CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT;
YOU'RE DIFFERENT.

"i swear, you could be his fricking twin!" el exclaimed, following with an infectious giggle that brought a smile to mike's face.

they had just finished the movie and el had noticed how freakishly similar the boy on the couch beside her looked to one of the main characters.

of course, he was very insistent she was only imagining this uncanny resemblance, "yeah, if i was short and chubby with some dorky ass glasses!"

she gasped, feigning as if she had taken offense. she tugged her hand away from his, the hand he had originally reached for in response to the first pennywise jumpscare in the house scene. after the scene was over, he was still unwilling to let go and continued to mindlessly play with her fingers or rub his thumb across the back of her hand for the remainder of the film.

"you think glasses are dorky, huh?" she queried, bringing her index finger to the bridge or her nose and pushing hers up.

he decisively grasped her hand again and smirked. "his are. yours are cute."

she definitely wasn't used to this new, forthcoming version of mike that apparently returned her restless feelings. she ducked her head down, hoping to hide her burning cheeks.

of course, max had insisted on doing her makeup and finding her a cute outfit for tonight. the ginger styled her by tucking a simple, tangerine-colored blouse that el had bought earlier at the mall into a pair of faded mom jeans that she already owned, finishing it off with a pair of white sneakers. max dusted her cheeks with blush and lightly coated her lips with gloss, praising her appearance by calling it a "masterpiece."

when mike first picked her up, things were a tad awkward. not uncomfortable or unpleasant, just very unfamiliar. she never thought she would ride in his car or go to his house, but all of sudden she was on this date, doing all of these things. it just felt so weird.

i suppose 'weird' is a recurring theme for them, though.

throughout the movie, the tension died down. she kept giggling at his flinching or the way his grip on her hand would tightening during certain scenes. she had learned one thing: he did not like clowns.

"so, are you hungry?" he offered, thankfully not bringing up the fresh, red tint of her cheeks.

she hummed, "definitely. though, i remember you saying you can't cook so, should i be worried?"

he let out a dull 'haha' before it turned into a true chuckle when she began to snicker. "i bought snacks, like the pre-packaged junk. i know, it probably would've been impressive if i cooked you dinner, but i know my strengths. cooking isn't one."

she nodded, "well, at least you're aware."

he stood up, off the old yet super comfortable couch that had been in his basement since before he was born, pulling her up by their interlocked hands. "the food's upstairs. i would've brought it down, but dustin left gummy worms out down here a few weeks ago and there were ants so my mom has banned food in the basement." from everything el had gathered about dustin henderson, she wasn't even slightly surprised. the pair scurried up the stairs, finding themselves in the kitchen moments later. he reluctantly released the soft grip he had on el's hand to open up the cabinet. "shit, i meant to make us popcorn before the movie," he recalled upon seeing the box of microwaveable popcorn on the top self.

el's nose scrunched and she shook her head, "it's okay. i don't really eat popcorn."

his face contorted in disapproval, "are you kidding? how can you not like popcorn?"

she shrugged before explaining herself, "well, it's too salty and it makes my lips chapped. plus, the little pieces of kernels get stuck in your teeth and it's just, it's gross."

"maybe you should leave. i need to rethink this," he gestured between the two of them, referring whatever undefined thing they had going on.

she gasped before approaching and nudging his shoulder, "rude." her usually doe-wide eyes narrowed to a glare, a faux but convincing glare.

he undid the pair of thin arms she had crossed over her chest and took both of her delicate hands. "it's a joke, el," he assured, looking intently into her eyes.

her gaze immediately unsharpened when she noticed his stare trace lower, landing on her lips for a sliver of a second before returning back up to her eyes. she sucked in a sudden breath only to cover her gasp by clearing her throat.

mike smirked before waltzing to the refrigerator and pulling open the bottom drawer. "how about we skip the snacks and get straight to the good stuff?" he retrieved two pints of ice cream and held them up knowingly.

el smiled and nodded, "that's the best idea you've ever had."

he tilted his head before reminding, "well, this date was my idea, wasn't it?" she didn't bother replying, she only rolled her eyes and stole the chocolate ice cream from his right hand before sauntering back towards the stairs.

she heard him close the freezer and follow in her steps back down to the pimped out basement. "the lights are cool. i was right by the way, they are the e-boy lights," she said as the noticed the blue lights they lined the ceiling on his basement.

