I Love You, Maybe – Chapter 7

By MyNameIsCAL

-Max's POV-

I stood by the mirror, staring at myself. Fang was gone, just like that. I hadn't expected him to stay, but then again, maybe he was scared too, which wasn't Fang like at all. It troubled me, but I tried not to think about him too much.

Iggy came up behind me, sweeping the hair away from neck, kissing it softly. I closed my eyes. "Not tonight, Ig."

He let out a sigh, his arms wrapping around me. "What's been bothering you lately?"

"I don't know," I said, taking his hand and pulling him into bed.

"C'mon, Max," he said, pushing himself on top of me. "Talk to me."

I shut my eyes. "Ig, I'm tired."

He sighed, rolling off of me after a while. "Alright, Max, goodnight."

"Night, Ig."

And when I finally settled into trying to fall asleep, thoughts of Fang kept coming back to me, his words echoing in my head from the other night. He didn't even say goodbye to me. Why did that bother me so much?

A month has gone by. Fang hadn't been returning my calls again, hadn't been showing up for dinner. It was getting to the point where I was losing sleep over it. For a while, I had forgotten about Fang, forgotten about what had happened, but when he stopped showing up for dinner, I started to think that maybe he just wanted his space. When he stopped return calls, I tried to brush it off as nothing. But here I was, a month later. It was time to go across town.

Luckily for me, Gazzy and Nudge were dragging Iggy to plan Mom's birthday. I wasn't invited because I didn't know anything about cooking apparently. It was a little insulting at first, but I hadn't wanted Iggy to know how much I actually worried about Fang.

As soon as Ig left, I headed out the door, taking off into the sky. It didn't take long to get to the other side of the town and I found the apartment building.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

I looked behind me, seeing a guy with a beard hobbling towards me. "You visiting?"

"Yeah, Apartment B11," I told him.

He snorted. "Oh, him. He hasn't paid his rent. I'm about to kick him out."

I sighed. "Well, I'll see if I can talk some sense into him."

The guy shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I went up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Go away I don't got your money yet!"

"Fang, it's me!"

The door opened and Fang leaned against the doorway, looking like he hadn't slept in days.

"Max…" he trailed off, his eyes on the floor.

"Can I come in?"

He glanced behind him. "Alright."

I closed the door behind me and he went back to the bed, lying on it. I took a seat at the end of the bed, my back towards him.

"Jesus, Fang, at least let me know you're alive," I said, looking around. There were clothes strewn across the floor, but it seemed like everything else was in place. Fang smelled like he had just showered.

"I thought it would be better if I went away for a while." His voice was hoarse.

"I never told you to leave."

Fang let out a sigh. "Max, I let myself slip once. I'm not going to do it again, I'm not going to hurt you or Iggy. It's better this way."

I leaned back, finding myself laying next to him now. "I didn't come here to argue with you, Fang. If you don't want to come around, then that's fine, just, at least give me some warning, alright? Call me sometime. I miss talking."

"Do you really?" Fang seemed incredulous. When I didn't answer, he lowered his voice. "How's Iggy and the others?"

"Iggy knows something's been bothering me, he just thinks if he doesn't bother me about it that whatever's bothering me will go away eventually."

"So what's been bothering you?''

"Your absence, Fang." I closed my eyes. It dawned on me now that I was lying in his bed. We were only inches apart. And I suddenly felt compelled to move closer to him, to want him in a way that brought back the feelings of that night that seemed like a long time ago.

And as if I wasn't acting on my own accord, I rolled onto my side and rested my hand against the inside of his thigh.

His eyes shot up to me. "Max, what are you doing?"

"I…I don't know, Fang. I don't know what to think anymore." And yet I kept my hand there. "I've thought about what you said, and I've thought about Iggy, and then I thought about how much I've worried about you, and here I am, begging you to come back for me, and not for anyone else."

"Max…"

I slid my hand up his leg and he pulled his shirt down.

"Max, stop."

But even he was having a hard time resisting. He put a hand on my arm, trying to stop me, but as I undid his belt, his grip loosened. I watched Fang close his eyes, no longer fighting me, hands now moving to his pants.

I started to undress.

"Max, it's late. Iggy will worry about you."

Fang had his arm around me, my head rested against his bare chest.

"Fang, what if this is all wrong. What if it really is supposed to be you and me," I said to him.

"Max, you can't go breaking Iggy's heart like that." He looked troubled now, deep in thought.

"What if I love you instead of him?"

He let out a deep breath.

"I mean, does none of this mean anything to you?"

He shut his eyes tight. "Of course this means something to me, Max. But it's not right. I…I should have stopped you. I should have stopped myself the first time. This is exactly why I went away, Max."

I sat up and he took his arm back, gathering my clothes and giving them to me.

"Will you come to Mom's birthday dinner?" I asked him, pulling my pants on.

"I'll be there," he said reluctantly. "Do not come back here, Max."

"I'm going to pay your rent."

"Alright, thank you. Now go, Max. Before…before either of us do something stupid again."

I resisted the urge to go to him again and walked out the door. My head was spinning the entire way home.

So Fang's absence has pushed Max to finally realize that she might really have feelings for him. Is it all sexual attraction? Desperation? Or does she really love Fang? And what will become of her relationship with Iggy?

Hmm…Thoughts anyone?

Thanks for reading!