this is what it feels like // calum hood

1

After almost two years of planning it was finally the month of the wedding. Which for Aly meant getting to fly to LA to stay with her sister and soon to be brother-in-law for four weeks. One week before to help with prep, the week of the wedding, and then weeks after to house sit while the newlyweds honeymooned.

Sierra had gotten there parents a hotel but Aly had fought with her about staying at her place, she still lived with their parents back in Pennsylvania because their childhood home was so close to where she worked now, it just made sense and helped save a lot of money. Even though it was weird being twenty-five and still living with your parents at times.

Aly had been staying with Sierra and Luke for four days already. She kept herself out of their way, manly just hanging out by the pool or locking herself in her room to do work. Unless Sierra gave her a task to do for the wedding, like today she had somehow gotten her to drive half way across California to go pick up the bridesmaids dresses, and then  groomsmen's tuxes on the opposite side of the state.

Aly was currently blasting music with the window down in Sierra's car, heading back to the luxury house her sister got to call home. The music was cut short as her phone started ringing, her sister's caller ID showed up on the screen, the annoying one, making Aly slight laugh, knowing her name in her sister's phone was the other annoying one. An inside joke between the two from when Aly turned twenty-one.

"Hello?"

"Hey, can you stop and pick up the cake?" Sierra's voice came through the speaker in a rushed tone. They were having the whole wedding party over for a pool party tonight.

"A cake? What kind of pool party is this?" Aly teased.

"Aly. I'm really not in the mood, can you or not?" Sierra's voice was stern.

"Yeah, I can, just chill," Aly scoffed, turning on to the next street, "Send me the address."

"I am, be quick please!"

"I can't control traffic, Sierra," Aly spoke as her sister hung up and her music started playing again.

A minute later a text came through with the address of the bakery. Aly pulled over, quickly putting it in and going through the motions of what the directions told her.

About an hour and a half later she found herself pulling up to the house, a few cars she didn't recognize in the drive way.

"Shit," she mumbled, rushing to get the cake out of the car. She knew that if people were already here and she was late, Sierra was gonna kill her.

Aly entered the house, slipping into the kitchen, luckily whoever was here seemed to be somewhere else, she left the cake on the counter and went back to bring the suits and dresses into the house.

"I'm sorry. Am I late?" Aly asked when she saw Sierra walking towards her, looking a lot calmer than she had sounded on the phone. Aly knew it was Luke's doing, he could always calm her down, a skill Aly never figured out. She just seemed to always piss Sierra off more when she was in a mood.

"It's just his bandmates, you're fine, go change," Sierra smiled.

"Cakes on the counter, dresses and suits are in the downstairs guest room," Aly informed her as they went their separate ways.

"Thank you!"

Aly made her way up stairs to the room she was staying in. She dug through her suitcase, she'd still hadn't unpacked, she'd rather just dig through her bags.

She pulled out her black two piece swimsuit, quickly replacing her shorts and t-shirt for the high waisted bikini bottoms and the thin strapped triangle cut top with a silver o-ring in the center. Aly threw on her denim shorts from before and slipped on some black sandals and made her way back downstairs.

She slowed down near the top of the stairs when she heard her sister's voice, "You told them right?"

Aly hugged the wall listening.

"Yes," Luke's voice responded, "They promised they wouldn't do anything."

"Any one but AJ," Sierra spoke again like she was begging, using a nickname Aly hadn't heard in years, the initials of her first and middle name: Aly Jaan.

"They know how to control themselves, I promise," Luke reassured her.

Aly furrowed her brows, any one but AJ, the words replayed in her head, what were they talking about?

Aly peaked over the edge of the stairs watching the soon to be wed couple walk away before she made her way down the stairs.

Everyone was standing in the kitchen when Aly entered. She knew the faces of the other three guys in the room but she hadn't actually met them. She didn't live under a rock, she knew who 5 Seconds of Summer were and listened their music. Plus once people found out who her sister was they bugged her about them all the time but she never had any information to give.

"Hey," Aly smiled, announcing her presence. Sierra smiled over at her, detaching herself from Luke she made her way over to her little sister.

"Guys," Sierra put her arm around Aly. Aly was normally taller than her older sister but when Sierra wore heels she was just about the same height. "This is my little sister, Aly."

Aly waved, awkwardly, she felt like a little kid all of the sudden.

"That's Ashton," Sierra gestured to the guy with a head full of light brown curls, Aly smiled with a nod, "Micheal and Crystal," she gestured to the couple, "And Calum," Sierra pointed at the guy closest to them.

Aly's brown eyes met his, they both smiled with small waves, "Nice to meet you all, finally," Aly joked, she had met them all at some point via facetime and they all followed each other online.

They all stood around and talked for a while. Aly was just kind of there, the other six already had this dynamic going from knowing each other for so long. She kind of just listened and observed as she snacked on the veggie tray in front of her, waiting for the moment she could escape to her room again.