A/N: Wow, I think this is the third update to this story I've given you in just a little over a week. I'm really excited for how the rest of this story is going to play out, and I hope you all end up liking it. Please remember to leave me a review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Jbg: I'm glad to be giving you more frequent posts as well. I'm also glad that you are enjoying what's going on both in our ST group and with the OC's. I hope you like this chapter.
Shrike176: Thank you, I'm glad you're liking what is going on with everyone so far. And yes, I'm definitely writing El and Suzie's friendship differently than I tend to write El and Max's… but maybe that will change in an upcoming story haha. Agreed, Mike's concerns are certainly valid. More on that soon. And things are definitely going to get more complicated with the OC's. I hope you like this chapter.
FavStarngerthings: No worries! We all miss a comment sometimes. I'm glad you are liking the story so far!
NoDownSide: Kayla definitely needs some support to take any action against Jason. Hopefully they can help her with that! And yeah, the fandom tends to be mean to Millie for no reason :-/
Longislandgirl88: I'm glad you like it!
Afanofstrangerthingsandstuff: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy the fluff. I definitely enjoy writing it. I hope you like this chapter.
Guest: Thank you! I am glad you like it so far, and I hope you like this chapter.
Nighting Ryder: Glad you liked it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its characters.
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After his talk with Dustin, Mike was more conflicted than ever. He knew his feelings for El were real and that they were stronger than he had ever experienced. Admitting to Dustin that he had even been thinking about love with El was the first time Mike had said it out loud, and it seemed like ever since he had, it was all he could think about. Mike worried that he was going to let it slip or stupidly blurt it out because the feeling was just so overwhelming.
But he couldn't do that. Mike had decided to stick with his gut and hold off on actually telling El how he felt about her. They had only known each other for just under three weeks, and even though there was no denying that they had formed a special bond in that time, Mike could not pretend that they weren't moving extremely fast as it was. Three weeks ago at this time, Mike did not even know El existed. Now, she was all he could think about; the only person he wanted to spend his time with; the girl he was constantly kissing whenever he could and sneaking out to see at night; and the girl that had recently become his new girlfriend. It was fast. Mike knew it was fast. But it all felt right.
Even so, just because everything between them had felt right so far did not mean that El was ready for Mike to drop the L-word this soon. He did not want to scare her, and he did not want to hear her say that she really liked him but did not love him. El not returning the feeling would only create tension between them, Mike was sure of it. It would ruin what they had built over the last couple of weeks, and Mike was willing to keep his feelings to himself if it meant not risking that connection.
Of course the other main reason Mike had decided to wait to tell El he loves her was that he did not want her to feel like he was pressuring her. He did not want El to feel pressure to say those words back to him if she was not completely ready to say them on her own. And most importantly, Mike did not want El to feel like he was trying to pressure her into having sex before she was ready. Dustin had raised a good point; if El really knew Mike the way he thought she did, El would know that he was not trying to pressure her into sex. But, Mike still worried that a red flag would go off in El's mind at the timing of Mike saying he loved her just days after learning that El was saving her virginity until she was in love. No, Mike was not going to pressure her, and he was not going to say or do anything that could potentially make El feel like he was trying to pressure her.
So, he waited. He continued seeing her every waking minute that he could, being completely in awe of everything about her. The way her chestnut hair hung over her shoulders or blew in the breeze or fanned around her head when he had her laying beneath him on the table, the way her pearly white smile lit up her entire face and made her hazel eyes twinkle, the sweet sound of her laugh every time he said something to make her smile, and even the sound of her voice talking about biomes and rocks while she interacted with the campers completely captivated Mike.
Mike had never been so conflicted. But, he knew without a doubt that the conflict he was feeling was only about when to tell her, not about how he actually felt. If there was one thing that had become clear to him, it was that regardless of how fast it happened, Mike had fallen in love with El.
It was time for break, and the campers had just left the classroom. El laced her fingers with Mike's and pulled him close to her, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly on the lips. She pulled back and smiled, making Mike's racing heart skip a beat in his chest. He leaned down to kiss her again, feeling her smile widen against his lips through their kiss.
