A/N: Thank you all for your feedback. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Remember to leave me a review after reading : )
Stranger Records: Thanks so much. I am doing better. And I'm glad you liked the chapter!
Afanofstrangerthingsandstuff: Thank you! No, not the last chapter. I haven't quite figured out how many chapters this will have. I was originally thinking ten, but now I'm thinking it may last a bit longer. We'll see! But I definitely make it known when the story is over.
JayneFawn: I'm glad you liked it! And I thought I was being subtle with that… haha.
Jean Sumnerland: Aren't they?! Thank you.
Exploding Helmets: Oh my gosh, right? I hate the ads that show up now. But thank you, I'm glad you liked it!
NoDownSide: There is definitely more Mileven to come!
Jbg: Thank you. And yes, I completely agree that a 16-year-old boy in modern times would not want to be viewed as a D&D nerd. So I'm glad you found that realistic! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Grievesforyou: Yeah, that little misunderstanding didn't need to go any further, I agree.
Nighting Ryder: I'm glad you liked it! That's not to say there won't be drama ahead, but I wanted some happiness!
Ejbeckmann: Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed getting their first kiss earlier than expected. And thank you, I am doing better. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Shrike176: I'm glad you viewed it as a pleasant surprise! There is definitely a lot to be explored between Mike and El here. And I'm so glad you like Suzie! The good thing about her barely being in the show at all is that she is almost a blank canvass lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Mikeleven83: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one just as much!
Disneyprincess315: Thank you. I'm so glad you like it, and I feel like them being in tune with each other is just so Mileven. I hope you like this one!
UnoPeso22: There is definitely a lot more to explore with both Mike and El's respective issues. I wanted to get some happy Mileven going, and I agree, I enjoy both awkward Mike and cocky Mike. Maybe he can have some cocky moments against Eric or Jason in the future. Thank you again for the well wishes, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
YoungWerther: He did fight through it! Not to say it will be smooth sailing, but it is off to a good start for them!
Mike and El: Thank you, I'm glad you are liking it so far.
Zebra wuz here: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
GuestofUs: I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this chapter too.
Flintflames: Thank you. I'm glad you find Mike's insecurities realistic. The end of camp will definitely be sad, but that is so far away! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
OdoMango: I am definitely continuing with this one and will see it all the way through! It's some enjoyable Mileven fluff to write while I prepare the TTWAS sequel. I'm glad that you are liking it, and we will definitely be seeing more of Jason and Eric and the others. I hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its original characters.
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"Holy shit, Dustin. She's incredible!" Mike exclaimed as he and Dustin walked through the woods to their cabin.
After his talk with El, Mike felt a newfound relief wash over him, and he felt crazy for ever questioning all the obvious signs that Dustin had pointed out to him.
"I told you she liked you," Dustin gloated. "I didn't think you would be sucking face on day one or anything, but like I told you yesterday, we're gonna have to pry you two off each other when it's time to leave."
"I don't even want to think about when camp is over," Mike said dismissively. "I just want to spend as much time with her as possible, and this 9pm curfew sucks. I'm sixteen; my parents don't even make me come home by nine."
"You're always home by nine. We're all usually in your basement," Dustin pointed out.
"Well, yeah, but not because I have to be. We just happen to hang out at my house. But that's not the point," Mike said quickly. "The point is El is awesome, and I just want to keep getting to know her, everything about her."
"I'm sure the making out has nothing to do with this sudden desire to spend all your time with her?" Dustin smirked.
"Shut up, Dustin," Mike muttered as his cheeks blushed a light pink.
Dustin snickered. After El had hurried out of the cafeteria to chase after Mike that afternoon, Dustin and Suzie had decided to stay and finish their lunch, giving Mike and El time to talk. Dustin and Suzie had figured that once Mike and El talked, they would all four meet back up. When Dustin and Suzie had finished eating and gone outside to see no trace of Mike or El, they decided to take a walk to see if they could find them. They chose to go down the path that led to all the recreational places like the volleyball and basketball courts and the lake. As they came up on the volleyball courts, they found Mike and El joined at the lips, his hands gripping her hips and her hands messed into his hair. Neither Mike nor El noticed their friends approaching until Dustin loudly cleared his throat and Mike and El turned to see Dustin and Suzie standing next to them, both with amused grins on their faces.
