Iggy lay under the covers in Ella's bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist. She curled up next to him and sighed.
"Ig," she whispered, "you don't really have to stay, if you don't want to."
Iggy spoke into Ella's ear, "I want to be with you."
Ella turned toward him. "But I understand if you just wanted sex. I really do. All of the guys are like that. You're the only one who's ever stayed with me afterwards."
Iggy brushed his fingers through Ella's hair. "How could a guy just walk away from you? I don't get it."
Ella pressed herself against Iggy. "I guess they just like the sex part. Not the Ella part."
Iggy's fingers reached for Ella's face. He felt the unhappy expression that her voice had announced. "I like the Ella part."
She smiled and laughed quietly.
Iggy's lips tenderly opened Ella's mouth. He felt her relax and he kissed her deeply.
When Iggy pulled away he said, "If it were possible, I'd stay with you all the time."
Ella stared at the ceiling for a long time. "When you and Max came into the kitchen, Max looked like she was mad at Fang. Did she tell you about it?"
Iggy rolled onto his side. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Ella ran her fingers through his hair. "I wish you would."
Iggy sighed. "Max must have seen Fang standing close to you."
"So she was jealous of me with Fang? That makes sense. That's what she looked like." Ella sat up in bed. "You were there. What did you think?"
Iggy sat up next to her. "It felt like Fang was being too familiar with you. It was like he thought Max was off somewhere else and he could get away with cozying up to you."
Ella scratched her head. "Fang does act kind of flirty like that around girls. I've seen him do it. But I'm sure he meant no harm to Max. I just thought he was being nice to me because I'm Max's sister."
"Being nice is different than being intimate," Iggy said.
"He loves Max," Ella said, looking at Iggy's face. "I know you said you were in love with Max. But its different for Fang – I'm almost positive. Like, Max has never had sex before. She told me. So even when she was alone with Fang, they didn't do that stuff."
Iggy swallowed loudly. "Do you wish I hadn't taken you to my room?"
Ella laughed. "It's not the same. I've had sex with other guys. It's not like you and me were holding out for each other."
Iggy coughed. "Will you have sex with other guys if I leave with the Flock?"
"Probably. Why?" Ella turned to him.
Iggy rested his forehead on hers. "I can't imagine being with anyone after you, Ella. I was hoping it would be the same for you."
Ella thought for a long time. "I could try not to."
Iggy replied, "I just know that I'll think of you this way always."
Ella rolled on top of Iggy. "That's sweet. I didn't know it would mean so much to you. I even thought that you might be acting like I was Max or something. I've heard that guys do that. It sounds pretty gross – doesn't it?"
Iggy kissed Ella's lips. "I stopped thinking of Max when we stood at the front door yesterday."
Ella wrapped her arms around Iggy. "Still, it's not like you can fall in love after just having sex once or twice."
Iggy said in a low voice, "The Flock doesn't stay in one place very long. I guess it's good that you don't want this to last."
"I wish it would last. But I don't believe that it will." Ella put her hands around Iggy's face. "Sex is nothing, Ig. It doesn't make us together."
Ella drifted her fingers over Iggy's face, exploring his way of seeing through touch. "It's like cotton candy at the fair. Cotton candy is one of the best parts of going to a fair. But you can buy it at the grocery store if you don't want to bother taking the trouble of getting to the fair."
Iggy felt pain inwardly. "You really don't think I'd stay with you?" He moved Ella off of him and rolled away. "You're certain I just used you as a substitute for Max?"
"Yes."
Iggy's pain within grew. He wondered how much Ella said was true, and how much he actually loved Ella. Hadn't he told Max that Ella wasn't his type? Didn't he say that Ella fell short of what he wanted? Iggy let silent tears roll down his face. He didn't turn back to Ella. He suffered in silence.
Ella held him. "I like having you here while it lasts." She fell asleep holding him.
When Iggy heard her breathing change into long, deep breaths of sleep, he crawled out from under her. He needed to fly. He wanted to fly into the sky and never touch down on earth again.
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Fang was still awake. Iggy saw the light through the window. [Author note: I apologize for the two mistakes about Iggy's sight in this chapter.]
After a long time of flying, Iggy's wings were hot. He landed on the roof and let his wings cool in the night breeze.
Then he tapped on Fang's window, to talk.
Fang crawled out. He looked exhausted. He had worry etched deeply in his face. Iggy immediately regretted bothering Fang.
"I messed up everything for you and Max." Iggy didn't expect those words to come out of his mouth. It was like he wasn't in control of himself anymore.
Fang shook his head. His steely voice said, "Nothing can mess things up between Max and me. I won't let anything get in our way."
Iggy fluffed his wings into the cool air. "It's been a long time since any of us have been flying. Isn't it strange being here, trying to live a normal life?"
Fang was silent. Finally he said, "It's like none of us even knows what a normal life is. Maybe Max was right. Maybe we all should have left when she said so. It's like our foray into the real world is even more difficult than any disaster Itex could send our way."
Iggy nodded. Then he said, "I shouldn't have brought Ella to my room this afternoon."
Fang replied quietly, "Try not to hurt Max's sister. It would only make things worse for Max."
Iggy said stridently, "I really don't understand Ella. She's not like the Flock."
Fang turned to him and said, "None of us knows Ella very well. Of course you don't understand her. It takes time, Iggy."
Iggy nodded. "She thinks I was just in it for the sex."
"You weren't?" Fang scoffed.
"Why does everyone think that?" Iggy said in a low, angry voice.
"Because it's true?" Fang shot back.
Iggy folded his wings in. "Is it too late to change Ella's mind?"
"It's never too late, Ig." Fang turned to go back through the window. Then he said in a menacing voice, "Stay away from Max from now on." He crawled through the window and closed it.
Iggy lay down on the cool shingles and absorbed the night sounds. There were cars driving along neighboring roads. A block away there were loud voices laughing and music that was blasting. A cat let out a plaintive meow. Dogs barked messages to one another. A jet flew overhead.
Iggy missed the solitude of the wild that the Flock usually slept in.
