A life less ordinary ||~~Elax/Elmax~~||

Date night

A/N update 3 of 3 today

Saturday night and the gang were having a poker and games night, no D&D allowed insisted Max and El. Looking at the game table, all the boys were down to their last few chips, Max had a decent pile left in front of her, but El had the majority and was looking very smug.

"What?" El said, challenging Lucas as he was muttering under his breath.

Meeting each of the boys' eyes, he turned to El and said "are you cheating?"

She opened her eyes wide in surprise, "what? No!"

"Come on" he said, trying to sound reasonable, "you've never even played poker before and you're whipping our asses, are you sure you aren't using your powers...even just a little?"

"No!" she insisted, declining to remind them that she has an eidetic memory, is great at math, and happens to have been counting cards.

"Ugh, ok, safe to say you win this game" he said, admitting defeat.

"Let's take a break guys" suggested Will.

"Yeah, we are all outta snacks" said Dustin seriously.

"Ok, official break, you've got 10 minutes to grab snacks, do your business, run around screaming, whatever you need to do" instructed Mike, "but if you're back late, we'll start without you."

Feeling chilly, El decided to go her room to find a warmer top and Max followed her, they hadn't had much alone time over the past couple of days. Knocking on the door, Max opened it and let herself in, finding El searching through her drawers. "Hey, you ok?" Max asked her.

"Yeah" El answered distractedly, "I can't find my hoodie, I'm a bit cold."

Max smiled to herself and walked over to El and the rapidly growing pile of clothes she was creating, "here" she said.

El straightened herself to look at what Max was saying and smiled when she saw that she'd taken off her own hoodie and was holding it to for her to wear. "Cheesy" she said, blushing as she put it on.

"Yeah, but what are ya gonna do?"

"This" said El, kissing her.

A minute later, Max pulled away slightly, "El?"

"Yes?"

"C-can I take you on a date tomorrow?" she asked shyly. "I know this...us...is a secret, but I still want to do things right."

As soon as Max asked, El's face lit up, "yes, please, absolutely."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

"You look nice, El" said Karen, looking at her affectionately, "going anywhere special?"

"Uh, no, just out with Max somewhere, I...I just felt like dressing up a bit" she explained, hoping she wasn't acting too suspiciously as she was unused to lying and didn't particularly like it. Hearing a knock at the door, she all but ran to open it. She gasped slightly at seeing Max on the other side, dressed in a lovely skirt and top with her hair done in loose waves. They stood and admired each other for a minute, before El gulped slightly and, without looking away from Max, half-yelled "see you later, we're off!"

Max borrowed her mom's car and drove into town, first treating El to her second favourite food, ice cream, followed by a movie. The movie theatre was quiet as it was still early in the evening, and they sat together at the back. Halfway through the film that neither of them was really paying attention to they took each other's hands, Max raising El's up to kiss it causing El's heart to start thumping in her chest. Turning to Max, the movie completely forgotten, she kissed her softly, "you want to get out of here?" Max asked, to which she nodded.

Abandoning the movie, they made their way back to Max's car, "what are we going to do now?" El asked.

"Wait and see" Max replied with a smile, before driving them away from town.

"The quarry?" asked El, as they pulled up in the dark about 20 minutes later.

"Yeah, trust me" said Max assuredly.

El hadn't realised there was a full moon until she saw it reflected in the still waters of the lake, "wow, it's beautiful" she said, looking at the tranquil scenery.

While El was looking across the water, Max retrieved a radio from the trunk and placed it on the hood, putting on a ballad. El looked around at the sound and found Max stood in front of her. "We missed the school dance because, you know, the roof fell off" she said, making El giggle at her stupid choice of words, "but I really wanted to see you dance...will you dance with me now?" Max watched El's face become very serious, not being the reaction she'd hoped for she started mumbling, "sorry, it was a stupid idea, I'll turn it off..."

"I'd love to" El interrupted, "there's nothing I'd like more" she added sincerely.

Max gulped slightly, before taking El's hand in her own, El finding the right position with her other. They stood much closer to each other than when they first danced together, and Max started leading El in time to the music. They never took their eyes off each other, until Max sent El into a twirl, then brought her close again. El giggled making Max smile adoringly at her, "smooth" El said, remembering what Max said about a guy making that same move.

She raised her eyebrow in reply, "smooth?" she questioned, "I'll show you smooth" she stated, sending El into another twirl. El thought she knew this move, but as Max brought her back closer she turned them both quickly and dipped El, leaning over her, supporting her back and causing her to gasp. They gazed at each other for a few seconds before Max slowly raised her back up.

"So, my partner might try that move?" asked El breathlessly.

"Yes" replied Max with a small grin, realising that El was flirting with her whether she intended to or not, "and then they'll put their other hand around your waist, like this, and pull you closer, like this."

"And then what?" El asked, a grin on her own face now.

"And then you'll lean in, and they'll lean in..."

"And then what?" El whispered, glancing down at Max's lips just a couple of inches away.

"And then..." Max didn't get to finish what she was saying, El had pulled her into a kiss, one different from the others they had shared, she was pouring all her feelings into it, wanting Max to know exactly how much she loved her and feeling that her words were never enough.

"Wow" exclaimed Max when they eventually broke apart.

Pulling her into an embrace and swaying slightly to the music, El rested her head in the crook of Max's neck, feeling utterly content, "thank you."

"What for?" asked Max, frowning slightly.

"For the most amazing date, for this" El replied softly.

Max smiled, so happy that she'd made El feel this way. "El?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

El pushed away from her hold and saw the nervousness in Max's face, "nothing would make me happier" she replied, before kissing her again, this time more passionately, pushing her against the car.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*