CHAPTER XXI

I woke up to the smell of Fang and the sound of a catchy theme song. Mission Impossible. Numero dos, of course. I lay still for a moment, trying to catch my breath and gather my thoughts. A normal awakening for once; no screaming, no crying, no creepy-crawly-freaky-scary feeling in my gut. What a welcome change.

Fang and I were lying on our sides on one of the couches surrounding the TV, spooning. One of his arms was draped lazily over my stomach, and it hung over the edge of our couch. I smiled to myself at the sound of my boyfriend's even breathing before looking around. Iggy and Ella were on the other couch in a position similar to ours, and Nudge and Sam—stuck with the chair—were completely intertwined in one another.

Figures.

I reached my hand behind me drowsily, and my fingers brushed lightly against Fang's hair. He hummed deep in his throat before tightening his arm around my middle. I suppressed a giggle as the couch shifted and Fang's lips met the back of my neck.

"That was the best awakening I think I could've asked for," he informed me thoughtfully, drowsily. I made a show of turning over so we were facing each other. My hands, slightly fisted, were pressed between us. He smiled lazily at me. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." I was full-out beaming by this point. It was just...this feeling. I mean, I wasn't a total newb with guys. I'd dated. I'd even gone steady. But this was the best feeling I'd ever experienced in my entire life. I hadn't felt this way with anyone. Ever. Not in my entire life. And it wasn't the least bit scary or intimidating. It just felt right. For the first time in my life, I was having a good—no, perfect—relationship, and I wasn't even freaking out. Everything was so much better this way. So much better than...no.

Fang felt me stiffen and he pulled away immediately. Well, as much as he could, anyway. Great. Way to scare him off, Max.

"Nothing you did," I sighed, sitting up and letting my legs cross as I turned around again. Fang did the same behind me, and moved his arms around my waist as he kissed the side of my neck. I rolled my shoulders and sighed in satisfaction. Like I said. Perfect.

"Before you guys get too hot and heavy," a voice said sarcastically, "do you mind if I leave the room?"

"Shut up, Igs," I retorted cleverly. Fang chuckled against my neck. Then I realized what exactly he was doing. "Fang!" I pulled away and ran my hand over the place he'd been kissing-slash-nipping and glared at him. Shit.

"What?" Fang asked innocently. My glare turned into a death stare.

"A hickey?" was my incredulous reply. "A fucking hickey?"

"Yup," he said, popping the "p." I reached back and slapped his side lightly, so he'd know I wasn't actually pissed off. But I was irked. And...flattered. Strangely enough, it felt good that Fang was willing to—er-mark me as his girlfriend in such a way. Kind of cute, I guess. Then again, it was also sort of whorish that I should think such a thing was cute. So maybe I was whorish. I was in love, and I'd just gotten a fucking hickey.

"Gross," Iggy moaned. I glanced over at him and saw him sit up. Ella's eyes almost immediately popped open at the movement.

"How come you get to wake up in the cutest, most romantic way possible, and I'm stuck with a crick in my neck?" she grumbled. I laughed lightly at her scowl, realizing that she'd been awake for much longer than she'd been letting on.

"Because my boyfriend is better than your crick?" I pretended to guess. Fang set his chin on top of my head and started playing with some random strands of my hair. I really did love this feeling. And really...I'd never gotten this far with someone before, this feeling-comfortable thing. A week or so ago I would've been cringing away from any such contact. Now I was actually enjoying it.

Stupid hormones.

Suddenly there was a small stir from the recliner, and Nudge sat up abruptly. "Wassup? Whossere?" Sam didn't seem to notice. He was out like a light. Nudge looked around the room, taking everything in. Almost at once, I saw her gaze lock in on my position with Fang, her expression snapping to wide awake in an instant. A slow smile spread across her face, and she said casually, almost flippantly, "Hey, Max. Can I talk to you for a second? Upstairs? With Ella?"

I briefly contemplated ignoring her request so I could stay in Fang's warm embrace for just a little longer, but that would probably only lead to extreme physical pain for me...and possibly Fang, depending upon Nudge's fatigue level. Sighing, I loosened Fang's arms and got to my feet.

"Thanks. This won't take long." Nudge led the way up the stairs, Ella and I trailing her dutifully. When we got upstairs, Nudge whirled on me with the biggest shit-eating grin I'd ever seen on her face. "Tell me everything!"

I stepped back automatically, confused. About what? I hadn't had any nightmares last night, at least as far as I could remember. Was she referring to my breakdown? No. Not even Nudge was cruel enough to bring that up at such an early hour...and with such an eager look on her face.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired, genuinely puzzled. She face-palmed.

