16 Days {c.h.}

-one-

Day One

I woke up to my alarm, gently pressing the plastic surface so as not to break the fragile object. Unlike most of my peers, I actually enjoyed waking up early. It was one of the only things I enjoyed. Sometimes I’d wake up an hour before I’d have to get ready to just sit by my window with a book in my hand, the early sun rise providing just enough light to drift across the paper.

Sometimes I would go on a walk, the only time I would ever sneak out. Most people my age would sneak out to drink or do drugs but I never had the urge. I would climb out my window after pulling out the child safety screen, knowing my parents wouldn’t check on me if my door was closed. After I’d climbed down my trellis I would just wonder around the woods, sometimes coming to the cliff, sometimes just wandering a dirt path.

I had grown up here, the woods were more my home than my actual house. At my house no one ever noticed if I slept out in the woods on a nice warm, but not humid, night. I would constantly spend time wandering among them, in the morning, the afternoon, even on nights when sleep evaded me. Some people would read or write, but I would walk.

There was one constant to my walks; being alone. I never saw anyone out when I was, never heard anything more than the shuffle of leaves around my feet and whatever song I had softly pulsing through my headphones. That’s why it was so surprising when the only constant disappeared this morning.

I had started walking, filtering music with only one ear, but still barely hearing my name being called until I turned around and collided with a body. But not just any body, no, Calum Hood’s body. Of course.

“Gosh, Bella, didn’t you hear me?”

“No?”

“Well,” He paused, still breathing deeply from his run, I presume. “I’ve been calling your name for at least 5 minutes.”

“And by that you mean 5 seconds.” I correct, turning my back on him once again and continuing down the beaten path. “How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t exactly hard; you do come out here practically every morning.”He rolled his eyes, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth once he realized how his words sounded. “I-I didn’t, I-I’m not a stalker, I swear.”

I lifted my eyebrows in amusement as he continued to stutter, the corners of my mouth slightly tilting when he realized there was no use in defending himself.

“How about we start over?” He asks, his face still containing a slight pink tinge.

“Mmhmm,” I hummed, as he sighed in relief. “Now, how did you find me, exactly?”

“I thought starting over meant a different question.”

“Nope, it means I give you a chance to save yourself the mortification of saying your stalking me again.” I inform, stopping to lean my back against a tree and check the time.

6:16

“Well, I need to be going now. Think of an answer that isn’t so creepy and try that later.” I threw up a hand in farewell, turning back on the path and slipping my headphones back on my head.

It hadn’t even been 7 seconds before he was back beside me, poking my shoulder with his surprisingly soft finger. He kept poking my shoulder until I grabbed his hand in my own and removed my headphones with the other.

“Yes?”

“What’cha listening to?” He innocently smiled.           

“You Me At Six,” I reply, tapping my fingers to the faint rhythm I could hear from where my headphones were resting on my neck.