El made herself wait until close to 11:00 the next day to text Mike. She was doing like Max had said and not being too eager and trying to remain cool. She spent the better part of the morning thinking about how she and Mike needed to become friends before anything else could ever happen. From talking to him the day before she knew she didn't want to mess up something that could be really special by jumping into things too quickly. She finally let herself text him and just said that she was up and she hoped he had slept well. He called thirty minutes later. El wasn't sure why it had taken him so long to call but she didn't ask either, thinking that people had things to do in the morning sometimes.
They talked about random things, trying to see what all they had in common besides Star Wars.
"What kind of music do you like or what is your favorite band?" Mike asked as he popped some Eggo waffles into his toaster.
"You probably haven't heard of them. They're older than we are but I think the lead singer is really sexy even if he's old enough to be my dad." El laughed.
"Try me. I listen to a lot of indie bands and stuff. I'm not as into arena rock." Mike rummaged through a drawer for a fork. El could hear the silverware clanking against itself.
"It's a band called The Afghan Whigs. I discovered them when I was in college. A guy Max was dating left a CD in our dorm room and I listened to it and loved it."
"You're kidding. I love them! I saw them on the In Spades tour in Chicago last year! I can't believe you love them too! This is crazy." Mike sounded excited.
El felt her heart in her throat as Mike told her about the show he'd seen. She hadn't gotten to see them since Boston was the closest they had gotten to where she lived and she couldn't make it to the show. They played small places and she had really wanted to see what it was like to listen to them up close.
"You got to see them? I've never gotten to see them. On the count of three, say which is your favorite of their albums."
"Okay, I have them all. Ready?" Mike said.
"Ready. One, two, three..."
"Black Love." Both Mike and El said at the same time.
Wow.
Mike broke the silence that had invaded the line when they both said the same album title. "That's possibly cooler than your Vader helmet." He said softly.
"Yeah. How weird is that? I wonder what else we like that's the same." El pondered.
"Do you like Rick and Morty?" Mike asked, thinking the smart but sometimes odd cartoon might be something that made them differ.
El laughed, "Wubba lubba dub dub, bitch."
Mike had to put the phone down for a second. Oh, my god! This girl is amazing!
He could hear El calling for him so he put the phone back to his ear. "You are pretty awesome, El. I wish you lived closer so we could watch it together." Mike still couldn't quite believe how many of the same things they enjoyed. Not like, foods or drinks or seasons or colors but things that actually shaped how they saw the world.
"That would be the coolest. Could we watch something together over Skype some time?" El asked, trying to think of the next best thing since they were so far away from each other.
"We could to that. We'd just have to sync whatever we were watching but that wouldn't be hard to do. Would you want to watch something tonight? Maybe we could watch Star Wars?"
"Make it The Empire Strikes Back and you have a deal. What time?" El asked, trying to hide the sheer excitement in her voice.
"Is 7:00 okay? I have to work tomorrow so I can't be up too late. Don't want to be killing anyone because I'm tired." Mike chucked softly.
"That sounds great. I'll have everything ready on my end so you can count down when to push play. I'll watch it in my bedroom so I don't bother Max."
Mike thought about what El's bedroom might look like and wondered how much of it he'd be able to see through the webcams on their laptops.
"I'll watch it in my room too." Mike said.
"Both of us just lounging in bed watching the best Star Wars movie." El sounded coy.
They talked for the rest of the afternoon about the most trivial of things and found that they seemed to be in sync in more ways than they could imagine. Mike mentioned that he had only been to Boston one time when he was twelve because his sister was looking at colleges and his entire family went along. She wound up going somewhere else but he at least got to see a Red Sox baseball game. He wasn't that into baseball but the kids at school had thought it was cool.
"And you were twelve when? In 2003?"
"That's right." Mike agreed.
"Who did they play against when you saw them and do you remember what month it was? I only ask because I've seen them play once at Fenway Park and it was in April of 2003. They played the Blue Jays. I only remember because I was hoping the Blue Jays would win because I liked the bird on their hats." El said, remembering her father dragging her along to the game despite her protests about not liking baseball.
