Mileven Stories

A Bit of a Pickle (1995)

Truly not my best work as I wrote this in a very short amount of time, (and during said time I was under a complete sugar high and just really wanted to write about a semi jealous Mike).
There's also a little nod to one of my favorite writers in this, hopefully she notices 😉
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It had almost been a month since El shared the news of her pregnancy with Mike. She was approximately ten weeks along, meaning that their baby was probably the size of an adorable summer strawberry.

Currently, the married couple was meandering around their local grocery store to stock up on all the things El was constantly craving.

Regardless of the warm weather, one of the things she needed in their home at all times was hot chocolate. On top of that, they had to assure they had an adequate amount of caramel sauce to pile into the beverage. In Mike's opinion, the cocktail she had created made an eggo extravaganza seem like it lacked sugar. But as long as his wife's cravings were being satisfied and her demeanor remained pleasant, then he could learn to love the sickeningly sweet concoction.

Mike was watching El practically skip down the isle and found himself lost in a trance. It was as if he had complete tunnel vision and the only thing he could visibly see was his ray of sunshine.

Yet, his one track mind was rattled when he heard her squeal, "They have a big jar of dill pickle spears, but I can't reach!"

He had to suppress a giggle as she began leaping  upward like a giddy toddler attempting to reach a forbidden cookie jar. He took a stride forward to end the show she was putting on, however, it seemed that someone had beat him to it.

El felt a foreign touch rest on the curve of her waist and watched as a tanned arm retrieved her novelty prized pickles. Then, a set of unfamiliar blue eyes met her own.

"And the winner of the last jar of speared pickles goes to the absolutely lovely.." the man trailed off, seeking Eleven's name.

However, it was a name he would not get that day as her fuming husband towered over the duo.

Mike essentially smacked the guy's hand off of her hip and spoke with unhidden venom, "thank you very much for helping out my wife. What an award winning gentleman."

Without skipping a beat, the idiot responded having seemed to miss the raven haired man's aggression, "wouldn't let a pretty thing like this one struggle to do anything on her own. I'm honestly not sure if she caught my eye as she jumped relentlessly or if it was just her natural glow that got me."

Eleven took notice of the pure rage that had swarmed over Mike's features, realizing that the grip he had on the shopping cart could probably bend the metal at any moment. He had never been able to manage jealousy well, and for some reason, the idea of another man picking out pickles for his wife made him internally rage.

"Thanks for your help. Have a good one," El stated cooly as she basically ripped the jar out of the man's grasp.

"It was my pleasure, sunshine. See you around," he said with a wink and exited the isle, which is good, because he had just nearly found himself on the receiving end of a punch to the face.

El glanced up at her husband whose jaw was now about to shatter from how severely he was clenching it. So, disregarding the fact that they were in the middle of a grocery store, she reached forward on her tippy toes to leave fleeting pecks along his jawline. Seconds later she could feel his muscles begin to unwind as his posture lazily returned, and his hands nonchalantly landed on the small of her back.

When she pulled away, Mike's abnormally dark eyes met her own. He briefly assessed her face and registered the fact that she was sporting a look of pure lust. He furrowed his eyebrows in response to what her face was presenting, curious as to why she appeared heated.