Halfway through May, Indiana was hit with a historic heatwave, with temperatures anticipated to reach the mid-nineties for a full week. News anchors called it "unprecedented" and urged children and the elderly to stay inside due to health risks. The air became stifling throughout the day as the sun beat down mercilessly on the suburban streets. Every store within a fifty mile radius sold out of air conditioners and portable fans within the first day, and the usual hustle and bustle of the small downtown streets became subdued as people sought shelter from the sun in restaurants and shops even though it was often still uncomfortably warm indoors.
The rarely used air conditioning system in the high school struggled to keep up with demand, and the air inside was stale and humid as a result. The heat lingered long into the night, the absence of sun providing little relief and making it difficult to sleep as a result; everyone was cranky and on edge, nerves frayed from prolonged discomfort.
It was on the fourth day of the heatwave, a Saturday night, that Mike found himself taking refuge from the heat in Rachel's basement along with Phil, attempting to study for the upcoming final exams. Mike and Phil were in AP chemistry but there was enough overlap with the regular classes that they were able to quiz each other on most of the curriculum. They were working through their practice questions in silence while the Royals/White Sox game Phil insisted he needed to watch played quietly on the large tv. Mike shifted, wincing as he unstuck his legs from the leather sofa he was sitting on.
"So, Mike," Rachel said, breaking the prolonged silence, "what are you getting Max for your one-monthiversary?"
Mike snorted. "That's not something she'd wanna celebrate," he said, immediately dismissing the idea. But the more he thought about it the more he doubted himself. "Is it?" he asked after a minute, glancing up at Rachel. She just smiled and gave an exaggerated shrug like she was pretending not to know. Mike shook his head and looked back down at his notebook. Max definitely wouldn't. She'd probably laugh in his face if he showed up with flowers or something equally corny.
"Fucking finally," Rachel muttered when they heard the sound of the basement door opening and quick footsteps descending the carpeted stairs.
"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Max called out as she entered the room. "Wayne wanted me to break down all the boxes that have been piling up in his office."
Mike leaned his head over the back of the sofa to look at her. "Liar, you just didn't want to leave the air-conditioned store," he said as his gaze travelled over her. She'd tied her oversized Van Halen t-shirt in a knot above her belly button at some point since they'd left school, and changed into some very short black running shorts.
She stood behind him and bent over, planting a quick upside-down kiss on his lips. "Can you blame me? I mean it got hot in California but this humidity is something else."
"We're working on redox reactions," Phil said from where he was seated cross-legged on the carpeted floor.
"Oh, I actually like those." Max took her notebook and pens out of her backpack and settled in next to Mike, pulling up her feet and crossing her legs.
Her hair was up in a high ponytail to keep it off of her neck, but the wispy pieces around the edges were sticking out and curling in the humidity, and Mike thought she looked ridiculously cute.
He couldn't help reaching out and giving her knee a squeeze and she smiled at him for a second before cringing at the same time he did.
"Ew."
"Nope, it's too hot to touch," he laughed, retracting his sweaty palm from her overheated skin.
"What is the chemical formula for copper two fluoride?"
Mike threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Uh… CU2F?"
Max made an angry buzzer sound and tossed the textbook aside. "Wrong again, Wheeler. CUF2."
"Fuck man, my brain is melted," he groaned, pinching his shirt away from his body and shaking it to get some air in.
The study session had deteriorated after a couple hours; Mike and Max putting in halfhearted effort while Phil was laying back on the recliner, raptly watching the final inning of the game with a lip full of chewing tobacco, and Rachel was painting her nails and flipping through a Cosmopolitan.
"Rach, how does your house not have a pool?" Max asked as she fanned herself with a magazine that has been sitting on the coffee table.
"Take it up with Sharon," Rachel chuckled. "I'm sure she would love to have a pool boy around."
"I wish they'd just open the public pool early," Mike sighed, dreaming of how good it would feel to just plunge himself into cool, refreshing water.
"They could," Phil spoke up, not moving his eyes from the tv. "It's all ready, I was just there on Wednesday helping with the cleaning. There's no reason to wait until June first."
He'd clearly not realized his mistake in reminding them all that he'd gotten a summer job as a lifeguard, and Mike crossed his arms and watched in amusement as Max and Rachel exchanged a devious look.
Rachel carefully screwed the top of her nail polish shut and plastered a sickly sweet smile onto her face, leaning forward on her elbows. "Phil…"
"Hm?" Phil grunted, spitting into his empty Coke bottle.
"Phil."
He glanced away from the television and looked at Rachel and her shit-eating grin, immediately realizing where she was going with this. "No."
"Yes."
Phil shook his head vigorously. "No fuckin' way."
"You know you wanna, it'll be fun!" Rachel whined.
"Come on, Phil," Max jumped in, sticking out her bottom lip in a way that would have made Mike cave instantly. Phil, however, remained unfazed.
"Guys, no, I would get in so much shit." He looked over to Mike for help.
Mike laughed and raised his hands. "Don't look at me, dude, I wanna go to the pool."
