el had tended to holly's wound and put a band aid on her knee. thankfully, the cuts were nothing too serious. at first, holly had been quiet, but as el tried to make conversation, she gradually warmed up. once they left the cabin, holly was babbling to her about everything. the older girl was quite taken by how cute she was. she patiently listened to the precious girl with a smile on her face.
when they finally reached holly's house, el rang the bell, holding the little girl's hand.
the last thing she was expecting was the door being answered by mike.
as he opened the door and saw her, his lips parted and his eyes widened. "el?"
"mike?"
both of them just looked at each other for a moment before holly spoke. "you know each other?"
that's when mike snapped out of his daze and looked at his sister.
"holly? holy shit, what happened to your knee?" he immediately opened the door wider and gestured the both of them to come in.
"i fell. el helped me though. she was the one who put the band aid."
mike bit his lip, trying his very best to calm his racing heart. Christ, how was this perfect girl real?
"thank you so much, el, i-"
the brunette cut him off before he could continue. "please don't thank me, mike. it was the least i could do."
"how do you know each other?" holly asked again.
"she goes to my school, hol. we're friends."
"how come she never comes over? i haven't seen her with you before."
"well we've always known each other, but we became friends rather recently." el answered, glancing at mike with a knowing smile.
he was trying really hard not to blush. he almost wanted to hide his face behind a pillow.
"yeah. anyway, hols, come on, let's get you to your room. give your knee some rest."
"i will. mike, can you please make some cookies?" his sister pleaded, giving him her puppy eyes.
"now?"
"yes, please!"
mike nervously looked at el whose face was now beaming.
"oh my, are you going to make your honey oatmeal cookies now?" she grinned.
"i.. i guess." he muttered timidly.
"mike's cookies are the best!" holly gushed.
"okay, okay, i'll make them. but until then, you go and take rest in your room." mike ordered, looking rather stern this time.
"yes! thanks, mike." the young girl turned to el and gave her a hug. "thank you so much for today, el!"
the chief's daughter smiled as she hugged her back. "no problem at all."
"i'll be right back. please sit, el." the raven haired boy pointed towards the living room, as he held his sibling's hand.
she smiled at him and walked inside the living room as mike took his sister to her room. el looked around to see a bunch of photo frames hung on the wall. all of them family pictures. there was one which had mike, holly and an older girl who she assumed was his other sister. he had mentioned them to her earlier, but very briefly.
"hey." mike entered the room, making her turn around to face him.
"hey. i was just looking at these photos. they are so nice!"
he chose not to get into the details of them. sure, they were nice photographs, but they weren't an honest depiction of their family life. they all looked happy in them, but it was more or less superficial. at least that's what it felt like to him. he had no issues with his family but no deep attachment either.
"thanks."
"i know what you're thinking. but don't worry, i am not going to ask anything. you didn't want to talk about it the other day and you don't have to. it's okay. i understand. believe me, i do." she tilted her head, giving him a reassuring smile.
he gaped at her, in awe of how kind and gentle she was. never judgmental and always compassionate. that feeling of admiration hit him again. she really was the girl of his dreams. truly and irretrievably.
"in any case, i should start heading home."
he looked at her in panic. "no!"
startled with his sudden reaction, she raised her eyebrows.
he shook his head, composing himself. "no, i mean, like.. why don't you stay? we can hang out."
"are you sure? i don't want to intrude."
he was horrified. why on earth would she think that she was intruding? he would do anything to have her stay.
"i am one thousand percent sure. i'd lo-.. i mean, i'd really like it if you would."
she gave him a warm smile. "guess i'll stay then."
he was sure he was grinning like a cheshire cat, but for once, he didn't care. she was there, at his home, hanging out with him, and hell if that didn't make him ecstatic.
"hey, i made cookies just a couple of days ago and there should be one or two left. do you want to try them? if you like them, then i'm going to make a fresh batch now anyway, so i can show you how to make them!"
el gasped. "yes, please!"
her eyes were twinkling and the excitement on her face looked so innocent that in that minute, he wanted nothing more than to freeze time so that he could live this moment forever. it was sad that it wasn't possible, but thankfully this moment was now captured in his heart and that was good enough.
"please sit. i'll get the cookies." he immediately dashed into the kitchen. the cookie jar was in one of the cabinets, and thankfully, there were two cookies left. he neatly set them on a small white plate and walked to the living room. she was sitting on one of the couches, and he placed the plate on the glass table in front of her.
all of a sudden, he felt very shy. what if she doesn't like them? what if she thinks they're horrible? he shut his eyes immediately, to snap out of those negative thoughts.
"mike?" her voice broke him out of his thoughts. "are you alright?"
he looked at her, trying hard to suppress his nervousness.
"yeah. please, try them."
"oh, yes!" she enthusiastically picked up one of the cookies and took a bite. her eyes immediately closed as the delicious treat embraced her taste buds.
he bit his lip in anticipation, crossing his fingers behind his back.
"oh my God, mike, these are incredible!"
he gasped. it felt like some heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. he let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.
"r-really?" he asked, not quite being able to believe the reality.
"yes! these are, like, the best cookies i have had in such a long time. now you have to show me how you make them. please!"
"believe me when i say, nothing would make me happier." he said, meaning every word.
~*~
A/N- you guys, we're #3 in mileven!! i can't believe it, oh my God! thank you all so much, i am so grateful! <3