Risk | Byler

11 - Realization

The next day in the morning.

Will got up with some headache and his body still ached. However, he felt much better than he did last night.

Now that his thoughts were clear, he confirmed that it hadn't been just a dream. Mike and him held hands.

Yes, he was pulling Will out from the Upside Down but, it felt different anyway. Different good.

Will also remembered Mike's eyes were very wet, but he couldn't remember if it was just because of the rain.

The attempt to stop falling for Mike was getting harder and harder for him.

On the other hand, Mike could barely sleep that night. He also cried a lot. His thoughts were full of guilt and his heart was confused.

He could not understand why he was so nervous. They used to hold hands with Will and all that, but they were kids then. Now they were older, and, what if Will felt uncomfortable about it?

He didn’t seem uncomfortable.
But what if he was?

Oh, Mike felt like he had a devil and an angel on his shoulders messing with his own feelings.

Mike grabbed the painting again.

Am I the heart?

A few hours later, Lucas, Max and Dustin went to the cabin.

Will received them.
He seemed exhausted.

- Hi Will, how are you? - Lucas asked.

- Better now - Will replied. Come in guys - He invited

Will tried not to be a jerk over the fact that the enemy was probably breaking into his house again.

He had already told El, Mike, Joyce and Hopper that Vecna was resting in the hospital.

Minutes later, while the group was talking about the last night, Dustin brought up a scandalous question.

- Why did you tell Eleven to close the gate when we told you not to do it yet? - He said, looking at Max.

- Oh, the gate. I’m so sorry about that, I’m really sorry, Will. It’s just, I lost connection, I only heard the first part, when everyone said they were ready. - Max replied.

Honestly, it was a good excuse.

But El had been so attentive last night, that she saw Max turning off the walkie talkie when she wasn’t supposed to.

She got into her room, turned the radio on and grabbed a black handkerchief.

El didn’t want to do this at all. She trusted Max, she was her best friend. But something felt out of place.

She looked for Max again, stepping into the dark.

A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. Max still wasn’t there.

El was in tears, now she knew what was really happening. Max could never recover that quickly, not like that.

El uncovered her eyes and left her room. She needed Will.

Will was no longer with the group, so he must be outside the cabin.

El opened the cabin’s door and someone else was already waiting for her on the other side.

- Mike, is everything okay? What are you doing here? - She asked, surprised.

Mike was holding Will’s painting and El’s letter.