The Actress and The Artist

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Max huffed as she set the last box down on the wood-panelled floor, immediately standing up straight.

"Finally." She said to herself, closing the front door and shutting the blinds as she noticed the sun begin to set anyway.

Turning the kitchen light on, she began making her favourite dish, spaghetti bolognaise. There was no beating it, it was delicious and easy to make.

As the gas stove turned on, a wave of loneliness suddenly hit her. Usually El would always volunteer to help in the kitchen, and even though Max often ended up being the one who did most of it anyway, she loved spending quality time like that with her girlfriend. But lately she hadn't even been leaving the bedroom let alone anything else.

It had been almost a week since the two had fully moved into their home, leaving their friends and families in Hawkins and deciding to start a new life all the way in Manhattan, New York.

Ever since she was little, Max could remember dreaming of waking up in New York. Seeing the snow fall during winter, visiting Times Square whenever she could, trying the infamous dollar slices. There were endless opportunities in this place, and moving here was the first step in the right direction. For both her well-being and her growing career.

The house wasn't massive, with only 2 bedrooms and one bathroom, but to them it was home. El had made the decision to finally move one random night nearing their first anniversary- which was in July, and even though it had taken them many exhausting months of constant work to save up, they had managed it. And so now they lived together, able to do whatever they please, without a mortgage to worry about, at just 19 and 20. Since it was the end of April, Max's birthday had just passed and El's was just about 2 months earlier.

Max smiled to herself as she stirred the pot, a warm feeling in her stomach. She was so proud of herself for being here right now, with her girlfriend living with her and with them actually managing to look after themselves. She was proud she had even survived this long, living with Neil certainly wasn't something she had fond memories of, but now that she was far away she could finally start living her life.

And she was so, so proud of El. Despite her horrific upbringing and traumatic experiences, she had managed to fight through and finally get the life she deserved. Max owed that to her. She would give her anything and everything, because without El she definitely wouldn't be here in Manhattan, but perhaps she wouldn't even be in Hawkins either. But she doesn't want to think about that right now, and decided to instead dwell on the happy moments that had brought them closer.

———

45 minutes passed, and the dish was done. She got two plates from the cupboard near her leg, filling it up with the saucy pasta before grating some cheddar to put on top. She set the two plates on the table in the living room, bringing water and cutlery to the table soon after.

After she was done setting the table, she headed towards her bedroom, knowing that's where she last saw El.

Opening the door, she was right. The younger girl was wearing a black hoodie and tracksuits, lying on the bed on her side but not under the blankets.

"Ellie?" Max whispered, assuming she was asleep.
"Hmm?" El hummed, not turning to look at her.

Max saw El's hand move towards her face, and walked up to the side of the bed. "I thought you were asleep." She smiled, the look soon fading as El looked up at her, her eyes red and her cheeks stained. "You've been crying again?" She asked softly, crouching down so she could brush the hair from her face, wiping the tears El had missed.

"No..." El shook her head, her voice fragile. "It's just the reflection of the light."
"Don't lie to me baby." Max replied, her hand still on her cheek, "What's going on? You've been like this ever since we moved." 
"Nothing, nothing's wrong." The girl spoke, her eyes not meeting Max's.

The older girl nodded and let out a soft sigh, feeling hurt El didn't seem to trust her enough to tell her yet. She pulled away, and El's chest ached with guilt, regretting her lies.

"Okay." Max managed to smile, trying to comfort the obviously upset girl. "Well I've made dinner, and I know how much you love spaghetti." She chuckled, standing up and offering the girl a hand. "Come on."

El looked at her hand before looking in her eyes, "I'm not hungry." She said quietly.
"You've said that for the past 2 days now." Max reminded her, a growing pit of concern digging itself deeper into her stomach. "And you barely ate any breakfast this morning, come on." She said, offering her hand again.

"I'm telling you, I'm just not that hungry right now." El said, her voice not getting any louder.
"I know that, but it's almost 10 o'clock, and I need you to try and eat, even if it's just a little bit." She was growing more desperate with each passing day, "I'm worried about you El."

El's eyes shot to hers, looking exhausted, "You don't need to worry, you go and eat, before the food gets cold." She smiled, and despite the somber situation, Max's heart lit up, seeing the smile that'd never get old in her eyes. "I promise I'm okay."

"...okay." Max said reluctantly, knowing El took her promises pretty seriously, "But tomorrow, please." She pleaded, watching as El nodded. She left the room with no further words, shutting the door behind her.

She sighed as the door shut, sitting down at the table and looking over to see the spot on the sofa beside her empty. That same wave of loneliness hit her, even though the girl she craved company with was just a door away.