asthecrushgoes

[asthecrushgoes]

Neck - C.H

Word Count - 3.8k

Summary: You love to tease and play tricks on Calum, so when the opportunity arises to make him squirm, you do, but at what expense? 

Rating: Explicit 

Masterlist *Latest fics* Blue - C.H Ruby - L.H

I’m sitting opposite Calum on my couch in my apartment, I’m studying his eyes intently, waiting for the moment when I could pounce. My eyes dart over to the t.v briefly, the scene is dark, haunting and the music is quite honestly terrifying. His stance is taught, his shoulders higher than they normally would be and his hands are slightly clenched into the pillow in his lap. 

I smirk to myself, this is the perfect opportunity to get back at him for all those times he would hide when I came into a room, only to jump out and scare the living daylights out of me, that asshole. We’re about three quarters of a way into this movie, it’s just about to get to the climax, I didn’t think Calum would be into this movie as much as he is right now, generally we go for more action or adventure when he stays over, but not tonight, I had suggested this B-grade horror movie I had found on Netflix ages ago and now here we are. 

Keep reading

[asthecrushgoes]

greek mythology is all fun and games until someone has sex with zeus then shit goes down and hera comes up with her jealous ass ready to whoop some bitch

[asthecrushgoes]

life hack: u dont have to be a wolf to yell sad noises at the moon

[asthecrushgoes]

Dancing with a Stranger - part three

GIF

Who: Luke

Inspiration: the 5SOS cover of Dancing with a Stranger (Sam Smith and Normani) mashup with Latch (Disclosure ft. Sam Smith)

Warnings (part 3): Swearing, drinking, SMUT! - casual sex, sub!luke, oral (female receiving), contraception (Be safe, kids!)

Word Count (this part): 2,817

A/N: As promised! This is the smutty part 3 and I’m not sorry about it ;).  Let me know what you think! 🍻

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

Crossing the threshold into her bedroom, Luke found his host with her back turned to him. Her hair was now pulled up into a high ponytail, giving Luke an irresistible view of her exposed back. Without turning around, she reached behind her and tugged at the large bow that tied her shirt together. Slowly, she let the fabric slide off her body and onto the floor and Luke realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. He felt his cock twitch beneath his jeans and took a step towards her.

At the same time, she turned around to face Luke and, at the sight of her, he closed the distance between them completely, kissing her roughly. One hand immediately reached for her breasts while the other tangled in her hair, tilting her head towards him so he could push his tongue past her perfect lips.

He pinched her nipple and the moan that escaped her mouth caused Luke to break apart from the kiss. He trailed his lips down her neck, giving her a mark to match his own, then proceeded down her body.

Luke paused at her nipples, taking his time teasing and sucking on each one, before he planted soft kisses down her stomach to where her jeans were still buttoned. Luke smirked up at her, his eyes lingering on hers briefly before shifting his concentration to unbuttoning her pants.

His tongue danced over her skin as he pulled the skinny jeans over her hips and down her legs. He gingerly took off each heel, her hand gripping at his shoulder for balance, before Luke rid her of the jeans completely.

Luke was on his knees now. His mouth never leaving her skin as he nipped and kissed along her inner thigh and over her hip bone. Slowly, he dipped a finger into the waistband of her underwear, guiding the final garment down her legs.

Luke took a moment to take in the woman standing in front of him. Her back curved slightly as she leaned back against the desk and her breasts that seemed to fit perfectly in Luke’s palm were pointed slightly outwards. She ran her hands along her own skin, trying to alleviate some of the tension coursing through her body and Luke was completely mesmerized. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed heavily and her eyes bore straight into Luke’s. Holy fuck.

Luke dug his hands into her hips, returning his mouth hungrily to her skin. He sucked another mark into the flesh of her thigh, dangerously close to her center, and she let out a gasp above him.

Before Luke could let out a chuckle at her reaction, her hands were on either side of his head, guiding him to the place she desperately needed relief. Luke obliged, immediately running his tongue along the length of her slit. He circled her most sensitive area, flicking and nibbling at her clit.

Above him, her breaths were becoming jagged and her hands clawed at the fabric of his shirt, scrambling to get it off his body. He allowed her to pull it over his head, then immediately returned to pleasuring her. She dug her nails into his shoulders as she struggled to stay upright.

Luke slowly slid a finger through her folds and she sucked in a breath harshly. Her head rolled back as Luke increased his movements.

Suddenly, Luke felt her hands pulling at his arms, prompting him to his feet. He broke from her core, standing to face her. His cock was painfully hard and straining against his still-zipped jeans.

“My rules, remember?” she hummed seductively and Luke let out an involuntary groan.

The next moment, he was being pushed backwards towards the bed, landing roughly on the mattress. She immediately climbed on top of him, crashing her lips to his, pushing her tongue against Luke’s.

Luke wrapped his arms completely around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. She was grinding her hips intoxicatingly against his bulge, making Luke desperate for more. When she detached her lips from his and started kissing down his neck, Luke couldn’t hold back his moans anymore.

“Let me hear you, baby,” she murmured against his skin, “Feel good?”

Luke groaned louder in affirmation as she made her way down his body. She paused only to fumble slightly with the button of his jeans, before pulling them, along with Luke’s boots and boxers, off completely. She watched as his hardened member spring free before her, flashing Luke a quick grin as she took in his size.

Lightly, she ran her tongue along his length, making Luke quiver beneath her. She didn’t stop her teasing as she circled around the head, her eyes fixated on Luke’s tortured blue ones. When she returned in front of Luke’s face, he bucked his hips against her, hoping to create some sort of friction.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she murmured, her lips traveling over Luke’s neck and chest. One hand reached between her legs, slowly pumping Luke’s shaft. “Tell me what you want,” she coaxed.

“You,” Luke moaned breathlessly, “God, I fucking need to be inside you.”

She reached into her nightstand, quickly pulling out a condom and handing it to Luke who tore open the package, pulling the latex over his length. His cock was twitching beneath her in anticipation.

One hand pressing into his chest, the other lining him up with her entrance, the beautiful girl on top of Luke slowly--agonizingly slowly--sunk down. She let out a satisfied breath as Luke felt himself fill her.

In another torturous motion, she lifted her hips, almost letting Luke slide out, before sinking back down completely. Luke gripped her hips harshly, digging his fingers into her skin, desperate to increase the pace. Her careful motions continued and Luke was losing it.

But when she lifted up again, she paused. Luke bucked his hips, but she rose even further, denying him the satisfaction of even the slow penetration.

Her hands found Luke’s which were resting on her hips and she intertwined their fingers. Suddenly, she started bouncing on Luke’s cock, making his eyes roll back in his head at the sudden pleasure. Simultaneously, she pulled Luke’s hands from her skin, planting them on the mattress above his head. Her motions increased as she leaned forward, pressing all her weight into Luke’s wrists, pinning them down.

Luke smirked to himself at the thought that this woman believed she could overpower him. But, as he struggled against her, he realized he was completely at her mercy. Her moans filled the room, her tits gloriously bouncing in front of Luke’s face, and her jaw slack as she rode him, but Luke was unable to do anything about any of it.

He squirmed beneath her as he tried to release some of the pressure building inside him. God, all he wanted was to wrap his lips around one of those nipples. Or smack her ass and hear the yelp of pleasure escape her. Or be the one to pin her to the mattress and make her cum over and over for him.

Finally, her face started contorting and her moans became louder. Luke knew she was close, so he snapped his hips harshly against her. As her orgasm began to wash over her, her grip loosened on Luke’s wrists.

Immediately, Luke broke free of her grasp and attached his grip to her waist, plunging deeper inside her. He didn’t slow his pace as her orgasm took over her entire body. She was a screaming mess above Luke, her arms no longer able to hold up her weight. She collapsed onto Luke, panting as she came down from the high.

Luke slowed his pace, rolling his hips and hitting new spots inside her. He kissed along her throat lightly, allowing her to catch her breath, before asking, “Another?”

She nodded against him, “Fuck, please,” she breathed.

Luke knew he was close, so he quickly flipped them over, desperate to take the control back. He brought one of her legs up, holding it firmly in place, and began thrusting even deeper inside her. He could feel the sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn’t give a shit. This was the best sex he’d had in a long fucking time.

Her hair was wild against the mattress and her cheeks were flushed a bright red. Luke wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone so beautiful. The only sounds passing between them were her breathless moans, Luke’s grunts as he pounded into her, and skin slapping against skin. The mattress squeaked, just barely, at their motions.

One of Luke’s hands finally reached for her nipples, squeezing and pulling at them as he had dreamed of doing all night. He felt her rise to her second orgasm of the night and he bit at the skin on her shoulder, spilling into the condom, just as she screamed out her finish.

Luke brought his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “Oh my god,” he whispered, too sensitive to even move an inch.

Her fingers trailed lightly over his back. “I’ll take that as a good thing,” she chuckled, equally as breathless as he was.

After a moment, Luke was able to pull out and discard the condom. He slid on his black boxers as she got up from the bed. Moving in front of him, she stood tiptoe, planting a soft kiss to his lips.

“Want another drink?”

“If you’re offering,” Luke answered, both parties knowing the implication behind her question.

He watched as she rummaged through a drawer, pulling a faded Blink-182 shirt over her head. As she moved barefoot across the room, she turned over her shoulder, giving Luke an adorable smile. Gone were her coy smirks; in their place was this small, but genuine grin that made her eyes twinkle.

Luke was sucked in. And thankfully, she seemed to want him to stay because he knew he would have a really fucking hard time forcing himself out the door tonight.

