A Walk In The Park

25 - Enough

I can tell by the noise level that the party has died down. I'm kind of glad, to be honest. When I get downstairs, I discover that the party has actually more than died down. It has ended. We must have been up there way longer than I realized. I kind of feel bad about that, but most of those people probably never realized I was missing, to be honest.

Calum and Luke are the only people left. And the look on their faces when they see Ashton and I come down the stairs together is priceless. Luke's mouth opens, forming an "O" and Calum clenches his jaw and narrows his eyes. If it weren't for knowing that Calum was pissed off, I'd have laughed. Instead, I feel a bit ashamed, like I've been caught doing something that I knew better than to do. Maybe because that's exactly the case.

"Welcome back," Calum says sarcastically.

"Calum, before you -" Ashton starts to explain, but is quickly cut off.

"Whatever, Ash. I don't want to fucking hear it." 

Damn. He's maaaad. That shouldn't make me a little bit happy, but it does.

Ashton rolls his eyes, knowing that there's no use in arguing. Calum will win every fight you start with him. I learned that long ago. "Okay. So anyone want a beer?" he asks, and walks toward the kitchen.

Luke follows, and I start to as well. I certainly don't need one, but what the hell. I don't want to be left alone with Calum right now because I don't feel like being preached to. However, I can't go anywhere because Calum suddenly has a hold of my arm, holding me back.

"What the fuck, Cal?"

"Don't you think you've had enough?" he asks. He still sounds a little pissed off, but I can tell that he's mostly genuinely concerned.

I shrug and my words come out a little defensively. "What's it matter to you?"

Calum looks a little surprised that I've spoken to him in this way. But he hasn't let go of me yet. "It matters because I care about you, unlike him."

We're suddenly in a staredown and I don't know what to say, because I don't know what he means. Eventually, Calum releases my arm, and I walk away, straight to the kitchen to get a beer. But he's on my heels.

I don't know why I'm feeling this way. I'm angry for no good reason. I guess I'm just mad at myself again for being so stupidly hung up on Calum. Well, that and the fact that I was just cockblocked by him in a round about way.

"Hey, you've decided to join us!" Ashton cheerfully greets us as though he hasn't seen us in a while.

I take the beer that Luke hands me and guzzle it. When I'm finished, I more or less slam the empty bottle onto the countertop and look at Calum with a smirk. The smirk isn't intentional; it just happened. Calum licks his bottom lip and shakes his head. But if I'm not mistaken, he's trying to hold back a smile.

The three of us bullshit around for a little bit while Calum is fervently cleaning up. I tell him that he doesn't have to do that, but he ignores me. So be it.

Luke and Ashton say they're going to leave and ask Calum if he's going with them.

"No, I'm going to finish cleaning up. Thanks."

"Calum, seriously, go ahead. I'll take care of it in the morning," I tell him. Though, with my OCD, I'd actually do it before I go to bed, drunk or not.

Calum snickers. "I have a feeling that you won't be feeling much like cleaning in the morning, MJ."

He's absolutely right about that, so I can't argue, though I still tell him it's fine. But he won't hear of it. The truth is, I'm more than willing to let him help out. But I'm not looking forward to being alone with him. Despite him not wanting to listen to Ashton, I know he's going to drill me.

Luke and Ashton then offer to stay until everything's cleaned up, too. But I refuse to let them, and they finally leave.

I grab a trash bag and get to work in the living room, as far away from Calum as I can manage. It's not long, however, before I start feeling sick again, and I sit down. Just then, Calum enters the room.

"Go on to bed, MJ."

"I'll be fine in a minute," I insist, knowing good and well that I won't.

Calum rolls his eyes and starts acting like he's going to pick me up. "Don't make me carry you up those stairs. Really, please don't." Well, at least he's smiling now.

I reluctantly head upstairs as Calum watches me from the bottom of the steps. As I clear the last one, I start heaving and barely make it to the toilet.