"I saw them in April too! I remember because my sister's birthday is in April and we were in Boston the weekend before it. And they played the Toronto Blue Jays. Do you remember what day it was? What if we were there at the same time? How crazy would that be?" Mike was thinking of kismet.
"It was a Saturday because I had school the following Monday so we had to come back to Maine on Sunday." El confirmed.
We were there at the same time!
"I saw them on the Saturday too. We were there at the same time, El." Mike suddenly sounded awed.
El was starting to get worried. She knew she needed to try to take things slowly but every time she would think they'd disagree on something Mike proved her wrong and her feelings for him were multiplying quickly.
"Have you given any more thought to the convention?" Mike asked. El had been lost in thought, thinking about her growing feelings for him and had let the conversation pause.
"I really want to go. I know that much." El said truthfully.
"I want you to go too. What if I bought your admission ticket for you? Would that help?" Mike offered.
"I couldn't let you do that for me. You've already offered me a place to stay." El sighed, wanting so badly to get to see him but not wanting to be a burden.
"El, my job pays really well and I don't have a lot of expenses. It wouldn't be a problem. It certainly wouldn't be as big of a problem as if you weren't there with me. I've been looking forward to hanging out with you." He said sincerely.
El thought about what he'd said. She wanted to go to the convention, sure, but what she might be wanting more was to spend time with Mike. If he felt the same way she didn't want to waste his offer.
"Well it's almost the end of January. If I buy my plane ticket now I can save until June. If you want to buy my admission ticket so you've locked me in to come you can. I don't want to use you though. I'm coming because you invited me, not because I want something for free." El tried to sound diplomatic but she felt her excitement bubbling at the idea of spending time with Mike becoming a reality that would definitely happen.
"Really? Okay, great! I'll buy it today so you can't get out of it." El heard him laugh. He sounded relieved. "Will you buy your plane ticket soon? And seriously, I can help with that too. I wouldn't mind at all."
El thought there was no way she could let him purchase her airfare. "Maybe you could just buy me dinner when we're there. I can get the plane ticket."
They talked for the next couple of hours, Mike making El laugh so hard at one point that she couldn't breathe as he told her about a time on a roller coaster with his friend Dustin when they were kids. She didn't want the conversation to end but they both had some things they had to do before they could start their movie in a few hours so they said their goodbyes, knowing that they'd get to see each other via Skype soon.
El took a shower and made sure her hair looked nice. She was in the bathroom putting on a little makeup when Max came home. El had taken off work for the past two days to use some vacation time she had built up. She had too many extra days and they told her if she didn't use them she would lose them. She was happy that she would have a legitimate reason to use some vacation days when June rolled around.
"What are you up to, El? Why do you look so nice but are still in pajamas?" Max asked.
"Mike and I are going to watch a movie in a little bit and we're going to Skype while we do it. I wanted to look nice." El stated.
"Talked to him again today, huh?"
"For hours. We have the same favorite band, we like the same shows, we have the Star Wars connection. It's so weird, Max. I'm a little afraid I'm going to mess things up. I think I have a pretty big crush on him. He says he wants to buy my admission ticket to the Star Wars con. I'm going to buy a plane ticket today. I'm definitely going to go. I just worry that I'm going to get too in my head with it and fall madly in love and then get hurt before I ever meet him in person because I let myself get carried away. What if he doesn't feel the same? What if I'm just someone he wants to be friends with?"
Max watched El nervously pick at her cuticles.
"Stop it, El. You're going to make your fingers bleed. Just breathe. You need to just see where things go. You're getting too far ahead of yourself and you're worrying about things that are way in the future. You need to give yourself some credit. You are a cool chick. You're freaking beautiful and you're smart and any guy you're interested in would be stupid to not want to be with you and only you. See how the movie goes tonight. See how the next few weeks go. If things are still fun and you still are feeling the same way about him, tell him. If he flirts with you, flirt back if you want to. Don't be so quick to dismiss what you have to offer. I know I'm always saying play hard to get but if you really like him then do what you have to do to make yourself feel better about it. Just be honest with him."
Max's words were comforting in their straightforwardness. Maybe Max is right. Maybe I need to go moment by moment and see where it takes me.
