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Eleven crouches down to examine a small rock she spotted. She flipped it in her palm, watching as the light reflected off of its sides. It was slightly blueish-black in color and reminded el of the pictures of frogs that mike showed her.
“Whatchya got there?” She feels Max’s hand on her shoulder, small but warm.
She hummed happily, holding up the rock for max to see
“I got you something!” She says cheerfully
“It’s beautiful, thank you el” she says as she eleven stands up, brushing the small amount of dirt that collected on the knees of her jeans. She then presses a kiss to the brunettes cheek, holding the stone right to her chest before pocketing it.
They walk to their small meadow, settling themselves down on the soft grass. Max turns to see her girlfriend, eyes closed and basking in the warm sunlight, flowers dancing in her long hair.
“I love you” she says softly, heart bursting with fondness for the girl
“I love you too” el responds, eyes now open and facing towards the redhead.
Jane inspects Max’s face, ocean blue eyes glittering in the rays, red hair fluffed up on her shoulders and spilling down to the earth. Freckles scattered across her face, increased by the summer sun. Eleven loves her freckles, she once tried to count them all, proving an impossible task, she gave up after having to start over twice. She laughed at the memory.
“Remember when I tried to count your freckles?”
Max giggled
“Yeah- and when you couldn’t you sat on my floor organizing my comics?”
She nods, having forgot about the last part.
They sat like this for hours, recounting memories and sitting happily side by side, max braiding El’s hair, then tucking flowers into it.
The sky is dimming, sun slipping lower in the sky. Max looks down at her watch, realizing the time.
“I have to get home-“ she says as recognition flashes across El’s face.
“Yeah..” she responds sadly
“Let’s go then-“ she adds, offering her hand out. Max takes it and they walk the rest of the way back to civilization hand in hand.
Max slides the door to her room shut, kicking off her shoes then bending down to rummage around under her bed. She finds the box labeled “el” with a small heart next to it. The box itself was dull cardboard, but the contents where precious to max. she opens it and places it among the other items, small stones, a necklace eleven found in the cabin, pressed flowers (kept safely in a small notebook), and the rest of the photos from the mall photo shoot. She has her favorite framed on her bedside stand.
She smiles at all the memories this box contains, instantly coating her in a layer of contentment. She puts it back under the bed, awaiting another day and another treasured item.