Mess is Mine // Calum Hood

Chapter 23

I woke up in St. Paul in a daze. I'd only been "on tour" for a day and a half and I was already worn out, and only part of my exhaustion was thanks to the traveling. All of my emotions coming to the surface over the past 24 hours had a lot to do with it. Even though they were mostly good feelings, it was still tiring to be feeling them so strongly all at once. However, my brain fog lifted as I rolled onto my back to see Calum walking around the hotel room, picking up our things.

We had a flight to Toronto today, and I distinctly remembered setting an alarm that hadn't gone off. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair as I sat up, catching Calum's attention.

"Good morning, angel," he spoke softly, smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back at my boy as I responded.

"Good morning. What time is it?"

"A little after ten," he answered nonchalantly, turning back around to inspect my suitcase. I quickly grabbed my phone, still confused as to why my alarm I had set for eight hadn't gone off. "I turned it off." He spoke without turning around, folding a T-shirt and setting into the bag.

"Why?"

"You looked so peaceful sleeping," he answered, spinning around to look at me again. "Plus, I wanted you to sleep in. I can handle the packing, I'm a seasoned pro at this point."

I rolled my eyes at him and pushed my self out of bed, my bare feet coming into contact with the cold floor. I stepped over to him and wrapped my arms around him, burying my head into his chest. He was warm, and I hummed as he placed his arms around me in return.

"Most of your stuff's packed, I just left out your makeup and toothbrush," he spoke, running his fingertips up and down my arm. My heart swelled at his small gesture, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Truth be told, those butterflies scared me. Calum had given me butterflies since the first time I laid eyes on him, but they had never lasted for very long. They were always fleeting, being replaced by a swirling pit of anxiety and uncertainty. I didn't want these butterflies to go away. I didn't want them to be replaced anymore. I wanted to gently capture them in a jar and keep them forever, feeling them flutter in response to Calum's sweet words and touches. I tilted my head upward to look at him, and my fears faded into the background as he captured my lips with his in a short, sweet kiss. "Go get ready."

I suppressed a yawn and let go of Calum before stepping into the bathroom to get ready. My hair was still straight despite the tangles, and since I'd stupidly forgot to take off my makeup last night, most of it was still smudged on my face. I quickly brushed my hair, wiped off most of last night's makeup, and touched up the rest. I noticed Calum had left out my false eyelashes by sticking them to the mirror, and I chuckled to myself as I peeled them off and put them back on, as he had already thrown away the packaging.

"I'm ready," I announced, looking myself over one last time before I stepped out of the bathroom. Calum was sitting at the edge of the bed, scrolling through Instagram. He lifted his head as I entered the room, and a sweet smile spread onto his lips.

"You're beautiful," he commented as he stood up. He stepped towards me and stooped down slightly, pressing a firm kiss to the top of my head. I felt my cheeks warm slightly at the compliment, the corners of my lips pulling up into a grin "Let's go."

There were several fans waiting outside the airport when we pulled up. Security watched closely from a distance as the boys spoke with them. I stood off to the side with Crystal and Sierra, watching Calum talk and take pictures with the fans. My heart warmed at the looks on the both the boys' and the fans' faces. I could easily see the true appreciation in the boys' eyes, and the fans' excitement and adoration for them was etched into their smiles. I glanced over at Sierra and Crystal, and they were huddled together in conversation, backs turned from the fans. I frowned slightly, wondering what they were speaking about.