purple's our color- mileven au

TWELVE

"Said I'm fine but it wasn't true, I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you" Cruel Summer, Taylor Swift

Something else happened at that party, something only Mike and Lucas knew. No one else could ever know, that's what Lucas said. It was a mistake. You didn't mean to. She initiated it. It's not a big deal anyways.

Mike knew all of those words weren't justifying anything. As much as he regretted everything, the second it all ended, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. It doesn't mean that it wouldn't ruin everything. That preppy blonde from the restaurant that invited them, her name was Paisley.

Mike slept with her at that party. It wasn't supposed to happen, it just did. If he was thinking straight he wouldn't have let it happen. For a while now, he had expected everything with El was over. He didn't have to worry about her, even though he wanted to. He has to get over her.

So there was Paisley. But the second she walked away and Mike found El alone and distraught, he knew everything was wrong. He messed up. There was no going back now.

It was their last day in Florida, so the consensus was they should spend it at the beach. It seemed like the most reasonable option. "El, I have to talk to Lucas about something, I'll be right back," Max says, going out of the room. The thing was, Max overheard Lucas and Mike talking about Paisley. She knew everything.

Lucas and Max crossed paths in a big courtyard in the middle of the resort. "Hey, what's up?" Lucas asks quickly, figuring she wanted something.

"I overheard you and Mike's conversation last night. I'm not so stupid I can't hear Mike's loud annoying voice through a phone. And you wanna know where Mike was as he called you, about some bitchy blonde? Well he wasn't at the party, and neither was El." Max had a sour face. Lucas sighs, hanging his hand and rolling his eyes.

Lucas inhales sharply, "Max you shouldn't worry about it."
"Excuse me?! I think I'm gonna worry. I mean what is this just some game that's funny to you two?" Max starts yelling, "You can't just let this sit and get worse. It's not fair, he needs to tell her."

Without either of them knowing, El and the rest of the boys walked downstairs to get going and caught them fighting. "I know he does! Leave it be, it'll work itself out," Lucas replies. Max scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Uh hi?" Dustin cuts through. Max practically jumps and Lucas turns around to face the other four. "Yeah, hi," Max says, rubbing her arm up and down. El's eyes darted between Max and Lucas curiously.

"Everything ok?" she asks sweetly.
Max nods, walking over and swinging an arm over El's shoulder, "mhm, let's go." The six of them walked to the beach together, and Dustin and Will were arguing about Reese's versus 3 Musketeers.

Their set up was pretty close to where they were last time, and they weren't very far away from a little cove, rocks building a wall around a small amount of water that no one was in at the moment. "Look at that!" El pointed, lifting her sunglasses to her head.

"I bet you could do an awesome flip into that!" Dustin proclaims.
Will laughs, "it's probably not even two feet deep." The curly haired boy shrugs, eating an oreo.

Mike knew he had to tell her. And as soon as possible. He struggled with how though. Oh hey, I slept with a stranger and then took you home and held you as you fell asleep. Cause that totally makes a whole lot of sense. Maybe he just needed to rip the bandaid off.

"El, wanna go check out the cove with me?" Mike offers. El shrugged and said sure, standing up and walking with him. They walked silently for a few minutes, but it was comfortable. The chirping seagulls and splashing of the waves insisted on their attention, so the fact that neither of them knew what to say didn't really bother the other at all.

"Mike," El finally begins to talk, and Mike turns his head to her, "thanks for the sweatshirt. And everything last night too. I don't know what I would've done without you."

This felt like a punch in the gut for Mike. He was so sick with guilt, terrified of the outcome of what he had to tell her. Mike nodded hastily, "no problem." El looked up at him and cut a little ahead of him so she could swiftly move back in place but a little closer. "El I-there's something I've been meaning to-to ask you," Mike stumbles. Say it. Now.

El opens her eyes wide, looking in his eyes and nodding like she was telling him to go on. He just couldn't do it. Admit what he had done. "Is the-our thing still on?" he spits out. Definitely not what he should've said.

"That..oh," El looked down. No, she can't let it go on. It's too messy and complicated, something she can't understand and may never. She isn't just some fling, that's not what she thought she was. No.

"Sure." she messes up. Both of them were frustrated at their mistakes, now caught back up in the wrong situation. "Oh, cool." Mike purses his lips. El waved her hands for him to follow her and she took off to the cove.

"Wow, it's nice here," she turns around, not expecting Mike's face to be so close. Her face turns scarlett red, as does his. An idiotic representation of her feelings takes control of her mind. As she connects their lips in the middle, both of their breaths catch in their throat, unexpecting this and not sure what to do now. They pull away at the same time.

They both thought the exact same thing, and it was probably the worst thing they could think of. Maybe if I just play it off. Their lips crash together for a second time, and neither of them are so quick to pull away anymore. Mike's one hand held hers, the other cupped her face as hers brushed his jawline, and his cheekbones and nose.

It shouldn't have happened like that. It was time for their story to end, or take a break. But neither of them could handle being apart for any longer. No matter what later consequences would mean. She was naive. He was cruel. How will they ever work this out?

****

Nancy, Jonathan and the party were out for ice cream as their final night was coming to an end. They were all sitting on a cement wall outside of the parlor. Dustin and Will were playing some stupid game to see who will get ice cream in their face first and everyone was watching. "Will, would you stop it," Jonathan laughs.

"Uh no, I think I'm gonna win," Will tries to hit Dustin's face with his cone, but he flinches back. They keep playing for a few seconds. "Who the hell put gummy bears in my ice cream!" Lucas fake gags.

"That was me, I mixed ours up and wanted to see if you wouldn't notice," Max calls back. Lucas shakes his head and throws a yellow gummy bear at her, which she catches in her mouth. "Dang, ok," Lucas laughs.

"Wait go for 2," Max moves to face him more and tries to catch more gummy bears. El was sitting in between Nancy and Max and was watching Max and Lucas play their game. Mike walks over to sit next to her, since they were the only ones not occupied by someone else. "I think they were fighting earlier, I'm glad they made up," El mentions, scooping up a little bit of her ice cream.

"Yeah... what were they fighting about anyways?" Mike asks. El shrugs and mumbled I don't know, eating her ice cream and grinning to herself. "What'd you get?" El looks at Mike.

"Chocolate, why?" he replies. The brunette took her spoon and made a dent in Mike's cone, trying it. Mike laughs and moves his cone away, "why'd you do that!" he jokes.

"I wanted to try it, duh." she giggles. Mike huffs, dipping a finger into El's cup and licking it. "Hey!" she laughs, punching his arm playfully. He grins, saying what. "Your hands are most definitely dirty," El retorted, rolling her eyes in a joking manner. Mike flashes a smile at her that makes her stomach light up and her face gain a pinkish color.

He's so stupid, I love him. Wait, what? She looks to her side, considering what her subconscious just cleared up for her. El loved Mike. She was in love with him. That has a nice ring to it.

She sighs, smiling back at him as he laces their fingers together softly. I really love him...

a/n: oof. i hope this wasn't too rushed, but double update i'm so awesome ik. brace yourselves for the next chapter :) oh also dedicating to the person who's been awaiting "the big sad plot twist" for a rly long time bc she's been supporting me since the BEGINNING of this entire fic. sorry not sorry, izzymarieig