A/N: Thank you all for your feedback on the last chapter. It's great to see I didn't lose many readers in my month off (but I'll still try not to let it happen again). This chapter is a bit longer and has a little more to it, so I really hope you all like it! Please remember to leave me a review.
LovelyinLavender: Thank you! I try to make it as descriptive as possible so you guys can picture it just how I do. I hope you like this one!
Katy: Thank you!
Ejbeckmann: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far.
Shrike176: Thanks. I know it's been a wild year for everyone, so hopefully things can get better for everyone. I'm glad you like the Mileven content. Hopefully you will enjoy some camp content interspersed, since we are coming up on the arrival of the campers soon! But I do hope you like this chapter before that happens.
NoDownSide: Thank you. I'm glad you like the pacing of it. That is something I always have on my mind.
Jbg: Yes, they are definitely becoming closer, but they have not touched on the major issues in their personal lives. Of course, that is to come at some point. I really hope you continue enjoying the journey though!
Stranger Records: Thank you. Glad you enjoy the calm moments, but there will be action to come!
Exploding Helmets: Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you like this one as well.
Grievesforyou: Of course. I'm glad you liked it.
UnoPeso22: If you're interested in Mileven's time together and sneaking out, I think you'll enjoy this chapter.
Afanofstrangerthingsandstuff: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
Disneyprincess315: Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying seeing both their characters develop and get to know each other. I hope you like this chapter too.
Mikeleven83: Thank you. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this one.
Girls in Cars: Thank you so much! I appreciate that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.
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The last couple days of the week seemed to fly by. Friday had actually been an enjoyable day of training sessions, as the counselors got to see the end results of the projects in each of their lessons. Mindy had suggested that all eight of them hold on to their balloon-powered cars, terrariums, and crystals so they could use them as examples when leading their students.
Friday's only hiccup was during the biology lesson when the fetal pigs were unveiled. Mike had to admit, he was not overly excited about this dissection. Sure, he liked science, but dissecting a pig? Luckily for him, Suzie was not too grossed out by it, and she did assist. Mike and Suzie, and Dustin and El, were the two pairs who actually worked well together during that, the most difficult of the dissections. Dani audibly gasped when Tom uncovered their fetal pig, and she immediately refused to touch it, even shuddering each time she looked at it.
"How are you possibly going to help me with the campers on Fridays if you can't participate while we're practicing?" Tom had asked what Mike thought was a valid question.
Dani didn't answer, but glared and scoffed at her partner before moving her paper and pencil to the end of the table, as far away as possible from the dissection, to take the notes.
Meanwhile at Eric and Kayla's table, Kayla had actually done more of the work than Eric who was busy feeding in to Dani's squeals and protests. Kayla rolled her eyes and redirected Eric several times to help her.
When Saturday morning rolled around, all the counselors were ready for a day of free time. Mike woke up as Jason was walking out of the bathroom in just his boxer briefs, his shoulder still damp from the shower. Jason walked over to wear Eric was standing near their set of bunkbeds and pulled out a pair of shorts and a cutoff.
"You about to go for some breakfast?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, I'm meeting Dani there," Eric replied.
"She give it up yet?" Jason asked, and Mike rolled his eyes from his bottom bunk and pulled out his phone to attempt to ignore them.
"No, not yet. But I'm spending all of today and most of tomorrow with her," Eric said.
"Good luck. I've been making good use of that equipment shed with Nikki, if you need somewhere to go," Jason offered, and Mike mentally thanked the universe that he and El never actually checked out the shed after finding their spot in the woods.
"Do you guys have to talk about the girls like that? They're not objects or conquests for you to brag about," said a voice that shocked Jason, Eric, and Mike.
Mike looked over the top of his phone to see Tom standing behind Jason and Eric. He had just come out of the shower and heard the end of their conversation.
"Wow. The nerd does speak," Jason scoffed, and Tom rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I'm a nerd, so funny. You're at science camp, so I don't know what you were expecting," Tom said. He then muttered, "They should just do away with that stupid phys ed portion."
"The nerd seems feisty," Eric chuckled.
"Listen, we're talking about shit your virgin ears shouldn't be hearing. So go on back to your comic books or whatever you do," Jason said before turning back to Eric. "I'll walk with you to breakfast."
Jason and Eric left the cabin without another word. After the door closed, Mike laid his phone back down and walked over toward Tom.
"I thought it was pretty cool of you to stand up for the girls like that," Mike said.
