𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞~𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

Chapter 38: Gotta Love Mike's Touch

Mike's POV

I led her up the stairs, moving swiftly. We got to the first floor, leaving the basement behind us.

Max grabbed my sleeve, "I'm sorry I left. But this is the only time I'm staying, okay?" She looked up at me from under her puffy eyelids.

I shook my head, "Max. It doesn't matter what you think El will do. I'll talk to her. And I'm sure that she already knows we're just friends. It's natural to be jealous."

The red head looked down, "I guess."

I sighed, grabbing her hand and moving through the house to the staircase. We passed my mom who frowned at us.

"Um. Michael, what's going on?" She frowned at me as we made our way up the stairs.

"Max went outside and got soaked so we're going to get her clothes from Nancy," I looked down at her.

My mom's eyes narrowed, still suspicious about what we were actually doing.

I rolled my eyes, "Mom, chill."

She seemed to realize that I had noticed her uncertainty. She nodded and continued to do what she was doing before noticing us.

"Come on," I directed Max up the stairs, moving through the hallway to Nancy's room.

I nodded loudly, "Nance."

A few seconds passed and Nancy opened the door, letting both of us be accessible to her. She smiled when she saw Max, "Hi Max. And what Mike?" The red head smiled back at her.

"Max took a walk and she got soaked, and I was wondering if she could borrow some of your clothes."

Nancy nodded compassionately, "Oh! Of course," she immediately got to work searching for clothes.

I could see ginger glance up at me in my peripheral vision, "Thanks Mike," she smiled weakly.

I squeezed her hand, "Anytime Mayfield."

Nancy proceeded to close the drawers of her dresser, "Okay, so I have some sweats but Mom didn't do the wash so maybe Mike has some T-shirts," she handed Max the pair of pants, smiling brightly at us.

"Thank you," Max grinned at Nancy in appreciation.

"Okay let's get you a T-shirt," I lead her to my room, which was to the right of Nancy's.

I opened the door, watching as Max took my room in. She smiled, seeing a picture of the boys and I with a trophy.

"Any color preference," I smirked at her, going through my T-shirts.

She shrugged, chuckling slightly.

I found a forest green sweater and handed it to her. Instead of grabbing the shirt, she burst out laughing.

"What?"

"How many sweaters do you have?" Her eyes twinkled and glittered with the happiness that she had a few hours ago.

"I don't know, maybe 20."

She practically choked, "20?!?" She continued to snort and giggle. I couldn't help but smirk at her hilarious reaction.

I shoved the sweater in her arms, "Get changed, I'm going to wait outside."

"Okay," I walked out, closing the door behind me.

El's POV

I looked up, the sound of footsteps padding down the carpeted stairs. Mike emerged first, his curly hair bobbing up and down with every step. The pretty red head followed him, dressed in a pair of too-long sweatpants and a green sweater.

Dustin whistled at Max, "Gotta love Mike's touch," he fingered Max's sleeve before she hit him.

Mike chuckled, "Nancy didn't have any T-shirts," He shrugged.

Will snickered, "Apparently you didn't either," he and Lucas high five.

Both Max and Mike rolled their eyes.

Lucas snickered, looking at Max's outfit, "Was this the best you could find Mike?" Max slugged him in the stomach, looking slightly irritated.

"We asked Nancy for clothes! Mrs. Wheeler didn't wash them yet! Lay off!" she flipped the three boys off, Mike giggling next to her.

I decided to speak up, "Are we gonna watch the movie or what?" I glanced at the TV, twisting the knob to turn the TV on with a tilt of my head. The image of Breakfast Club began dancing across the screen, making Max jump from the sudden sound.

"I haven't seen this one yet," Max stated, going over to the couch to sit down.

"It's really good," Mike clasped my soft hand, gently pulling me in front of the TV. He plopped down next to Max. My stomach turned and my free hand clenched. The movie turned to static for a moment. Mike looked at me, a knowing glance, almost as if to say 'El. Calm down'.

I looked down, feeling slightly sick. Why did he always want to be close to her? He was supposed to want to be with me. Not her. Whether they were friends or anything else, I couldn't control the jealousy that burned in my stomach. I felt dizzy with it.

The couch was just long enough for Will to wedge himself next to me, on my left side. He smiled kindly at me, probably sensing my tension, "You okay?" he whispered into the space between us.

I just stared back at him, my mouth trying to form words. He nodded, putting his hand on my wrist, "I understand."

I smiled widely, feeling a bit better. I looked back at the TV, barely taking in the story. Will nudged my arm again.

My gaze was fixed back on him, "Hmm?"

"Max and Mike are like brother and sister. They can tell each other everything because they understand each other."

I winced at the last few words even though it was to reassure me. Will noticed my hesitation, leaning close to me again to say one word that would help my aching heart and fuzzy mind.

"They are just friends. No more, no less. I promise."

My eyes met his, Will seeming to understand the meaning of those words. Will nodded his head once, looking content with how our conversation ended. He still had his hand resting on my arm, tenderly placed there to calm me. Our connection was extremely evident. Will and I were like how he had described Max and Mike. Like brother and sister. Like siblings.

And in that moment I realized that I didn't just have Mike. I had Will.

I had a brother.

A family.