"Please, Phil?"
"Please…" they all begged, increasing in volume and drawing out the vowels obnoxiously.
"Fuckin' shit," Phil sighed, taking off his baseball cap and shaking out his blonde hair. "You guys are gonna get me fired." He laughed defeatedly as they all burst into cheers and applause. "You're paying me back in beer and weed."
A few minutes later, they'd gathered their things and were making their way to the Wheeler's station wagon while Rachel stole a twelve-pack of beer from the fridge, already sweating from the wall of heat that hit them as soon as they opened the front door.
"We're so getting caught," Phil muttered as he climbed into the back seat.
"No we won't," Max said dismissively, tossing her skateboard in the trunk. "It's a ghost town out there. I passed like, two cars total on the way here. Everyone's hiding indoors."
"We're in luck!" Rachel announced as she came down the pathway holding a case of PBR above her head. "My mom is having one of her 'Valium and Chardonnay' nights so she's already passed out upstairs."
They rolled down all the windows as they drove through the deserted city streets, Tears for Fears playing softly through the speakers so they wouldn't cause too much of a disturbance; it may have been a Saturday night, but Hawkins was never really bustling after 11pm, and Phil was paranoid about drawing unnecessary attention.
He directed Mike to park around the corner from the pool, and they made their way down the block giggling and whispering, exhilaration mounting as they approached their destination. Headlights lit up in front of them when a car turned the corner down the street, and they stuffed themselves in front of a recessed door, sweaty bodies pressing together, holding their breaths while they waited for the vehicle to pass.
"I'm reiterating how bad of an idea this is for the official record," Phil muttered into the wall he was crushed against as the car turned down the next street. They let out a collective breath as they tumbled out from the alcove, resuming their journey down the block.
"Oh, relax," Rachel chided, skipping down the walkway towards the bright blue front doors of the pool.
"Keep a lookout," Phil said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring that jangled loudly in the silence of the street. Mike and Max huddled against the brick wall, each looking in opposite directions for any signs of people or cars, but the street was completely devoid of life.
"Alright, we're in," Phil whispered, holding the door open and gesturing for them to enter with a little flourish.
They slipped along the freshly waxed floors, the red glow from the illuminated exit signs the only source of light in the deserted hallways. It was eerie, being in a place usually so bustling with excitement that was now so silent and still.
Phil guided them through the men's locker room, and when they passed the closed door that led to the gym and sauna, Mike was hit with the memory of what transpired there last summer. The test. Billy and the Mindflayer. Curled on the floor and pleading with Max before attacking her.
Mike reached forward and grabbed Max's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze when she looked back at him. She gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hand back, keeping their fingers interlocked even though their palms were unpleasantly sweaty. At least this time the worst that could happen was getting caught and maybe grounded, rather than a gruesome death at the hands of a possessed teenager.
They emerged back out into the hot night air. The still water in the pool glimmered under the light of the moon, and the lights at the bottom made it glow a perfect aquamarine.
"Oh hell yes!" Rachel exclaimed, pushing past them and beelining towards the deep end of the pool, shedding her clothes along the way. Mike averted his eyes, staring at the empty lifeguard station until he heard the tell-tale splash of her jumping in, and then Max was tugging him forwards, clearly eager to get in the water as well.
"Oh my god, it feels so good you guys," Rachel groaned as she let herself float on her back, something silver above her navel glinting in the light.
"Rachel," Max gasped, pointing at her friend, "when did you get pierced?"
"I did it myself," Rachel grinned, pulling herself up and treading water. "You want one?"
"Kind of, yeah," Max nodded, leaning in to look at the piercing. "What do you think, Wheeler? she asked, turning back and looking at Mike with a teasing smile on her face. He gulped and looked down at her exposed belly button, thinking that it would probably look stupidly hot. Too hot. His brain would most likely start overheating until steam came out of his ears.
"Um, I dunno, if you want," he mumbled instead, squinting up at the moon to avoid her satisfied smirk.
The rest of them started undressing, tossing clothes to the ground in a rush to experience the refreshing relief of the pool. Mike's fingers froze on the buttons of his short-sleeved shirt as he looked up to see Max pulling her t-shirt up and off, his single-minded lizard brain forcing his gaze straight to her breasts, barely covered in a lacy black bra that left very little to the imagination. He blinked several times. She usually hid herself beneath oversized t-shirts and baggy sweatshirts, and sure, he'd felt them a little when they were making out, but seeing them right in front of him was something else.
Max flashed him a smile when she caught him staring and turned away as she continued undressing, sliding her terry cloth shorts down her legs and kicking them to the side to reveal equally skimpy light blue panties, before stepping forward to stand in front of the pool, her toes curling over the edge.
Mike felt all his blood rushing rapidly downwards as he took in the curve of her waist, the dimples on her lower back, the pale length of her legs. She raised her arms overhead and did a graceful dive into the pool, and Mike shook himself out of his stupor as she vanished beneath the surface.
He watched her distorted outline kick along the bottom for a few feet before she resurfaced towards the middle of the pool and transitioned into an effortless front crawl until she reached the wall of the shallow end, flipping into a backstroke on the way back.
