Summer //hood//

23. Michael The Wise Man

Now the things had been sorted out and Calum never found himself this relieved. He laid down on the couch, letting out a relief sigh.

He had talked with Claire last night before she flight to Miami with Luke this morning to finish their pre-wedding shoot.

"I'm really sorry for keeping it from you, Cal. But what was I supposed to say when I knew about your feelings? You're my best friend since I can remember. I was afraid that when I told you that I knew, you'd keep your distance from me because you got uncomfortable with the situation. I just didn't want our friendships ruined," Claire had said.

"It's okay, Claire. I understand," he replied.

"No, I still have a lot of explaining to do to you-," Claire cut him off but she got interrupted with Calum.

Calum shook his head. "No, I totally understand that you never wanted our friendship ruined. I get it. I do, really. I wanted to say that I'm sorry too for making it such a big deal. I shouldn't have screamed at you and it made you and Luke fought about it. I feel bad," Calum said.

Claire smiled weakly and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. It was my fault too, I guess because I kept it from Luke."

Calum shook his head again. "No, Claire. It wasn't. It was my fault since I didn't tell him about my feelings towards you even though he's my best friend."

They went silent for a moment before Calum spoke up again. "I hope this thing won't affect our friendships. I don't think I could find another best friends anymore if you guys decided to dump me after your wedding," he admitted.

Claire let out a nervous laugh. "Why would we dump our own best friends just because you had a feeling for me, Cal? We would never do that," she said.

"Well, who knows," Calum nervously laughed back. "Can you promise me that we can stay as best friends after this?"

Claire looked at him with some unreadable expression.

"It's okay. Just ignore the fact that I've loved you for years. In fact, I've planned to move on from you since a long time ago. I've tried it a few times before but it failed miserably. But I think, after I confessed my feelings for you, I can do it. So, don't you worry about me. One day, you'll see me falling in love with a girl and that girl will be my partner for the rest of my life," Calum said with so much confidence in his voice.

He knew he wouldn't find that girl so soon but he knew that girl would come to him someday. He knew he would fall in love with someone else and he determined to spend the rest of his life with that girl. He knew it was weird to admit this, but there was a picture of a girl in his mind that he couldn't erase from his mind since the day he met her for the first time.

He hated to admit it but sometimes when he was bored or daydreaming, this girl would come into his mind. He could even picture them being together. No, the girl wasn't Claire but it was someone else. The girl with red hair and green eyes that he adored so much.

Calum knew that he wasn't falling in love with her- or not yet- but there was always something inside him when she was around him. Calum didn't know if he liked her or not. He was still confused with his own feelings.

He reached his phone in his khaki shorts pocket and hit the button to see a candid photo of Summer and Nathan when they spent their times together at the amusement park. He had made this as his wallpaper picture because he liked it; the smile on her face and how her eyes lit up with happiness. He could even feel the happiness radiated off of her and it instantly made his smile appeared on his face.