WOW! Thank you all so much for the fantastic reviews! It truly makes my heart happy to see all the responses I get! Honestly, writing was something I struggled with in school, and I can't tell you how many papers I had to write during my 8 years of college. Fantasy and coming up with my own creative story is a wonderful passion that I have, and I also love delving into other authors stories on fanfiction websites. There's something truly unique about fanfiction and it's amazing to be apart of this world. So, thank you all again!
Get ready for some Mileven fluff as well!
Anyways, on with this next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
June 16th, 1993
Sweat is pouring down her face, the salty residue stinging her eyes, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath.
"Again! You. Must. Try. HARDER, ELEVEN!" his voice is like razor blades against her ears.
She takes in a shuddering breath, raising her head slightly, she can see through the two way mirror, her eyes meet his.
His eyes, fiery, but at the same time cool as ice, wide with greed and impatience.
His companion is tight around his neck, almost like a wool scarf for the winter. The weasel gives her the same beady stare.
A shiver runs up her spine.
"Eleven!" he barks at her, causing her to stumble slightly on her unstable legs that feel like jelly beneath her.
"Do as your told, or you know what will happen!" he growls, pointing to his left.
She lets out a strained cry as she turns to the other room beside her.
"El!" a little voice squeaks and El's heart breaks.
There, her Anima laid trapped, a burly man holding a cattle prod to the companion's side.
"Don't" El whimpers, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.
"Then do as your-" but the man doesn't finish.
El whips her head to the man, everything seems frozen, there's no sound, no nothing.
She furrows her brows. And then, everything around her seems to hum, and it all washes away.
El holds up her hands, blocking the blinding light that envelops her. She starts to shake, not knowing what's going on.
Slowly, she lowers her hands and it's different.
Now, everything around her is a rich green. Her eyes scanned around her new environment. She's in a lush forest. The birds are chirping, and the sun cascades around her, the warmth envelops her and for once she feels her body relax.
"El, come on!" she feels a tug on her elbow.
Startled, El turns to the familiar voice, and her heart hums, when she sees it's him. The rich dark eyes, the tangle of deep black hair, his lopsided smile.
He's pulling her along, and El follows like a lost puppy.
Their laughing as they run together, their hands intertwined, as if that's how they're always meant to be.
She follows him up a hill, and they come to a stop at the peak. He turns to her, and it's only love she sees on his face.
Her face flushes at the realization, and does so even more when he reaches forward a gentle hand and places it delicately on her face.
He begins to tilt his head down towards hers, and she immediately pushes herself forward. Her eyes flutter close as she feels his breath mingling with her own.
Their lips meet.
With a quick intake of breath El's eyes open widely, and she blinks away the dream and sleep that still remains.
She doesn't move as she slowly takes in her surroundings. Her body is incredibly warm, but not in a bad way, she feels comfortable and at ease.
Her eyes scanned her environment as she recognizes the couch and small living room quickly.
'Right' her brain reminds her, she's at Mike's place.
She settles slightly, but is immediately put on high alert when a movement comes from beneath her.
As fast as lightning, she moves her head and her eyes widen once again when she realizes why she is so warm and comfortable: she's curled up into Mike's embrace.
'We must have fallen asleep!' her voice screams through her head. She blearily remembers them sitting very close to one another as they watched the The Little Mermaid on Mike's t.v.
She faintly remembers unconsciously singing along to her favorite songs, Mike looking at her in awe, not saying anything, but then smiling that gorgeous smile of his as he began to sing right alongside her.
Truthfully, she couldn't believe it, and after finishing 'A Part of Your World', she couldn't help but tease him slightly. He tried to hold it to the fact that he had a much younger sister that he watched a lot, and with that came hours of Disney movies.
She remembers settling into Mike's side comfortably, and him not saying anything to her closeness, which made her grin with glee. It was just after 'Kiss The Girl' did El's eyes begin to get heavy with sleep, her thoughts mingling with what it would be like if she and Mike were in Ariel's and Eric's place.
Now, she found herself very aware of how close she and Mike were now. She's not sure how it had happened but Mike's body was tilted to the far end of the couch, his long legs stretched out.
She must have followed his movements in the night because her body laid half across his upper chest, while her knees were bent into his. Honestly, she's not sure how either of them had managed to stay comfortable like this throughout the entire night, but, to El, aside from the first part of her horrible dream, she had slept soundly, more so than she ever had in her life.
