It Ain't Me, Babe. 》cth

Chapter 36 》"It's me you're lookin' for, babe."

《3 months later》

"A tan looks really nice on you. You're usually paler than Michael." Calum teases me from his spot in the bed we've been sharing all summer. Meanwhile I sift through some clothes to throw on. 

"Ew, don't compare me to my brother. I'm your girlfriend." I whine, settling on one of Calum's many band tee's. 

"I'm just saying, L.A. looks good on you babe." He grins, holding his arms out so that I'll come to him. I quickly oblige, making my way over to the bed and landing on his bare chest. 

"I have to go home." I remind him. I know he's only saying that because he wants me to stay, and believe me, I want nothing more than to stay with him. 

"You don't have too." He suggests.

"Yes I do. College starts soon." 

"You don't need college, Norah." He whines, kissing my neck.

"Yes I do, Calum. Otherwise I'll end up selling crack or something." 

Calum makes a face at me. "That's a little drastic, don't you think?" I giggle at his response.

"Yeah, but I'm just saying I'm going to need a college education if I want to support myself in the future. I want a good career." I explain.

"You don't need one, baby. I'll take care of you." He could if I wanted him to. With the direction that the band is going, I could depend on Calum if I wanted to, but I don't want to. 

"I know you would, but what if things just happened to not work out between us?" I question. It pains me to ask that, because I pray that things will work with Calum forever. He means that much to me. He ponders this for only a moment before responding.

"You know that I have every intention on marrying you, right?" 

"Um... what?" I'm taken by surprise at his nonchalant little question. We haven't even been dating for a whole year yet, and to hear him say something like that... well I just wasn't prepared for it. 

"Not right now! It wasn't a proposal, so calm down. I know we're still young and everything, but... goddamn I'm in love with you. I'm just saying that I really, honestly see myself being with you forever. I just want to date you for awhile first." He shrugs. 

"Oh... Well, I still want to go to college." 

"Are you doubting me? 'Cause I'll put a ring on it right now." He threatens, flipping us over and pinning me down to the mattress.

"No, not doubting you. It's just something that I want to do for me, and you know that, so stop trying to talk me out of it." I try to reason with him while also trying to resist him. Over the course of the summer he's managed to learn every inch of my body and own it, yet I still get butterflies when he does things like this. 

"Why do you have to be so strong willed and independent?" He groans, kissing my throat.

"It's your fault that I am." My breath hitches in my throat, but that doesn't mean that I'm letting his tempting ways change my mind. 

"Stubborn ass." He grunts, lightly biting the skin on my neck.

"Mhm." It comes out as a bit of a moan as he sucks on my collarbone. 

"Fuck, I'm going to miss this." He whispers, ripping off the shirt that I just put on five minutes ago. 

"Me too." I sigh.

"Then stay here. With me." He mumbles, kissing between the valley of my breasts. 

"No. You're not going to seduce me into staying here."