Beginnings • c.h

Chapter Fourteen

Anni POV

 “I’ll be waiting for it.” I settle, I turn back to the window and I see that my colour is soon to appear, but the branches and leaves are going to obstruct the view. I face Calum,

“Follow me.”

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 “I didn’t realise your ‘good idea’ was going to be climbing to the roof of the treehouse! Believe me when I tell you that you are crazy!” He calls from below me.

“All the best people are!” I yell back, unintentionally quoting Alice in Wonderland. It seems Calum must have picked up on that because he shouts at me,

“Alrighty, Alice, just you keep believing that!”

I can only laugh and when he finally reaches the roof, I am still laughing. A few tears escape and Calum soon joins in, only he is laughing at my reaction rather than the joke. Eventually we calm ourselves and I turn to see my colour is seconds away from appearing.

I quickly shuffle closer to Calum and begin slapping his shoulder, not taking my eyes from the sunset.

“Look, look! The colour is about to come!”

I feel Calum place his arm on the spot behind my back, not touching, but only by centimetres. I quickly glance at him, but he is already looking at me. I point my finger skywards and tell him he is supposed to be looking at the sunset, not me.

“Why would I look at something that isn’t as beautiful as what I am already staring at?” he whispers, looking into my wide cerulean eyes. The way he is looking, searching, it was almost as if he was looking into my soul. Wow, cliché much?

I am the one to break the tension, as I look back towards the sunset, just in time for my colour to appear. Over the horizon the sun is just peeking out, sending golden rays shooting through the dusty pink I adore so much.

It appears only for a minute or two, but I am entranced, unable to look away as I take in the colours. Soon it fades and other colours come and go, but the colour is imprinted in my brain. Suddenly I remember that Calum was sitting next to me,

“Did you see it, Cal? It was amazing!”

I look across my shoulder to see him in the same position as he was when I first looked away, staring at me.

“Cal? Calum!”

He jolts, coming to his senses, he blinks lazily and sends me a breathtaking smile. I can’t get used to his smile, just the perfect little white teeth, set perfectly straight in his mouth. What is wrong with me at the moment? I mean, this guy just made me spill my darkest secret to everyone not even an hour ago, and instead of hating him and ranting at him, I am here admiring how good looking he is? I just don’t understand myself, sometimes…

“So did you see it?” I pressed, desperate to hear whether he saw what I saw.

“The sunset? Uh, yeah, I saw it. Truly amazing. Breathtaking…” he stutters. I frown, he sounds as though he was lying. If he didn’t watch the sunset, what could he have possibly looking at? It certainly wasn’t me because, why would he watch me?

I can only ignore it, and hope to eventually find out. I sigh, and lean back, waiting and watching to see the first stars appear in the night sky. Only once the first few stars had appeared, did Calum speak again,

“Okay, I lied, I didn’t actually watch the sunset.”

I frown, hurt. Why would he lie? It seems I would find out sooner than first anticipated as he continues to blurt out,