Mileven-Oneshots

When the Leaves Hit the Pavement

Mileven-Oneshot

What do I say to you?
What do I say to you?                    

The window pane was relentlessly hit by the tears of nature. The sun had set, the moon lay hidden behind the clouds occupying the sky for tonight. The only glow came from the small television and the streetlamp outside their building. El preferred the rainy autumn nights because the world seemed less harsh as she snuggled up on the couch by herself.

The apartment she shared with Max was empty, except for her small frame occupying the couch. The TV was the only source of main light in the darkness that wrapped around El. On Saturday nights she would watch Seinfeld until she drifted off into sleep.

El had a maroon bowl of buttery popcorn on the coffee table. It sat there as she watched her favorite show. Time ticked by as the hour drew closer to 9 p.m. She got up to throw away the untouched popcorn into the garbage. She was feeling a little more lonely tonight because Max was on a date with Lucas. Her best friend wasn't there to take her mind off her anxious feelings. She was alone in the apartment, the rain falling harder, the darkness the only constant to hold on to.

She wanted Mike's arms to wrap around her, to help calm her down, and to fall asleep with them securing her. They hadn't spent much time together since the summer and school had already been hectic. Next year would be their final year in college, so they were beginning to feel the pressure.

She expected him to be at home since he stayed closer to Hawkins. The girls and Lucas had decided to go to a college farther away, which was about an hour and a half away from Hawkins.

The girls had managed to find a run down apartment for a cheap price which they currently shared. Lucas lived in the dorms on campus with a roommate that had been friendly towards El. Lucas's roommate, Elliott, had a crush on El which he had then acted on. When he did El quickly informed him she had a loving boyfriend back home. Once that had been cleared up overtime they had become good friends. He was the only other good, true friend besides Max and Lucas El had even made while at college. She didn't have time to meet new people and build friendships when she had grades and scholarships to maintain.

She walked over to the landline and she already had Mike's home phone memorized from the days of constant calling. Those days seemed so long ago, now they briefly chatted almost every other day. Their lives had become full of stress filled days and nights making it hard to maintain their relationship. El tried to make as much time as possible to talk, but when she did something would often come up on Mike's end. She knew he was busy with school and the internship at the Hawkins Post. She just wished he'd try a little more, but she hadn't been able to communicate that to him.

The first ring came and then the last so she hung up. She waited maybe hoping he'd know it was her and call back. When she felt like he wasn't going to do that she called again. This time there was again no answer as she sighed in frustration.

She didn't know when Max would be home. She didn't even know if Max would come back to the apartment or sleep at Lucas's dorm. She needed to hear his voice to reassure her and soothe her back onto stable ground. She didn't think the short distance away would cause problems but at the end of the day there was still that distance between them. There was a physical distance, but she could see him in the void. She wanted to know that he was at least safe to give her some peace of mind.

Static filled the space of their tiny living room, which meant a bandana was secured tightly around her eyes. She focused on Mike as his image appeared. He was at a bar she had never been to, so she wasn't sure if he was in Hawkins. He was drinking at beer, which she knew he would sporadically drink one. She didn't really care for alcohol, but she wasn't going to prohibit Mike from drinking from time to time.