✔ Run Baby Run ✖ punk hood au

xv - blush

g w e n:

I think I was growing more fond of Calum each time I'm with him. I don't know what it was about him or what exactly was luring me in, but every time I find myself spending time with Calum, I slowly fall into his gravity. He was rude, obnoxious, inconsiderate of feelings, and had a bad temper. But in retrospect, there was still a part of him that was undeniably sweet.

I think it was his smile.

And I'm not talking about the pompous smirks he often gave me. It was the genuine ones that captured me over and over again. The smiles that are so big, bright, and full of life; the smiles that cause his eyes to get really small while tiny crinkles adorned the edges; the smiles that represented the complex idea of beauty, but portrayed in the most of simplest ways.

"Thank you for dropping me off Calum," I smiled at him through the window of his car.

"No big deal. I'll see you tomorrow baby dumpling," he declared, giving me a wave.

"Tomorrow," I winked, turning on my heel to face the Hemmings household.

I looked up at the house that loomed before me, its windows glowing with hues of golden yellows-- everyone was still awake. I walked up the pathway towards the main door, hearing Calum's car screech away. I entered the home, welcomed with the sounds of some program on the TV, and the clanking of silverware to glass.

"Gwen, honey. Where have you been?" Liz questioned, looking up from from her plate of food as I approached the family. Mr. Hemmings and Luke glanced at me as I took a seat at the dinner table. "I tried to call you but no answer."

"I'm sorry, I misplaced my phone somewhere at school," I explained. "Hopefully someone was kind enough to turn it into the lost and found."

"I hope so too. How did you get home from the outreach center? You were there pretty late," Luke observed, taking a bite from the pasta on his plate.

"A friend from school who just started volunteering at the center dropped me off. We hung out afterwards. Climbed the Harbour Bridge too," I told him with proud smile; I was still buzzing with adrenaline.

"Did you really Gwen?" Mr. Hemmings chimed in, a surprised expression on his face. "I never would've though you'd be the dare devil type of girl."

"I was surprised I did it myself Mr. Hemmings," I laughed. "But it was an adventure and I had the best time."

"That's good to hear Gwen. I like that you're going out instead of just sticking around at the center. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but ever since the accident, I wasn't sure if I could ever get you to go sight seeing again," Liz expressed. She looked at me with hopeful eyes, and I could feel the sincerity in her tone. Her eyes that matched Luke's, were glossy, welling up with tears and I was confused as to why her body was reacting this way.

"Mrs. Hemmings, are you crying?" I asked, feeling a pang of guilt.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she sniffled, taking a napkin and dabbing her tear ducts. "I've grown very fond of you Gwen. It's like I've adopted a daughter into this household ever since you stepped foot into our home at the beginning of the summer. I care about your well being."

I was touched; so moved by the amount of sentiment that exuded out of Liz Hemmings. My own mom was thousands of miles and 18 hours away from me. I was alone here in Australia without any blood relatives, but at the same time I wasn't alone. Not when Luke and both his parents had basically adopted me as part of their family.

"I love you!" I cheered, standing up from the chair. I leaned over next to Liz and gave her a bear hug. Luke glanced at me with an expression that I couldn't quite read. I wondered if he was having an off-day or if something was wrong. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.