"Hmm," El sighed contentedly as she laid her head against Mike's chest after the kiss had ended. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, hugging him close to her. "I don't want this week to end."
Mike's heart warmed as he gently caressed El's back. This week had been perfect, and he was going to be sad to see it end, too. They would still have meals, free time, and, of course, their spot in the woods, but Mike really enjoyed working with the campers with El. She amazed him every day by how great she was with the kids and how natural it seemed for her.
"I don't want it to end, either," Mike said softly.
"I'm with Eric next week and then Tom the week after, and then…" El's voice trailed off.
Mike's arms around El tightened as she talked about working with the other guys, and he felt a pang of sadness in his stomach when her voice trailed off. It was the first reference El had made to camp coming to an end. It hurt worse hearing El acknowledge it than it had hearing Dustin acknowledge it.
"Let's not think about that right now," Mike said, trying to push the thought from his mind that had begun to linger.
El nodded and looked up at him, moving her arms from around his waist up to connect around his neck, and she pulled his lips back to hers. She pulled him along as she backed up to the nearest table and hopped up so she was sitting on the edge of it, her knees on either side of Mike's hips as their bodies pressed together.
Mike's hands gently trailed from El's waist, down her hips, to the end of her denim shorts, and began rubbing from her thighs to her knees that he was standing between. He felt goosebumps cover her soft skin as his fingers made their way back to her waist.
El pulled back just enough to look into his already dark eyes, made even darker by his blown pupils. She leaned her forehead against his, panting lightly, and she glanced down at Mike's lips that were swollen from kissing her and then back to his eyes. He was staring at her so intently.
Mike could feel El's breath against his lips as they remained pressed against each other, their foreheads touching, the tips of their noses hardly a millimeter away from each other's. He gulped down the words that were rising in his throat, the words he had convinced himself it was too early to say, the words that he feared a moment this intimate would cause him to lose control and admit.
El closed her eyes again and moved her lips forward just enough to lightly graze against his as she peppered him with soft, sweet kisses.
"El," Mike breathed against her lips.
She hummed a response, her forehead resting against the bridge of his nose. When he didn't answer, El pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Mike was staring intently at her once more, and El felt her stomach fluttering as chills coursed through her veins.
"Mike, what is it?" she whispered.
The silence in the room surrounded them while El waited for Mike to respond.
He looked into her hazel eyes, and it was like she had him in a trance. Everything else faded away, and all Mike could see was El. All he could feel, smell, and taste was her.
"El, I…" he whispered. "I-I… lo-"
Just then, a sudden vibration buzzed through them, causing Mike and El both to jump. It took Mike a couple seconds to realize that his cell phone in his pocket was the culprit and that the vibration was so aggressive because his pocket happened to be pressed up against the table, magnifying the sound and causing the feeling to ripple through El's leg that was resting against it too.
"S-sorry," Mike mumbled, looking away from El as he fished his phone out of his pocket.
El watched his brow furrow as he read the message and she grew concerned that something may have happened.
"It's just Dustin," Mike said. "But he says we need to hurry up and get to the cafeteria."
"That's strange. He normally just waits for us to show up whenever we get there and then makes fun of us," El said.
"I know. That makes me think there must be something important going on," Mike agreed, and El nodded.
El hopped down from the table, and as Mike turned to walk toward the door to leave, she bit her lip in hesitation before stopping him.
"Mike?" she said, and Mike turned to face her. "Real quick, before we go… what were you about to say?"
Mike's eyes widened briefly as the realization of what he was about to admit sank in.
"Oh, uh… I was just going to say that… I love being able to spend time with you like this," Mike recovered.
"Oh. So do I," El smiled, but Mike thought he detected a bit of sadness or disappointment in the smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
He offered her a smile in return before taking her hand and walking with her through the woods to the cafeteria to see what Dustin had interrupted them for.
