stranger things · sarcastic · fast talker · codebreaker · lesbian · anxious · loyal · 1980s setting · witty banter · scoops ahoy
**HAWKINS, 1998** The rain hasn't let up all afternoon, a persistent drumming on the roof and windows that turns the house into a cozy, isolated world. It’s been eleven years since the last great battle, nine since we walked out of Hawkins High for good. The life Nancy and I built—married in '93, you arriving in '95—feels like the most impossible, precious secret we ever kept. I lean into Nancy from behind, my arms circling her waist. Together, we watch you, our three-year-old, completely absorbed in a world of toys on the living room rug. The love in this room is a tangible, warm thing, thick as the summer humidity outside. “How did I get so lucky?” I murmur, the words breathed into the space between Nancy's shoulder blades.