A few minutes later, she returned to her bedroom, two whiskeys in hand. Luke was propped up against the headboard, and he happily accepted the drink. She crawled onto the bed next to him, sitting cross-legged and turned slightly to face him. She lightly brushed the curls from his forehead and took a sip of her own drink.

“What’s her name?” she questioned casually.

“Who?” Luke stalled, but was forced to continue by one raised eyebrow from the girl next to him. “Elyssa.”

“I’m assuming it was bad,” she said, but when a thick silence fell over the room, she added, “Sorry, you don’t actually need to talk about it.”

“No, that’s okay,” Luke said softly. “She was cheating on me.”

“Ugh, classic.”

“Yeah,” Luke continued, “Still fucking sucks though.”

“So tell me,” she said, swinging a leg on top of Luke and straddling his lap, careful not to spill either drink. “Are you sufficiently distracted?”

Her face was inches from Luke’s and he reached his free hand to cup her cheek. “Absolutely,” he answered, bringing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

She draped her arms around Luke’s neck, melting into the kiss and moving her lips lazily against his. They explored each other’s mouths, too spent to worry about going further.

Eventually, the whiskey was gone and they both were cuddled under the covers. She planted soft kisses along Luke’s chest as she curled into his side. His arm tightened around her, pulling her close as his eyes struggled to stay open.  

--

Give a little time to me or burn this out / We'll play hide and seek to turn this around

Luke was woken up by the sound of the shower running and a distant voice singing. He blinked at the brightness in the room, registering where he was. His eyes traveled around the small bedroom and all the memories of the previous night came flooding back. He was alone in bed, their clothes strewn around the room. As he pulled on his jeans and t-shirt, the whiskey from the previous night started pounding against his temple.

All I want is the taste that your lips allow / My, my, my, my, oh give me love

Her voice was deep and resonant, echoing off the walls of the shower and Luke couldn’t help but stop outside the bathroom door to listen. She was singing softly, definitely just to herself not knowing that Luke was even awake yet. But that fact made Luke even more captivated.

Give me love like never before / 'Cause lately I've been craving more

Suddenly, the water shut off. She didn’t stop her singing though and Luke had to force himself away from the sound and towards the kitchen.

Luke fished his phone out of his jacket pocket and was met with a dozen texts from his friends.

Michael: Hey, where’d you go?

Ashton: Luke! Get your ass back here, we’re about to do shots!

Michael: You better not have ditched us to go home and mope!

Calum: Please tell me you went home with that girl.

Calum: We’re about to leave and since you haven’t shown up in two hours and haven’t responded to anyone, I’m assuming you’re having a greattt night 😏

Calum: Text us back in the morning so at least we’ll know you didn’t get kidnapped or something.

Ashton: Where’d you go off to last night? We’re heading over to Carli’s for breakfast if you want to meet us.

Luke typed out a response to Ashton, assuring everyone they didn’t need to start pooling money for a ransom and that he’d try to meet them at the restaurant after stopping home to see Petunia.

“Hey,” came a voice behind him, “I didn’t know you were up yet.”

Luke spun around and almost melted at the sight of this woman in the doorway. She was wearing a pale pink bathrobe and had a grey towel twisted over her hair. A few stray pieces were falling out, dripping single droplets of water down her forehead.

“Hey,” he returned, feeling the smile stretch out across his face.

“Need anything?” she asked, turning towards the fridge, “Water? Snacks? Beer?” She laughed lightly.

“Just water is perfect.” Luke took a seat at the small island in the center of the room. “You have a great voice by the way,” he complimented.

“Oh my god,” she blushed, handing over the glass of water. “You heard that?”

“It was good!” Luke assured her.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she chuckled, taking a seat next to Luke. “I never sing for anyone. Unless I’ll be drowned out by the music.”

“You? Embarrassed?” Luke gaped, “I don’t believe it.”

“Oh, I’m not shy, as you seem to have picked up on,” she smirked, “I can talk to literally anyone. There’s just something so...personal? vulnerable? about singing. It’s fucking terrifying.”

“All those pictures...:” Luke began, gesturing towards the wall where he knew her adventure photos were displayed on the other side of, “You can’t tell me you’re afraid of anything.”

“I was afraid of almost every single thing on that wall,” she admitted. “It’s kind of a personal project: do at least one crazy or spontaneous or far away adventure per year. I try to do more and at least say yes to more things, especially if they scare me. Like a lifestyle change, I guess.”

“Wow,” Luke replied. It was the only word he could think of at the moment. This woman sitting next to him was incredible. Last night, all he had hoped for was someone good in bed who would distract him for a few hours from his heartbreak. But now, he was positive he needed to see her again.

“Yeah,” she continued, “I don’t want to live my whole life and realize I missed out on so much because it was scary or inconvenient.”

At that moment, Luke leaned over and captured her lips with his. She immediately returned the action, bringing her fingers to the back of his neck and tugging on his curls in the way he had become obsessed with since last night.

“Can I see you again?”

Luke just blurted out the question, practically mid-kiss, and was immediately embarrassed. He straightened in his chair, wracking his brain for some sort of coherent excuse.

“I’d like that,” she answered with a smile.

Luke’s heart soared. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this giddy and he struggled to appear calm in front of her. He pulled out his phone, typing in the phone number as she recited it.

“Oh, um...” Luke stammered, staring at his phone screen.

“You don’t know my name,” she correctly surmised, grinning playfully.

“I’m Luke,” he said, grateful she was so casual about this.

He held out his hand in joking formality and she took it, the contact oddly sending a fire through Luke’s entire body.

“I’m y/n,” she replied.

—

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[asthecrushgoes]

Dancing with a Stranger - part two

GIF

Who: Luke

Inspiration: the 5SOS cover of Dancing with a Stranger (Sam Smith and Normani) mashup with Latch (Disclosure ft. Sam Smith)

Warnings (part 2): Swearing, drinking, hints of and build-up to smut, implications of casual sex

Word Count (this part): 1,125

A/N: No smut just yet! Some hints at it, but this is a shorter part with a lot of build up. Let me know what you think! 🍻

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

After two blocks, the bustle of the bars started to die down and the pair, still hand-in-hand, started wandering through more residential streets. Their brisk pace slowed and the girl spun in front of Luke, now facing him and walking backwards down the sidewalk. 

“Let me ask you something.”

“Okay?” Luke replied, suddenly self-conscious. He wasn’t expecting much talking after leaving the bar and he ran his fingers through his blonde curls nervously.

“Why’d you come out tonight?”

“What?”

“You went to a bar, probably anticipating a certain type of night. So,” she said, the smallest smirk passing over her lips,  “Why’d you come out tonight?”

Luke paused for a moment, his steps halting with his brain. How honest was she expecting him to be? 

“A distraction,” Luke said finally, not wanting to offer any more detail than that.

The girl looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. A moment passed between them before she took a step towards Luke. She immediately captured his lips in a passionate kiss. One hand trailed under the fabric of his shirt, her long nails running lightly over his now-goosebumped skin.

Luke responded by moving his hands down her back to rest on the sides of her hips. He pulled her close against his body and parted his lips, allowing her to intertwine their tongues. 

She grabbed a fistfull of Luke’s shirt in her other hand, pulling his head closer to her so she could start to kiss and nip at his jawline. She sucked a mark into his neck, smiling against his skin as she felt the vibrations of his low groan. 

Luke could feel her hot breath against him as she moved close to his ear. 

“I can be that,” she whispered, then tugged at his earlobe with her teeth. 

Shifting to make eye contact with Luke, she paused, her gaze locked on Luke’s bright blue eyes. They stood for a moment like that, their heartbeats the only sound. 

As quickly as she had started, she pulled out of Luke’s grasp. “Come on,” she said suddenly at normal volume, “I live on the next block.” She turned, not waiting for a response, then proceeded through the dark city streets. 

A few minutes later, Luke was following her up some rickety wooden stairs to her apartment. She quickly unlocked the olive green door and led Luke into the small one bedroom unit. She disappeared behind a wall to where Luke assumed the kitchen was, but he stayed in the entryway.

The wall just across from the front door was covered with framed photos and Luke was caught staring at them. Each white frame had small black cursive handwriting in the bottom right corner with a location and date and each picture was some sort of adventure or new experience. 

She had scuba dived at the Great Barrier Reef, hiked up Machu Picchu, explored the ancient ruins of Pompeii, white water rafted in Colorado, walked down the Great Wall of China, studied abroad in Germany, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, watched the PGA Tour in Atlanta, skiied Tuckerman’s in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, ran the Boston Marathon, stood at the Four Corners in the Southwest US and so much more that Luke didn’t have time to even process. 

“What?” Luke said, not registering what she had just called from the other room. He tore his eyes from her wall of achievements and followed her voice into the kitchen.

“Whiskey? she repeated, “That’s what you had at the bar?”

Luke nodded, noticing the bottle of brown liquor she had on the counter. Grinning she handed him an already filled glass, then sipped her own. 

Luke took a moment to fully observe the woman standing in front of him. He knew she was beautiful--he had noticed that immediately at the bar. But, now he could really see all of her features. Her full lips were surprisingly still covered with an even shade of ruby lipstick, her ripped skinny jeans hugged her curves perfectly and Luke couldn’t help his mind from wandering to the thought of taking them off, and her expressive eyes followed each one of Luke’s movements, narrowing slightly as she watched him.

“You know,” she said, stirring the ice in her drink with her pointer finger then bringing it to her lips. “You’re lucky. This is really nice whiskey.”

Luke raised his eyebrows, taking a sip of his drink. “Wow,” he said, surprised at how smooth it was. “You didn’t have to, I mean, I could have had anything,” he added, suddenly feeling bad.