El was walking alongside Mike, his hand in hers, on their way to the cafeteria. She snuck a sideways glance at him and bit her bottom lip, deciding not to press any further about what he was really about to say to her back in the classroom. She didn't want to pressure him, and she didn't want to assume he was going to say something other than what he told her he was going to say. But…
Is it possible that Mike almost said that he loves her? El felt butterflies swarming in her stomach even at the prospect. It certainly was early in their relationship, and they hadn't known each other very long… But does length of time really matter when it comes to how someone makes you feel? El had never really thought about whether she believed in the love-at-first-sight idea, but surely people could fall in love within a few weeks, especially spending as much time together as she and Mike had.
But still, is that what he was about to say? Did he feel that way about her? Did she feel that way about him? There was no denying the butterflies that filled her ribcage when Mike smiled at her, or the smile that automatically crossed her face at the sight of him, or the overwhelming desire to listen to his voice for hours, or the way her heart pounded every time his lips closed in on hers… Shit. Did she love him?
Mike and El reached the cafeteria, and El's preoccupation with whether she and Mike were on the brink of admitting that they loved each other quickly took a backseat as they approached the table where their friends were waiting. Kayla was sitting next to Suzie, and her face was filled with conflicting emotions. El could see anger, confusion, embarrassment, and sadness.
"Hey guys," Dustin said as Mike and El sat down at the table.
"We got here as quick as we could," El said. "What's going on?"
"Jason crossed the line this time," Suzie said.
"I mean… I guess it isn't that big of a deal," Kayla said, but her words sounded forced and the others could tell she did not believe it herself. "Maybe I'm overreacting."
"I don't think you're overreacting at all," Suzie said immediately. "That entitled creep helped himself to a piece of your body without your consent."
"Wait, what?!" Mike exclaimed.
"He did what?!" El gasped at the same time.
"It was this morning after breakfast," Kayla began. "I wanted to run back to the cabin and grab a hairtie to put my hair up because it's so hot today, and I had plenty of time… I should've just left my hair down and sweat."
"What happened?" El asked.
"I don't know if he saw me go down the path toward the cabin or if he followed me, but when I came back outside, he was leaning against a tree casually like he was waiting for me," Kayla continued. "I ignored him and just started walking away so I could get to class on time, but he caught up and walked with me. He said it's a shame we haven't gotten to know each other and that we should change that. I told him I wasn't interested in getting to know him and asked him to leave me alone."
"What did he say?" El asked gently after Kayla was silent for a moment.
"Just something gross about how he has an idea that could change my mind, and he called me baby," Kayla shuddered. "I told him not to call me that, that I'm not his baby, and to stay away from me… Then he said he knew the quiet ones were always feisty and that we could have a lot of fun together. And then he grabbed my ass."
"Are you serious?" Mike asked, his eyes widening.
Kayla nodded, looking down at the floor. Mike glanced across the table at Dustin and Suzie and could tell by their lack of surprised reaction that they had heard this story before he and El arrived.
"I shoved him backwards, away from me, and I just ran the rest of the way to our classroom," Kayla concluded.
"When she got there, she looked out of breath and really upset. I knew something was up, but she didn't want to talk about it," Dustin explained.
"I just wanted to focus on the kids and pretend nothing happened," Kayla admitted.
"Well something did happen, and he needs to face consequences," El said. "I agree with what Suzie said the other day. I think you should report him to the director."
"Do you honestly think that will do any good?" Kayla asked.
"What he did today surpasses harassment," Suzie replied. "He physically touched you."
"Just my butt. It's not like he exposed himself or tried to… you know, do anything to me," Kayla said.
"Your butt is still part of you that you did not consent to him touching. And thank god he didn't try to do anything else," Suzie said. "If he is willing to grope you in broad daylight, who's to say what he would do if he ran into you close to curfew when it is getting dark? What if you weren't in an open place where you could run away? What if he cornered you in the laundry room?"
"Please stop," Kayla shuddered.
