A/N I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated but don't give up on me I will get back to regular updates! If I get a lot of reviews then I'll update tonight or tomorrow but if I don't then you'll probably have to wait a while because starting Monday I have midterms and I have to do good on them, obviously. So Review!
AWKWARDNESS! You could reach out and grabbed the tension in the air. You see, Iggy had taken Ella out on a date. Dylan and Gazzy had apparently gone out on a double date. Ash had left this morning to go to L.A. for some meeting. My mom took Angel to the mall and they've been gone all day. Nudge has a video chat date with Josh and only god knows when that'll be over. This unfortunate series of events has led to the previously mentioned awkward situation. Which, would be about fifty times less awkward, if the person next to me wasn't staring at me waiting for…I don't know.
To clarify, I was currently sitting in silence on a couch while Fang sat at the other end of the couch staring at me. I've been pretending to not notice him for the past thirty minutes but I don't know how much longer I could put up with this. To keep myself from glancing over at him and making the eye contact he wanted me to make I had pulled my knees up and leaned my left elbow on my knee. I then put my head on my fist to keep it in place and block my eyes with my hand from his vision. My fingers were drumming on the arm of the couch and the sound seemed to echo in the silent room. I could easily reach for the remote but that would involve looking in his general direction which could be disastrous.
I felt his dark eyes on my face and before I realized it my cheeks were heating up. I sat there trying to play it cool but the feeling of his eyes on me made my stomach flip.
"What?" I snarled finally snapping. Fang looked at me with a satisfied smirk.
"Want to do something?" He questioned. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes that made me hesitate. Then again, I really don't want to resume our awkward situation from before. I slowly nodded. Fang quickly sprung up and grabbed my arm.
Fang pulled me off the couch and through the door before I even had enough time to process the fact that I just nodded.
"Where do you suppose we go?" He asked while looking around the property. "When you were younger what did you do for fun?" He asked curiously.
"Oh that's easy, Iggy and I would either go to the beach or the woods." I said without thinking. I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth realizing what I had just said.
"Woods it is," Fang said smirking as he started to run towards the woods in my back yard.
When we reached the line of trees Fang didn't hesitate before pulling us through the brush.
"Show me around," He said as he stopped. I glance around the trees and sighed before taking the lead. Fang held on tightly to my hand as I led him through the trees. I was going to the clearing Iggy and I had found when we were six and later build a fort in.
Fang's hand felt unnaturally warm in mine. Everywhere around it felt tingly and it was probably because my hand was falling asleep. My feet were bare just like they would have been when I was a kid. It felt so familiar to follow the path that would be invisible to anyone but Iggy and I. Dylan, Gazzy, and Nudge have been out here but not enough that they could have found it themselves.
Soon enough we came to the spot and I looked back at Fang to see him looking down at me. I quickly pulled Fang through the line of trees and into this opening in the brush. It wasn't a big area maybe a ten by ten foot area. Of course the measurements were even close to being accurate because it wasn't shaped like a square, more like a deformed oval. Straight ahead was a little hut made of old blankets, sticks, and stolen wood. Across from the hut was a line of five beer bottles that the band and I had pushed into the ground as a sort of memorial for our first beers. In a tree to the left of the hut that was supposed to be a fort was a tree that Iggy and I had carved our names into with a pocket knife we stole from Iggy's dad and the knife was still stabbed into the ground at the base of the tree. Finally, on a picker bush to my left was a white sheet that had mine and Iggy's initials painted on it with red paint and only being held in its place by the pickers on the bush. I remember mom had been so mad when she found out Iggy and I had taken the sheet and she wasn't getting it back. The ground that used to be all dirt from being walked on so frequently was growing some tall grass but other than that the place looked the same.
Fang looked around taking the place in. I felt proud of this place. I felt at home in this place. Most of all, I missed this place.
"Are you going to give a tour?" Fang asked me smirking. I felt a warm feeling grow inside me and excitedly started.
"This is our flag," I said pointing to the white sheet with a MR + IG painted on it. "Mom was so mad when she found out we had taken this. We got the paint from Ella's craft box and she made us buy her more so Iggy and I pooled our piggy bank money together and bought her some." Fang smiled down at me and it felt so good to be telling him about this and he was happy to hear it.
I dragged Fang away from the sheet and onto the tree.
"This is a tree that we carved our names into. We saw it in a movie and then took Iggy's dad's pocket knife from his safe, after Iggy broke in, and carved our names in. It took us hours but we finally did it." I ran my fingers over the lightly carved names and smiled. The knife sat at the base just like I said before. It was getting rusty now but still gave me the warm feeling.
"And this!" I exclaimed happily pulling Fang to the fort that resembled a hut that just went through a tornado. "Is our fort!" I pulled Fang down as I crawled into the little opening. I sat with barely enough room to cross my legs. Fang crawled in after me squeezing himself in. "We took blankets out of the laundry when our parents weren't looking for weeks a brought them out here." I said chuckling as I looked at a small towel that covered a corner. "And we ran down into town and stole some wood from the hardware store but didn't make it halfway down the street before Iggy started crying and I was ready to puke so we brought it back and they let us keep it anyway." I laughed at the memory, that at the time, was nowhere near being funny. Fang watched me talk smiling.