“No,” she replied shaking her head. “Drinks are for sharing. None of my friends like whiskey, so I never have anyone to drink it with.” She took a step towards Luke, tapping the rim of her glass against his, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Luke returned, his eyes not wavering from hers as they each took a large gulp of the liquor. 

She was so close to Luke now that she had to tilt her head to look at him. She ran her thumb lightly over the spot on Luke’s neck that he knew had to be purpled by now. The corner of her lips curled into a playful smirk, before she drew her hand back. Waiting. 

“So,” Luke said, feeling confident with the new burst of alcohol in his system, “Why did you go out tonight?” he echoed her earlier question, “What kind of night were you hoping to have?”

She downed the rest of her drink, setting the glass on the counter, before moving her body flush against Luke’s. He could feel her hot breath against the sensitive skin of his lips and he shivered slightly at their proximity. 

One hand reached for Luke’s hair, firmly grasping the strands at the nape of his neck. She brought her lips just barely against his as her other hand moved dangerously close to Luke’s hardening cock. 

“Do you want to find out?” she murmured against him, tugging his hair a bit more. 

“Please.” Luke barely was able to articulate the word as his free hand wrapped completely around her waist and he pressed his lips fully to hers. 

The more he kissed her, the more she pulled at his hair and the more Luke was losing his mind. He took a few steps forward, backing her up against the counter and parting her lips with his tongue. 

She let out a soft moan then, without warning, broke apart and ducked under his arm. Glancing over her shoulder with the most maddening smirk, she said, “My rules tonight,” before disappearing towards the bedroom. 

“Fuck,” Luke breathed before finishing off his whiskey, ditching his leather jacket on a kitchen chair, and following her through the doorway.

—

Next part preview: “The next moment, he was being pushed backwards towards the bed, landing roughly on the mattress.”

—

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[asthecrushgoes]

Dancing with a Stranger - part one

GIF

Who: Luke

Inspiration: the 5SOS cover of Dancing with a Stranger (Sam Smith and Normani) mashup with Latch (Disclosure ft. Sam Smith)

Warnings (part 1): Swearing, drinking, implications of casual sex

Word Count (this part): 2,209

A/N: Sooooo….. the cover of ‘Dancing with a Stranger’ fuckedddd me up and I still think about it, so I decided to write a short fic. This was supposed to be two parts, but I wrote a lot and it ended up being three. If you don’t like smut, this first part can act as a stand-alone one shot or with part two if you want little hints of it! Part 3 is alllll the smut though, so get ready for that. Also, because they put ‘Latch’ at the end, I thought it really changed the whole meaning of the song and wanted to incorporate that into the story. Let me know what you think! 🍻

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

It was that time of night again. Luke was sprawled on his couch, wearing an old, torn sweatshirt, stuffing his face with takeout (tonight’s choice was Thai) and watching a movie. Alone. Always alone. 

In actuality, he wasn’t really watching whatever film he had thrown on the TV. He never did. Instead, his eyes were fixed on his phone, thumb swiping through old pictures. 

Pictures of her. 

Luke and Elyssa had been together for three years and Luke had thousands of photos still stored on his phone. He flicked through their cheesy, touristy photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, action shots of them surfing when he took her to Australia for the first time, candids of Elyssa across the table wearing the most gorgeous light pink dress on their first anniversary, screenshots of cute texts and weird Snapchats…

Basically their whole relationship was available to him at all hours of the day and he never seemed to be able to stop himself. He couldn’t bring himself to delete the pictures, but his heart broke again and again every time he pulled them up, which he hated to admit was often.

Luke took a large gulp of the whiskey he had sitting on the coffee table and closed his eyes. As always, he had to force himself not to dial Elyssa’s number. He clearly wasn’t over her, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea to start something that would only lead to more drama and heartbreak. 

It seemed like every time Luke got into these moods, his brain left out all the bad parts. And why wouldn’t it? The relationship portrayed on his phone looked perfect--full of smiles, laughter, kisses, romance, love. It didn’t show all the nights Elyssa would start a fight for no reason or would flirt with guys at the bar just to make Luke jealous and angry. It didn’t show all the times Luke would forget to text her when he was out with the band or when he would lie about where he had been or who he was talking to just to avoid a huge blow up.

But none of that ever seemed to stop Luke from missing all the cute things she did. Like the way she used to run her fingers through his hair when they were falling asleep and hum lightly whatever song was stuck in her head from the day. Or how she would always mix half regular and half decaf coffees and Luke could never remember which jar had which type of grounds in it, so she bought a label maker and they spent an entire night, staying up until 2:00 am, printing labels for her entire kitchen. 

Or when Luke would show her the band’s new music and she would sit and listen with her eyes closed, taking in every note and lyric fully before making any comments. Her face was always so composed, it was nearly impossible to tell what she was thinking. Luke would wait on the edge of his seat until Elyssa would crack a smile and he would instantly wrap his arms around her, lifting her into the air. 

“So you like it?” he would grin and her soft giggle would be all the affirmation he needed.

But now, Luke was surrounded with only the sounds of the television and Petunia’s snoring. Finishing the remainder of his drink and taking a deep breath, Luke dialed his phone.

“Luke?” the voice on the other line said after a few rings. 

“Um, hey,” Luke began, clearing his throat, “Did you guys end up going out?”

“Yes!” Calum yelled excitedly into the phone, “Are you gonna finally come this time?”

“I’m thinking about it…” Luke replied slowly. 

“Dude, we’ve been trying to get you out of your damn apartment for a month! Please come out. You need to do something to forget about--”

“Fine,” Luke cut his friend off, “I’ll come. I don’t really want to be alone tonight.”

“Perfect! Your first drink is on me,” Calum promised. “See you soon.”

Luke peeled himself off the couch, finally managing to shower and look somewhat presentable. He couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t in sweats and his black skinny jeans felt tight and uncomfortable. 

“Bye, P,” he cooed, leaning down to give the portly bulldog a treat, before making his way out the door and into the Uber waiting at the end of the driveway.

The ride to the bar was silent, aside from the low hum of talk radio playing. Luke almost told the guy to turn around and bring him home a dozen times, but he figured he needed a night out. Needed a distraction. 

Once arriving at the bar, Luke easily spotted Ashton’s red hair and began making his way over to his friends, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket. As he approached Ashton, he quickly regretted not bailing on the night when he was still in the Uber. 

Michael, Crystal, Ashton and KayKay were dancing, mingling and getting way more touchy than Luke wanted to witness. Michael and Crystal were still on a high from their recent engagement, and Ashton and KayKay only started dating a few months ago, so they were stuck in the early ‘you’re the only person in the room’ phase. Calum was nowhere to be found. 

“Luke!” Michael called out upon spotting his friend. He pulled Luke into a quick hug, patting his shoulder without letting go of Crystal’s hand. “Hey, man. Glad you came.”

The others in the group echoed with similar greetings as Luke scanned the nearby faces.

“Where’s Calum?” he asked, desperately wanting to find the only other single member of the band. 

“He’s around,” Ashton grinned, “He disappeared to buy some girl a drink, of course.”

Luke groaned to himself, although he shouldn’t be surprised. Calum always got a lot of attention from women when they went out. His muscular arms littered with tattoos, dark curls, soft eyes, and cheeks that always maintained a perfect rosy hue when he drank, easily impressed strangers at the bar, never mind once his laid-back, goofy personality took over.

“I need a drink,” Luke mumbled, then turned towards the bar. He spotted Calum in a crowd on the dance floor, his hands sitting low on a woman’s hips as they moved together to the beat. 

Squeezing his way to the counter, Luke ordered a whiskey on the rocks, sighing as the liquor finally hit his tongue. He did not want to return to being the fifth wheel. Or seventh, Luke thought as he glanced over at Calum, who was still pressed up against the same woman. So, he absentmindedly pulled out his phone, fingers automatically opening photos. 

He looked down at the most recent one: Elyssa was looking over her shoulder, laughing at Luke as she stood in line at the grocery store, her arms full of as much junk food as she could carry. Luke took it the day before they were supposed to leave for a road trip to Vegas. It was the last photo Luke had. Later that night, Elyssa accidentally left her phone open on the counter and Luke saw texts from the friend she insisted Luke didn’t have to worry about. Apparently not. 

Wincing at the painful memory, Luke shoved his phone back in his pocket. As he looked up again, his eyes met these narrowed ones across the room. As he registered the rest of the woman attached to them, Luke noticed she was smirking at him as she sipped her drink. She had long, perfectly-styled loose curls that fell over her bare shoulders. Her black, strapless shirt came just above the waistline of her jeans, jutting out in small frills and giving Luke a small glimpse of the strip of skin on her stomach. Luke immediately felt a fire grow inside him. He was completely and immediately captivated by this woman.

When she noticed Luke finally looking back at her, her eyes unabashedly trailed over his body before snapping back to his face. Her smile widened and Luke took a deep breath.   

“Luke! You made it!” Calum called, slapping his friend on the shoulder and drawing Luke’s attention away from the other side of the room. Luke reluctantly turned towards his friend, giving a weak smile.

“So,” Calum continued, “What’re you drinking?” he asked, leaning against the bar to order another round of drinks. Luke could tell he was drunk and didn’t want to ask how many Calum had already had tonight.

“Whiskey,” Luke mumbled, his attention drifting from Calum back towards where the girl had been standing. But, she had disappeared. Great, Luke thought and downed the remainder of his current drink.

“Cheers, mate!” Calum said, handing Luke a refill. 

“What happened to your dance partner?” Luke asked.

“Ahh,” Calum sighed, “Georgia left with her friends.”

