LXXVII
A lot happens in the following week.
Max's mother asks her stepfather for a divorce and they both move to a trailer in the poorest part of Hawkins. Incredibly, the day after the move Billy joins them. In Max's words: "He said he'd rather live with us than put up with his father anymore. Since he's already turning eighteen, it's not really a problem, or it won't be for a long time. Although he still has his outbursts of anger from time to time, he is much calmer now."
Eleven, personally, considers it a victory. At least when she sees Max's face free of the shadow she had glimpsed more than once in the past.
And then, one day before Christmas Eve, she gets a call.
"Who was it?" asks Henry, who is busy performing the grandfather clock's semi-annual maintenance.
Eleven opens her mouth just to close it right back. Her cheeks burn.
Henry raises an eyebrow.
"I… It was Mike," she finally confesses.
Another victory: Henry frowns, but the lights don't blink.
"I see. And what did he want?" he asks, looking back at the clock. "If I'm allowed to ask, of course…"
"Uh, he invited me to the movies. Today at six. Can I…?"
"My wallet is on the table," he replies as he closes the glass cover of the clock.
"I'm leaving," Eleven announces a few minutes before five.
"It is not too early?" Henry inquires, glancing at his watch. "I can drive you there at the exact time…"
"Don't worry, we'll meet at the park. And from there we'll go together," she explains.
"Oh. Alright. Have fun."
She smiles at him and waves her gloved hand goodbye. He responds with both the smile and the gesture.
The clock strikes five. Each chime seems to echo inside his skull as he watches her walk away and gradually become a black dot on the white snow.
The park looks beautiful covered in a blanket of white only interrupted by the trees.
It is in this setting where Eleven meets Mike.
"Hey," he greets her.
"Hey," she responds with a smile.
"Would you like to take a walk in the park before going to the movies? Since we must cross it anyway…"
Eleven nods. "Sure."
They walk at a slow, leisurely pace. Every now and then, her arm brushes against Mike's and Eleven notices the boy's breathing changes every time this happens.
Suddenly, carefully, Mike's hand grasps hers. His gloved fingers lace with hers.
Eleven allows it.
And this earns her a huge smile from the boy.
A few minutes into the movie, Mike takes her hand.
And he doesn't let go again.
Eleven finds herself unable to follow the plot.
Once they leave the cinema, they return the same way.
"I'll walk you home," Mike announces. "It's late and I don't wanna let you go back alone…".
Eleven considers reassuring him that she will be fine, but knows she has no way to do so without revealing more than necessary. On the other hand, she enjoys Mike's company.
This time, the boy doesn't even wait to get to the park to intertwine their fingers. Eleven answers the gesture shyly.
"So… I was thinking." Internally, Eleven begs him not to talk about the movie: she has no idea what it was about. "I was thinking… about you."
The girl stops when she hears his words and searches his gaze. Mike takes a moment, but finally looks at her. His cheeks are flushed, and Eleven doesn't know if it's because of the cold or…
"About me?" she repeats.
Mike purses his lips and nods. "Yes, I… Truth is… I like you. A lot. I like you a lot, Jane."
"Oh." She doesn't know what she should answer. She knows she likes Mike, too, but… between everything that's happened in the last few weeks, she hasn't had time to examine her feelings closely.
"And… well, I wanted to ask you if… If you would… You wanna be my girlfriend?" he ends up blurting out.
Eleven considers his offer. Or, at least, she tries, since she's not exactly sure what it entails.
"I… I've never had a boyfriend."
"Me neither," Mike assures her. "A girlfriend, I mean," he corrects, and the red on his cheeks seems to deepen. "But, if you wanted to… We could learn together. How about it?"
Eleven smiles. "That… would be nice."
She feels Mike's smile against her lips.