She grabbed onto the wall in front of his feet, smoothing her hair back as she grinned up at him. "You coming?"
Mike felt hypnotized as he gazed down at her, her eyes matching the turquoise of the pool tiles, her red hair slicked back and floating in the water behind her. She was like a dream. A wet dream, his stupid sex-obsessed brain supplied.
"Mike?" Max repeated, eyebrow quirking up at his lack of reaction.
"Um, yeah," he mumbled, focusing back on getting his shirt unbuttoned. He felt himself heating up under her gaze, suddenly feeling embarrassed of his skinny body, years of locker room taunts flooding back to him. He felt even worse when he glanced up at Phil who was pulling off his wifebeater to reveal his muscled arms and chest before launching himself into the pool feet first with a quiet whoop.
But then Mike looked back at Max, and the way she was looking at him was nothing less than ravenous, and any insecurity he'd been feeling quickly melted away.
"You're uh, a good swimmer," he said, trying to relieve some of the tension that had grown palpable between them.
"You don't live in California for half your life without being around your fair share of pools," she smiled as she watched him undo the fly of his khaki shorts.
"Hey, can you toss this over by my clothes?" she asked when he was standing in front of her in nothing but his boxers, holding out the purple scrunchie that had been in her hair earlier. He reached down to grab it but then her fingers were wrapped around his wrist and he was being pulled forward, tumbling head first into the pool, his nose and mouth filling with cool, chlorinated water.
He kicked himself to the surface and grabbed onto the edge of the pool, spluttering and coughing as he raked his wet curls off of his face, glaring at Max who was cackling delightedly at her trick.
"Oh you think you're funny, huh?" he shot back, fighting to keep the smile off of his face.
"Yeah, I do, actually," she replied, leaning her elbows on the edge behind her. Mike grinned and splashed his outstretched arm along the surface of the pool, sending a wave over her that left her completely drenched, mouth open in shock as she spat out water. "You're dead, Wheeler," she gasped, launching herself off the wall and onto his shoulders, shoving him violently under the water.
Mike struggled against her surprisingly strong hold for a few seconds until he put his feet down and realized he could stand on the bottom of the pool. He opened his eyes underwater and was greeted with an extremely interesting sight—Max's light blue panties with the word "Wednesday" printed on the front in fading pink bubble letters. He blew air out of his nose as he resurfaced, pinning her arms to her sides while he grinned down at her.
"It's not Wednesday, you know," he smirked, reaching a hand down and snapping the waistband over her hip. Max's eyes went wide and if the moon were any brighter he was pretty sure he would see a dark blush spreading over her cheeks.
"Perv," she grumbled, wriggling uselessly in his grasp and kicking her feet until she connected painfully with his shin and he let her go.
"They're cute."
Max pretended to frown and splashed him halfheartedly. "Fuck off." But then she swam right back towards him and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "I can't stand here," she explained as she clung to him.
Mike laughed and his hands went to hold her under her ass, the water supporting most of her weight. "Well the depth here is almost six feet and you're like four feet tall so…"
Max shot him a glare and gave him a sharp bite on his earlobe that made him gasp in surprise. "Shut up, Wheeler," she whispered before angling his face towards her and leaning in to kiss him. Mike kissed her back eagerly, revelling in the slip and slide of their wet lips. He edged the tips of his fingers under her panties and pulled her closer. This was easily the most naked they'd been with each other, and his dick was definitely getting the memo.
They pulled back to catch their breath and then Max was laughing at something over his shoulder. He whipped around in time to catch Rachel miming something obscene involving her hand and her tongue on the inside of her cheek, and Mike rolled his eyes at the interruption.
"Come on, lovebirds!" she called out from the shallow end where Phil was lighting up a joint, his perpetual baseball cap backwards on his head once again. "It's doobie time."
Mike and Max disentangled their arms and legs and made their way toward the other end of the pool.
Once Max could stand she glanced back at him, grinning and reaching her arms backwards. "Hop on, Wheeler." Mike smiled as he propelled himself forward and jumped on her back, both of them laughing as his long, gangly limbs engulfed her. She carried him over to the wide, semicircular stairs where Rachel and Phil were smoking, depositing Mike on the top step before settling herself in between his legs on the step below.
"So," Rachel said as she exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air, passing the joint to Max while Mike grabbed a can of beer and cracked it open, savouring the cold fizziness on his tongue, "Phil just asked me if I was stranded on a deserted island and I could bring one album with me, which one would it be. Obviously, I said Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar."
Max nodded and took a deep drag, leaning her elbow on Mike's knee. "What about you, Phil?"
"Prince, Dirty Mind," he said, taking a long sip of his beer.
"Damn Phil," Max exclaimed as she held the joint up for Mike to grab. "I didn't know you were cool like that."
Phil chuckled, "I'm full of surprises, babe."
