Stuck in the Middle (Two Stories in One) [Calum Hood & Luke Hemmings AU]

5. Calum

The thin sheen of sweat that coated Calum's skin felt welcomed as he approached the beach house, lightly kicking up sand as he kept the same pace of his jogging since he had started. It was a bright morning, unsurprising given that it was the middle of summer in Florida, the sun above threatening to burn him had he not had the good sense to put on some sunscreen before leaving the house. The ocean was nearly as blinding as the sun as the rays glittered against the water, leaving Calum perpetually squinting as he jogged along the shore, though not close enough to the water to get his shoes wet.

Still, Calum enjoyed the softness of the sand beneath his feet and the music playing in his ears not too loud to drown out the sounds of the ocean as it made for a combination he quickly grew fond of. Jogging along the shoreline of Daytona Beach was vastly different than doing so through Central Park; while the latter had become routine,Calum would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the heat of the Florida son on his skin and the salt in the air replacing the unmistakable, world-known scent of New York he'd grown used to since his family had moved there when he was a child. While the rush of the city felt like home, the calmness of the beach rid Calum of the worries his bustling life back home came with, feeling completely at ease despite it only being their second day in Florida

He slowed down his pace when he approached the back of the house, about to head up the steps that led to the back deck when the sounds of a dog's barking cut through the sound of Nine Inch Nails playing in his AirPods. Calum stopped before even going up the first step, pausing his music as he caught sight of a familiar German shepherd at the bottom of the steps of the house next door before he ran towards Calum.

"Oh hey, buddy," Calum chuckled as Freddie reached him, the dog excitedly sniffing at Calum and looking up at him with dark eyes and what seemed to be a grinning mouth. As Calum rubbed at Freddie's head, scratching behind his ears, he chuckled lowly, "Guess you remember me, huh?"

"I dunno what's happening—but I feel like I should be worried about you trying to steal my dog." Light footsteps against wooden panels could be heard, and Calum glanced up to see River staring down at him from where she stood on the back deck of the house next door. Her arms were folded atop the railing and as Calum absently kept petting Freddie, he could feel himself getting pulled in by the sight of River.

He'd only seen her in the dark of last night, but now she stood with blonde hair in pretty and messy waves and a smile on her pink lips as she peered down at him. Dimples. She had dimples. The sun was blinding, but it provided for a pink in her cheeks and a glow against her skin he wanted to admire for as long as she'd let him. And in watching her, he didn't miss the way her own gaze seemed to size him up from her viewpoint, trailing up and down his arm. He knew she was taking in the sight of the tattoos wrapping around his left arm, an excited twist in the pit of his stomach knowing she was drinking him in the same way he was admiring her.

Remembering that she'd spoken to him, Calum quickly gathered his wits about him and offered a smirk, squinting up at her with one eye as he responded, "He's the one that seems to find me." He straightened as Freddie panted, and Calum held up his hands in defense as his smirk widened and he said, "Think he's tryna tell you somethin', doll."

River's close mouthed smile transformed into a proper grin, laughing at his words as Calum felt a tug in his chest at the sound. Before she could respond, though, another woman's voice popped up, "Who're you talking to, Rivvy?"

It sounded like an older woman, Calum's thoughts confirmed when River glanced over her shoulder to whoever was behind her, obviously hidden from Calum's view, as she said casually, "Just our new neighbor, Grams."

"New neighbor?" Calum heard her grandmother repeat, feeling a small smile tug at the corner of his lips at the excited tone he detected. "Tell him to come up!"