The game | Calum Hood

Sibling visits, Changing the subject and Set Ups.

"You ok? Got it?" I asked Calum as I aided him to his front door. His mum greeted us with a worried smile and transferred his weight from my shoulder to hers. "Alright Cal? Rest up, get better soon."

He nodded and smiled at me before wincing and turning away. "Thank you Riley. I think there's someone here to see you, they've been waiting pretty much all day."

I spun around to see Luke resting on the drivers door of my dad's Porsche, which was parked clumsily on the driveway.

"Thank you Mrs Hood. Tell him to shoot me a text if he needs me." I mumbled, before walking away and fishing my keys out of my bag. "Luke?" I stated, confused as I passed him. I scanned the car for my dad, but I couldn't see him, so my body relaxed from the tensed state that it had found itself in.

"Hiya Riley." He muttered at the ground, scuffing his feet on the floor. "You alright?"

I nodded in response and pushed open my front door, inviting Luke inside. If I was being totally honest, I really didn't want Luke here, today had been a long day already.

But he was my brother, I knew how much it would take him to brush up the courage to come here alone. I glanced at the clock, it was only 3PM, but it felt way later, I just wanted to throw myself into bed and fall asleep.

"Can I get you a drink Luke?" I smiled as I walked towards the kitchen, reading the note that my mum had left me.

Took the twins swimming, be back later xxx

"Uh, a hot chocolate would be nice, do you have any mini marshmallows?"

I grinned and spun to face him. He had his hands slung in the pockets of his black skinny jeans, his hoodie hanging from his broad shoulders and his perfectly styled hair being covered by a backwards SnapBack.

"Is that your favourite by any chance?" I chuckled, as I began to make Luke and I the same drink.

He chuckled back at me, his laugh the same as mine. "Yeah, how did you guess."

I sighed and lifted myself onto the counter. "It's mine."

He leant himself up against my fridge, just as Calum had that first night that I met him, yet Luke had something different about him that Calum, just the way he stood, calm and collected. He looked awkward, but still as if he belonged there. He just looked, right.

"Hey Ree?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I call you that?" He asked.

"Yeah, go for it."

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out someday next weekend? Or in the week, it doesn't matter to me, I'm free until we go back home." He mumbled, not stopping for a breath.

"That would be great Luke," I smiled, handing him his hot chocolate, made exactly the same way as mine. "How about next Friday? The fair is in town, we could go there?"

Luke's face curled into a smile as he liked the idea. "Sounds awesome. Next Friday then?"

"Yeah, but Luke, why didn't you just text me and ask?" I questioned, walking us back into the living room, where Minnie and Logan's toys were strewn across the sofa. In one fell swoop, I pushed them all onto the floor and let Luke sit down. "Those children make more mess than the dog!" I laughed, making Luke mirror my actions.

"You have a dog?"

"Yeah, why does everyone seem surprised we have a dog?" Chuckling, I walked to the back door to let the bouncy labrador in. "Cal did the same thing."