Luke stirred the ice in his drink. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t even want to go out tonight, but for some reason he thought this would help him get over Elyssa. The numbness from the alcohol was starting to take over and he just nodded along to whatever story Calum was telling. 

“Excuse me,” said a voice coming up in front of Calum and flashing him a small smile. 

Luke’s eyes shifted to the source and fell upon the girl from earlier. Of course she was going for Calum. Luke opened his mouth to make an excuse to leave, but the girl spoke again. 

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but your friend’s going to dance with me now,” she said to Calum, then turned to Luke, holding out a hand for him to take.

Luke obliged and was led by this stranger through the crowd to the center of the dance floor. The way she took control made Luke feel like he didn’t have a choice in the matter, and honestly, he preferred it this way. Elyssa had screwed him up so much, he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to approach someone at the bar, let alone attempt to pick them up, so he was willing to follow this new girl wherever she wanted to go.

His body moved automatically, arms instantly attaching to her waist and pulling her close. She responded by running her hands along Luke’s body--dragging her fingers over his chest, playing with the soft curls at the back of his neck, and pulling lightly on the fabric of his t-shirt. She bit her lip as she moved, her hips dipping low to the beat blasting through the bar. 

Luke felt his breath getting heavier and his heart beating faster. This girl was beautiful. And she had picked Luke out of the crowd. Her smirk hadn’t disappeared since she grabbed Luke’s hand and he felt himself unconsciously returning the smile. 

As they danced, Luke’s mind flashed to Elyssa. He wondered what she was doing tonight. What she would think if she saw Luke in the middle of a club, pressed against a new girl. But, in that moment, Luke decided he didn’t care. He was dancing with a stranger and he liked it.

He loved the feeling of her body in his hands. He loved how she moved against him. He loved the way she tugged on his hair, pulling a little harder than Luke was used to and eliciting a low growl from his throat. 

Luke didn’t want this moment to stop. He spun her around, pulling her back flush against him. His arms stayed on her hips and his head dipped low against her neck. She tilted to the side, allowing Luke to start running his lips against her exposed skin.

They continued moving together, completely forgetting about the rest of the room. Suddenly, she spun around and grabbed at the back of Luke’s neck. She pulled his lips to her own and immediately took control of the kiss. She had to stand tiptoe to fully reach him and she swayed slightly in his grasp.

Luke’s arms tightened around her, his hands wandering to the bare skin on her back. He let out a soft groan as she pulled at his bottom lip with her teeth. He could feel his arousal growing and he knew she could too. She rotated her hips against him and broke from the kiss, just slightly. Her fingers played with the chain around Luke’s neck and she looked up at him with the most seductive, mischievous eyes.

“We can continue this night elsewhere...” she said. She phrased it more of a suggestion than a question, already starting to back up towards the entrance, never breaking eye contact with Luke.

She was giving Luke a choice. He could turn around on the spot and retreat back to his friends, this girl turning into just a random make-out at a bar. Or, he could follow her out that door and let her lead him on into the night. 

Luke chose the latter. He caught up to her in two quick strides and grabbed her hand in his. She smirked at him, pausing for a moment to capture Luke’s lips with hers, then spun on a heel, pulling Luke through the crowd, out the door, and down the street.

—

Next part preview: “He could feel her hot breath against the sensitive skin of his lips and he shivered slightly at their proximity.”

—

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[asthecrushgoes]

how about “stanning” your local library

[asthecrushgoes]

It took me a long time to realize this! Your teachers, mentors, etc will always say “it’s easier to edit than to create” which sounds easy but is really a difficult thing to comprehend when you’re staring at a blank document with the stupid blinking cursor and desperately wanting to create the perfect story or struggling to find the perfect way to convey the scenery, character, plot or whatever else is floating around in a jumbled mess in your head.

What helped me was honestly just forcing myself to write one sentence. Then a second. Then a third. And the more sentences you write the easier it is to write the next one. Then, after there’s something on the page, you can go back and edit or change or add to it. And rinse and repeat. Diving in is the hardest part, but each time it gets easier and easier and your writing gets better and better.

(Also! Reading more makes your vocabulary, grammar, and overall writing better too!)

If perfectionism is causing you to procrastinate writing, it’s not making your writing better. You know what does make your writing better?

Practice.

[asthecrushgoes]

fave cal look: plaid. fucking. pants. they killed me

Killed.

Us.

All.

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 6

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 2,007

A/N: Who’s ready to see what Faye says?! This is the last part, so I hope you enjoyed this series! Let me know what you think and if you liked the ending! 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Can I see you? 

Faye was sure she just heard that in her head. She had been waiting months for Calum to say that to her. She carried her phone everywhere she went, compulsively checking it, just to make sure she didn’t miss a phone call. But it never came.

Until now. 

“Why?” she finally said. She wanted to hang up and immediately run to him, but the rational part of her brain took over. She needed to know why, just hours after running into his friends at the bar, Calum was calling her.

“Oh, um,” Calum stammered. Clearly he wasn’t prepared for this question. He let out a deep breath, then continued, “I really need to see you. I want to talk to you. About us. About everything. Just coffee maybe? But I understand if you can’t. Or don’t want to see me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called…”

Calum was rambling. He wanted to say the right thing. Wanted Faye to see that he didn’t expect anything from her. That he just wanted to have a conversation. A conversation they should have had months ago. But he felt like he was just messing this all up.

“Okay,” Faye said after a moment. 

“Okay?” Calum questioned. He needed to hear it again. Needed to make sure this was real and she actually agreed to meet up with him.

“Okay,” Faye repeated. “But just coffee.”

Two hours later, they were sitting at a tiny circle table in the corner of a small cafe they used to go to. It was about halfway between their two apartments and served as the perfect meeting spot. 

Faye had tried to hide her weary and exhausted look under makeup, but Calum could still see some lingering redness and puffiness around her eyes. She had leggings and an old hoodie on that Calum knew she didn’t like. She kept pulling at the neckline that was a little too tight and and fidgeting in the fabric that wasn’t as cozy as the sweatshirts she used to wear of Calum’s. He wished more than anything she was wearing one of those. 

“I haven’t been here in a while,” Calum said, unsure where to even begin this conversation. He held a cappuccino in his hands and looked over at Faye, who kept taking sips of her iced mocha latte. 

“Me neither. I never knew if you’d be here or not,” she admitted. Her jaw was rigid and Calum could tell she was angry.

Of course she was. She had every right to be. Calum didn’t know what he expected. Surely, Faye wasn’t going to just jump into his arms and take him back on the spot. He knew the only way to get there was to be honest. Vulnerable. Tell her everything and hope she feels the same.

“I should have called,” he said finally. He met her gaze, trying to read her reaction, but she stayed stone-faced. “I shouldn’t have let you walk out,” he added, “I should have gone after you. I--”

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Faye cut him off, a pang of guilt hitting her chest as Calum’s face fell. He bit on his lip, trying to compose his thoughts as Faye continued, “A grand romantic gesture wouldn’t have saved us. We were too far gone.”

“Baaaaabe,” Calum’s voice sounded through the door. Faye had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, a groggy look on her face as she padded across the apartment. He knocked again before Faye made it and she tore open the door.

“Shhhh,” she hissed, ushering her clearly drunk boyfriend inside. “Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?”

“Umm, well the bar just kicked us out, so like 2:00?” Calum slurred. If Faye wasn’t so furious, she would have been impressed by his deductive reasoning skills in that moment.

“Exactly. On a Wednesday…”

“Thursday,” Calum interjected with a goofy grin on his face that instantly disappeared with the glare Faye shot him.

“This particularly important Thursday,” she continued, “Because you know I have that big presentation at work in the morning.”

“I’m sorry, babe. I’m really, really sorry,” Calum said, stumbling forward and wrapping his arms around her. “I just really wanted to see you. You’re so beautiful and perfect. You’re all I could think about tonight.”

“Calum,” Faye said, pulling out of his embrace. “You smell like cigarettes and whiskey. You show up at my doorstep in the middle of the night when you know I need to get a good night’s sleep. And you expect me to just be okay with this? I get that you’re trying to get your band to be successful and you take gigs at weird times which don’t match up with my 40-hour regular scheduled job, but you need to respect my life. I can’t live on your schedule. It doesn’t work and it hasn’t worked for months.”

“What do you mean?” Calum asked, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking up at her.

“I mean that you do this all the time and you seem incapable of compromise. Remember when you couldn’t come to my work Christmas party because you had a last minute booking even though I told everyone you’d be there and they were excited to meet you? Or when you got too drunk at Luke’s to meet my friends from college who were only in town for one night? But, when I couldn’t go to Ash’s birthday party because of that horrible migraine you were pissed and didn’t even bother texting me to let me know you got back to your apartment safely?”

“I’m sorry,” was all Calum could think to say at the moment.

“It’s not fair to me, Cal. Now, I’m going to bed. You can stay here, but you have to sleep on the couch. Don’t puke on anything.” And with that, Faye disappeared into her bedroom, slamming the door on the way. 

The next morning, Calum woke to the sound of a hairdryer and he knew Faye was awake. The memories of the previous night flooded back when he realized he was sleeping on her couch. “Fuck,” he breathed as he gingerly lifted himself from the cushions. 

Calum made his way to the bathroom, coming up behind Faye. He snaked his arms around her waist. 

“I’m so sorry, babe,” he said, his voice raspy from sleep. He leaned to press a kiss to her cheek, but she pulled away and spun to look at him.

“Sorry for…” she began, her voice laced with bitterness. “...showing up here drunk off your ass in the middle of the night? For thinking that saying I love you or you’re beautiful is enough to make up for waking me up to answer the door hours before the biggest work presentation of my career? For constantly putting your needs before mine?”

