Mess is Mine // Calum Hood

Chapter 18

August 2019

"Girl, it's been eight months and I'm still not over your ring," Sierra gasped, grasping Crystal's left hand. Crystal's face broke into a smile as her eyes traveled down to the diamond sparkling on her finger. "Seriously, I'm so proud of Michael, he did good."

Michael proposed to Crystal in January, but it was still all we could talk about. For a long time, I had been clouded with my issues with Calum, and all of the girls had graciously put their issues - and successes - to the side to help me out. I didn't even realize it at the time, but looking back on all the time we spent talking about Calum and processing my feelings always made me feel pangs of guilt. However, now that things between me and him were going smoothly, we were all more able to focus on everything else, including Crystal's engagement. 

"He did do a good job," Crystal agreed softly, a soft smile still lingering on her lips as she turned back to the mirror to continue her makeup. The boys had been traveling nonstop the past few weeks to promote the first single, Easier, from their upcoming fourth album. The song was good - really good. It showcased the new sound that the band has been searching for for awhile now. They dropped both the song and the music video shortly after Calum and I had made our agreement to be friends. Just friends.

So far, the 'just friends' thing was just that. Friends. Neither of us had pushed any boundaries, and I was shockingly okay with it. Of course, it still hurt to relive the memories and the feeling of his soft lips against mine, but I always put those feelings into a box and shoved them to the side of my brain to process later. I'd rather have him in my life as a friend than not have him in my life at all. 

Despite the 'just friends' status our relationship currently held, I was still filled to the brim with anxiety over their upcoming tour with The Chainsmokers. Calum and I's track record with him being on tour wasn't so hot. It was a decently long tour, spanning from the end of September to the beginning of December. Thankfully, it was only a North American tour, so I wouldn't have to handle anymore overseas incidents. 

Today, the boys were throwing a pool party to get together with their friends before leaving for the next few months. Crystal took it upon herself to gather the girl gang to get ready together beforehand. The four of us shared the bathroom mirror in Crystal's bathroom, swiping light makeup onto our skin and pulling our hair away from our faces and up into messy ponytails. 

"Guys, we're so late," Kay spoke from her place next to me by the bathroom door. She glanced down at her phone, checking the time once again. Crystal was putting the finishing touches on her waterproof mascara, and Sierra was gently pulling pieces down from her bun to create the perfectly imperfect look.

"Fashionably late," Crystal reminded her, cocking an eyebrow at the black-haired girl in the mirror. Kay rolled her eyes, but laughed anyways. "It's just downstairs, just go without us." Kay playfully rolled her eyes back once again and wrapped her fingers around my hand. 

"I, for one, need a strong drink. Let's go." I eagerly nodded in agreement, and we stepped out of the bathroom before bounding downstairs into the living room. A few people mingled around inside, and we walked straight past them, through the sliding doors, and out onto the deck. 

"There they are!" Ash exclaimed, a bright smile spreading onto his face as he spotted me and KayKay. "My two favorite girls!" He came up between us, opening his arms and pulling us close into his body, still wet from a swim he took before we arrived. We both wrapped our arms around him, returning the hug.

"Get your girlfriend a drink, Ash. She needs one," I informed him as I pulled away from him. He smirked down at Kay, who still had her lanky arms wrapped around his stomach. She mouthed a 'thank you' to me as the two walked away in search of a drink. As I scanned the crowd to find Calum, I felt two hands come to rest on my sides, fingertips lightly pressing into my bare skin.