#Calum Gram

[rustoperator]

Is it 6 am again? Yes.

Am I spiraling back to my Blue Squadron obsession? Yes.

Do I prefer Merrick, Gerams or Joma? YES.

Am I going to work in 3 hours? Also yes.

Am I hc-ing Blue Ten as a problematic, smart, f around and find out female Lieutenant? YES.

Oh, remember those two X-wings the squadron lost at Eadu? They were also piloted by female sentients, because I make the rules.

Is one of them zabrak? YES!

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Angst (2) Masterlist

part one

Bleeding heart (ao3) - exhiled_spirit luke/ashton M, 35k

Summary: Time changes. Some would say that all of his wishes came true and in some way they did. That's why he stopped wishing upon the stars like he did when he was a naive child. Because all those wishes led him up to this moment in time. A time where Luke stopped wishing upon a star and instead felt himself become one. Each and every day he felt his mind leaving his body and float away. It's only a matter of time now until he's leaving the atmosphere and becomes a floating rock himself. A rock without its glow, just a cold hard rock that no one sees and cares about. 

Or Luke's past relationship haunts his ever waking moment and everything comes crashing down during the highly anticipated Meet You There Tour.

Broken Love in the First Degree (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine ot4, michael/calum, luke/ashton T, 29k

Summary: “It’s not me, Cal.”

The bottom drops out of Calum’s world at the tone of Michael’s voice. It is so… empty that it takes Calum a moment to understand what he has said and then another to process it. Calum blinks, his mind still sluggish from sleep. He mouths Michael’s words in the vain hope he might catch on to what Michael actually means.

Calum takes too long. Michael sighs. He hits pause on his game and finally—finally—gives Calum the attention he deserves. His eyes are sad. His bottom lip is a little wobbly. Calum is afraid Michael might cry, but Michael can’t cry. Not on Calum’s birthday.

“Look at your wrist.”

(In which Calum is Michael's soulmate, but Michael isn't Calum's.)

cause I’ve been trying way too long to try and be the perfect song (ao3) - luke hemmings (wishingforlondon) michael/luke T, 1k

Summary: Thinking about Michael was, for Luke, just a really bad idea.

come alive and bring the thunder (ao3) - merlypops michael/luke E, 36k

Summary: Prince Luke of the Faeries is forced to marry King Michael after a War between kingdoms threatens to tear their lives apart... and maybe Luke and Michael fall in love too. Maybe.

dream makes the sounds (that carry me so far away) (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds luke/calum M, 36k

Summary: Luke's just got to California, on a trip to get away from his life for a while. Calum might be there for the same reason. When a chance meeting pushes them together, Luke might get more out of the four-week road trip than he ever imagined.

Hold my hand and kiss my cheek darling (the world is watching us) (ao3) - Abbypd luke/ashton, michael/calum G, 23k

Summary:

“But why do I need a fake boyfriend to come out?” Ashton asked, glaring at his manager – a woman in her forties who usually knew exactly what she was talking about. This time, the young singer wasn’t too sure. “Because why else would you have waited for two whole years to come out? With a boyfriend you can just tell them you didn’t know you were into guys until you met him. It will be romantic and everybody will love it.”

Or Luke and Ashton are both idiots who are too scared to admit that their kisses aren’t just for the cameras.

i ain't changed, but i know i ain't the same (ao3) - mukelftv michael/luke E, 20k

Summary: michael clifford is an employee at the local mall. luke hemmings is a pop star on his mall tour. what happens when the two of them cross paths?

if we make it through december (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) luke/ashton T, 28k

Summary: “I didn’t tell them,” he blurts. Ashton falls silent on the other end of the line. “My family. I didn’t tell them about the breakup. And I know that I should’ve and I swear I will, but Gram asked about you today and it’s probably her last Christmas with us and you know how much she loves you. I couldn’t do it. It’d break her heart, and I can’t do that to her. Not right now. So if you– I mean. What I’m trying to say is that you’re still invited to Christmas, if you want. You don’t have to, I can make an excuse for you, and I swear I’ll tell them after the holidays, but I thought maybe… maybe you’d want to see them one last time.”

i’ll keep on fighting (just to make you believe) (ao3) - jbhmalum michael/luke, luke/ashton T, 33k

Summary: In which Luke is finally coming home to Australia for the summer after two years, and everything should be perfect. Michael quickly realizes nothing is.

it’s an emotional kaleidoscope when I face you (ao3) - FayeHunter, lifewasradical michael/luke T, 33k

Summary: With one last sweep over his apartment, Michael is sure he’s ready to go, or at least as ready as he’s ever going to be. Nothing would ever prepare him for multiple days of nothing but Luke Hemmings.

Or, Michael and Luke broke up a few months ago, but a nonrefundable road trip has them back together for a wonderful ride from New York City to Orlando, Florida.

Like the Stars Love the Sky (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine michael/calum/ashton, michael/ashton T, 37k

Summary: Michael can’t admit to Luke that he liked kissing Calum or that he would like to kiss Calum again. He can’t, because admitting it to Luke means saying it out loud, and saying it out loud means that these feelings are real. It means that he loves Calum as much as he loves Ashton, and that isn’t fair to anybody, especially not Ashton who didn’t ask for a fiancé with one foot out of the door—not that Michael would ever leave Ashton, but the sentiment is the same.

(In which Michael doesn't realize he might be in love with Calum until Michael himself is engaged to Ashton.)

Magnet Souls (ao3) - jbhmalum calum/ashton, michael/luke E, 42k

Summary: Ashton loves sex a whole lot, Calum hates the thought of it. They’re soulmates. Alternatively, a story about self-respect and compromise in the name of love.

Mixology (ao3) - dafeedil luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 23k

Summary: In which Michael is reeling from a recent breakup, Calum has just flunked a semester of university, Luke has never taken a risk in his life, and Ashton has taken too many.

One night, four boys, one Los Angeles bar. A recipe for…well, quite possibly, not disaster.

(or, they all meet at a bar and fall hopelessly in love for the night. Only, it’s actually a lot more than that.)

Oil and Water (ao3) - dafeedil michael/calum E, 25k

Summary: Calum’s heart sinks a little bit, and he’s not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because he’s allowed himself to fall victim to Michael’s seduction yet again, or maybe it’s because he’s disappointed in himself for being so willing to try something that could so easily be dangerous. Or maybe, the most likely of all, it’s because he can hear Mali’s voice in his head telling him how stupid he’s been to have found himself—quite literally—backed against the wall like this, with a boy he barely knows whispering dirty promises into his ear when he doesn’t even know the first thing about real relationships.

Or, Calum spends a night with the boy that smells like smoke, and as it always is with bad addictions, he keeps getting sucked right back in.

paper valentines (ao3) - dafeedil michael/ashton M, 30k

Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Michael and Ashton have erased each other from their respective memories, along with the entirety of the last two years they’ve spent together.

However, sometimes erasing past mistakes only means you’re ultimately doomed to make the same ones all over again.

rebound feelin' like a rerun (ao3) - lifewasradical luke/ashton T, 33k

Summary: “Alright what the fuck?” Michael shouts, dropping himself down in the open corner of the couch. “What the fuck?” he says again, leaning forward on his knees, staring at Ashton across the room.

Ashton just shrugs. “He left me.”

The lack of emotion in his voice is concerning, completely free of the bubbling laughter and attitude filled charm that normally coats his words. It’s just empty, sort of bitter but mostly void of feeling, like he’s detached himself from the situation completely.

“But why?” Luke finds himself saying.

“He doesn’t love me anymore.”

Red Light - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton E, 32k

Summary: Ashton hates strip clubs. Hates them. And Calum dragging him around to them because “good dick mends a broken heart” is not making him hate them any less.

Granted, there is one dancer that makes him think they have potential.

Shameless (ao3) - HeartnArrow N/R, 39k

Summary: Luke is captain of the hockey team, one of the most popular guys in school along with calum hood, came out as gay last year. ashton is a nerd who gets straight a’s and has yet to have his first kiss at the age of 17. michael is his best friend who isn't really a nerd but has known ashton since preschool. ashton has always watched luke from afar, admiring him at the hockey games and in the hallways. he’s had a crush on him since freshman year but luke doesn't even know his name. or Luke was looking for a fuck buddy while Ashton was looking for love.

Take Me Out (to the Ballgame) (ao3) - no_clue_who luke/ashton, roy/calum, kaykay/sierra T, 35k

Summary: Luke Hemmings is the best pitcher on his team, he's happy there. He has a life with that team.

Everything changes when he gets traded to his teams rival, when he get traded to Ashton fucking Irwin's team.

He was so screwed.

when the party ends (ao3) - galacticsugar luke/calum E, 30k

Summary: Sadly, Calum is going to have to buy this bottle of wine. Is he torturing himself unnecessarily? Definitely. He can’t even really make himself feel pathetic about it, though. He’s fully aware of what he’s doing. Of why he misses Luke so much. Of why drinking this wine alone in his apartment is a bad idea. Even without Luke actually being present, Calum is using him.

a heaven, iowa songfic.

[cosmicmemory]

requests are open! request anyone, celebrity or character! nsfw or sfw (only nsfw if you're 18+)!

[takemealivelh]

you wanna get high? || dealerxluke

luke finds a new dealer. a party. drugs and alcohol. smut. 2.8k

thank you to @saigonlukesss​ and @highstwildflower​ for encouraging me to write and being so sweet! this is from luke’s pov. i hope you enjoy it.

feedback is appreciated

Cal says that it’s the best he's ever tried. He gives me the number after I tell him I'm looking for a new dealer. The other one screws me over, they're pricey and it's not that good.

"I get a good high and it lasts, mate. Because they're so efficient."

"Stop saying efficient," I laugh as I pass the joint back to him.

He laughs. "No, but for real. It's efficient stuff."

-

I agreed to meet her at the bottom of the hill. No one's ever here. The sun’s still out and it's raining. Not pouring, but a soft brizzle. I wait for a car or a motorcycle to show up, but I have to wait a good 30 minutes until I see someone in a forest green jacket under the light posts. She walks closer and waves to me as if we've been friends forever. She must do this a lot.

Removing the hoodie from her jacket, I can see her short hair wet and the prettiest smile. "Hi" I hear myself say without noticing. She taps the window and I realize I haven't even opened it.

"Sorry," I chuckle and say once I roll it down. I'm not high, but maybe I'm nervous? It's a new dealer and she's standing there looking radiant and I always get flustered around pretty women.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's okay." Her voice is somewhat raspy and I like that. "Here." She reaches for her pocket and takes out a little plastic bag with a gram. I say to myself this is just for sleeping, but I know that's not the truth. Sometimes I suffer from anxiety, or I'm sad. I like using weed to feel good, feel better. I don't think I have a problem, though. "It's top shit. Calum's favorite." She smiles at me as I take the bag from her ring-adorned hand.

"He's greedy and fussy about it." I tell her and I think I sound dumb but she seems to like my comment.

"Yeah," She smiles looking down at it. "He always says he's gonna find someone else, someone closer, but he always comes back," she looks at me and I realize her eyes are brown. Thick dark chocolate brown. I've always been a sucker for brown eyes. "I heard he wants to quit, though?" She asks as she pulls out a pack of watermelon flavored cigarettes and offers me one.

I shake my head no and slip the little plastic bag in my jeans pocket. "He says he wants to be lucid for the rest of the recording."

"You guys are recording?"

I didn't even think about the possibility of her knowing our band. I always thought of Calum as someone who moved in circles where no one knew his name. It didn't come to mind that I might meet a fan. It's weird, meeting fans. I know people think of artists as unreachable people, but really, they are. From time to time I’d meet a fan on the street. Then wonder later on if they were real. People live their own lives, they have their own jobs and hobbies and I always thought that if I ever became famous, I’d forget all about that. I was okay if I turned out to be an egocentric asshole. I just wanted it all. And now, looking at her, I want to know everything about her. “uh... yeah. fifth album,” i smile at her.

“cool.”

okay, maybe she isn’t a fan. maybe she just knows about my music, but she doesn’t really like it. maybe she thinks we’re bad. “what’s your name?” i ask to keep myself from spiraling. i can’t remember if calum ever told me, i have her saved as new dealer in my contacts.

“ellie.”

“‘m luke.”

she chuckles and takes another drag from her cigarette. “yeah, i figured.” i think i’m blushing. ellie exhales the smoke in a horizontal line away from me. she looks up at the sky and closes one eye. “i like your band.”

i smile. “thank you.” she looks beautiful from down here. “hey, it’s raining. i should give you a lift.” i say without thinking. why would she get in a car with a stranger? maybe i’m a serial killer, maybe i’m gonna kidnap her.

“yeah, sure.” she says and flicks the rest of the cigarette to the floor. i don’t have a chance to say anything, not that i know what to say. she makes her way over to the other side of the car. i watch her walk, a little sway on the hips. i hate to admit it, but i think she’d look good naked. she’d feel good under me. “can you drop me off at the shell on pico blvd. street?” i nod my head yes as she fastens her seatbelt. “thank you.”

we sit in silence for a few minutes. the radio faintly playing through the speakers. from the corner of my eye i see her looking out the window, admiring the sky. 

“i-” we both say at the same time. and we laugh. she’s got a cute laugh. “sorry, i was just gonna say i love this song,” she smiles and points to the car radio.

john mayer singing free fallin’ is also one of my favorites. 

-

i’m throwing a party because i don’t feel so good and being around people makes me feel better. i didn’t expect this many people to show up, though. they’re everywhere. in my kitchen, in the living room, in the backyard. calum and ellie are sitting on one of the sofas, they’re smoking a joint. i shake my head and laugh to myself because she was right. calum always comes back to smoking her shit. it lasted him what? a week? i’ve bought from her one more time after we first met and i invited her tonight because i think she’s cool and i wanna get to know her more.

someone bumps into me and a splash of beer stains my shirt. “sorry, man,” says the person behind me and i shrug it off. i go upstairs to change.

outside, the party is going strong. i feel better. less lonely. i wonder why sometimes i feel the way that i feel. maybe i’m broken. i take my shirt off and toss it to the side of the bed. i walk over to my dresser and pull out one of the drawers when someone opens the door. it’s ellie.

“sorry,” she apologizes, “i thought this was the bathroom.”

her eyes are red and her cheeks are flushed. “you’re having a good time.” i say with a smile. she looks so good. net tights, high-waisted shorts, a ripped white tee and a long chain necklace. her hair is dry and her eyeliner is electric blue.

“yeah,” she chuckles and looks behind her. “you throw good parties, huh?”

i like to think that i do. people seem to like coming to my house to get drunk and high. i also think i’m a good host. i put out plates with chips and other stuff and i keep the kitchen stocked with alcohol. “they call me chief.” i joke.

“no, they do not,” ellie laughs and closes the door behind her. i laugh, too, holding a black t-shirt in my hands.

ellie bites her lower lip and i wonder what goes through her mind. she takes out a joint from the spot behind her ear and her hairline. i always thought people who kept their cigarettes there were cool people. “you wanna get high?”

i’m a little bit drunk and i think that gives me courage. i put the shirt back in the drawer and nod my head. “sure,” i smile. i’ve never been high with ellie. i’m sure it’s a good time. who am i to deny myself the pleasure of getting high with her?

she sits on the edge of the bed, crossing a leg on top of the other. she takes out a lighter and as she’s taking the first drag, her eyes dart outside the window. “shit, is it okay to smoke here?” she looks back at me, worried.

i chuckle. “yeah, it’s fine.” i sit down beside her and she smiles, taking another drag and handing me the joint. “you’ll find that i run a chill house.”

“shut up,” she laughs. i smoke a little and start coughing almost immediately. this is so embarrassing. ellie puts a hand on the top of my naked shoulderblades. “easy there,” she grins.

we smoke the whole thing and we end up laying on top of the mess of sheets on my bed. i know a messy bed means a messy head, but lately i can’t be arsed to make my bed. i’m at the studio all day, early mornings and late nights. i just pass out on top of everything.

ellie smokes a cigarette and flicks the ashes into an improvised ashtray, a plastic red cup. “i like you, luke,” she smiles and closes her eyes. does she mean she like-likes me? does she mean as a friend? i feel my throat tightening. her eyes are up, glued to my ceiling and her head is comfortably laid against my white pillow. i say nothing. my fingers play with the hem of my pants as i look over at her. i’m so relaxed. usually, i would overthink this. i would spiral. but now, i feel no anxiety. she looks back at me and smiles before putting out the cigarette and placing the cup on the floor, next to the bed. “you’re cute.”

i don’t know how to interpret that word. cute. i stare into her eyes and she chuckles and cups my cheek before swiftly leaning into me and pressing her plump lips against mine. her hand is cold against my skin and i put mine on top of it. the kisses are soft, almost like an angel laying their feet on fluffy clouds. i can hear the faint noise of the music downstairs and the cheering. i don’t care about any of it. i just want to taste her, stay here forever. 

ellie glides her hand down to my shoulder and starts pressing her lips to my neck. so this is what’s gonna happen. i’m one hundred percent ready for this. i close my eyes and let her suck on my skin. it feels so good. i grab her waist and guide her on top of me. each of her legs are on either side of my body and i can feel myself getting hard beneath my pants. her lips curve into a smile, i can feel it against my neck. i let out a mmm and she leaves my neck.

i sit up on my elbows, and i watch her take off her tee. she’s got her hands behind her back to unhook her gray bra and her head is tilted back, eyes closed. she looks like a goddess like that. undressing for me. the pieces of clothing fall next to us and i can only stare at her chest. that long necklace resting perfectly between her breasts. her eyes are almost cat-like when she looks down at me. i’m melting. she goes for the jugular. her kisses on my neck are the best feeling. i can’t help but make small sounds as my dick starts to feel too restrained beneath the fabric. her hands are roaming the sides of my naked torso and i’m so glad i never put a shirt back on. i like to think i have a good body. one that can turn her on.

“you make the prettiest sounds,” she whispers against my skin and i feel my skin bristle. her raspy voice is the sexiest thing. 

i reach out a hand to the drawer of my nightstand to get a condom. there’s a bunch of shit in there. papers and pens and one black nail polish i haven’t used in forever but i’ve been meaning to use. i find the box and ellie leaves my neck alone. she gets off me and sits on the edge of the bed to take off the rest of her clothes. i can see her spine as she bends down to take off her combat boots and i think i love backs. i love shoulder blades and i love the curve. i take off my pants and my briefs and slide the condom on my aching erection. she turns her head and smiles at my dick. biting her lip, ellie nods as if she’s happy with what she sees, which makes me feel like a fucking king.

she crawls back next to me, all in her naked glory, and i pull her closer. we’re both lying on the bed and i guide her legs apart with a hand. i see her chest rise. slowly, with my dick in one hand, i stroke her folds with it. she’s soaking wet. a great lubricant. “you like that?” i ask and she nods her head eagerly. she pushes herself up with one hand and i penetrate her. a loud gasp emerges from her lips and i supress a moan. she feels so good. so tight. i take a second for her to adjust to my length and size. and when she reaches for my shoulder, clawing her fingertips to my bare skin, i start moving. in and out. ellie presses me down and climbs on top. she moves her hips and starts bouncing. 

my head is spacey and i can only hear the little sounds that pour out of her lips, the pumping bass of a pop song downstairs. i grip her hips and guide her up and down. titties bouncing. i’m an ass man but i gotta admit that seeing her nipples so hard makes me want to bite them. i smile up at her when i hit a sensitive spot and her lips make a pornographic o shape. her hands go to my chest to keep her in place and her eyes are closed, her body visibly heaving with each thrust i give her. “fuck,” she chokes out and i can only squirm under her touch. she moves sinfully. she’s god-sent. 

i lick my index and middle fingers and part her legs even wider so i can get to her clit. she gasps at the touch of my rings, warm against her pelvis. “keep going,” i encourage her. ellie is a mess on top of me and i’m struggling to keep my composure. each time she rolls her hips into me i feel a little closer to the end. i’m in pure bliss. my mouth hangs open and i feel my muscles tense up. i’m about to cum, i’m about to- “fuuuuuck” i drag out the word as i see speckles beneath my eyelids. she rides me through my orgasm, her hand squishes my face. i don’t know what this feeling is, but it’s so good. i love feeling her warmer hand on my cheeks, squeezing them. my legs shake and i hit my head against the pillow, feeling completely satisfied.

it takes me a few moments to open my eyes. she releases my face and gets off me. the cold air makes my dick feel well-rested. her lust is still visible through her eyelashes, and i promise myself that i gotta see that face when she cums. i need to see her lose control. “hold on a sec,” i breathe out as i peel the condom off my dick and toss it in the trash can next to my bed. i knew it would be useful one day for more than candy wrappers and tissues.

ellie’s cheeks are bright red and she runs her fingers through her hair. “that was fun,” she says.

i’m pretty much breathless and my eyelids feel heavy. i see looking out the window and wonder if she’ll stay. i want her to stay. leave everyone at the party and just stay here with me. my hand caresses her naked thigh as i regulate my own breathing. that was fantastic. “yeah,” i smile.

i hear her hum in agreement and tuck her hair behind her ears. “i should go, calum’s probably wondering where i am.” ellie reaches for her clothes and stands up from the bed to get dressed. i stay here, laying naked and looking at her. the way she hooks her bra and carefully slips her legs into her net tights. i watch her put on her ripped shirt and sigh. “where’s my phone?” she asks, palming her back pockets.

“i don’t know,” i say and sit up to look for it between the sheets.

“found it,” ellie smiles and grabs the phone from a feet away from my hand. it’s electricity even though our hands don’t touch. it’s even more intimate, closer, than when i was inside her. i’m sure i’m blushing, so i stand up and put on my briefs. “we should do this again.”

she definitely knows what to say.

-

TAG LIST

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[cakesunflower]

Just My Kind [Teacher!Calum AU] Part 8

A/N: sorry for the long wait!! just so you know, this is the penultimate chapter, so the next one will be the last in this mini series!! happy reading!

Previous Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

       Odessa was stalling. She knew she was, and she knew she wasn’t doing anyone any favors by putting off a conversation that needed to happen sooner rather than later. But for all her love of books and the written word, Odessa herself couldn’t quite find the words she needed to say in order to tell Paige what exactly was going on. She had days to figure it out, and yet Odessa hadn’t been able to do it.

        It wasn’t until New Years that Odessa was finally among all of her friends once again. Michael and Crystal had decided to throw a party at their beach house, where everyone would gather to watch the fireworks go off at midnight. Odessa tried to tell herself it wasn’t really her fault that she couldn’t talk to Paige yet—everyone had been so busy during Christmas and Odessa wasn’t too fond of being the reason to potentially ruin someone else’s holiday. It wasn’t as though she could have this conversation with Paige over the phone—though, the more Odessa thought about it, the more favorable that idea seemed.

        And now it was New Years Eve and Odessa still hadn’t talked to Paige about her relationship.

        Truthfully, Calum hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Paige, either, but he only recently just got back from New Zealand, so at least he had a valid enough reason.

        Odessa was just being a bit of a coward, despite boosting herself up multiple times to finally get this done.

        “You know the party’s going on down there, right?”

        Odessa glanced over her shoulder to see Luke step out onto the small balcony of the house, which faced the beach where all of Michael and Crystal’s guests were buzzing about. Music was loudly playing, courtesy of Michael in his DJ set, mixing with the sounds of people’s chatter and the waves crashing along the shore ahead. The air smelt of salt and smoke, thanks to the tiki torches that were set up to provide some light since the sun had long since set.

        “I know,” Odessa answered with him with a small chuckle as he approached her towards the railing, a drink in his hand. She faced forward again, looking at the people below. “I was just—”

        “Hiding?”

        She raised her eyebrows, almost startled, as she looked up at the tall blonde. “Who would I be hiding from?”

        Luke threw her a look that said really? before rolling his blue eyes, luminous under the moonlight. “Paige, maybe? You know, since you tend to hide from her a lot.”

        Odessa tried not to cringe—both at her predictability and how Luke’s words kind of made her sound like the coward she had called herself. Still, she defended, “I’m not hiding. I’m just. . . Mentally preparing myself.”

        He hummed in acknowledgement. “To tell her about you and Cal so the two of you can kiss at midnight without giving her too much of an aneurism?”

        Odessa blinked. Once then twice as her gaze swung back to Luke, gaping up at him. But Luke looked back at her evenly, knowingly, and Odessa’s heart jumped. Had Calum told him about them? They’d agreed they wouldn’t tell anyone until Paige was handled. “How did you—?”

        Luke scoffed after taking a sip of his drink, lips quirking up in a smirk. “You two aren’t nearly as subtle as you think,” he told her as Odessa straightened. “Everyone saw it coming, Odessa. It’s obvious in the way you two look at each other.” She continued gaping at him as he sipped his drink before adding, “You aren’t fooling anyone—except maybe Paige, who’s genuinely ignorant about it because she has her head so far up her ass, or she knows and doesn’t care. Neither would surprise me.”

        If anyone had to match Odessa’s dislike for Paige, it would be Luke, she knew.

        Odessa let out a long sigh, arms folding on top of the bannister. She watched as people danced and chatted and ate down below, eyes absently searching for her not-so-secret boyfriend. “She’s got a thing for Calum and I don’t know how to tell her about us. It’s going to be awkward and I know for a fact she’s going to—”

        “Make you feel like shit?” Luke finished knowingly, and Odessa nodded tiredly with another sigh. She appreciated his bluntness.

        “Ugh,” Odessa groaned, ducking her head to press her hand against her forehead. They were silent for a few moments, and maybe she was seeking some kind of reassurance from Luke, or seeking for his opinion, but she lifted her head and asked him, “Do you think I’m. . . In the wrong?” Luke shot her a quizzical look and Odessa cleared her throat. “I mean, Paige all but told me to back off when it came to Calum.” She tried to keep the distaste off her face at Paige’s territorial behavior. “But I obviously didn’t listen. Did I do a fucked up thing?”