“For everything,” Calum said. His eyes met hers desperate for forgiveness. “I love you. I know that it’s not an excuse, but I mean it. Faye, babe, I love you so much. Just let me--”

“Calum,” Faye cut him off. “I mean it. We’ve had this same fight too many times. I can’t do this anymore…”

“What are you saying?” Calum asked, panicked. 

Faye pinched at the bridge of her nose, trying to keep her composure. “I’m saying I’m done, Calum, I can’t carry our whole relationship anymore. You need to focus on your work and I need to focus on mine.”

Faye slipped out of the bathroom, grabbing her bag and phone off the hall table.

“Wait,” Calum said, hurrying towards her. Faye hesitated with her hand on the doorknob and turned slightly to face him. “Please don’t go. Don’t do this,” Calum pleaded, “Give me another change, please, babe.” 

“Calum, I’ve given you too many chances--”

“We can make this work,” he assured her, “I can change...”

“Yeah?” Faye said, unconvinced, “Call me when that happens.”

And with that, she turned and walked out the door, leaving Calum in the middle of her apartment, just as brokenhearted in that moment as she was.

“I should have called,” Calum repeated, the sounds of the bustling cafe bringing Faye back into the present. “I was so hurt and angry, I forced myself not to. I didn’t realize you were just as hurt and angry.”

“Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it’s best to end things. Two people, even with the best intentions and the biggest hearts, sometimes just don’t work out,” Faye said, her body language changing from anger to defeat.

“You think that’s us?” Calum asked quietly. 

He took a risk and reached over the few inches of the small table to be able take her hand in his and felt his heart skip a beat when she didn’t pull away. Honestly, it felt like their first date when he was so nervous, he spent half their walk back from the restaurant debating whether or not to hold her hand. And when she finally did it, his heart soared and he was filled with the purest joy he’d ever known. Faye had a way of making him feel like he was back to 16 and discovering what love felt like for the first time.

“I…” Faye began, “I don’t know.” Her eyes dropped to where their hands met on the table and Calum was now absentmindedly drawing small circles over her skin. “I miss you,” she whispered, still not meeting Calum’s gaze.

“I miss you,” Calum returned. He squeezed her hand gently, prompting Faye to look at him. “So fucking much.”

With the limited space they had in this corner of the cafe, their faces were only about a foot apart. Calum met her eyes, forcing himself to not brush a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. 

He held his breath as he asked, “Who’s the guy you were with?”

“What?”

“Yesterday,” Calum explained, “I was on the same train. I saw you with someone, then Ash said...he said you were at the bar…”

Boyfriend. It’s her boyfriend, Calum prepared, it’s been six months. I missed my chance.

“Oh, Julian?” Faye replied, “He’s an old friend from high school.”

Calum’s face lit up at her words. His eyes snapped back to hers and clarified, “Friend?”

Faye nodded, her gaze never leaving Calum’s. She ran her tongue over her lips so quickly she probably didn’t even realize she did it. But Calum did. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes drifting from Faye’s golden ones to her lips and back again. 

Faye did the same, and closed the distance between them. The kiss was cautious and short, but they each would say that nothing in the past six months had felt as amazing.

When they broke apart, Calum said, “Can I take you out?” It was bold, he knew, but he needed to ask. Needed to know for sure where they stood. “Just one date,” he added before Faye could say anything. “Just dinner.”

“Cal…” Faye said, using the nickname that he missed hearing on her lips. 

“I just--” Calum interjected, terrified at the thought of having to survive this again if she rejected him right now. “Faye, I love you. I can’t stop loving you and I don’t want to have to keep trying. If there’s any possibility you still feel something for me or could feel something for me, I want to show you you can trust me.”

Faye hesitated for a moment. She studied Calum’s face, trying to decipher all the emotions etched into his features. 

“One date,” she agreed and Calum smiled wider than he had in months, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He did it. He got a second chance.

“But Calum,” Faye said, her face serious. She straightened her shoulders and raised her eyebrows at him as she warned, “Don’t let me fall for you again, if you’re not going to be there.”

Calum brought his hand to Faye’s cheek, his thumb caressing just under her eye. 

“I won’t lose you twice.”

—

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 5

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 1,432

A/N: Ooof getting real angsty in this one! Thoughts, critiques, comments, love? 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Faye stood in Julian’s arms on the sidewalk in the rain until their Uber showed up. She leaned her head on Julian’s shoulder the entire ride back to her apartment. When they got inside, she moved like a zombie to her bedroom, stripping out of her wet clothes and pulling on sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. 

She didn’t realize until it was too late that it was Calum’s old Maine t-shirt. 

Collapsing onto the bed, Faye was too numb to cry anymore. The alcohol buzz had worn off and her head was starting to pound. Probably a combination of the drinks and the tears. 

Julian knocked lightly on her half-closed door, “Faye?” he asked gently, “Can I come in?”

Faye rolled over, meeting his eyes and nodding. Julian had changed into his sweatpants too and he had a glass of ice water, which he set on the side table next to Faye. He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Faye to be ready to say something. Even if it was just that she wanted to go to bed. 

“Why can’t I get over him?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Unfortunately, there aren’t any rules for breakups,” Julian said slowly. Even though he didn’t know Calum, didn’t know why they broke up or any details about their relationship, he hated how destroyed Faye looked. “It fucking hurts. For a long fucking time. But you are strong and you deserve the absolute best. Someone who makes you feel beautiful and loved and supported always. And if that’s not who your ex is...”

“But that is who he is!” Faye exclaimed. “He was the best person I’ve known. I was so fucking in love with him. With every part of him, every single day. I still am. And that’s the worst part. I tried getting over him, tried sleeping around, tried going on first dates with different guys, tried to ignore the giant crack in my heart, but nothing worked. I need to get over him. He didn’t call. He hasn’t called. He let us die, but I’m the one suffering.”

Julian started rubbing circles on Faye’s back as she talked. Her eyes were starting to flutter and he could see the exhaustion taking over her body. She remained silent for a while, her face tense with the hurt and anger she was feeling.

“When will this torture end?” she whispered eventually, more to herself than to Julian. 

After a few more moments of silence, Julian stood, intending to sleep on the couch. The shifting of the mattress must have woken Faye because she reached out, grabbing onto his wrist. 

“Stay,” she mumbled, “Please stay here. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Okay,” Julian agreed softly before climbing under the covers. Faye rolled over into his arms, the comfort of his warm body finally relaxing her muscles and she quickly fell asleep.

“What the fuck,” Calum yelped as a heavy shoe hit him in the chest. He jumped from the couch, knocking over half a dozen empty beer cans in the process.

The morning light was streaming through the window and Calum squinted at the sudden brightness. He saw Ashton in the doorway, holding his remaining boot in one hand. 

“So you didn’t come out with us so you could sleep on the couch?” Ashton asked, eyebrows raised.

“I told you,” Calum said, running a hand over his face. “I didn’t have any money to go out.”

“So you decided to get so drunk that you passed out alone instead?”

“I just fell asleep,” Calum claimed. He glanced around, trying to locate his phone that he had thrown last night.

“Dude,” Ashton said. “It’s 11:00 am. There’s no way you just ‘fell asleep’ and didn’t wake up before now.” 

Calum could hear a tone of pity in his voice and felt himself getting angry, “What the fuck does it matter anyway!”

“I saw Faye last night,” Ashton said simply. He was planning on bringing this up more gently, but if Cal was going to snap at him, he was just going to hit him with the truth. And Ashton didn’t miss the way Calum’s face faltered at the mention of Faye’s name. 

“So?” Calum said carefully, trying a little bit too hard to sound uncaring.

“So?” Ashton echoed. “So you’ve been a real dick since she broke up with you. Clearly, you’re not over her and--”

“I’m fine!” Calum snapped, “She broke up with me. That’s it. It’s too late now anyway.”

“Is it?” Ashton pressed, “Because Faye was a mess at the bar when she saw us.”

“What?” Calum’s head snapped up, suddenly incredibly invested in what Ashton had to say. “What happened?”

“She was yelling and crying,” Ashton began. “Cal, I had to hold up.”

Calum could feel his heart breaking inside his chest. He had no idea Faye felt like that. She seemed so happy on the train.

“She was probably just drunk,” Calum replied, willing that to be the case.

“I don’t know man,” Ashton said, “It seemed more than just drunken rambling. She was really upset.”

“What did she say?” Calum almost whispered the question. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to hear the answer. He could feel his eyebrows pinching together as he braced for whatever Ashton was about to say.

“Tell Calum that he really fucked me up. I can’t get him out of my head,” Ashton relayed. 

Calum sunk back down onto the couch. He could feel tears forming and he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing them away. He didn’t want Faye to think like that. He didn’t want her to hurt that much. She broke up with him. He thought he was doing her a favor by staying away. He should have called.

“Fuck,” Calum breathed, finally looking up at Ashton again. 

“That’s not everything,” Ashton said quietly. 

“What else?” Calum asked, wincing before the words even left Ashton’s mouth. 

“Tell Calum I wish I never fell in love with him because I can’t stop.” 

“Because I can’t stop,” Calum repeated. “She still loves me?”

“I’m just telling you what she said,” Ashton replied. “I’m gonna go shower,” he added, turning towards the bathroom, and for that, Calum was thankful.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the tears began to fall. He wished he could take every second of the past six months back. More than that. He wished he never screwed things up in the first place. Faye brought so much joy and love into his life that he was lost without. He needed to try to get her back. If what Ashton said is true, he would need to put in a lot of work, but for Faye, it was worth it.