"Thanks," Tom sighed. "I just hate that there's always at least one jock here. The phys ed positions, plus parents viewing this as perfect for a resume, guarantees one or two per year."
"Yeah, they're pretty shitty," Mike nodded.
"That Jason guy is," Tom agreed. "Eric didn't used to be. He was in my camper group one year back when we were twelve, before he was in to sports like he is now."
"So you know each other?" Mike asked.
"I wouldn't say so. I thought he looked familiar, and then when we did introductions, I recognized his name, and a day or two later I remembered why. I don't think he remembers me at all though. We were in the same group for one week four years ago," Tom shrugged. "But he was a lot nicer back then. He definitely knows how to be a good guy. This whole asshole jock personality he has now is way different."
Just then, Dustin stepped out of the bathroom having showered and gotten ready for the day.
"Mike, you're not ready to go? We're supposed to meet the girls for breakfast," he said, raising his arms in exasperation.
"Calm down, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes," Mike replied and then turned back to Tom. "Do you want to go to breakfast with us?"
"Nah, thanks though. I'm probably going to grab some breakfast to go and then come back here and do my laundry," Tom said.
They said goodbye, and then Tom left, leaving just Dustin and Mike in the cabin. Mike recounted for Dustin how Tom had stood up to Jason and Eric and that Tom knew Eric when they were younger.
"Crazy how people can change from joining a damn sports team," Dustin said, shaking his head.
Mike nodded his head. He, of course, already knew how quickly someone could change from newfound athleticism or popularity.
Fifteen minutes later, Mike had showered and dressed for the day, and he and Dustin were on their way to meet El and Suzie for breakfast.
"So, how are things going with El?" Dustin asked as they made their way up the path from their cabin.
"Things are going great," Mike smiled. "Like, way better than they probably should be, knowing my luck. Things are just so easy, and she actually wants to hear about my friends and my interests, and I could listen to her talk about hers for hours. It's like I never want it to end when we're together."
"That's how things are supposed to feel," Dustin laughed.
"It didn't feel this way with Stephanie," Mike said.
"Okay, correction. That's how things are supposed to feel when you're with someone who is not a batshit crazy, superficial bitch," Dustin said.
Ordinarily, Mike would not like Dustin referring to a girl as a bitch, but he had gotten used to all his friends referring to Stephanie as such after what she did. Plus, they had a point.
"I guess you're right," Mike said. "But Steph's all I knew for two years, and she's all I've known about dating in general."
"Well, El is a completely different person, and now you're getting to know something totally different from everything in your past," Dustin said. "So embrace it."
"I have been," Mike said. "I just… I really keep waiting for something to go wrong and for this to completely blow up in my face. She's gorgeous, she's smart, she likes Star Wars. She really seems to care about me, and somehow I get to spend hours talking to this perfect person? And I get to make out with her?"
"That's literally what a relationship is, you dumbass," Dustin laughed. "Get out of your head. Stop looking for what could go wrong, and enjoy everything that's going right. You only have five weeks left of seeing her every day."
"Yeah, I know," Mike's face fell. That's something he had been trying to avoid thinking about. "We've been spending a lot of time in that clearing you told us about."
"Nice," Dustin smirked.
"We actually plan on breaking curfew tonight and meeting up out there for a few hours," Mike admitted.
"What?! Breaking curfew and sneaking out to meet a girl in the woods. I'm impressed," Dustin approved.
"Haven't you and Suzie ever?" Mike asked.
"Suzie is a good girl at heart, and sneaking out is something I've never been able to convince her to do," Dustin replied sadly. "So, we've had to do all our sneaking around in the day time. Luckily, after spending the last six years of my life at this place, I know a few more places than the ones I told you."
Mike laughed at the proud smile Dustin had on his face.
"Well, you can keep those to yourself. El and I really like the clearing. It's so peaceful," Mike said.
"It is," Dustin agreed. "So what time are you executing this great escape?"
"Probably around 1am," Mike replied.
"Just be careful. It is still a dark woods, after all," Dustin said.
"Of course," Mike agreed.
They reached the cafeteria and found El and Suzie waiting outside for them. Dustin greeted Suzie with a kiss on the lips, while Mike and El shared a warm smile. The four of them went inside to get their food. A few minutes later, they were seated at a table with heaping plates of biscuits and gravy.
"So, what do you guys want to do today?" Dustin asked through bites of biscuit.