        A wry smile tilted at Luke’s lips, just barely hinting at a dimple. “Are you asking because I’m an unbiased party?” he asked, the sarcasm in his tone making her smile slightly. Luke’s expression became thoughtful, serious. “No, I don’t think you did. Honestly, Essa, Paige acted like her and Cal were together sometimes, but the reality of the situation was that they were both single, free to be with whoever they want. Just because Paige wanted to be with Calum, doesn’t mean he felt the same. Obviously,” he added, shooting her a pointed look that warmed Odessa’s cheeks. With a light laugh, Luke added, “It worked out for Calum that you felt the same way about him. It sucks for Paige, but it’s not her call. And you shouldn’t feel guilty that you’re happy with someone who’s just as happy to be with you.”

        Wasn’t that what both her mom and Grams and Calum had told her, more or less? Maybe Odessa just needed that same reassurance from multiple people before she talked to Paige.

        Or maybe she was just waiting for someone to tell her the exact opposite. She was a masochist that way.

        “Anyways, if you wanna talk to her, you better do it sooner rather than later.” At that, Odessa glanced at Luke with a raised eyebrow, and he merely jerked his chin a bit towards the left, and she followed his gaze until it landed on a small group of people chattering down below. She easily recognized Calum, chatting and drinking with a bunch of people—and Paige standing right next to him as she conversed with some girl Odessa didn’t recognize.

        The sight was innocent enough, but Odessa knew when it came to Calum, Paige was unlikely to be innocent.

        The inside of the house was mostly stranded, Odessa noticed, as she headed downstairs, a few minutes after Luke had left her, as everyone was gathered outside. Odessa entered the wide hall that would lead towards the back door, but just as she turned around the corner from the stairs, she gasped in startlement when a body appeared in front of her.

        “Shit—oh, hey, Odessa.” She felt her muscles go rigid as she looked at Paige. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

        Odessa’s already forced smile strained. “Nowhere—I was just in the bathroom,” she lied easily. Oh, God, was this it? Was she going to have this conversation with Paige in the middle of the hall in Michael and Crystal’s house? “Paige—”

        “Have you found a someone to kiss at midnight?” the other girl interrupted her, a glint in her eyes that made Odessa’s stomach clench uneasily. Paige twirled the end of her ponytail around her finger, her hair tightly sleeked back. A corner of her lip curved up into a smirk as she held Odessa’s gaze. “Trick is to find someone single and cute and stand next to them when the clock strikes midnight.” She laughed then. “At least, that’s what I plan to do with Calum.”

        At the sound of his name—at the sound of her boyfriend’s name—Odessa felt her blood turn into ice, teeth clenching together as the music playing outside become muffled in her ears. Her throat was tight, yet somehow she managed to get out a gritted, “You can’t.”

        Paige stared at her, raising her eyebrows before scoffing out a laugh. “What do you mean, I can’t?” She gave an amused shake of her head, her ponytail swinging back and forth with the movement. “What, do you plan on kissing him?”

        The way she asked that—it was like it was a joke, the thought of Odessa kissing Calum. And it only served to irritate Odessa more, that feeling growing more intense than whatever hesitance she may have had in having this conversation. So Odessa lifted her chin, gaze never wavering as she shot back, “What if I did?”

        Any signs of amusement slipped from Paige’s face upon Odessa’s challenging tone, her back straightening and eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Wait, are you kidding?”

        It was now or never. Odessa’s neck tensed as she inhaled sharply, finally finding the words. “Look, Paige, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now—”

        “Tell me what?”

        Odessa licked her lips, Paige’s stare penetrating and demanding, but she refused to let her nerves become known. She might as well get it over with, get it done so she could go outside and stand by Calum without worrying about Paige figuring something out on her own. Paige’s gaze was heated, eyebrows already subtly knitting together like she knew she was about to hear something she wouldn’t like. Odessa had the unfortunate luck of being the one to deliver the news to her.

        But if it meant being with Calum without feeling as though something was holding her back, Odessa would see it through.

        “Calum and I—we’re together,” Odessa announced, her voice surprisingly steady. “We’ve been together for a few weeks now and I just—I thought you should know.”

        Okay, so she didn’t stumble over her words as much as she thought.

        “I’m sorry—what?” Paige laughed, and Odessa tried not to cringe at the expression on her face, at the disbelief that coated her tone. “You and Calum?” She raised an eyebrow, doubtful in its perfect arch. “Is that a joke?”

        Odessa’s eyebrows furrowed together, irritation that was reserved just for Paige sparking through her veins as she crossed her arms over her chest, wishing she wasn’t so obvious in her defensiveness as she asked evenly, “Why would that be a joke?”

        “Because—” Paige cut herself off with a laugh, that same disbelieving scoff of a laugh that grated at Odessa’s nerves. “I just can’t believe that you would go after him even after I made it clear I have a thing for him.”

        A thing. Odessa had half a mind to ask Paige what, exactly, this thing she had for Calum meant. Did Paige genuinely have feelings for him? Or was it just a physical attraction for her? The former had cause to make Odessa genuinely feel bad—but not entirely regretful—and the latter didn’t sprout an ounce of guilt on her part. But then Odessa felt as though it would just be insensitive to Paige to literally ask her what she meant, so she kept her mouth shut despite wanting to do the opposite.

I sincerely hope you’re not going to apologize to the girl for being in a relationship.

Her mom’s words echoed in her mind just as she parted her lips, and Odessa paused. No—she wasn’t going to apologize. Not when Paige, with her subtle yet digging comments and fake smiles, made Odessa feel less than. She did it back in college, and she still did it now. Odessa. . . She owed her nothing.

“Paige, I didn’t go after him with any shady intentions,” Odessa told her. “It just happened. We both like each other—a lot. Everything just happened on its own.”

Paige’s eyes narrowed, clearly not liking what she was hearing as Odessa mentally braced herself. She knew all of this was coming, knew Paige wouldn’t let this go quietly, but that didn’t mean Odessa wanted this conversation to drag out more than it needed to be. “We’re supposed to be friends, Odessa. You’re not even sorry for screwing me over like this? For going after the one guy I wanted?”

Odessa wanted to laugh. She really did. They were friends? In what fucking universe were they friends? Odessa recognized Paige’s tactics of trying to make her feel guilty, to get her to apologize, but Odessa steeled herself. She wasn’t going to tell Paige what she wanted to hear, she wasn’t going to quiet herself and submit to a woman who always tried to get her way without any regard for others. Paige wasn’t allowed to pull the friend card—not with Odessa.

“I didn’t screw you over,” Odessa returned, an edge creeping into her voice as her gaze hardened. Behind Paige, Odessa could just barely see everyone out on the beach through the open French doors, and she desperately wanted to go back out there. “And I’m not going to apologize for liking a guy who feels the same way about me.” With a shake of her head, Odessa challenged, “So why bother paying attention to someone who’s in a relationship? You can move on to someone else.”

“Oh, thanks so much for making that decision for me,” Paige snapped, a sarcastic, unkind smile on her face as she glared at Odessa, who, to her credit, didn’t flinch. “You seriously don’t see how fucked up this is?”

Odessa’s teeth hurt from how tightly they had been pressed together without her realization until she loosened her jaw. She could see the anger in Paige’s gaze, the disbelief—but nowhere in her eyes did Odessa see any kind of hurt or heartbreak. If Odessa had to take a guess, she’d say Paige was more pissed about the fact that Odessa was with Calum rather than truly upset or heartbroken over it. It made her believe that Paige’s attraction to him was only physical. And although Odessa had no right to deduce what Paige did or didn’t feel, she knew the girl well enough. She knew her guess was most likely the truth.

“Maybe it is fucked up,” Odessa said, chin lifting and arms still crossed. “But I’m still not going to apologize for my relationship. I just wanted you to know the truth about us so you’re not unknowingly flirting with someone’s boyfriend.” And making even more of a fool out of yourself.

A cruel smirk lifted Paige’s lips, raising her eyebrows as she challenged, “Jealous?”

Odessa was tempted to shake her head at the almost sad display of ill-placed confidence—or bitchiness. Instead, she offered a small smile. “No,” she said truthfully. “I know how Calum feels about me. As new as it is, I’m confident in our relationship to know I have nothing to worry about.”

It was a dig because Odessa couldn’t help herself, and she saw it hit its mark when Paige’s gaze hardened and her jaw popped. The indignant incredulity was clear on her face, and Odessa would be lying if satisfaction didn’t dance proudly throughout her veins. Despite being a well placed dig, Odessa’s words were true. Her and Calum’s relationship was built on the friendship they developed and trust, and she didn’t for a second doubt that what he felt for her matched in what she felt for him. Odessa knew she didn’t have anything to worry about, knew Calum was as in their relationship as she was.

Paige’s lips curled into a sneer, her hostility shining brightly as she spat, “You’re a shit friend, Odessa.”

Ah, there was that word again. Friend.

Odessa lifted her shoulder, Paige’s words having little to no effect on her. And that, Odessa realized, was something she loved. “I learned from the best,” was her simple response before she moved past her, done with the conversation. Maybe even done with her.

Paige’s affronted expression made Odessa’s satisfaction swell all the more as she walked past her and towards the beach, easily ignoring the glare she could feel Paige throwing at her back.

The salt in the air was a welcome reprieve as Odessa stepped outside, smiling over at Michael in his DJ booth, who waved at her with a grin, headphones on and tattooed fingers scrolling down his laptop. She found her way to Crystal by the drink table, and the blonde fixed Odessa a margarita before Odessa went to find Calum.

She found him easily enough, and Odessa felt relaxed when a smile quirked at Calum’s lips at the sight of her. And maybe he saw the easy going expression on her face, realized that being together wasn’t something they needed to hide—or maybe he was just on the same page as her, as always—because once she neared him, Calum held out his arm for her to step into his side. Odessa reveled in the feeling of his warmth seeping into hers, absently listening to the conversation he was part of as his cologne wrapped around her. He looked down at her, voice lowering as he asked, “All good?”

Odessa’s arm wrapped around his waist, hand rubbing at his upper back as she hummed quietly. “Yeah,” she answered just as softly, their hushed conversation drowned out by everyone’s chatter and the music playing. “Talked to Paige.”

Calum’s eyebrows shot up, brown eyes meeting her blue as his body turned towards her slightly. “How’d that go?”

She smiled wryly. “About as well as you’d expect. I think she wanted to actually fight me.”

Calum, who’d raised his can of White Claw to his mouth, pressed his lips together to suppress the startled laugh that was threatening to escape him, and Odessa’s smile widened in amusement. Now that her conversation with Paige was over, it was easier to smile about it—especially with Calum. It was easier to stand next to him, his arm around her, talking with people and just simply being there together.

She didn’t miss the looks the rest of their friends shot their way—knowing and grinning and suggestive—which only made Odessa both blush and laugh under her breath. It seemed as though none of them were surprised by her and Calum’s relationship, but they were clearly happy for them, and it warmed Odessa’s heart. It was a reminder that she really was surrounded by genuine friends, and she focused on that rather than the dark cloud Paige tried to cast over her.

Fortunately, Odessa didn’t see much of Paige as it neared midnight, which she was perfectly fine by. She enjoyed her time drinking and chatting with her friends—and more than admiring Calum while he and the boys decided to entertain the crowd for a bit by playing some music. Paige seemed to be lost in the crowd of people gathered, not that Odessa minded. She was all too focused on spending time with her friends—with Calum.

“Five minutes, guys!” Michael’s voice rang out, using the microphone connected to the speaker to amplify his voice, catching everyone’s attention.

There was an excited murmur following his words, and everyone joined together to towards the middle of where they were gathered, more so collectively in Michael and Crystal’s backyard rather than the beach it led towards. Calum and Odessa stood among their friends, her gaze snagging on Paige, who’d finally made an appearance and was standing a good distance away, several people in between them.

Odessa’s jaw clenched when Paige’s gaze met hers, and even in the night with people separating them, Odessa could make out the scowl Paige wore. And yet. . . She didn’t care. Her chest didn’t tighten in apprehension and her jaw didn’t clench in annoyance. Odessa simply didn’t care. Not when Calum was holding her close, his arm around her and hand on her hip. Odessa wouldn’t worry herself over stupid, petty things anymore. Especially not with Paige.

“Ten!” The countdown began, everyone around them buzzing with a new, excited energy, ready to welcome the new year.

“You know, you never told me what your New Year’s resolution was,” Calum mused as she stood next to him, his arm around her waist keeping her close.

Odessa blinked, realizing he was right. Calum’s own resolution, for this year, had been simple: he merely wanted to learn how to play drums and was going to ask Ashton to teach him. He’d told Odessa this as if it were no big deal, but he was a musician and Odessa liked how he was expanding his own abilities and skills in that field. It wasn’t something to brush off. “My resolution is. . .” Odessa trailed off, thinking of the last few months, a wry scoff escaping her. She looked up at Calum, the countdown around them continuing. “My resolution is to only view myself from my own eyes, and to not give other people the power to control who I am and how I act—or feel.”

It was a long time coming, this realization and applying it to who she was. Whether in big ways or subtle, Odessa had found herself viewing her self worth through the eyes of others, and it was about time she stopped doing that. From her father walking out on her and her mom to even the way Paige dismissively treated her—and all the little interactions she had with anyone else in between—Odessa had used those moments of her life as templates of how she should be treated. And it was wrong—she hated that she let others have that kind of power over her. She knew she didn’t deserve that—no one did. And with the coming year, Odessa was determined to be as uncaring of other people’s opinions, as confident in herself, as she could be.

Her confrontation with her dad, her little chat with Paige—those were just stepping stones in the right direction. Odessa refused to backtrack.

Calum looked down at her, a light shining in his dark eyes and a smile on his lips. Odessa could see the pride glimmering in his gaze and she smiled back. He wasn’t ever someone who made her feel like anything less than she was. “That’s a damn good one, Ms. Kline.”

She chuckled softly as everyone around her yelled, “Three. . . Two. . . One!”

Both Odessa and Calum raised their drinks along with everyone else, their voices melding together as they cheered, “Happy New Year!”

Odessa tilted her head up just as Calum leaned down, their smiling lips meeting for a kiss that Odessa instantly melted into. For the first time in a while, there was no weight pressing on Odessa’s chest, nothing holding her back from the person she wanted to be. For a brief moment, Odessa regretted not reaching this kind of attitude earlier, but she didn’t hold onto it as Calum pulled away with one last kiss before he pressed his lips to her temple and over the roar of the celebrating crowd, murmured a soft, “Happy New Year, Essa.”

She pressed close to him, taking his warmth and comfort for as long as she could before they broke away to hug and cheer with their friends. Odessa’s eyes closed, not wanting to see anyone in that moment except for hear Calum’s heart beating steadily under her ear, his familiar scent overpowering the salt of the air.

He hugged her close and Odessa smiled. Yes, it was a happy new year because in this moment, the smile came easily to her lips and everything felt right, something Odessa didn’t think she would completely feel when she moved to Los Angeles. But despite everything, there was contentment that settled over Odessa. And she had no intentions of losing it any time soon.

*****

        “When are you getting here? Paige’s been giving me the stink eye for the past fifteen minutes.”

        Odessa scoffed out a laugh at Calum’s complaint, shutting the door behind her before heading towards her car. “I’m literally getting into the car now. Just give her a nasty look of your own. You’ve got a solid bitch resting face.”

        “Uh, thank you?” Calum responded warily, which only Odessa laugh as she got into her car. Honestly, the idea of Paige looking at Calum in any way other than the way she used to was welcome to Odessa, but she didn’t like that he was feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes Paige just didn’t know when to stop, it seemed.

        “I’ll be there soon,” she said, hoping to keep that promise, though unsure if she would be able to given Los Angeles traffic. Calum was already at Ashton’s, seeing as he had been hanging out with Luke and he ended up getting a ride from the blonde. “Besides, you really think my presence is gonna make her stop? If anything, she’d glare even harder,” Odessa pointed out as she dropped her bag into the passenger seat.

        “Yeah, but at least then we’ll be together,” Calum cheekily responded, and although Odessa rolled her eyes, she still felt a warmth spread across her cheeks.

        She started the car. “Alright, alright, I’m on my way.”

        She could hear his smile. “See you soon, sweetheart.”

        The flutter in her chest was familiar as Odessa hung up the phone, but just as she went to lock the device and put it away, she stopped when a forgotten name popped up from her Facebook Messenger app. Her eyebrows pulled together as she remained seated in the driveway, the air conditioner cooling her skin as she clicked on the app.

        The message was from her college ex-boyfriend, a guy she dated during the last seven months of her last year. Her relationship with Will had been enjoyable and there was definitely a time where Odessa had thought she could love him for a long time. And she had loved him for the time they’d dated, but things hadn’t worked out, and he had broken up with her. It had hurt, no doubt, but Will had been nice about it, gentle almost, like he truly hadn’t wanted to hurt her, and although Odessa had mourned the end of their relationship, she was glad he hadn’t been an asshole about it like some of her past boyfriends tend to be.

        But why the hell was he messaging her now? Odessa used Facebook every now and again—mostly to upload pictures because her mom always told her to—and she’d forgotten that she and Will were still friends on it. She hadn’t spoken to him since they’d broken up, and that was, what, over three years ago?

        Still in the driveway of her house, Odessa opened the message and read what Will had to say.

Will: Hey, Odessa. I know it’s been a while since we talked and this probably caught you off guard. But I saw that you were back in LA and as cryptic as this may sound, I really need to talk to you. It’s important and I don’t think it’s something I can just tell you through a text. Do you think we could meet? Like, today?

        Odessa blinked once. Then twice. She stared at the message beneath lowered brows, bewildered over what he was saying. What the hell could he need to tell her that he couldn’t through a text? What was so important that he needed to see her right away?

        Despite her reservations, Odessa glanced at the time. She was meant to be at Ashton’s house, given that he was throwing—an albeit casual—dinner party. She was already going to be the last one to arrive, and Calum was expecting her. Odessa rolled her lips into her mouth. Curiosity itched at her, wondering what Will had to say. She had no reason to be wary of him; he was a nice guy, from what she knew and experienced. Chewing on her lip, she typed a response.

Odessa: Hi, Will. Yeah, been a long time. I’m actually on my way to the valley to a friend’s house, if you’re anywhere around there? If not, you can just tell me through here or we can meet tomorrow?

        His response was quick, surprising Odessa by telling her that he was actually already in the valley, in a café that Odessa realized was literally on her way to Ashton’s house. Will said he’d wait for her and she let out a breath, pulling out of the driveway and calling Calum, putting him on speaker as she drove.

        “Are you here yet?” was how Calum chose to greet her.

        She smiled briefly. “No—and I think I’m gonna be a little later than I thought.”

        “Everything okay?”

        Odessa took a breath before quickly telling Calum about Will and the message he sent, and how she was going to meet up with him really quickly before getting to Ashton’s. When she finished, Odessa realized that Calum was as curious as her to find out about Will’s message. “What do you think he has to tell you?”

        “No clue,” Odessa said, huffing out a breath. “But I’ll fill you in once I know. Sorry you’re gonna have to deal with Paige by yourself for a little while longer.”

        Calum let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I’ll try to survive,” he answered sagely, prompting Odessa to laugh. “Just find out what Will wants and then, if you can, spill the tea.”

        Odessa’s nose wrinkled, another laugh bubbling out of her as she stopped at a red light. “Spill the tea?” she repeated. “You realize you’re totally playing into every teacher stereotype of trying to stay cool with the kids,” Odessa teased.

        “Fuck you, I am cool,” Calum said, the sounds of their friends in the background just barely heard. “I’m the coolest teacher in that entire school.”

        Odessa raised an eyebrow, though she knew he couldn’t see her. “Excuse me?”

        A pause. Then Calum said, “After you, of course, sweetheart.”

        She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, nice save,” Odessa scoffed. “Anyways, I’ll see you at Ash’s and fill you in.”

        “Yes, ma’am.”

        Odessa turned on the radio to keep herself distracted instead of wondering about what Will, after three years of seeing each other, could have to say to her. She genuinely couldn’t think of any reason, and wondered if she should be worried or not as she headed towards the café he’d told her he’d meet her at. Odessa recognized it as one that Ashton said he often went to on his morning walks, and realized his place wasn’t too far from the café as she parked her car in an open space.

        Taking a breath, Odessa got out and walked into the somewhat busy café, and it took her a second to recognize Will, sitting at a table for two by the window. His blonde hair was a lot shorter, but he was still handsome. Her stomach didn’t flutter at the sight of him like it had once long ago as she walked towards him, catching the moment he looked up from his cup of coffee and recognized her as well.

        “Hey, Odessa, you look good,” he greeted kindly, a small—almost nervous—smile on his face as Odessa took the seat across from him.

        “Thank you—you do, too,” she answered truthfully, gaze involuntarily dropping to his hand. Her eyebrows shot up, a small smile on her lips. “You got married?”

        Will glanced down at the silver band before nodding, a smile on his face. “A year ago, yeah.”

        “Congratulations,” Odessa said, feeling a bit stiff backed as she held her purse on her lap. Cutting to the chase as her curiosity got to her, she asked, “What was so important that you had to see me right away, Will, after so long?”

        A hesitant shadow crossed over Will’s face. “What I want to tell you. . . You’re probably—actually, definitely—going to hate me for it and, although you don’t have any reason to trust me, you need to know I hate that I waited so long to tell you.”

        His words had Odessa frowning in even deeper confusion. She had no reason to trust him? What was he talking about?

        “Do you remember when we broke up?” Odessa blinked at his question, feeling her shoulders tense as her blue eyes met his own. “I told you it was because I didn’t see us working out in the long run but the truth is. . .” Will’s grip on his mug tightened, knuckles whitening as his eyebrows drew together. One look at him, and Odessa knew whatever he needed to say seemed to pain him. “The truth is, I fucked up. And I needed to end our relationship before I hurt you any more than I already had.”

        Odessa was frowning, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in her chest, lips parting as she started, confused, “Will. . .”

        “I saw your pictures on Facebook,” he continued quickly, as though if he didn’t say what he needed to now, he wouldn’t be able to get it out otherwise. “And I saw that you were hanging out with Paige again, and knowing her, she didn’t tell you what happened.” Odessa’s breath caught at the mention of her, and her mind quickly began making deductions, was coming to a quick realization of what Will could have to say. “When you and I were still together—Paige and I. . . We hooked up a couple of times.” No. “It was towards the end of our relationship, but that doesn’t matter because it shouldn’t have happened at all. And I’m really sorry, Odessa, for disrespecting you like that. I was stupid and I hate that I did that. But I thought you deserved to know the truth, especially since you’re always around Paige without knowing the truth.”

        The noise of the café was nothing but a background ringing in Odessa’s ears as she stared at Will, parted lips and unblinking eyes, his words settling into her heavily. He had cheated on her. And maybe something was wrong with Odessa, but she didn’t feel the sting she knew she for sure would have had she found this out at the moment it happened. And although it was innately wrong that she was finding out years later—innately wrong that it happened at all—Odessa found her anger not entirely directed towards Will, but towards Paige.

        That hypocritical bitch.

        Will was definitely in the wrong and Odessa understood that. Their relationship may not have been perfect, but that didn’t give him the right to find comfort and pleasure in someone else while he was still her boyfriend. But Odessa had run out of any grief she had over the end of their relationship. It hurt, of course, knowing that she had been cheated on, and she felt a bit like a fool for being oblivious to the fact for three years. But Will was her past, there was no room for him in her life anymore, and she knew it was mutual. His betrayal didn’t sting as much anymore.

        Not the way Paige’s did. Because even though they weren’t close or good friends by any means, even though Paige had her faults and flaws and bothered Odessa to no end, Odessa hadn’t expected this from her.

        What boiled her blood the most was that Paige had the fucking nerve to bitch out Odessa for being with Calum—someone Paige had no relationship with other than a tentative friendship—while she had been the one to hook up with Odessa’s boyfriend in the past.

        What in the ever-loving fuck?

        Odessa wasn’t sure what happened next, how she ended up from being in the café to being in her car. She vaguely recalled Will saying he didn’t expect her forgiveness, not that Odessa was jumping at the opportunity to hand it to him, and she kind of remembered just sort of. . . Numbly thanking Will for telling her the truth, at least.

        She got into her car and, God, she was angry. She was hurt and she was embarrassed, but she wasn’t sad—no, she was just pissed the hell off that Paige had been belittling her in far more severe ways than Odessa could’ve ever imagined. She was outraged that this woman, who constantly played the friend card against Odessa, had been doing so while giving a big fuck you to Odessa and her relationship with Will.

        Odessa’s skin felt hot, the anger boiling her blood as she drove to Ashton’s house, teeth aching from how hard she was clenching them, knuckles whitening from her grip on the steering wheel. More than anything, Odessa wanted to scream at Paige, to tell her how fucking sick and tired of her she was, because even though this shit with Will happened years ago, Odessa has had enough. Paige wasn’t her friend. She never had been. And Odessa was itching to get rid of her from her life for good.

        She was done being nice to people who didn’t deserve it.

        When Odessa parked her car in front of Ashton’s house, she took a minute before going inside, trying to relax her breathing. She wasn’t about to create a scene in front of all of her friends at Ashton’s place. It would take a tremendous amount of willpower, but Odessa was going to try and hold off confronting Paige until they were alone. Although, the idea of letting everyone in that house know what kind of person Paige was, was highly tempting.

        Finally, after pulling herself together, Odessa walked into the house, hearing the sounds of everyone’s lively chatter come from the living room as she entered. “Hey, guys, sorry I’m late,” she said by way of greeting, catching all of their attention.

        She was answered with everyone greeting their hello’s and Ashton saying, “Don’t worry about it. You’re right on time.”

        It seemed that food was just being served, and as everyone got up to fill up their plates, a comforting presence was by Odessa’s side as Calum said, “Hi, doll.”

        Some of the weight on her chest lifted as he smiled down at her, and Odessa relaxed enough to tilt her head back and welcome his greeting kiss. But Calum must’ve felt that something was off because he pulled away, everyone already moving towards the dining room as he asked her with a gentle frown, “You okay?”

