"Glad you could make it, Max." Lucas said from behind Max, his eyes sweeping over her all-white costume.

Mike however, burst into laughter as soon as he saw what she was wearing for Halloween.

While Dustin and Will were still rocking the Ghostbusters outfits and Lucas was Spider Man and Elle was Wonder Woman, he and Max were matching costumes in the most hilarious way. Decked out in a long white dress with slits at the side and white dirty converse, it was clear already, even if her hair wasn't in two complete buns beside her face, that Max was Princess Leia. The leader of the rebellion.

Him? Oh he was Han Solo, the galaxys favourite man. Mike couldn't help but feel a flutter in his stomach knowing that him and Max were matching. It was as if it was meant to be. God, she even had a slim belt wrapped around her small waist and a fake realistic-looking blaster in her right hand.

For some odd reason, he even felt turned on. Which was crazy to think about because he was with Elle. She was his crazy cute girlfriend and he was the loyal kind boyfriend. Sure he didn't always get her jokes and she wasn't always there for him, but that didn't mean they both didn't care about each other. Besides, Elle would be jealous to hell if she even caught a whiff of him catching feelings for Max. She would still be nice to Max of course, but put the blame on him even if it was Max's fault.

How it wasn't Max's fault, Mike had no clue. She looked like a siren in her dress, her hair in a half-up half-down, the half-up portion being split into two doughnut buns. Gosh, she looked so cute that he wanted to kiss her cheek.

"Hey there! Glad you could make it, Max." He said, trying to redirect his thoughts from going haywire with teenage hormonal thoughts. Max was quick to give him finger guns and cock a smirk, "Mike. You're not looking too bad." Mike pretended to look shocked by their matching outfits and placed a hand over his heart, "Oh wow, i'm matching with the one and only Max Mayfield! What a surprise. But just so you know, this Han Solo is Han taken." Mike laughed at his joke and Elle gripped him by the wrist softly, gazing up at him with adoration.

"Oh my god, that's so corny." Dustin cringed and pretended to grab and smooch Will. The smaller boy blushed before yelping, "Ew what the hell!" Lucas and Elle turned to each other and laughed. Even Max mustered up a small smile on her face, even though it looked horribly lopsided and uneven. Mike didn't know why, but she even looked hurt, which was weird since he had done nothing wrong but joke with her.

"Hey Max, come in and take off your sneakers. We're getting you some punch, Miss Leia." Elle teased before looping one arm around Max's and pulling the girl along into the kitchen, Max's sneakers all over the floor. Mike kicked them into a corner and left to follow the girls.

"We're gonna get the movie started, alright Mike?" Will asked, adjusting his proton pack. "Yeah sure, i'm gonna go and help the girls with the snacks and stuff."

"Cool." Lucas said.

No. It wasn't cool. He was just being plain weird around the short redhead and he had no idea what to do with his feelings. It was like holding sand in your hands and feeling each grain slip through your fingers, and having no idea how to stop them.

________

"Could you grab me the ladle?"

"Here?"

"Yup!"

"Cookies and popcorn, check! Punch, check! More sugary drinks, check! Max Mayfield, check!" Elle said in a sing-song voice. In the background of the Ghostbusters theme song, Mike heard Max giggle and the angelic sound sent a pleasant hum of happiness echo throughout his body.

"Oh Mike! Great that you're here! Come here and help me grab those cookies. I'm going to go and lay out everything downstairs in the basement while you get the snacks and help Max with them, okay?" Elle asked, her brown eyes pleading with Mike. Straightening his back, Mike nodded and gave his girlfriend a charming smile. "Sure dolly." he said with a western cowboy accent, making the brunette erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Wow, you're really good at being a ladies man, huh?" Max remarked, grabbing a pack of peanut-butter cookies and emptying corn kernels into a popcorn machine on the counter. "God, i can't believe you have a fucking popcorn machine, Bicycle boy." Mike smiled at the nickname. He bet all his money that his smile was shit-eating and that he looked like a freaking idiot.

"Yeah, Elle brought that. She loves Halloween. Big planner when it comes to Halloween. It's the only other holiday she loves other than Christmas." Max nodded her head, "Cool, me too."

"You're a planner?" Mike asked, confused.

"What? No! Never! My room is messy as hell when you peek inside. I meant that i love Halloween and Christmas too just like Elle." She laughed, his face morphing into realisation then embarrassment. "Sorry, that was so-"

"-Stupid? No, it wasn't. You're pretty cute when you're awkward, Wheeler. You're a dork."

Max reached over to ruffle his hair. "Your hair is a cloud, Wheeler. So fluffy and curly." Mike caught her hand, laughing. "Yeah it does get wild."

Their laughter subsided and the two looked at each other. Max's hand was still in Mike's. Their palms so close, Mike could feel every fortune tellers line etched onto her hand.

Her face was so close to his, he could count her freckles. They were small, but scattered across her face in gold and peach. To him, those tiny imperfections to her looked like stars. Like she was an alien from another planet and her freckles were stars that used to glow brightly on her home planet. They would be in a constellation pattern, her freckles. That's just how beautiful they were.

"Mike..." She whispered. He almost groaned at the sound of his name on her lips. She was here, here and alive and warm and beautiful. She made him feel alive and so so electric. She was a goddess. She was Aphrodite. The way her eyes looked at him, with such wonder, made his entire being thrum.

"Mike? Max? Where are the both of you!" Elle yelled suddenly, snapping the two teens out of their dreamy lustful haze. Max was the first to pull away, his fingers falling away like defeated vines. They fell and slithered away, rejected. Mike was the next to quickly hop over to the popcorn machine and, just in time, scoop out hot fresh popcorn just as Elle poked her head into the kitchen.

"Mmm! That smells divine! Oh my god, were you two waiting for the popcorn? Well hurry up, cause we're all waiting to watch Ghostbusters before having a few rounds of D&D."

Max quirked a brow, "D&D? What's that, an arcade game? Cause i'm really good at arcade games and i would beat all your asses if it was Dig Dug." Elle rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you would, Max, but no. D&D is actually a board game." Then she rounded the corner and left the two.

"Come down soon!"

"Coming." Max whispered, her eyes looking down at her sock-covered feet, before grabbing an armful of snacks and hurrying away from Mike. Leaving behind the pitiful boy she had nearly kissed, to stare down at his tingling hands.

An almost kiss, how did it end up like this?

________