work together // cth

diciotto

UMMMMMMMM WHAT??!?!?!?!?! 1K READS HONESTLY BYE. jk THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH ILY NDJAKN

"Hey, Gracie, did you get the email?" Ashton asks when he drops by my cubicle for lunch. He's chewing on a sandwich, which makes me wrinkle my nose in distaste.

"I haven't checked my email" I mutter, putting down my own sandwich. I log onto my email on my phone, clicking on the first one from 'Hi or Hey Records'. Ashton watches me the whole time, which I find very suspicious.

"Holy shit!" I scream, dropping my phone on my lap. Ashton giggles, but I throw a pad of sticky notes at him to exclaim how not funny this is. It basically told me I can oversee the entire album recording of an artist.

"Ashton this is an entire album, holy shit!"

"People are staring" Ashton informs me, throwing the pad back at me. I giggle, giddily clapping my hands together.

"I'm glad you're so happy. This is great because we finished a new song-we've been having some trouble with, but Calum came in and just blew us away with some cool lyrics-"

"Wait-what?"

"You're gonna come oversee us, right?" He asks, furrowing his eyebrows, "I know you're in a really weird position with Calum right now, but-"

"Ashton, please stop" I say, picking my sandwich back up. I take a breath, sitting in silence with Ashton for a moment. There are only two artists signed to the record label, 5 Seconds of Summer and Hey Violet. I haven't hung out with any of the people from Hey Violet and I haven't seen them around either. I think that's because they have a studio at their house or so I've heard.

"I'll do it, yeah. I don't really know Hey Violet, so yeah. Sure."

"I'm sorry, but yay. I like hanging out with you Gracie" He says, pinching my cheek. His eyes fall on something on my desk. "What are you writing?"

Ashton picks up my notepad with some stupid stuff on it. "Are these lyrics?"

"Those are scribbles. Stop touching stuff" I scold him, taking the notepad out of his hand.

He stretches his hand to grab it again, and succeeds. "How rude of you, to ruin my miserable. And tell me I'm beautiful" He reads off the paper, "this is really good, Grace."

Writing is just something I do when I'm dying of boredom in class or at work. It's nothing to be taken seriously if I can only write a sentence. I swat his hand away, then we finish our lunch. Ashton and I get up to throw our trash away then we head to the studio. I'm just about to start shaking in my shoes, electricity runs up my fingers tips to my arms, traveling to my back, giving me chills. I haven't spoken to Calum since that day in the elevator. And he hasn't tried to reach it either.

Seriously. He hasn't called, texted, emailed-I don't know. Why should I expect him to? Do I even want him to?

No. I need my job.

Ashton pulls open the door to the studio for me to go first. I sigh, but thank him and step inside. All of the boys, save Ashton, are in the booth, adjusting the microphones to their various heights. Their eyes all dart to us because the door makes a cringeworthy creak when it closes. My eyes quickly run over his brown ones then dart to floor.

"I'm gonna go in" Ashton whispers to me, giving my arm a squeeze. I nod and sit in the chair in the control room by the soundboard. Feldy asks the boys of they're ready to go and they give him the 'go ahead.' Once again; the song they played blew me away entirely.

"Young love, close the chapter, there's no ever after. Fell fast, ended faster, yeah. Late night conversations, led to complications. Now my heart is in my hands. Cause you walked out and left me stranded. Nothing left but picture frames. And I just keep on asking myself..."

The song is amazing, just like most of the songs I've heard so far. It takes almost six hours to get the vocals correct and lay it on the track. The song of course is brilliant, Luke and Calum wrote it, and it's called Castaway. Everything about it is energizing but the lyrics are so deep, they never fail to amaze me.

"Grace?" A voice says from behind me. I swivel my chair around to meet a navy shirt with 'Maine' in big white letters on the front.

How'd we drift so far away from where we left of yesterday? I'm lonely like a castaway.

I take off the headphones that was currently playing the song, watching as Calum takes a seat next to me. I feel my whole body relax around him, as if I was holding in this huge breath for six hours and he made me breathe again. He leans in closer, his eyes running over mine. His lips part slightly and I almost lean forward myself, but I'm smart enough not to. Our faces are inches apart, he could kiss me. He could.

"C-can I..." He whispers, his eyes trailing over my lips.

I try to even out my breathing, but it just seems impossible at this point. This time, I don't stop myself from leaning forward, but not too close so that it's not noticeable. It's his move, he can close the gap. Calum squeezes his eyes shut, swearing under his breath. He turns his head and takes a step back.

"Can I-um-get the disc" He bites the inside of his cheek hard, leaning back in his chair. I sigh, slightly grateful we didn't kiss because I would've just been in the palm of his hand. I scoot my chair over to get the disc and get the hell away from Calum.

"So, um, Ashton told me that you write. I didn't know" Calum says, trying to strike up a conversation that isn't awkward. It's awkward already.

I clear my throat, "that's because I don't."

There's a pause. "Oh." I nod, writing Castaway on the CD. I hand it over to him, but he just drops it on a table. His hands wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My breath catches as he puts me on top of the table, standing between my legs.

"C-cal" I stammer, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping all of this is just a really shitty dream.

Hopefully, I will wake up with Calum beside me and I won't lose my job for being with someone as great as him. His hands cup my cheeks, "Grace, please. Open your eyes."

I bite down on my lip as I open my eyes.

"Can you honestly tell me that you don't want a relationship with me? Is that really what you want? Because if it is...I'll leave you alone-I promise, but please Grace, tell me the truth. I-I really like you" Calum whispers, softly running his thumb along my cheek.

Do I want a relationship with Calum? I do, I won't deny that I like him because it's obvious. He's funny, cute, and talented-he's basically perfect. Except for the fact that if I date him, then I would be risking my job.

"I don't know what I want, Cal" I lie, hoping off the table.

I want Calum, badly. But he isn't what I need.

this is a filler chapter haha

who else loves Calum's Maine shirt???