Smiles :-: Chapter Eight :-: Life is Always Better With a Smile

:-: FANG :-:

"Life is always better with a smile. —Fang"

I sighed, sticking the note onto the bathroom mirror.

Yesterday at the lake, I had thought I had made progress, you know? She wasn't full out yelling at me, it didn't seem like she hated me, and we kind of got along. But on the ride back, it seemed like Max had completely shut down. We weren't arguing with each other—we just weren't talking.

Honestly, I had really hoped that… well, I'm not exactly sure what I had hoped for, but I don't want to fight with Max any longer.

The thing is, there's something different about her now. She seems and looks different. Not necessarily good or bad, but simply different and intriguing.

I felt… obligated?... to have her smile again. Even if we moved out of the house, I think I'd feel this way; I'd still want to make her smile. I'd want to at least try and make her smile until she does. Only then would this feeling leave.

It's weird and it's crazy, I know, but I can't shake that feeling away.

Normally, I'd appreciate that sense, especially when it came to work ethics, but at the moment it was being a pain in the ass.

There was a knock on my bathroom door, and the purple sticky note soon followed underneath. On the sticky note, there are scratch marks with four words underneath.

"Life sucks in general."

My eyebrows furrowed and I tried to read what she had written under the scratch marks.

Is that an A? or … i? L…ive? Is that what it says?

After a minute more of trying to decipher what Max had written, I gave up and tossed the crumpled note into the trashcan. Was it really that hard for Max to be optimistic?

Lazily, I walked down the kitchen steps and Val greeted me.

"Good morning, Fang!" she chirped, unusually bright. Now, if only some of Val's extra cheeriness could pass on to Max…

I nodded my head at her, grabbing a bowl and a spoon. "Morning."

Sitting down on the bar stool, I poured my cereal into the bowl. Val came to sit next to me on the stool adjacent to the one I was sitting on. "Did you sleep well?" she questioned.

Swallowing the cereal in my mouth, I wiped my mouth on a napkin. "Yeah, thank you," I replied, shoveling another spoonful into my mouth.

She nodded, her brown eyes staring at me intently. Her eyes look like Max's… "Did something happen between you and Max yesterday?"

I choked on the cereal in my mouth. "Excuse me?" I managed out between coughs. What the hell did she mean?

Val looked at me curiously, gauging my reaction. From the way her face brightened up, she must've thought something had happened, which is why I had answered the way I had. "Did she finally admit her undying love for you, and you for her?" she teased.

I scowled at Max's mom. "That's not even funny. Besides, even if she had an 'undying love' for me, how would you know?"

"Oh Max and I have a girl talk every now and then…" Val giggled.

I didn't want to be rude, but I couldn't help the dubious look that took over my face as I stared at her.

"Okay, okay, you caught me." Val mocked surrendered. "But in all honesty, did something happen at the lake yesterday? You both kind of just walked in and went upstairs to your rooms. I expected at least yelling at me, if not at each other."

I shrugged, pouring more cereal into my bowl from the box. "Nothing really happened. She didn't want to get out of the car, I dumped her into the lake, she got really angry at me." And something changed.

It was Val's turn to look at me doubtfully. "You're serious? That's it?"

"Was something supposed to happen?" I questioned.

"There weren't any declares of adoration? No cutesy little moments? No passion filled kisses?" she exclaimed.

"Passion filled kisses? Max is your daughter…" I muttered awkwardly. Val is… interesting.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Why do you think I sent you to the lake together? If I didn't want something like that to happen, I would've gone with you two."

Uhh. "Max is your daughter…As in the Max upstairs?" I repeated, rubbing the back of my neck, and getting up to put my bowl in the sink.

Val shrugged. "And?" She paused for a second, looking at me. "You like h—ohh, nevermind," she laughed to herself quietly.

I… what? "… I uh gotta go get ready…"

She nodded, smiling to herself, as I started to make my way up the stairs. "Oh and Fang, would you mind checking up on Max and make sure she's not still sleeping?"

"Sure."

I entered my room and sat down on my bed. Val seemed more of a teenage girl than a mom. Passion filled kisses? Seriously? I shook my head, resting my head in the palms of my hands, and my elbows on my knees.

Staying in the same house with both Val and Max would make me lose the sanity that I had.

With a sigh, I got up and walked through the bathroom to Max's adjoining door. I knocked on it quickly, and when no answer came back in response, opened it.

When I looked inside her room, Max was on her bed, fast asleep, and I couldn't help but really look at her.

Her hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and her face was smooth, tan, and blemish free. The blanket wasn't covering her up, and so I could see her muscular, relaxed arms and legs from under her t-shirt and athletic shorts.

My gaze travelled up her body again, this time landing on her lips. They weren't in a frown or a smile, but they were most definitely curved up the slightest bit at the ends. Passion filled kisses…

I shook my head, ridding myself of any thoughts of "passion filled kisses," especially any with Max.

Quickly, I backed up into the bathroom again, slamming the door shut, and leaning against it.

No. It can't be…

Images of her sleeping, her lips, yesterday at the lake, flashed through my head in a blur.

It's not possible…

Thoughts of kissing Max, making her smile popped up into the center of my thoughts.

I can't like Max… can I?