        She wasn’t going to lie to him. “Not really,” she answered and as soon as those words were uttered, Odessa’s gaze snagged with Paige’s, who was standing in the entryway that joined the dining room and living room chatting with Michael. Her hazel eyes met Odessa’s blue, and she watched as Paige unapologetically glared at her. The sight renewed the fire in Odessa’s blood, her own scowl forming, unafraid of sending her a dirty look back. It deepened Paige’s frown, as though she hadn’t expected it, before looking away.

        Calum, who never missed anything, raised his eyebrows as he kept his gaze on Odessa. “Whoa, that was a little murderous. What’s up, Odessa?”

        She needed food. It wouldn’t calm her down, but it may keep her distracted for now. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised, blue eyes meeting his concerned brown. “I’m hungry.”

        Odessa could feel Calum’s gaze on her, but he didn’t persist as they gathered around the table to get food. Ashton wasn’t much of a cook, so he’d ordered food from a pizza place and a Thai place, and Odessa found herself filling her plate up with some noodles and rice and chicken. After swiping up a beer, Odessa found a place on the ground next to Calum, most of the couches and chairs occupied, not that she minded.

        For the most part, Odessa stayed quiet as she ate and everyone around her chatted, keeping her attention on her plate because she knew if she looked up, she’d see Paige sitting on the recliner opposite of her. And then if she saw her, Odessa wasn’t entirely sure if she could stop herself from dumping her plate atop Paige’s head.

        But they barely got five minutes into eating their food when Paige’s voice broke through the conversations going on among them. “Ugh, I need to heat up my food,” she grunted, getting up from the recliner, gaze briefly yet patronizingly meeting Odessa’s. “It’s cold since we had to wait to eat.”

        The comment was unnecessary and solely for baiting, but Odessa was waiting for Paige to open her mouth. She saw the exasperated look Luke shot Paige, but Odessa kept her gaze on the other woman as she coldly said, “At least you learned to wait. You didn’t seem to care much about it when you hooked up with my boyfriend in college.”

        Silence. Absolute silence fell around them as Odessa felt Calum stiffen next to her, but she kept her gaze on Paige, who froze where she stood. Odessa could feel everyone’s gaze on them, but she didn’t care. She merely, coolly, looked on at Paige, pettily eager to see her try to get out of this one. Unable to say anything, Paige settled for a pathetic, “Excuse me?”

        “Do I need to refresh your memory?” Odessa asked, getting up to her feet, raising an eyebrow. “You need to be reminded how you slept with Will, who was my boyfriend at the time?”

        Paige’s nostrils flared, clearly not liking the fact all of the attention was on her because of this topic. Her grip on her plate tightened as she said through clenched teeth, “That was years ago, Odessa.”

        Was she kidding? “That’s not the point,” Odessa snapped, no longer caring for putting a leash on her anger. The idea of not losing her control of her outrage in front of her friends, of not creating a scene, was out the window. And if doing this right here, right now, meant that her friends would get to see what kind of a person Paige was, Odessa was fine with that. She was done cowering because of that woman. “The point is that you’ve been acting like we’re friends from the moment we met and you’ve used that to push me around—and I’ve been an idiot to let you until now.” With a scoff, Odessa added, “You were never my friend to begin with.”

        Everyone was silent—it was as if they weren’t even in the room. Paige glared at Odessa as she said, “What’re you crying about it now for? You’re not that great of a friend either, Odessa.” With a sharp gesture towards Calum, she snapped, “You won.”

        If possible, Odessa was even more pissed. Although Calum and Will had something to do with the situation overall, they were not the main cause of it. The main cause was Paige—it always had been. “Everything’s a fucking game with you, isn’t it?” Odessa retorted sharply, eyes narrowing as she walked around the table, feeling everyone’s eyes tracking her movements. God, Odessa couldn’t even be embarrassed about creating a scene—she was too angry. “Relationships aren’t something to win or lose at. Putting others down to make yourself seem more important isn’t something to be proud of, Paige. When are you going to grow up?” Her blood was boiling and her skin was hot, throat burning from the raging fire that brewed. “I’m not ashamed to admit that you’ve made me feel like shit ever since I’ve known you, but I’m telling you—I’m done with you. You go around calling people your friends, but the truth of the matter is, your so-called friendships only exist to heighten your own sense of self-worth. And you’re not going to find that with me.”

        Her words—her rant, really—was followed by a deafening silence, not even the sound of anyone’s breathing interrupting the tense air that seemed to suffocate them all. Odessa’s sharp, heated eyes remained fixated on Paige, and as disappointing as it was, it was also unsurprising to see a lack of regret or apology in Paige’s gaze. No, of course she wasn’t sorry. Owning up to her mistakes would be out of character for Paige, wouldn’t it?

        Some people just never changed.

        And Paige, with her hard eyes and down curled lips, ignoring everyone’s troubled and disturbed looks, wasn’t about to prove Odessa otherwise.

--

tags: @irwinkitten @loveroflrh @meetashthere @astroashtonio @hereforlukescruff @loverofhood @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbabiesss @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @malumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream​ @babylon-corgis​ @lukehemmingsunflower​ @miss-saltwatercowgirl​ @pastelpapermoons​ @conquerwhatliesahead92​ @rotten-kandy​ @neigcthood​ @ohhmuke​ @mindkaleidoscope​ @5sos-and-hessa​ @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @sunnysidesblog​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @tpwkcalum​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @wildflower-cth​ @wildflowergrae​ @bloodmoonashton​ @vxidhood​ @gosh-im-short​ @notinthesameguey​ @mycollectionofnuts​ @cthwldflwr​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @socorroann​ @talkfastromance4​ @calumftduke​ @musichoney​ @treatallwithkindness​ @partlysunnycal​ @dead-and-golden​ @kaeleykaeley​ @harrys-sun-flower​ @br-hoe​  @spaceshipsmixtape​ @zhangyixingxing1​ 

[toohardtoforgetcth]

Too Hard To Forget

Chapter Four

Warnings: swearing, dirty sexy naked smutty smut !

6,518 words

A/N: Hi angels! Here’s chapter four even though no one asked for it *insert nerd face*, and fuck it I might just post the rest over the next few days ‘cause I got sentenced to self-isolation (fuck COVID) and I can’t go to work now :( Hope you love it! Feedback is encouraged :)

» » » » » »

Friday night, Calum knocked on the door of Parker’s apartment. He had sent her a cryptic text earlier that morning to be ready for 8:00 and to wear something sexy.

She opened the door and Calum made no attempt to hide the way his eyes took in every inch of her, starting with her long legs in a pair of strappy black heels. He lingered a little too long at her chest, and how it was spilling out of the short black dress she had on. He finally brought his eyes up to meet hers, and she blushed when she noticed the hunger flash in his dark eyes.

Parker let her eyes wander over Calum’s outfit—his curls were unruly as always and he had his usual stubble on his face, but he had dressed up, too. He had traded in his scuffed black boots for polished ones, with a pair of fitted black dress pants, and a black silk shirt with red polka dots, topped with his leather jacket as always. He looked despicably, unfairly, mouth-wateringly, sexy. Parker let out a little huff of annoyance at his apparent inability to ever not look good.

“I feel stupid,” she muttered. She never dressed up, and she felt like Calum looked far better than she did.

Calum took a step closer to her, trailing his fingers down her sides, stopping at her hips. “You look incredible, love,” he murmured. “I said wear something sexy,” he let out a low whistle, leaning back to appreciate her once more. “You did not disappoint.”

He took her hand and opened the passenger door to his Charger. He dropped in beside her, starting the engine.

“So why did I have to wear this dress, then?”

“Purely for my benefit,” he said honestly. “So I can admire you.”

Parker rolled her eyes, but she smiled a little. It felt good to be wanted the way Calum wanted her.

Parker felt Calum’s hand come to rest on the bare skin of her thigh, giving it a squeeze, the cold metal of his rings biting into her skin. The contact sent a rush of heat through her body. It was almost shameful how one innocent touch from him set her whole body on fire.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled into a roundabout in front of Del Dente’s, the city’s fanciest and most expensive restaurant. It was situated completely on its own ten minutes out of the city, perched on top of a cliff overlooking the water. Only the wealthy ate here—Parker had never even stepped foot inside. Calum opened the car door for Parker before tossing his keys to the parking attendant.

“Calum,” Parker whispered. “This place is crazy expensive. I can’t afford this.”

“Quiet, doll,” he shushed her, resting his hand on her lower back and guiding her inside. “You think I would bring you here and make you pay? Let me treat you. And don’t complain about it.”

Parker couldn’t help but get a little turned on by Calum’s assertiveness. She was a perfectly capable and independent woman, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy being taken care of. He ushered her in through the large glass doors and into the foyer where a pretty girl around her age was standing at a podium, ready to greet them. She smiled politely at Parker, but her gaze drifted to Calum and stayed there. Parker was annoyed, but she couldn’t blame the girl—Calum was nothing if not easy to look at.

“Do you have a reservation?” she asked him sweetly, smiling too wide.

“8:30 for Hood,” he said shortly, barely meeting the girls’ eyes—he couldn’t take his own off Parker. She knew it was petty, but she felt the tiniest bit triumphant knowing Calum only had eyes for her.

“Right this way, please,” the girl mumbled quietly, defeated. As they followed her into the main dining area, Parker took in her surroundings. There were two floors, separated by a set of shallow stairs and an intricate wooden railing wrapping all the way around. The entire restaurant was very dimly lit and reeked of high class. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the tables all covered in a crisp white linen tablecloth, decorated with expensive crystal and silverware. There was a large dance floor in the middle of the tables on the main floor, complete with a slightly elevated stage, on top of which a man sat playing the piano and a middle-aged woman was singing into the microphone. A few couples were scattered over the dance floor, swaying in time to the music. Calum pulled out Parker’s chair, tucking her in before shrugging out of his jacket and draping it over his own chair. They were seated at a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant, floor to ceiling windows next to it. If she looked to her right, she could see the lake below them, illuminated by the city lights. It was a breathtaking view. She wondered if Calum requested this table.

“This place is insane,” Parker exclaimed. “You know I would have been just as happy eating at McDonald’s—I just wanted to see you,” she admitted.

Calum chuckled. “I know. I get the feeling you don’t get treated often, so I wanted to do something special.”

The food was nothing short of spectacular, and Parker concluded that she would probably never taste anything that delicious for the rest of her life. To finish it off, Calum ordered a slice of classic New York cheesecake, giving Parker a bite after every one he took for himself. She supposed she could have asked the waitress for another fork to share, but somehow it tasted better with Calum feeding it to her.

Parker sipped at her glass of wine. She had never had a date like this before, and she likely never would again. She watched as Calum pushed his chair back and stood. He walked over to her, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet.

“Dance with me,” he murmured in her ear.

Calum laced his fingers with hers as she let him lead her to the dance floor. He turned, and in one fluid motion, pulled her tight against him, her right hand clasped in his left. Parker closed her eyes and rested her head on Calum’s shoulder. She followed his lead, swaying gently to the soft music. Parker was in heaven. She was so relaxed, so at ease. If someone had told her six weeks ago she’d be here, slow dancing with Calum, she would have called them crazy. But this night couldn’t get more perfect. She let herself get lost, feeling nothing but complete and utter contentment in Calum’s arms.

For the second time in less than a week, Calum felt truly at peace. Coincidentally, or maybe not coincidence at all, both times were when he was with Parker. Holding her in his arms, dancing with her, he wondered what it was about her that made him forget everything he ever believed about love and relationships. This felt good. It felt good to care for someone other than himself, other than Gram or his boys. He’d spent his entire adult life hating the idea of love and pushing away any girl who tried to get close to him. But Parker had walked into his life unexpectedly, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why she was so different. What was it about her that made all his insecurities melt away? Calum didn’t know, but he didn’t really care. There was nowhere else he’d rather be right now. So he held her tighter and let himself feel.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was nearing eleven and getting cold, being that the restaurant was at a high altitude. As they waited in the foyer for the valet, Parker shivered from the cold air blowing inside. Calum didn’t hesitate for a second before he shed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“I’m okay, we’re getting in the car anyway,” she protested, but Calum shook his head.

“I don’t need it, love,” he replied, fingers gripping the lapels and pulling it tight around her frame.

A few minutes later, the valet pulled up with the car and opened the door for Parker. She smiled and thanked the kid before he shut the door. She watched as Calum tucked a bill into the breast pocket of his vest and shook his hand, before rounding the front of the car and settling in the driver’s seat.

Parker reached over the center console and laced her fingers with Calum’s, smiling. “Thank you for tonight,” she said honestly. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know you don't care about the money, Parker. I just wanted to do something to prove to you that I’m serious about this,” he said seriously, squeezing her hand. “And I hope you’re not tired, angel, ‘cause I’m not ready to take you home yet,” he smirked, shifting his gaze forward and pulling the car back onto the road.

• • • • • •

“Where are we?” Parker asked after fifteen minutes of driving in silence as Calum pulled into a spot in an underground parking garage. He cut the engine and turned to her, grinning wickedly.

“I’d love to take you out and show you off, but I’m feeling a little selfish tonight,” he said, watching the path of his finger as it trailed from her knee to her inner thigh, disappearing under the hem of her dress. He planted a firm kiss to her lips, holding her cheek with his free hand. He pulled away, getting out of the car and coming around to her side to open the door.

“Come,” he said, holding his hand out for her to take.

“Is this where you live?” Parker asked curiously as she took his hand and stepped out of the car. His hand was soft and warm when it surrounded hers, and it felt like it was made for her

Calum said nothing, nodding simply. She followed him to a set of heavy metal doors, watching as he punched a code into the keypad next to it.

“After you,” he said, sweeping his hand out and directing her inside. He pressed the button for the elevator and grasped her hand while they waited. The doors opened, and they stepped inside, Calum pushing the button for the seventh floor.

Parker was nervous. She wasn’t sure why—she had been alone with Calum before—but he was so secretive and she didn’t know what to expect.

They stepped out of the elevator, rounding a corner and stopping in front of the only door in the hallway. She waited impatiently as he keyed in a code on another keypad next to the door.

Calum stepped inside and flicked the light switch on the wall, holding the door open for Parker to follow him in. She took in her surroundings. Calum’s apartment was gorgeous—not at all what she was expecting from him. It was much bigger than hers, decorated very tastefully. Lots of black, white and grey, with an open concept living room and kitchen. She could see a hallway to the left of the kitchen which she assumed led to the bedroom and the bathroom. In the corner of the living room sat three different guitars on stands, along with a piano and a wall-to-wall bookshelf filled with vinyl’s, CDs and books. Parker was distracted from her appreciation by a sharp clicking sound on the laminate. She turned her head in the direction of the noise to see Calum crouch down and scoop up a fluffy little black and white dog, scratching his ears and talking to him as the dog licked at his face and wagged its tail.

Parker’s heart swelled. “I didn’t know you had a dog,” she remarked, walking over to him. The dog stopped as she approached, eyeing her warily and sniffing at her.

“This is Duke,” he said, setting him down so he could sniff around Parker’s feet. “He’s an old man, so he can be grumpy. He’ll get used to you,” Calum chuckled as Duke let out a little sneeze and trotted away when Parker bent down to pet him. She frowned, standing and watching as Duke left the living room and headed down the hallway where she assumed he had come from.

When she looked back at Calum, his eyes were hooded, gaze dragging up and down her body shamelessly. It made Parker blush.

“Your place is really nice,” she forced out, suddenly self-conscious of his eyes on her. “You really love music, huh?” she asked, gesturing to the instruments and records in the corner.

“I work at a record store, love,” he chuckled. “Of course I love music.”

Parker rolled her eyes at his sarcastic comment. “Speaking of work,” she commented, “and I mean this in the most polite way possible, how do you afford all this?” She wandered into the living room, taking in the artwork decorating the walls and the shelves. “This place is amazing. And your car,” she trailed off. “I mean, it makes my place look like a cardboard box,” she laughed.

Calum shrugged. “Gram takes good care of me.”

Parker looked over to the corner where all his instruments sat. “Are they just for show, or do you play?” she smirked.

Calum shot her a dry look.

“Play something for me.”

He grinned. “Guitar or piano?” he asked.

Parker considered his question. She loved the sound of an acoustic guitar, but there was something sexy about a man who played piano. “Piano,” she replied confidently.

“Any requests?” he asked, sitting down on the bench and lifting the lid. He flexed his long fingers, drumming them lightly on the keys.

“Surprise me,” she smiled, plopping down on the couch and resting her arms over the back to watch him.

Calum’s back was to her on a slight angle, so she watched the set of his shoulders and the movement of his nimble fingers as he played a soft melody that caused a wave of calm to wash over Parker. It made her want to close her eyes, but she didn’t, because she wanted to see him. Then, unexpectedly, he started to sing, and Parker was mesmerized. He had a beautiful voice—deep and raspy. Parker wondered how much more there was to learn about Calum—he was full of surprises. He sang a verse and a chorus and then stopped, turning to face her.

She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. “Wow,” was all she could say.

Calum chuckled, standing and walking over to join her on the couch, tucking his arm under her knees and pulling her legs over his own as he sat down.

“You keep surprising me,” she mused thoughtfully. “I had no idea you could sing. That was—you’re amazing,” she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Calum leaned forward in response, closing the distance between them and kissing her softly. It had been too long since he kissed her, and he missed the feel of her lips on his. Parker let him lead her, deepening their kiss and letting their tongues dance together. He moved his hand to cup her cheek, his right hand resting on her leg. After a few minutes, Calum slid his right hand to the underside of her thigh, pulling her onto his lap so she was straddling him. She still wore his leather jacket, and he was painfully aware of how hard she was making him.

“You look so fucking sexy in my jacket,” he murmured, grabbing the lapels and pulling her even closer to him.

“So you don’t want me to take it off, then?” Parker questioned slyly, her lips swollen from kissing and her eyes half-lidded.

Calum let out a low growl. “Don’t tease me, doll. I was gentle last time. I won’t be so forgiving this time around.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to be gentle,” she challenged.

“Careful what you wish for,” Calum warned as he tore the jacket from her shoulders, tossing it carelessly to the side. He leaned down and attached his lips to Parker’s neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her skin, sucking and biting and leaving his mark on her. He unzipped her dress from the back, letting it fall off her shoulders. He lifted it by the hem and tugged it over her head. She had forgone a bra tonight, so she sat on Calum’s lap in nothing but her panties.

“Fuck,” he swore, his large, tattooed hands skimming over her bare back and then moving to her front. Parker moaned as her head fell back, Calum’s lips and tongue exploring every inch of her upper body, littering her skin with marks. His hands slid down to grip her ass, squeezing hard and landing a firm slap against her left cheek. She jumped at the surprising but not unwelcome sting. He rubbed his hand over the sensitive spot. “I can play dirty if you want me to, love, but I need to know you want it,” he murmured, kissing along her jaw.

“I want it,” she whispered.

“If it’s too much, tell me and I’ll stop, okay?”

Parker nodded.

“Up,” Calum commanded abruptly, gripping her hips and sliding her backwards on his lap, forcing her to her feet. He stood, wrapping his arms around her thighs and throwing her over his shoulder. She shrieked in surprise, protesting for him to put her down, which landed her another hard slap on the ass. He carried her to his bedroom, throwing her down on the bed forcefully.

Parker scooted back, leaning back on her elbows and watching him with hooded eyes as he undid the buttons on his shirt, one by one. Calum was teasing her, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

God, he was so sexy.

Calum shrugged the shirt off his broad shoulders and moved to the button on his pants, flicking it open and stripping his pants and his boxers off in one swift movement. His cock sprang out, already hard and waiting for her.

He knelt down on the bed, moving towards her with a wicked grin on his face.

He let his fingers trail up from her knee to her thigh, slapping the skin of her inner thigh and causing Parker to yelp. He let his fingers ghost over her most sensitive spot, feeling how already wet she was, soaking through her panties.

He clicked his tongue. “Naughty girl.”

Parker tried to lean forward, desperately wanting to touch him, but he shoved her back down on the bed.

Calum hooked his fingers in the waistband of Parker’s lace panties, ripping them in two pieces and exposing her naked center to him. He tossed them to the side, moving up the bed to press a bruising kiss to her lips. Parker moved her hand between their bodies to grab him, but he caught her hand in his own, using it to pin both her wrists above her head.

“Not yet, doll,” he whispered. Calum reached his free hand between them, dragging his middle finger through her heat. “Fuck, you’re so wet for me,” he groaned. He rubbed small circles on her clit before thrusting his finger inside of her, his mouth never leaving hers. She moaned loudly into his mouth, and Calum took it as an invitation to add a second finger, pumping them in and out. Parker’s kisses turned sloppy, unable to focus while he was stimulating her.

“Please, Calum,” she whined, thrusting her hips towards him.

“Please what?” he taunted, pulling his fingers out and bringing them to his mouth, licking them clean one at a time. Parker groaned at the loss of contact, trying to wiggle free from where his hand was still holding her wrists above her head.

“I need to feel you.”

“Soon,” he replied, pressing one more kiss to her lips before letting her hands go, sliding down the bed and burying his face between her legs. Parker’s hands flew immediately to his head, tangling her fingers in his curls as he licked at her core. Her breathing became shallow and ragged, and Calum could tell she was close. He pulled away abruptly, denying her release and bringing his face level with hers once more. Parker cried out impatiently.

“I can’t wait anymore. Please,” she whined.

Calum wanted nothing more than to see Parker’s pretty pink lips wrapped around his cock, but he had to admit, he didn’t want to wait anymore either. He rolled over her, landing on his back.

“Go ahead, then, doll,” he encouraged, smirking as she scrambled up onto her knees, swinging one leg over so she was straddling him. She grasped his shaft, lining him up with her entrance, and sank down. She threw her head back in ecstasy at finally having Calum inside her, and it made him even harder, if that was possible. Parker leaned forward, bracing her hands on his chest as she bounced up and down on his cock. He rested his hands on her hips, guiding her and jerking his hips up slightly to meet hers so he could bury himself deeper. Every so often, he would land a slap on her backside, grinning devilishly at her reaction. His hands rested on her breasts, squeezing and pinching, leaving shallow red marks from how hard he was squeezing her. After a few minutes, Calum lifted Parker off him and flipped her roughly onto her back again. He lined himself up and pushed in, ramming his hips into hers. He paced himself slowly for a few seconds, then set a fast pace, thrusting hard and hitting her g-spot. He had to stop a few times to keep himself from coming, wanting to make it last.

When Calum could feel himself getting close and unable to hold off any longer, he wrapped his right hand loosely around her throat. He met her eyes in a silent question, making sure she was still okay with it. She nodded, and Calum tightened his grip, the cool metal of his rings biting into her neck.

“I want you to come for me, angel,” he told her, picking up his pace and slamming into her. Parker moved her hands up, raking her nails down his back. He hoped there would be streaks there tomorrow, a reminder of Parker on his skin, the same way he was leaving his mark all over her body. Calum thrusted a few more times before he watched as Parker’s body started to shudder, a scream ripping from her throat as she came all over his cock. Watching her come undone was all it took to push Calum over the edge, collapsing on top of her and groaning loudly as he pressed his face into her neck, spilling inside of her.

Calum stilled, both of them breathing heavily and a sheen of sweat coating their skin. He rolled off of her, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“Fuck,” he cursed, lifting a hand to push the damp curls off his forehead. “You’re somethin’ else, doll.”

Parker stared up at the ceiling in Calum’s bedroom. She sighed heavily, entirely content in this moment.

Calum moved closer to her, stretching his arm around her left shoulder and pulling her into his chest. He pressed a kiss to her head, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. He felt so at peace with Parker. He was happier than he ever remembered being. They stayed like that for a while, Calum trailing his fingers up and down her naked back, Parker’s legs wrapped around his own with her cheek on his chest.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he murmured quietly.

Calum felt her smile against him. “Please,” she replied.

He hesitated. He was about to cross a line with Parker he’d never crossed before, and he wasn’t sure if there would be any coming back from the honesty and vulnerability he was about to divulge in. In this moment, Calum didn’t care. He wanted more with her.

“I’ve never brought a girl here before.”

She rolled on top of him, folding her arms under her chin and resting them on his chest. “What do you mean?”

Calum stared down at her.

“Like, never ever?”

“Nope.”

“I don’t know if I believe you,” Parker tilted her head, furrowing her brows.

Calum chuckled as he held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor, baby.”

She giggled at his gesture—somehow she couldn’t picture Calum as a boy scout. “Why?” she questioned.

Calum thought about this for a moment. He didn’t want to scare her away, but he wanted to be honest with her.

“It was just a promise I made to myself. I’ve never stayed the night at a girls’ house, and I’ve never brought one back here. Until you. I think it’s pretty obvious I’m not a very open person, and I just didn’t want to share my home with someone I didn’t care about. I did it to make sure things never got serious. So I was always in control.”

Parker wasn’t sure if Calum’s confession alarmed or flattered her. On the one hand, it was obvious that Calum was, for lack of a better word, experienced. She’d gathered that on the few occasions she’d seen him leaving the bar with some of the most beautiful girls Parker had ever seen, and the confidence he carried when they were being intimate. But on the other hand, it was clear Calum felt differently about Parker if she was the only one lucky enough to be invited into his home.

“You don’t fool me, you know,” Parker said knowingly, continuing when Calum quirked a brow, his interest piqued. “You have this intimidating front that you put on, like you want people to be afraid of you so no one gets too close. But I can see right through it. You have a lot to give, I can tell. You just haven’t found the right person to give it to.”

“Or maybe I have,” he replied, smirking.

Parker blushed. He grasped her chin in his hand and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss. Nothing like the ones they shared earlier in the night. It made Parker dizzy how he could switch from being dominant and aggressive in one second to soft and sweet the next. As she got to know him better, she realized that part of the thrill of being with him was that he was always surprising her. Being with Calum was unpredictable and exciting.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” she asked suddenly.

“I thought you could see right through me,” he challenged playfully.

Parker shot him a dry look.

He chuckled. “What do you wanna know, love?”

“How come you have an accent and Grace doesn’t?”

Calum laughed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t born here. Grace was,” he said simply. At the intrigued expression on Parker’s face, he elaborated. “My granddad’s from Australia. He met Grace while she was over there for work, only she never left. Not until recently. I only moved here when he passed away, when I was eight or so.”

