Secret // Calum Hood

40

Month 3

Calum

“Calum!  What do you want for dinner, and please don’t say Panda Express or else Michael will win, and I don’t want Chinese food for a third time this week,” Ashton said.

 

I snapped to attention at Ashton’s words, but fell back again. It’s March now, and Elena has not written me back since that first letter.  I prayed that her letter just got lost in the mail or something.  I felt like we were slowly growing apart, not being able to talk like we used to.  I still love her, and I know she loves me.  But I’m tired of the system keeping us apart.  She’s on level two now, but that’s still not where she needs to be for me to see her.  I hate thinking like this.  I sound selfish.  I should be patient and let Elena get better at her own pace.  I should want her to level up because it means she’s getting better, not because it means I can see her.  

 

“Calum!” Luke said, slapping me on the shoulder.

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“What do you want for dinner?” Michael asked.

 

“I don’t know.  Pizza,” I answered unenthusiastically.

 

“That’s two votes for pizza, one vote for Panda Express, and one vote from Ashton that we go to the deli and get that weird sausage and have a sausage party,” Luke counted.

 

“Sausage party?  You do know how wrong that sounds?” Michael asked, turning to Ashton.

 

“Don’t judge me!” Ashton exclaimed and went to go hide behind his drum kit for some reason only he knew.

 

“Calum and I will go get the pizza,” Luke stated.

 

“Why can’t we just order in?” Michael asked.

 

“Because, we just can’t.  Come on Cal,” Luke answered, putting an arm around me and leading us outside to his car.

 

Once we were inside and driving, Luke turned down the radio.  I knew that he wanted to talk about something important. My stomach started to hurt.  I anticipated this.

 

“Cal, what’s going on?” Luke asked as he looked ahead for oncoming traffic.

 

“Nothing,” I answered.

 

“You miss Elena,” Luke said.

 

“Yeah, I miss Elena,” I said.

 

“You miss Elena too much,” he added.

 

“Maybe”.

 

“I’m happy that you’ve found someone as great as her.  But you can’t keep moping around like this.  You’ve been apart for three months.  No offense, but grow a pair and get on with life.  You’ll be able to see her in no time,” Luke said.