Calum Hood One Shots

Room 304 [Brother's Ex-Best Friend!Calum]

Summary: Hooking up with her half-brother's ex-best friend probably wasn't the best idea. But no matter what Maeve told herself, it wasn't entirely a bad idea, either.

Day 1

Returning from the bathroom and settling on her seat, Maeve wasn't surprised to see Lina taking a picture of her freshly arrived food before posting it to her social media, placing the napkin on her lap and eyeing her own grilled chicken sandwich. The Bryant Park Grill was one of Maeve's favorite spots; the flowers they were surrounded by on the rooftop restaurant along with the string lights, tabled umbrellas and view of the park made for a great place to have lunch or dinner after a day in the city. So when Lily had told Maeve she'd booked a table, the blonde caught the next bus into the city and met up with her best friend, where the two of them sat with the sun setting behind the buildings that began to glitter with lights brightening their surroundings. Peaceful and much needed.

But before Maeve could even reach for her sandwich, her eyes caught sight of two familiar faces talking with the hostess, and Maeve realized in that moment that it had been damn near a year since she'd last seen Calum Hood. She couldn't seem to pull her gaze away, taking in the way the black bomber jacket hugged his broad shoulders and dark curls subtly danced in the light breeze that blew by every few seconds. It was an instinctive reaction, to admire how good he looked, smiling at the hostess as she grabbed two menus and led him—and Michael, who Maeve realized was accompanying him—to an available table.

A table that was right by her and Lina, with an empty one right in between. Maeve didn't miss the second Calum's eyes landed on her, stopping right next to the hostess by the table as his dark eyes met her bluish-green, lips parting in too late realization of just who he was about to sit near.

Before either of them could say anything, could even acknowledge one another, it was Michael who broke the silence when he confusedly followed Calum's gaping gaze, a startled laugh escaping the tattooed blonde. "Oh, shit, Maeve!" he exclaimed familiarly, voice loud and happy at the sight of her as he pulled his chair towards his table. "How're you doing?" His green eyes shifted to the red head across from Maeve, nodding his head as he added just as sincerely, "Hey, Lina."

While her best friend waved as she smiled around the straw she was sipping her Moscow mule from, Maeve managed to find her voice, returning Michael's smile as she said, "I'm good, yeah." Calum slowly sat down opposite of Michael, just to Maeve's right, as she looked at him once more before adding almost gingerly, "Hey, Calum. Been a while."

She wanted to instantly cringe as she said that last bit—of course it's been a while. The last time she'd seen him, things had gone to hell a bit too fast, beyond anyone's control, and she doubted anyone needed a reminder. But the memory was still there; Maeve could feel it in the awkwardness that pursed her lips, could sense it in the way Calum's hands were fisted on his knees under the table. Briefly, she wondered if this was genuinely difficult for him—to be around the half-sister of the man who used to be one of his closest friends. A man who, the last time Calum saw him, had given him a busted lip and left with a broken friendship he had no intention of fixing.

The brunette man nodded with his gaze on the table in front of him before he finally forced himself to look at Maeve. God, it was awkward. They all knew it, could feel it. While Michael occasionally still hung out with Ashton, neither Maeve nor her half-brother had seen or heard from Calum for almost a year. It was like as soon as Ashton and Calum's friendship had fallen apart, Maeve stuck by her brother and cut Calum out of her life, even if his role hadn't been as significant as it was in Ashton's. It could be blind loyalty, because to this day Maeve didn't truly understand what exactly had happened between the two men, and it was no use asking Ashton because he was as stubborn as they come. He didn't talk about it, and that was that.