While she processes this throughout her mind, Mike lets out a deep exhale, his breath reaching El's face, and she's wondering if that's what had awoken her. She can't help but to take this moment and just lay there.
Something about Mike alured her as her eyes greedily scanned his face, once again marveling at his freckles, she's pretty sure she has a dopey grin upon her face.
But, she sighs heavily, feeling as if she should probably move and not let this moment get any awkward. So, she begins to rise, but she's stopped immediately by a force, Mike shifts, "Dn...no...dn...go" his face furrows and El realizes that Mike's left arm is looped around her back and he's holding her firmly against him.
He's not letting her go anywhere. El huffs, but she can't help but feel slightly joyful at the feeling of Mike holding her tightly, and not allowing her to move.
Truthfully, she would have allowed him to just hold her there until he awoke, but, there's a pressing need of her bladder, and she needs to get up.
So, as much as she wants to stay in Mike's arms, she scoots forward so her face is level with his, and she begins to shake his shoulder with her free arm.
"Mike" she says softly, jostling him lightly.
"Hmmm" he groans, his face scrunching in a way that makes El's heart swoon.
She can't help but giggle "Miiiike" she sing songs again.
"What" he grumbles, and El realizes that the man beneath her is not a morning person.
"I...I uh...need to get up" her voice a little louder this time.
This time El watches as Mike's eyes begin to stir beneath his eyelids, and they finally flutter open. She's met with his dark eyes, and his face scrunches up, but then softens.
El freezes in the next moment as Mike's hand comes up and brushes away her stray, frizzing hair from her face, "Pretty" he whispers as his eyes scanned her face.
She's pretty sure she flushes a million shades of red at the compliment, she lets out a nervous giggle, "Uh, Mike?"
And at this, it seems Mike is finally brought back from the realm of sleep. He blinks hurriedly a couple of times before shaking his head.
"El?" his voice is full of confusion and heavy from sleep.
She nods at him, "Yeah, uhm, hi, we uh...we fell asleep" she shrugs her shoulders.
Mike blinks again, "We did?" he asks.
El nods her head again, "Yeah, and uhm...I need to go to the bathroom but-" she then tries to move and then Mike's eyes are wide open realizing he's holding her down with one arm while his other hand is still resting on her cheek.
El smiles shyly at him.
"Oh my gosh!" he then says, moving so that they both sit up together, his arms moving away from her quickly.
His face erupts into a brilliant shade of red.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" he says guiltily as he gestures between them. "I didn't mean to hold you like that" he shakes his head.
El eyes him, but then giggles, "It's okay Mike, it's not like we meant for that to happen" she shrugs.
Mike peeks up at her, his face still very red, and El wants to reassure him, so she gives him a gentle smile, "Besides, it's not a bad way to wake up".
And at her words Mike brightens, "Really?" he asks, and El nods shyly, "Yeah, it was nice" and now she's sure her face is as red as his.
"I usually have nightmares, and I started to have one but...it changed, it was...nice" she whispered, her eyes meeting his and now she's really embarrassed because what she was referring to as nice in her dream was the moment their lips touched.
She then shakes her head, standing while tucking her stray hair behind her ear.
"I, just need to run to the bathroom real quick" she then gestures to the spare bedroom.
Mike nods, ruffling his own hair, "Yeah, yeah no worries, I'll...see you in a bit" and El can't help but hide her giggle as Mike winces at his own words as El gives him one last wave before she disappears behind the corner.
She lets go of the breath she doesn't realize that she's holding the moment she walks into the spare bedroom, making her way to the bathroom slightly dizzy from the way Mike looked at her.
After she's done in the bathroom, El can't help but be startled when a familiar voice breaks her from her thoughts, as she walks back into the bedroom, "Well, you looked comfy this morning" Veda sits stoically on the bed, a knowing look gracing her features.
El huffs, barely giving her companion a second look as she walks over to her bag to retrieve her clothes for the day.
"I don't know what you're talking about" she tries to sound nonchalant, but she knows she fails miserably.
Veda lets out a barking laugh, "Oh, as if I can't feel what you're feeling right now".
El freezes wincing slightly.
"You're rapidly beating heart, your nervous demeanor, and...the thrill of happiness and dare I say, enchantment, that is coursing through you?" the fox now moves to swirl about El's legs.
Even though El has always enjoyed that no matter where she went in life, she always had someone by her side. The only problem was, her companion knew everything about her. El couldn't hide her feelings well, not that she could honestly hide them from her Anima anyways.