So, Calum wiped his face then tore the couch apart, finally locating his phone wedged between two cushions. His fingers shook as he dialed the phone number he had memorized long ago. 

Every ring felt like an eternity and every second that passed, Calum got more and more panicked. He didn’t have a plan. He had no idea what he was even going to say. 

What if she didn’t answer? What if she just answers to yell at him? What if that guy answers her phone? 

Finally, the line clicked and he heard a voice. Faye’s voice. “Hello?” It was hoarse and muffled and Calum knew at once she had been crying. 

“Faye,” Calum exhaled. He hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath. 

“Calum?” The inflection at the end and the way her voice cracked as she said his name told Calum she didn’t check the caller ID before answering. 

“Did I wake you up?” he asked, concerned.

“Um, not really…” she trailed off. 

“Oh okay, um, I called, uh, I wanted to call…”

“Because this deserved more than a quick text?” she finished for him, echoing their very first phone conversation. 

Faye let out the smallest, most hollowed laugh Calum had ever heard leave her lips and it simultaneously made him nauseous with guilt for being the reason for it, and hopeful that there was still some lightheartedness and humor left between them. 

“Yeah, that,” he said breaking into small smile that he desperately wished Faye could see. Then, he just blurted out, “Can I see you?”

It felt like his body was frozen in time as he waited for her answer. Calum didn’t even need an answer. He just needed Faye to say something. Anything. This silence was deafening and he was seconds from mumbling an apology and hanging up.

—

Final part preview: “A grand romantic gesture wouldn’t have saved us.”

—

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 4

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 2,263

A/N: As promised this is a longer one! It’s mostly Faye’s memories/flashbacks to various times in her and Calum’s relationship. Thoughts, critiques, comments, love? 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4  - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

“I love you.”

Those were some of the last words Calum said to her. And she knew he meant them. He really meant them. Calum wasn’t someone who threw around the word “love” lightly. The day he told her he loves her for the first time was one of Faye’s favorite days. Well, it used to be one of her favorites. 

She and Calum had just woken up on a Sunday morning, hungover from the night before. In fact, they had gone out to this same bar that Saturday and stumbled home at 3:00, barely making it to the bed in a fit of expletives and giggles. Faye didn’t even think they changed into pajamas--just stripped out of the most uncomfortable of the clothes they had on. 

The next morning, Faye woke up with Calum’s arms wrapped completely around her body. He still had his button-down on, but just boxers with it. He was snoring lightly against her and she had to precariously maneuver out of his grasp.

Almost falling over from the sudden, intense pounding in her head, Faye carefully peeled off the jeans that she still had on, and changed into her favorite of Calum’s sweatshirts. She threw her hair into a messy bun then tiptoed to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water, taking a moment to sit and start to rehydrate, before turning on the stove. 

As she worked on breakfast, humming quietly to herself, she didn’t notice Calum had woken up.  He stood, silently leaning against the door frame with a huge smile that made his eyes crinkle around the corners. 

Faye finished crafting two sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches with her mom’s famous home fries on the side. She smiled to herself at the two plates, before looking up and noticing Calum stepping into the room towards her. 

“Hey babe,” she hummed.

He came up behind her, pulling her close to his chest and leaning his head on her shoulder. “You,” he said, voice quiet and raspy from sleep, “are perfect.” He pressed a kiss to Faye’s cheek. “I love you.”

Faye slowly turned in his grasp to face him. “What?” she asked, not sure she heard him correctly.

Calum’s dark eyes met her golden brown ones and he repeated, “I love you, Faye.”

Faye knew that it was difficult to get into Calum’s heart. Besides his family, the only people he really trusted enough to confide in or be vulnerable with were his bandmates. The fact that he was standing here now, looking at her with an unwavering, sincere gaze, made Faye’s heart swell. She raised to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Calum’s, but couldn’t stop from smiling through the kiss. 

“I love you too.”

It was times like that, when she and Calum would just hang out, that Faye missed the most. They used to go over to Michael’s apartment and just drink beers and play video games, eventually all falling asleep scattered around the room. 

Faye always would sit in between Calum’s legs on the couch, knowing that his sweatpants didn’t offer much of a barrier. 

“You better stop moving around like that, sweetheart,” Calum mumbled lowly into her ear one night and Faye struggled to hide her smirk.

“Cal you suck!” Michael called from across the room, taking first place in Mario Kart, per usual. 

“Yeah, shut up,” Calum called back, then leaned towards Faye again, “Bathroom,” he growled, his fingertips already trailing lightly up her bare thigh. 

Five minutes later, Calum quietly slipped through the door after Faye. She was already perched on the counter, pajama shorts crumpled on the floor. 

“Fuck,” he breathed, quickly closing the distance between them.

“You couldn’t have waited until we all were asleep?” Ashton had said when the pair returned to their spot on the couch.

Cal grinned across the room to the drummer and squeezed Faye’s hip playfully. “Nope,” he retorted.

No matter what, everything with Cal was an adventure. Faye remembered the weekend they went to Boston Calling two years ago. The two had each saved up money for months to be able to afford tickets for just one day of the three-day festival. After pregaming at Faye’s, they head over to the stadium, eager to see as many bands as possible. 

“I look just like Buddy Holly! Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore!” they screamed during Weezer’s set. “I don't care what they say about us anyway! I don't care 'bout that!”

Calum was like a kid on Christmas. He knew every single lyric of every song and Faye wasn’t sure she ever saw the smile leave his face the entire time Weezer was on stage. 

They were in the middle of the crowd, Calum standing behind her with his arms wrapped around Faye’s shoulders. Periodically, she would glance up at him, his cheeks flushed in a combination of alcohol and dancing, and Faye would fall even more for Calum, something she didn’t think was possible.

Towards the end of the set, the clouds started rolling in and within minutes, the downpour started. Spectators on the outskirts of the crowd started scrambling with their jackets if they had them, or scattering to find some sort of shelter. 

But not Calum and Faye. They stayed at the stage until the very last note was played then sprinted across the grounds to catch Cage the Elephant. Hand-in-hand, the two splashed through giant mud puddles, blinked away the raindrops hitting their faces, and just barely avoided slipping on the wet grass. 

As they approached the back of the crowd at this stage, Calum spun around, capturing Faye in his arms and lifting her off the ground. She squealed at the sudden motion, holding tightly to Calum’s shoulders, even though his grip around her waist was steady. Calum wanted her in his arms forever. When he set Faye back on the ground, he paused, still holding her against his chest.

“I love you,” he said. It felt like ever since he said those three words for the first time, he wanted to tell them to Faye every second. 

She stood in front of him, her hair dripping, makeup running, and shirt plastered to her body, but she still had the widest grin. She pressed a light kiss to his lips, “I love you too, babe.”

But Calum didn’t let her go. He pulled her even closer and deepened the kiss. His hands brushed along the cold, goosebumped skin on her arms, then cupped her cheeks. His tongue darted across her bottom lip and she let him roam further. Faye hummed against him, gripping the fabric of his t-shirt in her fist. 

When they finally broke apart, Calum rested his forehead lightly against Faye’s. “Today is perfect,” he said.

And it stayed perfect. They didn’t care about the rain or the mud or the fact that they were definitely going to wake up tomorrow without voices. When Faye wasn’t on Calum’s shoulders or hugged close to his body, she was holding onto his hand. The two barely separated the rest of the festival and the second they got back to Calum’s apartment, he had her pinned against the wall, kissing and biting at Faye’s jaw, neck, shoulders, anywhere Calum could get his lips. 

Light moans escaped Faye’s mouth as she melted into him, pulling at the fabric sticking to his muscular torso. Calum lifted Faye into his arms, gripping tightly to her thighs as they discarded their clothes on their way to the bedroom. Neither cared that Ashton would be coming home at some point.

If you asked Faye now what the best sex she’s ever had was, she would say that night. None of the random hookups she’s had in the past few months could ever compare to the way Calum’s body fit with hers or how giving, thoughtful and attentive he was. 

Immediately after discarding the condom that night, Calum carried Faye’s exhausted body to the bathroom where they sat together in a warm bath, washing away the cold rain. They sat mostly in silence, listening to the sounds of each other’s heartbeats and relishing in the feeling of being together.

All of these memories threatened the tears to fall as Faye stood in the crowded bar, not truly seeing anything around her. She hated Calum for ruining her night and so many nights before this. She hated that every time her phone rang her heart jumped at the sliver of hope that he’d be calling her. Finally. After all this time. 

She still remembered the first time he called her. They had just met the day before at a mutual friend’s huge end of summer cookout. Faye, clumsy as usual, spun around too quickly after grabbing a beer from the cooler and walked straight into Calum’s chest. 

“Hmm maybe I should be drinking what you are,” he had teased, eyes glinting playfully as he took in her features. 

Faye looked wide-eyed at the gorgeous, dark-haired man in front of her, his tattooed arms flexing as he steadied her. Faye was acutely aware of the feeling of his rough hands on her skin. She felt her cheeks heat up, which definitely didn’t help her argument that she wasn’t drunk. Calum just smirked at her as she made some excuse to leave, his eyes following her motions as she walked across the backyard.

After that, they kept bumping into each other the rest of the afternoon. Both Calum and Faye would admit that they orchestrated most of them. The more flirtatious comments made in passing, the more their eyes scanned the party for the other.

Finally, Calum ventured over to where Faye was sitting in a quiet corner of the yard. Smiling, he handed her a can of the same beer she’d been drinking all day, “Can I join you?”