Mike was online choosing which ticket to purchase for El. He wanted to give her the best experience he could. He knew she would probably protest if he tried to clear it with her so he made an executive decision and purchased the Jedi Master VIP pass for her. He had already bought his earlier and he didn't want to buy her something lesser. He just wouldn't tell her how much he'd spent unless she asked. Maybe she wouldn't ask.
El was also online trying to decide on a plane ticket when she got a text. It was from Mike.
Don't book your flight until after you talk to me tonight. There are some things you need to know.
El was intrigued. What did he need to talk to her about? She waited on purchasing the airplane ticket, wondering why Mike would want her to hold off on doing that.
It seemed like time was moving so slowly. Every time El checked the clock it had only been maybe two minutes since she'd checked it last. It was 6:45 and she was anxious. She had already put her copy of The Empire Strikes Back in her DVD player and was sitting on her bed with her laptop waiting for Mike to call. She had added him into her Skype contacts earlier so all she had to do was be patient, but that was proving to be difficult.
At 6:55 she heard the beep of her laptop indicating that she was receiving a call through the Skype program. She took a deep breath and pushed "answer with video" on her laptop. Mike's face appeared. El changed the screen settings so that the box with her face in it disappeared, allowing her to see everything that Mike's webcam could see. He smiled at her.
"Hey! There you are. You look nice." Mike said. El could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks hearing his compliment while she was looking at him.
"Thanks, so do you." She could tell he was blushing as well. His grin made her heart flutter.
"Do you have your movie all ready to go?"
"I do and I've paused it where it says A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
'Perfect. I'm getting there. Okay, when I say go push play and we should be good. Are you comfortable?" Mike asked.
"Yes."
"Good. One, two, three, go."
They started the movie at the same time. Mike could tell immediately that their timing had been perfect because there was no lag or overlapping sounds. He had also changed his screen settings so he was only looking at El. Seeing her pictures had been one thing but seeing her on video was better than he'd imagined. He found himself looking at his computer screen more than watching the movie. He didn't mind.
El was doing the same. She liked looking at Mike and even though she tried to stay interested in the movie, he was somehow more interesting and she wasn't looking up from her computer screen to see the television much. She could hear it and she knew what was happening anyway. They kept grinning at each other for the first thirty minutes of the movie.
"What did you want to talk to me about? Why did you want me to wait to buy a plane ticket?" El asked when she finally realized that she had been staring at him, but also that he was staring at her with what was probably the same expression she was wearing.
"I, um, I bought you a ticket to the con today but I wanted to make sure you knew it was a five day thing so when you buy your plane ticket you give yourself enough time, and also so when you ask off from work you get enough days."
"It's five days?" El sounded surprised but in her head she was thinking, five days with Mike!
"Yeah, I forgot to mention that earlier. I mean, you don't have to go all five days but I had gotten that sort of ticket for myself so I wanted you to have the same thing."
"That sounds expensive. You didn't go crazy and buy some $500 ticket did you?"
Mike chucked to himself. It's not a lie, I didn't spent $500. It was more but who cares?
"No, not even close to $500. We're going to have so much fun! I wanted you to have the best experience possible."
"Aww, that's so sweet. I don't know how to thank you, Mike. I'd hug you but I can't reach you."
"You can hug me in June. I expect you to." He winked at her, his smile widening.
They managed to watch some of the movie before El asked a question.
"This morning, why did it take you thirty minutes to call me after I texted you?" El asked innocently.
She could see Mike's face change and he looked embarrassed.
"Um, no reason. I was just kind of in the middle of something." He answered.
"What were you doing?"
Mike sighed. I can't tell her what I was doing. She'll think I'm disgusting.
El looked at her screen. Mike's eyes looked like they were pleading with her. "Mike, I wouldn't judge you. You don't have to tell me but you can. I feel like I could tell you anything so I want you to think the same about me." El said encouragingly.
His voice was quiet but there was also a hint of sexiness. "I was, um. I had been having a really good dream, a sex dream I guess you could say, before I woke up and I was kind of finishing what the dream version of myself had started."
Oh. El tried to stop herself from smiling, remembering that he could see her. She put her hand over her mouth but he noticed.