El fiddles with her only other shirt that she managed to grab from the warehouse nervously between her hands. She looks down at the fox who is already staring back at her.
"Well, what about you? Cozying up to Pitch like that?" El tries to defend herself and the fox only grins more.
"I'm a figment of your soul, as is Pitch to Mike, we are drawn to one another as our humans are to each other".
El can't help but blink at her companion's words.
"What?" is all she can say, her hands falling to her sides.
"El, there's a mutual attraction between the both of you, Pitch and I wouldn't be drawn to one another if there wasn't" Veda muses.
El feels her face flush slightly, "Mike...likes me?" her voice is uncertain.
Veda shrugs, "Maybe, I'm just saying, when two Anima's are drawn to one another, it's not usually because we hate each other" she jokes.
El takes in Veda's words, sitting down on the bed, feeling a bit dumbstruck.
She glanced over her shoulder to look out the halfway closed door, in which the kitchen is partially visible, knowing that Mike is out there.
Her heart hums within her chest, not sure she knows how she's supposed to feel.
Mike, the man who rescued her barely two days ago, a complete stranger, and now...now she felt something entirely new, something she's never felt before.
And before she can even finish the thought, she stands to her feet, heart pounding and body shaking, El tries to push away the feeling that came to her mind.
Grabbing ahold of the t-shirt she wore yesterday and pulling it over her head, her mind still racing as she dressed for the day.
He's pretty sure he's never felt this embarrassed in his life.
Sure, Mike being who he is has had a healthy dose of embarrassing moments throughout his life. But, this was completely different, for, he had fallen asleep with a girl he barely knew and kept her wrapped in his arms most of the night.
He's not one hundred percent sure how they ended up in their predicament, but he faintly remembers them cozied up on his couch watching The Little Mermaid.
Mike had enjoyed the way El sung along to the songs, knowing them by heart. He was enraptured by her smooth, gentle voice as her eyes lit up watching the movie.
He had caught himself staring at the girl who was lightly pressed into his side, and found himself unable to pull away.
When she caught him staring, he couldn't help but smile, and begin to sing along with her.
His heart filled with excitement at the way she brightened as they sung along together. Yes, he knew he didn't have the greatest singing voice, but he couldn't ignore the way their voices seemed to meld together into a unique harmony.
She had picked on him slightly, poking him in the side for knowing the songs from a children's movie. He knew she was picking and he was happy that he did have his little sister to blame for his knowledge on most Disney movies.
But, El didn't care, as they continued to sing along softly to the next couple of songs.
He couldn't help but flush when the song 'Kiss the Girl' came on screen, and El was silent as she watched with heavy lids the scene unfold before them.
Truthfully, after their little hot chocolate incident, the thought of kissing her was something that continued to weave itself in and out of his mind. There was something about El that intrigued him in more ways than not. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
Even though El was a brand new person in his life, it was as if he felt like he had known her somehow, yet he had only a glimpse as to who she was, what she had gone through.
Eventually, Mike felt a soft pressure against his shoulder and he glanced down. El's head had fallen against his shoulder, and peeking down at her, he could see that she was asleep.
A gentle smile graced his lips as he took in her serene expression, her breathing soft.
As carefully as he could, Mike reached around with his right arm and tugged at the blanket that hung on the couch.
He then tossed the it over both of them, creating a warm cocoon. El then snuggled deeper into his presence, and Mike's heart quickened. He sighed softly as he slowly rested his head against hers, desperately hoping that she wouldn't mind.
And it didn't take him long to pass out either.
Then, the next thing he knew, he was being rustled from a very peaceful dream that involved him and El as the stars.
He could remember in the dream how they laughed together, their hands mingling together, the happiness that connected them together.
Only to be interrupted by an incessant shaking. Barely coming out of his dream state, he could feel a warm pressure against him trying to move away, but it was so comfortable he didn't want it to go away.
So, he pulled it back against him. However, when the shaking and a familiar voice became a bit more distinct, he finally began to wake.
And when his eyes groggily opened he was met by the most beautiful sight in the world, a sight that he wanted to be graced with each time he awoke.
The woman spoke to him in a gentle voice as she smiled at him. Her hair dancing in his face, he couldn't resist and raised a hand to push it back slightly, revealing the beautiful women's full face.
"Pretty" the words flowed effortlessly from his mouth.
And he watched the woman blush at his words as she still tried to rouse him from his disoriented state.
