Meet You There | Calum Hood

2

"See anyone you fancy?" Ashton Irwin asked as he sipped his soda next to his friend, Calum Hood, in the corner booth of the bar they had selected for the night.

"Nothing yet." Calum quipped, lifting the clear glass he was drinking from to his lips and taking a swig of his whiskey. "Where did Michael, Luke and the girls run off to?"

Ashton lifted his hand and extended his finger, pointing in the direction of the dance floor. Calum followed his outstretched arm until he saw them, nodding to Ashton to silently tell him he had spotted their friends.

"Why are you slumming it over here with me? Go dance with your lady." Calum told his friend.

"It's not slumming and you need a wing man. Kay is more than fine over there." He replied, watching his dark haired girlfriend from afar as she moved to the music amongst the rest of their group.

"I'm good. I'm going to go grab another drink." He said, tilting his now empty glass towards himself as he pressed his hands against the table and rose to his feet. "I'll come get you when and if I need your help, mate. We leave for tour in six weeks, make the most of the time you've got."

Ashton stared at him long and hard for a moment before relenting and heading off to join the rest of their group. Calum watched him go, slipping into the crowd to mingle with their friends, each of them paired off in couples. It wasn't so much that Calum was jealous, but he definitely missed having someone special in his life. He liked to put on the front that he was content in his singledom but he was a romantic at heart and he hoped he wasn't too far away from finding a love similar to what his best friends had found.

He walked over to the bar, dodging bodies that seemed to fill every available space of the nightclub as he went. He finally found an open spot along the counter and leaned against it with his forearms supporting him.

He waited patiently for the bartender to acknowledge him and then gave his order for an old fashioned. He watched as his drink was prepared, paying and thanking the bar tender before turning to survey the crowd that was filling the place.

Girls were in no short supply, there were plenty of them overflowing off the dance floor and stumbling in drunken small groups to the ladies room—why do they always go together? he wondered.

His eyes settled on a group of girls on the edge of the floor. They were laughing and goofing off, dancing with each other with a few males thrown in, but the ratio was working in his favor. His eyes focused on one girl, a blonde who, when she laughed, revealed a dazzling and bright smile.

He felt himself being drawn in to her without her even having given him as much as a glance in his direction. He lifted his drink and continued to watch her as the whiskey concoction burned all the way down his throat.

It occurred to him that if she were to look his way she'd probably think he was a total creeper the way he was staring at her but he was having an awful hard time tearing his eyes away from her.

He finished his drink and made his way back to the booth he and Ashton had previously abandoned that still sat vacant. At least there he could observe her from a slightly less obvious vantage point. He leaned back in the booth and was content to observe, not only the girl who had caught his interest but anyone, he had always been a fan of people watching. He was often fascinated by the things he noticed when he took the time to look.

His view was obstructed by a busty brunette who approached his table, her arms bracing on the table he was sat at as she leaned forward revealing more of her barely contained bosom. She twirled a piece of her hair around her finger and tried to engage him in conversation.

"What are you doing over here all alone in the corner, handsome?" His brown eyes met hers, the irises were blue, the whites spotted with red revealing of her inebriation.

"Am I alone if you're here though?" He asked her. He wasn't particularly interested in her but the alcohol running through his veins made it hard to control his flirtatious nature. His eyes wandered from hers to the spot just over her shoulder where the blonde he had been watching carefully was able to be seen.

He sat up straighter as he saw the girls body go rigid as a man approached her from behind, sliding a hand around her waist and attempting to dance with her. She was obviously uncomfortable and Calum stood, ignoring whatever the brunette was saying, and moving past her towards the dance floor where the girl was still trying to escape the man.

"Shove off, mate." He said firmly as he approached them, his eyes hard as he confronted the man. The girl looked at him, her eyes wide and trying to distinguish if he also posed a threat to her.

He tried to silently tell her he meant no harm and was only trying to help her as he turned his glare back to the man who raised his hands and backed away.

"Are you alright? Sorry, you just looked uncomfortable and your friends didn't seem to notice." He said, leaning forward and sweeping her hair aside so he could be heard over the sound of the crowded bar.

"I'm good. I could have handled it but, thank you."

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked. Desperate for anything to keep the conversation going, her face so close to his stirring something within him.

"I don't drink." She replied cooly, eyeing him again like she was convinced he had ill intentions.

He nodded, giving her one last look before retreating to his own group of friends. She was gorgeous, the blue of her eyes burned into his memory but he wasn't one to stick around where he wasn't wanted and he had no intentions of trying to make her uncomfortable.

He didn't feel the weight of her eyes following him as he joined the boys or see her bite her lip as she took him in after the anxiety from her previous encounter had settled.

She didn't act on it of course, that would have been incredibly out of character for Holland, but he'd caught her attention. If only she hadn't been so unwilling to do something about it.

AN: Ah man, missed connection.

but we obviously know that won't last!

How do you think they'll really meet?

Let me know your thoughts so far!

Thanks for joining me again for this book!

ILY
Sav🖤