number neighbor / mileven texting au.

fifty-three.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE;
WE FIGHT, WE MAKE UP.

"i'm sorry," the words tumbled from both of mouths lips as soon as mike led her into some random oversized closet with "a/v room" printed on the door outside.

mike frowned and cupped one of her cheeks, careful not to bump the lens of glasses, "baby, you have nothing to be sorry for."

she leaned into his soft palm and held his wrist. "yes, i do. you were right, i was being ridiculous last night. and about the whole sebastian thing, i should've just listened to you in the first place-"

he held a finger to her lips, silencing her. "nu-uh, like i said, you have nothing to be sorry for. i was acting like a dick. i should've told you about that girl, i just didn't want you to feel even more-"

"insecure?" she finished with a small giggle. she noticed the way his eyes widened and she could tell he was about to apologize again so she beat him to it, "it's okay, mike. you were right, and i understand why you didn't tell me."

he shook his head and stepped even closer. "i should've never said that about your... your insecurities, el. i didn't mean it-"

"it's okay if you did," she softly assured, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand. she knew that if he said it, a part of him must've meant it and she couldn't hold that against him. "i can't imagine my insecurities make it easy for you."

he squinted at her, searching her face for a trace of anger or resentment — but of course, he found none. he inhaled before responding, "just gives me more reasons to remind you of how beautiful you are."

she rolled her eyes but the breathtaking smile on her lips was proof that she was content with his reply. "so stupid," she mumbled, still smiling.

"seriously though, i'm sorry. i really was an asshole last night, and i hate how i acted. i hate that we were fighting on your first day. i wanted you to have a good fresh start here, and i messed-"

she shut him up with a kiss.

a second passed before he responded to her lips and cupped her other cheek with his free hand. to his dismay, she pulled away to murmur, "no more apologizing."

he nodded before finding her lips again, this time a lot less willing to let them go. her hands slid down his chest and curled around to his back as their kisses grew more frantic.

this was a new one for her. if you told her four months ago she'd be hiding out in a closet on school grounds to make out with her boyfriend, she would've looked around for hidden cameras.

he sighed into the kiss before reluctantly breaking away and pressing his forehead to hers, grinning at her breathlessness. "i love you," he whispered, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

el pushed up on her tiptoes to bump her nose to his, "i love you, too."

"i don't like fighting with you," he confessed, admiring her features in the dim light of the closet.

she tilted her head before proposing, "well then, if you don't like it, we'll have to never fight again."

he chuckled, knowing the odds of that were slim but she just looked too cute staring up at him with those round hazel eyes. he leaned back down and pecked her lips before taking a step back, trying to create some distance before they spent their entire lunch period in the a/v room — not that he would've complained, he just knew she'd be grumpy from hunger later.

"we should go back to lunch," he suggested, finding her hands with his. the brunette grimaced at the mention of the cafeteria. "okay, i gotta know. why were you sitting with them?"

el sucked in a breath, "i couldn't find you guys, and lucy kind of just dragged me over there." she pursed her lips as she contemplated her own question. "what happened with lucy and you? obviously she didn't realize you were my boyfriend, but she still talked about you. max tried to fill me in, but.." she trailed off as she noticed his discomfort. "i don't want to fight again, but i kind of need to know."

he nodded in agreement. "sophomore year, a few weeks before i started dating maggie, i got drunk at a party," he grimaced at how bad it sounded. "lucy wanted to hook up. i knew she had a thing for me and it was wrong of me to entertain it, but i really wasn't in my right mind to say no. i hardly even remember it, but she definitely does."

el was chewing on her lip, trying not to focus on the imagery her wild imagination likes to provide. "she still likes you," she told him.

he scrunched his nose. "yeah, i know." she nodded and averted her gaze to their hands. "hey," he beckoned, bringing her eyes back to his, "it doesn't matter who lucy likes because i like you."

obviously 'like' was an understatement, but it still made her smile. "like, huh?" she repeated.

he looked up as if he was thinking, "okay, i really like you." she scoffed and pulled her hands away from his, pretending to be offended. he laughed and reached back for her, this time going straight for her waist and pulling her into him with a sigh. "i love you, beautiful," he kissed her cheek, "so much."

butterflies wasn't the right word for whatever was frolicking in her stomach. speaking of her stomach, a faint rumbling interrupted their moment. el buried her face into his chest in complete embarrassment.

his hand on her waist poked her belly, "see, that's what happens when you don't let your boyfriend pick you up and take you to breakfast."

she pushed away from him, "yeah, yeah. come on." she moved towards the door, but before she got too far away he caught her hand in his. the couple walked back to the cafeteria to sit with their friends.

as they entered, el felt four pairs of glaring eyes but, unlike at her last school, that feeling of familiar anguish never built up on her chest. for once, she wasn't filled with anxiety just by walking through the lunchroom.

a part of that was to do with the boy attached to her hand that had a gift for dissolving all of her worries, but it also had a lot to do with her. she had just as much of a right to the world as everyone else, and it was time she acted like it.

...

a/n: here is the floof. i'm rly showing out w these updates lmao. well how is everyone doing today? r we well? i've cried 3 times bc of naya rivera, the tiktok glitch bc i thought it was being banned, and then bc of my college schedule. have any of u cried? if u did, hopefully the mushy mileven helped. hope u enjoyed!! thank u all for reading and for the sweet comments on the previous chapter!! x

word count: 1208