"It's Not Love If It Hurts" //5sos

/146/

The ending of the last chapter was a joke. Calum's fine.
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Annie scooted backwards. "Your forehead is warm, your heart rate is fast, and you pupils are dilated. Not to mention the increased sex drive." She raised her eyebrows at him, challenging him to say something but he didn't bother retaliating. It wasn't a lie.  "If I had to guess, I'd say you are either really sick... or in love."

  She studied him, and felt her cheeks get warm as he gave her a look.

  "Guess which," he murmered lowly, winking and not passing out because that'd be really silly.

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  "There are no chocolate chips in mine," Annie commented dryly. "I think they ran away."

  Calum shook his head. "They're probably just at the bottom of the mug."

  "They definitely ran away."

  "Just stir your muffin."

  Annie smirked. "That's a weird combination of words."

  They leaned against the foot of the couch in the boy's house, a blanket wrapped around them as they watched the Christmas tree lights twinkle and ate muffins out of a mug.

  Johanna walked over, plopping on one of the chairs and sighed, holding a mug of coffee instead of a mug of muffin.

  "You need to get in the festive spirit," Calum chided. "Why not drink some eggnog, or eat muffins like the rest of us?"

  Johanna barely blinked, staring at the Christmas tree blankly. "I used peppermint creamer. Besides, you're the ones who don't even have a Christmas tree up."

  Annie stirred her muffin-in-a-mug quietly, waiting for the rest of the boys to sit down. "We're not going to even be here for Christmas," she argued. "What's the point in getting a tree and ornaments? If we even need more Christmas spirit, we can just go over here."

  Ashton walked over plopping down on the couch behind them. "I think we should get a real tree next year," he sighed happily. "The one at your house smells really good, Johanna."

  Annie raised her eyebrows, but didn't bother asking why Ashton would be at Johanna's house in the first place.

  Luke climbed over the couch, sitting next to Ashton and directly behind Calum and Annie, and immediately started whining about how his mug was too hot and his feet were too cold and his hat was too big. All of the boys, including Calum, were wearing those Santa hats from the day they put up the tree. Even Michael, who complained about how it wasn't punk rock enough, indulged Ashton and wore his.

  Once they were all sat down, Johanna started the informal meeting. "Today is just for talking about plans over Christmas," she stated, her tone of voice already turning serious, everything she was saying practiced and perfected. "Tomorrow is the last normal practice, then you boys are on break." The boys cheered excitedly. Annie had seen their schedule, and their breaks were few and far in between. "Annie, you and I work for two more days after, then you and Calum go to Colorado with me."

  This was apparently news to Luke. "Wait, what?"

  "For two days," Johanna agreed, "not including travel. Then, Annie will fly back to California and spend Christmas with her family, and Calum with fly to Kangaroo land and do the same. You boys fly to Auzzie the same day they go to Colorado."

  Luke was looking in between Johanna and Calum, like he was waiting for them to pop up with "just kidding!" But neither of them did.

  "But... we always fly back home together?"

  "You can handle being away from Calum for a few days, right?"

  Luke's expression made it clear he didn't. He glared at Annie, crossing his arms childishly. "No fair. I never agreed to let you have him for Christmas."

  She raised her eyebrows. "I get him for a few days before Christmas, then you get him for actual Christmas. I get a family I haven't talked to in years, a half brother I never met, and a dead dad. Tell me if you want to switch."

  Everyone was quiet.

  "Tis, the season, to be Jolly..." Michael sang quietly.

  "Falalalala, lala la la." The other boys finished automatically.

  Calum gripped Annie's hand tightly. "You sure you don't want to just go home with me?
 
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. But I think... I don't know, I think I need to do this, for Karen. Who knows. Maybe it's better now, at home." She knew that probably wasn't true, but she might as well be hopeful.

  Annie wouldn't have even considered going home this year if it weren't for Karen. Her little sister, now 18, had found her on twitter and asked her to come home this year.

  Everything had been such a blur, but Annie had talked with Johanna and they had made arrangements for her to stay in Cali and just go a few cities away to where her family lives. Calum would go to Australia, as planned. All of the boys would be gone for a week.

  A week without Calum to wake her up from her nightmares. A week without his cooking, without his stupid scrambled eggs and stupid protein shakes and stupid smile. A week without his kisses, without holding hands. Why did Christmas have to happen?