Change // c.h.

chapter 03

It can't be Calum, anyone but Calum, I think, studying the boy standing in front of me.

"Jor-" he says, stopping before he can finish and looking away. My heart drops as I catch a glimpse of those unforgettable brown eyes. It's Calum Hood, without a doubt.

And he's still ignoring me.

"Are you serious, Cal? Three years and you're still not talking to me?!" I snap at him, taking a few steps towards him as we both stand and wait for our turn to cross the street. He just looks at me without saying anything, but his brown eyes betray his emotions.

He's relieved. Happy. Hurt. Annoyed. Surprised. Strangely enough, all the same emotions I'm feeling.

I sigh as I continue to look at him. "You said you wanted to find me. Someday, somehow. What happened to that?"

His face suddenly softens, and he reaches up to pull down his hood so I can fully see his face. "You saw that?" he whispers, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

I nod. "Yeah, I saw that. Didn't mean to, but I saw it. And we should probably cross the street now," I say, nodding at the traffic signal, which is now telling us it's safe to walk across the busy road.

We walk across in silence, waiting until we're on the sidewalk again to continue our conversation. "For the record, I'm still mad at you," I say as we walk together. And it's true, I've never gotten over him getting over our friendship.

I sneak a side glance at him. He's looking down, and the slight smile on his face turns into a frown as he looks over and glares at me. "Yeah, well, I'm still mad at you."

"Well, what about what you said in that interview?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him.

He laughs, a cold, bitter laugh. "I didn't really mean it," he scoffs, though I can tell he's lying. It hurts me even more that he's too stubborn to admit his real feelings. Though I guess I deserve it. After all, the last time he shared his feelings with me, we both ended up hurt.

"So, you don't want to see me again?" I attempt to clarify. Although this conversation has been longer than any we've had since that one night, it's no better than any others.

He just shakes his head, meeting my gaze. "Nope. Not at all. I was just saying that for the sake of the interview." He's obviously still lying, but I just ignore it.

"Then why are you still talking to me?" I ask, smirking at him. I know that will make him even madder than he is now. And it does.

"Shut up," he snaps at me, looking straight ahead, avoiding my eyes. I just laugh and roll my eyes at him, strangely amused by his reaction.

We don't say a word as we continue to walk down the street. When I stop at my bus stop, he looks back and mutters a quiet, "Bye," before continuing on his way.

I watch him go as I wait for the bus. His looks have improved since I saw him last, that's for sure. But he's still the same stubborn, thoughtful boy he was when he left Australia.

The bus arrives, and I hop on, sitting in silence until we reach the bus stop just down the street from my house. When I get off the bus, it's raining, and I jog the whole way home. It's not until I'm in my room that I take the time to digest what happened in the city.

 I saw Calum. I talked with Calum. I reaffirmed the fact that I'm still mad at Calum. But strangely, much as I hate to admit it, I miss Calum.