AFTER DARK | mileven

twenty six

their summer break felt like it was over in a snap of her fingers -- but strangely, el could wholeheartedly say that this was one of the best vacations she has ever had.

the trip with her friends made her bond even tighter with them, the bit of time she spent with her father was priceless and..

and she grew closer to mike. a lot closer. it's scary how much they bonded in this amount of time.

it's even scarier to think how she used to swear on everything that she hated him to bits. and now, here she is, eyes always looking for him.

while having him around used to make her eyes roll her eyes in speed-light, she noticed now that not having him around felt like something was missing.

when the group of friends decided to meet up again once they were all back in town, mike's absence felt way too heavy around them. her mind kept drifting over to him, over to why he didn't come, over to why he didn't tell her that he wasn't coming.

but the questions in her head were answered soon when lucas revealed that mike was laying sick in his bed and barely had the strength to move.

oh, well. guess their little fun under the rain came with a price to pay. but el did warn him that he'd get sick.

and just because mike wasn't the one telling her directly that he turned sick, she didn't tell him that she was coming over to his dorm either.

there was a tray with chicken soup, a pack of chamomile tea and some advils in her hand as she stood right in front of his door. she took a few breaths in, nodding to herself as she quickly placed the tray on the ground and opened his door with her keys.

when it was slightly ajar, she took the tray back in her hands and nudged the door open with her hips. "i'm coming!" she loudly announced before closing the door and walking towards his room.

he had zero time for preparation when she barged in as if it was her own dorm. a smile was on her face when she saw him again but it faltered instantly when she saw the state that he was in; laying on his bed with a white t-shirt around his torso, a blanket draped over his long legs, cheeks flushed red and some used tissues resting on his nightstand.

he blinked at her a couple times in shock before a weak smile stretched over his face. "hey, i could've been naked right now."

she simply chuckled when his hoarse voice hit her ears and shrugged her shoulders. "wouldn't be something i've never seen before, would it?"

he waved her off with a grin but she could see how weak and fragile he looked in that bed. without a second thought, she set the tray on his desk and walked up to him. he looked at her carefully as she sat on his bed and took his hand between hers, rubbing his skin with her thumb. "how are you feeling?"

he shrugged his shoulders, darting his tongue out to wet his dry lips. "well, i'm not dead yet. i guess that's pretty good?"

she giggled at his answer, studying his face a little more closely now. he had dark circles clinging to the underside of his eyes, his lips were chapped and his hair was flying in all possible directions.

"if you had told me sooner that you're sick, i could've helped you right away and you wouldn't have to deal with it this badly." she raised an eyebrow. "oh, wait. you didn't even tell me that you're sick."

"sorry." he mumbled, "i'm not even checking my phone lately, i didn't talk to anyone for days. well, except for lucas. he came by when he was back but i was too sick to hang out."

"well, you're lucky that you have me because i'm here to make you feel better and get you back on your feet."

"i knew that i could always count on you to make me feel better." he winked at her.