reach for the clouds ✰ c.h

iv. STRATUS

chapter four — stratus
featureless clouds of low altitude that are flat,
hazy, and varying in color; foggy layers

「 "talking under pink skies, i think
      our hearts are starting to show." 」
   pink skies by LANY

Calum and I ended up on a beach.

We walked along the shore as Astrid trudged in front, farther away from the ocean. The colors in the sky surrounding us were surprisingly still vibrant, adding a nice touch to the overall vibe between us.

We discarded our empty cups a while ago and now we were talking and laughing about the silliest things, getting a little more comfortable around each other, especially after all of today's events.

I shivered as a strong, cold breeze blew past us, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin underneath the fabric of my top. When I left the apartment, it was sunny and warm, completely contrasting to how it felt outside now. It always gets colder in LA at night. I didn't know I would be out this long and here I was, still only wearing the thin shirt that I put on earlier.

"You cold?" Calum asked.

"Yeah, kinda." I confessed.

"Here, take my jacket." He said, shaking out of his jacket and reaching over to place it on my shoulders.

"But, what about you? You're gonna be freezing now." His hoodie was way thicker than my flimsy shirt, but I didn't want to just take his jacket from him.

"I've got this on." Calum pointed at his hoodie. "I'll be fine." He muttered, dragging his eyes down my figure with the leather on.

"It looks better on you anyway." I chuckled quietly before thanking him.

The faint smell of cigarettes and cologne wafted into my nose as the jacket engulfed me. I slid my arms into the holes. Calum was walking Astrid, insisting on it after we left the cafe.

"You're Australian, right?" I asked, curiously. "I can hear your accent."

"Yep, although a lot of people say i'm losing the accent." Calum said. 

"You do sound a little American, too." I agreed, before adding. "But I bet this beach is nowhere near as pretty as the ones in Australia, though."

We were now on a pier that was connected to the boardwalk, so since there was no other place to go besides the water, I sat down, looking up at Calum.

"Yea, the boys and I are always talking about that." Calum sat down across from me so we were facing each other.

"Tell me about them," I suggested. "You've mentioned them a lot in the small amount of time we've spent together."

"Can't help it, I guess. They're basically my brothers. I've known them since we were in school back in Oz."

The rest of our time there, on that pier, face-to-face, was spent learning about each other; what makes us happy, TV shows, childhood, family, and traveling. I was so invested in our conversation that I barely noticed how late it was getting.

"Oh, it's getting dark." He stated, looking around. "We should get you home."

"Alright." I agreed, pouting. Calum got up and offered a hand and I gladly accepted it. He pulled me up really fast, catching me off guard as I laughed loudly.

We strolled down the streets towards my apartment after he insisted on walking me home since it was indeed late.

"Are you sure?" I asked, hesitating to let him walk me home. "Weren't you walking, too? I don't want you to have to walk home alone."