the photographer [c.h.]

twenty-two

"Have fun and be careful." I said, hugging Leah.

"Love you," Leah smiled, pulling back and she climbed into the car with Ashton.

Calum wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I reached up, intertwining my hand with his that hung over my collarbones. I leaned into his hold and waved at Leah as they pulled out. I felt a tug on my hand and I looked down to see Sophie.

"Mommy?" She asked and I nodded, bending down to her height. "Are you and Cal Pal back together?" I smiled at her nickname for Calum and nodded.

"Yeah, I think we are." I answered and Sophie smiled.

She squealed as Calum picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. I laughed, standing up straight and he squeezed her sides, making her burst into giggles. He finally sat her down and she hugged onto my legs.

"Are you ready, Soph?" Alex asked, coming over to us and she nodded, hugging me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" I said, hugging her back. "I love you."

"Love you, Mommy." Sophie smiled and ran over to Alex.

I hugged Peri goodbye and turned to face Calum with a smile. He held out his hand and I grabbed it, following him to his car. I had ridden with Annie here so I didn't have a car. I climbed in the passenger seat and Calum pulled out of the lot, making his way to my apartment. Once there, he parked and jogged around to open my door.

I laughed a little and led him up the stairs to my apartment. I got the door unlocked and pushed my way inside, shutting the door behind Calum. He took in his surroundings and turned to face me with a small smile.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked and he nodded, sitting down at the island as I walked to the fridge.

I pulled out a couple of beers, finding the bottle opener. I opened them and handed one bottle to Calum, taking a drink from my own. I don't know why I'm so nervous right now. Oh yeah, probably because I haven't had sex in over a year. I could tell that Calum sensed my nervousness because he motioned me over to him.

"We don't have to do anything tonight." Calum said quietly once I was standing in between his legs and I smiled at how nice he was being.

"No, I want to." I said and he frowned, toying with my fingers that hung at my sides. "I just haven't done anything since being with you." I trailed off, feeling my cheeks heat up and Calum turned my head to face him.

"Neither have I." My head shot up in shock at his words and Calum just cracked a smile. " My left arm is pretty strong now, though." I gaped, laughing and swatted his arm.

"You are awful." I laughed and Calum wrapped his arms around my waist, tugging me closer to him.

"Would it be completely crazy of me to say that I wanted it to be us at the altar today?" I fell silent at his words and he looked serious. "I bought a ring last year before we broke up."

"What?" I felt the breath leave my throat at what Calum was saying and he bit his lip.

"Marry me." He stated a moment later, finally looking me in the eye. "Yeah, let's get married."

"How much did you drink tonight?" I asked, taking his face in my hands and Calum just smiled, shaking his head.

"I'm serious. I want to marry you, Katie." Calum said, confidently and I bit my lip, furrowing my eyebrows. "What do you say?" I sighed and let my hands fall to his shoulders, watching his look at me with expectant eyes.

"I don't want you to regret doing this." I voiced my fears and Calum ran his thumbs across my hips. "Trust me, I want to marry you. I just don't want to jump into this so fast and then regret it for the rest of our lives."

"This is gonna sound super cheesy, but you are the one thing that I could never regret." I smiled, casting my eyes down and Calum nudged his nose on the side on my neck, placing a kiss in the same spot.

"Okay," I finally said and he looked up at me. "Let's do it."

Before I knew it, Calum pulled me into him, pressing his lips to mine. I smiled a little and he leaned back with a smile. He reached into his pocket and dug around for a moment before bringing out a small box. He popped it open, revealing a thing silver band with one diamond in the middle.

"Katie Marie Drake, will you marry me?" Calum asked, getting down on one knee.

"Yes." I smiled and he slipped the ring on my left hand, standing up straight.

"Let's go tomorrow." He mumbled against my lips and I cocked an eyebrow, pulling away from the kiss. "I know how you hate all the attention and fuss so let's just go to the courthouse tomorrow."

"Your mom is gonna kill you." I laughed and he shrugged. "We can't tell anyone until afterwards."

"So, you want to?" He asked hopefully and I nodded, a smile finding its way to my face. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you too, Calum."

I straightened up and grabbed Calum's hands, making my way to my bedroom. He wrapped his arms around my from behind and buried his face in my neck, making me laugh when he blew raspberries. He finally stopped and I tugged him down onto the bed, his arms on either side of my head. I reached up and undid his tie, tossing it to the floor and Calum kicked his shoes off, beginning to unbutton his shirt. I arched my back so he could unzip the black dress and he threw it to the floor in a heap. Calum kicked his dress pants off, leaving us both in our undergarments.

"Are you sure?" Calum breathed out, pulling away from our heated kiss and I nodded, tangling my fingers in his hair.

"I want this, Calum." I whispered and he smiled, leaning down to kiss me again.