Close As Strangers // Calum Hood

Chapter 23 - Always together

Ivy's Point of View
-5 months later-

"Ivy! You have a visitor!" I heard the faint sound of my mom yelling.

I closed my book I was reading, jumped out of my bed and walked out of my room towards the front door. I met my mother in the kitchen. "Have fun." She said and winked at me.

I laughed nervously. "Okay..." What was happening now, I thought to myself.

Ever since my mom came back from her rehab treatment, our relationship has improved so much. It feels like we're mother and daugther again. Mother and daughter like we were before my dad died. I think he would be proud of us both.

I walked past her and opened the front door. Outside the door stood Calum. He had a bouquet with colorful flowers in his hand and when I opened the door he looked up from them and smirked at me.

"Hey there beautiful." He said and handed over the flowers to me.

I breathed in the fresh and summery scent from the flowers. "And why do I get the honor to get flowers from my amazing boyfriend a day like this?" I asked with a smile playing on my lips.

Calum closed the space between us and kissed my forehead. He put his arm around me and then led me away from my house. "Because I love you and I wanted to take you on a little date."

We were now walking on the sidewalk, passing house after house. The january sun was hot against my bare arms. "And where are we going?" I asked curiously.

Calum leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear. "It's a secret."

I groaned. "I hate secrets."

Calum laughed softly. "I know."

I shoved him away from me playfully and he laughed louder. It was such a great feeling to be this close to Calum again. To be his best friend and his girlfriend again. When I had come home from the rehab five months ago and Calum and I got back together, it didn't take many days for us to forget about everything bad that had happened and move on. And I can tell you, the make up sex was very good. But either way, all the bad stuff was in the past now and this was a new chapter for us. A new chapter with a chance for us to be happy again. After everything that had happened, I could no longer deny our bond. Calum was the one for me, the love of my life.

After a few minutes of walking, we came to a little park, just a small plot of grass with a few trees and one bench at the corner of it all. I recognized it immediately. When Calum and I were little we used to play in this park all the time. We played ball, chased butterflies, climbed trees and when night fell, we sometimes ran around in the sprinklers that automatically started every night. This park was full of memories. It was my dad who had showed it to me and Calum when I was eight years old. He thought it was a fitting playground for me and Calum. I haven't been here for years.

Calum left me were the grass and the concrete sidewalk met. He ran into the middle of the little park, threw up his hands in the air and said triumphantly. "Voíla!"

I took a few steps forward so my shoes touched the grass and looked behind Calum. A blue blanket was spread out on the grass and a basket was standing on it.

I smiled and walked up to Calum, put my arms around his torso and softly pecked his lips with mine. "These are beautiful..." I nodded towards the bouquet of flowers in my hand. "You are beautiful and everything is just perfect."

Calum's lips pulled up into a smile while I sat down on the blanket. He followed me shortly thereafter and started to pick up food from the basket. Chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, fruit salade, marshmallows and grilled cheese.