Masterpieces {Book 2}

Heat (part 4)

i feel like the last part didn't have a notification?? So read part 3 if you haven't already,

Enjoy (:

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                Luke watches Calum go to the therapist again, from afar, and he waits and hopes for change to be made. Calum regularly calls him or meets him to tell him how it's going, what Doctor Johnson teaches him or suggests him. He's started to keep a diary about the times when he feels like drinking. Everyday, he writes down how he feels and rates on a scale from one to ten how hard it is to keep himself away from bottles, and how long he manages to. He even writes honestly when he ends up drinking, and says that he'll try to make the number of daily glasses reach zero soon. Doctor Johnson says it's important for him to stop for good, because drinking at a young age may have heavy consequences on his future life. Calum listens to her, and Luke is even surprised by how well he gets on with the woman.

                The fact is that Calum has a real addiction and the absence of the substances he's used to drink makes him physically sick. For the three weeks following his first appointment, Luke sees it, and he tells him that perhaps he should ask Doctor Johnson if some meds could help with that. Calum ends up taking pills that make the withdrawal less painful for him. It's weird for Luke to know about all of that. He still doesn't think they're normal friends. Yet, the two of them act as if they'd forgotten all about the past year. And Calum doesn't want to talk about anything with anyone else. Luke informs Scott regularly, though without being precise about what the doctor does with Calum, but Calum knows it and he's okay with it.

                The medicine actually makes a big difference, although Doctor Johnson says it must not be considered as the most important element of the therapy. Once the physical impact of reducing the amount of alcohol he drinks everyday has faded, it becomes a mental task. Calum asks Luke if he can call him every time he feels like drinking, just to talk. He doesn't even tell him he's feeling bad, he just calls and they talk about whatever keeps his mind busy – the latest movies released, music, sports, politics, anything. It's not unpleasant, because this way, Luke can help Calum a bit while simply acting like a friend. He likes talking to Calum. The young man's frightened side is starting to wash away, and even though he doesn't go back to who he was before, it's a sort of a happy medium.

                Luke didn't really want them to end up like they do. He was afraid that eventually, he would be facing the same problems as at the end of their relationship. But slowly, he grows attached to Calum, once again. He's a really lovable person and now that he's opened up to Luke, it's even truer. Calum can't go on holidays in summer because it would mean stopping his therapy momentarily, and he's not ready for that yet. Luke goes on a two-week-long holiday trip with his parents, but he promises that once he's back, he'll spend time with Calum too. In late July, they go to the movies together and with Scott and Jamie and Nate too sometimes. It's a hot summer, and all the more in the city, since there is no wind, contrary to the countryside near the ocean.

                Calum has got his car back but he doesn't drive that often anymore. But that day, when they go watch Transformers 4 in town, they ride it to the cinema. Luke sees Calum tries to be prudent. Scott and Ella were supposed to come with them, but she was sick and his boyfriend decided to stay with her, which left Calum and he alone. It's not such a bad thing because they like spending time by themselves, just the two of them. Luke wishes it would last long, with Calum recovering slowly but surely and the sunny weather in the air. As they walk into the cinema, Calum's hand rests on his shoulder, verging on more than friendship, but it doesn't bother Luke. Since a lot of people are away on holiday at the moment, the theater is almost empty, and the two of them can sit in the middle of a raw and eat their popcorn freely while commenting about how commercial the movie is.