i dare you | mileven au

ten

eleanor stood in front of her full-length mirror, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shorts as she tried to assess her appearance for the tenth time that afternoon. her best friend,  max, was perched on her bed, watching her with an amused expression.

"bitch, could you please calm down?" max said, her voice laced with exasperation. "this is just a tutoring day. he's  not going to fuck the mario coins out of you."

el's face instantly flushed with embarrassment, and she grabbed a pile of clothes from the floor and flung it at her. "oh my god, shut up!" she exclaimed, trying to shake the image from her mind. the thought of mike, doing anything remotely sexual with her was enough to make her heart race and her palms sweat.

she took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, reminding herself that she was just overthinking things. it was just a tutoring session, nothing more. but as she looked at her reflection once again, she couldn't help but worry if she was dressed appropriately.

"is it too much?" she asked max, gesturing to her outfit - a pair of denim shorts and a strawberry-print crop top. "does it look like i'm trying too hard?"

max rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at her friend's nervousness. "you look cute, babe. and he's seen you in your pajamas before, remember?"

eleanor nodded, trying to let out a laugh. "right, right. I'm just being silly."

but as the minutes ticked by and mike still hadn't arrived, eleanor's nerves began to get the best of her. she paced back and forth in her room, checking her phone every few seconds to see if he had texted her. max tried to distract her with small talk, but it was no use - her mind was solely focused on mike.

finally, there was a knock on the door, and el practically jumped out of her skin. max giggled at her reaction, but quickly composed herself as mike walked into the room. he looked handsome as ever, with his dark curly hair, hiding some part of his face and an easy smile. eleanor couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach as she stared at him in awe.

he looked way too good to actually be real.

"hey, el. hey, max," he greeted them, taking a seat at el desk. "ready to get started?"

eleanor nodded, trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach.

"ok so i will leave you two be. i have a date with lucas to attend-"max gave a sly wink to el before gathering her things and making a quick exit.

the young woman could feel her nerves begin to take hold as she mentally berated herself for being so anxious. after all, she and mike had spent an entire day together not too long ago. this was just tutoring, nothing more. she needed to get a grip.

but then he spoke, his deep voice causing her heart to race. "love the strawberry print," he said, his smirk only adding to her flustered state. she tried her best to keep her composure, but it was difficult when he was sitting so close, his features illuminated by the desk light.

she took a deep breath and managed to squeak out a simple "thanks" before turning her attention to the materials they would need for the tutoring session. she had to focus. for the sake of her education and of course the play. if she wanted to participate in it she had to pass her maths.

"how much did you want to be paid for this, by the way?" she asked, her mind racing with thoughts of anything other than how close he was to her.

"paid? don't worry about it, angel. i'm  doing it for free," he replied with a small smile.

eleanor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "what do you mean for free? are you crazy?" she exclaimed, scandalized by his offer.

"it's  alright, it was also an excuse for me to spend some time with you," he said with a wink, turning his attention to her notebooks and exercises books to see where she needed the most help.