Change // c.h.

chapter 04

I can’t get what happened this afternoon out of my head. The entire rest of the day, Calum’s at the forefront of my thoughts, his voice echoing in my mind. Of all the strange coincidences in the world…

I mean, there are billions of other ways to walk through Sydney. What’s the chance that the two of us, who haven’t seen each other for years, would end up at the same crosswalk at the same time on the same day?

Plus, I’m not sure whether to be glad I saw him again or indifferent. After all, he’s probably out of my life for good. Right? I’ve determined not to dwell on the past. Our relationship as friends is completely in the past, he reaffirmed that today. So why on earth should I want to see him again?

The thoughts swirl in my mind until I fall asleep, but even then I’m plagued with thoughts of my former best friend. I see his smile in my dreams, and end up getting way less sleep than I planned. Which sucks, because I have to open at Starbucks at 4:30.

My phone alarm rings promptly at 4:00, and I shut it off, grumbling as I roll out of bed. I quickly get dressed, pull my curly hair back in a ponytail, and grab a quick breakfast before heading to work. I open the store with Louisa, a new girl who’s overly perky for this early in the morning. I mean, she’s practically skipping. It’s ridiculous.

The morning starts out slow till about 5:30, when all the teachers come in to get their morning coffee. Louisa greets the customers cheerfully when they step up to the register, but I just go through the motions of making their drinks. My mind’s not really in it.

I routinely go about my tasks till it’s 7:00 and Connor, another barista, shows up to work. I leave them out front and head to the back to count the deposit. In the middle of my counting, Louisa rushes into the back. “Jordan, you’ll never guess who just walked in!” she shrieks in my ear, causing me to lose count.

I sigh. “I don’t know, Louisa. Your boyfriend?”

“No!” she replies, “Even better! 5 Seconds of Summer is in our store!”

I freeze. Calum’s here. As in, Calum’s in the store where I’m working. I wonder if he actually knows I work here. If he does, then I wonder even more why he’s here.

“Cal- I mean, they’re here? Why here, of all places? There’s got to be several other Starbucks in Sydney,” I say, scooting my chair away from the table and standing up. “I expect that you want me to come out there to see them.”

Louisa nods. “You’re the shift right now, plus they’re 5 Seconds of Summer! You’d have to be crazy not to want to meet them!”

“Yeah, well, here’s my number, call me crazy,” I huff as I make my way to the front.

Sure enough, there they are, the four of them. Michael’s dyed his hair since yesterday, now it’s a somewhat-pretty lavender. Honestly, if he keeps dying his hair he’ll lose it before he’s twenty-five. Ashton has his usual bandana tied around his hair, and he’s tapping his hands on his thighs as he looks around the store. Luke looks bored, which I’m gathering is a usual look for him, and Calum looks…like Calum. He glances briefly at Louisa and I as we come out of the back room, but looks away once he catches my eye.

I let Louisa take register, seeing as she’s so geeked about meeting them. She practically sings out a greeting, and Connor and I roll our eyes at each other behind her back. We then get to making their drinks – Ashton asks for a banana latte, as if that even exists. I glance over at the handoff counter to see if they’ve grabbed the two drinks we’ve made yet and see Calum standing there, staring at me. He looks away as soon as I look over, but I spot the hint of blush that crept into his cheeks. I swallow and take a deep breath, then say, “Good morning, Calum.”

He looks over at me, as if he’s surprised that I’m actually talking with him, and replies, “’Morning, Jordan.” There’s a long pause before he adds, “How are you?”

“I’m good,” I reply, keeping my answers short. “How are you?”

He nods, saying he’s good. “We’re just off to do some recording for our album, needed some coffee to wake us up. Didn’t know you worked at Starbucks.”

Alright, then, he didn’t know. You would know if you had stayed in my life, I think. But I instead answer him, “Have been for about two years now, it’s a good job.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” is all he says. One of his bandmates call him; they already have their drinks and are headed out the door. He nods at me one last time then turns away and follows them.

I sigh once the door closes behind my former best friend, leaning against the counter. “Oh my gosh, Jordan, you were actually talking with Calum!” Louisa shrieks in my ear.

I just sigh and shake my head. “Yeah, I was,” I mutter.

Conner looks at me quizzically. “You seemed kinda familiar with him, Jordan. Do you like, know him? Personally?”

I shake my head and turn towards him. “Conner, why would little old me know a rock star like Calum Hood? I mean, really?” I raise my eyebrows at him, daring him to ask me anything else about Calum. When nothing more is said from either of them, I turn away and walk towards the back room, hoping to finish my counting. Without any more inturruptions.

Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, I've been really busy with school and such. Hopefully I'll get my other stories updated soon as well, I've been working on new chapters for them, too. 

Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to comment and vote! :) Thanks so much xx