"I should do a load of laundry at some point," Mike said.
"Living the high life," Dustin remarked sarcastically.
"I know, so exciting. But if you want me to keep wearing pants, I'll need to wash some clothes," Mike retorted.
"By all means," Dustin chuckled.
"I need to call home today. I told my parents I would call every Saturday," Suzie chimed in.
"I have some laundry I should do, too," El said.
"Jeez, you guys are just the most exciting people I know," Dustin teased.
"How about after breakfast we part ways for a couple hours to do what we need to do, and then we can do something fun in the afternoon," Suzie suggested. "We could hike one of those old trails near the lake."
"That would be fun," Dustin agreed. "What do you two think?"
Mike and El agreed to the plan. After breakfast, Dustin left to walk with Suzie to the administration hall so she could call her parents, and Mike and El agreed to each go grab their laundry and meet in the laundry room.
When Mike and El arrived at the laundry room, they walked into a cold room with cinderblock walls lined with eight washers and eight dryers. Tom was seated at a table along one wall and Kayla was seated at a table along the opposite wall. Three of the washers were in use. Mike and El loaded their clothes into the washers, each utilizing two machines, and then claimed a table for themselves.
"I didn't know there were hiking trails here," El said.
"Well, she did say it's an old hiking trail, so I wonder if they aren't in use anymore," Mike said.
"Hmm. Then we probably aren't supposed to be there… We're turning in to such rulebreakers," El laughed, and Mike couldn't help but smile at the sound of her laughter.
"Speaking of that, you still want to meet up tonight after everyone goes to sleep, right?" he asked.
"Of course. Don't you?" El asked.
"Yeah! Definitely. I was just making sure," Mike said.
El nodded and then gazed around the room. Her eyes fell on a small bookshelf with a collection of board games and card games to help pass the time.
"Do you like Yahtzee?" she asked suddenly.
"I love Yahtzee," Mike replied.
"Wait right here," El said.
She hopped up, and Mike watched as she crossed the room to the bookshelf and started walking back toward him with the game of Yahtzee in her hands.
"I'll have you know, I'm undefeated at this game," Mike warned her with a smile as she pulled the dice and scorecards out.
"Until today," El teased.
They spent the next hour and a half playing Yahtzee, stopping only to switch their clothes from the washers to the dryers. In the end, Mike remained victorious, having beat El twice at the game.
"You have to actually roll for chance. Don't just use a bunch of rejects to fill it, or you'll end up with a low number," Mike was saying as they exited the laundry room. "And you should always have at least three of a kind in your ones and twos, otherwise those low numbers will hurt you and you probably won't get the bonus."
"You actually have tricks to a game that is supposed to be completely based on the luck of the roll," El said.
"I don't remain undefeated by accident," Mike quipped.
"Fair enough," El laughed.
They parted ways to take their laundry back to their respective cabins, and Mike said he would come back and meet El at hers. When he arrived at the female counselors' cabin, El was sitting on the steps outside. She jumped up when Mike reached her.
"Suzie texted me," she said. "She and Dustin are down by the lake, and she said for us to meet them there whenever we're finished with laundry."
As Mike and El walked the path to the lake, Mike casually reached out to link his fingers with El's. El smiled at how much easier it was becoming for him to initiate little acts of affection like that. They soon reached the lake and found Dustin and Suzie sitting on a large rock.
"We found the entrance to one of the old hiking trails. It's a few feet behind all those bushes and weeds," Suzie pointed off to the left.
"I wonder why they closed the hiking trails," El thought out loud.
"Probably a liability or something," Dustin shrugged. "Kids could fall and get hurt or something."
"Wouldn't the lake be a liability too, then? Or all the paths we have to go down to get anywhere in this camp?" El wondered.
"I don't know. I don't make the rules," Dustin shrugged again. "But are you still in?"
"Of course," El replied.
"Good. Because while you two were off doing laundry," Dustin said with a sly grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Well, we were actually doing laundry, but continue," Mike said dryly.
"I'm sure that's all you were doing, Michael," Dustin retorted.
"You're right. I left on thing out, we were also playing Yahtzee," Mike added.
"Oh good God," Dustin muttered.
"Not my choice! Totally her choice!" Mike exclaimed and pointed at El.
"Did he tell you he is undefeated?" Dustin asked El, and El nodded. "Did he tell you he is undefeated because we've all only play together, like, four times?"