"Okay, calm down," Mike muttered before taking a hit of the slightly soggy joint, holding the smoke in until his lungs burned. Max leaned her head backwards and looked up at him, lips twitching up in amusement at his apparent jealousy. He grabbed her chin and leaned down, blowing his smoke directly between her parted lips. She gasped and laughed breathlessly as the smoke puffed out of her mouth and back into his face, and he kissed her forehead quickly before straightening up and passing the joint to Phil.
"Y'all are gross," he shook his head before taking a deep drag.
"That was pretty hot," Rachel said at the same time, her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline.
Mike passed Max a new beer and rested his hands on her shoulders, gathering her wet hair over to one side and becoming momentarily transfixed by a water droplet rolling down her spine. "I bet I know your answer."
"Oh yeah?" she replied as she cracked open the can and took a sip. "Let's hear it."
"Rumours."
"Hmm…" Max contemplated as she tilted her head from side to side. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed after a few seconds, giving his knee a squeeze and beaming up at him. "What's yours?"
Mike thought about it for a few seconds, reaching for the almost finished joint from Rachel's outstretched hand and taking a hit. "Born to Run."
"Boo!" Rachel exclaimed, flicking water droplets at his face. "That's so boring!"
"What?" Mike asked, looking down at Max in confusion.
"That's like everybody's dad's answer, Wheeler," she laughed, reaching up to pat his cheek.
He frowned and took another hit, watching the orange glow of the paper burn down to the filter, feeling sufficiently lightheaded and relaxed. "Well it's a modern classic for a reason," he protested, flicking the smouldering filter next to their empty beer cans as the others laughed. "Don't hate on The Boss."
A few more beers, two joints, and five rounds of chicken fights later, the group found themselves sprawled out on the steps once again, this time engaged in a giggly bout of Truth or Dare.
"Max," Rachel said, looking over at where she was seated between Mike's legs again, facing sideways and resting her chin on his thigh. "Truth or dare?"
"Mm… truth," Max replied, wrapping her arms around Mike's calf.
Rachel grinned evilly. "When did you first realize you liked Mike?" Mike instantly perked up at the question, raising his head from where he'd been supporting it in his hand. This was interesting.
Max groaned and pressed her forehead against his leg. "The morning after the party in the woods," she mumbled at the water.
Mike's eyebrows shot up at her reply. "Really?"
"Aww!" Rachel cooed. "When he saved your drunk ass from pervy Brett!"
Phil grinned from where he was seated on the corner, his legs dangling in the water. "Hey, I was there!"
"I didn't know it was that early," Mike murmured, running his hand over Max's lower back, thinking back to that morning he'd snuck her out of his house. He'd had no idea of her feelings until she'd kissed him after their road trip, so either he'd been completely oblivious or she was really good at hiding her feelings. Probably the former.
"Yeah well, don't get a big head about it," she grumbled, sitting up and giving him a shy smile before fixing her gaze across the steps. "Phillip. Truth or dare?"
"Dare me," Phil replied, shooting her finger guns.
"I dare you to ditch the panties and run a lap of the pool."
"Oooh!" Rachel exclaimed in delight while Mike and Max laughed at the look of dismay on Phil's face.
"I mean you're really not supposed to run next to the pool…" he pointed out, readjusting his baseball cap on his head nervously.
"Do it, chicken!" Max called out as Rachel clapped encouragingly. "It's just like running around a baseball diamond."
"I'm pretty sure I don't have my junk out while I'm doing that, but fine." Phil chugged the rest of his beer, tossing it onto their pile of empties before hauling himself out of the water. "Enjoy the show, pervs," he said as he turned sideways and pulled down his boxers, letting them fall to the tile with a wet splat.
He shot them a wink as he covered himself with both hands and then he took off, sprinting around the perimeter of the pool with his ass totally exposed as the rest of them cheered and whistled as loudly as they dared.
"It's not a bad butt," Rachel commented as Phil rounded the corner and ran towards them, finishing by cannonballing into the pool, soaking them all with a huge splash.
"Putting the balls in cannonball," Mike remarked when Phil resurfaced. He flipped Mike off before snatching his boxers from the edge and pulling them back on underwater.
He shook out his wet hat and plopped it back onto his head before training his eyes on Rachel. "Miss Rachel…"
"Dare," she replied immediately, raising her eyebrows as if inviting a challenge.
Phil smirked, leaning his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. "I dare you… to kiss…" his gaze slid over to the other side of the steps, "Max." Woah. Mike's eyes widened and his hands froze where he'd been tracing shapes over the expanse of Max's back.
Rachel laughed, her glassy eyes shining in the moonlight. "I mean, I'm down if you are." Max sat up and looked up at Mike questioningly as if she was asking for his permission.
"If- if you want," he stuttered, trying to sound nonchalant even though his hormone-addled brain was desperate to see it.
"Okay," Max shrugged, sliding out from between Mike's legs and ducking her head under the water, resurfacing in front of Rachel.
The two girls faced each other and giggled, trying to figure out where to put their hands and ultimately opting to just put them on each other's shoulders.
"This is weird," Max laughed as they faced each other and took deep breaths, trying to control their grins and relax their faces. They started to lean towards each other but Rachel burst into laughter again and threw her head back.
