Neighbor Calum

Chapter 20

For the second morning in a row I wake to the familiar feeling of Calum laid solidly beside me. Todays different though, for a couple reasons actually. One being the fact that we're in Calum's room instead of my own. Calum explaining about his mom finding his room empty the other day and having a fit. Another thing that's different about this morning is Calum actually being up before me.

My eyes slowly flutter open to the sight of the boy propped up on his elbow facing me, fingertips lightly tracing patterns on the skin of my back revealed by my - Calum's - shirt that had ridden up a bit in my slumber.

Calum gives a lazy smile when he realizes I'm up. "Morning," his voice still groggy with sleep.

"That tickles," I mutter, wiggling from his touch and closing my eyes again. "And stop staring, I can't sleep," I blindly stick my hand out in the direction I'm hoping is his face. It is. Barely.

"Wake up already," he says lightheartedly, nipping one of my fingers.

"Calum," I squeak, pulling my hand back.

"Well, c'mon, I need you to be awake already." I peek an eye to catch his pout.

"Why do you need me awake? I need you asleep please."

"But I've never had you in my room, I'd like to enjoy that being real for a while longer before I have to go," he coos, grabbing at my hand to lace our fingers.

"You having dreams about me in your room?" I say playfully, not expecting a real answer.

"Yes actually, a few times. It's the worst when I wake up and realize you're not actually here though," his voice soft and small like he's unsure if he should be confessing something like this. Of course I'm more than elated to hear it, reluctantly opening my eyes.

"Ya know, you're kinda cute when you say things like that," I grin sleepily at him.

"Cute enough to cuddle?" he hums, looking up from our intertwined fingers.

"I suppose," I sigh exasperatedly. Calum happily lays on his back, waiting for me to cuddle into his side then re-laces our fingers.

We haven't spoken about his drunken confessions yet or where this was going but he was leaving in a bit to spend the next couple days with some family. I know logically now would be the perfect time to have that talk so it can be dealt with before he goes away but I also don't find it in me to risk the cuddling and soaking up as much Calum as I can before he goes.

So for the second time, I push the talk aside and let myself revel in everything that is Calum Hood.

-

Saying goodbye shouldn't be as hard as it is. It's only a couple days. It's not like he's never coming back but I also just got him back. We spend so much time saying goodbye that his mom shouts at him multiple times before his dad has to come up and literally drag him out - which I obviously take cover in his closet.

There was lots of kisses and fidgety fingers playing with fidgety fingers and whispered promises on the next few days going by before we can even get the chance to miss each other. Which was absolute shit if the hallow feeling in my chest was any indication.

The first night isn't so hard though because I had just spent the previous night with him. We had also stayed up impossibly late, I think it might have been a new record, so I was understandably exhausted.

It's not until I wake the next day, already planning out my outfit for Calum's usual practice day out of habit, that it starts to sit very unsettlingly in my stomach.

-

"How longs Calum gone again?" Kylie asks as the usual five of us sit in Ashton's garage.

"Dunno, few days," I shrug absentmindedly, focusing my attention on attempting to make a mohawk out of Michael's fluffy orangey hair in my lap.