"Doesn't matter, still counts," Mike insisted.
"Anyway," Suzie interjected.
"Sorry," Mike and Dustin both muttered.
"Back to what you were saying, Dusty-bun," Suzie redirected.
"Right. While you two were doing laundry, Suzie and I got prepared for our little afternoon stroll through the unknown," Dustin said, lifting his backpack and unzipping it. "I have water, bug spray, sunscreen, a pocketknife, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and most importantly, snacks."
"Hopefully we won't need about half of that stuff," Mike said. "But good thinking."
"All right, if you guys are all ready, off we go!" Dustin said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
The four of them made their way through the weeds blocking off the entrance to the hiking trail, and they stared up the path into the woods. Dustin was leading the way, followed by Suzie, then El, and Mike was in the back. They hiked over the uneven terrain, up and down hills, squeezing through narrow spots between trees.
As Mike walked behind El, he couldn't help but notice her tan shoulders start to glisten with sweat. His eyes naturally traveled down her body that her yellow tank top clung to, landing on her smooth tan legs. He watched her calf muscles as she secured her footing, and his eyes traveled higher to her toned thighs.
He scolded himself for staring at her like she was some piece of meat. He knew this made him no better than Jason and Eric this morning. But he couldn't help that she was wearing those short shorts and hiking right in front of him.
"Let's stop for some water," Dustin suggested from up ahead.
Mike shook the thoughts out of his head and stopped walking next to El. Dustin pulled two water bottles out of his backpack and handed one to El, keeping the other for himself and Suzie.
"Figured you guys wouldn't mind sharing," Dustin explained.
El took a long drink of the cold water before handing it over to Mike.
"What do you guys think so far?" Suzie asked after taking a drink herself.
"Definitely getting a workout. But it's a lot of fun," El replied, and Mike nodded in agreement as he closed the water bottle.
"It feels, like, twenty degrees cooler in here, being surrounded by the trees without the sun beating down," Dustin observed. "Guess we didn't really need that sunscreen."
They continued on their way, and Mike did his best to behave and not eye El the whole time. Ahead of him, El was looking around and appreciating the nature they were walking through. Living in Chicago, she was used to concrete and noise constantly. She had to go out of her way for any peace. Passing through the trees with just a small group of friends was something completely new to her, and she wanted to soak in every moment.
The next time they stopped, it was because they encountered a small stream. There was a path going overtop the stream and further into the woods, but there was also a small cliff off to the left that overlooked the stream. Dustin wiped his brow, unzipped his backpack, and handed out the water again.
"What do you guys want to do? Keep going across the stream? Head back?" he asked.
"Can we climb up there?" El asked, pointing toward the cliff.
"I don't exactly have rock climbing gear with me," Dustin said.
"It looks only ten-to-twelve feet tall, Dusty-bun. And I think there's an easier path toward the back of it," Suzie pointed. "I think it would be fun to check it out, too."
"Anything for you, Suzie-poo," Dustin sighed.
They put the water away and walked over to the base of the small cliff. As Suzie had suspected, around the back of it, there was an easier, albeit still somewhat demanding, path to climb to the top. Carefully, they made their way to the top, step by step. It took several minutes, as they had to steady themselves against the rocks and dirt on the way up, but eventually, they all four made it safely to the top.
El stood near the middle of the cliff and looked around, taking in the view and the smell of the trees around her, the sound of the stream below, and the feel of the beam of sun shining its way through the leaves. She walked closer to the side to look at the drop below, and she smiled when she felt Mike join her by her side. El took another step closer to the edge.
"Be careful," Mike warned gently.
"It's so pretty up here," El marveled.
"Yeah, it is," Mike agreed.
The four of them took several minutes to enjoy the view and catch their breath and give their bodies a break before they knew they would have to make the trek back.
"Should we head back down?" Dustin asked after a bit of silent time had passed.
El wasn't ready to leave just yet, and she certainly didn't want to forget this place. She wasn't sure that they would make the hike again, so she pulled her phone out.
"Let's take a picture," she suggested. "The view is perfect for it."
"Yeah!" Suzie exclaimed, while Dustin groaned. Suzie grabbed her boyfriend's hand and dragged him over to where Mike and El were standing near the edge. "Come on, Dusty, for me."
They huddled together, and El extended her arm to snap the photo of the four of them with as much of the trees in the background that she could capture.
"Could you take one of just me and Dustin?" Suzie asked, handing El her own phone.