"I'm just saying, he clearly does not respect your boundaries, and he has shown that he is not scared to cross a line with you," Suzie said gently. "Everything I said and more are scenarios that the camp would have to consider being faced with, and I don't think they would want to risk any lawsuits if Jason tries anything again."
Kayla tilted her head to the side as she considered Suzie's logic. El glanced over at Mike and saw him watching closely, waiting to hear Kayla's decision.
"I guess you do have a good point," Kayla finally said. "I just don't want to bring this all up to her, have her talk to Jason about it, and then he ends up getting to stay at camp and I still have to deal with him for the next three weeks."
"I understand that," Suzie nodded.
Kayla was silent again as she thought longer about what to do. Finally, she nodded.
"I'll do it… But will you two still come with me?" she asked, looking from Suzie to El.
"Absolutely," Suzie responded as El nodded adamantly.
"Thanks," Kayla sighed in relief. "We can go today after classes."
El and Suzie agreed, and the five of them ate lunch and continued to talk and hang out until the end of their break.
When classes had ended for the day, El, Suzie, and Kayla met up to go to the admin building and meet with the director. Mike and Dustin wished them good luck, and the girls were off. When they arrived at the admin building, they walked down the hallway until they reached Katherine White's office. Suzie peeked around the door that was slightly ajar and saw that the director was inside her office and was not currently meeting with anyone else.
"Excuse me," Suzie said as she knocked on the door.
"Can I help you?" Katherine asked in a surprised but pleasant tone as she looked up from her desk.
"I hope so. We have something important to discuss with you," Suzie replied, pushing open the door to reveal El and Kayla.
"Regarding?" Katherine asked.
Suzie and El looked at Kayla and waited for her to respond.
"I'm here to report some harassment," Kayla said, the lack of confidence clear in her voice. Katherine's face softened, and Kayla felt more at ease before adding, "Sexual harassment."
"Come on in, girls. Have a seat," Katherine instructed, welcoming them into her office and gesturing toward the two chairs facing her desk. "I'll go grab a third chair from Ron's office."
Kayla and Suzie sat in the two existing chairs while Katherine stood to hurry next door to grab a third. When Katherine returned, Ron was alongside her carrying a chair for himself, to the girls' surprise.
"Would it be alright with you ladies if my assistant director Ron joins us, with this discussion involving such a serious topic?" Katherine asked. Suzie and El both looked at Kayla.
"That's fine," Kayla shrugged.
Katherine placed a third chair on the opposite side of her desk, and El took a seat. Ron placed his chair next to Katherine, and when all five were settled, Katherine prompted Kayla to begin.
"It's about Jason, one of the P.E. counselors," she started, and Katherine nodded. "It started a little over a week ago. At first, he just kept sitting by me in the cafeteria, trying to walk with me and talk with me. But then it escalated."
Katherine and Ron listened closely as Kayla recounted her experiences with Jason from the past week.
"And did you make clear to him that you were not interested in a relationship with him, romantic or otherwise?" Katherine asked.
"Yes," Kayla replied.
Kayla continued to tell Katherine and Ron about how uncomfortable she felt when Jason would whistle or wink at her and about the time Jason ran into her on her way back from doing laundry and called her sexy. When all that was left was the story from earlier today, Kayla retold what took place outside of her cabin, repeating every detail she had told her friends earlier in the day.
"I have told him numerous times to leave me alone, but he just won't," Kayla said, the firmness building in her voice the more she spoke. "It scares me to think about what he could do next, and honestly, I don't want to be here any longer if he is… Either he needs to leave, or I'm going home this Saturday and not coming back."
"Wow. That is certainly a lot of misbehavior," Katherine said when Kayla had finished. "Are there any witnesses to any of these instances?"
"El and I and Dustin Henderson and Mike Wheeler all saw Jason near her countless times when it was clear that Kayla was uncomfortable," Suzie responded quickly. "And we also saw several of the looks and the winks, and we saw Kayla step away from him in the cafeteria and Jason continue to not leave her alone."
