difficult | calum hood

34

The warmth from Calum's sweater is inviting, so I snuggle further into his chest. He keeps his arm around my shoulders and rests his head on top of mine. "Damn, baby, you smell good." He mumbles, sliding his fingers under my t-shirt and rubbing my skin lightly.

I smile and wrap both arms around him. He was very still, but with my head against his chest, I could hear his heart beating too fast.

"Cal... Are you alright?" I ask quietly, lifting up my head to look him in the eyes. He nods and looks confused, pulling my body further onto him. "Your heart-" he cuts me off by chuckling, rubbing the small of my back lightly.

"That always happens when you touch me." He mumbles, blushing and hiding his face in my shoulder. I grin and relax into his touch.

Over the past few days, we had been escaping to Calum's house because it was easier to be us without constantly checking over our shoulders for my brother. Also, his parents were out a lot and whenever they came back, they didn't seem to mind the two people sprawled across their couches.

Calum closes his eyes and rests his hand on my hip bone. Within minutes, he's softly snoring. I knew he was tired and I had been trying to convince him to go to sleep all afternoon, but he had refused. Neither one of us has had much sleep recently.

I smile and close my eyes as well, wrapping my arms around him tighter.

I wake up because Calum is moving, and talking. When I open my eyes, he isn't even lying beside me anymore, so I move into a sitting position and lightly rub my eyes, hoping I didn't just ruin my makeup.

"Calum-?" I hold out my hand, my eyes still not adjusted, and it's met by my boyfriends. He slips his fingers in between mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Zoe, my mum walked in to the house while we were sleeping. She wants to know if there's anything going on between us?" The way he says it, it's more like he's asking me if it okay to say that we are, in fact, a couple other than him just telling me what's happened. I give him a slight nod and look at Joy, who's standing in the doorway smiling. "Okay... Uh mum, me and Zoe are dating, each other."

Joy smiles and nods, waving at me. "Yeah, Calum, that's what I expected. Does Ashton know?"

I shake my head, and Calum pulls me in to him. "No, not yet. And we'd like to wait a little longer to tell him." As I say this, Calum wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.

"I understand. My lips are sealed." Joy says, rolling her eyes at Calum. This makes me laugh, but Calum just pouts.

"Hey..." He whines, tightening his strong arms. I grin and trace over his tattoos with my little finger. Goosebumps rise on his arm, making me smile smugly. His mum only stands in the doorway for a few seconds longer before leaving and smiling happily. "I love you." He whispers, kissing my neck lightly. I sigh happily and lean my head back, exposing more skin.

"I love you too Calum."

He suddenly pulls away, remembering that his mum is only in the next room. We both laugh, and then return to cuddling on the couch, this time though, Calum switches the TV on.

"You know when you were younger and it was Christmas," he pauses and looks at me. "Then when you wake up you're always extremely excited and you sit bolt upright to check the stocking at the end of your bed to see if Santa Claus has come, and when you see that he has, you're heart does that thing because of how excited you are?" 

I look at him and nod, confused about where this is going.

He blushes and leans his forehead on mine. "Yeah, well, that's how I feel every time I see you." 

I smile and blush with him, amazed by his choice of words and how they make me feel. 

"Sorry, that was cheesy." He looks away to hide his embarrassment and I hold his jaw and slowly turn his head back around to face me. 

"I love you Calum." I whisper, kissing him lightly. He grins against my lips and kisses back. 

"I love you Zoe." 

By the time we arrive back home, the whole house smells of  spaghetti, and Calum drops my hand on instinct, wandering off into the living room without even looking at me. 

That's the way it's come to be now, Calum is incredibly affectionate and loving when we're alone, and we act how we really feel, in love. 

However, whenever we're in Ashton's company, we've dropped the sneaky hand holding, and the leg touching under tables. Over the last few days, it's like we've been pushing the secret. 

I can't help but wonder what comes next. 

My mum hands me a bowl of spaghetti when I enter the kitchen, and tells me to call Harry down. Apparently Lauren is staying at a friends house. 

Harry enters the room and gives me a funny look, followed by Luke. Luke places his arm around my shoulder as I stand there awkwardly with a bowl of pasta. He smells of the sea, and it makes me wonder if he has been at the beach. 

"So... Where have you been today?" He teases, as Calum enters the kitchen with Ashton and Mikey, and accepts a bowl of spaghetti from my mum. 

Calum's eyes briefly meet Luke's, and I watch my boyfriend's dark eyes briefly glance at Luke's arm before he raises his eyebrows very slightly. He winks at me as he walks past me and Luke instantly drops his arm and we stand side by side awkwardly until I shuffle over to the table, blushing at Calum.

"This is good Mum," I compliment, and Calum looks at my side profile, grinning. My eyes meet his briefly as I look down, and I blush. 

Author: I just realised that this is set in Australia in the summer and I completely missed Christmas lmao // I'll do Calum's birthday instead 

Also, just in case anyone is confused I imagine Zoe and Calum to have been dating for like two months by now, which isn't very long hahaha. Basically they're having a long summer break from tour and for some reason, Christmas completely fell off the earth ... Wow that's sad 

I just met my sister's boyfriend for the first time and I'm really confused , how the heck did she get someone like that woah