Blackout

Ch 24 - Last Trial

The rest of the morning was absolutely miserable. I tried my best to get some sleep, but after a few hours of tossing and turning, I gave up. I thought maybe a shower would help me clear my head, but that didn't work either. A glance at my phone told me it was 10:53 a.m.

A little over 14 hours. That's how long I had known Calum Hood. How had my whole life been turned upside down in such a short amount of time? Thinking about the events of the previous night, I felt crazy. What kind of person falls in love with a stranger after only knowing him for half a day? And who's to say it was really love? Maybe I was just caught up in some strange infatuation. 'No,' I stopped myself. 'You know what you felt. What you feel. You're in love with that boy.' My inner self was right. I was completely in love with him, and I had no idea what to do about it.

I wandered out to the living room, where I was surprised to find Alexis sitting on the couch staring at the television, which obviously wasn't turned on due to not having any electricity. I plopped down beside her and stared with her. Within seconds, she reached out and grabbed my hand. We didn't have to speak to know what the other was thinking. She was my best friend, my other half. She could feel my pain and was suffering right along with me.

I don't know how long we sat there before my phone ringing cut through the silence. I looked down to see who was calling and felt my stomach both drop and do cartwheels at the same time. Calum. Lex just squeezed my hand tighter.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you. How are you?" His voice gave me chills.

"Honestly? I'm exhausted. How are you?"

"Pretty refreshed, actually." I could tell he was smiling through the phone. "I had quite the night."

"Oh, yeah? You'll have to tell me about it sometime."

"Will do. So... I have some news." Oh, no. Before he even spoke again, I knew what he was going to say. "Dave pulled some strings and found us a flight back to LA. It's on the private plane of some guy who owes him a favor, so even with the blackout, we'll be able to fly."

I swallowed hard, trying to make my voice as steady as possible. "When do you leave?"

He paused, and the dread in my heart worsened. "3:00 this afternoon."

There it was. As soon as he said it, there was no stopping the tears. That was it. He was leaving, and the whole whirlwind romance was coming to a crashing halt. In just four short hours, the love of my life was getting on a plane, and I would never see him again.

"Tori?"

I couldn't do it. I was sitting there, dying inside, but I couldn't let him know that. "Yeah, I'm here. That's... soon."

"Yeah, I know," he answered. Did his voice just break? No, I was imagining it. My self-conscious was doing everything it could to make me think I wasn't the only one falling apart.

"But that's good, I guess," I told him. "They already canceled the show, so there's really no reason for you to stay in Chicago."

"Cut the crap, Tori. You know I don't want to go."

My heart soared momentarily before I remembered that even if he wanted to stay, there was no way he could. Wherever his band went, he was expected to go, too.

"Yeah, well. We'll figure something out, right?"

"We will. I promise."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say. Like always, he was the first to break it.

"Okay, well... I guess I should start packing. But could we maybe stop by your place on our way to the airport? I don't want to leave without seeing you one more time. Besides, I promised."

Cue a fresh set of tears. "Yeah. Yes. I'd like that."

"Ok. Good. I'll see you in a bit, then."

I reluctantly hung up the phone and turned to Lex. "They're leaving." That was all I could get out before breaking into sobs. My friend held me for close to an hour while I sobbed like a baby, and I'll never be able to repay her for it. Once I was all cried out, we continued to sit there in silence until, at last, there was a knock on our door.

Alexis stood without a word and made her way to open it. She had barely turned the knob before the four tall Australians were pushing their way into our apartment. Lex was immediately swooped up into a hug by Michael, while Ashton and Luke made their way over to me. The boy I really wanted to talk to hung back as we all said our goodbyes.

Luke reached me first, pulling me into the sweetest hug and promising to keep in touch. Ashton was next. He could obviously tell I was struggling because he kissed me on the head and whispered in my ear, "It's gonna be okay. You'll see him again."

There was no holding back the tears then. I choked back a small sob as I gave the curly haired boy one last squeeze. I was going to miss them like crazy. Michael was the next to reach me, swooping me up and swinging me around like he had Alexis. I managed to give him a small laugh as I kissed him on the cheek.

There was plenty of chatter in the background, but I couldn't hear any of it. All of my attention was focused on the dark-haired boy who was now standing in front of me. More goodbyes were passed around, and the other boys made their way out to the waiting car. Alexis told Calum goodbye and disappeared back to her room, leaving just the two of us standing there, neither wanting to make the first move.

Finally, Calum spoke. "Walk me to the car?"

"Okay." He took my hand and walked with me, giving it a tug to stop me when we reached the open doorway.

"I'll call you as soon as we land, okay?" All I could do was nod. "Tori, I..."

"I know," I interrupted. I couldn't let him say the words, or I would completely fall apart. "Me, too."

We stood in silence for a few more minutes, saying everything we needed to say with our eyes. The driver of the waiting car gave a short honk, signaling that it was time to leave. He let out a sigh and pressed his lips to mine in a short kiss. "I'll call you, okay?" he repeated as he pulled back. "I promise."

I just gave him another nod, not knowing what to say. He gave my hand one last squeeze before letting go and walking towards the car. I don't know where the words came from. Watching him walk away from me triggered something in me, I guess. But I couldn't let it end this way. Not without a fight.

"Calum!"

He turned back towards me, a questioning look on his face. "Yeah?"

"Truth or dare?"

He answered me without hesitation. "Dare."

I smiled, knowing that's what he would pick. Taking a deep breath, I gave him his challenge. His one last trial to end this whole crazy game.

"I dare you to stay."