“I’m sorry,” Parker said quietly.

“S’alright, love. It was a long time ago. Anyway, that’s why my accent’s so diluted. Some words you can still tell, though, I guess,” he shrugged.

Calum rolled Parker over onto her side, the front of his body pressed against her back. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close and reveling in the feeling of the skin-on-skin contact. She drifted off to the sound of his breathing, steady in her ear.

» » » » » »

Calum woke the next morning still naked, Parker sleeping soundly and taking up most of the covers. He took this moment to admire the softness of her features while she slept, her blonde hair a mess on his pillow, her pink lips slightly parted. She really was beautiful.

He woke her up with featherlight kisses up her arm and her shoulder. She peeked her eyes open, smiling as she snuggled closer to him.

“Come shower with me,” Calum murmured.

“I’ve already had enough of all the energy you have in the morning,” Parker groaned. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”

“Fine. Five minutes,” Calum chuckled, letting her cuddle up to him and wrapping her in his strong arms.

Twenty minutes later, Calum tried again to wake her up. He could hear Duke pacing around the kitchen, meaning it was time for breakfast, and he needed a shower.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Time’s up.”

She mumbled incoherently, rolling over and tugging the covers over her head. Calum smiled mischievously. He was done playing sweet and innocent—if she wanted to play games, fine. He rolled out of bed, stretching his arms over his head before moving to the foot of the bed. He ripped the duvet off of Parker and yanked her down the bed by her ankles, until his face hovered over hers. She gasped in surprise, curling up to cover her naked body. Calum wasn’t sure if it was because she was cold from the sudden loss of the blankets, or if she was embarrassed, but he didn’t care.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” he grinned, face just inches away from hers. “Shower, now.”

Parker rolled her eyes, wiggling out from underneath him and shuffling past him towards the bathroom. He followed, landing a swift slap on her naked backside. She jumped in surprise, whipping around to face him.

“I’ll fight you. I swear I will,” she warned, giggling.

“I’d like to see you try, angel.”

• • • • • •

After a long, hot shower with more giggling and fooling around than actual showering, Calum and Parker made their way to the kitchen, Calum shirtless and in sweats and Parker in a pair of Calum’s underwear and one of his t-shirts, since he ripped hers to shreds the night before. Calum busied himself with making breakfast while Parker tried to convince Duke that she could be trusted, but Calum’s little dog wasn’t having it.

Calum dug a scoop of dog food out of the bin under the sink and dumped it into a bowl. “Here,” he said, holding it out to Parker. “Maybe he’ll like you a bit more if you feed him. After all, the way to a man’s heart is his stomach,” he winked.

She made a face, snatching the bowl from his hands. She crouched down, setting the bowl on the floor in front of her, a few feet away from where Duke was sleeping. “Come here, handsome. I’ve got breakfast,” she called.

Duke eyed Parker suspiciously as he made his way slowly to the bowl. He started eating, looking up every few seconds to eye her up again. She backed away, giving him space.

“He’s old, cut him some slack,” Calum laughed when he saw the disappointed expression on Parker’s face as she jumped up on the counter beside him.

“Maybe he wouldn’t be afraid of me if you weren’t such a recluse,” she teased, poking him in the side. “He clearly inherited his dads’ sunny personality,” she said sarcastically.

“He’ll warm up to you eventually,” Calum promised. “I did, didn’t I?”

“That’s ‘cause I’m amazing.”

Calum moved over to where she sat, wrapping his arms around her and slotting himself between her legs. Even sitting up on the counter, he was still taller than her. He placed a kiss to her lips. “That you are.”

She smiled against his lips when he didn’t pull away, their foreheads pressed together. Calum smelled so good. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, lips moving against his, when the door to Calum’s apartment opened, and in walked three boys, chatting animatedly amongst themselves.

Parker pulled away, blushing, trying to tug the t-shirt down to cover herself. Calum merely turned his body towards them, eyebrows raised, one hand on his hip and the other on the counter beside Parker’s thigh.

“Mornin’, boys. Any particular reason why you’re in my house?” he asked nonchalantly. He didn’t seem bothered at all by the fact that Parker was in little more than underwear in front of them.

They looked up in unison, surprise registering on the faces of two of them when they realized Calum had a guest. The third, the tallest one, seemed entirely unfazed. He sauntered over to them, taking Parker’s hand. She giggled, blushing as he placed a kiss to the back of it.

“Pleased to meet you, babe. I’m Luke,” he said smoothly. He was ridiculously tall. At 6’1, Calum was tall, too, but this guy was still another three inches taller than Calum, with shiny, golden curls, a pixie nose and the brightest blue eyes Parker had ever seen.

“Do you mind, mate?” Calum questioned, though he didn’t seem angry; he just shook his head, letting out a laugh.

Luke flashed her a charming smile, swiping a breakfast sausage out of the frying pan on the stove and popping it into his mouth before flopping down on the couch.

“Hey, you made breakfast!” one of the other boys exclaimed, mimicking Luke’s action and grabbing a sausage, too. He hopped up on the counter next to Parker. He turned to her, blonde fringe poking out under a black snapback and partially covering his sea green eyes.

“I’m Michael, by the way,” he smiled warmly, holding his hand out for her to shake. He had the most contagious smile, and his eyes sparkled with genuity. Parker could tell she was going to like Michael.

“Parker,” she smiled back, shaking his hand.

“Sorry, man, didn’t realize you had company,” the third boy said to Calum, jet-black hair falling in his hazel eyes. He turned to her. “I’m Ashton,” he said. “You must be Parker,” he guessed, holding his hand out. Parker was surprised that he seemed to know her, though she figured Calum must have mentioned her.

Calum just laughed, facing her again. “Well, these are the boys,” he said, gesturing to the three of them. “No boundaries, as you can clearly tell.”

Parker laughed. “Nice to meet you all. I’m just gonna go, uh—put on some pants,” she jumped down from the counter and tugged the shirt over her barely covered behind, rushing down the hall to Calum’s bedroom, which earned her a low whistle from Calum, and a wink when she turned around to glare at him.

“Cal, there’s a girl here. In your house,” Michael stated dumbly.

“Good observation, bro,” Luke replied sarcastically, leaning over the arm of the couch and giving him a dry look.

“I just—I mean, you never have girls over.”

“She’s different. This one’s special, ain’t she, Cal?” Ashton grinned, elbowing him in the side.

Calum ran a hand through his hair, smiling. “Yeah,” he breathed. “She’s special, all right.” He glanced down the hallway as Parker emerged from his bedroom in a pair of sweats she must have found in one of his drawers. They were miles too big for her, but he really liked seeing her in his clothes. It made him feel things he’d never felt before. “Can you animals be nice? You’re gonna scare her away.”

Luke put his hand over his heart and shot him a fake wounded look. “I’m always nice,” he countered.

Parker re-entered the room to the four of them goofing off, shoving each other and laughing, acting like a couple of teenagers. It made her smile, seeing Calum so happy and carefree. He loved his boys—that was obvious. Instead of interrupting, she decided to take over Calum’s abandoned pancake mix and continue making breakfast. Calum glanced over and caught her eye, giving her a lopsided, boyish grin before shifting his attention back to the boys.

“Pancakes, anyone?” she called out after frying the first batch, setting a stack onto a plate and pushing them to the edge of the counter. Michael scrambled over and claimed them before anyone else could, stuffing his face. The other three boys joined him on the stools lined up along the island.

Michael leaned over to Calum. “I like her,” he said with his mouth full.

Calum laughed. “Me, too.”

Parker smiled, eyes down on the stove. She could get used to this. She had known them for all of ten minutes, and they already made her feel welcome. The boys were like a little family, and it was so easy to picture herself being a part of it.

After breakfast, Calum and Ashton cleaned up while Luke and Michael sat on either side of Parker on the couch, bombarding her with questions.

“It’s different with her, isn’t it?” Ashton questioned, noticing the fond look on Calum’s face watching Parker with his two best friends.

Calum turned to look at him, grinning. “I don’t know what it is, mate. She’s just—she’s incredible.”

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Ashton observed, helping Calum load the dishwasher.

“Like what?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“Happy.”

Calum sighed deeply. “Yeah,” he breathed. “I guess I am.”

taglist: @treatallwithkindness @oopsiedoopsie23 @tunnnelvision

[calumcest]

Drabble prompt: “who told you that?” and “is this really necessary” if you still want to do that but also omg Helen go to bed I don’t know how you’re alive rn

SJLDFKJSLKDF i went to bed at like 1 which frankly bad idea but hopefully i will go to bed SLIGHTLY earlier today stay tuned! 

-

Calum’s frowning at the piece of paper on the kitchen counter when Michael walks into the kitchen, mixing bowl and ladle in his arms. 

“Five eggs?” he asks, not looking up from the recipe. “Is that really necessary? Seems like overkill.” Michael dumps the mixing bowl and ladle on the island in the kitchen and wanders over to Calum, hooking his chin over Calum’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around Calum’s waist. Calum hums, and automatically brings his hand up to scratch at Michael’s scalp. 

“I think that’s a three,” Michael says. Calum tilts his head, like it’s going to make the number any clearer. 

“No, I think it’s a five,” he says. 

“When have you ever baked a cake that called for five eggs?” Michael asks. 

“When have I ever baked a cake?” Calum throws back, and Michael has to concede there. 

“Let’s just make it with three,” he suggests. 

“What if it’s supposed to be five, though?” 

“Well, what if it’s supposed to be three?” Calum sighs. 

“I could just call my mum,” he says. “It’s her shitty handwriting, after all.” 

“It’s six a.m. in Sydney,” Michael points out. Calum shrugs, dislodging Michael’s head uncomfortably, and Michael makes a noise of discontent. 

“Should have written the recipe clearer, then,” Calum says, pulling away from Michael to fetch the mixing bowl from the kitchen island. Michael lets him go, arms dropping back to his side, trying not to think about the sudden coolness that hits him as Calum walks away. 

“Just do it with three,” Michael says. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I don’t know, what happens if you don’t put enough eggs in a cake?” Calum asks. He looks at Michael expectantly, like Michael’s some kind of food scientist with intimate knowledge of egg physics.

“Why the fuck do you think I’d know that?” Michael says. Calum shrugs. 

“You seem really fucking certain that we should be using three eggs,” he says. “Figured you must have a reason for it.” Michael rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah, because I can fucking read,” he says. Calum just flips him off, mixing bowl in hand, and walks back over to the counter to set it down on the scales. 

“I think we should make it with five,” Calum says decisively, and starts shaking flour into the bowl. 

“I’m telling you, it’s three,” Michael says. “You’re going to ruin the cake.” 

“I’m not going to ruin the fucking cake,” Calum grumbles, pouring in what looks like far too much sugar. “Oh, fuck, I forgot to check the number on the scales. Whoops.”

“Jesus- let me,” Michael says, barging over and hip-checking Calum out of the way. Calum’s definitely stronger than Michael, so he could push back if he wanted, but he lets Michael push him away, leaning against the counter and watching Michael spoon some of the sugar back into the packet. 

“What’s next?” Michael asks, and Calum turns back to the recipe. 

“Butter,” he says, and he reaches over for the butter dish to hand it to Michael. 

“This isn’t enough butter,” Michael tells him, and Calum rolls his eyes so hard Michael’s surprised they come back down. 

“Jesus, sorry, didn’t realise I had Gordon fucking Ramsay in the house,” Calum says, but he’s walking to the fridge and getting out a new pack of butter as he says it. 

“Gordon Ramsay’s a chef, not a baker,” Michael points out, holding his hand out for the butter. “Is this unsalted?” 

“Does it make a difference?” 

“I don’t know, do you want to risk eating a salty cake?” 

“Surely that amount of sugar will outweigh it?” Calum says, casting a look into the mixing bowl, but he sounds a little uncertain. 

“Do we have unsalted?” Michael asks, and Calum, still at the fridge, shakes his head. “Well. Maybe I should use less of it?” Calum frowns. 

“Well, if we’re already not using enough eggs-”

“Jesus, three eggs will be enough, Cal,” Michael says. Calum scowls at him, closing the fridge and pulling his phone out of his pocket as he walks back over to lean against the counter next to Michael. 

“If you love me, you’ll make it with five,” he says. 

“Don’t cry when I make it with three,” Michael says. Calum huffs. 

“I’m going to Google it,” he tells Michael, already pulling up Safari. 

“Go for it,” Michael says nonchalantly, cutting a slice of butter off and dropping it in the mixing bowl, watching the numbers go up. Fifteen more grams, okay. He can eyeball that. 

Calum’s quiet for a minute as Michael adds the baking powder, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract, and then he crows delightedly. 

“See?” he says, shoving the phone so close to Michael’s face that Michael momentarily thinks he might go blind. He jerks back, and sees Calum’s triumphant grin behind the spots dancing in front of his eyes. 

“I can’t see shit if you’re holding it that close,” Michael says, and Calum draws the phone back a little. 

“If we don’t add enough eggs it’ll be-” he pulls the phone away from Michael to read off the screen “-‘overly compact and won’t hold together well’. And if we add too many it turns into a soufflé.” Michael stares at him. 

“So how were you right?” he says. “We’re making a cake, not a soufflé.”

“But it would still be edible,” Calum points out.  

“Still not a cake, though,” Michael says. Calum rolls his eyes, and pushes the six-pack of eggs towards Michael. 

“Use five,” he says. 

“I’m using three,” Michael says, cracking one egg into the mixing bowl. 

“Okay, I’m adding two.” 

“Over my dead fucking body.” Calum shrugs. 

“So be it.” Michael scowls, and aims a kick at Calum’s shin as he cracks another egg, but Calum’s too quick for him, darting out of the way with a grin. 

“Fuck you,” Michael says grumpily, cracking a third egg. 

“You love me,” Calum says. 

“Who told you that?” Michael asks, cracking another egg into the bowl. Calum nods at the fifth egg currently in Michael’s hands. 

“You did,” he says. 

[cruecifymesixx]

Love and Leather /part forty two/

Word count: 6.3k

A/N: This is pretty much his year in rehab. I didn’t want to do multiple parts of it. I hope you like it! Enjoy and always, feedback is truly appreciated :)

Warnings: drugs, angst, language

Taglist: @brideofdraculana , @xstarryeyes , @aryssav , @miserablecunt , @dangerous-like-a-loaded-pistol , @inthebackofmycarlaytheirbodies, @fandomshit6000, @anntheboneless, @venus-calum, @justjodeye, @supernaturalvikingwhore, @are-we-real, @hi-my-name-is-riley, @extremesadnerding, @thatbandchick39, @awkwrdcait, @countrygirlswonderland, @baiabouk @awesomealmostdopestudent, @martabastic, @romanticvengeance , @tashy-bear, @krazykatkay456, @terror-triplet, @shouttatthedevill @beachystars, @rodriguez025, @kickstart-myheart-sixx, @s-outhie, @anxious-diabetic, @awkwardblackgirls, @rockersbox, @brooklyn-antiques, @shamelessobsessions, @jerseytaint, @lilytalebi, @criminalyetminimal, @motley-queen, @trapt-in-a-dream, @lunamadhatter99, @broke-n-bitchy, , @thanks2pete, @slowandangry, @lovesick-heart0, @keepcalm-and-beyou, @miriampraez, @teenwolflover28, @lilyhw1, @swoopygorl, @motherloovebone, @random-internet-user-4471, @falcon-arrows, @talranocchia2001, @wheresmyvodkabitch, @waywardprincess666, @malibubarbievince, @iluvmesomemarvelndc, @zoenicoles, @chaoticvybe, @vamprlestat, @supersoldierballerina, @primal-screamer@electradestiny, @marshbev, @n0-sh0rtage-0f-faults, @cruebaby, @ggorehorror, @valentines-in-london, @miss2001babe, @nassauartist @emmaelizabeth2014, @cmft-jr-winchester, @bokkie92, @notworthyofyou1120@xrosegoldwolfx, @cranberribread, @lauravic, @mgkobsessed, , @opalrustad, @dillightfulpickle, @kellysimagines, @marvelismylifffe

I woke up the next morning in Nikki’s bed, fully clothed and with a headache. I have done too much crying the last twenty four hours.

Nikki’s spot was empty, as every bad thought started running through my mind. Naturally, I looked in the closet first, but he wasn’t there.

“Nikki?” I called out for him as I walked out of the bedroom and too the stairs. I peered over the banister, but I didn’t see him.

I walked to the doors that lead to his backyard, “Where the hell is he?” I mumbled to myself. I walked into the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when I saw a dozen red roses.

I exhaled when I walked over, seeing there was a piece of ripped out notebook paper with my name on it:

Hey doll,

I left early this morning, you were sleeping hard so I didn’t want to wake you. I’m heading to rehab with the boys, we’re going to Betty Ford. Alice Cooper fucking went here! How sick is that!

I rolled my eyes, but wiped the tears away. Why couldn’t he just wake me up to say bye? I continued reading the note.

I left my house key hanging up by the car keys. I’d be less stressed if you stayed, or consider staying while I was away. To make sure the house is taken care of. You don’t have too, you can just pop in every couple of days if you wanted too...

I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It’s not gonna be a thirty days thing that’s for sure. I’m gonna get better for myself, the band and for you. I’ll see you when I get out of Hell. I’ll call in a few days after I get situated.

I love and miss you already, Van.

-Nikki Sixx

I sighed, tossing the letter back onto the counter. What am I suppose to do in this big ‘ol mansion without him? And why couldn’t he just wake me up so I could say goodbye to him?

*a week later*

I plopped down on the couch after almost two hours of trying to clean his place up. Eight bags of trash, multiple bottles of cleaning solution and I don’t even know how many rolls of paper towels, his house still wasn’t clean. Who knew one guy living alone could destroy such a nice house, but then again...it’s Nikki Sixx we’re talking about here. I closed my eyes for a quick second, groaning as it was interrupted by the doorbell.

I walked over to the door, my smile fading away when Slash stood on Nikki’s doorstep. I noticed under his black sunglasses and curly hair a smirk was playing along his lips as he looked at me up and down.

“Is Sixx home? Or is he um...is he dead?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. I stared awkwardly, remembering the last time I saw him, I was on the brink of orgasm before Nikki came in like a bat out of hell.

I shook my head, leaning against the front door, “No, he left for rehab a few days ago.”

“He’s alive? It isn’t just a rumor?” He seemed skeptical, I nodded in reassurance, “Yeah, no he’s alive. The paramedic was apparently a fan and wouldn’t let him go so easily.” I explained as he became quiet, I think he was taking it all in since Nikki did say he was at the hotel room when he overdosed.

“Did you need something else?”

He nodded, taking off his sunglasses and pushing them up to the top of his head, “I was uh staying here, getting high with him and I left some of my stuff in one of the guest rooms.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, they were still talking even after everything that happened? Slash was at fault too in that situation! But, guess drug buddies will always be drug buddies.

I hesitantly moved out of the way, letting him in, “Why are you here?” He asked me putting his keys down on the table.

I shrugged, “Came over the night he died, then he stumbled in here in the morning. He looked like complete shit.”

“He’s a lucky son of a bitch..” he grimaced, shaking his head as he looked back over at me, “You two made up?”

I nodded, “After he came back from the dead, I was terrified at the thought of loosing him.”

Slash cleared his throat, “Sorry for getting you in trouble.” I shook it off and smiled at him, “No worries, it’s all good.”

He chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at me, “I’m gonna go ahead and get my stuff.”

I watched as he walked up the stairs, mentally cursing myself out. Nikki’s not here, it’s fine. Slash is just getting his things and then leaving, it’s fine. Nikki would be okay with it. Nikki would be okay with Slash and I being alone in his house when he wasn’t here. I ran my hands through my hair before sitting down on the couch. Nikki would not be fine with this, but I don’t have to tell him. Right?

I stopped my over thinking when Slash came back downstairs, “So what are you up too? Are you living here?” He asked, putting his stuff down and sitting on the couch with me. I scooted over to give myself some distance.

“He asked if I could stay here while he’s gone, make sure everything’s okay. It’s just one less thing for him to worry about.”

He nodded, he then did the whole pretending to yawn while stretching his arm around me thing, “Are you together?” His eyes were smoldering as he waited for his answer. I felt the cliché butterflies deep within my stomach.

“I Uh...I don’t...I don’t think so.” I stuttered out, watching his fingers come up and brush against my shoulder, fumbling with the strap of the tank top I was wearing. 

I quickly got off the couch and stood in front of him, “Are you staying?” I asked him abruptly, he smiled at me, leaning back into the couch, “If you want me too.”

I huffed, I don’t have to tell Nikki.

“Yeah, you can stay.” I smiled at him as he smiled back, “I can order us a pizza?” 

I nodded, “Black olives and sausage.” He chuckled at my request, “Better than pineapple on pizza.”

After a little while later, the pizza was delivered and I walked out of the kitchen with a few beer bottles in my hands. I walked into the living room, seeing him strum the strings of his guitar. I handed him a beer and he smiled when I sat down next to him.

He took a drink as he looked over at me, “I’m very sorry about how uh...things happened between us...I never got the chance to apologize.”

I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite out of it, “Oh, you mean that bet?” I side eyed him as I saw his expression change.

“Yeah...it wasn’t my idea though. It truly wasn’t, it was Axl’s. He just wanted to fuck with Nikki.” I looked over at him.

“So you just did what he said? I enjoyed spending time with you.” I clarified as he sighed, taking another sip of the beer, “Y’know how guys are, and I did have a really good time with you.”

I smirked, “A good time? When I was naked or on the date?” I asked, a giggle in my voice as I took the beer out of his hand and took a sip before handing it back to him.

“Both, but mostly the date-” I tilted my head, “I mean the sex was good, it was fucking great up until Nikki came in.”

I grinned, grazing my nails through his hair, “I had a real good time too and I’m sorry about Nikki threatening you and your band.”

“Don’t worry about it Angel, him and I hashed it out over a gram of Persian, hence I was staying here.” I narrowed my eyes, “How was he the day he died?” I questioned him.

Slash seemed to be thinking, “I was really fucked up that day too. But he was even more fucked up than everyone else combined. He was in a dark place, and honestly? I think he liked it there. He was sad, angry, he was just sitting on the floor drinking some whiskey and then this fucking sleazy druggy smelt his vulnerability and shot him up, Nikki couldn’t even do it himself.”

I shook my head, taking his beer from his hand again and taking a sip.

“He then just fell to the fucking floor, his lips were blue and he looked fucking dead, I mean he was dead. Some chick started giving him CPR so I think that helped and then the paramedics arrived, and shortly after that the cops arrived and everyone scattered.” He explained, taking the beer back from me.

“He missed you though, I’d always hear Tommy or Mick talking to him about you. But Nikki was hurt, I mean rightfully so.”

*Flashback, Nikki’s POV*

“Okay, just talk to her man. Lucia said she’s at the diner right now working. Just go see her. The girls said she’s been a mess.” Mick explained to me as I shook my head.

“I don’t want to see her ever again. Vanity has been nothing but a thorn in my goddamn side.” I growled, taking my bottle of jack away from him as I pressed it to my lips.

“Oh fuck off with that, kid. You were just crying the other fucking night on my shoulder saying how much you fucking miss her.” Mick snapped back.

“She doesn’t care!! She’s never cared! I told her I’m in love with her and she still didn’t care!!” I shouted, throwing the bottle across the room.

Tommy jolted awake at my sudden outburst, “Why doesn’t she fucking care about me!?” I yelled, tears falling down my cheeks as Tommy and Mick looked at me.

“Dude...” Tommy tried consoling me but I shoved him away.

“Why doesn’t she care about me!?-“ I repeated myself, “I’ve been so good to her! I know I’ve fucked up a lot but that’s not the point! I’ve tried showing her how I feel and how much I care! I went out and got a stupid cheesy bracelet for her because I knew she would like it!”

The boys sat and watched as I continued, “She’s the only chick in my life I’ve ever felt this deeply for, I can’t fucking stand it. I’m so scared of loosing her, I don’t want to loose her. I love her. I love her so god damn much I think I may even want to marry her one day.”

I sighed, “I love her, man. I just want to be with her. But she doesn’t want to be with me.”

“And how do you know that?” T-bone questioned, “She speaks highly of you too, Sixx....like a lot.” He added on.

“Well why doesn’t she tell me!? Why does she tell you instead!? Is it cause you fucked her?” I retorted, he chuckled and rolled his eyes

“No, Nikki. It’s not because I slept with her. She’s scared to tell you all of these things just like you’re scared to tell her as well.”

“I miss her so god damn much, I can’t fucking breathe when she’s not with me. My fucking god damn heart hurts.” I weeped as I leaned back into the couch.

Mick came over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, “That’s the price of love, kid. You two will find a way back to each other, it always happens.”

*End Flashback*

“I missed him too, I was so scared when I heard he died. I didn’t want our last argument to be the last memory I had of him, he’s the love of my life.” I told Slash, he sighed but he nodded.

“I understand, I just hope him getting clean helps him to treat you better and-“

“What’s going on here?” I jumped up, turning around and seeing Doc, “H-hey Doc? What’s up?”

I saw the disapproving look on his face as he handed me a piece of paper, “Nikki wanted me to grab some stuff, it’s all on the list, can you go get it?” I nodded, looking over at Slash, and then him before grabbing it.

*Doc’s POV*

This broad is gonna give me a damn headache before I take a flight to Vancouver. I glared over at Slash, “Pizza?” He asked, handing me the box. I slapped the box away, “What the hell are you doing here with Vanity?”

He smirked at me, “Ah, it’s harmless dude. Don’t worry. I was just grabbing my stuff and she asked if I would stay.”

I exhaled, pinching the bridge of my nose. I swear, Vanity doesn’t think at all.

“You need to leave, and stay the fuck away from her. It’s not gonna be good when Nikki finds out, he’s detoxing and he will freak out.”

Slash shrugged, putting a cigarette in between his lips and lighting it, “Well maybe we don’t tell him, then? Hm?”

I scoffed, “Are you threatening me?”

