Arms||Cake AU||

Chapter 41

The sound of hundreds of students chattering echoed around them as Michael dragged Calum by the arm though the crowded corridor. He wished he was anywhere other than there, getting closer and closer to where Luke stood on his own. Calum tried to wrench his arm out of his best friend's grip, but Michael dig his nails in.

"I can't do this Mikey," he protested weakly, eyes fixed on the back of Luke's head. "He hates me."

"You don't know that," Michael responded, loosening his grip of Calum's arm slightly. Calum raised an eyebrow at him and rolled his eyes.

"I kissed him in the middle of an argument, ran away and didn't come to school for over a week. If he doesn't hate me, he's crazy," he argued. Michael sighed and let go of his arm, before placing both hands on Calum's shoulders.

"Listen to me," he said sternly. "Do you really think that 1. I would leave Luke by himself all week while you weren't in and 2. That I would be encouraging you to talk to him if I thought he hated you?" Calum swallowed hard and shook his head, avoiding Michael's eye.

"You can do this buddy," Michael continued gently, squeezing his shoulder. "Just start by saying hey and then apologise."

"Saying sorry is going to make up for everything I've done is it?" Calum retorted sarcastically. Michael shot him a look uncannily like his mother's cross look. He shut up instantly.

"You made the mistake Calum, you have to do the work to fix it. If you don't, Luke will never speak to you again."

Calum didn't like the sound of that. With Michael's harsh truth settled in his chest, he began walking along the corridor, taking deep breaths with every step. His mother's words of encouragement echoed in his head, and his strides became longer and he removed his gaze from the floor.

"I can do this," Calum whispered to himself. He looked back over his shoulder at Michael, who smiled encouragingly.

Calum's confidence crumbled as soon as Luke turned round.

He looked worse than he ever had before. The cut on his cheek was healing, making it look ten times worse than it actually was. Bruises littered his face and arms, painting his pale skin black and blue. The circles under his eyes contrasted with his bright blue irises and his hair was unsettled, falling across his face.

He was still beautiful though.

"Hey," Calum mumbled, hitting his clenched fist against his leg. He couldn't drag his gaze away from Luke's shoes. He didn't want to see the same look in his eyes as he did the last time he dared look.

Calum could feel Luke's glare. He could imagine the storm raging in the ocean of his eyes. He couldn't bare to see it.

"You're a fucking asshole Calum Hood," Luke spat as a sharp pain struck Calum's cheek. He brought his hand to the spot where Luke's hand had collided with his face and glanced up at him. "That was the first thing you decide to say after you ran away and left me for a week. You messed with my head for a fucking week and all I get is a hey!?"

"I'm really sorry," Calum began, hitting his leg harder to stop the tears that has welled up in his eyes from falling. He wasn't surprised at Luke's reaction. He knew he deserved the stinging pain in his left cheek. "I-"

Calum's sentence was cut short by Luke's lips colliding with his in a frenzied kiss. It took a moment or two for him to register the situation. Once the shock had worn off, he tangled his hands into Luke's hair. Luke's arms were around his waist, pulling him closer with desperate hands. The sound of the other students around them muted. It was only the two of them in their little bubble.

Luke pulled away first, gasping for air. He peered at Calum through his fringe with an uncontainable smile on his face. Two deep dimples formed on his cheeks and Calum heart pounded so fast it felt like it was about to explode.

Luke was adorable.

"I've missed you," he whispered, pulling Calum into a hug. Calum snaked his arms around Luke's waist, holding him tight. He rested his forehead on Luke's broad shoulder and inhaled. With Luke's scent and the feeling of his arms around him, Calum felt at home again.

"I've missed you too," he whispered back. "And I'm so sorry for running away, I just-"

"I understand," Luke interrupted, pulling away from him. "I'm sorry for slapping you."

"Nah, I deserved it," Calum shrugged. "You can sure hit though Blondie."

Luke bit his lip shyly, casting his gaze to his shuffling feet momentarily.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" He asked, raising his eyebrow at Calum. For some reason, this made Calum's already racing heart flutter. He nodded.

They were both completely unaware of the crowded corridor they were stood in as Luke placed a featherlight kiss on Calum's bruising cheek. A soft blush coated his own cheek as he glanced at Calum.

"I've got to get to class now," he said gently. "See you at lunch Cal."

"Yeah lunch," Calum responded dreamily. Luke chuckled to himself and header off down the corridor, leaving Calum to sort out his erratic heartbeat and shallow breathing. He barely noticed Michael appear by his side with a smirk on his face.

"He hates me Mikey," Michael mocked, throwing an arm around Calum's shoulder to pull him from his daze. "That didn't look like he hated you."

"Shut up," Calum groaned, elbowing Michael in the ribs. However, inside he was walking on the clouds. Luke didn't hate him. A stupid grin spread across his face, from ear to ear.

"Look at you," Michael teased, poking his cheek. "You're on cloud nine. I never thought I'd see the day Calum Hood actually smiled."

"Piss off," Calum laughed, ruffling Michael's hair as they set off down the corridor.