the lover || c.h + a.i au

n i n e

[C A L U M]

"So that's for Lana?" Luke asked for the third time.
"Jesus, Luke. Yes, it is for her." Calum rubbed his wrist.
"Okay, sorry." He raised his hands in surrender.
Calum sighed, Luke had been literally staring at him for the past twenty minutes and asking the same question.
He knows Luke has something in mind and he can't figure it out yet. He hasn't said anything important nor done anything since he got to his place.
"Uh, Luke...Why are you here?" Calum asked.

"I wanted to talk." The tanned boy raised an eyebrow and waited for him to say something else. Luke played with his lip ring. "I just...I don't understand why you make this so complicated."

"What do you mean?" He tried to look confused. Deep down he knew what was next.
"Let's be real, if you want to be with Lana so bad, the only thing you have to do, is break up with Hazel."
He said in a matter of fact. Calum supported his elbows in his knees and covered his mouth with his hand.
break up with Hazel. He pushed that idea to the back of his mind for a long time, he didn't know how to deal with that. Call it quits with his two years girlfriend for a girl he met months ago.

"I don't know." Calum whispered. He can have good times with Hazel, despite the fact that she's incredibly immature, but he certainly doesn't love her.
Then he has Lana, the spontaneous, funny and pretty girl he claims he loves. "I've been with Hazel for so long, I don't even know how to start telling her, it just doesn't cross my mind."

"You're being so selfish, Calum." Luke said bluntly. "You're playing with two girls that apparently only feed your ego."
Calum frowned and opened his mouth to say something in his defense. What can he say? Nothing. He can't explain his situation, it only brings trouble in his life and anguish to others.

"Who do you love? Calum, you need to get your shīt together. You're 22 and your life is a mess."

Some many truths were falling over him and it hurts his pride to know they were true.

"Luke, I love Lana, I do love her." He looked at Luke dead in the eye.
"Then stop messing around with her, if you love her so much, you shouldn't use her like that. Nor you shouldn't lie to Hazel."

"I'm not using Lana." He said trying to convince himself that he wasn't hurting her.

"What are you doing then?" Luke was starting to get pissed. Why was his friend so stubborn and blind.
Calum groaned in frustration, his friend was spitting reality in his face and he couldn't just wash it away.
It'd be a permanent mistake, it'll always be there. Eating his conscience night and day.
His phone beeped and Calum checked for any message.

"I know you hate me for this, Luke. But I told Hazel I'll hang out with you and Michael today." His friend laughed incredulously.

"You're getting everyone involved in this, Calum. We're your best friends but you're confusing loyalty with what's convenient for you and it's not fair."

Calum looked at him with guilt, he covered up the fact that he was taking advantage of the people who promised to be there for him.
He was not only destroying himself but the intimate laces he had made through life, he was so easily making them go to shīt.

Another beep interrupted their cruel silence.
Calum stoop up and went to get the door. Behind this one, there was Lana and before she could say anything else the black haired boy wrapped his arms around her. Lana responded the gesture without asking what's wrong.
Calum dragged her to the living room where Luke was still in the same position in the loveseat.

"Uh, hi, Luke." Lana smiled at him. Calum rounded her waist and made her seat next to him. Lana tensed because it wasn't right to act like that in front of his friends.

Luke noticed this and stood up. "Hey, Lana. I should probably get going."

"No, no. I came because Calum said he needed to give me something and yeah, you don't have to go." Lana said rapidly. "You got here before anyways." Luke nodded.
"We'll be right back." Calum grabbed Lana's hand and guided her to his room where a big red bag was placed on his bed. "I got you something." He took the gift and gave it to Lana.
The girl was smiling like crazy but then a frown replaced the smile.

"You didn't have to, Cal." She said getting closer to him.
"But I wanted to give you something." Calum pouted.
"And I really appreciate it but you should save the money for you, I mean in more important things." She cupped his face with her free hand. "But thank you, Calum." She said kissing his cheek.

"I don't have anything to buy, babe." He chuckled. Lana rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean, you could go back to college." Lana said in a casual tone and walked to his bed to open the bag.
Calum bit the inside of his cheek. Lana told him that so many times that he'd take the idea into consideration.
He completed two years of the career and left. It was one of those stupids impulses.
He was the only one of his friends that's out of college and it felt like he was throwing his life away, slowly.

He heard Lana gasped and watched her take the dress carefully.
"It's beautiful, Oh my-Thank you Calum." She turned around and jumped in for a hug. Calum grabbed her thighs and laughed.

"You're welcome, love." Lana kissed him and mumbled a few more thank you's.
Calum left Lana back on her feet, with his arms wrapped around her waist.
The girl looked up at him and kissed his jaw.
"I don't deserve you." Calum mumbled out of the blue, causing Lana to sigh and shook her head.
"Let's go with Luke." She grabbed his forearm. Calum knew he didn't deserve her and Lana didn't refuse that either.
****

Lana padded to the kitchen and placed the bowls in the sink. A blonde boy trailing behind her with empty boxes in his hands, he placed them in the counter and leant in it.

"How you do it?" He asked.
"Huh?" Lana tilted her head.
"How can you keep up with Calum's situation? you don't have to go through it." Luke said in a compressive tone.
"I know, I just...I can't picture me without him and i know I should think of me, but it's like we are both abducted into this mess" She sighed.
"I wished Calum could sort this our." He crossed his arms. "It's not healthy, to either of you guys."

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this story makes me so sad:(
*sighs*
i'll probably update tomorrow after school and god, those chapters will get so tense