wild {calum hood} slow updates!!

Chapter Seventeen

ok I know you all hate me for not updating but I have an explanation and some news that I will reveal after this chapter ok love you all

also the song I listened to while writing this chapter is called "Neon Eyes" by Saints of Valory and I suggest you listen to it too. :-)

bailey xx

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The walk back to Calum's jeep was long and my feet were getting blisters from my new Vans, so we had to pause multiple times along the way. People were probably staring at the two freakishly tall teenagers sitting cross-legged against a building while the shorter of the two rubbed her aching feet, but I didn't really care and I don't think Calum did either. He smiled at my grimaces and offered to carry me multiple times but I declined. The longer I spent with him the better.

When we finally did get back to the car, I hopped in to the passenger seat and immediately removed my shoes. The blisters on my ankles were swollen and a deep angry red, and the cut above my big toe that I had acquired after running from the boys' house had broken open again and was starting to bleed. I sighed.

"You probably should have gotten stitches for that." Calum said quietly, probably thinking back to that less than stellar day.

I shrugged and Calum dug around in the glove compartment and handed me napkins to stop the bleeding. We started driving out of central LA, and without the radio on it was quiet. My mind, however, was anything but quiet. It was spinning. First off, I just realized Calum was semi-famous and that girls everywhere were probably in love with him, and for some ridiculous reason that made my stomach clench with jealousy. Like, I know it's ridiculous. I know.

Second, my fool-proof plan for not developing feelings towards Calum was no so fool-proof after all. I found myself staring unabashedly at him for long periods of time until he would turn his head and meet my gaze and my whole body would flush from embarrassment. He didn't look like most guys, and I'm not just saying that because he was "ethnic looking" or whatever. He was so cute, but not in that achingly perfect way. His hair stuck at odd angles, his cheeks were kind of chubby and he seemed awkwardly tall, as if he wasn't aware of his height. But it worked. And I kind of felt lucky just being in his presence.

I tried telling myself it was a friendly attraction but I didn't think it was and that made things very dangerous and potentially complicated. I didn't know how he felt about me, and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

"I fucking love this song." Calum said suddenly and I looked up from my bruised feet.

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" by Vampire Weekend was playing on the radio and I furrowed my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah." He took his eyes off the road for a second to meet mine. "Why?"

"I just figured your music range was limited to Mayday Parade and Blink-182." I poked at a blister a winced.

"I have a very eclectic taste." He replied. "In everything."

He looked at me pointedly and I blushed, thinking that his words had a double meaning. Maybe he meant he had an eclectic taste in girls, and I was too generic for him. I just didn't know.

"Is everything okay?" Calum asked.

"Yes." I said too quickly.

"Are you sure? Cause... you know, you can talk to me."

Are you sure about that one, buddy?

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"You're frowning a lot. Your eyebrows do that thing when you think about something that's bothering you."