After several minutes of teasing from Dustin and Suzie, the four of them decided to play a game of volleyball. Suzie is on her high school's varsity volleyball team back in Utah, which Mike already knew from Dustin's constant bragging about how sexy it is that his girlfriend is smart and athletic and how much he wishes he could go to Utah and see her play wearing those little volleyball shorts. Mike and El had both been a little hesitant because neither of them had ever played volleyball outside of when it was required in gym class, but they gave in and joined their friends on the opposite side of the net. They were glad they did, too, because it turned out that all three of them sucked at volleyball and Suzie was the only one who really knew what she was doing. They all spent an hour sloppily diving after the ball, falling in the sand, and just laughing and becoming more comfortable with one another. By the time the game was over, and Suzie and Dustin won, it was like the four of them were best friends.
After volleyball, they had all gone over to the lake and just hung out near the tide. They all talked for a while, until Dustin found a way for him and Suzie to disappear, and Mike knew they wouldn't be back for a while. He and El had talked for a little bit, but they soon found themselves lost in each other again.
"I'm just teasing you. You know I'm happy for you," Dustin said as they reached their cabin.
They walked into their cabin to find Tom sitting up in his bed, his nose deep in a book. Eric was laying in bed scrolling through Instagram, and Mike noticed his Instagram feed was almost entirely made up of attractive girls. Jason was not in the cabin yet. Mike and Dustin got ready for bed, and as Dustin was climbing up to his top bunk, Jason walked in the door.
Jason immediately started bragging to Eric about the time he spent with Nikki today.
"Dude, I told you I would have her by the end of this week, didn't I?" Jason said with a sly grin.
"Already?" Eric asked, his eyebrows raised in a combination of surprise and respect.
"Not quite. But I would bet on tomorrow. She wants it," Jason said.
Mike rolled his eyes and turned onto his side facing the wall. He was feeling amazing after his day with El, and he was not going to let his disgust for those creeps ruin anything.
Over in the female counselors' cabin, Kayla was already sleeping, while Dani and Nikki were both still getting ready for bed. Suzie and El were sitting side-by-side on El's bottom bunk, and Suzie was giddily listening to El recap how she and Mike finally broke the ice and told each other the truth.
"I don't know, and then the mood just, like, changed from serious to flirty," El was saying. "He told me I was pretty, and I told him he was cute, and then… we were kissing."
"Ooh that's so cute!" Suzie squealed. "I knew you were both into each other. Neither of you are very subtle."
El laughed and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't really argue with that.
"I just wish he wasn't so self-conscious, you know?" El said. "He's so sweet and smart, and I mean, I could just stare at him forever. Who cares that he's not built super muscular or that he's a bit of a nerd?"
Suzie shrugged her shoulders but said nothing in return.
"Wait, do you think some other girl did that to him? Like, he liked a girl and she rejected him or something?" El asked.
"That's not exactly what happened," Suzie replied slowly.
"W-what happened?" El asked, and Suzie could see how concerned El was.
"I don't know the whole story. But when Dustin and I started dating and Dustin told me about his friends, he told me Mike was dating a girl named Stephanie," Suzie explained. "I know she broke up with him, and Dustin told me it was bad, but I don't really know what happened… But Mike did tell me he has some insecurities, and if that is what he told you he was insecure about… I guess it would make sense that this Stephanie had something to do with it."
"Hmm," El hummed thoughtfully. "Well, if she did, she's an idiot, because he's amazing."
As El said that, Dani and Nikki both walked out of the large bathroom and were passing El and Suzie.
"Who's amazing?" Dani asked interestedly.
"She's probably talking about that tall kid she hung out with all day. You've seen them sitting together in the cafeteria with her and her boyfriend, right?" Nikki asked, gesturing toward Suzie.
"Oh, yeah! I think I remember his name is Mike," Dani said and turned back to El. "He sat behind me in the classroom today. He is kinda cute, isn't he?"
El was taken aback but opened her mouth to respond. Before she could say anything, Nikki scoffed loudly, and El turned her attention toward her.
"Seriously, Dani?" Nikki asked with an amused look on her face.
"What?! He is," Dani defended herself. "He's cute in like a cute way. I didn't say he was hot or anything."
Nikki rolled her eyes, and El felt her cheeks heating up.
"But anyway, he seems like a nice guy. Are you seeing him or something?" Dani asked, turning back to El.
"U-um… I-I," El stuttered. She was not sure how to answer that. She and Mike had just met, and while today was amazing, she didn't know what to call it. They were just starting to get to know each other, so no they weren't dating. But she didn't want Dani thinking he was available either.
