Chapter Text
“LA sucks.”
A bright giggle, rendered less potent over the airwaves that separate them. “Mike. You’ve only been there for 2 hours.”
Mike pouts, flopping back onto the bed, and stares up at the generic, albeit very nice, hotel ceiling. “So? Don’t need more time to know that it sucks.”
“Warm, sunny temperatures, palm trees, sandy beaches…yeah, I can see why it sucks.”
It doesn’t make Mike feel any better that El’s totally teasing him right now – especially not when he’s looking for some goddamn sympathy over here – so he cuts to the heart of the matter. “Yeah, well, LA doesn’t have you.” Yes, it’s an especially sappy admission, but Mike really doesn’t care.
Especially not when El lets out a cooing sigh and, god, he can practically see the blush crawling up her cheeks, alluringly pink and irresistibly gorgeous, spreading across her skin and begging for him to chase with his lips.
But she’s 2000 miles away and he can’t.
“Aww, I miss you, too,” El says. “But it’s only for a few days. You’ll be back on Friday.” Her voice is soft and wistful, but somehow also soothing and Mike gulps at the way the sheer love he feels for her swells in his chest.
“Yeah, I know,” Mike says. And, he does. “I just….” He trails off with a sigh, letting disappointment pull him further into the mattress. “It was supposed to be our first Valentine’s Day this Thursday.”
“Yeah, I know,” El says. “And it sucks that we’re going to miss it, but you’ll be back for the more important date.”
Friday, February 15th: their two month anniversary. Two months since the day El grabbed him in the hallway outside his classroom and kissed him in a way that almost made him forget his name. Mike grins at the thought. “Hey, you still haven’t answered my question about that, by the way: dinner in or out?”
“Well, considering how we’re not going to get to be together for the next 3 days, I’m thinking in,” El says, voice rich with a suggestion that has beginnings of desire picking up in his veins.
Mike groans, even as he’s smiling. “Are you imagining what I’m imagining?”
“If it’s you and me and dinner in bed from that Greek place we like so much while we are wearing absolutely zero clothing, then, yes, we are imagining the exact same thing.”
The image, given life by El’s voice, hits him like a punch to the gut and Mike suddenly feels really short of breath. “God, I love you.”
“I love you, too,” El says, the words infused with rich emotion. “So, really, how is LA? How’s your hotel room? I hope the movie studio shelled out good money to put you up somewhere. You’re going to make them a lot of money, so you’ve earned it.”
It’s the only reason why he’s out in LA at all. After going back and forth for weeks with that damn screenplay, the studio wants to hash out the final version and start talking about things like casting and filming locations. And they want Mike to be there to help provide creative input into those talks, those decisions.
So, Mike took a few days off of work, arranged a substitute, and let the movie studio fly him out to LA (first class, by the way) and booked him a fancy hotel.
In theory, Mike should be loving this. He’s always loved exploring new places and seeing new things. And he’s never been to LA before. This should be a great experience for him.
But all he’s thinking about is that he’s not going to be sleeping next to El tonight, that he’s not going to be able to feel her next to him, all svelte curves and soft skin…that he’s not going to be able to make love to her, the first night since their official first date that he won’t be able to.
Ever since that first date, the two of them have been all but inseparable – spending the night at one of their places (though usually El’s; that bed of hers is so damn comfortable), getting ready for work together in the morning, going home together at the end of the day, figuring out dinner, snuggling on the couch…just everything Mike’s ever wanted to have with another person, something he’s amazed he gets to experience with the most beautiful woman he’s ever met.
He’s experiencing El-withdrawal…and he hasn’t even been separated from her for 24 hours yet.
Man, whoever said distance makes the heart grow fonder can go fuck themselves.
But, dwelling on it isn’t going to help him now. And El asked him a question, so he’s going to answer it.
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” Mike says. “Swanky, too. There was this really cool fountain in the lobby of the hotel, actually, that looked like something Greg would sculpt….”
For the next hour, Mike and El talk on the phone – El in Chicago in her bed, Mike in a hotel room in LA – their talk moving from Mike describing the hotel he’s staying at to how his flight was on the way over to something funny El saw on the internet that she wanted to share with him. They flit from topic to topic with ease, the excitement of a brand new relationship still sparkling in their voices, the ache of missing each other keenly felt, magnified by the miles that separate them.
It's late by Chicago time, though relatively early for California, when Mike lets out a yawn that cuts him off mid-sentence. "Ugh, I should probably to to bed," Mike says. "I think all the traveling has me beat."
El giggles. "Lightweight," she says.
"Yeah, well, some of us aren't seasoned international travelers," Mike says.
"Well, we're just going to have to fix that," El says. "But, you should get to bed. You have a long day tomorrow. And the sooner you get to sleep, the closer you are to coming home to me."
Mike's heart does a dangerous flip at hearing El say those words. To me. "I'll always come back to you."
"I know," El says, sighing. "I love you, Mike."
"Love you, too, El. G'night."
"Sweet dreams."
Mike hangs up the phone and swallows roughly at the lump of emotion in his throat. He lets himself wallow in self-pity for a good minute before he pushes himself off the bed so he can get ready to go to sleep, feet shuffling sadly against the carpeted floor all the while.
Mike goes to bed alone that night, a lot grumpy and really tired.
But it’s nice to know that El’s waiting for him, counting down the days until he gets back to her, until they can be together once more.
And, tomorrow night, when El surprises him over video chat with a very thrilling game of “guess what I’m wearing under this robe”, Mike can maybe, maybe see how a long-distance relationship might be a little exciting.
But when he’s finally back in her arms a few days later, ready and eager to celebrate the milestone of two months of being together, he knows that nothing could ever take the place of being with her for real, that he never, ever wants to let go of her.
Guess it’s a good thing he already has plans for how make her a permanent part of his life, isn’t it?