"The allegations with physical contact, did anyone witness those?" Katherine asked.
"No. It was just me and him when those happened. I'm sure he did that on purpose," Kayla replied bitterly, starting to feel a pit of discouragement forming in her stomach.
"I see," Katherine said softly. "Well, we have to discuss this before making any decisions-"
"He is obviously dangerous," Suzie blurted out. "Or at the very least, inappropriate. Even if you take away the worst parts of Kayla's story because there were not witnesses, that still isn't the type of behavior you should want in someone working with your young campers every day."
"I agree," El chimed in. "He's not a good person."
El considered including the other vile things that Jason had said and done, but she decided not to make Kayla's report about herself.
"I appreciate you coming forward, Kayla, and reporting this to me," Katherine said. "And I appreciate both of you girls' input as well. This is something that we need to discuss further before taking any action, and of course we have to speak with Jason as well. But please rest assured that Camp Know Where prides itself on a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind."
"When should we know the outcome?" Kayla asked. "Because like I said, if he gets to stay, I'm leaving Saturday."
"I see no reason why we can't reach a decision by tomorrow evening," Katherine replied.
The girls glanced at Ron who had sat silently throughout the entire discussion. They each wondered what his thoughts were on the matter, but his blank expression gave them no indication. Kayla, Suzie, and El stood from their chairs and thanked both Katherine and Ron for their time before leaving the office.
"How do you feel?" Suzie asked.
"I wish I could say that I feel like a weight has been lifted, or that I feel confident in them, or at the very least happy that I did this," Kayla sighed. "But I don't know… I think I might be going home this weekend."
"I wouldn't start packing your bags yet," El said. "She may have just been asking those questions for more detail or to know if there was anyone else she needed to talk to that may have witnessed anything. She made a point to remind us of the zero-tolerance policy."
"That's true," Kayla said. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
The girls started on their way to the cafeteria, as dinner had started being served about ten minutes ago. They got their food and joined Mike and Dustin who each greeted their girlfriends with a peck on the lips.
"How did it go?" Dustin asked as the girls sat down.
"We met with both the director and the assistant director. I explained everything that has happened over the past week, and then she said there were some discussions that needed to take place before any action would happen," Kayla explained.
"Kayla did awesome," El smiled reassuringly.
"Absolutely," Suzie agreed. "And as El pointed out, the director went out of her way to mention the zero-tolerance harassment policy, so I think they're going to take care of it."
"Well that's great. I really hope they do," Mike said. "You shouldn't have to put up with that asshole."
"I won't have to anymore. One way or another, he'll be out of my life by Saturday because either they send him home or I'm going home," Kayla revealed.
"God, please let them kick him out," Dustin pleaded, pressing his hands together like a prayer and looking up at the ceiling. Suzie chuckled and swatted his arm.
"They will if they care about doing the right thing," Mike said.
"All we can do is wait and see," Kayla repeated her sentiments from earlier. "But El, Suzie, I really appreciate you two coming with me. I know I would not have done it without you."
"No problem at all," El said, and Suzie nodded.
The five of them continued eating their dinner and talking about how everyone else's day went. When dinner was over, Suzie suggested going down to the lake for a while. The girls and guys separated to go to their respective cabins to change and planned on meeting at the lake.
On the walk to their cabin, Suzie and Kayla were engulfed in conversation about Kayla's artwork. Kayla had pulled out her phone to check the time, and Suzie had seen her lock screen background was an intricately painted close-up of a horse's face. Kayla shared that she had actually painted it and then explained to Suzie that she paints and draws whenever she can and even has a sketchbook at camp with her. El did her best to listen as Kayla explained that she mainly creates animal scenes due to her love of animals and her goal to become a veterinarian one day.
"You could hang your own pieces in your practice, and when people ask about them you could sell them. Two businesses in one!" Suzie exclaimed.
Kayla began showing Suzie photos of her artwork on her phone, and El's mind drifted to what had happened between herself and Mike earlier in the day. With everything going on with Kayla, El had not thought about it for hours, but now it consumed her mind.
