The Bartender

Chapter Ten

Max

"So, Max, what's going on with Fang?" Ella asked, shaking up a drink before pouring it into a glass and serving it up to a woman at the bar. "You're either best friends, sleeping together, or not speaking."

"He's being a pain in my ass, honestly. I was perfectly fine just sleeping with him. But then he found Chelsea and wanted to make me jealous with her. It worked. I had to drive him home last night because he'd been drinking, so he literally spent fifteen minutes trying to convince me to have sex with him."

"Max! Can I get a beer?" a man named Andrew called from the other end of bar just as Ella asked, "Well, did you?"

I grabbed a beer for Andrew and popped the cap off as I slid it down the bar to him.

"Thanks!" he called again.

"Of course not," I replied to Ella. "But I wanted to. Really badly."

"Well, why didn't you, then?"

"I wasn't just going to let him treat me the way he was, and then get it anyway. Although, I don't know if I'd be able to keep myself from saying yes next time."

"Then don't. Max, he'll never learn. Fang knows he can get any girl he wants to fall into bed with him. You included."

"I slept at his house last night, though. I practically live there. I slept on the couch, but when I woke up, I wished I'd slept in his bed with him. I was all cold and my neck hurt. I either need to give him what he wants, or just stop talking to him."

"But you won't. He's been your best friend since the eighth grade. And you do love him. He just needs to clean up his act. Although, you might need to help him with that," Ella laughed, patting my shoulder lightly.

"I hate that you're right. Maybe I'll go see him after work."

"Fang?" I called as I stepped into his apartment, looking around for the ebony-haired tyrant.

Fang's bedroom door opened and he came out, looking for whoever had been calling him.

"Max? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. I was talking to Ella whenever I was at work and it made me realize that I kind of wish I hadn't slept on the couch last night, but rather, with you. And I don't mean that like I wish I'd had sex with you. I just wish I didn't act like such a teenage girl last night."

"There's always tonight," Fang smiles, walking into his kitchen, nodding for me to follow.

I did, sitting down at one of his bar stools.

"Why are you always so nice to me? I flip from loving you one minute to hating your existence the next. And you never treat me any differently than you always have. I just don't get it," I asked, waiting for Fang to pop open two beer bottles.

Fang slid one of the bottles across the counter to me, taking a sip of his own.

"Max, you're my best friend. You always will be. And even more than that—yes, I can say this without cringing or feeling shy—I've been utterly in love with you since the eighth grade. You dated my brother for three years and I still stayed best friends with you, we had sex and I stayed best friends with you. As sad as it sounds, you could probably do anything, and I would stick by your side, coming to visit you at the bar every night."

Though that wasn't the first time Fang told me that, it really opened my eyes. Fang was right. He'd always been by my side, through thick and thin. But I completely friend-zoned him for nearly ten years.

"You know, Fang, you really are incredible. I've probably driven you crazy in the past ten years. But yet you have stuck by me. And I know I've always told you that you're my best friend and only my best friend. But I think I know now that the man I've always told myself I could never be with, I want more than anyone else."

"I know I'm incredible. And I love you, Maximum Ride. I've never told a girl I loved her because I knew I didn't. I have always loved you. Sure, I've been with other girls, but none have ever compared to you. That's why I've never been one to have a long-term relationship. I sleep with a lot of girls because I'm a man and get horny from time to time, but I haven't had a girlfriend in, oh, about eight years. And this is meant to sound sweet, not prickish, but it's your fault. Sure the other girls I've been with were pretty or attractive, but they were no Max."

As fast as my feet would move me, I made my way around the counter to Fang, throwing my arms around him, pressing my lips tightly to his.

Fang's arms tightened around my waist as he pressed my back into the counter, getting himself as close to me as he possibly could be.

After around a minute or so of kissing, Fang moved down to kissing my neck, smirking to himself when I sighed, digging my nails into his lower back.

Unfortunately, because I have my Max Ride luck, I didn't get to stay kissing Fang. Why? My cell phone started to ring. Of course.

"Don't answer it," Fang whispered against my neck, changing back to kissing my lips to distract me.

"I have to. It could be Nudge, or my mom. Or Jeb."

I lightly pushed Fang away, reaching into my back pocket for my phone, hitting the 'answer call' button.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Well, if it isn't my long lost sister who never comes home anymore."

Well, I knew who that was.

"Sorry, Nudge. My life has been crazy with work and stuff. I'll try to be home more often."

Because Fang is impatient, he decided to continue on kissing my neck, despite my trying to push him away. He was stronger. Not that I really wanted him to stop.

"Good, because I have a lot to tell you. But, I have to go. There is a certain blonde competing for my attention, so I'll talk to you later?"

"Funny, there's a similar thing happening over here. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Nudgey."

Nudge hung up the phone, so I shoved mine back into my pocket, giving Fang a look of 'You're such a pain'. And he smiled. He knew he was.

"So, where does this leave us?" I asked Fang as we laid in bed a few hours after Nudge called.

Yes, we'd somehow made it into bed with each other again. Things happen. What can you do?

"We don't have to decide that now. We can figure out what we're going to do after we've gotten some sleep. Deal?" Fang said, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me against him.

"Deal."

Fang and I slept for about three hours, and the only reason I woke up was because he tried to sneak out of bed without me noticing. Did I mention I'm an incredibly light sleeper?

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked, coiling my arms tighter around him.

"I was going to go make you some breakfast. Am I not allowed?"

"Well, maybe if it's French toast," I winked, letting him up so he could get to steppin' at making my breakfast.

I followed Fang out of the bedroom and took a seat at the counter again, watching as Fang began to make the French toast I asked for.

"So I hate to be the one to bring this up, but what the heck does this make us? I slept in your bed with you last night. After having sex with you. Fang, I can't keep pretending we're going to get together sometime soon to justify my being an idiot."

"Then let's be together. Exclusively, this time, though," Fang said as he plopped a piece of egg-dipped bread into a grill pan.

"You mean it?"

"Max, after ten years, I'm finally able to call you my exclusive girlfriend. I'm not fuckin' around."

Hey, guys! So I loved writing this chapter! I thought it was so much fun! Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed it as much as I did! (:

xoxo,

K.J