This story belongs to and was written entirely by keepdreaming93.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to James Patterson.

MAX POV:

When I woke up everything was exactly the same except for the slight lightening in my mood and the pinch of my heart, and I thought maybe everything last night was a dream.

Until my mattress started to shake and Fang was above me, smiling like a lunatic, arms braced on either side of my head.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said and my heart pinched again, then he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Heyyyy..." I said, voice still lazy from sleep. Yeah, I realize how lame it sounded.

"We're going out tonight," he said as his fingers ran through my messy hair. "On a date."

I grabbed the end of his tee shirt until he fell on top of me and said, "I think you have to ask me. And then if I say yes, it's a date."

He propped himself up on his elbows so his weight wasn't on me, and his mouth twisted to the side in thought. "Okay, Maximum, would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?"

Then I said, "I'll think about it," and slipped out of bed, heading toward the bathroom. But score I could reach my door Fang tackled me to the floor by my waist and was hovering over me.

"I'll let you go when you say yes."

Then he started to tickle me. It was one of the most interesting, most unexpected things that I would ever think to happen.

Fang was tickling me.

"Fine...fine...I'll...go to...dinner...with you!" I managed between gasps and giggles, sounds I never thought would come from my throat.

He smiled in satisfaction before kissing the side of my neck, my collarbone, then my navel, and finally gave me a quick kiss on the lips before getting up and leaving me in the middle of the floor, grinning like an idiot.

I was going on a date.

"I have something that I need to tell everybody!"

Everybody's heads turned to Ella quickly and she looked at Iggy.

"Okay, well, don't freak out, but..."

"Ella and I are...together."

Gasp.

Since I already knew all I really cared about was how Fang's hand was on my upper thigh, making heat burn through my entire body.

Then Fang's hand stopped massaging me and he looked in my eyes, asking, "Should we tell them, too?" silently.

I shook my head in a tiny motion, so glad that our silent communication still worked when we were a couple. He nodded and his hand continued, feeling so good I could have fallen asleep right there if it weren't for Nudge running her mouth about Iggy and Ella.

"I swear, that's so friggen' cute. The only thing cuter would be Fang and Max-" I blush red here, Fang squeezes my thigh. "-but seriously, it's adorable. I could totally tell that you guys were into each other. You flirt constantly. So how did you even get together? Have you-"

Fang put his hand over her mouth.

"Anyway," Ella said, cheeks pink, "We just wanted to tell everyone."

My mother stared at her for a long time before she finally smiled.

"Well that's...great!"

And we talked no more of it.

I decided to get ready for my date by myself, without Nudge or Ella, just me. I didn't want to be someone that I'm not because our relationship wouldn't work with me faking it.

But that didn't mean I would look like crap. That's just not acceptable.

Fang had told me that he was taking me out to a little Italian place (that I loved) and it was kind of fancy, so I wore a little emerald green dress (gag) and curled my hair so it looked decent (-ish). And I put on a tiny bit of makeup on.

But that's pretty much it.

I hope Fang's okay with that.

FANG'S POV:

I, Nicholas Martinez, am going on a date with Maximum Ride, the girl of many guys' dreams.

So, yeah, I'm a little nervous.

"Dude, really, chill," Iggy said, popping into my room like he could actually tell I was nervous even though he's blind. "It's Max, and she'll love you no matter what you smell like. Now stop being such a girl or you'll be late."

Yeah, Iggy kind of guessed it. This morning he just came in and was like, "You and Max, eh? Finally."

So I didn't really deny it, I just shrugged, and now he's all up in my business.

But this is what I was hung up on: She'll love you no matter what...

That was scary as hell.

It's not that I don't love her, too, because I do. But that's something that I've always kept inside of myself, and Max, if she really does love me, has too. And saying it aloud was intimidating and questionable.

Despite everything, I sighed and walked out of the room, brushing by Iggy, and went down to Max's door, then knocked.

And saw something I never, ever thought I'd see.

I expected Max to look pretty. She's always pretty, and she seemed to be excited for our date. But I could never have expected her to look that pretty. That beautiful. Thatperfect. And wearing a dress.

I stared. And stared. And stared.

