Lines // hemmings

Chapter 25

LUKE

“Pick up the phone,” I see him mouthing on the other side and point to the receiver that I just dropped. So I pick it up, slowly, not breaking eye contact – me staring, he just looking.

“It looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” he says, his voice bringing giving me flashbacks.

“What are you doing here?” I hear myself ask.

“I think we need to talk,” he says after a little hesitation.

“About what?”

“Abby.”

“Has something happened? Is she okay?” I breathe, feeling my heart begin to race. She better be okay, or else… 

“Don’t worry, she’s fine,” he says and I let out a breath. “She told me she had visited you.”

I look at Calum again, I mean really look at him. He looks kind of the same as he did last time I saw him, only older and a lot more hair on his head. He’s wearing a black hoodie and I wonder if he’s really that cold. It’s normal room temperature inside so it must be cold outside. I haven’t been out on the patio for the past few days so I don’t know what the weather is like. I wonder if it has started snowing yet. 

“And?” I snap.

“Does she know?” He asks, leaning forward, his grip hard around the receiver.

“Depends on what you’re referring to,” I shrug, still a little taken aback at his presence. “I’ve told her what I’m here for.”

I see him nodding to himself, like he’s thinking of something.

“Have you told her about us?”

“You make it sound like we’re a gay couple,” I chuckle and feel the corners of my lips rise, but I quickly turn it into a frown. He can’t see me smile. I’m still mad at him. “But no, I haven’t told her we know each other. Have you?”

He shakes his head and for some reason I let out a breath. I notice him doing the same.

“Since when do you have a lip piercing?” 

“Since when do you care? A lot of things have changed you know,” I huff and take the piercing between my teeth. I’m still a little confused why they let prisoners get tattoos and piercings here. Piercings can be used as weapons but for some reason no one’s ever tried using them as it. At least not that I’ve heard about.

“I was just asking, take it easy. So how’s life?” He asks, putting a hand up in surrender. It’s not like I’m going to hit him. There’s bulletproof glass between us.

“You’re seriously asking me how life is?” I frown and he shrugs. “I should be the one asking you how it is. I haven’t seen in you in what, over 2 years? And now you show up here and ask me how mylife is?”

My voice is raised but I try to calm myself down. I don’t want the guard to come any closer. He frightens me, especially since my arm is still hurting after his grip. I can both feel and see the bruises starting to form. I quickly glance over my shoulder to see him staring at me and I feel a shiver down my back.

“I’m sorry, Luke. I just…it hasn’t been easy, bro.”

“Don’t you bro me, Cal. You lost that privilege a long time ago,” I shake my head, still confused over the fact that he’s here. “If you don’t have anything else to say, I guess I-”