Chapter Text
The moment that Vanessa had left, Mike couldn’t help but feel a pit of loneliness within him as he trudged back into the house. He hadn’t felt like that around someone in a long time.
He probably never had.
“So..is that your giiirlfriend?” Abby sang as she watched him walk through the door.
”What..? No! No, Abby, we just met. She’s just a friend.”
”But, Mike, you never have friends who are girls. Besides Max, but she’s just my babysitter. And you don’t act like that around her the way you acted with Vanessa.” she said in a suspicious, doubtful tone.
”I..” Mike breathed, dumbfounded. “It’s not like that.”
”It is too like that! Look at you! Your face is turning all red! And I could see you guys through the window anyway. You held hands! That means you likee her! Plus, she’s super pretty!”
”How- how could you even see that far?” he stammered, eyes wide and the deep red flush in his cheeks deepening in embarrassment.
”I have really good eyesight.” Abby shrugged. “Hey..you’re avoiding the subject!”
”No I’m not.” he mumbled, running his hand over his chin.
”You are too!”
”Am not..”
”Ar- hey!” Abby shrieked as Mike threw a pillow at her before making his way to his bedroom.
Abby huffed at her brother’s stubbornness.
Mike collapsed onto his bed, shutting to door to drown out any more of Abby’s insistent teasing.
Sure, she was right. But she didn’t need to know that. What Abby didn’t know wouldn’t kill her. God forbid Vanessa came by the house again (which he secretly hoped she would), he knew Abby would start blabbing and he would never live down the embarrassment.
He wasn’t sure if Vanessa even liked him back. They had..a moment..down at the river, but he painstakingly shoved those thoughts into the back of his mind.
While they had just met the night before, Mike found that he already felt close to her. Surely it was nothing.
The tight, warm feeling in his chest made him think otherwise.
The dusting of pink still lingering across his cheeks weren’t exactly much help either.