"Max, you haven't stopped smiling since you and Fang went upstairs to talk last night," Ella informed me. "And you seem totally fine when he touches you. What did he say to you? Is there something you want to tell us?"

I opened my mouth to reply but, drawing a blank, quickly closed it again. Nudge's eyes grew wide.

"Ohmigod!" she squealed. "They totally did it! You did, didn't you? God, I totally called it! You know you've stopped blushing, right? You used to do that every time he touched you. Dead giveaway. Oh, my fucking God! Max had sex!"

Speaking of blushing. "Did not!"

"You definitely did," Nudge insisted. "Totally. How was it? Did he—"

"Eew, Nudge!" I giggled like a teenager. "No details while the guys are still here. More later. And it wasn't real sex, Nudge. Promise. I would've told you."

I remembered the night before and smiled to myself. It had been so perfect...fueled by hormonal lust at first, probably, but I couldn't bring myself to regret letting it get that far. And for me, this was a fucking milestone in my life as well as my relationship with Fang.

"You'll tell all later," Nudge promised in the utmost serious tone. I smirked at her.

"Jealous?" I teased.

"Very," she admitted.

"I'm here, too, you know." Ella crossed her arms in annoyance. "And the guys are still downstairs. To get the subject away from Max's alleged sex life, I have to ask something. Why couldn't you have gone on your breakfast-making spree today, O Great and Powerful Nudge?"

In response, Nudge stuck out her tongue. Okay, it was official. We were reverting to high-school-and-before behavior. Ha.

Teenagers.

._-_-_-_.

"No! No way! Are you fucking serious?" I looked critically the papers in my hands, holding them as tightly as I might million dollar bills. They were a little smaller than plane boarding passes, but much, much more exciting. And not because they were colored like hippie love vans. I glanced at Fang's face, his mouth drawn up in a smile of anticipation. "Really? Parasailing?"

"Sam knows a guy," Fang informed me vaguely. Then he shot me his famous crooked grin. "It's kind of the reason we came to Hawaii. They were best friends until Sam moved away to go to college on the mainland with us." He rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

"Personally, I'm flattered," Iggy laughed. He sat next to Ella, who had her head on his shoulder. We were all on the beach, eating sandwiches atop colorful beach blankets in a quickly-prepared picnic by the guys. None of us had noticed the slips of paper shoved into the bottom of the wicker basket that would determine our mood for days to come. Now that we were finishing up our lunch and we were all on a sort of post-meal high, this ordeal was positively invigorating. I mean parasailing? Who woulda thunk? "You must really like us, Sam."

"I left for the college, not for you." The aforementioned shoved the last of his sandwich into his mouth.

"You lived in Hawaii?" Nudge questioned. She looked appropriately abashed. I could see the question in her eyes: And I wasn't informed of this why?

"Born and raised," Sam informed us. "Actually, I originally moved to the mainland because that's where my foster parents were. That's when I was twelve. Then I was adopted by my current parents, and I just kind of decided to stay when I was accepted at the university. New York has its perks."

I felt a pang of pity at his story. I'd lost my own dad pretty early in my life, but not early enough that I couldn't remember him. But adoption? For a twelve year old? That must've been fucking hell on earth.

"Anyway," he went on, "my best friend here was a kid named Kaikane." He pronounced it ki-KHAN-ee. "We got in touch again a couple of years ago. He goes by Kai now, and he runs his own parasailing and water skiing business called Kai's Waterworks. He told me a while back that if I ever visited, he'd hook me and any friends up with lessons and unlimited rides. So I phoned him yesterday about you guys and, according to him, he'll be happy to let us all hang with him for the rest of today."

There was silence for a moment before Nudge pounced.

"Dude!" she exclaimed. "We're going freaking parasailing? This is fucking epic!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. "So when are we leaving?"

"Anytime you want, I guess." Sam threw his empty sandwich baggie into the picnic basket, and everyone else followed suit. My head was reeling. Sure, I'd heard of parasailing before. But I'd also heard of zip-lining and sky-diving before, and that didn't mean I ever though I'd do them. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, what I was supposed to wear, or even if this guy was legit. But he was Sam's friend, and Sam was Fang's friend, and I trusted Fang. Besides. It would be fun.

"Can we go now?" I asked eagerly. Fang put his hand on my head, and I realized I'd actually been bouncing up and down.

"No!" Nudge looked horror stricken. "You can't go parasailing in that!"