*Vanity’s POV*

I came downstairs, dragging a suitcase full of the stuff Nikki had requested. I saw Doc glaring at Slash, “Tell Nikki I send him my support.” He said with a smirk as I handed the suitcase to Doc.

“Everything okay?” I asked as they both looked over at me, “Everything’s okay, angel.” Slash smiled as he reassured.

“I couldn’t find his Bowie album, I don’t know where he put it. But everything else is in there.” I told him, he groaned, “Ugh, he’s gonna freak out again. He said he really wants it.” I shrugged, “It wasn’t in the display case, that’s where he keeps all his records.” I explained.

“He’ll just have to do without, I suppose. Thank you.” He told me and I smiled, “Is he doing okay? He said he’d call, but he hasn’t...” I frowned as I looked up at Doc.

“Vanity, he said he’ll call when he will call. It’s only been a few days, he’s too busy trying to get out of the place and trying to fight everyone. He’s alive and is doing well besides being a total asshole.”

I nodded, but Doc put his hand on the side of my shoulder, “He will call, okay?” I nodded again.

“Tell him I love him.” He smiled slightly, “I will, doll. Don’t worry.”

I walked with him the door, before stepping out in the cool California air, “Please don’t tell him Slash was here.” I said, chewing on my bottom lip as he glared at me.

“He shouldn’t be here, Vanity. You know that.” I shook my head in agreement, “I know, but he was really just getting his things and then we started talking and he ordered us a pizza, nothing else happened.” I explained myself as he sighed.

“Get him out of here, now. If I come back one of these days and I find him here, you are going to have hell to pay. From both myself and Nikki.” His words were harsh as I gulped.

“Please, Doc. I’m begging you, don’t tell him. He would be so upset with me.”

“I promise Van, I won’t tell him. But I mean it, I better not find him here again. I don’t give a shit what the excuse might be. Do you understand me?” Doc berated me like my father used too, I nodded standing and full attention.

“I understand.” I smiled, letting out a sigh of relief as I walked over and pecked his cheek. He glared at me, shaking his head as he picked up the suitcase and walked to his car.

I walked back inside the house and to the living room, “Doc doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Slash pointed out as he looked up from playing the guitar and at me.

“Doc doesn’t like anyone besides the bands that make him money.” I told him as I sat down next to him. He put down the guitar, resting it against the couch as he tilted his head and looked over at me.

“You want to finish what we started?” My eyes widened at his question, as I saw him get off the couch and drop to his knees in front of me.

“Slash, I-“ I stopped talking when he pressed his lips to the top of my thighs, his hands going under my legs as he started pulling my pants down.

“No bets this time, and maybe we will lock the doors.” He winked as he threw the shorts I was wearing on the floor.

He gripped my thighs, forcing my legs apart as he trailed kisses and small bites along the insides of my thighs, “But, Nikki...” I said quietly, he reached up and got face to face with me, “Is not here, and you said you two aren’t together, right?” He said, before kissing the side of my neck, his eyes looking up at me.

“....Right...” I breathed out, feeling his strong hand go in between my legs, “C’mon, angel it’s okay, remember how good I made you feel?”

Thankfully, the phone started ringing. I quickly pushed away from him and grabbed it.

“Hello?” “Hey princess, it’s me.” I almost started screaming in panic when I heard Nikki on the other line, “Can you give me just one second, I was doing something..” “Yeah, sure whatever.”

I put down the phone and walked over to Slash, “You need to go, this has been fun, but you need to leave. I can’t do this with you anymore.” I told him as he sighed and grabbed his stuff.

“You aren’t even with him, why does it matter?” He asked, putting his leather jacket back on.

“It matters to me, I love him and I don’t want to hurt him again, I’m sorry.” I replied as he took a step towards me. He slowly bent his head down and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips.

I closed my eyes, feeling his lips move against mine. It was nice and inviting, but they weren’t my favorite lips I’d rather have against me.

“I’ll catch you later, Angel.” He said quietly as he detached his lips from mine. I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched him walk out the front door.

Oh! Nikki!

I hurried back over to the phone, “Hey, yeah I’m here sorry about that.”

“What were you doing?” Nikki questioned, “I had something in the oven.” I thought of a quick lie.

“Oh okay, well hey babe, sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been crawling in my own skin here, I need a fix so god damn bad.” I frowned at his words.

“The withdrawals will only last for a little bit, have you been sick too?” I asked, picking up the empty bottles of beer and throwing them away.

“Yeah, just about every day. I’m puking my guts up while battling a fever. I’m cold and then I’m hot. My moods are up the fucking wall, that’s also why I haven’t called. I can’t stop fucking crying and then I get so pissed off I feel like I’m gonna rip everyone limb from limb.”

I sighed, “you’ll be alright, I know it hurts right now, but you’ll be good baby.”

“I know I will, it just fucking sucks. I miss you so damn much. I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye but if I didn’t go then I wouldn’t have gone at all.” He sighed at his words. I looked over at the roses, they were still pretty much alive.

“I understand, I’m happy you went through with it. When can I come see you?” I questioned, hopping onto the counter as I listened to his voice.

“In a few weeks, I’m still getting use to everything here. I’ll let you know, doll okay?”

I exhaled, “Yeah, no it’s fine. I understand.” I frowned.

“What’s the matter, Van?” He asked, by the tone in his voice I could tell he was upset too.

“I just, we told each other something pretty monumental and you just left without us even discussing what it means for our relationship.” I tried putting it into words, he let out a grunt.

“Can we not discuss it right now, please? I’m not in the mood to get emotional with you at the moment.” He snapped as I chewed on my bottom lip.

I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, Sorry….I think I’m gonna go to bed. You’ll call tomorrow?” I twirled with the cord as I heard him go quiet, “Nikki?”

“Mhm, yeah. I’ll call you in a few days.” I didn’t even have a chance to say bye as he hung up. I scoffed and slammed the phone back onto the receiver.

“Love you too, asshole.”

*3 Months later*

I pulled open the heavy glass doors before being approached by a security guard. He had a plastic bin in his hands, “All metal objects and any thing considered as a weapon.” He explained as I complied with the rules. I put my purse in the bin and watched as he picked up a wand and scanned it over my body.

“Is this really necessary?” I questioned as the beep from the wand went off near my naval. He glared at me as I groaned and pulled my shirt, “It’s just my piercing.” I clarified as I pulled my shirt back down.

“Some of our patients become suicidal sometimes it’s just a precaution to protect everyone’s safety.” He explained as I nodded.

“I’m here to see Nikki Sixx, my name is Vanity Blackwood.” I told him as he smirked, then nodded.

“Ah, he’s a fun one.” He replied, eyes glued on a binder as he flipped through papers.

He handed me a visitors badge and I clipped it to my shirt, “Anyone have eyes on Sixx? He has a visitor.” He spoke into his walkie as I took the time to look at all the brochures this rehab had to offer.

“He’s heading your way, not in the best of moods.”

Uh oh. I looked over at the guard as he tried to give me a smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw black messy hair walk past the window. The door opened and he walked in.

Nikki was full of smiles, “Hey doll.” I bit on my lip to try and contain my excitement, “Hey Sixx.” I told him as I closed the space between us and giving him a hug. He wrapped his arms around me tightly as I felt him relax in the embrace. We stayed like that for a moment before he pulled away smiling.

He looked good. A tad healthier even if it’s been a few weeks off the junk, “You wanna go outside? They have a coffee station with donuts.” He asked, I nodded as he grabbed my hand, leading us out the door. He didn’t say much, except he did glance back at me a few times and gave me a smile or a wink. I wonder why he was so quiet? I was honestly expecting a little bit more of excitement from him.

I moved closer to him when I felt everyone staring at me, “Don’t worry about it, they still stare at me and the guys. They have nothing better to do.” Nikki said as he stepped over to what I assume was the coffee station he was talking about. It was literally just a cart with two large carafes of coffee and two pink boxes full of donuts.

“Stop judging, Van.” He said with his back turned towards me, how the hell did he know that?

“I wasn’t judging…” I said with a grin when he turned around and handed me a cup of coffee and a donut.

“Yeah, whatever you say princess.” He smiled with an added eye roll as we sat down at a picnic table that was shaded by a cherry tree.

“How is everything?” He asked as I poured two creams and a packet of sugar into my cup, “Uh, everything’s fine. Work is good and I haven’t burned your house down by accident yet.” I told him as he chuckled, “Thanks for that.”

“How is rehab? It seems….fun.” I said, looking around, seeing there was a swimming pool and there was people playing volleyball.

“It’s not fun, but it’s tolerable. The guys and I just hang out with each other for the most part.” He explained as I nodded, reaching over and pushing his messy hair out of his eyes. He didn’t have any circles underneath anymore.

“Where are they? I would love to seem them too today.” I told him as he shrugged, “They’re probably off in some counseling session or doing some group activity with some other people.” He said before taking a sip of his coffee, “Heard Slash stopped by.”

I held my breath as I stared at him, “Must’ve been when I wasn’t there. I go home sometimes.” I knowingly lied, looking away from him as I brought the cup up to my lips.

“Alright, i’ll say it one more time. I heard Slash stopped by, enjoyed a few drinks and a pizza with him. I’m not an idiot.” Nikki retorted, his tone was filled with anger.

“He…he just came to get his stuff Nikki. He mentioned you were letting him stay there and he forgot some stuff.”

“Did you fuck him?” Nikki questioned me, I shook my head.

“Slash tried too, but I swear we didn’t.” I bit my lip as I stared at him, I knew he didn’t believe me. He was glaring at me still, “Nikki, I swear. I didn’t fuck him. I wouldn’t do that to you, especially in your own house.”

He let out a laugh, leaning back into the chair as he crossed his arms, “Did it already, and in my dressing room so why wouldn’t that stop you from fucking him in my damn house?” He scolded me as I rolled my eyes, “Get over it, Nikki.”

“Get over it? Really? You expect me to get over something like that? I trusted you. I introduced you to my friends and you just fuck them.” He shook his head angrily, taking a sip of his coffee.

“It was completely harmless, nothing happened. He got his stuff, asked if he could stay-“ “and you fucking let him?! God, it’s like you don’t think sometimes.” He interrupted me, his tone becoming louder.

“And then he tried to fuck you? In my own god damn house? I’m going to fucking kill that guy.” Nikki spat out as his glare didn’t leave me for one second.

“And then you want to tell Doc not to tell me? Of course he’s going to keep me posted, he’s my manager.

“I knew you’d be mad…” I said quietly, pushing the coffee away from me.

“Of course I’d be mad! God, I fucking tell you I love you and I still can’t trust you!” He shouted at me as I shook my head, “Yes you can! You can trust me!” I defended myself as he laughed.

“I should’ve listened to the damn therapist.” He spoke out as I narrowed my eyes, “What does that have to do with anything?” I questioned him, sitting up in the chair.

“We’re toxic for each other-“ He looked at me, “All we do is fight and find reasons to get after each other. I’m chasing you around and around, hoping you’ll want me back and all I’m left with his constant rejection.”

“Rejection? I want you Nikki.” I said, trying to reach across and put my palm on the side of his cheek, but he moved away. I frowned at his movements, “Sixx? I love you.”

He rolled his eyes, “You don’t love me, you say that to make me feel better and it doesn’t.” I furrowed my eyebrows, how could he even say that let alone think it?

“I do too mean it. You don’t have a single clue how I feel and-“ Nikki interrupted me, “You’re right, I never know because you block out everyone and never fucking let me in!”

I smirked at him, “Let me guess, all that is what the shrink told you? He doesn’t know us, Nikki.”

Nikki shook his head, growing more and more upset by the minute, “Yeah and? He made a point and it struck a nerve.”

I rolled my eyes, “Nikki, I love you so god damn much and I get it. You’re detoxing so you’re a little emotional, I get it.”

He grunted, “Oh shut the fuck up, Vanity. I’m not being emotional. Fuck off, I want you out of my house. Give me the key.”

“Just a tad don’t you think? You’re now kicking me out of your house for your own insecurities! Why the hell are you so pissed off at me? I don’t see you acting this way to Slash since you fucking let him stay at your house, right? And I for sure as hell don’t see you talking this way to T-bone.”

“I had plenty to say to Tommy about you two.“ Nikki growled at me

I laughed bitterly, taking a sip of the now lukewarm coffee, “Right, right…but you let him off easy because he’s T-bone and you just continue to make me feel bad about it, I get it.”

Nikki finally looked away from me, jaw clenching repeatedly as his eyes were closed. I rolled my eyes as I stood up from the shaded table, “Y’know what? This was a mistake.” I said, grabbing my purse and jacket, “Van…” Nikki said, clutching his cup of coffee as he stared at me.

I dug through my purse for my keys, “Here’s your damn house key.” I said, removing it from the key ring and tossing it into his lap, “Good luck, Nikki.”

I started walking away from him, hearing his chair scrape against the concrete as he followed me. I felt his hand wrap around my arm to stop me, “I better not see you waiting around my house when I get back.” He growled, I scoffed as I yanked my arm away from him.

“Don’t call me crying when your therapist wants to talk about mommy!” I spat back at him, that devilish and arrogant smirk formed against his lips, “Least I can talk about her. Daddy issues.” I scoffed, before shoving him away from me.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Vanity!” He shouted, “Fuck you, you prick! I don’t have daddy issues! My dad fucking died you asshole! He didn’t walk out on me like yours did!!

“Get the fuck out!” He yelled, throwing his cup of coffee to the ground.

“Don’t be a fucking to dick to me just because you don’t get to stick a needle in your arm anymore! Gotta learn to deal with your emotions now! There’s no drug haven closet to run too anymore!” I shouted at him

“Well good thing you won’t be there when I get out to stop me.” His smile was condescending as I stared at him in disbelief.

I felt tears in my eyes, “You aren’t going to make me think you’re dead, go to rehab, just for you to go home and shoot up. Don’t talk to me like that, Nikki.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a security guard approach us. I backed away from Nikki since we were pretty much in each other’s faces.

The security guard cleared his throat, “Do we have a problem here?”

I glared at the guard, “Yeah, he’s a fucking asshole.” I retorted, my glare meeting Nikki’s as we were both throwing daggers at each other.

The security guard glanced between myself and Nikki, “Miss, You should get going and you, go take a walk and chill out.”

“Don’t fucking call me miss! Who the hell do you think you are!” I shouted, jabbing my finger into his chest.

He looked down at my finger, and then at me, “Either you’re going to leave on your own, or I will make you leave.” He threatened as I glared at him, trying to ignore the chuckles that were coming from Nikki.

I scoffed, crossing my arms against my chest, “I am not going anywhere. We are just talking. It’s fine.” I told the guard , “Nikki, Tell him it’s fine.” I said, gently smacking his chest.

Nikki glanced down at me, then over to the security guard, “Actually Princess, I think I need some space.”

I glared at him, that smirk of his never faltering, “Don’t fucking call me. I can’t believe you.” I shook my head in disbelief as the guard started guiding me away from Nikki.

He was grinning at me, “Don’t go away mad, Van. Just go way.”

*six months later, third person pov*

Nikki laid in his uncomfortable twin bed, exhaling cigarette smoke as he takes another drag. He runs his fingers through his hair as he listens to the phone ring a few times before hearing ‘Bad Medicine’ by Bon Jovi. He smiles at himself, biting his lip as he heard her voice, “Hey…”

Vanity turned to her roommates, “Hey! Turn it down, I can’t hear!” She laughs before turning her attention back to the phone, “Whose calling?”

“It’s- it’s Nikki. Look um, is understand if you hung up, like completely. I just wanted to call…I don’t really have anyone besides Tom so uh…hey.” Nikki spoke softly, his stomach was in knots.

Vanity furrowed her eyebrows, starring at the button to end the call, “You haven’t called in six months…”

Nikki sighed, rubbing his face as he put out the cigarette only to light another, “I have a perfectly good and reasonable explanation for that.” The line went quiet, Nikki panicked until he heard her cough, “My therapist, he uh, he overheard us arguing that day you came and he thought it would be better if we waited until I was out and better.”

“So you just listened to him? You could have at least told me-“ “Van, Princess I couldn’t have. You would have argued it. But he had a point, and you really can’t blame him. We were at each other’s throats that day.”

Vanity shook her head, groaning in frustration, “It was just a one time thing.”

“That’s what I tried telling him. I miss you so damn much Vanity. You’re half the reason I want to be sober and better.”

Vanity smiled at herself, fingers twirling the cord of the phone, “You need to be sober for you, not for me, Sixx.”

Nikki laughs, sending shivers down Vanity’s spine, “I know that darling, but you said you wanted to know what a life with sober Nikki would be like.”

She was quiet for a split second, “How are you doing? Always thinking about you.”

“I’m almost done with all the steps…actually feel a lot better…and you were right as always I needed to control my emotions..” Nikki messes with the cord, “I’m really sorry for how I treated you when you came to visit. I was stupid and was hating being in rehab, hating that I was being forced to feel things that the drugs usually blocked out.”

“This is Nikki sixx right? Cause the Nikki sixx I know would never apologize.” Vanity laughed, taking a sip of her beer as she lit a cigarette, “I’m only joking, I’m glad you’ve came this far. I’m so proud of you, sixx.”

Vanity paused, “and I’m sorry too, I was being a bitch to you and I shouldn’t have said the things I said knowing you were vulnerable. And once again, I’m sorry for Slash.”

Nikki took a deep breath in before exhaling, “It’s okay, doll. I know I make you upset sometimes.”

“Just something I have to work on-“ Vanity mumbled, chewing on her bottom lip, “Can I come see you? I miss you so much.”

Nikki sighed into the phone, sitting up on the edge of his bed, “I wish you could doll I really do, but the therapist…” he stopped when Vanity frowned, “Nikki, fuck the therapist-“ “Doll, stop.”

Vanity huffed as she listened to Nikki, “You have to be patient. I know you don’t want to wait, trust me I don’t want to either. I think it will be better for the both of us.”

“Wait till when, Nikki? When you’re done? That’s so far away, I want to see you.” Vanity frowned, becoming upset as she pouted.

“Baby, trust me. I want to see you too. I want nothing more than to see my girl.”

Her heart fluttered at his words, “Your girl? So we are together?”

Nikki panicked, yeah he wanted to commit to Vanity but not while he was stuck in here, “I mean like when I’m out…”

Vanity took the phone away from her ear, face scrunched up as she glared at it, she quickly put it back to her ear, “Yeah, right. We can talk about it then, I guess…” she trailed off but she wasn’t finished, “ Still your girl, but technically not your girl but not single enough to go meet a guy, I got it loud and clear Nikki.” She rolled her eyes as she heard Nikki grunt followed by a laugh from him.

“Yeah, I’ll just wait another six months I guess.” She rolled her eyes while tapping her fingers against her thigh, becoming annoyed with him.

"I wish I was home, I miss you Vanity. I cant wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see you, Sixx. I love you.”

He smiles twirling the cord around, “I love you too.“

[bxcketbarnes]

The Wedding // Mini Wedding Series

Pairing: Ashton Irwin/Reader

Words: 3303

Author’s Note: IT’S FINALLY HERE GUYS. After so many months the finale of this is here. I’m hoping you guys will enjoy this and I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to get out. xoxo

Butterflies were soaring around my stomach as I walk into the room I'll be getting ready in. Tears came to my eyes upon seeing my dress hanging up along with the veil.

“I'm getting married tomorrow,” I cry out, hearing the footsteps of my friends come in behind me. I turn to face them, feeling the tears running down my cheeks as a small sob slips past my lips. “I'm marrying my best friend, tomorrow.”

The three of them wrap their arms around me, giving me a group hug as I let out a sobbing laugh. A knock on the door catches our attention as Calum leaned against the door frame, a smile on his lips.

“Sorry to ruin a moment but Ash wanted me to tell you that he loves you and he can't wait to marry you tomorrow,” he tells me and a few tears slide down my cheeks.

I step towards him, wrapping him in a hug as I breathe out a shaky breath. “Tell him I feel the same way,” I whisper and Cal nods his head.

After I pull away from the brunette, he takes a few strides towards Mariah and presses a quick kiss to her lips, telling her that he loves her before making his way back towards Ash’s room.

A blush covers her cheeks as she grins like an idiot, her eyes finally moving back towards us. “You guys are getting married next, right?” I ask, letting out a laugh as did the other girls.

“I hope so,” she chuckles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Only time will tell.”

-

I lay in bed, hugging the pillow Ashton's been using. It's been quite a while since I've slept alone and it sucks, but it's a tradition.

“It's really difficult to sleep without you plus the excitement for tomorrow on top of that,” Ash’s voice comes through the phone and I chuckle, nodding my head in agreement.

“Yeah, I can't seem to fall asleep and I'm so close to saying fuck traditions, but it means a lot to my grandmother,” I mumble before nuzzling my face into the pillow.

“I can't wait to see how gorgeous you'll look in your dress,” he mentions and I can't help the smile growing on my lips. “You know I'll probably end up crying tomorrow, right?”

I let out a laugh, tilting my head back. “Oh yeah, but don't worry. I'll be crying with you!” I giggle as a snort comes through his end.

Glancing towards the clock I let out a groan, seeing it's almost midnight. “Everything okay?” Ashton asks and I comb my fingers through my hair.

“It's almost midnight and we need to be up at like eight. I need to go to bed, but I don't know if I'll be able to sleep without you,” I tell him and frown a bit.

“I can stay on the line, maybe sing to you until you fall asleep?” He offers and I can't help but smile widely.

“That sounds fantastic, babe,” I mumble and plugs in my phone so it doesn't die, setting it onto the nightstand. I hug Ashton's pillow, taking a deep breath as his angelic singing voice comes through the phone.

My eyes begin to droop as he gets into the second song. I let out a content hum, always loving the sound of his voice and begin to slowly fade into the darkness of the night.

-

Loud knocks on my door wake me from my slumber. I sit up quickly as my heart pounds against my ribcage. “Jesus,” I mumble and place a hand to my chest, letting out a small sigh. “I'm up, I'm up!” I yell and throws the cover off me, getting out of bed.

I rub the tiredness out of my eyes, getting a shitty sleep without Ashton beside me. I comb my fingers through my hair, taking my phone off the charger and checking it to see if I had any messages.

Morning, baby. I hope you had a better sleep then I did. I can’t wait to see you walking down that aisle towards me. See you in a few hours, my love. x

I smile at the text, biting my lip as I type out a reply. The door to the bedroom creaked open and my grandmother peeked her head in. “Morning, sweetie,” she smiles and steps inside the room. I give her a smile and set my phone down on the bed, hearing the tone the bubbles make when someone’s replying.

“Morning, grams,” I chime and bring her into a hug. “Are the girls up?” I ask and she nods her head.

“Yeah. They have been for a few hours. How’d you sleep?” She questions while sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Eh. It would’ve been better if Ashton was here,” I laugh and sits beside her. “It’s been a while since I’ve slept alone so it was a bit of an adjustment.”

She nods her head and opens her mouth to speak when Steff knocks on the open door. “Hey, Y/N/N,” she greets with a smile. “You don’t need to shower, do you?” I shake my head no in answer and Steff gives me a thumbs up. “Good. We’re running a bit behind schedule because you slept in. But, I knew you wouldn’t have slept well.”

“You know me so well,” I grin and stand up from the bed, walking towards her to give her a hug. “I’m so glad you guys are here experiencing this with me. I couldn’t ask for better friends.”

“We love you. Now, c’mon. We gotta get to the venue!” She smiles while pulling away from me. I nod my head as the two of them step out of the room. I rush around to gather the things I need, double checking I have everything before heading downstairs.

-

The six of us made it to Willowdale Estate in little over an hour and I can see Luke and Calum walking towards the building, already dressed in their trousers and button up shirts. My heartbeat quickens at how real this is becoming, getting a little emotional again.

“I still can’t believe it’s finally happening,” I mutter to everyone in the car as my mother turns the engine off.

“Trust me… neither can I. My baby girl’s growing up,” mom mentions and I land a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a bit. “I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

I give her a smile, my vision becoming blurry from the tears pooling in my eyes. “I love you, ma,” I whisper and lean forward to press a kiss to her cheek. We pile out of the car, grabbing everything from the trunk before heading inside the building.

Once everything was inside and set out in the medium-sized room, we began to get ready. I slide the marsala colored garter up my left leg, positioning it on my upper thigh. I change into the strapless bra I bought before slipping on the satin robe.

“Alright, babe, let’s get started on your hair,” mom told me and I give her a smile while nodding my head. I move to sit in front of the vanity, still feeling the nerves course through my body. Amy, my mother, begins to run her fingers through my bed head of hair, smoothing it out a little bit before brushing it thoroughly. “Are we keeping it simple?”

“Yeah! I thought we could do like a braid that wraps around the back and then we can tuck the veil behind it?” I wonder out loud and my mother nods her head.

“Yeah, that sounds cute,” she states while beginning to part my hair for the braid. My phone vibrates in my lap and I turn it over to see a text from Ash. A smile comes to my lips as I look down, opening the notification. “Keep your head up, Y/N.”

I let out a laugh as does she while raising my head again, bringing my phone up to eye level. I read over the text as the bubbles appear on the screen and I wait to see what he’s sending before typing out a reply. A picture of my handsome soon-to-be husband pops up and my heart flutters.

Less than two hours. Can you believe it? Less than two hours and I finally get to call you my wife. I love you so much! xoxo

I can’t believe it, to be honest. I love you. See you soon, handsome. oxox

I lock my phone and set it on the table in front of me as Steff turns on some music. I get lost in my thoughts as Mariah gathers the makeup from my bag, setting it onto the vanity in front of me. I’ve been living my best life alongside the man I’m in love with and it’s only the beginning. “Did you see Calum when we pulled in?” I ask my friend and she grins sheepishly.

“I did. He looks good, but when doesn’t he,” she points out and I chuckle, nodding my head. “I bet you’re anxious to see how Ash looks.”

A groan leaves my lips along with a laugh. “God, don’t you know it,” I tell her while shaking my head. My mother halts my movements and I mumble a quiet sorry with a giggle.

“I’m almost done,” she tells me with a smile.