"i'm not an e-boy," mike objected, following her to the couch once again.

her eyes lit up, "at least now you know what it is. look how far you've come since you met me."

"yes, i got very lucky that our numbers are so similar and that you're so annoying you wouldn't leave me alone," he agreed before passing one of the two spoons he grabbed when she left the kitchen.

she thanked him softly before screwing the lid off her favorite type of ice cream, subconsciously licking her lips in anticipation. "for future reference, i prefer to eat my ice cream with a fork." before he could tell her how strange that is, she continued, "also, if this is going to work, you're going to have to quit calling me annoying so much." her spoon cut into the chocolatey cream and she soon brought it to her lips.

"if what's going to work?" he feigned obliviousness, opening up his own mediterranean mint ice cream.

realizing she had no idea what they were or if they even were anything, she suddenly grew flustered. "um, what?"

he quirked a brow at her. "you said 'if this is going to work.' if what's going to work, el?" she couldn't tell he was completely joking, finding amusement in her flushed cheeks and wide eyes. he laughed. "i'm kidding. you take everything so seriously."

she huffed, not finding his jokes to be funny in the slightest. "you're so stupid," she seethed, staring at the gelato as she pushed it around with her spoon.

she saw him lean forward, setting his hardly eaten ice cream on the coffee table in front of them. before she could ask why, he stole her own from her small hands, earning a scoff in the process. "okay, but real talk," he turned and faced her. her brows drew close together, perplexed. "i want this to work," he gestured between the two of them. "you know i like you, and i'm pretty sure you feel the same way still -- at least, i hope you do. and so, i want you to know, that i want this.. i want this to work."

maybe it was the way his eyes were boring into her as he spoke, but she couldn't take it. she was bombarded with the rapid ticking of her heart and the way her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. the urge to grab his freckled face and kiss his pillowy plump lips was overbearing. so, in the most out-of-character moment of her humble life, she did as she desired.

she kissed him.

obviously, the last thing the boy with the head of curls was expecting was for this girl who had been so shy about her feelings (not including the affectionate messages and emojis she would send at the beginning of their friendship) for him to grab him and plant one right on him.

a couple beats pasted before his wide brown eyes squeezed shut and he lifted one of his own hands to cup her cheek and return the embrace. his lips moved softly against hers, unsure if she ever kissed anyone before, but wanting their first kiss to be perfect regardless of whether or not it was her first.

one of her hands fell from his cheek, still cold to the touch from grasping her ice cream pint earlier, and landed on his chest against his crimson shirt. mike pulled her closer, deepening their tender kiss before pressing his forehead to hers and breaking the lip-lock with the faint sound of their puckered lips.

el, who had fallen breathless, only realized how badly her lungs burned for oxygen once she finally inhaled it again. she smiled when her hooded eyes opened to the sight of his moderately swollen lips and she smiled.

he chuckled lightly before curiously asking, "was that your first kiss?" she bit her reddened lower lip and nodded. "was it good?" again, another silent nod. he smirked, bumping his nose against hers before pulling away but still keeping his arm around her.

she tucked a stray strand of honey-colored hair behind her ear before safely assuming, "i'm guessing that wasn't your first kiss?" a slight grimace covered his features as his black ringlets swayed when he shook his head. she knew it was stupid to be disappointed, but she'd be lying if she said the thought of him kissing another girl made her want to curl up into a ball and die. nonetheless, she fought the urge to frown and nodded, "max and the guys already told me you're quite the manwhore so, i can't say i'm surprised."

his mouth gaped, obviously offended by his friends' description. "i am not a manwhore," he disputed, earning an unconvinced giggle from the alluring brunette in front of him. he sighed. "okay, i've had a few girlfriends, but they were all- they don't matter. believe me when i say that my taste in girls over the few years has been pretty questionable."

her brows raised, "what about me?"