"Uh...Mike?" finally he recognized the voice.
"El?" he had asked.
And it was then he realized he had trapped the poor girl in his embrace.
So, with flushing cheeks, he very quickly awoke fully and pushed them both to a sitting position, apologizing profusely to the girl.
He was pretty sure she was going to see him as some creep, or weirdo as his head began to fill with doubt.
But then, she smiled.
"It's okay Mike, it's not like we meant for that to happen" she shrugged giggling at him.
Mike had peeked a look at her, and then her next words really hit him, "Besides, it's not a bad way to wake up".
He felt his heart soar, "Really?" he asked, while El nodded shyly, "Yeah, it was nice".
And then he was pretty sure he was on cloud nine. A beautiful woman had just reassured him that it was okay they had slept together and she thought it was nice.
He sat there dumbfounded for a bit as El excused herself to the bathroom, his eyes following her the entire way.
Once she was around the corner, Mike flopped his back into the couch cushions sighing softly.
He would have gladly stayed in his reviere if Pitch didn't start laughing at him.
Mike lifted his head quickly and glared at his companion who had risen to his feet, shaking his fur straight.
"What are you laughing at?" Mike grumbled.
Pitch shook his burly head, "Oh, nothing" he said approaching Mike, his tail swishing higher than usual.
"Just, seems that you two were getting pretty comfy with one another" he gives Mike a look.
Mike reaches out and pushes his companions head teasingly, "Shut up" he growls, casting a quick glance at the spare bedroom, making sure El wasn't approaching him.
"Ah, you totally enjoyed that, didn't you?" Pitch continues to tease him.
Mike tries to hide the blush that he knows is starting to form on his face once again, as he silently wishes he wasn't so fair skinned.
But then, he bites back, "Yeah, and what about you and Veda?" he raises an eyebrow to the wolf who shrugs nonchalantly.
"Why do you think that happened?" Pitch's question causes Mike to stir slightly.
"What do you mean?" Mike asks.
Pitch sighs, "Mike, Veda and I are an extension on yours and El's souls, what you feel, we feel, it's only natural for us to be drawn to one another if you two are".
Mike ponders Pitch's statement within his head. 'Does El like me?' the thought echoed through his mind.
But, before he can think too much of it, not wanting to get his hopes up, Mike huffs and stands to his feet quickly.
His socked feet pad quietly through his apartment as he stops in the kitchen, for some reason he turns towards the spare bedroom, and his eyes widen at the sight he sees.
He knows he should look away, that he shouldn't be ogling the most beautiful woman he's seen in his life, but he can't tear his eyes away.
Just through the small crack he see's El, he can hear her light voice whispering, he assumes to Veda, when she suddenly reaches down her stomach and pulls her shirt off of her body. For a couple of seconds, as El fiddles with a new shirt, Mike is allowed to see El in a state that should be reserved for only the person she chooses.
And he knows his pupils are blown as he takes in her slight, lean figure, her dark bra against her tanned skin. He feels a different stirring within him that is a bit more different than the beginning initial attraction he had begun to feel for the girl.
Now, seeing her like this, he is somewhat ashamed to feel excited in a more intimate way, especially since El has no idea what he's doing. Even though it's only a couple of seconds that Mike watches her, takes her in, as she pulls a new shirt over her head, adjusting her flowing brown hair behind her, Mike can't breathe.
El turns away and Mike finally blinks.
"Woah, even I felt that all the way to my-" Pitch starts, but then Mike shushes him quickly, because the spare bedroom door opens and El pads out, her eyes immediately finding his.
He doesn't know what to do, because he's just seen her with her shirt off, and it's doing things to him he's not proud of.
El casts him a curious look, "You okay? Your face is all red" she then points her finger around her face to demonstrate her question.
Mike blinks a couple of times before he shakes his head, "Oh! Uhm...yeah...yeah...no...I'm, okay I'm just...uh-" his stupid male brain is lacking all coordination now, especially since it traitorously wants to keep imagining El without her shirt on.
"Uh-" he tries again and now El is laughing at his stuttering.
"I'm...I'm just going to go change real quick" he states quickly pointing to the direction of his room, feeling El's eyes on him as he leaves.
Shutting the door behind him, Mike lets out a long breath, trying to gain his senses. But, he can't, not after what he just saw.
So, with one last huff of breath, Mike stands to his feet and rushes to his shower throwing it on the coldest setting possible, willing his thoughts of El to drain away.