What if Dustin's text message had not interrupted Mike? What if Mike really had been about to say that he loves her? What would she have said back? She would have been so taken off guard… Is Mike close to saying it? Will he try again, or was he just caught up in the moment? El wanted to be prepared to say something back to him because the last thing she wanted was to react in a way that would hurt him or embarrass him. But could she say those words back to him? Did she really feel that way? Was she ready to say it? Was it too soon?
"Hello? Earth to El," Suzie said in a sing-song voice, pulling El from her thoughts as they reached the cabin.
"Sorry, I guess I just zoned out," El said, and Suzie looked at her suspiciously.
Kayla grabbed a swimsuit and went into the bathroom to change, and Suzie plopped down on El's bed.
"Okay, what's on your mind?" she asked.
El bit her bottom lip, considering whether or not to tell Suzie. It wasn't that El didn't think she could trust Suzie… but what if Mike wasn't actually going to say it? She didn't want Suzie to tell Dustin and then have it get back to Mike…
"El?" Suzie said firmly.
"S-sorry… Okay, can this just stay between you and me? Don't even tell Dustin," El asked.
"Oh, wow. It must be big," Suzie said, widening her eyes.
"Promise me you'll keep it to yourself, and I'll tell you," El repeated.
Suzie pursed her lips. El figured it would be quite difficult for Suzie to actually keep information from Dustin. But, soon Suzie relented and nodded.
"I promise," Suzie said.
"I think… I think Mike almost told me that he loves me today," El admitted quietly.
"What?!" Suzie exclaimed, her mouth dropping open and her eyes tripling in size.
"Shh!" El shushed her rapidly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. When? What happened?" Suzie asked.
"It was right when break started after lesson two. We were kissing and… I don't know. It just felt really intimate all of a sudden, like there was no one or nothing else in the world. And he started to speak, and I swear it sounded like he started to say 'I love' before he was interrupted by Dustin's text," El explained.
"Damn it, Dustin," Suzie muttered, and El couldn't help but laugh. "Well, did you ask him about it?"
"Yeah. He said he was going to say he loves being able to spend time together like this," El replied, and Suzie scrunched her forehead.
"Hmm. Maybe he got caught up in the moment and then chickened out afterward," Suzie suggested.
"Maybe. It just got me thinking. What if he does say it?" El voiced what she had been thinking about.
"What would you say back?" Suzie asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I don't want to say it back just to say it back," El said.
"I don't think Mike would want you to feel pressured to say it back unless you feel it," Suzie said.
"I don't think he would either," El agreed. "But if he puts himself out there, I don't want to hurt him either."
"Well, do you feel it too?" Suzie asked.
"I don't know," El sighed. "I love being with him, talking to him, learning about his family and friends and everything. I feel safe and happy whenever I'm with him… It's like I never want it to end."
El stopped talking when she looked up and saw the face Suzie was giving her. Suzie was giving a knowing grin, and her eyes were overflowing with happiness. El couldn't help but grin and blush, looking away from Suzie.
"Isn't it too early, though?" El asked.
"Don't be too fixated on that," Suzie said. "Don't even think, just go with your gut instinct. If Mike were here right now and he said 'El, I love you,' what would you say?"
"I-"
"I'm ready," Kayla said as she came out of the bathroom, pulling a t-shirt down over her bikini top.
Suzie deflated, upset that she would not get to hear El's answer. She and El hopped up and went into the bathroom stalls to change into their swimsuits. Then the three girls walked together to the lake to meet up with Mike and Dustin.
"It's about time! What took you so long?" Dustin called when the girls came into view.
Dustin and Mike were sitting on one of the large rocks along the edge of the lake talking, and when he saw the girls, Dustin stood up, holding his arms out to embrace Suzie.
"You know it takes us longer to get ready than you," Suzie said unapologetically as she let Dustin wrap his arms around her and she leaned up to give him a peck on the lips.