"you're different."

she snickered before narrowing her eyes, "okay, but isn't that what manwhores tell every girl?"

he shook his head before he decisively grasped the small hand that was still pressed to his chest. "hey," he beckoned with a weighted tone, "you're different, el. i can't explain it. it's like, you make me want to be different." he scrunched his nose, cringing at how sappy the words coming from his mouth sounded. he shook his head, dismissing the unpleasant feeling and reaffirming, "just, know that this," he gestured in between them, "it's not like what i had with maggie and kendall and those other girls, okay?"

a tight-lipped smile pulled against her lips and she nodded, "okay." she eventually broke their gaze and glanced to their ice cream, "can i have my ice cream back, now?"

he huffed through his grin and nodded, "so, i'm here confessing to you all my mushy feelings and you're thinking about ice cream?"

she giggled, not responding until he had returned the carton into her clutches. "how real could your feelings be? i mean, you won't even put an emoji beside my name. the way i see it, we're hardly even friends. not to mention that i-" she stopped her own self when he pulled his sleek phone out of his pocket, paying her no mind. her forming scowl faded when he held the screen right in front of frames, showcasing her contact. seeing the display name, the corners of her mouth grew upward. she peeked past his phone to him and delicately asked, "when did you put that?"

he causally shrugged as if he wasn't causing her to have heart palpitations in that very moment, "a few weeks ago."

her eyes widened and she repeated, "wait, a few weeks ago? when?" you can't blame her for wanting to pinpoint the exact time and place where he started to harbor his feelings for her. he shook his head, silently refusing to tell her. she huffed, "no, no, no, you have to tell me!"

he smiled. "you're really fucking cute when you're mad," he soothed, gently tracing his fingertip to her scrunched up nose and earning himself another angry puffing sound. he conceded to the chief's daughter, "fine. i changed it after our first phone call. happy, now?"

her glaring eyes softened and she beamed. "wait, really? is that when you started liking me?" her eyes widened at how obnoxious her question was and she quickly dismissed it, "oh, shoot. that was a really bratty thing to say, you don't have to answer that."

he snickered but willing answered, "i think so, at least that's when i realized that i liked you -- when i heard you laugh."

her mouth gaped. "you gave me a heart emoji because you liked my laugh?" she heaved with an adoring stare. "wow, you're so easy, mike wheeler," the joke was only her way of covering up the fact that she was swooning on the inside.

he corrected, "actually, your name was just 'eleanor' in my phone up until then. that's when i changed it to 'el' and added the red heart." she didn't reply sarcastically this time, she only blushed before scooping a bite of the chilly delight. "if it makes you feel special, you're the only person in my phone with an emoji."

she hurriedly swallowed the ice cream, likely prompting a case of brain freeze in the near future, and pecked his cheek. "yes, it makes me feel very special," she confirmed, though 'very special' was an understatement for how she felt.

the not-yet-a-couple then finished off their ice cream, flirtatiously talking and learning as much as they could about one another.

el steered clear of her school issues, instead gushing about her job at the vet and her dad. she showed mike tons of photos and videos of milo. she told him about her ludicrous grandparents on her mothers' side and all the extravagant family vacations she was forced to attend over the years. she was thankful he didn't ask about her mom because, no matter how good she had gotten at hiding her pain over the past few years, she didn't want to have to hide it from him.

mike told her about his friends, though she already knew max, and all the ridiculous situations they had placed themselves in over the years of their friendship. it amazed her how much trouble they could get in with each other, almost making her thankful she didn't have her own close-knit group to rope her into such unethical schemes.

once 9 o'clock rolled around, el had the childish idea for them to build a fort compiled of pillows and blankets. after many errors and el scolding mike for his horrible fort-building skills, their small little blanket fortress was assembled and they nestled beneath it. the two continued their talks of absolutely nothing yet absolutely everything, so faithfully so that they grew drowsy.

it wasn't until many hours later they affectionate duo would open their eyes to realize their big 'oopsie.'

...

a/n: ok, hi, normally i would said "omg sorry for the wait" but like no. i'm not sorry, i got shit to do and if y'all keep relentlessly commeting "UPDATE NOW" i'm going to square tf up. i'm busy, bitch. now, moving on.. HOW CUTE ARE THEY,, FUCK!!!! this was some soft shit, y'all cried, don't even lie!! i really hope u guys enjoyed this, i had a hard time writing it bc i wanted it to be so perfect. ok, thank u for reading. lmk what u think!! xx

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