"What do you think?" Suzie jumped in. "You said yourself that you've seen them together with me and my boyfriend. They spent the whole bonfire together and all afternoon today. It isn't rocket science."
"Okay, okay, it was just a question. Jeez," Dani raised her hands in mock surrender.
Dani and Nikki walked to the other side of the cabin where their bunkbeds were, and Suzie watched them with narrow eyes.
"I don't trust her," Suzie said quietly.
"She's been spending a lot of time with Eric," El said.
"Yeah, but… I don't see that lasting," Suzie admitted. "I don't trust him either."
El was silent. Was Dani actually interested in Mike, or was she just curious about whether El and him were dating? Would Dani go after him? El just finally got Mike to open up to her. Was she going to have to fight to keep his attention?
"You don't have anything to worry about with Mike," Suzie reassured her as if she could tell what El was thinking. "From talking to him and even just from seeing you two together, I really do not believe he's going to be interested in any other girls. I think he really, really likes you."
El couldn't help but smile and blush, feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush. She pushed Dani's remarks out of her mind. Of course there was nothing to worry about. Mike seemed like he would be genuine, and El was excited to let things between them progress. Suzie climbed up to her top bunk, and soon El was falling asleep with a smile on her face as she replayed her talk with Mike on the picnic table in her mind.
The next morning, Suzie told El that she had gotten a text from Dustin saying that he and Mike would meet them at the female counselors' cabin and walk together for their training class.
"You have service here?" El asked, pulling out her own phone and seeing that she had only one bar.
"It comes and goes," Suzie shrugged.
A few minutes later, the girls were waiting outside the cabin. They watched as Kayla skipped down the steps from the cabin and nodded politely before heading up the path. Soon, Suzie and El saw Jason approaching, and they assumed he was meeting up with Nikki to head to their own training together. Sure enough, Nikki appeared behind them in short cloth shorts and a loose t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, showing the sides of her tight black sports bra. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her black Nikes looked too clean to be trekking through the woods.
"Hey! You ready for today?" Jason greeted Nikki as she reached him. He phrased it about their next day of training, but El couldn't help but sense that he had more in mind.
After Nikki and Jason left, Dustin and Mike appeared moments later. El's face immediately brightened when she saw Mike, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw him do the same.
"Hey," El beamed up at him when he was finally in front of her.
"Hey," Mike replied, unable to contain the smile on his face. "You look nice today."
"Thank you," El blushed, looking down at her denim shorts and flowy orange tank top.
"You two lovebirds ready to go?" Dustin asked after pulling back from his kiss with Suzie.
Mike and El both blushed bright red, and Dustin laughed as Mike chuckled nervously and looked down at the ground.
"Leave them alone," Suzie playfully swatted Dustin. "They're adorable."
"Yes, we're ready to go," El finally said, still blushing.
Just then, the cabin door was pushed open again and Dani bounded down the stairs wearing short high-waisted shorts that accentuated her curves. Her blonde hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and she was wearing mascara that made her eyelashes look twice as long as they did yesterday and a subtle, summery pink shade on her plump lips.
"Hey guys," she greeted in a friendly, peppy tone and waved at the four of them. "Hi Mike."
"Uh, hey, Dani," Mike answered, sounding unsure.
"I'll see you guys in class," Dani smiled as she walked past them.
El glared after Dani, feeling a sense of jealousy building. She wasn't stupid. El looked over at Mike who seemed slightly confused about Dani singling him out, but once he met El's eyes, his face softened and he smiled warmly at her.
Dustin again announced that they should be on their way, and then the four of them headed away from the girls' cabin. Dustin and Suzie were leading the way, hand-in-hand, while Mike and El followed.
El suddenly felt the backs of Mike's fingers brush lightly against hers and then disappear. Chills coursed through her body at his touch, and then again when it happened a second time a moment later. El felt her lips curl into a dopey grin, and she had to stifle a giggle at how shy and cute he was being. After full-on making out with her yesterday, he was acting nervous to hold her hand? El inched her fingers closer to Mike's and laced them in between his, giving his hand a squeeze. She saw Mike raise his eyebrows in surprise, and he squeezed her hand in return.
They reached the classroom, and their second day of training was soon underway. El and Mike kept sneaking glances at each other across the classroom, which did not go unnoticed by Dustin and Suzie. Mike was frequently met with smirks from Suzie when he would turn to look at her next to him.