I looked down at my clothes and realized that, however much I hated to admit it, she was right. My clothes—a gray/white patterned tank and jeggings (POP)—wouldn't be able to withstand much walking around, let alone flying around in the air and/or plunging into the ocean. Nudge and Ella weren't much better off.

"We can go back to let you guys change," Fang assured her. I looked at him. He wasn't the most readable person on the planet, but I'd come to see that even slight actions on his part such as a slight set to his jaw or a little light in his eyes could mean he was really nervous or really angry or really surprised or—in this case—really excited. I smiled and let my lips touch his briefly before standing and brushing the sand off my butt.

"What are we waiting for?" I asked my friends. "Let's go!"

Nudge and Ella immediately sprang into action, grabbing all of our stuff in record time. We practically sprinted back to the cottage, leaving our boyfriends dazed. They didn't bother following us as they got their own things together; they would most likely wait where they were or go back to their own cottage to wait for us. Sam especially knew not to bug us while Nudge's fashionista side was on the loose.

"Max!" Nudge screamed as I walked through the door. She was already upstairs, being the little whirling dervish she always was when she got worked into a frenzy. She sprinted down the stairs and threw a pile of clothes at me. "Try these on! Hurry!"

I singled out on of the articles at random. A blue bikini top. "Um...I'll wear this one."

Nudge rolled her eyes. "That's it?"

"You picked them in the first place!" I protested, grabbing the matching bottom and heading upstairs. "I just selected!"

"Not that, you idiot!" she snapped as she grabbed the rest of the swimsuit mix-and-matches. "It's just that you're the only person I know who can look at a pile of clothes, pick one at random, and just decide to wear that one without even looking at the others!"

I ignored her with a roll of my eyes and got dressed as quickly as I could back up in my room. Ella entered soon after I finished in her black swimsuit from the first day. She grinned at me, just one of the many signs that she was as excited as I was. Her entire body looked like it was glowing. I totally related.

"Nudge is going to have a heart attack when she sees that," I informed her, but she just laughed.

"I know something she doesn't," Ella said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. She looked over her shoulder to check for Nudge, then leaned close to my ear. "They're going to make us change into wetsuits when we get there."

"Who?" I asked, trying to hold back laughter. God, Nudge would piss her shorts. "The guys?"

"Nah. Whoever works there. If you just wore a bikini up there and you fell into the ocean, you'd probably go into some kind of shock. That water is fucking cold."

Now my suppressed laughter was gone. Fall? Into the ocean?

"What do you—" I started, but just then, the whirling dervish entered the room and swept us all outside to meet the guys. My eyes met Ella's as we went, and the excitement and anticipation on her face was equaled on mine, I'm sure. There were butterflies in my stomach, and I felt—strangely—like I was about to hurl.

Was that good or bad?

._-_-_-_.

"Alright, so what is the first thing you are going to do when you get out there?" Kai asked me as he passed over a neat package about the size of a pillow. I grabbed it and crushed it to my chest as if my life depended on it. I felt my legs shaking with the adrenaline that was burning through my veins like fire every time my pulse beat behind my eyes. I could barely hear Kai over the sound of my heart pulsating in my ears.

"Um..." I racked my brain frantically for the answer. What was I supposed to say? What was I supposed to do?

"Have the ground assistants check the rig," Fang replied calmly, looping an arm around my shoulder. Kai nodded and made a "go on" motion with his hand. "And flight harness. Then make sure they're holding the parachute on both sides. Preferably evenly."

"Correct," Kai praised. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you sure she is ready?"

"She's good in a crisis," Fang informed him, giving me a little squeeze. I didn't have the energy, patience, or mindset to scowl at him. "She'll be fine. We're going tandem, right?"

"That would probably be best." Kai surveyed me thoughtfully. "Is your suit adjusted correctly? Is the zipper done completely up? Do you feel any circulation being cut off, or do you feel it loose in any areas? Tell me if there is something wrong now so we can avoid problems later."

"I'm fine," I managed through a clenched jaw. I was cheered slightly by the strength in my voice that I didn't actually feel. "Are you sure you don't have wetsuits in any other colors, though? I don't think that pink..."

I trailed off as I heard a gut-wrenching scream from the water, and my eyes quickly found its source. A couple had gone airborne, attached to a light blue parachute that seemed to blend in with the sky. I couldn't see the woman's face because of the altitude, but I imagined she was feeling even more panicked than me. But as I watched for a few more seconds, I couldn't help the flood of tranquility that washed over me...maybe because my initial adrenaline rush was over. Or maybe because it just looked so peaceful to be up in the sky with the person you loved, looking down at the beauty that was the ocean surrounding Hawaii. I looked back at Kai with a rush of new strength.

