Meet You There | Calum Hood

9

AN: I feel like I should include a disclaimer that I do not go to UCLA and have never been there. If you live near there/go there I'm sorry if it's not completely realistic! I try to research best I can, but there is nothing like actually knowing an area, sorry I don't have that luxury! - Sav

Holland pursed her lips as she used her finger to scroll through the weekly schedule their coach had just texted the team.

She had two-a-days almost everyday all week. Fuck.

"So much for it being the off season." She thought before stopping herself.

Typically she's be wishing that she had been scheduled more time in the gym. It was basically her home, after all. Today however she scowled at the screen and the lack of days she would be able to offer to Calum.

She was still conflicted about the while thing following their first date but him coming to talk to her had definitely softened her heart and she wanted to at least try once more to see if they could establish a connection.

"What's gotten into you?" Lexi asked as the two girls separated themselves from the team and headed towards their eight anatomy class.

"What are you talking about? I'm fine." Holland said defensively.

"Yeah, okay. You didn't tell me anything about your date hardly and then Calum showed up and you didn't give me any details about that either and now, my best friend, who typically looks at our practice schedule like its the best thing ever created is scowling at it. What gives, Holls?"

Holland sighed and cursed Lexi for knowing her so well. She had been hoping not to make this a big deal but knowing Lexi the whole team would be riding her about this by the time they got to their practice this afternoon.

"The end of our date the other night got super awkward and I didn't expect anything to come of it after so I just didn't tell you. Him showing up last night was completely unexpected."

"And the whole practice schedule thing is because now you want to see him but we have literally no free time this week." Lexi said, filling in the blanks of her friends story.

"Exactly." Holland replied as they reached the science building.

"Well, invite him to the tailgate this weekend. It will be a low pressure environment, you'll have your friends around and you can just see how it goes."

Holland looked over to her friend with eyebrows raised as they sank into the chairs of the expansive lecture hall.

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"I know I'm a genius." Lexi whispered back as the professor began his lecture.

•

"What do you know about American Football?" Calum asked the boys around him.

"Not much, I've watched a few games but it's hard to follow and I just can't get into it." Luke offered.

"I just generally don't particularly like many sports." Ashton said.

"Same." Michael commented. "Why?"

"Trying to salvage things with Holland after I pretty much blew my date with her. Her team's only day off this week is Saturday and it's because of UCLA's first home football game. She invited me to her tailgate."

"Her team?" Luke asked and Calum realized he hadn't told anyone outside of Ashton much about Holland.

"Yeah, she's a competitive gymnast. She's on UCLA's team and she wants to go to the Olympics. Apparently she has a real shot at the team too."

"Damn. To be fair though if any of us were going to end up with an athlete I'm not surprised it's you." Michael said.

Calum smiled a bit and took it as a compliment. He had always been pretty active and had a promising football career before leaving his training and deciding to pursue music with the boys.

"I think if she invited you to her tailgate though that's just like a barbecue, people just hangout and drink before the game. I don't think you'll need to know much about the actual game." The blonde beside him continued.

"Well that's good. I've already fucked things up once."

"What did you actually do?" Luke called out to him from across the room where he was working on assembling a new microphone they'd ordered.

"Invited her for dinner, she turned me down and I took her home."

"Am I missing something here?" Michael asked. "That seems pretty definitive."

"She said her meal plan for gymnastics is pretty strict and she doesn't vary from it. I got all defensive but then she offered to go and just break her diet or just go sit with me but I just shut it down and took her home. I didn't want to be the reason she, like, got in trouble or something."

"Think that ship might have sailed buddy." Luke replied, sipping on whatever was in his red cup. "But, hey, if you wanna go and confirm that you've got no shot now. Be my guest."

"You really think I fucked it up that bad? I went and talked to her a few days ago and she seemed open to the idea of another try once I apologized and explained myself. I mean she invited me to this."

"I think your fate may be sealed but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong."

Calum frowned at that and sank lower into the cushion of the couch he was seated on, hoping that Luke was wrong.

Surely if Holland had completely written him off she wouldn't have bothered to call him back about her schedule. That had to be some kind of sign, right?

She could have ghosted, she could have text, but she had sent him her schedule and then called to tell him that though the rest of her week was packed her team was having a get together Saturday and she would be more than happy for him to join them.

That wasn't the kind of thing you told someone if you wanted to avoid them...right?

He shook his head, trying to dislodge this line of thinking that he was spiraling down as he stood and grabbed his bass ready to partake of practice with the rest of the band.

By the time they'd finished hours later he had concluded that this was her olive branch and she was offering him the opportunity to prove himself. Their first date had been on his terms, he'd picked the spot and activities and this time she held all the power.

She'd be around her friends and was sure to feel more comfortable. It was a way to ease into getting to know each other and he held high hopes that the ending of his time with her in a few days would be a far cry from the previous week.

AN: How will the tailgate go?

Will her friends like Calum?

Will anyone out his face and name together?

What kind of problems could that cause?

LMK

ILY
Sav 🖤