She finds it slightly weird the way Mike acts when she enters the kitchen. He seemed to be embarrassed for some reason, and she begins to overthink as Mike hurriedly disappeared behind his bedroom door.
Her face falls believing that he was uncomfortable with what had occurred between them this morning.
"Don't worry so much" Pitch's voice brought her back to the present moment.
"Excuse me?" she furrows her brow to the dark wolf who sits licking his paw.
He laughs, "Apparently it's something you both have in common, you worry too much about what other people think,'' he casts a heavy look in her direction.
"What do you mean?" she approaches the Anima slowly.
He shakes his head, sighing before he speaks, "It's not for me to say but-" and then he looks past El's leg, and El follows his gaze, which lands on Veda, who's giving the wolf a very pointed look.
Pitch huffs, "It's something for both of you to figure out. You'll get there eventually. But, I wouldn't worry about Mike, he enjoys your company" the wolf says smoothly as he moves past El to lay on his bed.
El isn't quite sure what the wolf was getting at, but the way he tried to calm her down from her own traitorous thoughts, it seemed to work. She could feel her shoulders dropping in relief, it was a weird sensation. Of course she had multiple interactions with Anima's in her life, but there was something different about the way Pitch spoke to her.
It was calming, and reassuring. His voice delicate, almost as if he knew just how to calm El down from her previous state. In one way, it was pleasant, in another, it was terrifying.
But before El could think too much on the situation, Mike's bedroom door opened, and her attention went to the man who exited the room. He gave her a shy smile, and El couldn't help but swoon slightly at his appearance.
His hair was damp and curled in a million more directions than it did when it was dry. He was wearing another graphic t-shirt, this one displaying a large pixelated dragon breathing fire down onto a knight. His pants were faded and baggy, and hung off his hips in such an alluring way that El felt her stomach knot.
He approached her slowly, "Hey" he said nodding to her a small smile teasing across his face, "You okay, your face is-" he stops, and gestures just as she did earlier, she watches him hold back a laugh as she takes a sudden inhale of breath, clasping both of her hands onto her probably red cheeks.
"Oh!" she starts as she shakes her head, trying to fight the blush she knows is there.
"Yeah, I'm-" she stops, thinking of what she should say, but then, something overtakes her and she takes a step into a very unfamiliar zone.
"I'm just not used to seeing such an-" and she stops, thinking of the right word without coming off as too forward, but then Mike tilts his head in such an adorable way that it flows effortlessly from her mouth, "Such a handsome man...is all" and she watches as Mike's eyebrows lift so high they almost disappeared into his hairline.
His face lights up once again, but he ducks his head as he once again displays that dopey smile she's come to adore.
"You...you think I'm handsome?" he asked taking a step towards her, his hands rooted into his pockets.
El follows his lead, moving towards him as well as she fiddles with the hemline of her shirt, sneaking a glance up at him.
And now, they're barely a foot away from each other, and El feels her heart hammering against her ribcage, even more so when Mike looks at her once again.
It's as if he's taking her all in, like a delicate photograph, and El melts at his gaze.
He laughs lightly, "I've never been called handsome before, only by my mom or a family member" he brings one of his hands out of his pocket, ruffling it through his damp hair.
It's El's turn to duck her head slightly but then looks back up at him, with which she hopes is an endearing look she so wants him to see. "Well, that's too bad, because you are, and-" she smiles up at him, in which she returns.
She has no idea where this type of bravery is coming from, it's completely foreign to her. But, there's something about Mike that makes her want to tell him everything, to let him know exactly what she's starting to feel.
"And, you're really sweet, and cute too" she shrugs shyly.
Mike's eyes widen at her words, he moves just a breath closer, their eyes not leaving each other's. And El's a bit surprised when Mike's hands find hers, and it's like everything makes sense in the world.
"Well, you're wonderful too, and...really pretty" he lets out a nervous laugh as he intertwines their fingers together.
It's there, in that space that El feels everything all at once. Even though it's only been two days that she's spent with Mike, it's felt like a lifetime. And she can tell that he feels it too.
There's an undeniable pull between them, and even though she's tried to desperately shrug it off. That this wasn't something that was normal, you didn't fall for people you just met, but here she was, eating her words. It's as if Mike had always been waiting for her, and now was her chance.
Mike continues to give her a gentle look. His eyes flicker to her lips, and she does the same.
He's a bit taller than her, so when he begins to bend down, she feels herself pushing against her tiptoes, wanting to meet him halfway.
