Afraid // Calum Hood

Chapter 22 // Truth

Adelaide's Point of View

The plastic latel swirled through the mixture of broth and noodles, filtering out any excess pieces of chicken. I lifted the enlarged spoon up to my lipstick ridden mouth, tasting the hot liquid. I sighed as my tongue burned from the sudden heat and placed the latel down on my countertop, lifting the silver pot off of my stove and placing it on a pot-holder.

It had been a few days since I've seen Calum and I decided to search online for some chicken noodle soup recipe to make Mrs. Hood. My grandmother always insisted that soup was the cure for every possible problem. I'm not sure if it will even help with whatever illness she is suffering from, and I'm positive it tastes like crap, but I figured the gesture would be appreciated.

I dialed Calum's number into my phone and lifted it to my ear, pressing it between my shoulder and cheek as I managed to dump the soup into a sealable container. He has barely even sent me any text messages so I was not surprised when his phone went to voicemail after multiple rings. I used Calum's busy schedule as an excuse to chat with Margo and my family, but I had to admit I was incredibly lonely without him.

Only on rare ocassions do I ever leave voicemails. I feel like they are always utterly awkward. But I wanted Calum to know that I didn't call him on accident or anything. I wanted him to be aware of the fact that I needed to hear his voice.

"Hey, uh, it's me. Addy, if you didn't check caller ID or if you, like, don't know how I sound. Um, I made some homemade soup for your mom. I can drop it off or you can pick it up or something if you want. I don't even know if it will help. You're probably better off with Campbell's." I giggled softly out of a nervous habit. "Um, call me back if you can. I hope you're okay. Yeah, bye."

I ended the call in a swift motion and placed my phone back onto the counter. I strolled over into my living room and fell into my couch, being smothered by the layers of blankets. I have been sleeping downstairs lately due to the heat wave and the main level was always cooler than the rest of my home.

Within a few short minutes of my empty thoughts swallowing my brain, a familiar figure appeared on my back porch, peering inside the reflective glass windows. A grin formed on my face as I waved my boyfriend inside, letting him know that the door was unlocked.

Calum entered the room where we are constantly hanging out in and he smiled widely. He had bags clinging underneath those big brown eyes and his cheeks seemed even more puffy than usual. His dark hair was a disheveled mess, but I was still eager to tangle my fingers through them.

"You didn't say 'I love you.'" Calum stated as he approached me, his hands immediately grasping my waist and pulling me off of the couch to form a collision between our bodies.

"Wh- I, what?" I stammered. My confusion led to stuttering and what I'm sure was a highly attractive puzzled expression.

Calum smirked at me. "When you ended the voicemail. You didn't say 'I love you.'"

I chuckled, leaning up on my tippy-toes to gently kiss his soft lips, the ones that I never seem to be able to get off of my mind. "Well, you never called me back."

"Why would I call you back when I could just come over and see you and your fabulous soup?" His teasing tone made the two of us burst into a fit of laughter, nothing out of the ordinary. Calum plopped down to where I was previously sitting and stretched his arms out against the length of the couch. "Hey, do you mind if I borrow your laptop for a little bit? I gave mine to my mum for her to work at home and I have to check a few things."