"You look amazing," Mike said as El took off her t-shirt to reveal a green bikini top that he had not seen yet this summer.
"Thank you," El smiled.
The five of them took off the rest of their shorts and t-shirts and hurried into the lake. They had a fun time swimming and splashing each other. Dustin suggested a game of chicken and decided they could play with five people by rotating out the girl on the losing team. The first round had El on Mike's shoulders versus Suzie on Dustin's shoulders. Dustin let out what sounded like a battle cry as he charged toward Mike, and Suzie soon knocked El backward into the water.
Kayla hesitantly climbed onto Mike's shoulders and looked toward El for a reassuring look that she was okay with the situation. To Dustin's disappointment, Kayla defeated Suzie, knocking her into the lake.
"Hop on, El!" Dustin hollered, clapping his shoulder.
El looked over at Mike who shrugged and smiled, and then she swam over to Dustin and climbed on top of his shoulders. She was a little shaky as Dustin stood up, raising her into the air.
"You good to go?" Dustin called up to her.
"Yeah! Let's get 'em!" El replied, shooting Mike a playful grin.
"You're on! You're going down, babe," Mike teased back.
Mike and Dustin moved toward each other in the water, and above them Kayla and El wrestled until El fell backward, shrieking until she hit the water.
"Victory!" Kayla cried out, pumping both fists into the air as El resurfaced. Kayla then slid off of Mike's shoulders into the water herself.
"I can't believe you pushed me into the water like that," El said, splashing Mike.
"To be fair, Kayla pushed you into the water," Mike teased, splashing her back.
"All is fair in love and chicken. El and I admit defeat," Dustin chimed in, taking a slight bow.
While Dustin's head was bowed down, Suzie took the opportunity to splash a big wave of water at him, dousing his hair and face. He looked up, spitting and sputtering through the water until his eyes landed on his laughing girlfriend.
"You think that's funny?" he challenged.
"Oh no," Suzie muttered.
"I'll show you funny!" Dustin called as he lunged forward, sending waves rippling out to either side of him as he reached for Suzie.
Suzie squealed and tried her best to swim away, but Dustin quickly caught up with her. He wrapped his arms around her middle, stood up, and flung her into the water, splashing the other three with water.
The five of them continued having a great time in the lake, and El noticed Suzie watching her and Mike every now and then. El assumed Suzie was observing to try and see for herself if she could tell that Mike loved El. El hoped to herself that Suzie would keep her promise and not tell Dustin what they had discussed.
As the sun started to go down, Kayla suggested that it was time to head back to the cabins. Suzie agreed, and she, Kayla, and Dustin started walked out of the water and began drying off. El moved to join them, but Mike pulled her by her wrist back to him in the lake.
"Aren't you guys coming?" Suzie asked.
"You go on ahead. We'll catch up," Mike said.
Dustin, Suzie, and Kayla began walking away from the lake, but not before sending Mike and El some smirks and eye rolls.
"Tonight was so much fun," El said. "I think Kayla really needed it after today."
"I think so, too. And it's great that you and Suzie were so supportive," Mike said.
"We need to stick together against jerks like that," El shrugged, and Mike nodded.
"But you had fun tonight, huh? Losing?" Mike asked, the playfulness returning to his tone.
"I'm at a disadvantage. I'm the shortest one. It's easy to throw me around," El insisted.
"Is it?" Mike grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Don't you dare," El warned.
"Fine. But only since you asked so nicely," Mike said sarcastically.
El chuckled and rolled her eyes, feeling that Mike did not loosen his grip on her waist. She looked up and met his eyes which, to her, were shining brighter than the stars that were starting to fill the sky. El reached up and cupped the side of his face, gently rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone. Then she leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips, feeling him press his hands flat against her back to hold her against him. As El pulled back and looked into Mike's eyes again, Suzie's question popped back into her head.
And now, El was sure she knew the answer.
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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know there was a lot going on, and I would love to hear what you're thinking so far, as always. Please remember to leave a review, and stay safe!