"C'mon," I said as I stated to push him back out the entrance.
When we surfaced I started towards the line of beer bottles. It was the last spot I thought to show him.
"Wow, you were an early drinker," Fang said while looking at the line of bottles.
"Actually we put these here when we were thirteen," I said crouching next to the line. Fang copied my action. "We paid a senior a couple bucks to use his fake ID and buy us some beer." I said looking at the line of glass bottles shinning in the sun. "We all drank one beer each," I smiled at the memory of our grossed out faces we all made the first time we took a sip. Fang watched me intently. "This was right after Ari died and all the record stuff was starting to fall into place. We were going out to L.A. the next day and we were all a little worried." I stopped as the same gut wrenching feeling entered my stomach. Unlike my band mates I wasn't worried because it I thought it might not work out and it would mean I would actually have to go back to school and have a normal life, though that played a part. I had convinced myself that if I worked really hard and succeeded then I would make Ari come back. "I was so screwed up Fang." I stated while turning to look into his eyes. He looked at me and for once I didn't only see my reflection in his dark eyes. His look made me feel better though I didn't quite know why and I don't think I want to know why.
"Were all a little screwed up," He said giving me a reassuring nod of his head and gave my shoulder a squeeze.
"We made a promise here," I said turning back to the glass bottles. "We promised that no matter what happened, failure or success, we would always be there for each other and this would forever be the place that we drank our first and last beers together." I said smiling at the mental image of us all clanking our bottles together before taking our first swing of the disgusting liquid. We sat in silence. I was staring at the line of glistening bottles and I don't know where Fang was looking.
"Can I make a promise to you here?" Fang asked me, his gruff voice breaking the silence. I turned and looked at him. "Max, I promise that you have my heart." He said looking at me with emotion basically pouring out of his eyes. I examined his face. What did he mean? "I promise that from this day on you have my heart. Even if you never feel the same way. Even if you move on and date, love, or marry someone else. Even if you never promise me the same thing. Even if you don't remember my name in a couple months. You have it forever. I promise that I'll do anything for you. Even if I fall in love with someone else I promise that you will always have part of me." He took my hand while I just stared at him in complete and utter shock. He placed my hand over his thumping heart. I knew that his heart rate wasn't usually this fast meaning he was nervous.
"F-Fang," I croaked out. My throat felt like it was closed, almost like I was about to cry but I wasn't.
"Shh," He hushed gently. "I'm not going to force you into anything and you don't even have to answer me…ever. I just wanted you to know." I gulped and nodded. I wanted to do so much more. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to say that I cared about him. I wanted him to know every thought that was going through my head. Things like: you feel the same way. Kiss him! Why are you even thinking this you don't like him? Yes, you do who are you kidding!? You should think about what to say before you say something you don't mean and will regret! No you shouldn't fool, just kiss him…he's a good kisser!
"Just…tell me," before I could even realize what was happening Fang had swooped down and caught my lips in his. His lips were gone in seconds but the feeling of his lips lingered. The taste of his lips stayed on mine and his smell filled my nose. It felt like a shock ran down my spine and I wanted it again. "Don't tell me you don't feel it." He stated. I sat there on my knees just watching him feeling caught off guard, nervous, and…angry. Angry at myself for not talking and saying how I felt. Then again when am I ever one to openly say how I felt? I would never say that I wanted him. I would never say I needed him. I would never say that when he was kissing me I was content to run to town hall and marry him right now. I would never say that but that sure as hell was what I was thinking.
Fang stood up and was now making his way away from me. I wanted to get up and wrap my arms around him and tell him to stay, but I couldn't and wouldn't. I needed to think this through.
That's why when I couldn't hear Fang's footsteps anymore I sprung up and started to pace.
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I had stumbled back into the house moments ago and when I had everyone was standing there each with devilish smirks on their faces. Well my mom, Ash, and Angel weren't there but everyone else was. I examined each of them and quickly decided I didn't want to know. I met Fang's eyes and only saw my reflection again and boy did I look miserable. So I guess we're back to how we were before.
"I don't want to know," I said throwing my hands up in surrender and attempting to walk past them.
"Well actually I think you do," Dylan said smirking. I looked at each of them again. I knew they were up to something I just didn't know what.
"We may have gotten you a present," Nudge said smirking and looking like she was about to explode in excitement. My mood shifted slightly but I was still suspicious.
"You are the oldest and yet the last to get her license," Gazzy said shrugging but a boyish smirk played his lips.
"Well, except for me," Ella said simply. Iggy quickly wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "But we thought it was only right that we got you something you could use now that you have your license." Are they talking about what I think they're talking about?
"And you mentioned wanting one the other night," Iggy said shrugging. "So if you want it all you have to do is ask."
"I want it!" I said quickly and not even trying to compose myself. A car is something I would never buy myself. It takes too much time and I would feel bad spending so much money on myself. Iggy chuckled and pulled a set of keys from his pocket. He tossed them at me and I caught them unable to stop smiling.
