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

6. Sloane

When River walked over to where the group of them were sitting with a pleasant hi y'all, an uncomfortable twisting sensation bothered the pit of Sloane's stomach as she watched Calum greet her with a hug. She pushed it aside long enough to say her own hi's with a smile, but Sloane couldn't help but chewing on the inside of her lower lip River sat down at the end of Calum's beach chair, thanking Crystal as she handed her a drink.

The smile Calum wore in River's presence was telling enough, and the uncomfortable feeling turned into a bad one, the added heat of the sun prompting Sloane to shift uneasily where she sat on her own chair. Silently, Sloane looked down at her paper plate with her half eaten slice of pizza and some chicken wings. She desperately wanted to push aside whatever was eating her up, wanting to enjoy the beach day because it was Ashton's birthday, the music was playing and the food was as hot as the sun above them. He didn't want to do anything big, opting to spend the day enjoying the beach and the ocean with his friends after receiving his presents ordering a whole lot of food from one of the best pizza and wings places in town. Living in the heart of the city did not allow for any beach days, so they were determined to take full advantage of the never ending blue ocean in front of them; except Sloane kept tapping her foot against the ground and she needed to talk to Calum.

While Sloane had grown used to being silenced, she also knew she deserved to be heard—something she would quickly have to adjust to when they got back home. And her worry for Calum kept her from just sitting and letting things happen, so she put down her plate on her chair and stood up, taking the few steps towards Calum's chair and saying, "Hey, Cal." She shot River an apologetic smile for interrupting before looking at Calum, who was staring up at her from behind his sunglasses. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

She noted the way his eyebrows drew together, wondered if he was deciding against it until he ultimately let out a quiet breath and stood up, telling River he'd be right back before following Sloane away from the group. They walked a bit of a distance until Calum stopped and asked, almost boredly, "What's up?"

Sloane turned to face him, sighing as her sheer lilac colored cover up swayed in the breeze. Looking up at Calum, her sunglasses resting atop her head as she squinted at him, she asked, "What are you doing?" When his frown deepened, Sloane pursed her lips. "With River. Are you guys, like, together?"

She noted the clench of his jaw, his arms crossing over his bare chest as the sun unfairly made his skin glow. There was a rigidness in his shoulders and Sloane knew he was getting irritated, but she didn't quite care in the moment. "Why does it matter?"

Her eyebrows shot up incredulously, wondering briefly if she misheard him over the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore. "Why does i—" Sloane cut herself off with a scoff, shaking her head up at Calum as her lips quirked in a disbelieving smile. "Because if this is more than just a—a summer fling, then you're gonna end up hurting River." She leaned back a bit, her expression softening a little as she added, "And yourself."

Calum's lips puckered petulantly, tongue pushing against his lower lip as he considered Sloane's words. She hoped he understood where she was coming from, that she was only worried about not only him but this girl that, Sloane knew, had no idea of the circumstances the guy she was getting involved with was in. If whatever Calum was pursuing with River ended up being more than just a brief fling, something to hold him over while they were in Florida, then they were going to end up in a lot of pain. The arrangement Sloane and Calum were in had already put a bit of a strain on their friendship; she didn't want him to completely resent her for being unable to be with someone he may actually want to have. This wasn't jealousy, not by a long shot; this was genuine concern for any potential heartbreak Calum was, intentionally or not, setting himself and River up for.