Afraid // Calum Hood

Chapter 16 // Dip

Adelaide's Point of View

Unraveling in front of us was an enormous pier. Large wooden planks were held up by large wooden pillars underneath it, steadying the walkaway and preventing it from collapsing. A string of lights were effortlessly hung around the railings, illuminating the ocean water. The waves here were much calmer than near my home. They only crashed genty against the cold rocks surrounding the pillars.

"It's absolutely beautiful," I exclaimed.

Calum scratched the back of his neck. "Come on, let's go sit up there."

I nodded, following him as he lead me down the sturdy pier until he found a suitable spot for us to plop down onto. We sat with our feet dangling off the edge, kicking our feet back and forth and still not being close enough to get a touch of the waters. We sat in silence, our shoulders touching and both of our eyes scanning the completely baron area. "What do you usually think about when you're up here?"

He shrugged. "I can't pinpoint one thing. Lately it's been a lot about my parents, you, Michael, Ellie, and random memories. It just clears my head out here."

I rested my head against his shoulder. "Are you ever going to tell me about Ellie?"

Calum pursed his lips together. "I will eventually. Why don't you tell me the real reason why you moved here? Like why did you pick this washed up, deadbeat town?"

"Well I wanted to live in Adelaide or Sydney, but the money that my parents had given me and the money I had saved up was not enough for me to afford a decent home there. So my real estate agent suggested this and I ended up here. That's it. But if you were to ask me why I dropped out if college that would be a much longer story."

Calum picked my hand up off of my lap and intertwined our fingers together again. His thumb rubbed against my thumb, causing butterflies to return. "Okay, Addy. Why did you drop out of university?"

I paused, accumulating my thoughts. "Because I hated it. I enjoyed the social aspect and the independence that came with living at school, but I hated my classes and my generic major. I hate the way we grow up with our future constantly taunting us. You have to do well in high school to do well in college so you can get a good job and pay for your children to do the same exact thing. Everyone lives in either the future or the past and it consumes each second of their days. Why doesn't anyone live in the present? Why don't we not waste all of our time doing these we don't like? That's why I moved to Australia. I wanted a change of mind where I didn't have to be afraid of the future. All I want to do here is make the most of every moment."

Calum arched his eyebrows at me, letting out an exasperated breath. "Wow," He stated, shaking his head at me with a small smirk. "Okay then, Miss Winters, what would you like to do to make the most of today?"

I glanced around at the dark sky and the completely empty pier. My eyes glimmered with mischief. I grinned, leaping to my feet within an instant. "Let's go skinny dipping."

"What?" Calum choked, his saliva getting caught in his throat.