That was totally sick!" she said.
"I told you you'd love it!"
"Let's listen to it again!"
"*laughs* Okay!"
They listened to it once more, with El attempting the high note this time.
"Holy shit! You did it!" he said excitedly, picking her up and hugging her.
They listened to more music and later sang together for the first time.
"Okay, sing something and I'll harmonize with you."
"Okay, um...I've played I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song before, right? Do you that one well enough?"
He rolled his eyes around the room and mouthed the words as he tried to remember how it went, then nodded.
"Yeah, that's a good one actually. Let's do that."
She shyly began singing the first verse and he sang along with her. There is simply no better feeling than harmonizing in song with the one you love. It gave her goosebumps, just looking in his eyes and singing with him, knowing that every word they sang to and with each other was true to them. She loved him so much, she couldn't contain her joy.
It was really something to watch El's default shyness blossom into confidence as they sang together. He looked at her with endearment, moving a little closer with each line. She could feel her voice blending perfectly with his and melting into one full sound. It was then when she knew that she and Mike had something special, a harmonious bond.
"All that biking, bowling, and singing...You must be pretty exhausted. Why don't you take a load off and stay a little while longer?" she said, grabbing ahold of his sleeve as he got up.
"Tempting, and believe me, I would love to, but I should really get going. I'm sorry!"
"It's okay," she said, kissing him abruptly, "See you around."
He leaned in to kiss her once again before leaving but was interrupted by Hopper, who had just walked through the door. It startled both of them and they immediately turned to him, awkwardly clearing their throats.
"I'll see you later, El," he said rubbing her wrist.
"Bye, son," said Hopper.
"Goodnight, sir."
Once Mike left, Hopper then picked El up and spun her around, kissing the top of her head. He used to do this with Sarah too, but as they say, old habits die hard.
"*giggles* What was that for?" she asked.
"I don't know, I've just missed you. I've been working so many late nights this week, I feel like I've barely seen you at all!"
"Well, I'm glad things have calmed down at work now."
"I am too. So, how was your date with that Wheeler boy?"
"*chuckles* You mean, Mike? *pauses* It was great! We went to the bowling alley and bought some records."
"Nice! Can I see 'em?"
"Sure. I stuck them by the turntable."
"How many records did you buy?!"
"Well, Mike bought the Queen ones. I bought the Joan Jett one myself and-"
"Like A Virgin. What the hell is this?" he asked.
"Madonna, silly!"
"Jesus...Okay, from now on I want you to run some of these past me before you go on and buy them. Understand?"
"Fine, but everybody listens to Madonna, Dad!"
"That may be, but how much money did all of this cost? I mean, you went to the bowling alley and then the record store. I just don't understand how you paid for all of this because I know that you wouldn't take more money than you were supposed to from your ol' pa, now would ya?"
"Mike covered the cost of the bowling alley. I only took like $20 from the stash and I spent just about that much. They were on sale."
"But if they were on sale, two records shouldn't cost $20."
"I didn't buy two, I bought three. I got you a live Fleetwood Mac album. It's brand new, it just came out in February!"
"Aww, c'mere you!" he said, hugging her.
"Thanks, kid. That was very thoughtful," he continued.
"You're welcome!" she said, letting go and walking away.
"Hey, wait!" he said.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"What do you say we crack this baby open?"
"Yeah, I'd like that," she said.
And so, they lit the fireplace and listened through the whole record as they sat side by side on the couch, missing these father-daughter moments that they shared.