"Of course," El smiled.
El took a few steps back with Suzie's phone, and Suzie and Dustin stood near the edge. Dustin placed his arm around Suzie's waist, and the two of them smiled for the picture.
"Thank you!" Suzie beamed after El had taken the photo. Then Suzie reached for El's phone. "Now I'll get one of you and Mike."
El saw that Mike was a bit taken aback by the offer, and when he looked up to meet El's eyes, she sent him a silent look asking if he wanted to.
"Uh, yeah. Sure," Mike agreed.
Mike and El stepped to the spot where Dustin and Suzie had had their photo taken. El placed her hand on Mike's back, and she felt him wrap his arm around her waist. They smiled as Suzie took the picture, and when El looked at it afterward, she thought it was perfect. The trees made the perfect background, and the small stream could even be seen flowing behind them.
"Are you going to put those on Instagram?" Suzie asked. "Because I just put the one of me and Dustin up. I have three bars of service up here right now."
"Really?" El asked and looked at the top right corner of her phone. "Oh, wow. I have three bars right now too."
"So that's why they keep this place from us. They don't want us to find the secret cell service," Dustin said.
"Yeah, that's why. It has nothing to do with the rocks or the stream or the cliff," Mike deadpanned.
"Yeah, if you don't mind waiting a couple minutes, let me post these real quick," El answered Suzie, ignoring the boys.
"Here, I'll follow you real quick. Follow me back and tag me!" Suzie said.
Suzie opened Instagram again and went to the option to search for people to follow. She scrolled through her contacts until finding El and clicked the follow button. El immediately received the notification and clicked to follow her back.
"Dustin, why don't you follow El too," Suzie suggested. "You too, Mike."
Dustin pulled out his phone to do what Suzie had said, but Mike was more hesitant. He would have no problem with El knowing he had Instagram, or even with them following each other. But he knew that he hadn't cleansed his Instagram of all the pictures of his and Stephanie's relationship, and he was worried that El might get upset if she saw them.
"Mike, are you going to follow me?" El asked, looking over at him after she followed Dustin back.
"Um, yeah, I can do that," Mike replied hesitantly.
He pulled out his phone to go to Instagram and follow El. El suspected that his hesitation was due to all the pictures of Stephanie that she knew were on his profile, and she offered him a soft smile. When she received the follow notification, El followed Mike back immediately.
"Okay, I'm going to post it, I'll tag you all, and then we can go back," El said.
She posted the two pictures – the selfie of the four of them and the one Suzie had taken of her and Mike – with a quick caption and tagged the other three. Then El slid her phone back into her pocket, and the four of them set off back down from the cliff.
The trek back through the woods was easier, as they had hiked this path just a couple hours ago. They stopped once about halfway to drink some water, and then the continued on their way. Soon, they reached the entrance to the hiking trail, and the exited through the weeds.
"That was so much fun," Suzie grinned.
"It was," El agreed. "Great idea."
It was well into the afternoon, and they had missed their opportunity for lunch, so they decided to head back to their respective cabins to shower and get cleaned up from the hike, and they would meet up for dinner.
After dinner, Dustin and Suzie left to do their laundry, suspecting that everyone else would be finished with the laundry room by now. Mike and El both agreed that they were tired after the afternoon hike, and they thought they should get some sleep early so they would be awake later on when they had planned to meet up. So, Mike was walking with El to her cabin.
He kept glancing nervously at her out of the corner of his eye. Of course, El knew he had dated a girl named Stephanie. This would not come as a surprise. But he was worried that as soon as they parted ways, El was going to check out his Instagram and see all the pictures of him with Stephanie and get upset.
"El, there's something I want to tell you, and it may not be a big deal, but I just want to get it out there," he said.
"What is it?" El asked.
"It's just, I don't want you to be surprised by anything if you look at my Instagram," Mike said. "I hardly ever used it other than when Stephanie wanted to take a picture together, so my entire profile is pretty much pictures with her, and I just haven't gotten around to deleting them. I didn't want you to see it and get upset or think that I still have feelings for her or anything."
"It's okay," El smiled, her mind flashing back to the pictures she had seen when she looked at his Instagram earlier in the week. "I wouldn't think that. And you don't have to delete them. They're just pictures."
Mike felt relieved. It wasn't a big deal after all. Maybe El wasn't the jealous type.
