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It's eleven PM when I walk through the door to Calum's apartment. I find Luke in the kitchen, as per usual. He's practically inhaling the sandwich in his hand and Duke is desperately waiting for any bits to fall out of it as he rises up on Luke's leg. "What the hell are you doing not standing ready by the door?"
"Scotty, I've informed you many times about the grave importance of eating before a sesh."
"Emma and Arden are already at the club."
"Blame your man," he mumbles through the food in his mouth. "He's taking ages on the phone."
"Where is he?"
"Balcony." A piece of cheese drops to the floor and Duke pounces on it immediately.
"Just be ready in a minute," I say and I leave my purse on the counter to go find Calum. I see him pacing out on the balcony, fog leaving his mouth as he speaks into his phone. He leans onto the railing and I slide the door open. "Hey."
I catch his attention and he holds a finger up. It takes a moment until he hangs up and I can start to feel the chill even through my coat. "Hey."
Calum leans down to press a kiss to my lips. "What was that about?"
"It's nothing," he shrugs it off. "Just a friend from back home."
"Oh, all right. Are you coming? Emma and Arden are already there."
"Yeah, let's go." Calum closes the glass door behind us once we are back inside and the warmth of the apartment spreads through my body.
"Did you have a good day at work today?"
"It was stressful," he tells me and he wraps an arm over my shoulders to pull me closer as we walk. "But it was all right."
"Good."
"Luke, stop feeding Duke," Calum lectures when we walk into the kitchen to find Luke sitting on the floor making Duke do tricks for pieces of his sandwich. "He'll get fat."
Luke rolls his eyes but pushes himself off the floor to stand. "You're such a buzz kill."
Calum bends down to pick up Duke into his arm and he's attacked by the puppy's tongue. "I'm gonna miss you, yes I will. Daddy is only gonna be away for a few hours and then we can cuddle in bed, yeah?"
Duke just licks Calum's cheek and Luke and I look at each other for a moment. "For some reason I feel like I'll be kicked out of the room to sleep on the couch tonight."
"Don't listen to them, Duke," Calum says. "They're just jealous that you're cuter than them."
"Um, all right, I guess you can get all of your kisses from Duke then."
"No need to get all riled up," Calum says and he puts duke down on the floor again. "I can make time for the both of you."
"Three of us," Luke corrects him and it's Calum's turn to roll his eyes.
"All right, the three of you."
"Oh my God, can we leave already?"
...
"Took you guys long enough!" Emma shouts through the music when we find her, Arden, and Ashton lounging by the bar. Each one of them gives us a quick hug and I laugh.
"Luke and Calum are literally the slowest people I know." Ashton shoots me a look of agreement. "At least Arden has got her man in check."
"And to think that I was gonna pay for your drinks tonight," Calum taunts me and I pout at him.
"I love you," I singsong and he breaks out into a smile. Calum ends up paying for the first round of shots and Luke decides to take on the next one. Luke also demands I try a mojito because he found out last week that I've never had one before. It doesn't take long until the glass is empty and we migrate to the dance floor. I think it's been about half an hour when Calum tells me he's getting a call and that he's gonna step out for some air to answer it.
I am also pretty sure it's half an hour after he's left that I stop being able to have fun for more than a few minutes without wondering where he is because he said he'd only be a few minutes. So I cling onto Emma to grab her attention away from Luke who is dancing in a God awful fashion. "What's up, Skittle?"
"I'm gonna go look for Calum!"
"All right, be back soon if you don't find him!" I send her a quick nod and I'm off pushing and showing my way through the herds of sweaty bodies to get to the exit after I get my coat from the closet.
I find Calum outside in a cloud of smoke. Not fog, but smoke. I walk up to him but he doesn't notice me as he takes another drag. "I thought you had to take a call."
He blows the smoke out of his mouth before he drops what's left of the cigarette to the slush covered ground to put it out. "I did."
"It's kind of ironic how you said you needed air and then you smoke."
"I felt stressed out. I can't just stop, Scotty. It doesn't work like that."
"It could work that way."
"I've already cut down since I met you. It's a process so I'd appreciate it if you would stay out of my shit."
"Wow, OK," I laugh humorlessly. "I'm sorry that I don't want to relive having to be told someone that I love has screwed up their lungs so badly they might not make it out alive."
"Scotty."
"No, you're right. I'll leave you to bond some more with your box of cigarettes. I hope you'll enjoy cuddling with Duke on your own tonight."
"Scotty, come on. Don't be like that," he begs. "I'm sorry."
"I'll see you tomorrow." I walk off and I don't hear him follow me. I am standing at my door when I realize that I left my purse at Calum's earlier and I curse under my breath.
It's almost three AM when Calum finds me sitting in the hallway outside of his apartment door and I lift my head up when he kneels down in front of me. "What are you doing, Scotty?"
"I left my purse in the kitchen so I couldn't get in my apartment."
"Come on then," he says and he stands up, pulling me with him. I close my eyes and lean my head against his shoulder as he goes to unlock the door.
"I really don't like when you smoke," I hum and he sighs.
"I know."
...
OK I'm so sorry I haven't updated in like almost a week I am appalled
