The Boyfriend Project || CTH

TWENTY TWO

Does NYFA literally have to be sooo freaking expensive like??

"How's the cooking going?" I hop onto the only space on the kitchen counter not completely covered in things.

"Better now that you're here." Calum leans over and pecks my lips quickly before going back to mashing the potatoes. "Ashton just left with Arden to get the booze."

"Do you happen to need a very cute and capable assistant to assist you now that your partner has stepped out?"

"You know what, that's exactly what I need," he grins. "I do need someone cute and capable to pack the marshmallows onto the sweet potatoes."

"I'm on it," I beam. I rip the bag of marshmallows open and I can't help but pop one into my mouth, which Calum sees.

"You're not supposed to eat them now," he laughs. "That's not very capable of you."

"But I'm still cute?" I mumble out through the marshmallow that's filling up my mouth.

"Adorable," he states and he walks over to me. He looks down at me and I wonder what he is thinking in this moment. My own thoughts are interrupted when suddenly Calum swipes mashed potatoes onto my nose and I gasp.

"Calum!"

"Still cute," he singsongs. Moving his hands so that he's cupping my face he leans down and his lips attach to the tip of my nose and when he pulls away the potatoes are gone. "And taste delicious."

"You are such a child."

"A child you like a lot."

More like love. "Ew that sounds gross."

"Get back to work," he says firmly, but I can see the smile playing in his eyes. "You're being unprofessional."

"Yes, Sir." I start packing the marshmallows over the sweet potato dish but I stop when I feel a set of eyes set on me. When I turn Calum has his back leaned against the counter and his arms are crossed over his chest. "What?"

"Nothing." A smile spreads over his face and I can't help but notice that he's looking at me the same way I've always dreamed of someone looking at me—the way people look at each other in movies. "You're just really beautiful."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely breathtaking." I put down the now almost empty back of marshmallows and move to stand right in front of him. I tilt my head up to look him in the eyes. I speak quietly.

"Why haven't you asked me to be your girlfriend yet?"

"What?"

"We've been going out for a while."

"I thought you didn't like labels."

"I don't need a grand ceremony to declare my love in front of a hundred guests but that's not the same thing as just confirming that we're in a relationship."

"So you want to?"

"Yeah," I nod. "I really do. I've never felt what I feel for you before."

"So ask me."

"What?"

"Ask me," he repeats. "You said you really want this, so ask me."

"Um, OK." I bite down on my lip and my gaze lowers so that I look straight at his chest. "Will you—do you want to, um..." I stop for a few seconds and I know that he's smiling down at me with a ridiculously wide grin spread over his face. "Calum Hood will you be my boyfriend?"

"Nothing would make me happier, Scotty Lee." He wraps his arms around my lower back and he leans his face closer to mine, but our lips don't touch. "That wasn't so scary now, was it?"

...

"I can't believe it's only four o'clock and the guys are already drunk," I groan. I lean back into Arden whose lap I am sitting on since there are only two chairs out on the balcony and Emma has taken the other one.

"I think we're on the verge of going from tipsy to drunk ourselves."

"At least we're not in there singing karaoke."

"I think I want to," Emma declares and we turn to look at her. "And it's not because I'm Asian. It'd be fun."

"I asked Calum to be my boyfriend," I blurt and Emma coughs from choking on the beer she's drinking.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Well what did he say?" Arden wonders wrapping her arms around me and resting her head against my back.

"He said yes, otherwise I think this whole day would have had a way more awkward atmosphere hanging over it."

"How does it feel, having you first boyfriend?"

"I mean it feels kind of the same as how it's felt the whole time I've been with him, but I guess it's nice knowing we're on the same page."

"What if he's the one?"

"I wouldn't mind I think," I ponder. "I just hope he doesn't mind either."

"Can you believe it, Emma?" Arden marvels. "Our daughter is in love!"

Emma laughs and I stand up as I roll my eyes at the two. "Very funny. Now let's go inside and see how bad they are at singing."

I pull my friends with me back inside and as soon as we step through the glass doors the tune of Justin Bieber's Baby bounces off the walls. Once in the living room we find that it is Calum and Luke who are singing—or rather belting out the lyrics.

"Oh my God," I laugh and I feel the shot I took before going on the balcony wash over me along with the countless beers I'd consumed before that. "Why do they actually sound kind of good?"

"Luke used to sing at a bar to make some extra cash when he was in college," Emma tells me. "I don't know Calum's excuse."

When the two are done singing, along with performing their choreographed dance routine for the song, Calum practically bounces up to me and I can smell the liquor on his breath as he speaks. "Do you wanna sing?"

"Oh no," I giggle. "I don't sing."

"Bummer."

I take notice of the pack of cigarettes I had found weeks ago lying on the shelf behind Calum and I walk over to grab it. "Michael!"

The man turns in his seat on the couch to face me with a smile on his face. "Yeah."

"You forgot these here on Halloween." I toss him the pack and he furrows his brows, looking extremely confused for a second before he looks like a light bulb has gone off in his head.

"Oh, yeah. My cigarettes, because I smoke."

...

Sure you do, Michael.