this is what it feels like // calum hood

19

THE NEXT MORNING

Calum woke up before Aly, her back towards him, her dark hair spread out on the pillow. He rolled over close to her, kissing her bare shoulder. Aly sleepily smiled at his soft touch, his fingers slowly rubbing her back, his fingers tracing the long scar across her shoulder blade.

"Good morning," he smiled, kissing her right behind her ear.

"Good morning," she rolled onto her back, opening her eyes to see him. She reached up to push some of his messy curls back from his forehead.

"Go brush your teeth," he smiled, an excited sparkle in his eyes as he glanced down at her lips.

"Can we just cuddle?" she asked still half asleep, voice still soft. Plus her body was still tired and ached from last night.

"Always," he smiled. Calum wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, the smell of her mango shampoo filling his senses.

Aly's eyes landed on his hands, tangled with her own, eyeing the letters on both hands.

"Cal?" she hummed.

"Hm?" he responded, eyes closed again.

She ran her thumb over the 'DSH', on his right hand, "What do these stand for?"

He opened his eyes excitedly, "I'll tell you, if you tell me about the scar."

She knew exactly what he was talking about, "Deal," she turned her head so she could see him.

They adjusted how they were laying. Calum sitting up, back against the bed frame while Aly laid with her back partially on his chest, his left arm wrapped around her shoulder, her fingers tangled with his own.

"You first," Calum smiled down at her.

"I asked first," Aly looked up at him.

"Fine, honestly it's not much of a story," he held up his right hand, "These are my Dad's initials," he held up his left hand, not letting go of her hand, "These are my Mom's."

"Cute," she smiled looking at the ink on his hands, "Okay...well this is just not far," Aly frowned knowing she had to tell her story next.

"You made a deal," Calum countered.

"I know," she glared at him, "Let me set the scene, it was 2012, I was sixteen. I was on a ski trip with some friends, we had snuck some cheap alcohol in our bags and whatever."

"It was like two am, just the four of us girls in the hotel's hot tub, being stupid teens, playing truth or dare and drinking with some guys we had met on the slopes that day," Aly tucked her hair behind her ears, "And for some reason I had gotten up to leave and slipped on some water that had started to freeze, and then I took a lil tumble down the stairs."

She ran her hand up her right arm, almost like she could feel it all again, "My whole arm was in a cast for months, broken in multiple spots. I missed out on a lot that year because of it. But the scar was from the corner of the stairs that were crazy sharp on the corner, it had like twenty stitches."

"Oh," Calum sighed, "I'm sorry"

"It was years ago, it's okay," she looked up at him.