Reaction || Malum ||

2

It very rarely rains here in Sydney but tonight the flood gates of the heavens seemed to open all at once. The rain peppered my window and every so often lightening would flash followed with a boom of thunder. It was impossible to get any sleep after being woken up by such a relentless storm. My eyes were glued to the ceiling hoping for sleep to drag me back under.

Just as my eyes closed they fluttered open to the sound of knocking at my bedroom door. I was a little scared that I was hearing things or something terrifying was on the other side of my door but I decided to take a risk.

"Come in." I called out and the door only opened slightly with Calum sneaking through the small space. He still had on the same hoodie from earlier but the hood was on his head. He looked absolutely terrified and when the thunder crashed outside, I thought he was going to jump out of his skin.

"What's the matter Cal? Are you afraid of thunder storms?" I asked and he nodded frantically. I rolled over to flip on the lamp on my bedside table to shed some light on my room. With a flick of the switch the room was dimly lit and I could see the scared expression on Calum's face more clearly.

His arms were wrapped around his chest and I could tell he was shaking with fright. It was like seeing a small puppy scared of the ongoing storm, it was sad to see. Even though I barely knew Calum I could tell he was a fragile person. Something within me wanted to make it better for him, to help him feel safe. When I was little and would get scared of thunderstorms or nightmares, my mum would tuck me back into bed and lay with me until I fell asleep. Maybe Calum needed that too.

"Come here Calum, you can lay with me." I patted the bed next to me and Calum slowly walked towards my bed to lie down. He crawled under the cover and curled up into a ball on his side next to me. His eyes were screwed shut and I could feel his shaking from my side of the bed.

"When I was little my mum would lay in bed with me until I fell asleep during scary storms." I whispered softly and Calum curled more into himself as I spoke. It's so sad to see someone so introverted and seemingly terrified of the world around them.

"I don't know why you don't talk Calum but it's okay that you don't want to just yet." I yawned and suddenly felt very tired. I looked over to Calum who seemed to be falling asleep himself. The room went quiet as the storm outside seemed to slow down.

"I-I'm sc-scared." He whispered barely audible. I was too shocked to say anything back so I decided to let it slide. I felt my eyelids grow heavy and before I knew it I was asleep.

What was Calum scared of?

...

I awoke startled from an unsettling dream. Everything was dark, all around me there was no light and I was terrified. I was thankful I woke up. That's the thing about dreaming; you can wake up if it scares you. In life you can't. If something scares you, you have to face it or let it consume you. Fight or flight. You have the choice to run away and remain scared or stand up to what is causing your discomfort.

For Calum's sake, I just really hoped he could beat what was ever scaring him. I have no clue why I already felt so maternal towards Calum. Maybe it was because I've never had siblings and whenever someone I knew was having a tough time, I did my best to cheer them up. Maybe that's it. I see Calum as a challenge. A challenge to cheer him up and find out what is bothering.

How fucking selfish of me.

Would it kill me to just put my own conquest aside and be a good friend to Calum? I mean he is living in my house for god knows how long.

I let out a deep sigh and smacked the mattress next to me. I have only been up approximately ten minutes and my head already hurts from over thinking. Old habits are hard to break I suppose. I kicked off the covers and made my way to the bathroom. I hated getting up in the mornings just for the dreadful fact I had to leave my bed.

My feet patted down the hallway until I reached the bathroom. Through a yawn I turned the doorknob and pushed myself into the bathroom to someone else standing at the sink. Calum was shirtless in skinny jeans, brushing his teeth. His hair was freshly wet from a shower and his tan skin seemed to shimmer. Why the fuck did I just think that about Calum? I noticed a feather tattoo on his collar bone which was perfectly contrast against the tone of his chest. Why am I doing that? He's a guy I'm a guy, not to mention a stranger. He turned to look at me but went back to brushing his teeth with a shrug.

"Are you about done? I have to pee." I said in my grouchy morning voice. Calum spit one last time and rinsed out his mouth with another shrug. He wiped his lips on a towel and walked past me in the doorway.

I couldn't help but watch him walk down the hallway and disappear into his room. Something about silence is it demands to be questioned. I needed to figure why Calum acted like he does and get him to talk.

I was washing my hands but mostly I was in front of the mirror examining my reflection. My hair was fading green and was in every direction it could possibly stick up in. My face looked pale especially in comparison to Calum's, and my green eyes looked tired. I glared at myself then turned to walk out of the bathroom.

When I threw the door open, Calum was standing on the other side clutching a piece of paper. He halfheartedly smiled at me and held out the paper for me to take. I grabbed it out of his hand and read the surprisingly decent handwriting on it.

I'm sorry about last night but thank you for letting me stay -C

"It was no problem Calum." I smiled and decided not to bring up the fact he spoke a little last night. The shy boy had returned to the familiar confines of his black sweat shirt but he left his head uncovered today. He only held eye contact with me for approximately a second then turned to examine the carpet beneath our feet.

"Are you hungry?" I asked and his eyes shot back up from the floor. I will take that as a yes. Rose had Sunday mornings off and wouldn't be in until probably dinner time so it was chef Michael who would be making breakfast.

"Come on mate, I hope you like Nutella." I said and gestured for Calum to follow me.

I really wanted to know more about this guy but for now I was hungry.

>>>>
Things are gonna be interesting...
Kinda fast lol

Shorter chapters at first

Schedule for updates on this one will provably be every other day ;)

Until I update again :)