"You can't make that face, dude!" she cackled.
"I don't know what I'm doing with my face!" Max laughed helplessly. "Okay, okay, let's do this," she said, schooling her expression again. Mike held his breath as they leaned in again slowly, their wet, parted lips pressing together firmly for what was only a few seconds but felt like minutes. Mike thought his head was going to explode.
Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pale beam of a flashlight coming from around the corner of the building.
"Hey!" a gruff male voice called out, breaking the intense silence the group had been ensconced in. The girls broke apart abruptly and whipped their heads around toward the voice, eyes going wide as the light source got closer. "Who's there?"
"Fucking fuck!" Phil exclaimed, jumping to his feet and knocking over the pyramid of empty cans with a loud clatter. "Run!"
Mike felt adrenaline shoot through him and he grasped Max's elbow as they scrambled out of the water, grabbing whatever clothes were in reach before sprinting towards the chain link fence on the far side of the pool. An elderly security guard rounded the corner, squinting and shining his flashlight around.
"The pool's closed, you degenerates!" he called out as he approached the corner where they'd been sitting.
Phil had vaulted over the fence and was already fleeing down the sidewalk while Mike braced his hands on his knee, boosting Rachel and then Max over the fence before hauling himself up and over, wincing as the pointed tips of the metal fence scraped his palms. But then he was on the other side, tugging up the loose waistband of his boxers, bare feet slapping against the pavement as they sprinted down the block, not stopping until they reached the parked station wagon.
They leaned against the car and caught their breath, chests heaving as they stood in the hardware store parking lot in their soaking wet underwear, dripping onto the asphalt.
"Told you it would be fun," Rachel panted as they all stared at each other wide-eyed. And then they were doubled over, tears streaming from their eyes as they laughed hysterically until their sides ached and they were gasping for air.
Once they'd regained their composure as much as they could the group sorted out their clothes, Mike breathing a sigh of relief when he found the car keys safely in the pocket of his shorts. They'd taken turns changing in the back seat of the car, opting to take off their drenched undergarments and put their dry clothes on.
Mike drove them home going ten miles slower than the speed limit and in complete silence, much to the chagrin of the others—because although he'd only had one beer an hour ago, he was still pretty high, and driving required every ounce of concentration he was able to muster at the time.
He'd dropped off Phil and then Rachel, and now it was just him and Max, and neither of them had spoken since they'd said goodbye to Rachel. There was a palpable sense of anticipation in the car. The air felt like it did just before a thunderstorm—crackling with electricity, both of them knowing but not verbalizing where the night was likely headed.
Mike stuck his head out of the open window, hoping the wind hitting his face would sober him a little more. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he turned down Kerley Drive and passed the sign for the trailer park.
Max shifted in her seat next to him and the plastic grocery bag at her feet that held their wet underwear crinkled loudly, a stark reminder that they were both naked under their clothes which just added to the already unbearably thick tension.
Mike pulled into Susan's empty parking spot, his heart racing in his chest as he cut the engine and silence descended over them.
Max lifted her backpack onto her lap and turned to look at him, her eyes bloodshot from the pool chemicals and pot, but darkened from what he was pretty sure was desire. "Do you… wanna come in?"
"Yes," he answered before she fully finished her sentence.
He stood closely behind her, his warm breath hitting the back of her neck while she fumbled with the key. Their clothes were brushing together and he resisted the urge to just reach out and pull her flush against him.
Max finally got the door unlocked and he followed her inside, looking around and taking in the cozy wood-panelled space. It smelled like lavender-scented candles and menthols. Mike felt a twinge of sadness when he spotted the empty cans of Coors littered around the kitchen and living room, knowing how much her mom's drinking bothered her.
She led him wordlessly down the hall to what he presumed was her room, his heart beating so fast he swore he was on the verge of a heart attack. Max walked through the door, turning on a shell covered lamp that cast a dim yellow glow over the small room, and Mike watched her as he leaned back against the door, pressing it firmly closed with a loud click. She turned towards him at the sound and their eyes met, staring at each other silently as the seconds stretched on between them.
And then a moment later she was across the room, knocking the wind out of him as she pushed him up against the door and crushed her lips against his. He gasped at the impact, inhaling a lungful of her air, hauling her up against him until she was almost off her feet. Her mouth tasted like a heady combination of chlorine and weed and… something incredibly sweet. Mike realized a moment later that it was probably the lip gloss that Rachel kept reapplying religiously, which was kind of hot—but also he didn't really want to think of Max tasting like anyone except him at the moment, so he kissed her harder, tugging at her lips with his until all he was drowning in was her.
His fingers tangled into her damp hair, drawing her head back as he pressed his palm flat against her lower back, forcing her to arch into him as his mouth connected with her throat. He licked a stripe from the hollow of her collarbone up the salty skin of her neck to a spot just below her jaw. She let out a ragged gasp as he sucked hard, using his teeth a little more than usual. He couldn't help himself, he felt like he was drunk on her.