"We parked it out on the street so you wouldn't see," Iggy explained. I was already running out of the house to see what they had gotten me.
When I reached the road I nearly screamed but held it in because I'm determined to be mature about this. Parked outside of the house was a 2012 red Jeep Rubicon with no top. (A/N this is my dream car)
"You're welcome," Iggy said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't even react I just wanted to stare at the car.
"Thank you guys so much!" I said happily and then spun to hug each of them. I even hugged Fang and though he was stiff for a second he recovered and hugged me back before I quickly pulled away. "C'mon let's drive it!" I yelled as I ran around to the driver's side of the car. Everyone ran at the car as I jumped behind the wheel.
There was screaming and shoving from everyone before Fang jumped in the passenger's side and smirked happily. I don't want to know how he got to sit shotgun but I don't think I want to know. It took a couple minutes but eventually everyone was in. Ella sat on Iggy's lap and Nudge sat next to them. Gazzy and Dylan were standing in the back and half of their body stuck out the top.
"No main roads," I said chuckling as I started up the car and took off down the street. I turned the radio up as loud as it would go and blasted some upbeat song.
"Better hold on!" I screamed as I sped up and started to swerve around on the empty street. Suddenly another car turned down the street and I quickly went to the other side of the street. Then I realized the car I just moved for looked really familiar. That was my mom's car. Thankfully she just drove by and didn't recognize us.
"That was your mom!" Iggy yelled up to me. I nodded to say I knew. I started to relax until I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that my mom's car had come to a sudden stop and now was turning around and heading in our direction.
"Shit!" I yelled. "Get in the car!" I yelled back at Dylan and Gazzy. Both boys had quickly slid inside and were now on top of Nudge and Ella who were screaming in protest. I quickly turned the radio down and started to drive quickly pretending not to know that I had just past my mom and she was now following me. I made sure to drive cautiously so my mom would hopefully just go home.
"Just pretend you don't know it's her," Gazzy directed from the back seat.
"What do you think I'm doing?" I said as I slouched down in my seat but stayed tall enough that I could see. That plan didn't work long though because my mom started to honk obnoxiously at us.
"Damn it," I breathed.
"Just stop and talk to her," Fang offered. I nodded at him and then pulled over to the side of the road. My mom's car pulled up next to the jeep and I looked over at her nervously. She had rolled down her passenger's side window and was glaring at me from across the seat.
"Hey mom! How long have you been behind us?" I asked her happily.
"Since you almost ran me over," She said angrily.
"Sorry I didn't notice it was you I was too focused on the road," I said and then pointed my two fingers at my eyes and aimed that at the road in the typical 'I'm watching you' movement.
"You were breaking at least three laws." She stated looking at me like she didn't buy my lie for a second.
"You should get that horn checked out it seemed to be out of control," I said hoping to change the subject.
"I was just trying to get your attention since you were so focused on your driving," She stated angrily.
"We'll be home in a little bit and then I'll show you my new car," I said smiling and hoping she would just agree.
"Max, I understand that you're a teenager that just got a new car but can you just try and be a little safer and if you're going to have kids hanging out the roof just stay on back roads." She said sighing. "I'll see you when you get home." I nodded a little shocked at her carefree response. Mom drove off and we sat there each and every one of us completely shocked.
Well that was pretty cool of mom. I shrugged and took off again. I love this car.
"So, um, about what you said today," I said nervously. Fang was staring at me expectantly as we stood in the kitchen. He was eating some grapes and I was holding my carton of orange juice. "I was thinking that you know it would…" I didn't know what to say. Going into this I had a whole speech planned and I was ready but now I had no clue what to say. I tugged at the hem of my shirt and fiddled with carton of juice.
"Yeah?" Fang asked raising his eyebrows as he popped another grape in his mouth. He was so hot. Why did he have to be so hot? Why did this come so easily to him? How could he be so perfect?
After a long drive in my new car alone I had come to the conclusion that I like Fang… a lot. I also had a whole plan about how to tell him this but it wasn't working. My mouth wasn't working and neither was my brain.
"So like maybe we could…" I trailed off. What I was about to say wasn't good enough. What is wrong with me? Fang looked at me expectantly and I didn't know what to say. I could always tell him how I felt. Then again that would make me look like a sappy loser. I couldn't say how I felt.
"I think food is cool," I said and then felt my stomach drop. I'm such an idiot! Of all things that could come out of my mouth why did it have to be that? Really Max, is that how you ask someone out?
"Me too," Fang said chuckling at me. He seemed to be enjoying the new nervous and unsure Max although I definitely wasn't. "Is that all you wanted to say?" He asked biting his lip but a few snorts escaped his mouth. He was laughing at me. The only thing keeping me from socking him in the face was the fact that I don't think it would help my situation any and he looked pretty cute while biting his lip and I liked his laugh too much to make him stop.
"I'll get back to you," I said and then walked from the kitchen. I quickly made my way to the basement. Why am I going to the basement, you may ask? Well, I'm going to the basement because an idea just popped in my head. I may not be able to talk about my feelings but I could sing them. Jeb always told me to play to my strengths.