CHAPTER XXV
The sun is setting slowly, and I look over the horizon of the water at the thin band of color that the sun has cast in reflection. Fang laughs at something I don't hear and tightens his arm around me slightly. I force a smile into place and try to laugh, too, but it sounds slightly hysterical. I don't know why I'm doing this. I don't know why I fuckingbother.As Fang continues to talk animatedly to his friends, I inconspicuously pull my phone from my pocket and check for new messages. The display flashes one.
hey, baby. miss me?
My grimace turns into a real smirk, and I fight to make my face impassive again as I glance up at the others. They haven't noticed my preoccupation. The grin returns, and my fingers tap out a reply under the table.
hey, dylan. when r u dropping by?
My eyes snapped open, then closed just as suddenly as my retinas were scorched by the sun's rays. A few colorful words slipped from my mouth as I sat up and put a hand over my eyes to shield them. Someone else's fingers caught mine on their way, though, and I tensed immediately.
"Hey." Fan's calming voice filtered through my paranoia, and my tight shoulders automatically relaxed. I opened my eyes a sliver and squinted through the brightness at him. "You okay?"
I made a point of taking a nice, deep breath, trying to recall where I was. As my eyes adjusted to the light, they wandered around. Sand, water, pretty sky, colorful towels…right, right. Waikiki Beach. My friends' joint idea. Of course.
"I'm fine," I assured him, though I wasn't entirely sure of the truth in my statement. The hand not captured in Fang's tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Just a weird dream. How long was I out?"
The look he gave me was an incredulous one, and I knew he didn't believe me.
"Come on," I said, surprised that the playfulness was so evident in my voice. Usually it took me longer to snap out of the funk that came with nightmares as vivid as this one had been. Deciding to roll with it, I reached out to ruffle my boyfriend's hair. He dodged me neatly and scooted so he was next to me again, his arm wrapped around me. It was warm and intimate and not at all creepy. I felt myself smile at my progress, then immediately dropped it as I noticed the similarities to my dream.
"Maybe an hour?" Fang guessed after a moment of reflection. I groaned, ignoring his questioning expression. His fault if I ended up looking like a lobster—plus the added bonus of peeling skin—by the end of the day. I hadn't even been able to turn over.
It was around this time I realized that my side was much more damp than usual. In fact, even on my most sweaty days, I'm never soaked.
"Fang, you idiot!" My shriek was almost Nudge-worthy. I jumped up and away from him, wiping at the wet mark along my right side. It made the dark pink fabric look red-stained. " You went frickin' swimming? This isn't even my shirt—Nudge is gonna murder me for getting it wet!"
"Take a chill pill, Max," came a voice from behind me. Learned instinct made me whirl around, only to see Nudge and Sam walking towards our little towel area, their hands full with clear plastic cups. This could only mean one thing.
"Ohmigod, shaved ice!" I squealed in a most un-Maxlike manner as I practically tackled Nudge to reach mine. The mood swing made my head spin, but I didn't care. I needed me some shaved ice. My friend ducked skillfully and landed one of the cups gingerly in my outstretched hand.
"Better look out for this one, Fang," she informed my boyfriend, rolling her eyes as she set down the rest of the cups. "Bipolarity is her forte. Only gets worse when she's PMSing."
I looked from her to my shaved ice and back again before shrugging and diving into my tropical treat. I stuck my tongue out at her when she raised on perfectly-plucked yet condescending eyebrow.
"Don't judge me," I said in retort to her unspoken comment. The effect, however, was ruined by the colorful flavoring from the melting ice running down my chin. Nudge just smirked as she put down the rest of the cups.
"You might want to fix that, you toddler," she laughed. Fang stood and walked over to me, touching my cheek delicately with the tips of his fingers.
"Allow me," he suggested, pulling me in for a kiss. Right before he reached my expecting lips, he leaned down a couple inches and let his tongue trail up my chin to rid it of the melted shave ice. I might have giggled any other time, but right now?
It was so fucking hot.
