Don't Let Me Go

Chapter 6

"When the hell did you give me a goddamn hickey?!" Max whisper yelled at Lucas, who finally let out the laugh that had been bubbling up inside of him. Max was sitting on the bed, glaring at Lucas, who fell down onto the bed next to her. "Oh my god Max you should have seen the look on your face! Oh, it was priceless!" he said in between laughs.

Max slapped Lucas in the stomach. "LUCAS!" she yelled at him. "It's not funny!" she continued in a whiney tone. "Max why are you whining all of a sudden?" Lucas teased. "Because you gave me a goddamn hickey and Joyce Byers, our best friend's mom, saw!" Max said, sounding genuinely annoyed and upset.

Lucas sat up on the bed and looked at Max. "I'm sorry baby." he said, sounding genuine. He pulled her into a hug which, at first, she didn't reciprocate, but eventually, she finally gave in. Lucas was kissing her head over and over again. When she finally pulled away from the hug, he started peppering kisses all over her face, which made her laugh. 

"Lucas stop!" she said, giggling. Lucas sat up abruptly and went straight faced. "Lucas what's wrong? Lucas?" Max asked. She got up and crouched between his legs so she could look at his face. That's when a smile finally spread across his face. He tackled Max to the ground and continued to kiss her all over. Max was back to giggling, a sound Lucas loved.

When Lucas finally decided he had kissed her enough, he planted one last firm kiss on her lips and then sat up. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up, too, to where they were both sitting on their knees on the floor. "What has gotten into you lately?" Max asked him. "I don't know. I think it's just the fact that I know you're safe here and we can go back to how we used to be, and I can do what I used to do." he said. 

Max leaned forward and kissed him in the way she does when he says something sappy that she pretends to hate but actually loves. "Ok well let me change my shirt to one the doesn't show my collar bone." she said, resting her forehead on his.

Lucas was about to leave the room, but Max stopped him. "Lucas, please don't leave. I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to be by myself, even when it's something like this. Just turn around and don't look." she said. "It's not stupid, baby. And I will do whatever makes you feel safe." Lucas replied. And with that, he turned around and waited for Max to change.

When they left the bedroom, they went and sat on the couch. Lucas asked, "So what are we gonna do? Like what is the plan for the day?" Murray looked over at them. "I don't know. Whatever you want really. I mean it's not like we're in hiding or anything." he said. Then Joyce chimed in and said, "What if you two went on a picnic for lunch? There is a nice field within walking distance from here. That way you guys can get out of here and spend some time together!"

Max and Lucas looked at each other and then they nodded their heads in agreement. "Yeah, that actually sounds really nice, Mrs. Byers!" Max said. Joyce just gave her a look. "I mean Joyce. That sounds really nice, Joyce." Max corrected herself. 

So, that's what they did for lunch. Joyce made them some sandwiches and packed in some veggies and other little snacks. Max grabbed her polaroid camera, so her and Lucas could take some cute pictures together, and put it in her backpack, along with a water bottle, some sunscreen, and a change of clothes for both of them, in case the two found a lake of some sort to swim in. Even though it was only the beginning of April, it was surprisingly hot in Illinois.

The two left around 1, for a late picnic lunch. "Be back before sundown!" Joyce had called out to them. "Yes ma'am!" Lucas replied. Then he spun around and grabbed onto Max's hand with his free hand, and they started walking in the direction of the field. Max had her backpack slung over her shoulders, much to Lucas's protests. He had offered to carry it for her but Max, being the independent woman that she is, refused to let Lucas carry he bag for her. I mean after all, it wasn't even that heavy. She could carry it the few miles that they were gonna walk.

Murray and Joyce were standing there, watching them walk off. "Young love." Murray said. "Wonder how they're gonna spend their afternoon." he said with a grin on his face. Joyce slapped him in shock and walked back into the house. "I cannot believe you!" she yelled. "I seriously cannot believe you!" Murray followed behind her. "What?! I never implied anything! What were you thinking Joyce?!" he teased. 

He slammed the door behind him which made Max jump. "This is gonna be fun!" Lucas said, sounding giddy. "Yes, I'm so excited! We can go explore after we eat! And maybe we can even find a lake to swim in!" she said, sounding excited. "I love you Max." Lucas said, placing a kiss on her hand. "I love you too Lucas." she replied.

The couple walked together, mostly quiet, just enjoying each other's company. They rarely got to do this with each other, so they always cherished every moment of privacy they got together. Like, they do love hanging out with their friends. But sometimes, it's nice to just be with no one else but each other. And they realized they would be getting to do that a lot in the foreseeable future. And neither of them were mad about it. Lucas gets to spend time with his amazing girlfriend. And Max gets to spend time with her, while sometimes annoying, amazing boyfriend. What more could they ask for?