"Fang? Do I look...okay? I didn't want Nudge or Ella to help me...but I'm not all that...fashion-"

I slid my arms around her waist and silenced her with my lips. Her hands went to my hips and I couldn't believe that I had such a perfect human being within the circle of my arms, lips on hers, breathing the same air as.

"You look incredible."

I'd like to say that our date went pleasant, talking and laughing and brushing knees and then ended with me kissing her on her porch until all the stars fell from the sky and lingered in the night sky around us and then we went home and dreamed of unicorns and rainbows.

But that's not really what happened.

Most of the time Max was talking and laughing and being all perfect, eating and drinking, telling me things I want to hear, and I was just staring at her.

It was kind of impossible not to.

While she laughed I heard the sound and wondered how I could possibly make a song on my guitar that could display anything close to how beautiful it was.

While she smiled I wondered if Van Gogh came back to life he could paint something that maybe looked anything like how cute it was.

While she reached over across the table and took my hand in her own, I wondered if the greatest scientist to ever exist could create the same perfect jolt of energy that ran through every inch of my body when our skin made contact.

While she got a phone call from her teacher and had to leave the restaurant for five minutes, standing and giving me a look at the length of her gorgeous body, I wondered if any person in the entire universe could be that sexy.

"Sorry. He keeps getting on my ass about me going on a trip to Europe this summer," Max said after she came back inside, sliding into her seat.

"Europe?" I asked, trying not to sound freaked out. "For how long?"

She waved her hand in front of her face. "I'm so not going." I cocked an eyebrow.

Then she said, quietly, "I couldn't be away from you that long," like she was admitting something that she didn't want to, and I felt my face spill into a wide smile.

I leaned forward a bit, enough to make her lips tremble and eyes find my mouth, and whispered, "I'd die without you."

She didn't smile or show any sign of a smile, just stared into my eyes. I didn't break the moment, just prolonged it, and then I put my finger on her lip with a smirk, then dragged it down her neck, to her collarbone, and swirled it there.

"Stop torturing me," she whispered and if we weren't in a restaurant I would have devoured her.

"Dessert?"

I leaned back and Max and mine's head whipped around to the kind of hot waitress that was smiling now, at me.

"Do you want dessert, Max?" I asked her, moving my eyes from the blonde.

"Uh, nah, I'm good." She was glaring at her.

"Max? Isn't that like...a dude's name?"

If she wasn't a girl I would've probably punched her right there.

Max looked at her and rose an eyebrow. "Please god just go away," she said, too tired to come up with anything.

She gave me a smile and walked away after leaving the check on the table, hand casually brushing my shoulder blades.

Max looked at me.

"I'll pay for half, Fang," she said finally, taking the black book from my hands.

"Uh, no. This is a date, me taking out my girlfriend, and how it works is I drive and pay for the meal, okay?"

"Girlfriend?"

Crap. God, wasn't that what we were? Or maybe we weren't, since it barely happened last night. What...?

"Um."

Then she smiled. "So I get to call you my boyfriend, right?"

I smiled back. "If you want to."

She nodded and handed the check back to me. "I want to."

MAX POV:

Time sucks. Because I know if I had a choice, if I were Jesus, I would've made it so I could have spent ten more hours with Fang on our date, or even the rest of my life would be cool. But time does suck, and I'm not Jesus, so the night winded down and around ten o clock we had to drive home, back to where it wasn't just us two.

Which sucks almost as much as time does.

The house was silent when we arrived so he walked me to my room and I let him come inside.

"Thank you, Fang," I said, sitting down on the edge of my bed and kicking off my heels. "I had an amazing night."

He played with a bobblehead that I had like he was two. He shrugged. "Thank you for letting me take you, Maximum."

I stared at him as I took off my bracelets and set them on my nightstand, and when he didn't say anything I got up and went over to him. I put my hand on his shoulder and kissed the side of his neck.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm good, Max."

I turned him around to face me and ran my fingers down his cheek. "Fang..."

He smiled and stopped my fingers, holding them. "Seriously, I'm fine."

