"Iggy!" I called up the staircase. "I left a blue duffel bag on my bed. Can you bring it down here?"

I turned away from the stairs, picked up my suitcase, and went to stand by the door. Moments later, a navy blue bag came tumbling down the stairs. It landed on the hardwood with a resounding smack. I could hear Iggy laughing. Bending down to pick up the bag, I made a mental note to make him regret possibly damaging my personal belongings.

"Okay, Max," my mom started, entering the foyer with her hands clasped in front of her chest. "I know this is supposed to be a fun trip, but please remember to be safe. Don't stay up too late, stay out of sketchy looking areas, don't talk to anyone that doesn't look safe, and don't-"

"I get it, mom," I said, laughing slightly. "I'll use my common sense."

She smiled. "I know. You're just," she stood in front of me and put her hands on my shoulders. "You're growing up so fast."

I groaned but didn't pull away.

"I'm so proud of you. You've grown into such an amazing, independent young woman-"

"Mom, not now, please."

"I mean, you're going on a trip alone."

"Mo-"

"Alone with a boy."

"Can we have this talk later? Not when I'm about to leave?"

She sighed and nodded, leaning in to kiss my cheek before I could duck away. "Have fun."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Perfect timing, I thought, hoisting the duffel bag's strap over my shoulder and opening the door.

"Ready to go?" Fang said, jerking his thumb in the general direction of the driveway where his car was park.

I nodded and cursed myself for smiling like an idiot.

Fang made a move to grab my suitcase from me but was stopped when my mom thrust her hand out in front of him.

"It's nice to see you, Fang."

Fang looked slightly uncomfortable, but shook my mom's hand anyway. "It's nice to see you too, Ms. Martinez."

"Now, just a few questions before you leave-"

I let out an exasperated sigh. Mom shot me a glare.

"I need to know where you'll be staying. Just for emergencies, of course. It'd be nice to know all your flight information as well, just to b-"

"No problem, Ms. Martinez," Fang nodded and produced a plain white envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Everything you need to know is in here. We'll make sure to call if our plans change."

Mom accepted the envelope and clutched it against her chest. "Thank you. Please be safe. But have fun."

"Okay, bye." I stepped onto the porch and handed my suitcase to Fang.

"Bye!" she said, hugging me and shaking Fang's hand again before turning and dashing into the house.

.oO0Oo.

Five minutes later, my luggage was stuffed into the trunk and Fang and I were on our way to the airport.

"So," I asked. "where exactly are we going?"

Fang chuckled turning his head and grinning lopsidedly at me. "Max, the whole point of a surprise trip is that you don't figure out where you're going until you get there."

"C'mon, please?" I pried, grabbing his hand that wasn't on the steering wheel and looking up at him with what I hoped were convincing bambi eyes.

He leaned down quickly and kissed the top of my head before turning his gaze back to the road. "Nope. Not until we get to the airport."

I punched him lightly on the arm and leaned back in my seat. "Fine," I saw Fang's grin widen and he brushed his thumb over my knuckles.

.oO0Oo.

After a short flight, we landed in a fairly small city in Northern California. We picked up a rental car and hit the road.

"Can you tell me where we're going now?" I asked.

Fang laughed. "Not yet."

We drove for approximately fifteen minutes before turning off the highway onto a rocky dirt road flanked by layers of trees on both sides. The road ended at a driveway. Fang parked the car and got out, walking around to the passenger side to open my door.

I looked up at him. "Is this the part where you drag me into the woods and murder me? Because that's definitely not how I want to start the summer."

Fang held out his hand for me to take. "Trust me."

I shrugged and took his hand.

To the left of the car was a pathway through the woods. I let Fang guide me down it until he stopped suddenly.

He turned to face me. "I need you to cover your eyes."

"What?"

"Just-" he moved to stand behind me. "Here, I'll do it," he brought his hands up to cover my eyes. I hoped he couldn't feel how warm my cheeks were.

"If you steer me into a tree, I will kill you."

Fang's breath ruffled my hair as he laughed.

We kept walking down the path and less than a minute later, Fang stopped.

"Can you move your hands now?" I asked.

Fang quietly removed his hands. I gasped.

The path led to a clearing on the edge of a small creek. Facing the creek was a small cabin. I ran up the steps on the porch and opened the front door. The inside was modest. Pretty but not flashy, functional without overdoing it. I heard Fang come in behind me.

"Sorry, it's not some big fancy hotel. I thought you'd like this more."

I turned around to face him, grabbing the collar of his leather jacket and pulling him down to press my lips against his. He stumbled, surprised, but quickly relaxed and brought his arms around my waist.

"You thought right," I whispered, pulling away for a moment.

Fang smiled. He leaned in to kiss me again but tilted his head upwards slightly, choosing instead to press his lips against my nose.

"Hey!" I scrunched up my nose and trailed my hands up so that my fingers could lace together behind his head. Standing on my toes, I tilted his head down again to kiss him properly. We broke apart for air a few moments later. Fang pulled me closer and we stood there, still in the doorway, intertwined and feeling the rise and fall of each other's chests.

"I love you, Max," Fang said into my hair.

I smiled against his chest. "I love you, too."

Fin

Author's Note

I'M BACK. Yes, after that freakishly long hiatus I'm getting back into the swing of things.

This is officially the last chapter of Playing House. It's been (give or take) a year since I first started writing this story and I'd just like to thank you all for your lovely comments, favourites, etc. Hopefully this epilogue lives up to your expectations. (Cue cheesy/lame emoticon) :D

With that said, I'm a little lost on what to write next? (Seriously, I'm having some major creativity problems) I'll try to think of something but if anyone has any ideas, feel free to comment/PM me.

Again, thanks for the support!

-Pixie Lala XOXO