I made a show of dropping my cup and tangling my fingers in Fang's wet hair, pulling him closer as his thoughtful gesture turned into an open-mouthed make-out session. Ignoring the semi-disgusted looks of the couple standing on the sidelines, I took a step forward to press myself against Fang's chest, feeling the hardness of the muscle there. His hands tightened on my waist, and it wasn't long before I felt the result of my teasing grinding against my lower stomach. I tilted my head and bit lightly at his lower lip, making his fingers clench the fabric of my tank top hard.
"Get a fucking room," Sam complained. Nudge just snorted.
"They don't need one," she informed him, her tone one of sarcastic disapproval. "They're just going to start fucking in the middle of the goddamn beach. Seriously, guys."
I sighed as Fang's lips left mine, still feeling the warmth they left behind as well as the tingles I was just starting to get. My boyfriend leaned his forehead against mine and stared intently into my eyes. His dark irises were practically smoldering. Then, in one clean movement, his lips were next to my ear.
"I want you," he whispered huskily, pushing himself against me slightly. As if I would try to deny it. "Now."
If my teased lady parts weren't already wet, now they were soaked. He was turning me the fuck on. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed myself back at him, against his lower half. I was the only one to hear the low moan he uttered.
"Then take me," I whispered back, my fingers tangling in the hair that brushed his neck. A low growl rumbled through his chest.
"Oh, my God, just leave!" Nudge yelled, pushing Fang and me apart. As we were separated, my eyes immediately made a cursory sweep of his shorts—and fuck was he lucky they hung so loose. Then again, so was I. I didn't need the world to know about my boyfriend's boner. The thought made my face heat up.
"Really?" I snapped, straightening my tankini. "Come on, Nudge. You're the one who wanted to come to this damn beach in the first place. Sor-ry if I try to have a little bit of fun in the process."
"I came here so we could all hang out, not so you could have a make-out sesh with your boyfriend!" Nudge countered. "Besides, if I hadn't stopped you, you two would probably be stripping and getting into it right now!"
"Quit being such a buzz kill!" I retorted lamely. Though, I did have to admit, it had been getting a little hot and heavy. Not that that gave anyone the right to come break it up. Before Nudge had a chance to reply, however, Ella waltzed over with Iggy in tow.
"Why are you both being so bitchy?" she commented. It wasn't really a question. More of an absurd statement. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it almost immediately. I was done. I wasn't arguing over shit anymore. Wasn't worth it. I flopped back onto one of the towels laid out over the soft sand and reached my hand into the beach bag that we'd brought along, pulling out my mp3 player. My pride and joy. As I shoved the buds into my ears, I felt the towel shift slightly, and then there was an arm wrapped around my shoulders.
"Later," Fang murmured in my ear, and I grinned, turned my head, pecked him on the cheek, and flipped on the shuffle option on my music player. Immediately, the song Paradise by Coldplay came on, and I mouthed the words softly to myself as I turned onto my stomach and lay there, loving the feeling of the warm sun on my back.
When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-ohWhen she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teethLife goes on
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.And dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-ohShe dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.La la la La
La la laSo lying underneath those stormy skies.
She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I know the sun must set to rise.This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
This could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo
Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo.
And as Fang leaned over me and started rubbing my back in soothing circles, and I started drifting off into a sleep I was sure would be far less fitful than any of those previous, I closed my eyes slowly.
This, I thought drowsily, might just be paradise.
Thanks as always to my two fave collabs, Veronica and Meg. You guys both rock. Also a gigantic shout-out to my best Tumblr friend Emily, who's seriously gotten me through so much shit I can't even…just oh, my goodness. You rock, bestie. I apologize AGAIN for taking so long. I'm changing my update schedule to roughly every ten days for now. I might change it sometime up ahead, but I'll try my hardest to stick to this one. Things are finally getting sorted. Thanks for sticking with us through all of this stuff, guys. It really means a lot. Also, questions, suggestions, etc. are always welcome in reviews, but remember, IDDT has a Tumblr, too. We're 0yinandyang0 there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart once more, and have a wonderful rest of the week, my darling peace-lovers.
-YAY