Mess is Mine // Calum Hood

Chapter 21

October 2019

The sound of my phone buzzing on my nightstand jarred me awake. It didn't take me long to notice it was still relatively dark outside - there was only a slight bit of light peaking out from behind my curtains. I rubbed my eyes and lazily reached out, pulling my phone off of the charger. I had three missed calls from Sierra and a text from Calum. Confusion flooded my mind, and it was quickly replaced with worry. I hadn't heard from Calum a little over a month, and Sierra never called this early. She was usually sleeping around this time, catching up on sleep she was unable to get on the tour bus. I decided to read Calum's text first, hoping to get some answers as to what was going on.

Calum Hood

Hey, please watch the concert tonight. I'll have Sierra facetime you, okay? Have a good day

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. His message combined with the fog of sleep still hanging over me was causing my head to spin. I didn't have time to process his text or think about why in the world he wanted me to watch their show tonight, as my phone began to buzz with another call from my roommate. I quickly answered, knowing I'd be able to get more information out of her.

"Hello?" I said groggily, suppressing a yawn.

"You finally answered," Sierra responded, sounding entirely too peppy at this early in the morning.

"It is only 5:30 in the morning," I shot back, forcing myself to sit up in bed so I wouldn't fall back asleep. "You guys woke me up, what's going on?"

"You're coming to the show tonight," she informed me, only adding on to my prior confusion. Since when was I actually going to the show? And why?

"What, why?"

"Did you get Calum's text?"

"Yes," I answered, still not seeing where this conversation was headed. I figured Sierra would FaceTime me later, and I'd be able to watch and listen to the boys' show that way. His text said nothing about actually flying out to see them. Hell, I didn't even know where they were performing tonight. A quick Google search informed me that they were performing in Chicago tonight, and in St. Paul the next.

"I know he wants me to FaceTime you, but I really think you should come and surprise him," she told me. Her persistence on me coming to the show puzzled me further. Just a few weeks ago, she had advised me to step away from Calum and finally let him go, and in all honesty, I had been considering her advice. Two years is a hell of a long time to wait around for someone, and as much as I loved the boy, I was getting tired of playing the game. I wasn't a toy, and I deserved to be treated better - whether it be by him or someone else. The back and forth had messed with my head the first few times he had done it, and this current period of us not speaking was no different. I spent most of my days thinking about him, wondering if he was okay, hoping to receive the smallest bit of interaction.

"I don't know, S," I trailed off, running my fingers through my mess of a hair. "I've been thinking about what you said when Mikey and Ash came over." There was silence on the other end, so I continued. "I don't know if I can keep this up." The silence continued for a few more moments before I could hear a rustling on the other end of the line.

"Please come," I heard Luke's voice come over the speaker.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, it's me. I know I said I'd stay out of things, but I take it back just for today. Please fly out here. I'll buy your ticket," he begged. My eyebrows raised and my mind raced. Why was everyone so damn adamant about me hopping on a plane to Chicago?

"I don't know, guys," I trailed off, picking at imaginary fuzz on my leggings. "Last time I surprised him, I ended up sobbing in a hotel hallway halfway across the world."