"Let's do this," I told him. He smiled and motioned for everyone to follow him as he started walking. Fang moved his arm and instead took my hand as he led me forward. He looked like such a natural in his black and navy wetsuit. His muscles—visible all over his body, though they were only uncovered on his forearms, shins, and neck—were relaxed. He was at ease. Opposed to me, practically shaking, and not from the chilly breeze. My friends and their boyfriends were following behind us, looking almost identical. Just as all of the adult male wetsuits were the same, so were the adult female ones. This meant the ladies were all clad in black and pink, the fabric clinging to every curve. Except, of course, most of our legs and arms. It was like a perv-fest waiting to happen.

"Nudge and Sam will go first." Kai looked over at them and grinned as they passed, giving Sam a fist bump. He watched Sam buckle a harness over his shoulders and around his waist and legs, waiting to see if assistance was needed. Nudge fixed her own harness just as easily, and they both stepped onto a wooden dock, where a fast-looking, shiny blue boat was waiting. As soon as they stepped on board, the speedboat was off to find a safe position to launch one of my best friends into the sky.

"Ella and Iggy?" Kai helped the two onto the next boat, a red one, and it was off. The last boat was green, and looked the fastest out of all of them. I gulped as we were directed over to it. Kai looked directly at me before I stepped in. "Do not forget. If your harness suddenly comes apart or the clip comes undone, do not try to hold it together. You will only hurt yourself. Hold your arms out to keep stable and try not to fall until the launchers realize something is wrong."

I'm sure my expression made his day.

"I am just kidding around." Kai laughed freely, but I couldn't bring myself to even chuckle. "The launchers will make sure you are strapped in safely. If your harness does not look fit for use, they will strap you into a new one. Do not worry."

I said nothing as I attempted to stop thinking about how many things could go wrong with this shit I was about to do. This was exactly like Twilight. I was Bella, about to jump off a cliff to satisfy my own adrenaline needs. And then I'd almost die. But in the middle of the ocean, there isn't anyone to save you. And if I did die, Edward—AKA Fang—wouldn't have to kill himself, because he'd be tied to me, and we'd both drown.

Fuck it.

"Let's do this," I said, and strapped myself into the harness I'd been handed earlier. Kai had to help me with one of the leg buckles when I clipped it wrong. I glanced at Fang and saw his jaw was taught at the sight of another guy's hand so high up on my leg. That made me grin at him, to which he scowled.

"Let's," he replied haughtily before stepping onto the boat. I followed, and the man at the engine took off. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. It's not that I'd never been in a boat before; I had. I'd just never been in a boat going this fast. I could practically feel the skin on my face being pushed backward, and my hair tugged at my scalp like it would rip right off. My eyes were watering almost instantly at the air being pushed directly into them, so I ducked my head and looked off to the side where Fang was. And God, was he hot.

"Wind-tossed really suits your hair!" I called over the roar of the wind and the motor. He grinned at me.

"Yours, too!" he shouted back. My hand self-consciously reached up to tame my wild locks, but it was like touching a whip on its way down. I jerked my hand away, half expecting to see red marks across my fingers. Fang laughed.

And then, all at once, the boat stopped. The man at the front turned around to face us, and two other men I hadn't noticed earlier stepped to our sides. Claustrophobia made chills go up and down my spine, as irrational as it was. I hated being cornered.

"We're just going to tether you two," one of the guys said, taking a clip and attaching it to Fang's chest. He had an Australian accent, and he looked every bit the Steve Irwin part. Well, Steve Irwin in a wetsuit. "If the sheila could just stand in front of you?"

I complied immediately, and I was soon clipped in by several more straps.

"If for some reason you two get into an argument and can't stand each other while you're up there," the other man, obviously native Hawaiian, joked, "just pull this string here. It'll separate you two almost instantly. But try not to do that. Because then one of you will probably fall about two hundred feet into the water, and you might break a rib or five."

"Two hundred feet?" I echoed nervously, glancing at the sky. It was perfectly blue. Not a cloud in sight.

"Or three hundred," the Aussie amended. "Depends on how high the wind tugs you and whether or not we decide to let it take you that high. Whichever. Anyway, once you two are ready to come down, just detach the clip from the tug line. The pick-up boat will trail a couple hundred feet behind us and will pick you up when you hit the water. They're behind us now, in case you want to say hi or appeal to their sympathetic sides."

I looked behind me and, sure enough, there was a smaller boat with just two guys in it. They waved when I turned.