"Mike," Max breathed, and he pulled back from her, taking in her glazed eyes and parted lips, wet with saliva.
"I want you so bad," he murmured before leaning in to tug at her bottom lip with his teeth.
"Then have me," she whispered against his mouth. Mike felt his dick throb at her words and he wasted no time as he kissed her again, their hands feverishly roaming each other's bodies, clutching at fabric and fumbling with buttons.
They pushed away from the door, their mouths fused together, and Mike felt his knee bump against hers as he toed off his shoes and she did the same. They staggered across the room until the backs of Max's legs connected with the bed, and when she fell back she dragged Mike down on top of her, his heart leaping in his throat as the mattress creaked around them.
He pulled back from her to tug the knot in her t-shirt apart, and Max quickly yanked the garment off over her head, tossing it aside as Mike undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt. She pushed it off of his shoulders, giving him a soft bite at the base of his neck before letting herself fall back onto her floral print pillows.
They paused for the first time in what felt like a while, their heavy breathing filling the silence as he knelt over her and took her in. She was like a work of art—her wet hair spread out over her pillowcase, her flushed cheeks, her neck and chest shiny with sweat. And then he let his gaze fall lower.
Now, Mike hadn't seen many breasts. One time, when Will found a Playboy in Jonathan's room, and they'd all huddled around it in Fort Byers, eyes wide as they gawked at the lewdly posed centrefold. Another time, when Dustin rented Fast Times at Ridgemont High, their eyes glued to the screen as Phoebe Cates emerged from the pool in slow motion. But Max's breasts were by far the best ones he'd ever laid eyes on.
He reached a hand out cautiously and then froze, glancing up at her to see if it was okay. She gazed down at him through hooded eyes and nodded, licking her lips anxiously but letting her hands fall back next to her head as if inviting him to touch her. Mike decided against just planting his hands on them and palming them like basketballs, figuring that probably wouldn't be very enjoyable for her.
Instead, he placed his hands lower, fanning his fingers out over her hip bones, his thumbs almost touching from how small she was underneath him. Max's chest was rising and falling rapidly as he slid his hands up firmly over her narrow waist and her ribcage, wanting to memorize every inch of her body under his fingertips, and then further up, cupping her tits from below, feeling how perfectly they filled his palms before spreading his fingers on either side of her peaked pink nipples. Mike swallowed painfully, his throat dry as he squeezed her breasts gently, and then he twitched his fingers closer together and she gasped, her already hard nipples tightening further from the light touch. He didn't think he'd ever been harder in his life.
"God, Max," he whispered, pressing his fingers around her nipples again more deliberately, and this time he drew a breathy moan out of her that nearly made him come in his pants.
He pulled his hands away and she whined, but he captured her lips again and silenced her, pressing his body against her as their tongues slid together roughly. Her still-wet hair was cold against his chest, causing goosebumps to appear on his skin despite the oppressive heat, and he could feel her hard nipples rubbing against him as their sweaty torsos slid against each other.
Mike sat back on his knees again, hooking his fingers in the waistband of her shorts. Max lifted her hips to help him as he tugged them down to her knees, and she kicked them off the rest of the way, resting her feet on either side of him when she brought her legs back up.
He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he looked at where his hand was resting on her knee. He trailed it upwards slowly, the tops of his nails brushing against the pale skin of her inner thigh, and then his gaze travelled further upwards where he caught a glimpse of brownish-red hair and glistening pink skin for a split second before her knees snapped closed suddenly.
"Oh my god don't stare at it!" Max exclaimed, and Mike yanked his hand away from her in confusion, looking up at her where she was covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.
"Well I have to see what I'm doing," he chuckled as she peeked at him through her fingers. He drew gentle circles on her kneecap, tracing over the fresh scars from her skateboarding falls. "We can stop if you want though," he said more seriously, trying to gauge her reaction.
"No," Max said quickly, dropping her hands from her face and reaching toward him. "Just… come up here," she motioned towards herself, "I'll tell you what to do."
Mike grinned as he crawled over her again, brushing his mouth over her goosebump-covered breasts before kissing his way back up to her lips, groaning when she sucked on his tongue. Max straightened her legs out and he pressed his body flush against hers for a few seconds, letting her feel his erection against her before sliding off to the side so he could trail his hand back down to his intended destination. She parted her thighs for him again, bending her far knee and resting her foot on the mattress, and he kept his lips hovering over hers as he brushed his fingers through soft hair, and then further down where-
"Woah," he breathed, as he ran the tip of his index finger gently through her slit. She was warmer than he'd expected, but he supposed that made sense. And wet.
"What?" Max asked, brow furrowing as she panted against his lips.
He moved his finger up and down experimentally, spreading the slick fluid around, and her hips twitched upwards of their own accord. "Is it always this wet?"
"No," she laughed breathlessly, "it's 'cause I'm turned on." Mike felt his cock give a jump at her words and the roughness in her voice. She reached down and grabbed his wrist, moving his hand up so his fingers were resting near the top. "Just stay here for a bit."
"Like this?" Mike asked, pressing against her a little harder.
