hiatus : c.t.h.

"live a little"

WRITER GIRL: Do you want some poetry? Song lyrics? A short story?

ME: hello to you too

WRITER GIRL: Don't be a dork. What do you want me to bring tomorrow?

ME: anything. a song would be kinda cool. maybe we could write together

WRITER GIRL: :/ uh huh

ME: your enthusiasm is staggering

WRITER GIRL: Why am I putting up with you?

ME: literally you've known me for two days

WRITER GIRL: That's a lot, okay? Especially with someone like you.

ME: wow

WRITER GIRL: Kidding, stud. I'll see you tomorrow by the bridge?

ME: it's a date

WRITER GIRL: ...

ME: or not. you know. whatever. an outing. a meeting. strictly platonic.

WRITER GIRL: Cute, Cal.

ME: aww you call me cal. couple goals.

WRITER GIRL: You did not just use that phrase.

ME: so what if I did hmm

WRITER GIRL: Bye, stud.

ME: aw cmon, writer girl. you love me.

read 10:33 pm

//

Calum waits impatiently by the bridge, having packed up his guitar already in anticipation of Ciara's arrival. He's planning to be back to work in an hour and a half; after all, he still has an apartment to pay for.

At precisely the same time as yesterday, he catches sight of her swinging right earphone and notepad. She spots him standing by the bridge and smiles, fumbling with her phone and taking the headphone out, melting across the crowd of people to his side.

"Did you bring something?" he asks immediately, without any greeting.

"Hello to you, too," she replies, mocking what he texted her last night.

Rolling his eyes, he starts off along in the opposite direction of her regular direction. She catches his arm and protests, "We're meant to go this way?"

"Not today," he grins. "Today, we're going to the park by the Eye and you're gonna give me a proper introduction to this writing thing of yours."

"But - I always - "

"Live a little, babe," he teases, twisting her hold on his arm around so that he's gripping her wrist, and pulls her so hard in the direction he wants to go that she trips on her own feet trying to keep up.

"Bossy," she grumbles, wresting her arm from him and running a bit to catch up to him.

//

When they reach the park, Calum immediately scopes out the grassy area in between the play scape and the towering Eye, rotating slowly around. A bench sits in the middle of the lawn, but he flops down at the foot of it onto the ground, patting the grass next to him. "C'mon, show me what you got."

Ciara's stomach bubbles as she sits next to him and pulls a crumpled sheet of paper from her cardigan pocket, clutching it to her chest. "I've never shown anyone anything I've written," she warns him. "So I don't know if it sucks, or if it's embarrassing, or if I have no idea what I'm doing, I mean, I know I have no idea what I'm doing, but - "

"No offense, Ciara, but really you should stop talking and give me the thing," he grins, gesturing for her to hand him the paper.

Reluctantly, she hands it over.

His eyes skim over it, lingering on certain lines longer than others, running his finger over a few stanzas. "Holy crap," he mutters, a little detached.

She blushes red as he continues to read, her nerves building.

He finally looks up, his eyes sparkling. "Have you ever tried to set this to music?"

She shakes her head abashedly. "I could've asked Mum - but she's not the most supportive."

Without responding to that, he reaches behind him and pulls his guitar case onto his lap, unzipping it. "Let's try it, shall we?"

"Here?" she asks, apprehension building in her chest. "I don't know - "

"The best songs get written by a partnership, hmm?" he says, unsheathing the guitar from the case and positioning it on his lap. "Let's see," he purses his lips, perusing the chorus.

"So this chord for the main bit..."

(a/n)

I really like the style I'm writing this in it makes me happy.

How is everyone?? you all good? I am actually doing better than usual! I haven't been this truly happy in a while and I'm really glad :)

SONGS ~
Do I Wanna Know by the Arctic Monkeys
Save Me A Spark by SWS
Photograph by Ed Sheeran
Trouble by Never Shout Never
Missing You by ATL