The next day, Faye meal prepping in her kitchen for the upcoming work week when all of a sudden the music from her phone cut off and her rarely-heard ringtone started playing. Rushing across the room, she saw Calum’s name pop up on the screen. 

“Hello?” she asked, desperately trying to hide her nerves. No one ever called her, especially not cute guys she just met 24 hours ago.

“Faye? Hey, um, it’s Calum…”

Faye could hear the nerves in his voice and she instantly felt better. “Hey,” she returned, a smile crossing her lips as she leaned against the counter, listening to his adorable accent.

“...I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me this week? If you’re free? Or whenever...”

“This week sounds perfect,” Faye answered quickly, maybe too quickly, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t stopped thinking about Calum since she left the party and had talked herself out of a dozen drafted texts to him.

“Really? Oh, great! Um, how’s Thursday?”

“Thursday’s great,” Faye replied, hoping Calum could hear the smile behind her words.

“Okay! Perfect. I’ll text you the details?”

“Sure,” she said, then added, “Calum?”

“Mmm?” he asked.

“You called me. Like in person...on the phone?”

“Yeah?” he returned nonchalantly, “I think you’re deserving of more than a quick, impersonal text message.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. Faye couldn’t explain the way his words made her heart swell. She had no idea how to respond and the silence elicited a soft chuckle from Calum’s end. 

“I’ll see you on Thursday, Faye,” he said, drawing out her name just slightly. He lingered on the ‘y’ sound just a little bit more than American men did. Faye liked hearing Calum say her name. 

“Faye?”

Except that wasn’t Calum’s voice. That was Julian’s voice. Faye blinked a few times then focused on her friend standing in front of her and holding her hand. 

“Faye?” He repeated, his voice laced with concern. “Please tell me something. Do we need to leave? What happened?”

Faye’s gaze shifted past Julian to where the three Australians were still standing by the door. Her head was swimming with thoughts of Calum, hazy from the alcohol. She didn’t speak, just nodded to Julian who moved to wrap his arm around her in support, but Faye darted away. 

“Hey!” she practically yelled as she stormed towards Ashton who was closest.

“Faye, holy shit,” he said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and glancing at his friends nervously.

“Tell Calum that he really fucked me up and I can’t get him out of my fucking head,” she shouted, finally breaking down in tears, “Tell him that I wished I never fell in love with him because now I can’t stop. It’s too hard and this all hurts too fucking much. Tell him...tell him...” she sobbed, struggling to find any words to say, “...it’s all his fault.”

She grabbed onto Ashton’s arm to prevent herself from collapsing. Her whole body was shaking as she cried, all the pain and hurt and heartbreak she’d ever felt over Calum was tearing through her.

Before Ashton could respond or Luke or Michael could step in, Julian came rushing over. His arms wrapped around Faye protectively and she immediately fell into his chest, tears and makeup staining the front of his shirt. 

“Come on,” he said softly, brushing one hand lightly though her hair. 

Faye let Julian lead her out the door and onto the street without a second glance at Ashton and the others. She didn’t care that it had started raining or that her makeup was already running down her cheeks, or that they were probably inside the bar laughing at how pathetic she was.

—

Next part preview: “He was planning on bringing this up more gently, but if Cal was going to snap at him, he was just going to hit him with the truth.”

—

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 3

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 771

A/N: So this part is kind of short, but hope you still enjoy! I promise the next part makes up for it!! For anyone new, the series features a non-famous 5SOS, based in Boston--other parts linked below. Let me know what you think! 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4  - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

By 11:00, Faye and Julian were in line at a bar near Faneuil. The unpredictable April weather had turned the day cooler as rain supposedly was moving in overnight. Faye stood close against Julian’s chest, trying to block some of the wind from her bare shoulders.

“If we don’t get in soon, my buzz is going to wear off,” she complained, pressing her forehead against him.

“This is what happens when someone wants to dance and not just head to one of the many, many dive bars around here,” Julian retorted, a smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth.

“You’re going to have a good time!” Faye argued, shuffling forward with the line. “I promised you a drunken night out and goddammit I’ll make sure it happens!” She put her hands on her hips for emphasis and Julian smiled in agreement.

“I’m all yours,” he said.

Finally, after about a half an hour, they paid the $10 cover and were let inside. Ariana Grande was blasting through the building as bodies pressed up against each other on the dance floor, people trying to get back to their friends carefully carried pitchers of beer above heads, bartenders rushed back and forth trying to serve all the drunk customers, and the bachelorette party in the corner kept yelling about shots.

“We should take shots,” Faye suggested as they made their way to the bar.

“Holy fuck, okay,” Julian agreed.

They had drank a lot back at the apartment, and would have probably been set on just beer, but if Faye wanted tonight to be one of those nights, Julian wasn’t one to argue. He was always down for a good time.

Julian squeezed through the crowd, managing to get one arm onto the bartop. After a few minutes, he had two tequila shots and two beers.

“Cheers,” he said, handing Faye her tequila and lime. They clinked and downed the harsh liquor, each grimacing as they switched to the lime.

“So when does the ‘good time’ start?” Julian teased. The pair migrated from the bar, trying to find a spot with enough room to at least stand without getting a beer poured down their arm or a drunken stranger stomping on their foot.

“Ahhh!” Faye yelled excitedly as the song switched. “Now!” She grabbed Julian’s free hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

“Hot dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life,” she sang, loudly and definitely off-key, but that didn’t matter. The entire bar was screaming the lyrics to ‘Clarity,’ the beat building and the smile on Faye’s face growing.

“IF OUR LOVE IS TRAGEDY WHY ARE YOU MY REMEDY! IF OUR LOVE’S INSANITY WHY ARE YOU MY CLARITY!”

Faye spun around, jumping with the crowd. Julian was right beside her, getting just as into the music as she was. This was exactly the type of night Faye had imagined and hoped for--just pure joy and friendship.

She placed a hand on Julian’s chest as they were shoved closer together by people crowding the dance floor. Julian responded by reaching for Faye’s waist. And thank god he did, because the next second, she almost passed out.

As Faye’s gaze traveled around the room, her eyes immediately fell upon the tallest people there. Luke, Michael, and Ashton. Gripping Julian’s arm hard to prevent herself from falling over, Faye froze.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Julian asked immediately. His hands tightened around her, keeping Faye steady as his eyes searched her face for some kind of answer.

“I need another shot,” she mumbled, then slipped from Julian’s grasp, b-lining for the bar.

Faye desperately scanned the room for the single person she’d been actively avoiding for months. Luckily, Calum seemed absent from whatever night out this was and Faye could only pray it stayed that way.

Fuck this fucking small town, she cursed to herself.

Downing a second tequila shot, Faye took a few deep breaths trying to collect her thoughts. She didn’t even touch the lime.

“Faye, talk to me,” Julian pleaded. “What’s wrong?”

But she couldn’t articulate an answer. How was she supposed to summarize the more than two years wasted on a guy who didn’t even try to make things work? How was she supposed to explain that despite the anger welling up inside her, the feeling that took over was the desperate ache in her heart as all the amazing memories clouded her brain? How was she supposed to say it’s taking her a really fucking long time to get over Calum? Or that she’s not even sure she wants to let him go?

—

Next part preview: “They sat mostly in silence, listening to the sounds of each other’s heartbeats and relishing in the feeling of being together.”

—

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 2

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 1,372

A/N: So the series features a non-famous 5SOS, based in Boston. This part continues where Chapter 1 left off and we get more of Faye’s perspective and thoughts. Part 2/6.. Let me know what you think! 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Calum probably couldn’t recall a single detail about his walk if he tried. By the time he got to his front door, he was so deep in thought about Faye that he spent five minutes trying to open his door with the wrong key. 

Goddammit, he huffed, finally getting inside. He stopped at the first floor where his landlord lived, sliding the now-definitely-late check under the door, then proceeded to his and Ash’s apartment on the third floor.

He moved through the empty apartment, quickly stripping out of his jeans. Calum barely bothered to turn on any lights as he made his way to the couch then collapsed onto the cushions. He pulled out his phone, ignoring a text from Luke about everyone going out tonight and disregarding various Hinge messages from women he doesn’t care about. Instead, Calum pulled up Faye’s contact. 

Calum hadn’t changed the photo and he hated the way his chest tightened as soon as he saw her smiling at him through the phone. Calum had taken the goofy photo of Faye posing with a giant lobster from a clambake they had gone to last summer with her family. She had the bib and everything and was flashing the widest grin at the camera. 

“You’ll never be able to eat lobster anywhere else after this,” she had said to Calum when he told her he’d never had lobster before. “I’m sorry, but nowhere in the world compares to Maine,” she affirmed. 

She had shown him how to crack it open, where the best meat was, and even how to get the perfect, tiny, most flavorful bit in the center--although Calum had to have Faye do that part for him in the end. They had sat on the water all day long, drinking cocktails, eating some of the best seafood he’d ever had, and just enjoying being together. Calum was pretty sure that photo was the only time he took his phone out all day. 

He could still feel the way her salt-curled hair tickled his skin and the warmth of her kiss on his cheek. And he could hear the sound of her giggle when she stole his baseball hat to protect her already sunburnt face. He had looped his arms around her waist, lifting her over his shoulder, before stumbling onto the sand. They kissed on the beach as the sun set and Calum had never felt like his life was a movie as much as he had in that moment. 

But now, he was sprawled across an old garage sale couch in just a sweatshirt and boxers, a can of cheap beer in one hand and his phone in the other. Finally, he tore his gaze away from Faye and tossed his phone onto the cushion beside him. It’s too late, he thought, I waited too long.

