noted → calum hood | #Wattys2015

thirty seven

Melanie turns up the radio one notch louder every time the song starts over. "Do you not know any other music?" Calum laughs.

"I suppose not," she leans back in the slightly-reclined passenger seat, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard. "You have to admit, it's an amazing song." Calum let's out a defeated sigh, continuing to focus on the traffic around him. "You've got a pretty kind of dirty face..." She closes her eyes and rubs Calum's arm gently. Calum smiles at the Mel's sleepy singing. She wasn't good by any means, but it was nice to see her so relaxed. It made him wonder if this is what it was like for Aries, Michael, Luke, and Ashton to travel with her. "Cal, do me a favor?"

He glances to her to make sure that she is alright. "What?"

Melanie adjusts herself so she's facing Calum better. "When you're in a famous band one day, cover this song for me."

He shakes his head as he stiffles a laugh. "Sorry babe, but that's not going to happen- the band nor the cover."

She pouts. "Why not? Can't this be our song? You'd have to cover it, then."

"Our song?" Calum doesn't bother holding back a small laugh. "That's for couples, no?"

Melanie shrugs. "I don't think it matters." She rubs her eyes, smearing some mascara in the process. "Even if it did, I'm pretty sure we were on our way to that point."

Calum sighs, knowing that Melanie wouldn't remember the majority of their conversation in the morning.

»

"If you go along with this, you're a bigger idíot than I thought you were." Luke sighs.

Ashton's been pacing around Michael's room for the past twenty minutes, asking for advice he knew he would only ignore in the end. "He's not wrong, Ashton." Michael agrees.

"Oh, what do you know?" Ashton snaps. "You made out with Melanie, you're not one to talk."

"That's different. Melanie wasn't using me to make Calum jealous," Michael sighs. "Alexis wants you back to do just that."

"Make Calum jealous?"

He groans. "No, stupid. Making Jonah jealous."

Ashton sighs and finally sits back down onto the bed. "If I'm going to be real with you, if she didn't love you when you were dating, there's no way she does now." Luke suggests.

"Oh, but it makes sense for Melanie and Calum to run off with each other after everything they went through?" Retaliates Ashton.

"Once again," Michael begins. "It's different with them."

"How come?" Snaps the eldest of the trio. "Why aren't we reprimanding them for ditching all of us so they could get away with each other, but when Alexis asks me to go back out it's suddenly a different story?"

They are silent, until Luke speaks up. "With the way you're acting, you should be happy they aren't here to see it." Ashton inhales deeply and holds the breath deep in his lungs for a few seconds, only to release it in an attempt to calm himself down. "Ash, listen to me. Melanie and Calum are off finishing a roadtrip so they can enjoy their summers. If going back out with Alexis will make you happier, then go for it, but you can't expect us to be here for you in the end if everything goes wrong."

He nods. "I know."

"When Aries cheated on me..." Luke sighs at the memory of him breaking up with her a month prior. "I had to take the step to end things. I wasn't going to let myself be messed around with; don't let Alexis mess with you either."

Michael sits in silence, waiting for Ashton to leave when he is ready. Once Michael is sure that he does, he speaks up to keep Luke from exiting with him. "I need advice too."

Luke sits back down. "Okay then," he smiles. "What's up?"

Michael sighs, not knowing how to state the topic lightly. It was a delicate subject at the momet, after all. "I'd hate to make you the love therapist for the group while Ashton's trying to figure himself out," Luke smirks, knowing that he has recently filled the spot Ashton once held. Michael doesn't want to exaggerate anything, nor understate it. Because of that, he just goes with the only way he knows how to say it: "But I think I may like Melanie."

Luke stares at him for a moment to make sure he's one hundred percent serious. Once he's sure Michael is, a sarcastic smile plasters itself onto Luke's mouth. "Lovely."

»

an: spoiler alert the situation Ashton is in will play a big role in what will happen with Michael and Mel oops

aLSO!!! so I'm reading this book called "rewind" by lashtns and it is so so so so so amazing. I recently caught up with what she's written so far, but you all need to check it out. it's a michael fic and it's already one of my favs!!

thanks for 20k also; this is so incredible! ily guys