I stared at him, rocking back on my heels, swinging our hands back and forth. I leaned up to kiss him, but then at the last second, as he leaned down, too, slipping his hand around my hips, I backed up.

"Okay, then, goodnight," I said, pushing his back so he was forced to walk, until he was at my doorway. He braced his hands on my doorframe, and since he was stronger than me, I couldn't push him out. "Get out, Fang, I have to get dressed!"

He laughed. "Even more reason to stay!"

Mmmmmmm. Perv.

I pushed harder. "Please?" I tried.

He turned around and in the process let go of the doorframe, so I pushed him out into the hallway.

"Goodnight kiss?" he asked with probably the cutest face ever.

I really wanted to know what was wrong and I hated that he wasn't telling me. It's a trust thing. But even so, if the sexiest guy on the planet is looking at you with puppy dog eyes, asking you to kiss him, what would you do?

Duh.

"God, fine," I said, but in my mind I was screaming "please! please! please! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

But I played it cool, because that's what I'm all about.

I put my hands on his chest and leaned up on my toes, then brushed my lips against his, pulling back just as quickly.

"Max." He sighed.

"I'm just thinking," I said, touching his chest, then running my fingers over his biceps. "We're in the hallway. Everybody could see."

"And?"

I bit the inside of my lip and squeezed his arms, moving them so they were around my waist, then put my hands on his shoulders. "I don't know, just maybe we should be more careful?"

He looked at me. "Nobody is even awake."

"Fine. But in the future, we really need to be more careful about people seeing us. We can't just randomly make out."

He smirked. "So we should be on a schedule?"

"Shut up, Fang. You know what I mean." His hands tightened around my waist so I was pressed against his body.

"Max, just kiss me, okay?"

I smiled and did.

I can't really explain all that well what kissing Fang is like. He's, like, super talented, though. I feel really amateur when kissing him, like it shouldn't be mE kissing him, but someone who went to eight years of college, studying kissing.

Because he's really good.

Suuuupppppeeerrrr good.

"Goodnight, Max," he whispered after I pulled away for oxygen, but then he pulled me in again, moving his mouth with mine, and that's, like, the millionth time I died and went to heaven.

In one day.

"Goodnight," I said, kissing his neck and then slipping away, going to turn into my room, but before I could he grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was fine, Max," he said, moving closer but dropping my hand. "I am. I was just thinking. But it's nothing bad. Okay?"

I felt small, and I grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

"Thinking...about me?"

He smiled in the darkness. "Max, most of the time I'm thinking about you."

I brushed some hair from his eyes and kissed his cheek, then plopped back down.

"Are you doubting?" I asked in a small voice, fearing the answer.

"No, no, no, no, no. Not at all. Max, why would I be doubting you? I luh-" he stopped.

Wait, what?

"Okay. Thanks for telling me."

He nodded, leaning down and kissing my shoulder, then my neck. "Max, I've never seen anyone so beautiful as you tonight."

I froze, backing up. "Bullshit."

He rose an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?" he asked.

I shook my head. "There are thousands of people prettier than me. Millions."

He stared at me. "Like...give me one example."

"Um, Lissa?"

His mouth dropped open. "Maximum, you are...god. You're so much more attractive than her. I'm not just saying this shit because I'm your boyfriend. Even if I was still just your best friend, I'm telling you. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Impossible.

"Thanks," I said shyly.

"Oh, my god, babe. You don't believe me. Wow-"

I sighed. "I just don't see why I'm that pretty. I'm so average. In so many ways."

He looked at me. "You have big, dark brown eyes, but they're flecked with gold. And really long eyelashes. Your hair is so pretty, it's this unique color, kind of blondish but it's brown, and it's long and soft. You have really perfect lips, so I love kissing you, all the time. They're full and a nice shape. And I can't really explain your body. You're so sexy. Really nice legs and...other stuff."

I stared at him with my mouth open. "You're gorgeous," I blurted, then flushed red.

"And..." Fang said, moving closer to me and putting his hand on my cheek. "You're even more beautiful when you blush."

He kissed me again, then left the room, calling a "Goodnight, Maximum," over his shoulder and I watched after him in awe.

Fang is my boyfriend, and he thinks I'm beautiful.