When it was time for the starfish dissection, Dani was more annoying than she had been the day before, actually squealing when Tom made his first incision. El rolled her eyes when Dani squealed and looked behind her at Mike, but El then smirked in satisfaction when Mike didn't even look up to notice Dani at all.
After lesson two, Mike was washing his hands when El walked up next to him and leaned against the counter, her arm brushing against his.
"Hey, so I was thinking," El started. "I know reception is not very reliable here, but I was hoping that maybe I could… get your number? Or give you mine? You know… in case you want to meet up or something like this morning. Like, what if Dustin and Suzie's texts don't go through or-"
Mike quickly interrupted her nervous rambling.
"Oh, yeah! Yeah, yeah, definitely," he said.
El smiled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. It had been in the back of her mind since Suzie had mentioned Dustin texting her that morning.
"Sorry, I can't believe I didn't think of that," Mike blushed, kicking himself internally. The guy is supposed to ask for the girl's number, you moron.
El rattled off her phone number, and Mike sent her a quick text message so she could save his number as well. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out to see a short text from a new number which simply read 'Hey, it's Mike' and a smiley emoji. El quickly saved his number in her contacts and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
The remaining two lessons passed relatively quickly, and when Mindy dismissed them, Mike and Suzie joined Dustin and El at their table up front. El snuck a glance toward Dani out of the corner of her eye, satisfied that Mike had not acknowledged her today. Eric was walking up to Dani in that moment, and El rolled her eyes when Eric placed his hand on the small of Dani's back, right on the waistband of her high-waisted shorts.
Mike, El, Dustin, and Suzie all made their way to the cafeteria and had lunch together, but then they parted ways for the afternoon. Dustin and Suzie wanted some time alone, and Mike and El were not going to object to the opportunity to get to know each other better.
"What do you want to do?" Mike asked when it was just the two of them.
"We could walk down by the lake," El suggested, remembering that the proposition from Eric the previous day actually had sounded like a nice idea. "There is a path all around it."
"Sure, that sounds cool," Mike agreed.
They walked hand-in-hand from the cafeteria toward the lake, passing the volleyball court and picnic tables where everything had started just twenty-four hours ago. Mike couldn't believe how well things were going so quickly. Even when he had started seeing Stephanie, things had taken time to progress. But with El… it was so different. It was like once he let himself open up to her, she just got him. He wanted nothing more than to be around her and learn everything there was to learn. Somewhere in his mind was the nagging feeling that things are never this simple, and that things moving this quickly and smoothly were bound to blow up in his face, but Mike did his best to tune that negativity out.
"So how do you like living in Chicago?" Mike asked as they wandered down the path around the lake.
"It's fine," El shrugged. "It's all I've ever known. I do my best to avoid the touristy spots, especially during summer and holiday weekends. But I do love the planetarium… and nothing beats the city when it's all decorated and lit up for Christmas."
"I've never been there over Christmastime," Mike said.
"You totally should. We could go see A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre, and then we could take a walk downtown and see all the Christmas lights," El gushed.
Mike smiled at her excitement, but he couldn't hide the look of surprise on his face by her choice of words.
"We?" he asked.
El's face immediately turned beet red when she realized what she had said.
"Sorry, I mean – that's the advice I give everyone during Christmas," she explained hurriedly.
"El," Mike chuckled. "It's okay. It sounds like a nice time."
El smiled sweetly up at him and felt her embarrassment fade away. She wasn't stupid. She knew it wasn't normal for things to be moving this quickly so easily. The last thing El wanted to do was scare Mike away by coming on too strong, but at the same time, it felt like she had known him for a lifetime, not just two days.
"So, what do you like to do for fun? Since you know I'm a D&D nerd and all, it's only fair that I know what a normal teenager does for fun," Mike laughed.
"Oh stop it, you're normal too," El laughed and playfully bumped into him as they walked.
"Oh yeah? Just wait til you hear about the bookshelf in my room filled with Star Wars memorabilia and science fair trophies," Mike retorted.
"I can't relate to the science fair trophies, but I love Star Wars," El replied.
Mike's eyes doubled in size.
"Don't play with me, El, that's not cool," he warned teasingly.
"I'm not playing!" El insisted. "Star Wars is one of the first movies I remember from my childhood. I've seen all of them."
"Wow, there's no way I'm not dreaming now," Mike said. "A pretty girl who is interested in me and likes Star Wars?"
