The other Mayfield (Will Byers X Reader)

004. Hi

Y/N POV

"What do you think he's saying to her?" I asked quietly, squinting toward the house.

They were too far away. We'd hidden deeper in the tree line than usual, safer, but useless for hearing anything. All I could see was them standing and talking.

"I don't know," Max muttered. "But I don't think it's good."

Her voice had that low edge to it. The one she gets when something's off.

I huffed and dug into the bag beside me, pulling out the binoculars. "Hold on."

I lifted them to my eyes and adjusted the focus until the world snapped into sharp detail. I needed to see if I could read there lips.

Henry's face came into view first. Calm. A little too calm for me.

He checked his pocket watch slowly, deliberately, then looked down at Holly and said something. His mouth barely moved. Controlled. Measured.

"Okay, that's creepy," I murmured.

"What?" Max demanded.

"Pocket watch. Again. He just, I don't know. He's acting like this is scheduled."

"Give me those."

Before I could argue, she snatched the binoculars straight out of my hands.

"Hey—"

"Shut up."

She lifted them to her face, elbows braced on her knees, eyes narrowing as she adjusted the focus.

I watched her expression instead of Henry.

Her jaw tightened.

"He's smiling," she said quietly.

That alone made my stomach twist.

"Like... normal smiling?" I asked.

"No." She swallowed. "Like he's explaining something."

I could see from here that he was walking away. Henry gestured toward the mailbox at the end of the driveway as he walked down the steps and toward the sidewalk.

We both leaned forward instinctively, watching as Holly walked over to it. Opening it.

"What is it?" I grabbed at her arm.

"It's a sidestep radio and cassette player." She said.

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. A present?

"She looks happy and excited," Max said, and somehow that sounded worse than if she'd said scared.

I looked up, watching for myself as he went down the sidewalk.

Holly stood there for a second, watching Henry disappear down the sidewalk.

Then she turned toward the house, jogging back toward it. Running up the stairs.

Max lowered the binoculars and looked at me. I was already looking at her.

That look said everything.

We both snapped our attention back to Holly as she slowed at the front door.

Something shifted in her posture. Max raised the binoculars again as Holly turned in our direction. Her eyes were everywhere. Her grip tightened around the cassette player.

She then shook her head softly, as if telling herself to just let go of whatever she was feeling. Whatever thought she was thinking. She reached for the doorknob, Then she opened the door and stepped inside.