Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

six - stop running

song - West by Sleeping At Last

~"maps stretched out
too many miles to count
let's just say we're inches apart,
even closer at heart,
and we'll be just fine"~

She had been watching him for so long that she had become accustomed to the distance that lay between them. The space between them stretched longer everyday down the hallways, making it feel like they were oceans apart despite being trapped in the same building all day. Jane had kept her distance, getting used to only imagining them meeting in real life, those boundaries even making her feel safe. She was so terrified that if they met she would ruin it all, that she could say one word and it could all go up in flames. The dreams that kept her up at night could come crashing down in reality, his eyes filled with disgust or fear instead of the adoration that she had imagined within his dark orbs. Part of her wanted to keep her distance, knowing that she was protecting both of them, but she couldn't help but resist against the barriers that she had built up between them through the years. 

The day that his skin touched hers, something within her changed. 

She had frozen in surprise, all of her muscles contracting and relaxing at once until it felt like something strange was rushing through her entire body. She could feel the electricity that had been described in books, her bones and ligaments zipping with an electrical charge the moment that his hand grabbed hers. She looked up in his eyes, feeling stuck as if she was trapped in a sticky mess of honey, the sweetness surrounding her too tempting for her to move. Mike seemed flustered, letting go of her hand immediately, unaware that she could still the warmth buzzing through her bones. It was enough warmth to melt her cold lonely heart, for her to feel for just one split second, that he could make everything okay. 

"Uh, hi..." Mike winced, looking down as if ashamed. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to grab you...I just wanted you to stop running away from me."

Jane blinked. 

He watched her carefully, stepping closer in a way that made her gulp despite his innocent intentions. His fingers came up to run through his straight back hair that curled slightly at the edges, a beautiful ebony mess. His words came out rushed, perhaps even slightly desperate as he searched her eyes. "H-Have I done anything to upset you?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "No."

His face lit up sheepishly. "Oh, so you can speak."

Jane gave him a strange look. 

"S-Sorry, it's just that...I think that is the second word that you have ever spoken to me. I didn't know whether you could speak or not...sorry that sounds rude" Mike felt flustered suddenly, his cheeks heating up adorably, the action making her smile sweetly. 

"It's okay" she whispered softly. 

Mike smiled back at her hesitantly. "You're Jane, right? Jane Hopper?"

She nodded her head gently. 

"My Aunt is called Jane!" he exclaimed, and then watched her face fall. "N-Not that it isn't a great name, it is a fantastic name...do you have a middle name?"

"El-Eleanor" Jane tried to remember correctly. "I say El."

A soft smile took over his face. "That's a pretty name. I like the name El...it's different, you know? Not as common as Eleanor or anything like that."

Jane bit her lip. "You can call me El...if you want. I-I don't-"

"I can?" Mike breathed.

Jane smiled sweetly at him as she nodded her head. 

There was a small pause that lay between them as they scanned each other, Mike's eyes full of curiosity and excitement at the fact that she was acknowledging him instead of running away. Jane was frozen in a trance, not entirely sure whether or not she was still dreaming, expecting to hear her father wake her up shortly. The silence was almost comfortable, as if they had been waiting for so long to speak to each other, that they needed a moment for it to sink in. Jane couldn't catch her breath, a nice feeling of being breathless settling over her lungs as if he had sucked the oxygen out of her when entering her atmosphere. She wanted to stay in that moment forever, with nothing but their dopey grins and bright eyes, no interruptions or dangers that could ruin what had started between them.