A single bullet // M.C ✔️

35

She never came back, never stepped foot through that door again. The door never even swung back open, letting me hear the conversation that was happening down the corridor. Only loud words reached my ears, but none of them made sense; I was getting half the story.

"Knock knock." Before a word could leave my mouth, the door slowly opened, revealing Calum looking down, holding a cup of coffee. "Ithought you would need the energy."

"I'm bed-bound, Calum. The fuck I need energy for." I joked, wanting him to lock brown eyes with me as he avoided even looking up, stepping foot in the room quickly and clicking the door shut behind him, pressing his back to the plank of wood. "Ok you're scaring me." This wasn't Calum, least not his normal bubbly asshole self. No, this Calum was stood leaning against the wood, not daring to move, not daring to even make eye contact with me. "Is this because I said I love you?" It was the only acceptable reason. I made him feel awkward.

"Do you?" He muttered, making me halt. My mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I don't know." I simply said after thinking it over for a while. "I don't know how I feel."

"You can't love me, Nicky,"

"Bullshit," anger filled me all of a sudden as he said those five words. "I can love who I want, and if Michael's told you to say this, I'll kill him myself."

"Like to see you try." His voice turned hard as I watched his knuckles turn white; his grip on the cup tightened massively.

"Don't threaten me, Calum. That's even below you." I expected that from Michael, Ashton, or even Luke at some points but never Calum.

"Then don't talk bad about my brother," there's that word again, and it set something off in me. It was as if " brother" was a lighter, and I had fireworks in me waiting to be ignited, making me scoff.

"Least you can see your brother!" I yelled, slightly everything hitting me at once as angry tears found their way into my eyes. "I haven't seen Alex for weeks, and the last time we spoke, it was an argument. He hasn't been at work, and Mom hasn't really spoken to him. I'm scared, Calum!" I froze as the words left my mouth. "I'm scared one of you killed him." My voice was a mere whisper now; even the yells outside the room had quietened down as only mine and Calum's breathing was heard in the semi-small room.

"We haven't touched Alex," he finally spoke, looking at me through his lashes, still refusing to properly make eye contact with me.

"I don't know that, do I? For all I know, he was killed on the street weeks ago. I-," My breathing picked up as I thought over the last time we spoke; he was annoyed I never told him about the funeral. "My mom!" She popped into my head, with it being a while since I spoke to her as well. The last phone call was about the funeral too. Everything's linked to Dad and this stupid gang.

"She's also fine, Nicky. Don't be stupid-,"

"Do not call me stupid, Calum, for being worried about my family," I muttered, darkly, snapping my words slightly, glaring at him. My mood had hundred percent shifted. "Why did you actually come in?" It weren't to quiz me; no way. It weren't to just bring me a coffee he has yet to hand over.

"I needed to make sure you were okay," his whole mood dropped as he spoke softly and sighed, finally pushing his body off the heavy door and walked more into the room. I held my hand up and scoffed,

"Don't come closer." I didn't want to be in his presence if possible, but it was clear he weren't going to leave, meaning I would have to put up with him. Shockingly, he listened; he halted his steps and just stayed looking down. "Are you going to look at me or what?" I felt annoyance flooding my body as he now was refusing to say a word, also annoyance at the fact I can't leave the room because I can't fucking walk.

The world seemed to stop as he finally lifted his head, his curls sitting against his forehead. My eyes scanned his features in shock, wanting to take back my foul mood towards him, no wonder he didn't want to look up. Shades of blue and purple were already staining his skin around his eyes, and red was perched on his lips, the skin split open.

"Michael did this." It didn't take a genius to figure out he was on the other side of the hand that damaged Calum's skin, marking it for the next part of the future as a constant reminder for whatever sick game he was playing. Pawns, the lot of us. Any negative feelings I had towards the kiwi moments ago vanished into thin air as if they weren't there to begin with. "He punched you."

"Couldn't get a shot on me, so he punched me." My hand rapped against the bed next to me, summoning him over to sit by me. The mattress sank down as extra body weight was added.

"Does it hurt?" I warily reached out and ran my fingertips over his skin, causing him to hiss out in pain but make no move to back away, letting me.

"Stupid question there," he tried to joke, grimacing as he stretched his lip, causing it to go more scarlet.

"I don't know why you put up with it." I sighed, still brushing my fingertips around his eyes and temples, gently pressing on the tender skin.

"He's my brother." There's that word again. The word that sent me into a frenzy in my mind now didn't have a reaction as I focused on Calum.

"He still shouldn't do this to you." Disbelief was clear as I could see him just giving Michael excuses, reasons to beat up his friends for stupid reasons. "Was it because I said I love you?" I tried the question again, praying to up above he finally gives me a proper answer.

"You said it and then passed out. The pain got too much for you," he closed his eyes, eyebrows relaxing as I kept rubbing his temples. Carefully I removed a hand and grabbed the coffee cup, placing it next to me; he didn't need to hold that. "Luke was then called home due to you passing out, and he knew something had happened and rushed back with Kensie." His voice got softer and softer as he retold the story, finally giving me the answer I wanted to hear. "He took you out with Ash as he arrived at the same time. Michael then threw a punch at me."

"I hope he also looks a mess," I joked, making a small, single laugh leave his lips.

"The guys were unharmed, Nicky. I couldn't harm him. I know why he was doing it and why he needed to do it. I wasn't going to stop him, and I knew Luke and Ashton would stop him before it got serious."

"Why did he do it?" I was full of questions, shifting my body closer to Calum, hoping he doesn't shut down on me. The apartment was now fully silent, making me aware the other members had probably gone out or to their own places (minus Luke, who's probably gone to Michael's and Kensie back home). There was nothing that could stop the next words leaving Calum's mouth, and I'll be darned if something doesn't.

"Because he cares about you, Nicky."

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