"Here are your PFDs," Aussie went on, drawing my attention back to him. He handed us some glove-like things. "I know your wetsuits already come built in with buoying padding, but we have to distribute some other form of personal flotation device according to the Coast Guard. These'll help you keep your balance while you're waiting for the pick-up boat. Basically, the harnesses are too heavy for you to swim in, so you need something else to keep you afloat until we can get you out of the water. We don't want to fill out the paperwork if you drown, so just keep them on, comprende?"

I nodded and quickly strapped on the fingerless gloves. They felt bulky.

"Ground assistants check rig," the guy controlling the motor suddenly said. The Aussie and the other guy moved Fang and me so we were standing facing the back of the boat. A slight platform stretched before us. The guys pulls a couple strings and latches to make sure they were secure, and straightened one of the straps by my neck. I felt my pulse start to quicken. "Ground assistants check flight harness."

There were some more tugs and then the snap of a clip being put in place. One of the men attached a strong cable via clip to a loop on my chest. Fang tensed.

"I'm fine," I assured him, resting my head on his chest. But I so wasn't. If I passed out while we were up there, would Fang still be able to pull the clip to let us down? And if we fell while I was still unconscious, would I drown before the pick-up boat got to us?

"Are you?" I thought I heard Fang mutter, but then there was a parachute stretched out behind me and the men were stepping back while holding onto the fabric on both sides.

"Ground assistants position sail."

There was a shuffling, and then the boat started moving slowly. Anticipation coiled in my legs as I prepared to take the one step that I'd learned I had to take to get us up in the air. This was it. This was fucking it.

The boat was accelerating quickly now, and I knew that soon we'd reach the maximum speed. Then I'd have to either jump or ask the people to detach our sail. And I wasn't chickening out on this. I had to do this. I would do this. And when it was all over, I'd be super proud of myself. I'd be the hero in my family. I'd be the Girl Who Dared Go Parasailing.

And I might be dead.

I took a deep breath.

"You can walk any time now!" one of the guys—I couldn't tell which—yelled. "Don't jump! Just take one step!"

I breathed. I was going to shit my pants if I stayed here any longer. I felt Fang's knee nudge the back of my leg, and it was then that I realized I was frozen. No. Not frozen. I could do this. I would do this. I set my jaw, took the deepest breath of my life, and stepped forward.

I was dead.

The breath was swept from my lungs in an instant, all lights suddenly turning inside out, reversing, warping beyond recognition. Except...it wasn't. I could see everything with perfect clarity. There was no blur, no warping, no reversal. My eyes were stuck open, and all of the tears that I was sure were streaming from them because of the speed at which I was jerked upwards were forced away from me, adding to the big blue expanse of salt water already below me. I saw the sun, the sky, a single white cloud...and then there was the ocean beneath me. Us. Fang was laughing in my ear and I was laughing along with him, because the adrenaline snaking its way into my heart and through every vein was now good. It snapped everything into the utmost clarity. I saw every wave, every ocean swell. There was a spout of water somewhere in the distance that could've been a whale. It was beautiful. It was perfect.

Fang's arms wrapped around my waist, and his head found my shoulder.

"This is awesome!" I yelled, waving my arms. I couldn't see the sail what with the glare of the sun and the sail's color. We were flying. Flying through the sky, unconcerned with anything or anyone except for each other. Flying through the air, attached and unable to separate...without the instant death of one of us. And still we climbed, coasting on air currents and thermals, feeling the warm sun heat our backs.

"I love you," was his reply, right in my ear. I grinned.

"Me, too," I said with a laugh. Fang joined in, our bodies trembling with laughter and adrenaline and just overall bliss. This was wonderful. Amazing. Fantastic. Perfect. And we were together, with no one else again. I loved him.

I loved him.

AN: Sooo sorry, you guys! I swear I had this chappie finished by Monday and I could've sworn I posted it, but apparently I just uploaded it to Document Manager. So...I kind of figured it out when I didn't get any reviews. Because you guys aren't that mean. Anywho, here's your update, quite a bit late, but I'll make it up to you somehow. Maybe there'll be an update tomorrow...? It is a long weekend for me (starting yesterday), after all. Ooh, and for anyone who checks my profile regularly, or even if you don't, there are now both outfits and other links! So if you were curious about, say, the cottages or the red convertible the girls rented or anything, it's all on there, as are some links to songs, restaurants, and everything else referenced in the story. If anything's missing, just let me know. And a quick note of thanks to my reviewers, before I leave for the night. I love you all!

Until next time, peace-lovers...

-YAY