english - c.hood 01 | au

twenty one

n o e l l e

"noelle." he said to me. "please, say something?"

"something." i mumbled, a faint smile forming on my lips from the lame and childish answer i had given.

"you smartass." he shook his head, pressing his lips atop of my head. "let's take you home, yeah?"

"luke bought me candy and italian spring rolls, we're stocked." i swooned. "food, my second love."

"what's your first?" he asked.

"huh?"

"you said that food was your second love." he said as we made our way towards his car. "if that's true, then what's your first love?"

i hadn't really thought that through; what i had said.

my relationship with calum was fairly fresh.

tonight he showed me just how much he claims to care about me, defending me to him of all people.

"i'm sorry." he rushed out. "i shouldn't have—"

"no one's ever made me feel the way that you do, calum." i said. "you make me feel safe, and for a long time i haven't had that feeling. it's just a matter of me being able to admit it to myself out loud that i'm ready, you know? you don't need to apologize, it's something i should think about, i just haven't the chance to and—"

"noelle, it's okay." he smiled, letting me into his car and getting in on the other side. "i shouldn't have pushed it, especially after that, i'm sorry."

"that is supposed to stay within 100ft of me, so that shouldn't ever matter." i said. "my friends wanted me to live a little as part of our uni-experience, because i'm probably one of the most innocent and closed off people my he to exist. i've lived in denial, refusing to believe or desire the things that they wanted for me, but they happened anyway, and i honestly couldn't be more happy with the outcome."

"is that so?" he asks as he turns into the parking lot of my dorm building.

"yeah." i sigh, bitting at the corner of my bottom lip out of pure habit.

"noelle." he spoke deeply. "love, i told you to quit doing that."

i quickly sucked in my whole bottom lip, and realizing that was making the situation worse, slowly released it, which seemed to have made calum even more anxious than before.

"it's a shame we can't do much tonight." he shook his head, getting out of the car and coming around to let me out.

"it doesn't mean we can't have some fun." i said as we made our way towards the door of my dorm.

"oh, and what's that supposed to mean, miss carter?" calum questions.

"get your head out of the gutter, hood." i glared as i unlocked the door. "we're going to have my type of fun."

"and what does you type of fun involve exactly?" he asks.

"the best parts of life." i grinned. "comfy clothes, candy, italian spring rolls, more junk food, and disney movies."

"cartoons or classics?"

"cartoons, duh."

"lead the way, miss carter."