-

“Okay,” Steff starts as she walks back into the room, closing the door behind her, “all the boys are dressed and the seating outside is almost full. I’m pretty sure some people are missing but they could just be running a bit late. Also, Michael looks really good. In case y’all were wondering.”

I laugh at the last thing she said, looking at her through the mirror. The girls were all in their bridesmaid dresses as my mother and grandmother were in their dresses they brought from home. “I’ve done well then is what you’re saying?” I ask jokingly with a smirk on my lips.

“Absolutely,” she grins and sits on the couch that rests in the corner of the room.

“Stop smiling,” Mariah tells me and drops the smile. She continues to do my makeup, moving on from my face and onto my eyes.

“Did you happen to see Ash, Steff?” I ask her as my eyes were closed, feeling the makeup brush dancing across my eyelids.

“I did. He looks good as well. You might swoon all over again when you see him,” she tells me and I bite my lip a bit. “He’s really excited to see you. I had to stop him twice from coming over here.”

I chuckle and shake my head once Mariah pulls away. “Of course he did. He’s always been impatient,” I grin and open my eyes to see my friend analyzing her work. “Good?”

She grins, giving me a thumbs up. “Breathtaking. Take a look,” Mariah mentions and steps out of the way of the mirror. A gasp leaves my lips and I stand up from the chair.

“Oh my god, Mariah,” I whisper and look over myself. “I look gorgeous. Thank you so much,” I tell her and bring her into a hug. Once I pull away I look towards my wedding dress and the long veil that has lace on the bottom, feeling the butterflies in my stomach again. “It’s time for the final touches…”

-

I stand in front of the long mirror, running my hands down the skirt of the dress. I press my lips together as my mom positions the veil on my head, trying not to tear up. I move some of the dress up, admiring the heels that are on my feet.

Knocking on the door snaps me from my gaze as my stepdad came into the room. “Wow, Y/N, you look absolutely gorgeous,” he tells me with a smile on his lips. I wave a hand in front of my face, trying to stop myself from crying as I walk over to him.

“I’m glad you’re here… in my life, in my mother’s life. You make her so happy. I’m glad you’re the one walking me down the aisle,” I mumble and he begins to tear up. The two of us hug for a few seconds before the door opens once more.

“Hey,” Payton calls out and our heads turn towards her, Luke stood behind her. “We ready?” She asks and I nod my head.

She gives me my bouquet of flowers before I link arms with my stepdad. We walk out towards the door that leads outside and I let out a deep breath, trying to calm down the nerves. The music begins to play and someone opens the green doors in front of us. Payton and Luke walk out first, a smile on my lips at the thought of them two finally being happy together. Steff and Michael go next and our maid of honor and best man take their place at the doors.

Mariah and Calum begin their descent down the aisle, Greg and I walking up to go next. “I’m getting married…” I whisper with a large smile on my lips. Calum and Mariah made it to the altar and it was our turn.

Everyone in the crowd stood up and turned to watch me. I lick my lips a bit as we started our descent, my eyes finding Ash’s. I watch as his lips parted slightly, glancing towards Cal who nudged him with his elbow. His hazel eyes met mine again and I could see them become a bit glossy. I love you he mouths to me and I do the same, grinning ear to ear as we stop in front of the altar.

“I’m so happy for you, kid,” Greg tells me and presses a kiss to my cheek. I smile at him softly before stepping up to Ash, handing Mariah my bouquet.

The minister gives both of us a small smile and glances down at his book before speaking. “We are gathered here today to celebrate with Ashton and Y/N as they proclaim their love and commitment to the world. We are gathered to rejoice, with and for them, in the new life they now undertake together.”

Ashton reaches forward and grabs my hand, interlacing our fingers and I give him a small smile. “The relationship you enter into today must be grounded in the strength of your love and the power of your faith in each other. To make your relationship succeed it will take unending love. It will take trust, to know in your hearts that you truly want what is best for one another and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together without knowing what the future holds. If you both come freely and understand the responsibility and work involved to make your relationship thrive, and are committed to not only each other but your family, please take each other by the hands and reply "we do." He motions his hands for us to do so and I grab Ashton’s other hand.

“We do,” the two of us say simultaneously with silly grins on our lips.

“Ashton, repeat after me,” the minister tells me and begins to read from his book, “Y/N, you are my best friend and everlasting companion. You have brought me the truest happiness I have ever known. I take joy today in committing my life to yours.”

“Y/N,” Ash begins and I couldn’t help but start to tear up, “you are my best friend and everlasting companion. You have brought me the truest happiness I have known. I take joy today in committing my life to yours.”

The minister smiles and motions Cal to step forward, “now place the ring on her hand and repeat after me... with this ring, I promise to stand with you as we share this life, and cherish the memories we make together.”

Calum hands Ashton the ring and he takes it between his fingers and positions it on my finger. “With this ring, I promise to stand with you as we share this life, and cherish the memories we make together,” he smiles while sliding it onto my finger, running his thumb over it a few times after he was done.

The minister now turns to face me, beginning his spiel once more. “Y/N, repeat after me: Ashton, you are my best friend and everlasting companion. You have brought me the truest happiness I have ever known. I take joy today in committing my life to yours.”

“Ashton,” I start and my stomach does a bunch of flips as his hand squeezes mine, “you are my best friend and everlasting companion. You have brought me the truest happiness I have ever known. I take joy today in committing my life to yours.”

“Now place the ring on his hand and repeat after me.... with this ring, I promise to stand with you as we share this life and cherish the memories we make together,” he speaks while motioning Mariah to step forward.

She hands me the ring as I take Ash’s hand in mine, getting ready to slide it onto his finger. “With this ring, I promise to stand with you as we share this life and cherish the memories we make together,” I tell him while sliding the ring onto his finger.

We interlace our fingers on both hands as we glance towards the minister for the next part of the ceremony, surprised I’ve made it this far without tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Ashton and Y/N, prior to this moment you each walked a separate path. Now, you embark together on a shared path. Yet the journey is not yours alone, for you have already been blessed with beautiful children. It is the strength of your love that shall nourish you all together as a family,” he smiles and turns the page, continuing on. “Ashton and Y/N, today you have stood before these witnesses and declared your intent to commit your lives to each other in marriage. You have made promises to each other and your family. Your road to this moment has not always been smooth, but you continued to fight for one another. I hope you will never forget the fight and perseverance it has taken to get to this moment. And I hope you will never forget the love and joy you feel today because these are the values that will keep your marriage, family, and bond to one another strong.”

He closes his book, crossing his arms in front of him. “And so, by the power vested in me by the American Marriage Ministries and the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Ashton, you may kiss your bride.”

Cheers began early as Ashton dips down to press a kiss to my lips. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, my fingers finding their way into his hair as I couldn’t help the smile coming to my lips. He pulls away, grinning like a kid on Christmas as he pressed a couple quick kisses to my lips. Everyone stood up and clapped their hands as the two of us began our way down the aisle and towards the reception hall.

“I love you so much, Mrs. Irwin,” Ash mumbles as we step into the building, his hazel eyes moving down the white and blush dress I was wearing. “You look so breathtaking by the way.”

“I love you, Mr. Irwin, and thank you,” I grin before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You happen to look handsome as fuck and I cannot wait until later…”

-

Taglist: @asht0ns-world @morningfears @thebookamongmen @twilightparker @dukesnumber1 @ashs-cheergirl @lukeskisses @dashlilymark @shower-me-with-roses @gotta-try-something-new @singt0mecalum @maddz-world @calumsendgame @thatcheekychic @therainydays4

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Luke/Ashton (3) Masterlist

part one, part two

A Ticket to Another World (ao3) - lovealways1990 M, 29k

Summary: When a car crash erases Luke’s memories, he wakes up in the year 2014. Only problem..his last memory - testing a new drummer for the band’s first gig - is from 2011. Now, he’s forced to rely on second-hand accounts and flashbacks to retrieve his memories. Not to mention the new drummer Ashton is making everything incredibly unsettling.

Butterfly (ao3) - merlypops luke/ashton, michael/calum M, 29k

Summary:Luke is depressed and Ashton makes him feel loved (and maybe Luke returns the favour too).

Casual Affair (ao3) - bitchnluke luke/ashton, michael/calum E, 19k

Summary: Ashton is a nerd and a wallflower in a big school full of high schoolers that hate him. Luke Hemmings is a classic jock who fucks anything he sees or talks to, but knows nothing about Ashton’s little school boy crush. What happens when they cross paths one night?

crawling back to you (ao3) - whereshiphappens (xiiis16) E, 7k

Summary: It’s been going on for months, this dance between them that they try to hide from everybody else. It’s like it’s this dirty little thing that needs to be kept in the night. Their dirty little secret they should feel ashamed of – that’s how Ashton acts, anyway.

Height (ao3) - iCheeseYou (EHkook) M, 12k

Summary: “I may be shorter than you, but I most certainly do not bottom.”

Hold my hand and kiss my cheek darling (the world is watching us) (ao3) - Abbypd G, 23k

Summary:

“But why do I need a fake boyfriend to come out?” Ashton asked, glaring at his manager – a woman in her forties who usually knew exactly what she was talking about. This time, the young singer wasn’t too sure. “Because why else would you have waited for two whole years to come out? With a boyfriend you can just tell them you didn’t know you were into guys until you met him. It will be romantic and everybody will love it.”

Or Luke and Ashton are both idiots who are too scared to admit that their kisses aren’t just for the cameras.

if we make it through december (ao3) - allsassnoclass (brightblackholes) T, 28k

Summary: “I didn’t tell them,” he blurts. Ashton falls silent on the other end of the line. “My family. I didn’t tell them about the breakup. And I know that I should’ve and I swear I will, but Gram asked about you today and it’s probably her last Christmas with us and you know how much she loves you. I couldn’t do it. It’d break her heart, and I can’t do that to her. Not right now. So if you– I mean. What I’m trying to say is that you’re still invited to Christmas, if you want. You don’t have to, I can make an excuse for you, and I swear I’ll tell them after the holidays, but I thought maybe… maybe you’d want to see them one last time.”

let me love you - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) T, 10k

Summary: Luke Hemmings is a rockstar with a troubled past. He's struggling with an alcohol addiction and a career that's going downhill, but Calum isn't giving up on him. Calum suggests Luke a fake boyfriend to help keep the bad press away. That's where Ashton comes in, Ashton who is an embodiment of sunshine. Luke's hesitant due to his failed past relationships, but he agrees, because he knows this is what he needs to save his career.

Maelstrom (ao3) - merlypops luke/ashton, michael/calum, mali/harry E, 225k

Summary: Ashton is struggling, Luke is hiding, and Michael and Calum just want to make things work. (And maybe Ashton and Luke fall in love too. Maybe.)

me and you just singing our song (ao3) - rory_the_dragon luke/ashton E, 6k

Summary: Luke's come a long way from the kid he used to be.

He doesn’t know if anyone else has noticed, but Luke feels the difference.

And as soon as Ashton Irwin walks into Michael’s garage, Luke suddenly feels fifteen and blushing all over again.

(Or: the one with the very first band practice)

Mixology (ao3) - dafeedil E, 23k

Summary: In which Michael is reeling from a recent breakup, Calum has just flunked a semester of university, Luke has never taken a risk in his life, and Ashton has taken too many.

One night, four boys, one Los Angeles bar. A recipe for…well, quite possibly, not disaster.

(or, they all meet at a bar and fall hopelessly in love for the night. Only, it’s actually a lot more than that.)

New Romantics (ao3) - Honeyedlashton E, 7k

Summary: A Lashton story where a stressed out Ashton finds a real date on Grindr. And when he meets Luke the two proceed to live the night to the fullest...

Popstar (ao3) - L4sht0n luke/ashton, michael/calum T, 54k (WIP)

Summary: Luke didn't need a fake boyfriend. He had some problems, every celebrity had some problems. Drug, sex and alcohol was Luke's getaway, but there was nothing wrong with it. A bit problematic yes, but he did nothing wrong. Luke was losing fans because of his bad behaviour, and he was kind of an asshole. Luke could admit this. But he didn't need a fake boyfriend. He didn't need Ashton Irwin to play his fake boyfriend and clean up his mess. If Luke's management wanted to clean up Luke so badly they should just hire a cleaning lady. Luke didn't need a fake boyfriend, didn't want it. Then why did the fake relationship feel so real?

Retrouvailles - @ashtcnirwin (elivigar) luke/ashton E, 36k

Summary: Luke screws his eyes shut against the hot sting that flares up in his eyes.

There’s fresh beard burn on his chin and lips, and his fiancé, who he hasn’t spoken to since last night, is clean shaven.

A story about countless small pebbles stacking up to form seemingly impenetrable and unclimbable walls, and the consequences of taking a loved one for granted.

Scene 14 - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton, michael/crystal, roy/calum, kaykay/sierra E, 128k

Summary: It's one of the first lessons you learn. There’s a difference between performing and acting.

Actors are intellectuals; they’re poets with their expression and the way their voices hit the air. Performers, by comparison, are children, ignorant and too bright for their own good. No one wants to admit to being only a performer. If you’re anyone worth anything, you want to be an actor.

And Luke is not an actor, but Ashton is.

Or, the one where Luke hates Ashton but has to pretend to be in love with him for five months for his acting final except for the fact that maybe he isn't pretending anymore.

Shots (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance luke/ashton E, 4k

Summary: Luke always loved teasing Ashton and that was what he had in mind but what he did not know was that Ashton was going to turn the situation around. The drummer had already planned on a little something and was only waiting for the right time to execute his plan. In the end, Luke got more shots than he had expected. It started with shots and ended with shots.

something's telling me you're the one (ao3) - rocketshiptospace T, 9k

Summary: Luke opens his locker and a paper falls out, fluttering to the floor and landing in front of Luke’s feet.

He quirks a confused eyebrow and picks it off the floor, studying it closely. It’s a simple, hastily folded and very crumpled piece of yellow lined paper, obviously torn from a notebook.

On it, written in a slightly messy handwriting he doesn’t recognize, is just one simple sentence.

‘Fuck them, I think your glasses look cute.’

or, luke has a crush on ashton, who's totally out of his league and someone's leaving him little love notes in his locker.

Webcams (ao3) - gardener luke/ashton, michael/calum M, 3k

Summary: Luke Hemmings is an eighteen years old Photography major at the City College of San Francisco, who works as a camboy on the side. His now calm life changes when he walks into Ashton Irwin, who just happens to watch his cam sessions nearly always he goes online. While the elder one had no idea this guy went to the same university as he did, Luke doesn't even realize Ashton is his favorite subscriber.

we’re both showing hearts (ao3) - rory_the_dragon luke/ashton E, 17k

Summary: It’s a pair of panties.

Ashton has to work very hard to pretend that he doesn’t see the pinkness of Luke’s cheeks for the rest of the show, doesn’t see the small furtive looks Luke keeps shooting him, the way Luke keeps dicking about with this pair of pink panties, always in his hands as he runs about the stage, but he does. He might have to pretend for the cameras and the thousands of people around them but he sees all of it.

(Or: the lingerie fic)

Wildest Dreams (ao3) - no_clue_who E, 16k

Summary: “Come with me? Two weeks away from the city and the noise,” Ashton said, “Just us for two weeks far away from everything.”

“What?”

“Come on, some fun time away.” Ashton says, grabbing his keys, “We can just have some fun.”

Some fun to Ashton probably means fucking for hours on end, eating food for days and not thinking about their responsibilities past waking up and eating. Luke knows its dumb to agree to this, doing mildy domestic with Ashton is always going to end with him hurt. Luke knows he dumb to agree but at the same time what does he have to lose?

[highfivecalum]

Wouldn’t Miss A Chance {CH} 4

Previous Chapters: One Two Three

❋ ❋ ❋

CALUM BARGED INTO THE bathroom, not bothering to knock, and cursed when he saw Sophie there, leaning against the counter over the sink, as she applied her mascara. In nothing but a small white towel wrapped around her body that was losing its tan from the summer. He couldn’t help but check her out, why wouldn’t he? He found her attractive and it was his boy-like instinct to always check out hot girls, especially if they were standing in front of him in nothing but a towel.

Sophie glanced to her right, rolling her eyes at Calum who was standing there, staring at her. He was a hypocrite, yelling at Sophie for not knocking when he did the same thing. Sophie was lucky that she wasn’t naked. “Knock much?”

“My bad.” Calum mumbled sounding anything but sorry. “I gotta brush my teeth.”

It was silent between the two as Calum brushed his teeth and Sophie continued applying her makeup. He watched her through the mirror and Sophie could feel his eyes on her, but she ignored it, choosing not to say anything.

A knock sounded on Sophie’s door and she simply spoke, “Come in,” as she put on a few layers of lip gloss, rubbing her lips together and pursing them, and God damn, did Calum want to kiss them. The door swung open, Ashton walking in, and Calum quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t find Sophie attractive, because he knew he would act on the thoughts in his head, and Ashton would kill him.

“This is weird,” Ashton furrowed his eyebrows at the sight of his sister in a towel and Calum in nothing but a pair of jeans and a toothbrush in his mouth. “Anyway,” Ashton shook his head. “Can you two go to the liquor store?”

Sophie looked up at her brother unhappily. “Why?”

“For the party tonight.”

Ashton and Calum had decided to throw a party weeks ago before Sophie moved in and Sophie didn’t mind, she loved parties, but she did not want to be stuck with the task of going to the liquor store with Calum. Being stuck in a car with just him didn’t sound too inviting to her. “Why can’t I go alone?”

“I’m going to need you to get a lot of booze and I know you’ll need help, so with Calum with you, it’ll be an easy trip.” Ashton shrugged his shoulders. Sophie sighed, as did Calum, but they didn't complain. “So?”

“Yeah, okay.” Sophie fixed her damp hair, pushing it behind her shoulders, showing off the very smooth skin that Calum wanted to kiss and suck on, and he inhaled a sharp breath. Was she doing it on purpose? “Let me just get dressed.”

“That’d probably be good,” Ashton laughed and looked at Calum expectantly.

“Right. Same.” Calum quickly left the bathroom with Ashton following him and shut the bathroom door behind him. Ashton plopped down on Calum’s bed and replied to the few texts from Michael and Luke who were asking if they needed to do anything or get anything for the party.

“You gonna hook up with Sarah tonight?” Ashton asked, referring to the girl that Calum was having sex with when Sophie barged into his room and interrupted the two.

Calum rolled his eyes at the thought of the girl. The annoying girl that exchanges sex for weed since she doesn’t have a stable enough job to ever pay for it with actual money. Calum didn’t mind though, giving away weed for sex didn’t bother him and since it was only two grams she would want, it didn’t affect the money making.

“She’s comin’?”

Ashton lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Thought you invited her?”

“I did a few weeks ago. Was hopin’ she didn’t remember.” Calum exhaled a laugh.

Calum’s bedroom door opened and Sophie stood there, dressed and swinging her keys around her pointer finger as she looked at the boy expectantly. “Ready to go?”

❋ ❋ ❋

The liquor store trip took longer than it should have, with Calum scolding Sophie and judging her for every bottle she picked up for herself. She simply rolled her eyes at Calum, ignoring his judgements and buying whatever it was she wanted.

They got Ashton’s request of Jim Beam and a few two liters of Coke or Pepsi, Michael and Luke’s requests of any type of good whiskey, Calum stuck to beer- only getting a twelve pack of Corona since he wasn’t planning on getting too drunk, and Sophie got herself a bottle of Tito’s vodka and a two liter of cranberry juice.

“You’re such a girl.” Calum rolled his eyes at Sophie’s choice of drink as she stood in their kitchen and poured herself a pre-party drink. Sophie finished making her drink, squeezing a lime, and taking a refreshing drink.

“And you’re such a dude,” Sophie deadpanned. Calum leaned against the counter, watching Sophie as she hopped onto the counter, crossing one leg over the other, as he sipped his Corona and lime. He decided to stay silent, not bothering with a response, and tore his eyes away from her.

She looked good, Calum thought, dressed in a jean skirt, a white off the shoulder sweater, and beige booties. The weather was in the middle of hot and cold, with it being the beginning of October, so she figured her outfit was weather appropriate. Calum wore a simple pair of black jeans and a red and white t-shirt with a pair of leather boots.

“The party is here!” Michael’s voice sounded throughout the house and he and Luke welcomed themselves into their house. They each carried a case of beer, no doubt planning to get as drunk as they possibly could, and shoved them in the already packed full refrigerator.

Luke hopped onto the counter next to Sophie, smiling down at her since he was much taller, and took her drink out of her hand. He sipped it, letting out a satisfied hum. “You gonna be the bartender tonight, Soph?”

Sophie let out a laugh. “Yeah, right. If you tip me.”

“Oh I’ll do more than tip you,” Luke joked, winking at her in a flirty- but joking, manner, and Calum felt his stomach twist with jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous, really, and he knew that nothing would happen between Sophie and Luke, since Ashton would kill both of them if anything did, but still, he was jealous of Luke’s constant flirting.

“Alright,” Ashton clapped his hands together, rubbing them excitedly, as he looked as his best friends and sisters with a wide grin on his face. “Are y’all ready to get fucked up?”

The five of them clinked their drinks together, whooping and hollering in the process, and chugged them down. Ashton poured everybody a few shots, Calum only taking one since he wasn’t in the liquor kind of mood, and Michael blasted music throughout the in-home speaker that Ashton had gotten installed, to set the mood, and everybody knew that they would have a fun night.

❋ ❋ ❋

Sophie laughed loudly at something Michael said, leaning into him as her drunk body couldn’t stay up completely straight, and Calum watched her. They were outside, their backyard and the inside of their house full of people that Sophie didn’t know and didn’t care to introduce herself to. She sat on top of the hot tub that Calum and Ashton had split the cost and bought, with Michael next to her.

Calum sat on one of the chairs that was around their outdoor table and inhaled the smoke of his cigarette that was much needed. The group had gone outside to smoke, cigarettes and joints, and even though Sophie knew if she smoked she would be cross-faded and even more fucked up, but she couldn’t care in that moment. The point of parties were to let loose and get fucked up, weren’t they?

Ashton hit the joint and passed it to Sophie, hitting her arm lightly with his own to get her attention, and she oh so happily accepted it, wrapping her plump, lip gloss free lips, around the end of it. Calum watched her, bottom lip between his teeth as she inhaled the smoke, held it in her lungs for longer than she needed, and exhaled. She repeated the action two more times before passing it to Michael.

Sophie looked away from Michael, making eye contact with Calum who was already staring at her, and offered him a lazy drunk and stoned smile. He returned it with the corners of his lips lifted up into a small smile and lifted his beer bottle up, tilting it her way, and Sophie did the same with her own red SOLO cup.

They drank their drinks, their eyes never leaving each others, until Ashton pulled Sophie’s attention away from Calum. “Hm?”

“Asked if you needed another drink,” Ashton repeated himself. Sophie nodded her head and chugged her drink down before handing her now empty cup to her brother. Ashton laughed incredulously and shook his head at his drunk sister. “Slow down there, Drunko.”

Sophie waved him off and returned her attention back to where Calum was sitting, frowning slightly at the girl that was now sitting on his lap. Calum laughed at something she said and Sophie quickly looked away before he could catch her staring at him.

Sophie was instantly back into a conversation with Michael and Luke, laughing about nothing in particular due to the weed and alcohol coursing through her system, and she easily forgot about the jealousy she felt in her stomach at the sight of Calum and the girl she recognized from walking in on them.

Suddenly, Sophie was lifted up and being thrown over Luke’s shoulder, squealing loudly and trying to cover her backside that she knew was being exposed due to the short skirt she was wearing. “Luke!” She laughed. “Put me down!”

Calum’s eyes snapped up from Sarah at the sound of Sophie’s voice and he frowned at the sight of Sophie laughing as Luke had her hanging over her shoulder. He noticed her hands holding her skirt down and didn’t miss the black bra she had on due to her sweater falling from being upside and Calum wished that Sophie was on her lap instead of Sarah.

❋ ❋ ❋

Taglist: @wrappedaroundcal @allltimehemmo @catchinqcalum @plaidpantsluke @plainwhiteluke @irwinkitten @irwinvalentines @monsteramongmikey @talkfastfletcher @astroashtonio @irrevocablylukes @candidcalum @youmaycallmemrshemmings @complete-trash-101 @jupitergranger @sensationalmikey @mysteriouslycali @lex-micole @sincerelycalum @calistheloml @kaxseychill @mermaid-merrick @verybelowaverage @honeycombcal @calumismyprince @trashforlili @forggetablle @ihatemyself21 @rexorangecouny @alotof1dlove @aybbblondie @dionnealberts @turtlenecktgc @nipplyportman @lauwenrodriguez @uncrowned-cal @ghstofcalum @cliffordcntrl @xx-cuddlemecalum-xx @checkeredcalum @thatonefangirlposts @it-was-a-lie @therainydays4 @booklove-2 @pattys-got-cakes @mpadge33 @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles @that1girlmary @sensationalmikey @buddhas-princess @nostalgia-luke @tothemoonwithclifford @calistajs @hopelessxcynic @dannisos @calpalbby

[bonziorfonzi]

Imagine you're eating breakfast and you're about to take and aesthetic picture of your food for the gram and Calum is in middle of talking and you take this picture and he hates it and you set it as your background for like a month and all your friends and the boys love it and make you send it to them. AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[wokeup5sostrash]

Calum’s story on the gram.

[noteonthepolaroidpicture]

Tag Game

I got tagged by the ever so lovely @if-i-ever-was thank you so much 💕💕

Favourite snack: microwaved popcorn specially if it’s kettle corn flavored but I’m not really picky

Favourite place to go on vacation?: The beach

What’s a song that makes you dance immediately: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston

Tea or coffee? And what kind?: Iced Coffee with almond milk and vanilla flavoring

Do you play an instrument?: No.

What’s your favourite type of personality?: Genuine, honest, caring, funny and laid back

Favourite comedian?: John Mulaney

Gummy candy or chocolate?: Gunmy love my sour patch kids

What did you ‘want to be when you grew up’ as a kid?: this is like the single most embarrassing thing about me but a model

What’s your favourite physical feature about yourself?: My eyes

When was the last time you watched a show or movie on a TV?: I think Toy Story on freeform or something ???? Like yesterday ??? I watch Netflix more than anything

Unpopular opinion: Harry Potter is overrated

Are you scared of bugs?: Is the pope catholic?

