smoke {c.h}

reasons

"So what were you doing the past 2 months?" Fray asked, wiping her mouth with a tissue paper. Calum smiled internally.

"Nothing interesting, just the same cycle. Go to work, hang out on that rooftop, smoke, sleep around and sometimes eating a lot." Calum answered, plopping down on his couch crossed leg.

Since Calum doesn't really like crowdy places, and Frayeza doesnt want to go back on that rooftop for the reason she doesn't want to say, they end up eating pizza at Calum's apartment at 7 in the evening.

Fray couldn't believe it either, she's eating pizza in a stranger's apartment.

"Are you mad?" he asked, picking the buttons on his flannel while taking a drag. She winced at the sight of the smoke coming out of his mouth.

"No." She answered truthfully.

She learned to handle these kind of things after all that she had gone through. Life is way too short to give people sorrow is what she always believed in. She refused to think that it is numbness that came over her body.

"Why? I mean," he paused, half-heartedly laughed, "I was an asshole. A terrible person. You should be mad."

"Your definition of terrible is not even close to mine." She subconsciously tucked her brown hair behind her ears.

"Can i ask a question, mister?" He smirked at how she addressed him.

"Yes you may." She smiled at his response.

"Why do you smoke?" He doesn't answered at first, picking the lose threads of his skinny jeans.

"I just smoke when i'm depressed."

"But you always smoke."

//

They ordered three additional pizzas that night.

"May I ask why you were so rude to me? I'm just curious, maybe I did something wrong or annoying for you to get mad at me. I want to know so that I won't do it again." She asked bravely, closing the last box of pizza, licking her thumb in the process.

"I was not in my right state of mind. I didn't know what I was doing. The stress from my job and my ex-girlfriend just took toll on my overall health. I took it all out to people I constantly meet. I felt crazy. But, don't worry I feel okay now. I also took anger management therapy for that." Calum explained. The truth is Fray, helped him to realize all that bullshit he'd been doing, and he was thankful for that.

"Oh, so are you okay now? I mean, you've said before that you smoke when you are depressed, and you're smoking right now." She asked, full of concern, partly for Calum's emotions and partly for his lungs.

"We are always depressed Fray. Some people are just so good at hiding it, concealing it with forced smiles." She looked at him with half an awe, she knew it. She knew it from the first day he saw him cautiously dangling his feet.

"Thanks for the pizza bonanza Cal, but I have to go. It's getting late anyway." Fray stood up, brushing off pizza crumbs that fell on her lap. Calum stood up too, burning off his almost empty cigar on the ash tray.

"I see you found me a nickname." He smirked at the term "Cal." She just smiled.

"I- uh, do you want me to drive you home?" Calum offered.

"No, it's fine. I'll just call a cab. Thanks for the offer though." She grabbed her coat and put her shoes back on.

"Are you sure?" Calum insisted.

"Yeah."

"Okay then. I'll just show you the doorway and wait until you get a cab." She followed him silently until they reached the door.

"I had a great time." Calum admitted, putting his both hands in his front pockets.

"Me too Cal. Good night." She grinned, the moon lit her teeth, making it appear whiter.

"Keep safe." He said, closing the cab's door gently.

"I will."