"And if we're being honest," El continued, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "I already saw the pictures of you and Stephanie."
"What? When?" Mike asked, furrowing his brow.
"The other day. Instagram sent me a notification – you know how it recommends people to follow," El explained. "I saw your profile, and I just kind of scrolled through it."
"So, you spied on me," Mike said teasingly after a moment of silence.
"I wouldn't call it spying. Your profile is set to public," El laughed.
"I guess that's true," Mike chuckled.
They continued to walk in silence until the cabin came in to view.
"Text me when you're leaving your cabin tonight, and I'll leave mine," El said.
"Okay. Have a nice nap," Mike said.
"See you tonight," El said as she lifted up onto her tiptoes to kiss Mike on the lips. "And remember – swimsuits."
"Right," Mike nodded. "See you tonight."
El went inside the cabin and changed into sleep shorts and a tank top. She crawled in to bed and fell asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow.
Just before nine o'clock, El was jostled out of her slumber by the sounds of the other female counselors coming into the cabin.
"I spent the whole day with Eric. He's actually really sweet when he's by himself," Dani was saying to Nikki.
"If he's only sweet when he's not around others, he isn't actually sweet," Kayla warned, not looking at Dani as she pulled her nightclothes out.
"Well, you don't know him," Dani said defensively.
"You're right. I don't," Kayla said, and then she gathered her things and walked toward the bathroom to take a shower without another word.
"You're asleep this early? Are you feeling okay?" Suzie asked as she crawled into El's bottom bunk and sat down.
"Yeah, I'm fine," El nodded, sitting up. "I was just tired from the hike today. Plus… well, I'm actually meeting Mike in a few hours."
"What?!" Suzie asked in a hushed whisper.
"We're going to sneak out and meet in that spot and then go swimming in the lake," El explained quietly.
"Just be sure you don't get caught," Suzie cautioned.
"I know, I know. It's just, I love spending time with him, and there's something about the thrill of sneaking out at night… I'm just really excited," El said, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl.
"You two are so cute," Suzie smiled. "I'm happy things are going well for you."
"Me too," El agreed.
A while later, all the girls had laid down in bed. By 11:30, El couldn't hear Dani and Nikki's hushed conversation anymore, so she figured they had all fallen asleep. Her own eyelids were starting to feel heavy, but El did her best to stay awake. She figured she could give in and nap for another hour. El set her alarm for 12:30am and made sure her alarm tone was set to vibrate. She placed her phone under her pillow and let sleep overtake her for another hour.
At 12:30, El's phone began vibrating aggressively underneath her pillow, startling her awake. She quickly turned off the alarm, silencing the vibration before it had the chance to awaken anyone. Quietly, she climbed out of her bed and slid pulled out the bikini and clothes she had stashed under her blankets at the foot of her bed. She crossed into the bathroom to change, and she ran a brush through her hair to make it look presentable.
When El was ready to go, the clock on her phone read 12:48am. She just had to wait for that text to come through from Mike. El could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the thought of what she was about to do. She had spent plenty of time alone with Mike over the last week, but something about sneaking out in the middle of the night, knowing it would only be the two of them, felt different. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She glanced down and saw a text from Mike.
Leaving now. See you soon.
El smiled and quickly typed back.
On my way : )
El turned off the bathroom light and started to leave the bathroom, but then she paused. Going through the front door would require her to walk by all the girls, and she worried one of them would wake up to the sound of her opening the door. El turned and looked at the window in the bathroom. It was definitely large enough to climb in and out of. She pushed the window open, hoisted herself onto the windowsill, and carefully hopped down onto the ground. Then, she set off toward the woods.
El squinted to try and see the best she could in the dark, not wanting to turn on her phone's flashlight until she was safely into the woods and out of anyone's potential view. She and Mike had traveled these woods plenty of times in the daylight, and when El stepped off the path in the familiar spot, she knew it would be safe to turn on her flashlight.
Guided by the light at the end of her phone, El walked through the familiar terrain, crunching sticks below her feet. She felt her phone vibrate again and looked down to see another text from Mike.
Just got here.
El typed back.
Almost there.
She shined her light ahead and saw the trees that marked the edge of the clearing in the distance. El picked up her pace as much as she could while still safely maneuvering the dark woods. Finally, she reached the clearing.
Mike was waiting in the clearing, having gotten there minutes before. He saw a light shining through two of the trees, and soon El stepped into the open grassy area. She turned off her flashlight and slid her phone into her pocket, and then it was just the two of them, the only illumination from the moon and stars above.