"Um, higher? Ah, yes," she gasped when he adjusted his fingers, one of her hands coming up to rest on his shoulder blade and the other reaching above her head to grab a hold of her rattan headboard.
Mike wasn't exactly sure what to do but he figured circles were probably a safe bet. He altered the amount of pressure he was using until Max groaned against his neck and then he stayed there because it was obviously working and the desperate sounds she was making were driving him completely crazy.
He tried to ignore the erection rubbing painfully against the inside of his khaki shorts. At least they aren't denim, he thought somewhere in the back of his mind. His hand was completely drenched now as he continued to massage it over her folds, trailing down lower to gather more moisture and dragging it back up with the pads of his fingers while she pushed herself desperately against his palm. The next time he dipped down he paused at her entrance, nudging the tip of his middle finger just inside.
"Can I?" he asked quietly. Max gave an enthusiastic nod, a high-pitched whine catching in the back of her throat when he slipped his finger easily inside her. "Jesus Christ," he murmured reverently as he rotated his wrist to get a better angle before leaning down and giving her a chaste kiss. It felt like nothing he'd ever felt before, hot and tight and unbelievably wet.
"Go like, in and out more," Max panted against his mouth, and Mike quickly obliged, slowly dragging his finger out of her before plunging back in a little faster as she cried out with each thrust of his hand. She was louder than he'd expected, and her moans combined with the wet sound of his finger working in and out of her made his head spin. This was hands down the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He felt her relax the longer he kept up his steady movements, so the next time he pulled out he added his ring finger and sank back into her agonizingly slowly.
He leaned back when he heard her breathless gasp and studied her, searching her face for any signs of discomfort. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Max moaned, bearing down on his fingers and urging him to go faster.
"Oh fuck," she murmured after a minute, her eyebrows knitting together in what looked like pain.
Mike slowed down at the look on her face, freezing with his fingers halfway inside her. "Am I hurting you?" He felt her muscles tighten around his fingers and his brain short-circuited.
"No!" she said breathlessly. "Don't stop, if you stop I'll kill you." Mike nodded and sped up again, moving faster than before. "No, not faster," she groaned, digging her nails into his shoulder. "Back to what you were doing."
"Sorry," he chuckled, slowing back down to the pace he was using before. He glanced down and caught a glimpse of how wet his hand was and thought he just might finish before she did. To feel how wet she was, to see the evidence of how much Max wanted him—it was completely insane. She clenched around him again and dug her nails into his back.
"Don't stopdon't stopdon't stop," Max begged, writhing underneath him as she squeezed her eyes shut and threw her head back, exposing the pale expanse of her throat. Mike couldn't help himself from leaning down and sucking on her pulse point, and then all the muscles in her body tensed and she was crying out his name and contracting rhythmically around his fingers and raking her nails down his back and Mike thought he might die.
"Shit, Max, oh my god," he rasped when she finally let out a shuddering breath, her legs relaxing and falling limply to the mattress, her hand uncurling from where it was gripped around her headboard. Mike kissed between her tits, the hollow of her throat, and finally her perfect pink lips, and she kissed him back weakly like she was completely exhausted from what just happened.
He looked down and slowly pulled his fingers out of her, a thin trail of her fluids stretching between them until it snapped. Fuck. He stared at his glistening fingers for another second before wiping them surreptitiously on her duvet and rolling off of her.
They lay side by side, chests rising and falling rapidly as they stared at the ceiling. Mike palmed himself over his shorts, feeling the telltale wet spot that had formed on the fabric.
After a minute Max stood up wordlessly, stepping over to her dresser to pull on a pair of black underwear. Mike sat up as well and started to reach towards where his shirt lay on the floor.
"What are you doing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "Um, getting dressed?"
"Is that what you want to do?" Max slowly walked towards him in nothing but her panties and came to stand between his thighs. He ran his hands up the backs of her legs and over her perfect ass, burrowing his face between her breasts.
"No," he murmured against her sweat-slicked skin. She tangled her fingers in his hair and yanked his head back sharply.
"Good," she said as she hovered her lips over his. Then instead of kissing him, she was sinking to the ground, kneeling in front of him on the carpeted floor. Mike's heart stuttered in his chest as she gazed up at him like she'd give him anything he asked for. He was totally captivated by her. She reached forward and rested her hand on the waistband of his shorts.
"Can I..?" she asked, tapping her fingernail against the plastic button.
Mike nodded his head rapidly and leaned back on his hands. "Yeah."
Max pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and popped open the button before dragging down the zipper, and Mike nearly groaned aloud at the relief of finally having his erection freed. She tugged his shorts down his legs and tossed them aside, turning her attention back to his painfully hard cock which was bobbing in front of her.
Max sat back on her heels and studied it, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was trying to suppress a smile. She reached out and wrapped her hand around him loosely, and he clutched at the sheets below him, trying not to lose his mind at how small her hand looked and how soft it felt against him. Then she moved her palm up and down gently as if testing the weight of him in her hand, and she chuckled.