"See? You're laughing. I knew I shouldn't have told you." Mike sounded hurt.
"No, I'm not laughing, Mike. Ugh, I don't want you to think that."
"Then why did you cover your mouth and why are your cheeks red right now?" Mike asked, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I...well, fuck, I was just picturing it, okay? I'm sorry. It made me smile and I didn't want you to think I was laughing at you because I certainly wasn't smiling because I thought it was funny. It was an involuntary response to my own imagination." El looked down.
Mike was smiling now. "You were picturing me doing that?"
"Shut up please." El hid her face in her hands. Mike laughed.
"Come on, El. Look at me. Please? It's okay. I think it's kind of hot." I think it's really hot.
"What was your dream about?" Really, El?!
"Are you sure you want to know? I don't want to embarrass you." Mike said as he looked at his screen. He was looking right into her eyes.
"How could I be embarrassed by your dream?" El countered, her eyes also glued to his. There seemed to be an invisible strand linking them even though they were states away from one another.
"Because you were in it." Mike whispered. He had looked away from her when he said it, clearly wanting to be honest but clearly a little embarrassed of what he had told her.
Oh. "Oh." El's voiced softened. "Well you said it was a good dream so that's all that matters." She smiled at him and he felt better, noting the way her smile went all the way to her eyes and she wasn't just doing it for show.
They had reached the part of the movie where Han Solo had been captured by Boba Fett and was about to be frozen in carbonite. Both Mike and El watched raptly as Leia called out to Han just before he was frozen. When Leia called out to him El looked at her computer screen to see Mike looking back at her. They were both mouthing the lines of dialogue but when they looked at each other during that part the world felt hazy. El didn't feel like she could speak.
"Best part of the movie." Mike said, his voice low. He had looked back up at his television but only because he didn't want to make El feel uncomfortable.
They finished the movie and El thought he would want to go to bed so he would be ready for work the next day. Mike had a different idea.
"Why don't I call you and we can talk a little more as we fall asleep. It won't cost as much on the phone since we use the same carrier. If you don't want to that's okay though." Mike suggested.
El liked the idea. She liked hearing his voice directly in her ear. They ended their Skype call and El had time to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. Mike called about ten minutes later.
"This isn't weird is it?" He asked. They were both lying in their respective beds in different cities.
"Maybe, but I don't feel weird. I like talking to you." El found that the dim light of her room combined with lying in her bed in her quiet apartment while she talked to Mike made it seem almost intimate."
"Yeah, so do I. Your voice is soothing and I wanted to see what it would be like to fall asleep to you talking to me. Christ, I didn't mean to say that last part out loud. You must think I'm some sort of mouthbreather now."
"I don't. Your voice is nice too. I wonder which of us will fall asleep first?"
"You think my voice is nice?" Mike asked. "I never thought it was anything special."
You have no idea what hearing your voice does to me...what it's doing right now.
"It is nice. You have a nice timbre. It's a little bit dreamy." Shit. I didn't mean to say that last part.
"Dreamy? Dreamy. I can live with that. Thanks, El."
"I didn't mean to say that out loud. I think being here in the dark in bed listening to you is tearing down my inhibitions."
"I don't see anything wrong with that." Mike's voice had that sexy tone again and El was feeling warm.
"No?"
"Definitely not." El heard him yawn.
"Mike, close your eyes. It's late."
Mike did as she said. He listened to her as she outlined the upcoming days.
"Tomorrow I'll buy my plane ticket and it will be definite." Her voice sounded low and soft and was lulling him to sleep. "In the next few weeks we can decide if we'll want to dress up and who we'll go as if we want to do that. We can spend the next few months talking as much as you want. Thank you for everything."
El could hear his breathing on the other end. It was steady and he hadn't spoken for a few minutes. She could tell he was asleep. She started whispering.
"If I could be there I would kiss you goodnight. Sweet dreams, Mike."
A/N: Okay, I've taken some liberties with this as the next Star Wars Celebration isn't until 2019 in Chicago but I didn't want them to have to wait that long so I've changed it for the story. I'm setting it up for them to have a little fun with the phone in an upcoming chapter since they're so far away. Just a heads up. There will be no pics or objectification of our beloved couple.