"Hey," El said softly, and Mike could hear the smile in her voice.
"Hi," he replied.
Mike stepped toward her and reached for her hands, pulling her closer. Then his lips met hers softly, as one of his hands raised into her long wavy hair to cradle the back of her head while the other hand moved to hold her around the waist.
"I've been waiting to do this all day," he murmured against her lips.
El smiled and let her fingers trace down the side of his face to his jaw. She liked to see how much he was opening up and becoming more forward than how he started a week ago.
"Me too," she whispered and leaned back in for another kiss.
Mike took her hands again and guided her down to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her waist and let their kiss heat up. His tongue slid across El's parted lips, and she opened them wider to accept him in and met him halfway with her own.
El tangled her hands in Mike's thick dark hair and rolled onto her back so he was halfway on top of her, propped up on one arm while they kissed. She wished they could stay just like this forever.
Mike started to pull back from their passionate kiss, not wanting to get too worked up. He softly pecked her lips before brushing her hair back from her face and watching as she opened her hazel eyes to look up at him.
"You're beautiful," he breathed.
El smiled and leaned up to kiss him again. Mike rolled over onto his back, and El nestled into their usual cuddling position with her head on his chest and her arm draped over him.
They laid there, Mike drawing circles on El's back and holding her hand that was draped over him. Silently, they looked up at the stars in the night sky.
"It's so nice being away from the city," El sighed.
Mike squeezed her against him and kissed the top of her head, smelling the floral scent of her shampoo. They continue to lay, looking up at the bright specks in the black sky above them, feeling so small in comparison to the vast sky, and just listening to each other's breathing.
Neither of them knew how much time had passed before El sat up and took Mike's hand. She pulled him to his feet, a smile plastered to her face.
"Come on," she said and led him back toward the woods.
Mike let her pull him along, knowing exactly what her end destination was. When they finally arrived at the lake, both Mike and El were in awe of the white reflections from the moon rippling in the water.
El dropped Mike's hand and lifted her tank top over her head and tossed it on a rock to the side. Then she shimmied out of her shorts and let them join her tank top. Mike's eyes traveled down and back up her toned, tan body which was clad in only a blue bikini.
"Wow," he breathed, and El giggled and bit her bottom lip.
Mike swallowed hard. He thought back to the last time he and El were in a similar situation. She had wanted him to join her, but he had let his stupid insecurities get in the way because of the other guys who were there… the other guys who were built better than him – not better, just differently, he forced his mind to tell himself… Mike had run away that night and missed out on time with El. And now here he was with another chance. It was just the two of them.
Mike let out a deep breath and moved his fingertips to the hem of his t-shirt. He pulled it off and tossed it onto the rock with El's clothes. The insecurities were starting to creep back into his head as Mike stood there, exposed and completely vulnerable. His eyes finally met El's, and she was staring at him with nothing but adoration. Relief washed over him, and he broke out into a smile, which El immediately reciprocated.
She took his hand, and they walked closer to the water, kicking off their shoes before reaching the tide. They walked out into the lake, both hitching their breath as the chilled water rose higher up their bodies. Finally, the water was just above Mike's waist, meaning it had reached El's chest. They both relaxed, letting their bodies fall into the water, the ripples flowing over their skin. El leaned backward, letting the water wet down her hair, and Mike watched as she moved upright again and glided toward him.
El wrapped her arms around Mike's neck, the entire fronts of their bodies touching as she looked up into his eyes. He placed his hands on her hips underneath the water, feeling both her soft skin and the fabric of her bikini bottoms.
She pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him, toying with the ends of his hair with one hand while she lightly traced her other hand over his shoulder and down his bare chest.
When they pulled back, Mike looked into El's blown pupils. The water glistened on her shoulders, arms, and chest, and her wet hair draped over her shoulders. The light from the moon shining off of her gave her even more of an angelic glow.
"You are so gorgeous," Mike breathed. El moved her hand from his chest to the back of his neck and wrapped both of her arms around his neck again.
"So are you," she whispered.
She leaned in again, and Mike and El became lost in each other. As they kissed, the rest of the world melted away, and all they could sense was each other as the water peacefully rippled around them and the moon shined down on them from above.
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A/N: Well, I've never claimed not to be cheesy now and then. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review, and I'll be back soon with chapter 7! Thank you all for reading!