Rose Tattoo | tattoo artist/single dad!calum

chapter 9

"Okay, so, tell me everything."

Calum rolled his eyes as he searched his closet for his green 'Empathy' hoodie. He hadn't seen it in weeks, although he was sure he'd washed it and stashed it somewhere in the depths of his wardrobe, but he wanted to wear it for his date - no, not date, adventure - with Stevie. It was the only solid green item he owned and though he felt cheesy, wearing green just because she loved it, he found himself hoping that she would like it as he made a quiet noise of triumph upon finding it in a pile of unfolded clothes tucked in the corner.

"There's nothing to tell, Mali," he mumbled as he emerged from his closet, tugging the green fabric over his head. "I'm just hanging out with a friend today. That's it," he said with a shrug as he avoided making eye contact with his sister.

Mali was perched on the foot of his bed, sitting amongst the pillows and blankets Tāne had piled onto the surface for their traditional Friday movie night the night before. Calum could feel her gaze on him, burning a hole into the back of his hoodie, as he searched for the grey beanie he'd taken to wearing. She'd been questioning him since she arrived and though he'd filled her in on the situation with El in advance of her visit - if Calum had to guess, that was likely the reason she'd decided to stop in New York and spend a week with him and Tāne, just so she could be there for the first custody hearing - he hadn't mentioned Stevie to her. He guessed she'd talked to Ashton, or maybe Luke, and he made a mental note to tell them both to fuck off as he turned to face her once more.

"I don't buy that," she laughed as she stood from the bed and crossed the room to adjust the beanie for him. "But if that's what you need to tell yourself, feel free. Tell me about her, though. Ashton said she's nice."

Calum rolled his eyes as Mali confirmed that it was Ashton who had told her about Stevie. "She is," Calum confirmed as he stood and allowed Mali to adjust his clothing as she saw fit. "I don't really know how to describe her," he confessed after a moment of silence, when Mali began to grow impatient with his lack of an answer. "I know a little bit about her but I don't know her that well yet. She's nice and she's beautiful. She's talented. I've read a few of her articles and she's a brilliant writer. She's trying to finish a bucket list her best friend left and she just seems like such a good person but there's something beneath it all. I want to get to know her and figure out what it is."

Mali, who hadn't heard Calum gush about anyone in years, was surprised to hear how much he had to say about this girl. She stared at him, her eyebrows raised, and Calum could feel his face heat as he looked away from her. He hadn't meant to say all of that, he hadn't meant to say anything at all, really, but he'd been keeping his thoughts to himself. He didn't want to encourage Ashton to play matchmaker and he didn't want to bother Michael who was dealing with a newborn and a packed appointment book. He hadn't had a chance to sit down with Luke so he felt as if he hadn't had the chance to get what he was feeling off his chest.

He liked Stevie, more than he cared to admit, and voicing that out loud was mildly terrifying.

"Well, even if you don't know her that well, you seem to really like what you do know," Mali commented as she stepped back and shot Calum a genuine smile. "I know that this is hard for you, getting back out there after El, but I'm proud of you, Cal. You're trying and that's all you can do." Mali paused for a beat, watching Calum as he sprayed on a bit of cologne, before she hesitantly asked, "I don't mean to bring you down before your date, but what are you going to do about El?"

"It's not a date," Calum clarified, breathing a heavy sigh as he crossed the room to take a seat on the foot of the bed. Mali followed suit, reaching out to nudge his shoulder as she took a seat beside him. "I don't know, Mal. I'm trying to be the best dad I can be but I don't feel like that's enough. I keep thinking that if I don't give them a reason to take Tāne away from me, they can't. But I know how it usually goes. The dad rarely wins. I don't know if there's anything I can do now."