Between a Rock and a Hard Place // c.h.

19 - English Love Affair

   Waking up next to the love of your life is the best feeling in the world. Being woken up by the love of your life is even better. It's an amazing feeling when the first thing you see in the morning is the face of someone you love. Knowing that you're going to be waking up next to them every day for the next few months is both reassuring and terrifying. When I woke up to a gentle kiss from Calum, I experienced all these emotions at once. But, for some reason, the terror didn't bother me. I knew we'd be ok, despite the fact that my parents would probably disown me, nothing was holding me back from being with him anymore. I loved Cal, and I wanted to be with him for as long as I could. I was done letting my fear stop me from feeling. Despite my drowsy state, I kissed Calum back, mimicking the gentleness of his lips on mine. He made me happy, purely, intensely, happy. Every second I spent with him seemed to make me better, it mended my broken heart and the wounds from my past. Rolling out of bed, I slipped on one of the outfits Luke had packed for me. A deep purple sundress that matched the undertones of my hair. As Calum went to grab breakfast from the hotel's bar, I attempted to look pretty for him. I straightened my hair, which made the colors blend together almost flawlessly. Makeup was something I wasn't very concerned about, but I managed to apply some concealer and mascara, so I at least looked decent. A soft knock sounded from the other side of the door. I swung it open excitedly, expecting to see Calum. When I saw Luke standing in he doorway, I felt somewhat disappointed. Still, I smiled at him gingerly.

"Can I come in? I just have to shower, it'll be like I'm not there." He blushed, running his hand through his messy blonde hair. I allowed him into the bathroom, because the boys were on a schedule, and I owed it to Luke for bringing me back to Calum. He stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain to cover himself. His shirt was thrown over the top of the shower, soon followed by a pair of sweatpants and boxers. I choked back a laugh when I saw the pattern on his underwear.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" I snorted, attempting to cover a giggle.

"Shut up!" Luke shouted, clearly embarrassed. The water clicked on just before I finished getting ready. I exited the bathroom as quickly as I could, shutting the door on my way out. I sat on the edge of the bed in the shabby hotel room, scrolling through social media, waiting. Then the sound filled the room. It started out quietly at first. "It started on a weekend in May.." I listened intently, not believing what I was hearing. "I was looking for attention, needing intervention!" Luke's singing proceeded to get louder. He was actually singing English Love Affair in the shower. I laughed to myself, the situation hard to believe. Still, as he sang through the song, I listened intently. Luke may not have been perfect, but his voice definitely was. Every chord was sung perfectly, falling into place to create beautiful music. As much as I tried, I could not stop myself from listening. I smiled to myself, wondering if this happened often, and if Calum sang in the shower too. After Luke had belted out his solo rendition of that song, he moved on, singing something else. This time it was Boulevard of Broken Dreams. His voice flowed across the lyrics perfectly, hitting every note with ease and skill. I was impressed with Luke's singing. He'd developed far from the YouTube videos that had started the boys' career.

Calum eventually re-entered the room, carrying a paper bag in his hand. He came over to the bed and sat next to me, beaming as he revealed what he'd brought for breakfast. In the bag were muffins, two chocolate, one blueberry. Cal grabbed one of the chocolate muffins, taking a huge bite, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Oh my god." He said, biting into the muffin again. "This tastes so fucking good." I greedily grabbed the other chocolate muffin from the bag, taking a sweet, soft bite. It was probably one of the best things I'd ever eaten. I sighed, chewing, swallowing, and taking another bite. I finished it off quickly, leaving the blueberry one for Luke. Cal looked at me, studying my appearance. "You look very pretty today." He observed, smiling as he spoke the words. I kissed him on the cheek, touching his curly dark-brown, almost black hair.

"Love you." I said, kissing him quickly on the lips. A moment later Luke appeared from the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist. I hadn't heard him leave the shower. I gasped and covered my eyes, Calum complaining to him.

"Really man, in front of my girlfriend?" He whined, throwing a pillow across the room at Luke. My eyes were still covered, but I knew it missed, especially when I heard it plop on the ground somewhere on the other side of the room.

"Sorry. She's fine, she's not looking. Plus, we're going back to Australia today so after this you can get a room for just you two." Luke suggested, his words ending the conflict. After it was established he had pants on again, I uncovered my eyes. Luke took the paper bag from me, plucking his muffin out of the bottom. As he took a bite, I had to restrain myself from staring. He was very well built, but I didn't want to look. He wasn't Calum. After a series of morning routines, screw-ups, and about five minutes of packing, we were finally on our way. We drove out to LAX, where a flight was waiting for us. At the airport, the boys all went to take pictures with a long string of fans. I waited silently, watching the last ditch meet-and-greets, smiling sheepishly when fans would look at me. Sometimes they smiled back, but most of the looks I received were stares of hate and derision. The waiting lasted thirty minutes at the least, and just like that we were boarded on a plane bound for Sydney, Australia. I sat next to Calum on the plane, resting my head fragilely on his shoulder.

We were barely an hour in before I fell asleep, Cal's head resting atop mine.