She's never shared a kiss with anyone before, and even though her heart had always told her to wait, she felt that this was different.
Her eyes begin to flutter close and she feels Mike's warm breath against her skin. She holds back a soft whimper as she feels them coming closer together, their lips just grazing.
"MIKE! MIKE!" a very loud voice followed by an onslaught of loud banging makes both El and Mike to spring apart as if struck by lightning, their eyes wide looking at one another.
El panics for two reasons, one: because she and Mike had almost kissed, and she was quite annoyed by the voice outside Mike's door, and two: the someone who was pounding on Mike's door could be anyone and her mind began to remind her why she was in Mike's apartment in the first place: to stay safe.
Mike immediately sees El's panicked expression and he holds out both his hands, trying to calm her down, "Hey, sorry, don't worry, it's just my friend Dustin, I don-" he tries to explain, but then another onslaught of slamming comes against his door and both of them turn to look at the source of the sound.
"Dude, come on, open up, I know you're in there!" Dustin's muffled voice trails through.
Mike lets out a frustrated sigh, turning back to El, "Uh, look, I'll just go out there and send him off, I'll just be a second" he tries to reassure her, but she's frozen in shock.
Mike softens, bringing a gentle hand to her face, and El's eyes meet him, "Don't worry, Dustin's harmless, I won't let anything happen to you".
His voice is endearing, and El can only nod in understanding, Mike gives her a reassuring smile and departs for his door.
Mike waits for the pounding to stop, before he yanked the door open and moves so quickly, El only has a split second to hear his friend from the other side, "Dude, what the-" but the voices are lost the moment Mike closes the door behind him.
"El, hey, you okay?" Veda pads over to her quickly, and El can only shudder, "Yeah...yeah, I'm okay".
But, El knows she's not convincing and Veda opens her mouth to speak, when a commotion from the other side of the door, brings their attention to it.
There's some weird jiggling and a quick pound on the door that causes El to jump, when suddenly the door is thrown open, and El can only stand in her spot, frozen, when a curly haired man followed by a disgruntled looking Mike tumble through the door.
Once they recover, the curly haired man smiles widely at her as their eyes meet.
"Dustin, you can't just come barging in here-!" Mike begins to yell, when his friend slaps him on the back laughing.
"I was so right, you are hiding a girl in your apartment!" the curly haired man laughs boldly and Mike can only turn to El and give her an apologetic look, as Mike shuts the door behind him.
El can only remain stagnant in her spot as the man approaches her with his hand outstretched, "Hey, I'm Dustin, one of Mike's friends, and you must be his new girlfriend" his voice is light and teasing.
"Dustin!" Mike growls as the man stops just before her, Mike hot on his heels, pushing the man away from her.
"Dude! What's your problem?" Dustin gives Mike a quick look as Mike comes to stand by El, which she is greatly appreciative for as she slowly sinks into his side.
Mike holds up a hand, "Dustin" he starts slowly, "There's a lot here that you don't understand" Mike gives his friend a tight look.
Dustin guaffs at him, "Mike, you don't have to be so secretive if you have a girlfriend, you know we'd all understand" he quirked an eyebrow up at Mike.
Mike rolls his eyes, "It's more than that Dustin it's...it's-" and he then lets out a long breath. And El can see that he's struggling because, even though she feels a little giddy on the inside that Mike didn't deny that she was his girlfriend, not that they were but something about it made her insides swirl, but he was trying to respect her own boundaries with everything she had told him.
So, El pushes her slight fear aside and places a gentle hand on Mike's arm, he then turns to look at her, and she gives him a knowing smile, and a quick wink.
She turns to Dustin and offers her hand, "I'm El, it's nice to meet you".
And with that Dustin beams as he grabs her hand, shaking it quickly, "El, what a lovely name! Mike, you sure know how to pick them!"
And with one last huff from Mike, El can't help but giggle at his awkwardness as she has just met one of Mike's dearest friends.
Okay, the ending was a little trickier than I thought it would be because I wasn't sure how I wanted that last bit of interaction to go, but I think I know where I want to go from here.
I know it's weird that Mike and El have only known each other for a couple of days and things are already moving along, but there's a reason behind that, so I hope you all don't think it's too fast or anything.
But again, thank you so much for the last chapter's reviews, and I'd really hope to hear what you all think of this one as well!
So, PLEASE REVIEW! I love hearing what you think! :)
