imagine | mileven au

chapter 9

mike kept the phone and sighed. he had been calling each of his friends one by one, just to make sure that they were all cool with el hanging out with them tomorrow. he didn't want any of them to feel uncomfortable. thankfully, all of them were fine with it. they were pretty excited, actually. they wanted to get to know the girl who had occupied mike's heart for so long.

it was sunday night. he only saw her day before yesterday but he just couldn't stop thinking about her. it was as if she had enveloped his mind. his life before new year's eve had been simple and somewhat monotonous. he was quite happy. but after that fateful evening, he felt a different kind of happiness. it was if there was something in his life that made him excited, made his adrenalin rush. he felt more alive.

he wanted to be a part of her life. he wanted to be her friend. he wanted to be her more. he wanted to be the person who she'd want to talk to if something was upsetting her. he wanted to be the person she'd want to share any sort of good news with. he wanted for her to be as intrinsically tied to him as he was to her.

the other day, when they were making the cookies, he noticed how she'd completely focus on what she's doing. it was as if he had caught her in her everyday life, just doing normal things and looking so beautiful, so naturally. in those moments, he would feel overwhelmed by his desperate love for her.

his friend circle referred to themselves as 'the party'. all of them had positions. he was the paladin, will was the cleric, dustin was the bard, max was the zoomer and lucas was the ranger. if el ended up becoming a member of the party, then her position would definitely be of mage. after all, he was totally bewitched by her.

~*~

"school starts tomorrow, huh?" jim spoke as he stood up and started gathering the dishes on top of each other. el had cooked which meant he was going to do the dishes.

"yes."

"are you excited?"

"well.. i mean, normally i am indifferent but now that i have a friend, i am kind of looking forward to it, actually."

"i see." he pursed his lips.

she raised her eyebrows. there was something odd about that expression.

"dad? something wrong?"

"do you like this boy or something?"

her eyes widened immediately. "w-where did this come from?"

"just a question, kid."

"n-no, dad! we're just friends."

"okay. he's nice to you, right?"

"yes, he's such a good guy, dad. sometimes i actually want to ask him, like, how are you this nice?" she giggled.

"good. as long as he treats you well, i have no problem with him."

el smiled warmly at her protective father. "don't worry. he does."

he nodded as he started doing the dishes. she turned and went to sit down on the sofa in the living room. her fingers reached out to a strand of hair and twirled it. though she meant what she said, and she truly was excited for tomorrow, but she was also anxious. mike was her friend and she did want to hang out with him. but he had a group of friends. what if they felt like she was invading their circle?

she bit her lip. she didn't want to be a burden. certainly not to mike. he was so good to her, and now that she had one friend, she didn't want to lose him.

talking to him felt so easy. whenever she had to approach someone, she'd imagine the scenario in her mind at least ten times, rehearse what she had to say and then actually say it. but with him, she felt like she could act regular. speak her mind. even if he disagreed, he wouldn't judge. she could tell him something silly and he would be funny without being mean or hurtful.

she had found herself thinking about him more so since the day they made the cookies. she wanted to meet him more frequently. she wanted to get to know him better.

what would he be like if they played monopoly or something? is he a competitive kind of person? or is he one who's involved in the game but doesn't take it seriously?

maybe they should play monopoly sometime. or any board game he likes.

maybe they could also go to the park sometime? or maybe she could show him the area around her house? the cabin was near a forested area, and the greenery there was so lush and serene, that she loved going there from time to time. maybe she could take him with her the next time.

it had been years since she'd felt like this. in so long, she hadn't felt like letting anyone in. there was this fear of being judged, yes, but there was also this fear of losing someone who meant a lot to you. after her mom's passing, this fear in her had become strong. but maybe.. she didn't want to let her fear rule over her anymore. for once, she wanted to be free of being afraid.

she closed her eyes, thinking back to new year's eve.

that evening, she had felt happiness. sitting in that hall, talking with mike, laughing with him and sharing stuff with him had been surreal. she wanted more times like that.

as she opened her eyes and took a deep breath, she firmly decided- she was not afraid.

~*~

A/N- this chapter kind of feels like a filler. but they start school from the next chapter, so things will move forward!