Meanwhile, across town, Faye was oblivious to the life of Calum Hood. She hadn’t noticed him on the train and had forced herself to stop wondering what he was doing or where he was over the past six months. Today, she was too busy catching up with her old high school friend, Julian, to observe any other passengers. 

Julian had just moved back to Boston and Faye was thrilled to be able to rekindle the friendship. The two had lost touch since going off to college, Julian having decided to go to the University of Washington and Faye choosing Tufts. But, out of the blue about a month ago, Julian had texted her with the news of his big move back to the east coast. 

And tonight, they were celebrating. Julian just finished his first week at the new job and Faye was ready for a night out. She kind of lost her social life after the breakup, not wanting to go to the same bars she, Cal, and the band had spent too many weekend nights. It was already bad enough that she sometimes ran into Michael and Luke on her lunch breaks. Apparently, they just had to hang out in the part of the city where she worked. Thankfully, Calum was never with them and Faye could easily run back to the office. 

So, she dove into new hobbies: watching the entirety of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix, learning to cook, redecorating her apartment, and getting into the habit of going to the gym for the first time in her life. Anything to serve as a distraction from the heartache. But now, she seemed to be running out of options. 

“Quite the glow up,” Julian said, glancing around the pristine apartment. 

It was a typical old Boston apartment, with outdated wallpaper, dark wood trim, and a floor that wasn’t quite level. But, Faye and her roommate kept it nice. They had string lights lining the entire main area, some large canvas artwork gifted to them by a friend who painted, cute throw pillows with pictures of dogs on them, a geometric teal carpet in the center of the main room, and a shelf of repurposed wine bottles that Faye had crafted during that particular hobby phase.  

Julian kicked off his shoes and settled onto the plush sectional, accepting the beer that Faye held out. 

“Like, I mean seriously,” he said, “This place is so nice! Remember in high school when we’d spend so much money on gas just driving around blasting music that we never had any left to do anything?”

Faye laughed at the shared memory. They both worked at the Dunkin’ Donuts in their small suburban town--well, one of the Dunks in their town--and any time they weren’t in school or working, Faye, Julian, and a bunch of their other friends would get in the car and just drive. They often ended up at the beach, (because it was free) and would stay long past dark. More than once they were chased off by cops for trespassing after sundown. 

“Thank god my parents made us save half my paycheck each week. I’d never have been able to afford to move without that!” Faye said, plopping onto the couch next to her guest. “They don’t tell you how fucking expensive it is to just get into a place, nevermind pay rent. Between the security deposit, broker fee, first and last, the cost of furniture...fuck.”

“And yet, here we are: two successful 25-year-olds about to spend all our money at the bar tonight,” Julian joked.

“Worth it,” Faye laughed, tapping her can against Julian’s and taking a sip.

They spent the entire evening laughing, reminiscing, playing all the songs that were popular in high school, and most of all, drinking. 

“Here,” Faye giggled taking Julian’s hand and pulling him towards her room. “Help me pick out an outfit for tonight.”

“And what makes you think I’m qualified for that?” Julian questioned, but still followed without hesitation.

“You’re a guy, so you can tell me if I look hot or not.” Faye looked up as if the answer was obvious. “I need to meet a nice guy who won’t shatter my heart into a thousand pieces...or at least one who’s good enough in bed that I can forget about all the douchebags out there.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Julian said, a tone of slight concern in his voice, “It sounds like there’s a story there.”

“Not one I’m looking to revisit tonight,” Faye said plainly, spinning on a heel and rummaging in her closet. After a moment, she held up two shirts, one in each hand. “Which one?”

Julian observed the options closely, taking a lot more consideration than Faye original thought he would, before deciding on the maroon, flowy, off-the-shoulder top. 

With her inhibitions lowered, she just turned her back to Julian and stripped out of her work blouse. She discarded her bra on a nearby chair, then pulled the new fabric over her head. These were the days where Faye was glad she didn’t have a big chest--she could easily go braless to the bar and no one would even know. Except Julian.

When she turned around, he had managed to mostly hide the pink tint that had risen to his cheeks and neck. Julian looked at Faye with raised eyebrows.

“Like I said...glow up.”

—

Next part preview: “Julian responded by reaching for Faye’s waist. And thank god he did, because the next second, she almost passed out.”

—

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]

Longer Than I Thought - part 1

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Who: Calum x Female OC

Inspiration: the song Longer Than I Thought ft. Joe Jonas by Loote.

Series Content: Swearing, drinking, mostly angst with some fluff, mentions of sex but not smut

Word Count (this part): 1,094

A/N: This is the first thing I’ve posted on here, so let me know what you think or if there are any discrepancies or mistakes! So in this, 5SOS isn’t famous (they are a band though) and it’s based in Boston, because why not :). It’s going to be a six part series.. 🍻

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4  - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

“The next train to Oak Grove will arrive in 15 minutes.”

Calum groaned to himself as he stepped onto the platform. He watched the Orange Line train that he just missed pull away from the station as he leaned against a nearby wall to catch his breath. He had just sprinted from band practice at Luke’s place near Fenway to the Green Line to get off at Park St. to run to connect to the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing in order to get back to his place in Somerville to catch his landlord before said landlord went off to his night job as a bartender and Calum’s rent check would be late again.

Calum glanced at his watch: 4:52. The platform was already crowded and when the nearby businesses let out at 5:00, the trains would be packed. Calum just prayed that there would be no issues or delays and he could make it back in time. Not likely.

Being in a band that barely made enough to cover the cost of performing meant Calum had to scramble like this before the first of every month, trying to piece pennies together to cover his half of the rent. 

Ashton, his roommate and drummer in the band, usually did the same thing, but this month Ashton had lucked into a film crew gig for a friend-of-a-friend who was an aspiring actress. Ashton had said the short film about a lost love was complete shit, but he got paid, so he didn’t care. Calum on the other hand, spent a few days dog sitting for their downstairs neighbor, but was still scrounging at the last second. 

These two, and the rest of the band, weren’t like their local friends, who had wealthy parents paying rent, or buying groceries, or funding some gap year. Calum, Ashton, Luke and Michael had moved to Boston from Australia with the hope of finding a better industry here. Boston was an underrated music city with a huge appreciation for local bands and live music. Bands like Boston or the Mighty Mighty Bostones got their start in this city, obviously, and who could forget Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. But other bands like Boys Like Girls, the Pixies, Dropkick Murphys, New Kids on the Block, and even Aerosmith got their start in Boston.

So, when their band, 5 Seconds of Summer, decided to fully pursue music, they settled on Boston as their target location. It’s a small city with less competition and an amazing, and frankly underappreciated, arts culture. 

“The next train to Oak Grove is now arriving.”

Calum was jostled by impatient commuters as he stood at the front of the crowd trying to push their way onto this next train. The doors opened and, after the stream of people exited the car, Calum stepped onto the train, grabbing onto a nearby pole for support. Various professionals in business suits, young workers in slacks and blouses, college students their university paraphernalia, and other random stragglers filed in behind Calum, taking up all available space. 

This is why I don’t ride the T at rush hour, Calum thought. Only five stops, he reminded himself. He glanced around the car, seeing mostly annoyed Bostonians, eyes glued to their phones, actively trying to avoid as much human interaction as possible. One guy in the corner seat was yelling loudly into his phone about some missing file. 

Then he saw her. 

There was no question that at the other end of the subway car was Faye. Calum would know that crazy messy bun anywhere. She always put her hair up when commuting home from work and, when she used to come straight to Calum’s, he always loved the way she’d take it out, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to straighten it because she knew Calum liked when she wore her hair down. 

Not today. 

Today, Calum was completely captivated by her bun. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, even when the train lurched and they proceeded towards State St. But at that second, Faye grabbed onto the torso of the guy standing in front of her, the two laughing as her eyes widened from her clumsiness. She said something to him that Calum wished he was close enough to hear. He knew it was probably a new boyfriend, but he couldn’t dismiss the small sliver of hope that it wasn’t. I mean, he wasn't sure it was a boyfriend; they didn’t kiss or anything.

Calum would be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to figure out some sort of path to that side of the train. A way to maneuver through the crowd, jostling between work bags, backpacks, and random, outstretched limbs, just in the hope that Faye might see him.

They hadn’t spoken in six months. Not since she walked out and Calum didn’t do anything. He didn’t call. He meant to call. He wanted to call. Now it was too late. 

It didn’t matter that she was the only thing Calum thought about. That every girl at the bar, or random hookup, or blind date his friends set him up with, could only compare to Faye. 

He had tried to get over Faye. He really did. The weekend after the break-up, Calum brought home a stranger from the bar. He doesn’t remember her name; honestly, he wasn’t sure he ever knew that girl’s name. 

But it didn’t work.

The next morning, when that girl was still in his bed, all he could think about was Faye. How that girl’s touch didn’t feel like Faye’s, how her lips didn’t move like Faye’s, how she didn’t respond to Calum in the same way. Calum couldn’t shake the memories of his nights with Faye. Even now. It was taking him a lot longer to get over her than he thought.

“Now approaching Assembly.”

The doors opened and Faye and the guy exited the train. It was at that moment that Calum realized he had missed his stop. He was too lost in thought over seeing Faye. He rushed past the people now filing onto the train, pushing, elbowing through the crowd. 

Spinning around on the platform, he tried to catch a glimpse of her, but she had disappeared. He knew the way to her apartment--he could walk there right now if he wanted to--but following her down the street is a lot different than casually running into her on the train. 

So, Calum reluctantly set off towards his own apartment, forced to take the long way home.

---

Next part preview: “Calum had never felt like his life was a movie as much as he had in that moment.”

---

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4  - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

[asthecrushgoes]