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“Is Mike a good kisser?”
El’s eyes light up as she gapes at the redhead in front of her, lips tilting up into a smile. “Max!”
“What?” Max grins, batting her eyes innocently as she walks over to sit across from El, trying her hardest to hold back her laughter. “I’m just curious!”
That part was true. While the idea of herself kissing Mike was enough to maker her vomit, Max couldn’t help but wonder if kissing him wasn’t totally repelling to Eleven, or if she even enjoyed it at all.
El shrugs, cheeks flushed. “I don’t know; he’s my first boyfriend.” She presses her lips together into a smile, expression softening ever so slightly as Max reached for her hands.
“Wanna spy on the boys?” Max questioned, curiosity now looming to a new subject. But Eleven wasn’t totally over what she just realized. She really hasn’t kissed anybody else before. Granted, she and Mike kiss literally all the time (she can’t help but wonder if it’s normal to get tired of kissing so fast. She kisses him because she likes being near and close to him and he loves kissing her, but the act itself has been pretty standard and uneventful in regards to her feelings) but it’s never felt amazing or the way those sappy movies Hopper secretly loves seem to portray it. So, her mind goes to the quickest solution to solve her newfound dilemma.
She leans forward and presses her lips against Max’s.
Max jolts back after a few moments, laughing nervously and glancing at her shut bedroom door. “El!” She turns back to face her, cheeks burning red and brows furrowed, her hesitant smile faltering. “What are you doing?” Her tone is hushed and her eyes are accusing as she scoots back. El blinks, surprised at the reaction and reaches forward for Max’s hand, which leads Max to stand up from the bed and take a quick step back to pull away.
El can feel tears well up in her eyes. She scared her, or she did something wrong. Now Max won’t want to hang out with her. She won’t be her best friend anymore. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to try kissing somebody else.”
“El..“
“I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t mean to make you mad- “
“Wh- no!” Max quickly sits back on the bed and grabs her hands. “No, El. I’m not mad at all. It’s just…” She sighs, looking away- brows furrowed as she desperately tries to find a way to explain all of this to her oblivious and confused friend. Truthfully, El thinks she looks so pretty when she’s concentrated like that. “It’s just that it’s… kind of like cheating, I guess.” She explains, squeezing El’s hands to reassure her once again that she isn’t scared or angry.
“Cheating?”
“Yeah, it’s like- well, how would you feel if Mike kissed another girl?
“Another girl?
“I mean, yeah. Or boy. Whatever. Just somebody else.”
El thinks about this for a moment. She remembers how jealous she got when she saw Mike with Max, but- as she realized once she began getting closer with the redheaded girl in front of her, it wasn’t so much that she was jealous of Max… but she was jealous of Mike.
“I don’t think… I would mind.” El replies softly, dropping her gaze to her lap in shame.
“Oh...” Max blinks, eyes widening. “Oh wow.”
El’s head snaps up. “What?”
“You don’t like Mike.” When El drops her gaze dejectedly once again, Max speaks a little quicker. “That’s not bad. You don’t have to like Mike.”
“I don’t?”
Max laughs and shakes her head. “Of course you don’t. I’m just sorry you were stuck kissing that goon for 6 solid months when you could’ve been doing better stuff- “
“Like hanging out with you.”
Max smiles, eyebrows raising in surprise ever so slightly as her cheeks begin heating up once again. “Exactly.”
El sighs and finally smiles, albeit apologetically. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“No, you didn’t. I was just surprised, that’s all.” Max realizes she’s still holding El’s hands and lets go, leaning back on her arms and bashfully looking away- anywhere but at El. “Can I ask you though… was it any different?”
“Was what different?”
“Kissing me.”
El thinks about this for a moment. While the kiss didn’t last more than 5 seconds, it was different in a way. Easier. Like she could do it forever and never be tired of it. “Yes.”
Max pauses for a moment, studying her best friend before itching a bit forward. “Do you… Wanna try again? I’ll be better because I won’t be surprised.”
El frowns. She wants to kiss her again, more than anything. But... “isn’t that cheating? Lucas?”
“Let’s just call it… practice. We can worry about Mike and Lucas tomorrow.” Max is sheepish, hesitant. El’s never really seen her like this- at least not with her.
It’s beautiful. She’s beautiful.
And that explanation is bullshit. Max knows it. Eleven knows it.
But that doesn’t stop her from cupping Max’s cheeks and leaning forward- pressing her lips gently against hers once again. With Max kissing back, it’s even better than before. El didn’t know that was possible. She didn’t know that a fast, loud heart beat and clammy hands weren’t always a response to a bad situation- but they could be a response to a pretty amazing one.
And that’s how the girls spend the rest of their sleepover. Kissing and kissing, some laughing, and then more kissing. And El isn’t tired of it for even a second.