Dogs or cats?: Dogs, I have three whole tags dedicated to the three most important puppers in my life

Are you allergic to any foods?: Nope just overly picky

Does the description of your star sign match your personality?: eh kinda? I’m a cancer so I worry a lot but I don’t know enough about the signs and stuff

Favourite type of accent?: English and Australian

Name the first song that comes into your head!: 2009 by Mac Miller

Who is the sexiest famous person to you?: Miles Kane and Calum Hood

When was the last time you read an entire book?: Few weeks ago; Daisy Jokes and The Six

Favourite junk food: Chic Fil A Nuggets with a cookies and cream shake

Do you like your height?: Yeah, I don’t hate it.

Apples or oranges?: Apples.

Do you like salad?: Love a good salad

What person inspires you the most?: Taylor Swift and my gram on my moms side.

What is a song that has made you cry?: I don’t think a song as ever made my cry ???? Like it takes a whole lot to make me cry and I don’t remembering ever crying to a song ???? I dunno 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Tagging @givemesomemorphlne and @rosecoloredmardybum only if you wanna do it and whoever else wants to do it can

[cakesunflower]

Just My Kind [Teacher!Calum AU] Part 1

A/N: So I caved and decided to post part 1 of this fic. The way I wrote Calum in this is different than the way I’ve written him in the past, I think--as in he’s just a little honey in this LMAO. I hope y’all enjoy!!! 

The microwave in the teacher’s lounge was sparkling clean, and Odessa took that as good of a sign as any. The one in the high school she’d taught at in Nevada had never been clean, no one ever having the decency to clean up after their mess—and Odessa refused to do it, given that it looked as nasty on her first day there as it did on her last. It was why she always brought cold lunches from home so she wouldn’t be subjected to such filth. But this microwave was spotless, and Odessa had no qualms in placing her small bowl of spinach and chicken pasta to heat up during her lunch break.

As she waited for her food to heat up, Odessa allowed for her gaze to wander around the teacher’s lounge. It was large, bigger than her last, which wasn’t surprising given that she was from a town of barely four thousand people, with square table to eat at, couches, a bulletin board pinned with colorful fliers of latest school events. There was a hum of chatter from the few other teachers who were either on their lunch break or weren’t on cafeteria duty for the current freshman and sophomore lunch period. Large windows that looked out towards the front of the school parking lot allowed for the late morning sunlight to stream in, brightening up the space and bringing Odessa a sort of comfort her old town surrounded by mountains bought her.

“How’s your first day going, Odessa?” She turned to see Mrs. Brewer, the chemistry teacher, approaching her with a kind smile on her face. Mrs. Brewer was older than Odessa—as was most of the staff at the school, truthfully—but she’d been one of the first friendly faces to greet Odessa on her first day earlier that morning.

“Pretty well,” Odessa answered with an honest smile. Technically, it was everyone’s first day, given that it was the first day of the school year. But Odessa was new to living in a city she only came to for vacation, so her first day was relatively different than most people’s. With a gentle laugh, she added, “I’m in the same boat as the freshman so we’ve decided we’re in this together. The sophomores are pretty easy going, too.”

Mrs. Brewer chuckled, turning to the counter they stood by to prepare herself a mug of coffee. “Making friends with the freshman—smart.” Odessa smiled, opening the microwave when her food was ready. “Have you met any of the other English teachers yet?”

Odessa hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve met Bridget Donnelly and Justine Greggs.”

Stirring the sugar in her mug, Mrs. Brewer tilted her head as she followed Odessa towards the table. “You haven’t met Calum yet? I’m positive he’s the only other teacher here around your age,” she said with a laugh.

As soon as she sat down on the chair, Odessa’s eyebrows shot up at the name, clicking in her head like a snapping rubber band bringing forth a memory she’d forgotten about. Calum—of course! He was Luke’s friend, who Luke told her about as soon as she’d mentioned the school she’d gotten a job at. Calum was one of Luke’s closest friends, and Luke had informed her that he was the boys soccer coach at the school as well as one of the high school English teachers.

In the haste of moving out of Nevada and to California and preparing for her job as she settled down, the fact had slipped right out of Odessa’s head. She’d never met Calum, but she knew of him because of Luke, who Odessa kept in touch with even after they graduated college and she moved back to Nevada and he remained in California. She saw pictures of Calum on Luke’s social media, knew that Luke was in a band with him and two other guys. What a small world that she ended up with a job at the same school he was at—and yet she had gone almost half of the day without running into him.

“Oh, look—speak of the devil.”

Odessa glanced up at Mrs. Brewer’s words, following her gaze towards the door where she saw a familiar face walk through. Her back straightened as Calum entered, offering a smiling nod to Mr. Engels, the government teacher. Odessa easily recognized him in his pale yellow button down tucked into black jeans, running his fingers through short blonde curls, soft on sight, and flexing the muscles on his tattooed arm. She bit the corner of her lip as she watched him make his way towards the bowl of fruit by the stove, deaf to the way her mind was telling her to look away. He was handsome, the yellow shirt downright beautiful against his inked skin, the pictures she’d seen of him not at all doing him justice.

As if feeling her gaze on him, Calum’s dark eyes met hers right as he picked up an apple, and Odessa felt her cheeks warm at being caught but before she could even think to look away, she saw recognition flash across his features. Then, to her surprise, Calum was making his way over with a knowing furrow between dark eyebrows as he asked carefully, “Odessa? Odessa Kline, right?”

Odessa told herself it was just her polite nature that brought her smile, not the slight accent he had when he spoke. She sat up, nodding as she answered with a light laugh, “Yeah, yeah. It’s nice to finally meet you, Calum.”

He grinned then, a smile that brought sharp crinkles to the corners of his soft eyes, and Odessa chalked the flip of her stomach up to her hunger and not the way he instantly pulled up a chair to sit next to her upon confirmation of who she was. His body faced hers, elbow on the table as he played with the red apple in his hand. “Yeah, you too,” Calum laughed, the sound deep and rich and dangerously fluttering something in Odessa’s stomach. “Luke’s told me a lot ’bout you.”

“Same here,” Odessa nodded, feeling a small surge of confidence as she added, “I was gonna try to find you at the end of the day so I could meet you but I guess you beat me to it.”

“Not too disappointed, I hope,” Calum chuckled, making Odessa shake her head in response. She was getting pathetically ahead of herself, but she highly doubted she could be disappointed in meeting him. Not with that smile and voice. Calum’s gaze then flickered over her shoulder and he lifted his chin, charming smile ever present on his face as he greeted, “Afternoon, Mrs. B.”

Mrs. Brewer smiled back before gesturing between the two of them, raising her mug as she asked, “You two already know each other?”

With a shake of her head, Odessa answered, “We’ve got a mutual friend.”

“Good—now you have more than just the freshman on your side,” Mrs. Brewer teased Odessa with a smile before getting up. “Excuse me, I should probably get my lesson plan ready for the afternoon classes.”

She left, leaving just Odessa and Calum sitting at the table, and Odessa faced him once more as he hummed. “Mrs. B’s right—us English teachers gotta stick together.”

Odessa raised an eyebrow, picking up her fork and shooting Calum a smile as he bit into his apple with a sharp crunch. “Against who? The students or the rest of the teachers?”

He swallowed the bite, sharp jaw working as a teasing glint flickered in his dark eyes when he let his gaze briefly wander over to the few teachers in the room. “Both,” he answered with a small smirk once his gaze met Odessa’s, earning a laugh from her. “No, but really,” Calum laughed, lightly slapping the top of the table with his free hand. “You need anythin’, let me know, yeah? Luke’ll throw a fit if I didn’t.”

Twirling the pasta around her fork, Odessa raised an eyebrow at Calum, unable to keep her smile from turning teasing as she asked, “Oh, so you’re only offering because of Luke?”

Calum scoffed lightly, giving a subtle shake of his head. “Any friend of Luke’s is a friend of mine,” he told her, and his kind words had Odessa’s cheeks warming once more. It was totally because of his subtly accented words and not the smile that accompanied them. They both took a bite of their food, and afterwards Calum spoke, “Speaking of Luke—I’m assuming you’re coming to his bar Friday night? Since the party’s for you and all.”

Odessa paused in reached for her water, head turning towards Calum with a raise of her eyebrow and tone falling flat as she asked, “The what’s for who now?”

Calum blinked in mild confusion, eyebrows knitting together as he took in Odessa’s own questioning expression. Then, almost comically, his dark eyes widened in realization and he bared his teeth, hissing as he inhaled sharply through his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in self exasperation. “Ah, fuck, I don’t think I was ’posed to tell you that,” he groaned, free fist pressing against his forehead as Odessa kept her gaze fixated on him, silently demanding him to further explain. Sitting up, Calum informed, “I mean, it’s not really a party. He’s just having a few people come over to welcome you. You know how Luke’s always lookin’ for a reason to celebrate.”

Odessa’s expression fell at Calum’s words, a small sinking feeling settling in her stomach. “Oh, God,” she huffed, leaning back in the chair and blank gaze falling on her lunch in front of her. “He knows I don’t like being the center of attention.” Odessa glanced at Calum, a half smile curling at her lips before she added, “Except in the classroom.”

He laughed lightly, nodding along and Odessa had a feeling that he may, in some way, relate to her words. When his gaze met hers once more, a warmth that somehow had the power of making her feel at ease despite the news of Luke’s party, Calum lifted his chin. “It won’t be too bad. You should definitely still come.” Then, with a small, boyish smirk and a raise of an eyebrow, Calum added, “We’ll even perform a couple of songs for you.”

Her stomach flipped. She kept telling herself it was because she was still hungry and not because of the crinkles that appeared alongside his kind smile. And despite the warmth in her cheeks, Odessa still said, “How can I say no to that?”

*****

“Grams, Grandpa, I’m heading out!”

Odessa’s grandfather, Zeke, sat up from his recliner and looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “You’re not driving, are ya?”

“No, the Uber’s gonna be here in a minute,” Odessa reassured him with a laugh. She entered the living room, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek before stepping over to where Grams sat on the couch, a book in her hands and pressed a kiss to her temple as well. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back—please don’t wait up.”

Grams looked up at her, blue eyes holding a maternal concern as she asked, “You won’t be alone, will you?”

“No,” Odessa told her, shrugging on the deep red bomber jacket. “I’m gonna be with Luke—you remember him, right?”

“That tall, handsome boy we met at your graduation? How can I forget?” Grams grinned, earning a bemused scoff from Grandpa. Odessa merely laughed as Grams added gleefully, “Are you interested in him?”

Her question had Odessa laughing only harder, intensifying as Grandpa grumbled, “Kid looks like a mountain man.”

“I’m not interested in Luke, Grams,” Odessa laughed, her cheeks already hurting from the grin. She swore Grams was sometimes worse than her gossiping aunts, except she knew Grams only ever came from a place of warmth and good intentions. The same couldn’t always be said for her aunts. “He’s just a friend, and he’s got a girlfriend.”

Grams twisted her lips to the side, disappointment evident. Clicking her tongue, she looked up at Odessa pointedly and said, “I’m sure he’s got some cute friends. A boy like that’s got to.”

Odessa bit the inside of her cheek, a face flashing across the forefront of her mind that she instantly pushed back with a skip of her heart. This conversation was only bringing forth thoughts Odessa had repressed over the past week—particularly when she saw that familiar face in the school hallways or teacher’s lounge. He’d pop into her classroom in between classes, greeting her like they were old friends, chatting for brief periods before they had to attend to their students. 

She appreciated Calum’s friendliness more than she thought she would. In the midst of settling down in her new job, getting to know new students and ironing out her lesson plan, it felt nice to wind down and relax for moments in the form of talking to Calum. He was sweet, charming, and from what Odessa gathered over her first week at teaching at the school, he was adored by his students. She was also pretty sure a bunch of them had a crush on him—not that she blamed them. Odessa herself wasn’t innocent of not harboring innocent crushes on her school teachers—or college professors.

Fuck. She couldn’t be talking about crushes and Calum in the same context. 

Glancing down at her phone, Odessa noted the Uber waiting for her outside, and after a quick goodbye to her grandparents—as well as to Lettie, Grams’s American shorthair—Odessa was out the door and sliding into the backseat of the Hyundai. She kept busy on the ride by scrolling through social media, letting Luke know that she was on his way, who was still bothered that she didn’t let him pick her up. But Odessa had errands to run right up until she got ready, and she didn’t want Luke to wait around for her, and she didn’t mind taking an Uber—especially with driving being out of the question since she planned on drinking.

Her knee bounced during the ride over, a flutter of nerves making themselves known. Like Luke, Odessa was always down for a party—except when she was the center of attention. Honestly, she thought Luke inviting everyone to hang out to welcome her was both sweet and excessive, and when she had told him about her hesitation, Luke had been understanding. Of course, he’d cursed out Calum for ruining the surprise, but at the end assured Odessa that it wouldn’t be a big thing. It would just be people he was close with that he wanted her to meet, especially now that she was living in the area and Luke, who was a social butterfly, loved having all of his friends meet. And with Luke knowing how Odessa felt about parties centering around her, she felt a lot more at ease attending tonight.

Except it was easier to blame her bouncing knee on those kinds of nerves rather than the ones of seeing Calum outside of school.

Right as the Uber turned onto the street Odessa knew the bar to be on, she texted Luke that she was basically there, and as soon as she stepped out of the car after thanking the driver, she felt a smile grow on her lips to see Luke emerging from the bar, ready to greet her upon arrival. The sign above the bar was neon blue that read Borderline, the name of the joint, with windows on the bar front allowing to show how busy it was inside. Odessa prayed they were mostly people just enjoying a night out and now those who Luke personally invited.

“I still wish you would’ve let me given you a ride instead of wasting money on an Uber,” was how Luke chose to greet her, arms open wide to allow Odessa to step into his embrace.

She snorted, returning his hug, enjoying his familiar warmth as she returned dryly, “Hello to you, too.” When they pulled away, she smiled and patted his chest. “Next time.”

He rolled his blue eyes before dropping his arm around her shoulders and ushering her inside, bumping knuckles with the bouncer out front before they entered the loud, busy bar. It wasn’t bright inside, the lights dim and soft on the eyes as a DJ set up on a stand higher than the bar played music throughout. The first thing Luke did was lead her towards the bar, ordering Odessa’s go-to drink of a Malibu Bay Breeze which was ready for her quickly before bringing her to where a group of people—including a few familiar faces—were hanging out by a couple of tall tables.

Odessa returned the hug Sierra, Luke’s girlfriend, greeted her with before losing herself in the next few moments of meeting new faces. Luke’s friend Michael and his fiancé, Crystal, and Ashton with his girlfriend KayKay, and then finally—

Oh. Odessa hadn’t expected to see her.

“Long time, Odessa,” Paige, Odessa’s roommate from her junior and senior years of college, greeted with a too wide grin, stepping from the group and pulling Odessa in a hug she hadn’t expected. Paige’s rose scented perfume tickled Odessa’s nose as she returned the hug, hoping her mild discomfort didn’t overpower her surprise at seeing Paige, who pulled away with that grin still on her face. “I’m so excited you decided to move into the city! It’ll be great to catch up.”

The smile on Odessa’s lips felt strained, but she kept it in place as she forced herself to nod and respond, “Yeah, totally.”

If Paige picked up on the subtle lack of sincerity in Odessa’s words, she didn’t comment on it as she smiled and took a step back, grabbing her glass of mojito from the table. Gaze wandering over to Luke, Odessa saw the hint of apology in his blue eyes, and she bit her tongue. At least Luke was aware that she wasn’t too thrilled about Paige’s presence. Being her roommate for two years had been bad enough—Odessa didn’t have much of an interest in hanging out with Paige otherwise.

It wasn’t that Odessa hated Paige—it was just that Paige could be a bit much. In a bad way. It was always her way or the highway, and Odessa had become used to keeping her opinions to herself when she was around Paige in order to keep her then-roommate appeased and keep herself off of Paige’s shit list. Because she definitely had one of those. But after they graduated, Odessa had assumed she wouldn’t have to see her again—and she kind of wished Luke had given her some kind of warning that Paige was still a part of his life.

“Hey—the guest of honor’s arrived.” Odessa looked to the left to see Calum walking towards them, a friendly grin she often saw at school on his face as he made his way over, and Odessa tried not to think of how naturally she accepted his greeting embrace, the vague scent of cigarettes tickling her nose. The black lighter in his hand further confirmed he’d been smoking. She clicked her tongue at him at his words, and Calum chuckled and relented, “Right, right, this isn’t a party for you. Just a bunch of friends getting together.”

Odessa mirrored his grin, feeling her heart momentarily freeze at the teasing wink he sent her way as he grabbed the extra bottle of beer from Ashton’s hand. Next to her, Luke scoffed, “Yeah, thanks, man, for ruining the surprise.”

Calum shot him an apologetic grin while the rest of them laughed along, and Odessa came to his defense as she said to Luke, “You know I don’t like surprises. He basically saved you from getting smacked.”

Luke stuck his tongue out at her. “Last time I try to do something nice for you.”

The group of them gathered around a couple of round tables and chatted, and Odessa found herself feeling at ease in their company despite only having met some of them tonight. She was comfortable as she was asked questions about herself, the few who she didn’t know wanting to get to know her better, genuine interest lacing their tones, and Odessa returned the sentiment as she got to know them, too. 

“So Odessa—you and Cal teach at the same school?” Paige spoke up, a curious smile on her face as she stood opposite of her. “How fun—it must be nice to have a familiar face in the building, right?”

“Yeah, it is,” Odessa answered carefully, stirring her straw in her cup. She had learned, a long time ago, to always be cautious when it came to talking to Paige. She knew never knew when her so-called friend would try to turn the conversation against her. Still, though, when Odessa answered, she glanced at Calum, who stood to her right and shot her a charming and agreeing grin that had Odessa’s stomach flipping.

Paige nodded, humming innocently, gaze sharp. “I bet; probably makes it easier, right? I know how anxious you get whenever you’re in a new place.”

Odessa bit the inside of her cheek. She genuinely wondered sometimes if Paige was being patronizing on purpose or if she truly didn’t catch on to the way she spoke to her. Instead of feeling embarrassed, especially since she had no reason to, Odessa shrugged. “I broke out of that habit a while back; it’s easy to when you have to teach a bunch of hyper high schoolers.”

Next to her, Calum scoffed and held his beer bottle out to her. “I’ll drink to that,” he said, and Odessa smiled as she tapped her cup to his bottle before they both took sips of their drinks. “Teaching those kids is no joke.”

Michael rolled his green eyes, waving his free hand as he said sarcastically, “Yeah, yeah, we get it—you’re modern day superheroes.”

Odessa laughed with everyone else, easily finding the good nature behind Michael’s words as she continued sipping her drink. All the while ignoring the feel of Paige’s gaze on her from across the table, refusing to meet her gaze as she allowed for Crystal to pull her into a new conversation.

“Hey, come here a sec,” Luke murmured about ten minutes later, and Odessa excused herself from a conversation with KayKay and Michael before following him a few steps away from their group and towards the bar. When she came to stand next to him, Luke looked down at her with an apologetic expression. “I should’ve told you that Paige was gonna show up—I wanna say she came to see you, but if I’m being honest, it’s ’cause she knew Cal would be here so she kind of just invited herself.”

Odessa blinked up at him, his words kind of taking her by surprise. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach as she reluctantly asked, “Oh, are they, like, a thing?”

Luke shrugged as he took a sip of his tequila, licking his lips after. “Not really. I mean, Cal said they hooked up a couple of times but if I’m being honest—” Luke offered a wry smirk. “—she’s more into him than he is into her.”

At that, Odessa chanced a glance to where their group stood, eyes catching the way Paige stood next to Calum as they chatted with Sierra. The music playing in the bar deafened Odessa as to what they were talking about, but it didn’t blind her to the grin Calum shot Paige as she said something Odessa wasn’t privy to. “Really?” she asked Luke, the doubt a lot clearer in her tone than she would’ve liked it to be.

“Yeah, trust me,” Luke scoffed out a laugh, and Odessa glanced to see him look back at her as well after following her gaze. “Cal’s just a nice guy. They haven’t hooked up in, like, months. I think Paige just doesn’t get the hint, ya know?”

“You seem to know too much about this,” she said suspiciously, prompting Luke to merely smirk in response. Odessa let out a sharp breath through her nose, shooting Luke a look as she turned to face the bar. “When has Paige never gotten what she wants?” she added dryly as she flagged down the bartender, her drink finished and in need of another one.

Luke rolled his eyes, knowing the the truth of Odessa’s words. “Fair enough. Still, though—can’t wait for the day she gets knocked down a peg or two.” With a smirk appearing on his lips to show off his dimples, Luke added, “I always knew I was right to have you as my favorite across-the-hall neighbor.”

That had her laughing as the bartender placed her drink in front of her, and the grin on Odessa’s face remained as she said to Luke, “I missed you too, Luke.”

--

tags: @irwinkitten​ @sweetcherrymike​ @loveroflrh​ @meetashthere​ @astroashtonio​ @loverofhood​ @captain-what-is-going-on​ @angelbbycal​ @singt0mecalum​ @hopelessxcynic​ @lfwallscouldtalk​ @bodhi-black​ @findingliam-o​ @softlrh​ @highfivecalum​ @calumsmermaid​ @erikamarie41​ @quintodosuniversos​ @longlastingdaydream​ @babylon-corgis​ @lukehemmingsunflower​ @miss-saltwatercowgirl​ @pastelpapermoons​ @conquerwhatliesahead92​ @rotten-kandy​ @metangi​ @neigcthood​ @ohhmuke​ @mindkaleidoscope​ @5sos-and-hessa​ @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @sunnysidesblog​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @wildflower-cth​ @bloodmoonashton​ @vxidhood​ @gosh-im-short​ @thesubtweeter​ @mycollectionofnuts​ @cthwldflwr​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @socorroann​ @wildflowergrae​ 

[toohardtoforgetcth]

Too Hard To Forget

Chapter Three

Warnings: angst, swearing, hospital setting with medical emergency, SMUT

6,533 words

A/N: Friendly reminder that this fic still exists since I’ve been hella MIA for the last like month (hello selling my house, moving cities and starting a new job) BUT here’s chapter 3 for y’all! Feedback is so so so appreciated! :)

» » » » » »

Parker was working another night shift on Saturday night and it was slow. She was sitting at the front desk with a few other co-workers, chatting and passing the time. The clock ticked on, a few minutes before two in the morning. She had one patient, an elderly man that was scheduled to receive medication every two hours via IV, so she stood and began making her way to his room.

On her way there, she passed by Grace’s room and noticed her bed was empty. Parker’s brows furrowed in confusion—Grace should be sleeping at this hour. Parker worked in a hospital facility connected to the main hospital and emergency department. Parker’s patients were free to roam wherever they wanted, but they still required someone to keep a close eye on them. Grace had taken a bad fall and ended up with a head injury and a broken leg. She needed a caregiver while she was recovering from surgery, so she moved into Westhill because she refused to be a burden on Calum.

Parker checked around Grace’s room quickly. She noticed the bathroom door was closed, and there was light filtering from underneath it. She knocked softly on the door.

“Grace?” she called out. No answer.

“Grace,” she tried again, louder this time.

“Grace, it’s Parker. Is everything okay?”

Still no answer. Panic setting in, she pulled the master key for the bathroom door out of her pocket, fumbling it in the lock and pushing open the door. Grace was lying on the floor in the bathroom, convulsing.

“Oh, my god. Grace!” Parker dropped to her knees, rolling Grace onto her side to prevent her from aspirating. Parker hit the panic button on the wall, signaling an emergency to the other staff. Several nurses came rushing in within a few minutes, helping Parker lift Grace onto a stretcher. After five minutes Grace’s convulsions were showing no signs of slowing down. They rushed her to the emergency clinic entrance where a team of emergency nurses and a doctor took over.

Parker had a phone call to make, one that she was dreading. She hoped for Calum’s sake that Grace would be okay. And for her own, because if something happened, she had a feeling she knew exactly who Calum would blame.

• • • • • •

Calum’s dream was disrupted by the shrill sound of his phone ringing on his bedside table. It rang once, twice, three times, and he groaned, rolling over and swiping it off his nightstand.

“Hello?” he answered gruffly.

“Calum? I…it’s Parker.”

Calum sat up abruptly. Why the hell would Parker be calling him at 2:30 in the morning? And how did she even get his number?

“Calum, it’s Grace. She’s in the emergency room. I don’t really know anything yet, but you should come down here.”

Calum shot out of bed, tugging the first t-shirt he could find over his head and pulling his jeans on from where he left them on the floor the night before. “What happened?” he demanded.

“I found her in the bathroom a little while ago. She had a seizure. I—I have to go, I have to talk to the doctor. Just get here, okay?” Parker hung up.

Calum had never driven so fast in his life. He made it to the hospital in four minutes, easily a ten-minute drive if he had obeyed the law.

He hadn’t.

He wasn’t going to take any chances. Not when it came to Grace.

Calum stormed through the front doors of the emergency room. Eyes wide, he frantically searched for Grace or Parker or anyone who would tell him what the hell was going on. He spotted Parker, talking to a middle-aged man in scrubs and a white lab coat. He made it to her in a few short strides.

“What happened?” he interrupted, directing his question at Parker, his back turned to the doctor. “Is she okay? Where is she?” Calum’s hair was disheveled, eyes swollen from sleep and brows furrowed with concern. Grace meant everything to him, and he was about to lose his shit if someone didn’t tell him what the fuck was going on.

The doctor eyed Calum warily and turned to Parker, giving her a questioning look. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is Calum, Grace’s grandson. He’s her only family.” Calum stepped back, eyeing the doctor expectantly.

“She’s stable,” he said. “She had quite a severe seizure. We’re going to run some diagnostics to rule out the cause, but I suspect it has to do with the head injury she suffered when she fell. She’ll be moved to a private room shortly, and you can see her then.”