"Oh my god, why are you laughing?" Mike asked, gritting his teeth at the unfamiliar and glorious sensation.
"I've never seen one before!" she replied, letting go of his dick so it sprang back towards his stomach.
"Well don't laugh at it!" Mike exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Max laughed, looking up at him. "It's nice!"
"It's nice?"
"It's… magnificent?"
"Oh my god," Mike groaned, looking up at the ceiling. Leave it to his girlfriend to be annoying as hell even when she had his dick in her hand. "You are such a- fuck." His words caught in his throat as she ran her finger over the precum that had gathered at the tip, smearing it down the underside.
"Huh," she mused.
"What now?" he asked weakly, digging his fingers into the edge of the mattress.
"It kind of feels like one of those Vietnamese salad rolls."
"Max."
"You've never had one?" Max asked nonchalantly while continuing to trace her fingertips up and down his shaft. "They're good."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ, kill me now please."
"Okay, okay I'll stop," she snickered. "I'm serious, though. I- I like it." She looked up at him, her expression suddenly solemn. "Let me show you how much." Keeping her fingers around the base to keep it upright, she leaned down and slowly licked a stripe all the way up his length to the tip.
"Oh shit," Mike choked out. Max looked pleased with his reaction and she tightened her hand around him, lifting up on her knees before sucking him into her mouth. His eyes almost rolled back into his head at the sensation of her warm, wet lips encircling his cock. She bobbed her head up and down hesitantly as if testing how much of him she could take.
Her wavy hair was falling around her like a curtain so he reached up and gathered it in one hand, holding it gently at the back of her head.
Max seemed to get a little more confident and started going faster, pausing when she got to the top to swirl her tongue around the head. Mike's free hand was grasping the sheets for dear life as he desperately tried to keep his hips from bucking up into her. He was glad he was still a little stoned because otherwise he'd surely have come already—probably before she'd even touched him.
She slowed back down, pulling off of him completely to catch her breath and looked up at him, her blue eyes shining in the soft light, and Mike felt completely spellbound. Even though she was the one on her knees he'd gladly worship the ground she walked on. He'd give her anything she ever wanted. Max tightened her fingers around his cock again, pumping him firmly a few times before putting it back in her mouth. She moved her hand up and down with her lips this time, and Mike's head fell backwards, his eyes falling closed.
An image inexplicably flashed across his mind—diagrams from his biology class last semester. The sensory neurons and synaptic pathways that were firing all over his body, everywhere she was touching him, lighting up the pleasure receptors in his brain like a Christmas tree.
She gagged a little when his cock hit the back of her throat and his eyes flew open, his hand tugging at her hair accidentally.
"Fuck, Max." He'd lied earlier, this was the best thing to ever happen to him. She seemed determined to get his cock as deep in her mouth as she could, and Mike knew he wasn't going to last much longer when he felt her swallowing around him.
"Max, I-" he gasped, trying to warn her, but words were failing him. Max glanced up at him and her eyes widened in delight. She switched back to the faster up and down motion of before, her tongue paying special attention to the underside of the head while her hand twisted around his length, spreading the copious amount of her saliva around until he could feel it dripping down his balls. Mike absently thought that maybe he should try thinking about Demogorgans or the periodic table so he could last longer, but he really just wanted to give in to this moment with Max and the miraculous things she was doing with her mouth.
Mike clenched his teeth and grunted as he felt his orgasm slam through him without warning, both hands fisting in Max's hair as his hips stuttered upwards, and then he was pulsing in her mouth, his vision turning to static while the tremors ran through him for what felt like a full minute.
His cock was just on the verge of oversensitive when she pulled her mouth off him with a wet pop, and his eyelids felt heavy as he cracked them open just in time to see her swallow a mouthful of his cum. He decided he could die here and now and be perfectly fine with it.
"Good?" she asked, sitting back on her feet and smiling up at him. Mike pulled up his shorts and then grabbed her hands and lifted her up against him, collapsing back onto the mattress and taking her with him.
"Jesus Christ, Max," he panted as he tried to catch his breath. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
Max chuckled as they oriented themselves vertically on the bed, snuggling into his side and throwing her leg over his hip despite the heat radiating off of their bodies. "Rachel may have given me some pointers."
"God, remind me to send her a fruit basket," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she laughed into his chest.
Mike somehow managed to make it home before his 1 a.m. weekend curfew, dragging his exhausted body up the stairs toward his room. Despite how attractive his bed looked when he walked through his door, there was something he had to do first.
He knelt on the floor and felt around under the bed for the cardboard box that housed all of his mementos from his relationship with El. Mike sifted through the contents, setting aside a few pictures where the whole group was together. He didn't want to completely erase her or forget her, but holding onto all this other stuff felt wrong. Especially since things with Max were getting... intense, both physically and emotionally.
He gathered the rest of the photos as well as the letters El had written him, tickets from movies they'd gone to, and other various items that he'd accumulated throughout the years, and deposited them into his trash can without a second thought. Then he shed his clothes before collapsing onto his mattress and falling asleep with images of Max swirling through his head.