The smile fell from El's face, and she came to a stop. Mike turned to face her, confused by her sudden change.
"I really wish you would stop being so hard on yourself," El said gently. "I do like you, Mike. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"
"I don't know, El," Mike sighed. He looked down into her big hazel eyes and felt guilty. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just… I don't know. I guess it's just that I know how things usually work out for me, and I'm… scared… that this will end up being the same."
"The same as what?" El asked.
Stephanie. Heartbreak. Mike couldn't tell her that. Not yet anyway. Equating them to his relationship of two years would definitely scare her away.
"Mike, don't you remember what I said to you yesterday?" El asked when Mike remained silent.
Mike nodded. He remembered everything from that conversation. He still couldn't fully believe that it happened.
"I told you that you don't have anything to be insecure about," El reminded him. "And I also told you that friends don't lie to each other. So, if I tell you I like you, that means I like you. And I like you, okay?"
Mike chuckled, and a smile broke across El's face.
"I can't argue with that logic," Mike said. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so hard on myself, but when you've been burned badly in the past, it's just hard to believe when something good starts happening… even when all the signs are right there in front of you."
El squeezed his hand and they continued walking along the lake. She led him over to a large rock where they sat next to each other and watched over the lake silently for a few minutes while the water rippled below.
"So you've been burned, huh?" El finally asked gently.
She looked over at Mike while his eyes dropped down to the lake.
"Yeah," he nodded. "It was rough."
"How long were you together?" El asked.
"Two years," Mike replied.
"I'm sorry," El said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Shit happens," Mike shrugged. "But she said some things when she ended it, and… I found out a lot that I never would've expected from her… I guess I didn't realize how much the things she said and did would affect me."
"I understand," El said sympathetically. "I've been there, too. My last breakup was bad."
Mike looked over at her to see that El was gazing out over the lake, a pensive look on her face.
He started to ask what happened, but he swallowed the words back down. Mike knew he wasn't ready to tell El all the details about Stephanie, and he wouldn't expect her to tell him all the details of her last breakup. Not yet. So, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead. El rested her head on his shoulder, and they sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the feel of the breeze and the sound of the water rippling.
"I didn't mean to turn the mood so depressing," Mike chuckled after a while.
El laughed and picked her head up from his shoulder. He kept his arm around her shoulders, so when she turned her head to face him, they were already just inches from one another.
"You didn't," El said. "I'm glad that we can talk about things like that."
"I feel like I could tell you anything," Mike admitted.
And he would. Someday, he would tell her the whole story of what happened with Stephanie. But not just yet.
"I feel like I could tell you anything, too," El agreed.
Her mind filled with her own secrets and insecurities. She knew she would one day confide these things in Mike. She knew she could trust him. But it just wasn't time.
El's eyes flicked down to Mike's lips and back up to his dark eyes while she bit her bottom lip. Mike moved his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head and guided her lips to his own. His hands made their way down to rest on her waist, and El clasped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening their kiss.
Neither of them knew how long they remained like that, exploring how each other tasted while becoming lost in the feeling of just being together. They were so close that they were breathing in the same air when their lips would briefly break apart to gasp in a breath. They were so close that they could feel one another's racing heartbeat as their bodies pressed together.
Neither of them noticed that they were no longer alone until they both heard the obnoxious, high-pitched sound of someone teasingly whistling from the distance.
Mike and El broke apart and both looked in the direction where the whistle came from. They both started to blush when they saw Dustin waving at them with a shit-eating grin on his face and Suzie standing next to him.
"I really do hate him sometimes," Mike sighed, and El laughed.
They stood from the rock and walked back down the path along the lake until they reached Dustin and Suzie.
"Sorry to interrupt," Dustin grinned. "But we thought you guys might be up for some more volleyball."
Mike glanced at El, and El shrugged and nodded.
"Why not," Mike said.
The four of them headed over to the volleyball court, and Suzie grabbed a volleyball from the equipment shed nearby. Dustin and Suzie took their positions on one side of the net, while Mike and El stood on the other side.
"You're going down," Dustin called.
"So would you if Suzie wasn't on your team," Mike quipped back, and Dustin flipped him off.
Suzie served, and Mike watched as the volleyball soared over his head and El dove to her side in an attempt to bounce it back over the net. Despite her efforts, she face-planted in the sand, the ball bouncing two feet away from her.