Calum opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Parker shot him a disapproving look. “Thank you, Dr. Penner,” she said gratefully, shaking his hand.

Calum watched the doctor turn and leave before he sank down into one of the chairs in the waiting area. Parker sat down next to him. Calum leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands, elbows resting on his thighs.

He felt Parker’s hand come to rest on his back. His posture went rigid, unprepared for her touch. She pulled away, but ultimately decided he needed comfort, even if he seemed to be bothered by everything she did. She laid her hand on his knee instead, squeezing gently.

“Hey,” Parker said softly. “She’s gonna be okay.”

Calum lifted his head to look at her, but he could think of nothing to say as he stared into her eyes, so he looked away. It was easy for him to get lost in Parker’s eyes. She was compassionate, warm, gentle. Every second he spent with her, the feelings he had tried desperately to push down kept resurfacing, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with them right now.

• • • • • •

Parker sat in silence with Calum for over an hour before a nurse finally came out and told them they could go and see Grace. The two of them followed the nurse into a small recovery room where Grace was hooked up to an IV bag and a breathing tube. Her eyes were closed, the monitor next to her bed beeping steadily with the rhythm of her heart. Parker noticed as Calum’s eyebrows drew together with worry, his jaw set and fists clenched.

“She’s had a rough night. You can spend a few minutes with her, but she’s exhausted, and the best thing for her right now is rest,” the nurse said gently, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Parker started to say, but Calum’s hand shot out unexpectedly and closed around her wrist.

Their eyes met, and Calum jerked his hand back. “Stay,” he said quietly, almost pleadingly.

Parker had never seen Calum like this before. Figures it would take an experience like this to force him to show some emotion other than anger or irritation, but Parker wasn’t about to call him out on it. She would take what she could get, for now.

They stayed for a few minutes, Calum sitting on the chair beside Grace’s bed, holding her hand and talking to her, even though she couldn’t respond. Parker felt awkward, ironically like she was intruding on another private conversation between them, but Calum didn’t seem bothered by her presence this time as she leaned against the wall by the door.

Calum stood finally, pressing a kiss to Gram’s forehead. “Love you, pretty lady,” he whispered.

Parker followed him out into the hallway, and he stopped and turned to her, lips parted like he was going to say something. She waited quietly.

He gave her an odd look, like he was contemplating something, then shook his head.

“I have to go,” he said abruptly before turning and hurrying off.

“Calum, wait!” she called after him, but he ignored her, pushing through the double doors and leaving Parker stunned and confused.

• • • • • •

As soon as he was in the confines of the Charger, Calum allowed his feelings to take hold. He knew Gram would be okay, that she was safe here and well taken care of, but the scare of almost losing her rattled him. She was the only family he had and he wasn’t ready to lose her. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then he let his thoughts drift back to Parker. He had an opportunity to tell her how he felt. She was there for him when he didn’t deserve it, and he almost told her right there in the hospital, but he’d lost his nerve and bolted.

Calum sighed, running his hands through his hair. He needed to get his shit together, before he missed his chance. But right now, he needed sleep.

» » » » » »

Parker didn’t see Calum for a few days. Grace was still in the main hospital wing, so she assumed he had been visiting her there. Tuesday morning, she was doing some paperwork at the front desk when she heard someone clear their throat.

Parker looked up. “Calum—hi,” she said, surprised to see him. She stood, coming around the desk to stand in front of him. “Grace isn’t here, she’s still—”

“I know,” he said, scratching at the stubble on his jaw. “I came to see you.” He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. He was quiet for a moment as he looked down, contemplating his next words. “Thank you,” he said finally. “For saving her.”

“I didn’t—”

“Yes, you did,” he cut her off. “She wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t found her when you did. Gram—Grace,” he corrected himself, “she’s all I’ve got. I’d be lost without her. So…thank you.”

“I—it’s nothing,” Parker blushed, shaking her head. “I care about her, too,” she added sincerely.

“I know,” Calum gave her a small smile. A real, genuine smile. “I’m heading over to see her now. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks.”

• • • • • •

Grace was awake and back to her usual self, albeit a little worse for wear. She was weak, but she had been cleared to go back to Westhill as soon as they finished running a few final tests.

Calum was seated cross-legged at the foot of her bed, staring into space.

“What’s on your mind, dear?” Grace prodded, commenting on her grandson’s distance.

Her voice snapped him out of his daydream and he focused back on her, smiling. “Nothing, Gram. I’m fine.” Truth is, he was not fine. He couldn’t stop thinking about Parker. His feelings for her were becoming more intense with every day that passed, and he didn’t have a clue what to do with them.

“You’re a terrible liar, baby. Always have been,” she mused. “It’s Parker, isn’t it?”

Calum sighed in amusement. He should have known better—he couldn’t hide a damn thing from this woman. She knew him so well it was scary sometimes. “Is it that obvious?” Calum asked. “How did you know?”

She chuckled, resting her bony hand on top of his. “Because I know everything,” she winked. “I know you better than you could ever imagine. I can see it in the way you look at her—she’s special.”

Calum grinned. “That she is,” he agreed.

“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel? It’s obvious you two have chemistry,” she pointed out.

“I don’t know if it’s that easy,” he sighed. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t been very good to her. She has no reason to trust me.”

“Oh, I noticed,” Gram laughed, squeezing his hand. “Just talk to her, honey. Be honest. She might surprise you.”

» » » » » »

Calum visited Gram every day for the rest of the week, and as luck would have it, Parker had worked the opposite shift for every one of those days. He was beginning to believe that fate was trying to keep them apart, until Gram gave him one final pep talk on Friday night while they were watching a movie in her room.

“She’s not gonna be available forever, you know,” Gram said nonchalantly. “And she’s not just going to throw herself at you—you have to make the first move.”

Calum rolled his eyes at the old woman. “You mean you don’t think she’s fallen for my charm?” He flashed her his most dazzling smile.

Gram shot him a dry look. “You scared the living bejeezus out of that poor girl. You’re lucky she hasn’t run in the other direction.”

“You’re kind of pushy, you know that?” he laughed.

“Nothing wrong with being pushy, dear,” she shrugged. “Being persistent gets you places. Or people,” she added with a wink.

» » » » » »

Parker was cleaning her apartment, Wake Up Sunshine playing from her speakers when she heard a knock at the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and Jenna usually let herself in. She was not prepared for who was standing on the other side when she opened it.

“Hey,” Calum stood in her open doorway, dressed in his usual attire of black boots, black jeans and his leather jacket. “Is this a bad time?”

“No, not at all,” Parker replied, surprised to see him at her door. Thank God she’d had the sense to shower and change out of her pajamas this morning, despite not having anywhere to be. “What’s up?”

“Sorry to just show up,” he apologized. “I didn’t have your number, but I knew you were off today and I needed to talk to you.”

Parker waited quietly, eagerly awaiting his next words. She wondered what was so important that he couldn’t wait.

“I—ah, fuck this,” Calum said abruptly, taking two steps forward and closing the distance between them as he took Parker’s face in his hands and kissed her.

Parker went rigid for a second, her brain slow to communicate with the rest of her body. But then she relaxed, bringing her hands up to rest on Calum’s stomach. She hadn’t realized until now how badly she’d been wanting to kiss him. She could feel the planes of his abdomen through the thin material of his black t-shirt. Calum moved his hands down, winding them around her waist and tugging her close as he deepened the kiss. She moved her hands up his stomach to his chest, then behind his head where her fingers tangled in the dark curls at the back of his neck. Parker’s head was spinning. Her body was weightless—she felt like she was floating. She hadn’t been prepared for this, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t dreamt about it. Calum’s lips were soft and warm, polar opposite to his harsh exterior. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” he swore, lifting his hand to brush his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he confessed.

Parker lifted her eyes to his. His dark brown eyes were warm, sincere. Nothing like the cold brown ones she had stared into so many times before tonight. “That was...unexpected,” she breathed.

Calum smiled. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick,” he said quietly. He trailed his finger up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I didn’t know how to deal, so I tried to push you away, and I’m sorry.”

Parker wanted to be mad. He was a dick. But she had feelings for him too, and right now, she didn’t care about anything that had happened in the past. All she cared about was right now, and how it felt to finally have Calum’s lips on hers.

“Are you busy today?” Parker asked him.

Calum grinned. “I’m all yours, angel.”

• • • • • •

Calum and Parker spent the afternoon walking aimlessly downtown. They took a walk through the park, talking and getting to know one another. Calum wasn’t about to divulge his life story to Parker, but he tried his best to answer her endless stream of questions. She was surprised at how easy he was to talk to, once he opened up. They stopped for a late lunch, then ended up going to visit Grace for a little while. Grace was delighted to see them together, but she didn’t say anything about it when Calum gave her a warning look. The two of them ended up back at Parker’s apartment around seven, just as it was starting to get dark, stopping at her front door.

“Thanks for today,” she said, looking up into his brown eyes. “For letting me get to know you a little better. I had fun,” she smiled.

“Yeah, me too,” he returned her smile.

They stood in silence for a moment. Parker was unsure of what to say next, and Calum became fascinated with staring at his boots, waiting patiently for her to make the next move.

Finally, Parker spoke. “You wanna come in? We could order some food, watch a movie...” she trailed off.

Calum looked up. “Yeah, sure,” he agreed, following her inside.

“You can pick a movie, I’ll order the food,” she said, swiping the remote off the coffee table and handing it to Calum. He kicked his boots off and settled on the couch, flipping on the TV as he put his feet up on the coffee table. Parker smiled at the way he made himself comfortable, his confidence radiating off him. He was quiet, but Calum was anything but shy or nervous. He didn’t care about people’s opinions of him—he reminded her of Jenna that way.

“You feel like Thai?” Parker called from the kitchen, digging through a pile of takeout menus.

“Sounds good to me,” he called back. He selected a thriller from the Netflix menu, pausing it to wait for Parker. As he waited, Parker’s little grey cat jumped up on the couch and perched himself on Calum’s lap, purring and rubbing his face on Calum’s hand.

Parker smiled, watching from the kitchen as Calum scratched Loki’s ears and rubbed his head. He must really love animals, Parker thought, since Loki was usually standoffish with anyone except her.

After she ordered their food, Parker joined Calum in the living room. He glanced up at her. “What’s his name?” he asked, Loki sitting very comfortably on his lap. Parker could hear him purring from where she stood.

“Loki,” she answered, smiling. “He likes you. He doesn’t even like Jenna,” she laughed. Her eyes drifted to the TV. “What are we watching?” she questioned.

“Insidious,” he answered. “Is that okay?”

“Uh—yeah, sure,” she lied. It wasn’t okay at all—Parker hated scary movies.

Calum gave her a quizzical look. “You don’t look sure,” he chuckled. “We can watch something else.”

“No, it’s fine,” she lied again. “I’m just gonna go change.”

If they were going to watch a scary movie, Parker at least wanted to be comfortable. She closed the door to her bedroom and slipped into an old band tee and leggings.

Calum was shrugging off his leather jacket when she emerged from her bedroom. He looked unbelievably good in that jacket, but he looked even better in the fitted black t-shirt underneath it, showing off his biceps and several of his tattoos. He also had a thin gold chain around his neck that glistened against his golden skin.

Parker paused for a moment to admire him shamelessly without his knowledge, then plopped down on the couch beside him.

Calum glanced at her, taking in her outfit change and smirking. He liked that she seemed comfortable with him now. It seemed like their night at the hospital with Gram brought them closer, taking the tension and awkwardness out of their relationship. It made him feel better about his shitty behaviour over the last while, knowing she wasn’t afraid of being herself around him despite how mean he had been to her. Calum was used to the girls he dated dressing to the nines, wearing too much makeup and trying too hard to impress him. Parker was refreshingly opposite, and he liked it a lot.

Their food arrived twenty minutes into the movie and they ate in silence. Parker was not enjoying the movie, not in the slightest. When they finished eating, she settled far back into the couch, tucking her legs under her for comfort. Calum glanced over at her every so often, taking in her wide-eyed, almost pained expression, noting how she would cover her eyes and peek through slightly at the really scary parts.

“You don’t like scary movies, do you?” he asked, smirking.

Parker didn’t look at him. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Why didn’t you say something when I asked if this one was okay?” he questioned. “I told you we could change it.”

She shrugged. “I guess I thought I could handle it.”

Calum chuckled, shaking his head. He lifted his arm and tilted his head, gesturing for her to scoot closer. “Come here.”

Parker just stared at him.

“I don’t bite, doll,” he laughed, so she wiggled closer, tucking herself under his outstretched arm. He leaned his head down and whispered in her ear. “Unless you want me to.”

Parker blushed at his comment. He didn’t see her face, but he didn’t have to. The way she tensed under his arm was exactly the kind of reaction he wanted. He thrived on making her squirm, catching her off guard. He thought of it as payback for the way she walked into his life—coming out of nowhere and knocking him on his ass. Even if his feelings toward her had changed, he still lived for the blush that crept up her cheeks when she was embarrassed.

Parker spent most of the movie with her face buried in Calum’s shoulder. His arm tightened protectively around her, and even though she knew her fear of the movie was irrational, she felt safer being close to him.

Parker shifted slightly in her position, the collar of her t-shirt sliding down slightly and exposing the bare skin on her neck and collarbone. Calum dragged a finger along her skin, her t-shirt slipping further down her shoulder. She shivered at the contact which didn’t go unnoticed by Calum. His free hand rested on her knee, sliding up a few inches and stopping at her mid-thigh.

Parker sucked in a sharp breath and Calum smiled to himself. He loved how easy it was to rile her up.

They sat like that for the rest of the movie. Calum turned to her as soon as the credits started rolling.

Parker panicked, standing abruptly. “I’ll be right back,” she squeaked, rushing off down the hall.

She closed herself in the only bathroom in her apartment. She turned on the tap, splashing cold water on her face. Calum’s touch burned her skin—it was like she could still feel his hands on her. She stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, trying to collect her jumbled thoughts, then opened the door.

Calum was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the frame. Parker screamed in surprise when she saw him standing there, an exaggerated reaction resulting from the movie they just watched.

“You scared the shit out of me!” she shrieked, heart pounding.

“Meant to,” he grinned. He pushed away from the door, taking a step towards her, eyes hooded and a determined look on his face. Parker stood perfectly still, watching him. Her heart hammered wildly, threatening to burst right out of her chest. Calum seemed to pick up on it, too. He leaned down, running a finger over her jaw. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then her collarbone. Painfully slowly, he left a trail of kisses up Parker’s neck, stopping at the spot just below her ear.

“Do I make you nervous?” he whispered.

Parker almost passed out from the mix of emotions running through her head.

“No,” she hesitated.

Calum took her earlobe between his teeth, causing just enough pain to make her react, but not enough to actually hurt her. “Don’t lie to me, doll.”

Parker whimpered. She loved it when he called her sweet names—it made her insides all fluttery and warm. “Fine, yes,” she breathed. “Yes, you make me nervous.”

A wicked gleam shone in his dark eyes. “What if I do this?”

Calum moved to stand behind her. Parker watched in the mirror as he hooked a finger in the collar of her shirt, pulling it down her shoulder and taking the strap of her bra with it.

“Or this?” He grabbed her roughly by the waist, spinning her around to face him and pushing her back against the countertop.

Parker’s throat dried in anticipation of his next move.

“What about this?” Calum slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt, resting them on the bare skin over her ribcage. His thumbs brushed over her skin in a gentle motion.

Parker’s body was on fire. Calum’s touch was electric, igniting every inch of her. It wasn’t a lie—Calum did make her nervous. A little frightened, even. But her body betrayed her. She needed him. Craved him. Wanted to feel him everywhere.

So Parker kissed him. Forcefully, lips crashing to his in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the tension she was feeling. Calum returned her kiss, forcing her mouth open with his tongue and tangling it with hers. He pressed himself against her, leaving no space between their bodies. She could feel him digging into her hips, hard and ready for her. She moaned loudly into his mouth, and he wasted no time in ripping her t-shirt off and unclasping her bra. His hands were all over her bare chest, squeezing and pinching and then his mouth was on her, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking and biting while his fingers worked the other one. Calum lifted his head to meet her lips once more, sliding his hands around her thighs and lifting her easily onto the counter. Parker reached down and tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he yanked it off in one swift motion, tossing it onto the floor next to hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and before she could protest, he was carrying her down the hall, into her bedroom. He dropped her down on the bed, crawling on top of her. His eyes were black with hunger. Calum kissed her again and again, hands roaming everywhere. He sat up, hooking his fingers in the waistband of her leggings, sliding them down her legs, followed by her panties. He spread her legs wide, slipping a finger inside her.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he growled. “I need to taste you.”

Parker’s head fell back onto the pillow. Calum moved down, dropping his face between her thighs. He wasted no time with teasing as he flattened his tongue along her entrance, licking a long strip all the way up to her clit. She arched her back, already feeling her stomach twisting in knots. He sucked her clit into his mouth, adding a finger, then two into her entrance. He pumped them in and out rapidly, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She came undone around Calum’s fingers, spasming and shuddering. He licked her through her orgasm, stopping only when she relaxed again. He crawled back up, straddling her.

He held his fingers in front of her face. “Suck,” he commanded. She obliged, opening her mouth and accepting his fingers, coated in her orgasm. Tasting her own sweetness on her tongue sent a fresh wave of wetness to her core. She reached down for the button on Calum’s jeans.

“Please,” she begged.

He grinned wickedly. “Tell me what you want.”

“You,” Parker whined. “I want you inside me.”

“Condom?”

She shook her head. “Birth control.”

Calum groaned as he let her undo the button. His hard length sprang free when she shimmied his jeans and underwear down his legs, kicking them off and grinning as Parker’s eyes widened at the size of him. He lined himself up with her entrance and pushed in, filling her up completely. She cried out at the feeling.

“You okay, love?” he asked her, concern crossing his features.

She nodded. “Please,” she begged. “Fuck me.”

The blackness was back in his eyes. He reminded her of a wild animal. He was pure, raw power. He pumped in and out of her a few times, setting a fast pace. There was no way her neighbours couldn’t hear her screaming, but she didn’t care. He felt so good. He fucked her hard, hooking one of her legs over his shoulder so he could push deeper. It wasn’t long before Parker felt her release building again.

“You gonna come for me, doll?” he growled, pumping harder. “Let go for me, baby. I’m close, too.”

His words were all it took for Parker to fall over the edge, and Calum followed immediately after, groaning as he spilled himself inside her.

Calum stilled, pulling out carefully and rolling to the side. He lay there beside Parker, both of them panting heavily for a few moments.

Then out of nowhere, he leapt off the bed and scooped Parker into his arms, carrying her out of the room.

“Calum! What are you doing?!” she shrieked, trying desperately to wiggle free.

“Stop squirming—you’re making a mess. We’re going to take a shower,” he stated simply.

He turned sideways to squeeze them through the door of the bathroom and set Parker down feet first in the tub. He cranked the water up high and stepped in after her.

“Stand under the water,” Calum instructed, settling his hands on her hips and moving her so the hot water beat down on her skin. He reached behind her for the soap, lathered it up between his hands, then starting at her shoulders, massaged her skin, taking extra time with the sensitive parts. Parker closed her eyes, fully enjoying the feel of his slippery hands all over her body. When he was finished, she did the same to him. Then she scrubbed his hair, raking her nails over his scalp. It felt heavenly.

Calum didn’t know what was happening to him. He’d never showered with a girl before, much less took the time to massage her body in the intimate way he was doing with Parker.

Come to think of it, he did know what was happening to him.

He was falling for her.

They stepped out of the shower, drying each other off, then Calum followed Parker back to her bedroom where she tugged his t-shirt over her head. She looked damn good in his shirt, Calum thought to himself. He pulled on his boxers and sat on the bed, leaving plenty of room in invitation for her to sit with him.

She did, sitting cross-legged and resting her elbows on her knees while she stared at him. “You’re…kind of amazing,” she said, smiling. “Not what I expected.”

Honestly, Calum wasn’t expecting it either. Being with Parker was easy, effortless. He just sort of fell into a natural rhythm with her and it felt...right.

“And why is that?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, for starters, you’re kind of an ass,” Parker laughed, but then her tone turned serious. “Why the sudden change of attitude? You hated me before,” she looked down at her hands, picking at her nail.

Calum slipped his finger under her chin, forcing her head up to look at him. “I never hated you, angel,” he said honestly. “I just didn’t know what to do with how I was feeling. I’ve never really been in a relationship. I don’t trust anyone but Gram and my boys. I’ve felt different about you since day one. It freaked me out, and I handled it badly. But I want to make it up to you,” he added.

“So what made you come to your senses?” she asked again. “You went from the world’s biggest d-bag to, well, this,” Parker gestured between them, thinking of how sweet Calum had been today.

“Grace,” he stated simply. “I was sure you’d never give me a chance. ‘Cause I was such a d-bag,” he laughed, mimicking her use of the word. “But she convinced me otherwise.”

“Remind me to thank her for talking some sense into you,” Parker grinned.

Calum rolled his eyes, flopping down on his back. Parker lay down next to him, staring up at the ceiling. He lifted his arm and slipped it around her, pulling her close to his bare chest. She sighed contently, nuzzling closer to him.

» » » » » »

Calum woke the next morning with his arms wrapped around the sleeping blonde, legs tangled with hers.

Damn, he had it bad for her.

Calum had never stayed the night at a girl’s house before. It was one of his two most steadfast rules. But he had been so relaxed with Parker last night, he’d drifted off effortlessly.

For the first time in a very long time, Calum had been happy.

He pressed his face in between her neck and her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Parker stirred, humming sleepily as she rolled over to face him. She smiled lazily, burying her face in his chest.

“Good morning to you, too,” Calum chuckled. Parker mumbled a response, but it was muffled by Calum’s chest.

“I can’t hear you, love,” he smiled. If Calum didn’t already think Parker was cute, she was downright adorable in the morning.

She turned her face slightly to the side so he could hear her but didn’t pull back. “I said it’s too early. I’m not ready to be awake yet.” Parker yanked the duvet back over herself, moving closer to Calum and burying her face once more.

Calum would have loved nothing more than to stay in bed all day with her, but he was starving. “Not even for breakfast?” he asked.

It was amusing how fast she sat up, eyes wide in excitement. “Colasanti's?” she questioned.

“Fuck yeah, that sounds amazing.”

• • • • • •

An hour later, Parker and Calum walked side by side into the little buffet-style restaurant, sitting down in a booth by the window. Another thing Calum had never done with a girl—gone out for breakfast. It seemed he was experiencing lots of firsts when it came to Parker. Part of him felt overwhelmed with all the new experiences, but he knew it wasn’t a bad thing—it was just different for him. He was enjoying his time with her.

Calum followed Parker to the buffet table, watching as she filled her plate unashamedly with what seemed like every type of breakfast food the restaurant had to offer. It made Calum smile knowing she didn’t give two shits about what he thought of her food choices. He made a mental note to take her out to eat more often.

They sat at the table after their meal, talking as they sipped on their coffees. Calum watched her intently, taking in and studying every little detail about her face. Her short, blonde hair that she always wore tucked behind her ears, the gorgeous colour of her eyes—grey with flecks of blue, and her bright, white smile that lit up her entire face. She was the definition of warmth, Calum thought. It was a little bit scary how he went from being a cynical asshole who never saw the same girl twice to doing a complete 180 with Parker—sleeping over at her house, cuddling, going out for breakfast. He never thought he’d be that kind of guy, and here he was, being that guy, all in the span of less than 24 hours.

After breakfast, Calum walked Parker home. He leaned against the door frame when she opened it but didn’t follow her inside. “I should get going,” he stated, running a hand through his dark hair. “Wanna go visit Gram before I have to get to work.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “Are you gonna go back to hating me again?” she teased, but part of her wondered if he would. Calum was unpredictable that way.

Calum frowned, obviously sensing the undertone of insecurity in her voice. He reached his arm out, grabbing her by the hip and pulling her roughly towards him, winding his arms around her waist. Parker looked up into his eyes, and he looked sincere. “I’m done being a dick, I told you that. I meant it.”

Parker said nothing, because she was scared to believe him, scared of having her heart broken. Calum could read the wariness on her face, so he tried again.

“You’re not getting rid of me now, angel,” Calum promised. “I plan on having many more repeats of last night,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her jaw.

At his words, Parker’s mind flooded with images of their intimate evening, making her blush.

“And this morning,” he added. He ducked his head down so his eyes were level with hers. “I want you. All of this, with you.”

She hoped he meant it, because she wanted him, too. There was no use denying it anymore. “So when will I see you again?” she asked.

“What day do you have off this week?”

“I’m off all weekend,” she replied.

“Friday, then,” Calum stated simply, pressing a kiss to her lips. He lingered a moment, but pulled away before he could get too wrapped up in her. “See you around, love.” He pressed one last kiss to her forehead, and he was gone.

• • • • • •

Calum couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he entered the room at the end of the hall. Gram’s face lit up when she saw him.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” he grinned, bending down and giving the old woman a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi, baby. You’re in a good mood,” she observed.

“Can’t I just be happy to see my favourite girl?”

“You don’t fool me for a second, young man,” Grace scolded playfully. “Now tell me. What’s got you all giddy?”

Calum’s face broke into an ear-splitting grin, and he told Grace all about his weekend with Parker. He left out the nitty-gritty details, of course, but she was too wise for him.

“So you showed her a good time, then?” she winked, nudging him with her elbow.

Calum groaned. “Jesus, Gram. You’re sick,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“What?” she shrugged, feigning innocence. “I’m old, dear, I’m not dumb. I remember what it was like to be young and in love. Your grandfather was quite—” she paused, tilting her head, “talented, in the be—”

“Ooo-kay, I’m not interested in this conversation,” Calum cut her off, jumping off the bed. He kissed her on the cheek. “Get your mind out of the gutter, yeah? You’ll get yourself in trouble,” he laughed.

Grace just smiled. “You seem happy, dear. It looks good on you.”

Calum shrugged on his jacket as he made his way to the door. “Love you, pretty lady,” he said with a wink.

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