17 Nights {c.h.}

+prologue+

I was awoken from my slumber by the quiet sounds of my cell phone ringing next to my ear.

“Mmm?” I mumbled into the phone, too tired to check the caller ID.

“Bella!” Calum exclaimed through the phone, causing my mind to clear almost instantly. I bit my lip, attempting to restrain my giggles so my roommate wouldn’t get mad at me again.

“Hi Cal.” I smiled, missing him more than I ever thought I would. I stood up and opened my curtains, taking in the sight of the shimmering lights from my dorm room window.

“How’re your classes?” That was the one thing he always asked, the one thing he never failed to do besides pick up the phone when I called.

“They’re alright, but I still really miss you.” I pouted, shaking my head when I realized he couldn’t see me.

“I miss you too, but guess what.” I could practically hear the grin in his voice as he spoke.

“What?” I inquired, twirling a piece of hair around my finger.

“Only seventeen days and I get to see you.” He bragged.

“Cal, it’s seventeen nights, technically.” I laughed as I kept my eyes on the stars littering the sky.

“Shit, it’s three in the morning again, isn’t it?” He groaned. “I forget that you’re three hours behind, sorry. I just like to hear your voice in the mornings.”

“Don’t worry about it; it’s helping me go to sleep earlier for school.” I promise, attempting to ease his conscience.

“But still, I’m the world’s clingiest boyfriend.” I rolled my eyes and attempted to object.

“Cal-” I began, but was quickly interrupted.

“Nope, go back to bed. Call me when you can.” He told me, a tone of finality in his voice.

“I will.” I promised.

“Goodnight, Bella.” He sighed, and I could tell he wanted to be with me just as much as I wanted to be with him.

“Good morning, Calum.” I spoke with the same half-sad yet half-happy sound to my voice.

“I love you.” I could see his dopey grin when I blinked my eyes, the one I had became so accustomed to.

“I love you too.” I bit my lip, wanting to be with him more than anything else. After all, three in the morning is a time for lovers.

“I love you more.” He stated, a new amount of pep in his voice.

“Not possible.” I argued, not letting him win. This went on for awhile until he finally said that he loved me most and hung up the phone before I could object.

I laughed at his antics, pulling the hone away from my ear and standing up to close my curtains, my room hastily being engulfed by the darkness. I didn’t realize that was the most sleep I would get for a long time.

+|+|+

I received the call around the time my class normally started. I was carelessly chatting with a few of the friends I had made over the course of the few months I had lived on campus.

“Hold on a second.” I excused myself and pulled out my phone as Calum’s name flashed across my screen.

“Cal? This isn’t a good time, lass is about to start and-”

“Bella,” a female voice sobbed into the phone, making me tense up before I realized who it was.

“Mali,” I gasped. “What’s wrong and why do you have Cal’s phone?”

“C-Cal is—he’s-” She hiccupped, unable to form a complete sentence.

“Mali, calm down, sweetheart.” I coaxed through the phone, keeping an eye out for my professor. “Deep breaths, okay? In, out. In, out.”

“O-Okay,” her breathing became less erratic before she spoke again. “It’s Calum.”

“Mali, what happened?” I asked through gritted teeth, flashing back to our conversation hours before.

“H-He was walking to school a-and a car c-came out of no-nowhere.” She gasped out, but her voice still thick because of the tears she was shedding.

“Is he-” I cut myself off, afraid to say the word dead.

“No, well, I mean-”

“Mali,” I cut her off and rush back into the classroom to gather my stuff and give a short explanation to the other girls and asking them to gather my work for the day. “Mali, what do you mean?”

“Calum’s in the ICU.”

And with those four words my entire life seemed to come crashing down.

I rushed out of the lecture hall and over to my dorm, reaching it in record time. I packed a bag just as quick, grabbing my phone off of my bed as I ran out to the bus stop across from the campus.

Luckily I arrived just as the bus heading to the airport was about to leave. I got a seat in the middle, hoping not to encounter any weirdoes to make my trip even more unbearable than it already was.

My leg bounced with the nerves wracking my body as the airport came into view. I jumped off the bus as soon as the doors opened, quickly running into the entrance and over to the ticket desk. A young,  frazzled employee jolted up when I rapped my knuckles on the hard surface.

“I need one ticket to Baltimore, Maryland, please.” I rushed out, pulling my wallet out of my purse at the same time as I talked.

“I’m sorry, our next flight to BWI Airport isn’t for another five hours,” she sent me a sad smile, picking up on my anxiety.

“IS there any way I can make it to Maryland before the end of the day?” I asked, tugging on my hair.

“Um, let me- I’ve got it!” She exclaimed, perking up. “There’s a flight leaving from the San Jose Mineta International Airport in an hour. I can call a taxi right now, but the fare might be larger.”

“I don’t even care right now, I have to get home. My boyfriend, he-” I began to ramble on before I cut myself off, realizing she probably wouldn’t want to hear the whole story.

She hastily tapped on her keyboard before a different sound, something between a hum and a click, began. She handed me my new ticket as she spoke into her phone, seeming to persuade the person on the other end of the line.

“The taxi will be here within fifteen minutes,” she smiled, obviously proud of herself.

“Thank you so much.” I gushed, reaching over and gathering her into a quick hug out of gratitude.

“It was no problem,” she waved it away after we broke out of our embrace. “No go get your man.” I rapidly nodded, tugging my rolling suitcase out to wait in front of the airport.

I’m coming home, Calum. Just wait for me.

_____

please dont kill me for this i know there's drama but there was a lot of fluff in 16 days so i kind of have to make it dramatic (for myself, anyways), i have it all planned out, i swear. love you guys, thanks so much for reading this <3

question: how much do you hate me atm?

love you guys,

em xx