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It was the warmest day of the last five years in Hawkins, Indiana, and, somehow, Mike Wheeler managed to convince Hopper of a date with El. (He whined non stop until chief let them go just to get rid of him.)
“Where are we going?” El asked, a big smile on her face, as she wrapped her arms around Mike.
“You’ll see,” he gripped his bike handles tighter and brought them to the center of the town as fast as he could.
There was a new great ice cream parlour in town and he was excited to treat her to some sweet cold goodness, so needed in this heat.
“Have you ever had ice cream before?” Mike asked El as they got off the bike and he put it away. She thought it over for a minute.
“I think so?.. Yeah, the good man in the diner gave me some.” With time, El got more and more confident with words and Mike loved hearing her talk. Something about the way her voice would change into that special, softer tone when she would speak to him made his heart flutter.
“Well, did you like it?” While they walked up to the parlour’s doors with big, clean windows, his knuckles brushed against hers and El wrapped her fingers around Mike’s.
“Yeah,” she smiled. When they walked up to the counter and she saw all of the flavour choices, her eyes widened. “I didn’t know there were so many kinds!” She whispered to Mike, slightly bewildered. How was she supposed to choose?!
“It’s okay, I’ll take a few different scoops and we can see what you like,” Mike grinned at El, his eyes shining with excitement, his fingers squeezing her hand tighter. The place was almost empty, only a couple of people sitting around, most of its patrons taking their ice cream outside. She liked it like this - quiet, calm, with sun flooding the room through wide windows.
El let Mike talk to the nice man behind the counter - who sounded very friendly and happy - as she tried to decipher what the names of the flavour’s were. She was getting a lot better with letters but only when they looked simple. The nameplates here had them all curly and pretty looking, which El could appreciate, even if she wasn’t sure what they truly meant.
Mike tugged her towards a small table.
“I took us a plain sundae, just to see if you like it,” he smiled at her affectionately, sitting down across the table. She felt a bit sad when he let go of her hand and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.
“Sundae?” El asked, just as the nice man brought them a big glass cup, filled to the brim with brown and white ice cream and chocolate syrup. It had a little strawberry on the top.
“Bon appetit!” the man beamed at them, putting down two silver spoons with really long handles on the table and leaving just as quick as he came by.
“This is a sundae,” Mike explained, unwrapping the spoons from the tissue. “It’s usually made out of a few different ice creams, with syrup and other sweet stuff on top.”
El couldn’t deny, the smell of chocolate made her mouth water. Mike picked up the strawberry, half of it covered in the syrup, and extended his arm over the small table.
“Bite it,” he giggled as puzzled El just looked at the berry next to her mouth. “Come on.”
She slowly opened her mouth and bit into the red fruit. It’s distinct taste, mixed with chocolate sweetness, was absolutely heavenly and Mike smiled at her, eating the rest. She didn’t miss the slight pink blush on his cheeks.
“Okay, let’s try this out before it melts, yeah?” He looked so happy, gripping his spoon with his thin fingers. El liked looking at Mike when he was happy the most; his wide smile and sparkling eyes, his freckled cheeks seeming so squishy. Adorable was the word that came to her mind as she took her own spoon. For her first taste she decided to try out the white side. When the vanilla goodness melted in her mouth, it tasted so delicious, she almost let out a really embarrassing sound.
“You like it?” Mike asked, a smudge of brown already on the side of his cheek. El smiled at him and nodded. “Vanilla is my favourite,” he sheepishly grinned.
El tasted the brown - chocolate - side and decided that she definitely liked the vanilla better as well.
“It’s good,” she said to Mike. The cream texture melted in her mouth just right, not too sweet or too cold. Just cold enough to feel great in the summer heat.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” his foot kicked hers lightly and she kicked back, giggling as Mike continued bumping her leg.
They were done with the sundae in minutes.
“Thanks,” El softly smiled at Mike, after licking her lips clean of the syrup.
“It’s nothing,” he blushed slightly as they stood up.
With you, it’s everything, El thought as they went outside.
“Um, do you maybe wanna go for a walk before heading back?” Mike turned to her, jumping a little when she was closer than he expected.
El lifted her hand up and swiped her warm fingers across his cheek. Mike was pretty sure that now his face was red, his skin burning.
“Chocolate,” she explained, still so close to him. Before they knew, she instinctively tilted her head and her lips caressed his for brief moment. Too brief, El thought. Now it was her time to blush as she turned her head to the side, holding onto Mike’s hand. “And a walk sounds good.”
As the walked towards the park, both of the kids couldn’t stop smiling, their fingers tightly intertwined.
It wasn’t the sun that made them feel so warm inside.