A/N: So that was a long week... Yeah. Sorry guys. No excuse other than I was searching for inspiration. With that being said, I sorta caught some inspiration (like the flu) so I'm not gonna do R&R this time so I can get started on the next chapter. I'll do the one's for Chapters 20 & 21 on Chapter 22 (if that makes sense). Anyways. Thank you all for keeping up with the story and yelling at me to update. I have heard you and here it is!

Chapter 21

Seth comes running into the kitchen with fire eating at his heels. Pulling me to his body, he runs his hands along my face in search of an injury.

"What happened? Are you hurt? Melanie! Baby, talk to me" he rushes.

Pushing his chest a good 5 inches away, I cross my arms and glare at him with fiery eyes.

Seth removes his hands from me and covers his face.

"Can you not look at me like that? It's creepy."

"Seth," I whisper coldly. "What is on my neck?"

Seth peeks through his fingers before slipping his hands into his back pockets. With lips twitching he swallows the 5 inches I had previously created.

"Well that's simple babe. It's your punishment."

My right eye twitches as the kitchen holds its breath in anticipation.

A warrior cry rips from my throat milliseconds before I leap at the idiot before me.

Swearing, Seth catches me by the waist and falls to the floor.

"You jerk!" I scream while hitting every available space on his body. "You gave me a freaking hickey!"

"Ow!" Seth protests before rolling over and effectively switching our positions. "Correction, they're love bites Love. Oof!"

Landing a punch to Seth's gut, I crawl onto his back and put him in a headlock.

"Don't call me that you pompous leech! Love wasn't anywhere on your mind."

"Actually," he wheezes. "I was thinking of how I'd love to see your face when you looked in a mirror."

"Aargh! I'm going to kill you!"

I bury my free hand in Seth's hair to prepare to slam his head into the ground, when he rolls over pressing me into the ground with his back. I don't release my hold because I know he won't try to crush his girlfriend. However, I didn't predict that he would slide his hand inappropriately high on my inner thigh causing me to release my hold on his neck and waist as I jerk back and squeal.

"Ha!" he gloats as he flips over and traps both of my hands in his one. "Gotcha."

"Get off of me before I knee you in the crotch," I bite out.

"She seems serious Seth. I would move." Angie suggests.

"She won't," Seth smirks without moving his gaze from mine. "She likes that part of me too much."

My face turns red as the blood I'm about to spill from the cretin above me when we hear it.

"SNEAK ATTACK!"

Seth is knocked off of me and goes rolling across the room and crashing into the counter with Kyle on his back. The boys begin fighting with shouts of "Get off of me!" and "Leave my woman alone!" echoing throughout the room. A pale hand invades my line of sight, and I gratefully accept Angie's help. Rising from the floor, Angie, Christian, and I look over to see Seth choking Kyle, while Kyle attempts to tickle Seth. We watched the boys wrestle for what felt like hours before Angie whispers, "Should we do something?"

We watch on as they roll into a wall and then the refrigerator.

"Nah," Christian mutters.

"What are you crazies doing?"

We all flip our heads to the doorway to see Mrs. G staring at us. None of us are sure how to explain the destruction of the kitchen without pointing fingers, so the room remains silent. Well, most of us didn't want to point fingers.

"Seth was hurting Melanie Mommy!"

"Kyle is such a liar. He attacked me out of nowhere while my girlfriend and I were having a normal conversation."

"You guys normally yell at and physically restrain each other in a conversation?" Christian asks incredulously.

"Well yeah," I agree with a shrug.

"How are you two even together?"

"Because he's mine-"

"Because she's mine-"

"Stop that," we command simultaneously.

"That's creepy," Angie murmurs.

"And not really a healthy relationship," Kyle adds.

"You didn't let me finish," I pout.

"Please. Carry on," Mrs. G urges.

Putting my hand out, I wiggle my fingers and Seth latches onto my hand, tugging me in front of him, and wrapping his arms around me.

"I guess we're together because we can't not be together. Does that make sense?"

"No," Kyle deadpans.

Huffing in irritation, I contemplate how to phrase this.

"Seth and I are… We're slightly dysfunctional but we kind of just… I dunno. I like when we argue because it means that we're listening to each other and we know each other well enough to know what irritates the other. Plus it's kinda funny. Despite how aggravating he is, he keeps me sane and makes me feel safe even though he spent the entire first half of our relationship trying to kill me. We just are. Does that help?"

Looking around the room, Christian and Angie look slightly uncertain, Kyle looks disgusted and disappointed, and Mrs. G is just smiling softly.

"Nevermind," I mumble.

"How about this," Seth starts. "We're together because I said we are. Good? Good. Melanie? Let's go."

"Hey-" I begin to protest but Seth just drags me out of the kitchen.

I had assumed we were going back upstairs, but Seth bypasses the stairs and heads straight for the front door.

"Um, Seth? You missed the stairs."

"We're not staying here," he grumbles. "Stupid idiot of a best friend trying to steal my girl. I'll kill him if he touches you again."

I don't think I was supposed to hear that last bit though.

Sighing in irritation, I allow the temperamental boy to drag me outside. Seth hardly halts to unlock the doors before opening the passenger side door and shoving me in the seat. He slams the door before stomping over to his side. I look at him incredulously until I realize it's pointless because he's still rambling on under his breath.

"Stupid family and their stupid questions and stupid interrupting me. I just wanna kiss my girlfriend. Why do I need their effing permission to kiss my girlfriend?"

My lips wobble as I try to refrain from grinning. I can hardly believe that two days ago this exact same boy was at my throat. Literally. Now he's ready to kill his family for not letting him kiss me all the time. We've definitely made some progress.

The engine roars to life just before Seth pulls out of his driveway and speeds down the road.

I'm trying not to freak out at the fact that Seth is driving like a raging psychopath. I'm sure everything will be fine.

Mostly.

"Hey uh- Seth? Are we in a uh hurry to get somewhere?"

His response comes in the form of a short grunt.

Charming.

Well then.

At least I got to eat before he dragged me off somewhere this time.

A/N: So yeah. That's it. Sucky I know, but I am going somewhere with this... We just gotta get there. Anyways. Thanks for reading, Love you guys, and Happy Friday!