Epiphany

Chapter 3

I followed him and watched as he would kick the ground or look back to see if I was still here.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I skipped to catch up with him.

“You’ll see,” he smiled as we swiftly walked down the quiet street. We turned a corner and I saw a couple of shops. Something seemed familiar, but I wasn’t sure what.  The crowds started getting larger as we neared our destination. Then I remembered. Calum was taking me to the deli where we first met. I didn’t even know the name of it. He swung open the door, the bells ringing as we entered.

“Really? Your deli?” I teased.

“Hey, give it a chance! You might want to order something before you judge,” he said as he giggled. “Come back here.” He led me towards the back of the shop where a sign read Employees Only. There was a tiny room with an old carpeted staircase, a small window, and a dim light. Calum walked up the staircase and I followed. To my surprise, the top of the staircase led to a living room with a kitchen, tables and chairs, and a hallway.

“You live here?” I asked.

“Yup,” he replied, “It’s practically the size of an apartment.” He dropped his bag on the table and I did the same. I never noticed the top story of the deli until now. Calum opened a door with chipped white paint. His room was small, with almost everything black.

“So…I guess you like black,” I said slowly.

“Yeah, it’s just something simple.” He replied, shrugging.

He plopped down on his bed, bouncing up and down. There was a base guitar in the corner, and it looked well worn. Like everything else, it was black. I sat on his bed and looked around his room. There were piles of clothes, books, loose papers, with messy handwriting, and the bed was unmade, displaying charcoal grey sheets.

“So, this is my room. Sort of boring. Would you like to go downstairs? You’re probably hungry.” He said, getting up. I agreed and we headed downstairs. A girl a few years older than Calum brushed by us and said, “Hey Calum! Who’s this?” she asked, referring to me.

“This is Zarah; she’s in my geography class. Zarah, this is my sister Mali.” He introduced us and we shook hands. She was incredibly pretty. “We were just going downstairs to grab something to eat.” Mali gave him a sly smile, and ran upstairs.

◦ Calum’s POV ◦

I walked towards the front of the shop as Zarah followed closely behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see her long, brown hair swish from side to side as she walked. God, she was beautiful. With her perfect hips, chocolate hair with hints of blonde, and sun kissed skin, she made my heart do a flip. It was if she had no idea how perfect she was, the way she flicked her hair out of her face and fumbled with her sweater. I should say something, I thought to myself. “You—um, you look nice today…” I almost whispered. I was surprised she heard me, when she replied, “Thanks,” flashing a gorgeous smile. I really hope she doesn’t like some other guy, more popular or attractive than me. I never had any good luck with girls. I hated how shy I was, and when I tried to be normal, I just looked awkward. I was convinced that’s there was no hope for me. Until I met Sophia. She was beautiful, with light blonde curls, and bright blue eyes. I met her when I still lived in Australia, and she was the only one that I could be myself around. But she didn’t love me nearly as much as I loved her—that was why she fell for another guy, and broke my heart. I thought I would never get over her, but since I moved to England, so many things have changed. My dad was given this deli by my grandpa, since he was getting too old to run it. I was so busy with my new school and life that I forgot about Sophia. But I will never forget her completely.