Selfish Appetite [5 Seconds of Summer]

[48]

"Heartstrings and fault lines."

- -

Sloan

The music pulses softly through the walls of Mina's house, a mix of throwback love songs and upbeat pop tracks meant to keep the mood light.

The living room is decked out in cheesy Valentine's décor-pink streamers, paper hearts, and those tiny conversation heart candies spilling out of crystal bowls.

Mina had declared it a party for single people, "a celebration of independence and bad decisions," as she called it.

I don't think my bad decisions need celebrating.

Once again I let myself melt into Luke and everything he is, and ever since the bar crawl I'm stuck in an endless loop of anger and need.

"Are you sure this is how you want to play it?"
"Play what?"
"Pretending you don't care about me, like what I say and do to you have no influence on you whatsoever."
"I'm not pretending."
"Sure you're not."

I shake my head to rid of the memory before the heat consumes my body. The ghost feeling of Luke's lips near my ear makes the hair on the back of my neck stand.

I scan the room from my perch near the kitchen.

Ally and Michael are at the dining table, laughing over a drinking game that involves flipping tiny cards off the edge of the table into a cup.

Calum is by the makeshift bar, chatting with a couple of Mina's friends, his grin lazy and confident as ever.

A pang of unease twists in my stomach as my eyes flick to the front door.

Luke isn't here yet, but it's only a matter of time. Ally had said he was coming.

He's been showing up to everything lately, as if proximity might fix the gaping wound he left when he disappeared to Los Angeles.

Calum catches my eye, raising his beer bottle in a silent toast. His lips twitch into a small, teasing smile, and I roll my eyes, pushing off the counter to join him.

"You're popular tonight." I say, nodding toward the cluster of women lingering nearby.

"They're just curious." he replies, tipping the bottle back for a sip. "What about you? Enjoying Mina's homage to singledom?"

"It's fine." I say, glancing around.

I don't need a homage to the fact that I'm day-dreaming about the guy who abandoned me, and the fact that I still made out with him a few days ago.

Calum smirks. "You're not the heart-shaped-balloon type?"

"Not exactly."

He leans in slightly, his tone dropping. "I think you've got a soft side, though. Deep down."

"Deep, deep down." I reply dryly, fighting the way his proximity warms my skin.

I can't deal with more confusing feelings right now.

Before I can deflect further, Mina appears out of nowhere, a tray of champagne flutes in her hands. She's grinning mischievously, her Cupid headband askew.

"Okay, lovebirds." she says, thrusting the tray between us. "Grab a glass and join the game in the dining room. No excuses."

"We're not-" I start, but Mina is already gone, leaving us with two flutes of bubbly and no escape.

"Lovebirds?" Calum repeats, one brow arched as he takes a glass.

"Don't get any ideas." I mutter, taking mine as well.