After making sure she was okay, Mike pulled El to her feet with a chuckle, and El picked up the ball and prepared to serve it herself. When El's attempted serve ran straight into the net, Suzie agreed to let her try again until she could put the ball in play. After three do-overs, the ball finally soared over the net. Dustin jumped up to hit it and ended up sending it backwards further toward Suzie who jumped up and spiked it over the net, slamming the ball into the sand between Mike and El.
For more than an hour, they continued passing the volleyball back and forth, laughing when one of them would fall while diving for the ball, and jumping in shock and joy when someone other than Suzie actually did something good. Mike was never the athletic type, but he had to admit that messing around on the volleyball court was a lot more fun than he ever thought it would be.
"Oh sweet! We call winner," Eric's voice rang through the volleyball court.
Mike sighed and turned to see Eric and Dani sitting down on a picnic table nearby. He looked back at El who was panting and out of breath from playing for the past hour.
"We lost. It's all yours!" El called back.
El grabbed Mike's hand and led him from the volleyball court over to the picnic tables where Eric and Dani were vacating to head to the side of the net where Mike and El had just been. Mike looked over his shoulder to see Dustin flipping him off again, and Mike just shook his head and turned his attention back to El.
"We suck at volleyball," El laughed when they sat down.
"Oh, so badly," Mike agreed. "But it was fun."
"It was a lot of fun," El smiled, lacing her fingers with Mike's again.
As Mike was about to get lost in El's hazel eyes, they both heard the steps of more people approaching, and soon Jason and Nikki appeared as well. El immediately noticed the two dark marks, she assumed they were hickeys, that were forming along the neckline of Nikki's cutoff t-shirt.
"Do you guys want in? We're done for the day," Dustin called, the first time he had been thankful to see Jason since meeting the guy.
"Hell yeah," Jason replied, and he and Nikki hurried over to accept the volleyball from Suzie.
Dustin and Suzie rejoined Mike and El, and the four of them left their fellow counselors with the court. They walked around a bit, Dustin pointing out how one could probably cross from path to path by simply walking a straight line through the woods, if one were to want to avoid being seen. Mike rolled his eyes, knowing that his friend was just trying to figure out a way to sneak out and meet up with Suzie after curfew without being caught by an advisor.
After dinner, they parted ways again. Mike and El decided to sneak a few yards into the woods, off of the designated path. El soon found herself pressed against a tree, her arms wrapped around Mike's neck, and her lips attacking his. She felt his hands rubbing up and down her sides, always resting on her waist.
She could have stayed like that forever, wrapped up in Mike's arms and kissing like there was no tomorrow. In fact, they did stay that way for over two hours. Kissing, pulling back and exchanging sweet words, and kissing some more. In El's mind, she acknowledged once again that things were moving so quickly and easily, like she and Mike were drawn to each other like some sort of magnets, but she couldn't help it. Ever since that first kiss, this was all she wanted to do. Learn everything about him, and then kiss him and never stop.
Sadly, they did stop as the sun began to set. Mike looked at his watch and revealed that it was 8:45pm.
"I hate this stupid curfew," he groaned, repeating his earlier sentiments.
"Right? We're old enough. Nine o'clock is ridiculous," El agreed, linking their hands together and walking through the woods and back to the path.
As they made the trip to the female counselors' cabin, El thought through Dustin's previous theory about how one could move from path to path by managing to walk straight through the woods.
"You know, maybe Dustin was on to something earlier," she said as they reached her cabin.
"What do you mean?" Mike asked.
"We should probably explore it when it's daylight out, but I bet he was right about being able to sneak through the woods," El explained, linking her arms around Mike's waist and looking up at him.
"And why would you want to explore this theory, exactly?" he asked lowly.
"Well, you said yourself that this curfew is stupid…" El trailed off and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Are you suggesting that we break curfew and risk getting lost in the woods together?" Mike smirked.
"Would that be so wrong of me to suggest?" El smirked right back.
"I think that's something we could look into. But when it's light out," Mike clarified.
"Of course," El smiled.
Mike leaned in to peck her on the lips, and El squeezed him tightly.
"Good night. Text me when you make it back to your cabin… Hopefully it'll come through," El added the last part with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, I will," Mike said and kissed her forehead. "Good night."
And then Mike left to make the walk to his cabin on the other side of the camp. El watched after him until he disappeared into the trees, feeling like she was floating.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Starting with the next chapter, time will move along a bit quicker and it won't necessarily be day-by-day anymore. I just wanted to explore the day immediately after. Please remember to leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll talk to you all next time!