EveryOneCanSparkle, Happy Birthday! Hope you enjoy this! :D

Chapter Nineteen

It took four years, for Fang and I, to tell each other, we loved the other. Fang had said it first. It had taken me of guard. We had gone back to my house after picking up Ella from soccer. Fang and I had just been lying on my bed in front of the fan in a comfortable silence, when, out of know where, he told me he loved me, and I did not say anything back, just sat there like a complete idiot. He did not really say anything else after that. I knew I had hurt him. I did love him, maybe always had.

He had said he should go, not long after. He didn't have his car, but said he did not mind walking, I had offered to drive him, but he wouldn't let me.

I had decided to have a nice hot bath, a bubble bath, after that. It was not something I did regularly, in fact I had not had a bath since I was about ten years old, but I felt like I needed it. I was so angry at myself.

Age Eighteen

I relax into my bath putting my head against the edge. I can't believe I didn't tell Fang, I love him. I can't get his face out of my head, the hurt expression that passed his fetchers, before he caught himself.

I slide down, putting my head under the water, letting the warmth sooth me. I can here footsteps on the stairs. It can't be Ella already can it? Ella went to a friend's house soon after Fang and I picked her up, it can't be Dad because he's away on business. I raise my head out of the water listening.

"Ella?" I call out.

Okay I can definitely hear movement coming down the hallway. My heart is racing. I look around for a weapon. I grab one of Ella's candles, holding it up ready to throw.

The door slowly creaks open. I throw the candle, splashing water in the process. I'm about to scream when the intruder talks.

"Ow! It's just me." He says, holding his arms up in surrender.

"Fang? You scared me! What are you doing here?" I slide down into the water more, making sure I'm covered.

He moves towards me. "I told you I loved you, and you didn't say anything." He staring me straight in the eyes, I look back at him, those eyes's... dark and intense, it's as if he can see right through me. I avert my eyes.

"What?" Is all I can – pathetically- manage to say.

"You heard me. Why don't you just say it? Tell me you love me Max. Do you?" He looks really upset. I've never seen him like this before. I sit up.

"Fang-" I plead. "Dam it Max, For once in your life tell me what you're feeling, and while your feeling it." He interrupts me.

"I... Yes, I do-" I stutter.

"Say it." He says raising his voice.

"I can't say it now, not like this." I argue. Now I'm getting annoyed, great.

"Why didn't you say it back to me when I said it to you?" He asks, bending down next to the bath, resting his arms on the edge, ggetting to my eye level

"I was just surprised, that's all. It's the first time you've said it to me-" I put my hand out to him. He grabs hold of it without hesitation, rubbing his thumb on the back of my hand.

"I do love you Fang." I tell him finally, smiling to myself at how good it feels to tell him so, and see the look in his eyes.

He smiles. "Good, because I love you Max, more then anything." He leans forward and presses his lips gently against mine, kissing me sweetly. He leans back and we look at each other for a couple seconds.

"I'm in the bath." I say slowly, when I actually think about the fact that Fang barged into my bathroom.

He smirks. "I noticed." He runs his hand from my shoulder down my arm to my wrist. I shiver. Fang grins wider.

"You threw a candle at me." He says with laugh.

"Yeah- sorry about that." I say guiltily. He just shrugs.

"How fare did you get before you came back?" I ask him.

"All the way to my house, before I turned back." He says, while focusing on running his fingers across my shoulder and collar bone, he moves his hand down from my collar bone to my upper chest. My heart's racing, I'm not sure if I want his hand to continue its journey, or if I should push his hand away... the second? He looks up at my face and smiles softly, moving his hand to his side.

"You finish up, have you eaten?" Fang asks.

"No."

"Alright, I'll find us something to eat." He kisses my forehead before walking out of the room closing the door behind him. I get up out of the bath pulling the plug and wrap myself in my towel.

I dry off a bit then go to my bedroom to get dressed. It's getting late so I decide to get into my pyjamas. I pull on my underwear, then a pair of checked sleep shorts and a red singlet top. I try to dry my wet hair as well as I can with the towel.

When I'm finished, I walk into the kitchen to find Fang standing in front of the stove cooking two minute noodles. He turns his head to look at me and smiles when he hears me behind him. I smile back pulling out two bowls and forks. I put them on the bench and Fang serves out the noodles.

"Should we eat in front of the telly?" I ask.

"No we always do that, lets eat out side."

We take our bowls out side and sit down on the trampoline, sitting opposite each other our knees touching.

"You know what I was thinking?" Fang asks.

"What?" I ask with a mouth full of noodles.

Fang laughs. "In stead of hunkering down tomorrow, as we planned, we should go down to the beach to see my Dad."

"Oh?"

"He wants to see me, and I want you to come."

"Okay. Will he mind?" I ask taking another bite.

He shakes his head, finishing off his mouthful. "He'll expect you to come." He finally says grabbing my hand, and squeezing firmly.

"I can't really leave Ella on her own."

"She could stay at Nudges or Angels house." He suggested.

"I'll have to ring her and ask if that would be okay."

"All right, do it now." He urges.

"My phones in my room." I say.

"Well lets go, you need to pack anyway." He says pulling my hand, helping me up. We climb off the trampoline taking our dishes with us; we put them into the kitchen before going up to my room.

I find my phone on my bedside table, and sit down on my bed as I called Ella. She doesn't have a problem with the plan; in fact, she had already planned to sleep over at the twin's house.

"Okay Ella, thanks- good night." I hang up the phone and put it on my bedside table again.

I look up to see Fang standing in front of my desk, looking at the nick-knacks on the shelves, over it. He picks up a photo frame with a picture of him and I in it, he smiles over his shoulder at me, before putting it back down.

After I pack for our trip and Fang 'helps'- which was really just watching- we lay down on my bed, both of us lying on our backs, looking up at the ceiling.

"What do you feel about seeing your Dad tomorrow?" I ask, turning my head to look at him. He frowns slightly, keeping his eyes on her ceiling.

"Good- Great. I know what you're thinking. He hurt my Mum, but I promise you he's sorry. He hates himself for the way he use to act. But it's not like they are together any more, its not like he's still doing it."

"I know. But, can't you not help, but always think about it?"

"At the start, yes... but now I forgive him, Mum forgives him, we've all moved on." He says turning to face me, lying on his side.

Fang sighs. "It's like this, if you tell someone a huge secret, and you tell them not to tell anyone, but they go ahead and tell someone else. You're angry at first, then disappointed, but eventually you have to forgive them, for yourself, you can't carry stuff around, unresolved feelings, but here's the question, would you trust that person again with a secret... no. That doesn't mean you haven't forgiven them, that doesn't mean you can't just, move on." I turn onto my side to face him leaning towards him and lightly brushing my lips against his, I go to pull back, but he puts his hand to the back of my neck and pulls me closer. Fang moves his lips from mine, to the hallow of my throat, loosing his hand in my hair.

"I don't deserve you." I say.

"What?" Fang mumbles against my neck.

"Your so wise, and smart, and so forgiving."

He pulls away from me to look at my face. "What are you talking about?" He asks rolling his eyes. "Don't be stupid." He adds.

He puts his hand to my cheek, tucking a stand of my dirty blond hair behind my ear; his hand lingers there for a moment before he draws me in, impossibly close to him. I lean into his chest, putting my head in the curve between his neck and shoulder.

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