After we regained our breath, Fang and I finished off the Coke and leaned up against the wall of the cave. I watched as the slow breathing of Total, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel calmed me, knowing they were safe and sound.
"How did it feel?" I heard Fang speak and I flinched from the pure emotionless tone in his voice. I knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Strange…" I whispered, "Just fighting her was like looking through an interactive mirror, I felt like I was killing myself…" I dragged off the last word, feeling whipped from the last 24 hours. "After being in the isolation tank and talking to Jeb was insane. I pretended to be dead, for the first time in a long time. Then the snakes made me almost have a heart-attack…" I was taking a breath when an unexpected answer came from Fang. "Snakes… I didn't know you were afraid of snakes…" I rolled my eyes at the obviously confused Fang, and finally spoke up, staring at the retina-burning sun. "Well, yeah. It's not like I've mentioned it a million times or anything. You saying that is like, me saying that I didn't know that you are afraid of cages." I said this is a 'duh' tone and I felt Fang shift a little bit behind my back. I felt bad for what I said and tried to apologize. Emphasis on tried.
"I'm sorry, Fa-" Fang had cut me off with an unexpected kiss to the mouth. When he pulled away I sat there awkwardly and turned toward him. "What was that?" I asked him in a screamed whisper. "Sorry Max, I just didn't know… " The rest of what he said faded away as I thought about the kiss.
It was very pleasant. Ugh. The Voice. It comes in when I never want it to, but yet, when I have a situation I would rather handle by myself, it just sneaks up behind me and screams something at me completely irrelevant. I just couldn't get over how much it annoys the hell out of me.
I was awoken from my trance with a light slap to the face. I death glared at Fang, and noticed his face was a curios crimson color with embarrassment. Then he looked at me. "Did you even hear what I said?" He asked me with a hint of annoyance to his tone. I was half expecting him to get up and fly away from me. But to my surprise he looked at me expectantly. I bit my lip and shook my head no. "I said 'Sorry Max, I just didn't know what to do with all the drama that we somehow manage to call our lives. I kissed you because I love you.' Got it?"
I nodded my head understandingly, then shocked I looked at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, you love me?"
Fang stared at me annoyed. "How many times to I have to say it, Maximum? I LOVE you." He made motions in the air, suggesting an outline of a women's body. I glared at him suspiciously. "Did Iggy put you up to this? Where is the freaking money he gave you?" I asked him paranoid. I lifted it arms as if I would find a case of money he would be hiding.
Before I could look back at him, he grabbed me and smashed his lips against mine. Iggy hadn't given him money, he wasn't pulling my leg. He meant it. He loved me. I leaned against him angling my head better to deepen the kiss. This was the best experience of my life. I looked up to him and out to the entrance of the cave. Iggy was standing there, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. I quickly let go of Fang, praying Iggy didn't hear us.
But he was standing there suddenly awake and he turned away, saying, "NO MOMMY PLEASE GIVE ME A FREAKING COOKIE!" Well then. Fang and I turned to each other, smiling as Iggy stepped off the ledge, wings aloft, and fell face first into the sand outside. I stood up and picked up the sleepy Iggy and brought him back to the others, setting him gently next to Total. I walked back up to Fang in the cave and looked at him and smirked.
"I would have given him a cookie, but you know, sleep and all."