Beside You

Prologue: Beginning

Prologue: Beginning

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His voice was beautiful, I just wanted to close my eyes and indulge it properly to remember it forever, but I couldn’t. It would’ve been weird to close my eyes while he was talking to me. I was actually still trying to process the fact that he was actually talking to me. Okay, so we’d had conversations before, but for some reason, I felt like this was more special even though he was just saying happy birthday. He was just perfect; his eyes, his lips, his smile.

Calum Hood. That was his name. We’d known each other for years, seeing he was good friends with my brother, but we were completely different social standards so if it weren’t for Michael Calum probably would never have noticed me. It wasn’t like there were proper social standards at school, but Calum was quite popular, even before the band most people knew who he was and I’d always been a bit of a wallflower and socially awkward. If there had been no 5 Seconds of Summer and Michael hadn’t become famous even less people in our school would know my name. Don’t worry, I’m not actually the school nerd so this isn’t a cliché romance story where Calum’s the popular guy in school and I’m the school nerd who has a massive crush on him and then he realises all along he was in love with me.

However, there are a lot of elements in that cliché story that is true. Like I said, Calum is very popular in school, I am a little nerdy and skipped a year making me in the same year as my older brother and I do have a big crush on Calum. There is no romantic story either, well, at least there isn’t yet.  I could still remember the day we met as though it was yesterday.

“Where’s mum?” Michael said the moment he walked in.

“Mum and dad aren’t going to be home until after dinner so they’ve left us dinner in the oven,” I said over my shoulder.

“Is there enough for another?” Michael asked.

“Why? Who’s coming to dinner?” I turned.

Standing next to Michael was another boy around his height. He had black hair and dark brown eyes and he was very cute. I was used to Michael bringing his friends home and so I often ignored them but there was no way I was going to ignore this guy.

“Hi,” he smiled.

“Hi,” I said, returning his smile.

“Calum Elaine, Elaine Calum,” Michael said quickly before dragging Calum to his room.

Calum turned and grinned at me again before going upstairs leaving me sitting on the couch and butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

The next morning I bumped into Calum in front of the bathroom. He had no shirt on and his hair was messy and sticking up in all directions. I gulped because I’d barely talked to guys my age let alone see them shirtless.

“Morning,” he smiled.

“Morning,” I replied, smiling also. “How was your sleep?”

“S’right,” he yawned. “How was yours?”

“It was good. Let me guess, Mikey’s still asleep?” Calum nodded. “I swear if someone doesn’t wake him up he will sleep into the next century.”

Calum laughed. “So you have any plans today?”

“Just going out with my friends,” I said. “Long weekends are the best feeling.”

Calum nodded vigorously. “Anyway, I’ll see you around, I really need to pee.”

“Oh sorry!” I apologised, I headed back to my room.

“Oh by the way,” I turned around again, “nice PJs,” he winked.

“I gotta go, but happy birthday again,” Calum said.

“Thanks,” I smiled. It looked like Calum was going to say or do something else because he lingered for a few seconds, but then he turned. “Calum?” He whipped around, I’d been replaying the same words in my head for the last couple of days, so I could ask him today, but when I opened my mouth the words just turned into nothing. “Do you- um… do I get a birthday hug?”

He smiled lightly. “Sure.”

As he closed the distance between us, my heart started pounding quicker. His embrace was warm and snuggly and I’d looked forward to this for ages, but it was over all too soon.

“Well um…” I looked down awkwardly at my feet.

“Er… I’ll see you around then,” he said.

“See you.”

My shoulders drooped as I watched him walk off. Jen and Derek were immediately by my side as soon as he was gone.

“That went well,” she commented. “We were looking from outside. Based on my experience, I think you might have a chance.”

“That went horrible. It was fine until I was going to tell him, but the words couldn’t come out!” I groaned.

“At least you got a hug,” Derek added.

“Probably the last I’ll ever get,” I replied gloomily.

“Nah, it definitely won’t be the last one. I just know it. If anything, I reckon you’ll get a kiss next.”

I gave a sarcastic laugh. “I wish!”

“Why else would he specifically come and look for you today?”

“He was looking for Michael for band practise,” I admitted. “If it weren’t for that he definitely wouldn’t have even remembered.”

“You don’t need to be in a band to remember someone’s birthday. He remembered coz he cares,” Derek emphasised on the ‘cares’.

“Either way, he probably only thinks of me as ‘Michael’s sister’,” I said gloomily.

“Gosh, you have got to relax. If nothing happens between the two of you, there are always other guys in the school and in the world.”

“Okay first of all, I’m not like you. I’m nowhere as pretty as you and don’t have like twenty guys falling at my feet. And secondly, I’ve had a crush on him since the second week of year seven, am I just going to give up?”

“Okay first of all, you are pretty and there are guys who like you, you’re just clueless,” Jen answered calmly, copying my tone. “And secondly, if he doesn’t like you back there’s nothing you can do about it. But like I said, I think you have a chance.”

“Today was supposed to be the day where I finally told him how I felt about him,” I said miserably.

“Cheer up,” Derek said. “Just forget Calum for a couple minutes and go and eat the food people brought you.”

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Hi, this is my 5SOS fanfic, hope you enjoy :)

If you have time please go and check out my 1D fanfic Something Great and the sequel Strong.