24

The bike

September 7th

El

El followed after Mike, unsure where they were going or even what they were doing today. It was one of the warmer September days, though the feeling of Autumn was starting to creep into the air, with chilling breezes that made her hair blow around her face as they walked down the street.

It was almost three months after, the mall... after Hopper's death. They would be moving soon so El was used to spending all day with Mike as they tried to make the last few days they had to feel longer but so far it hadn't, it was the opposite. Every minute felt like a second with him and before she knew it the sun was going down and she had to go back to the Byer's when all she wanted was to stay with Mike and her friends.

Normally he would tell her what they were doing, be it going somewhere with their friends or just them going to watch a movie. But today he hadn't told her a thing, simply grabbed her hand which he hadn't let go of this morning, said hi to Will with a knowing look and told Joyce they would be back later on today.

"Mike where are we going?" she asked again.

"You'll see in a minute," he said simply as he opened an old wooden gate for them, before walking down a paved sidewalk. She looked around herself to find what looked to be a hidden garden. With flowers growing around the sidewalk, a bench here and there, large trees all around, covering them with shade, as birds sang in the trees.

He pulled her through a clearing and a moment later she felt her eyes go wide with surprise.

They had stepped past a group of bushes to find a large paved courtyard. A pink bike sitting in the middle.

Mike let go of her hand and walked over to it with a bright smile. She followed after him a little slower unsure what this was.

"Do you like the color?" He asked as she came over.

It was the color of Cherry Blossoms. Teal tassels hung from the white handles, a little bell on the right side and in the middle, a basket sat with a fake daisy gleaming in the sunlight.

"It's pretty but why is it here?" El asked confused.

"Well... you're going to be moving soon so you won't be able to ride on the back of my bike anymore so I asked Nancy if I could have her old bike, then me, Dustin and Lucas fixed it up and Max picked out the accessories and Will painted it, and I wanted to show you how to ride one by yourself."

El felt her mouth open a little in surprise, her heart-melting. She had the best friends she could ever have asked for and the best boyfriend.

"Mike….I - I don't know how to thank you and everyone."

"You don't have to," Mike answered simply as he went over to the basket and pulled out a red helmet and handed it to her.

El couldn't help smiling a little and put on the helmet but couldn't figure out for the sharps. Without a word Mike came over and did it for her, his fingers tightening it easily.

After they both stood there a moment, their eyes met, and before she knew what was happening their lips met in a warm kiss. It was soft and sweet, but Mike pulled away after a long second and pulled her towards the bike. "Come on, I'm here to teach you how to ride a bike, not make out... Though that's a plus."

El couldn't help a little disappointment but went over to the bike all the same. Mike held it for her a moment as she swung her leg up and over to sit in front of what she realized was the first time.

"Okay start pedaling. Start with one foot on the ground. Your other foot should be flat on a pedal pointed upwards, Mike said standing right next to her, and she knew if she started to fall he would catch her, just like he always did.

She pushed herself with her feet until the bike started to move on the flat pavement before she tucked her feet onto the pedals and started pedaling. She wasn't going to lie, it was hard, trying to maintain her balance and keep moving but after a few minutes off she went.

Mike stood in the middle of the courtyard with the biggest smile on his face as he watched her, "Keep going as long as you can!" He shouted to her excitedly.

She started going faster and that seemed to make balancing easier, she was thankful that she had worn the helmet, it kept the hair out of her face and honestly made her feel better….Hopper would probably feel better too…

She looked up and started to go in circles around Mike, both wearing bright smiles, both knowing days like this were limited now but still she wouldn't think of that not here and now because she would always have Mike even if he wasn't always at her side.

"You're doing amazing!" Mike shouted to her, "Faster than Dustin!"

She laughed knowing Dustin could ride laps around her in truth. She let out a breath and wanted to stop riding but found out at that moment she was unsure how.

"Um Mike how do I stop?" she asked and saw his eyes go wide realizing his mistake.

"Um just hit the brake but you need to-"

She hadn't let him finish what he was saying when she squeezed the handbrakes and the bike stopped suddenly, sending her and the bike falling over.

The next thing she knew was the hard impact on the concrete. Mike was next to her in seconds, sorry in his eyes. "Are you Okay El?"

She looked up at him a moment, the sun forming a halo around his black curls making him look unreal. She reached up and took his hand, pulling him down to lay on the warm concrete next to her.

She guided his lips to her own with a hand on the back of his neck and they kissed for a long moment as the world came to a stop for them. This is what she would miss the most as the world seemed to stop for both of them, him. Not that she wouldn't miss the others. But he had been the first person to ever show her kindness, to show her what it was like to be given something and not be asked to use her powers for it, beloved without wanting anything from her.

After another, second or maybe it was minutes, she didn't know, they pulled away from one another and simply laid next to each other. Their fingers laced together as they listened to the world pass them by, the birds flying overhead, people and cars passing their hiding place none the wiser to them, the blue sky starting to turn yellow mixed with a light pink you could barely see as the sun went down.

"El do you know how much i will miss you? " Mike asked, turning to look at her.

"No more then I'll miss you," El answered, meeting his eyes, "I'll miss you ten times more."

Mike let out a breathy laugh, "I'll miss you a million times more."

"That's not fair," she said before she leaned over and kissed his cheek before she pulled away, her heart aching. It must have shown because Mike's eyes softened. "You know I'll call you every night….and morning if you want. Hell, I'll call in the afternoon too."

"You promise?" El asked.

"Oh, I promise, you'll probably be sick of me before thanksgiving."

She couldn't help but smile at him as she sat up. The sky was now turning a deep yellow, orange following after it as the sun disappeared behind the tree line.

"I think it's time that I get you home," Mike said standing up and offered his hand to her. She took it and stood with him. She picked up her bike and Mike held the gate open for her. Together they walked home, hand in hand, a pink bike in the middle of them.

AN

As always thanks for reading, it means a lot to me. If you want to review and give me your thoughts and or any criticism on what I could do better please feel free, it always helps. Only two more chapters now. Stay safe everyone :D