No Shame

Twenty-Four

"My friends!" Michael yells loudly as the computers all boot up, the four of them present on each other's screens.

"How's life?" Calum asks with a chuckle, sipping at the cup of tea he had made to help him stay awake. He'd stayed at CiCi's until way too late watching movies and enjoying her company in the most innocent of ways, and the band group call had woke him far sooner than he would have liked.

"We aren't the ones making headlines while quarantined. Maybe you should be answering that question." Ashton cocks an eyebrow at him calling him out quickly.

"It's not my fault if people think who I am hanging out with is newsworthy." he shrugs.

"When did you start hanging out with her again anyway? I thought she cheated on you?" Luke asks nervously.

"We were never exclusive, hard to cheat on someone who isn't your significant other."

"That's not what it seemed like when you were crying on my chest the day after. So how did she pull you back in so easily." Luke calls his bluff.

"She isn't playing a game, guys. I know that one hundred percent. She's different, she's sweet."

"She is easy to fuck." Ashton scoffs.

"We're just friends this time. Honest. I haven't seen her naked in a month and a half. I've only kissed her once since then. I set out ground rules and boundaries."

"CiCi doesn't do 'just friends'... especially not with you, Cal." Michael rolls his eyes, the looks on all three of his bandmates faces showing they don't believe him.

"Well we have been just friends for weeks. After her little stunt the night of the album release I had to make a change, and I did. It wasn't pretty but I put up the boundaries and she accepted them. We have only crossed them the one time since and it was just a single kiss."

"She's CiCi Moore, Cal, she fucking cheated on whatever you had publicly and shamelessly and you're still defending her to us?" Ashton looks angry.

"She isn't like that! She isn't. Stop talking about shit you know nothing about, Ash. Seriously, I'm fine, she's fine, and nothing you are going to say is going to change the relationship I have with her. We are friends, we are close, and that is all for right now. She's gone through some real shit and she needs someone who actually sees her so I'm going to be that person."

"You're fucking in love with her aren't you?" Ashton scoffs, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Obviously." Michael laughs humorlessly.

"I'm not in love with her." He reactively denies their accusations.

"You keep telling yourself that, but showing up at her house with Duke and food? Sounds like you planned to be there a while. And it wasn't the first time you'd been over." Mike frowns.

"The amount of time I spend at her house is none of your business. And I am not in love with her, she is just my friend."

"Once you've fucked her she is never going to be just a friend. And you have fucked her up and down, left and right, and then some." Ashton calls him out again, "And your feelings get involved fast, Cal, so I know you're attached and you have fallen in love even if you won't admit it to us. We just hate to see you letting her hurt you again."

"As nice as it is to talk to you all and have you yell at me for my life choices, can we talk about something other than Lia."

"Lia?" Luke smirks slightly, "You have your own nickname for her?"

"She doesn't really want to go by CiCi anymore, and Cecilia isn't what she wants either, so I started calling her Lia." He shrugs, trying to not make it a big deal.

"So fucking in love with her." Ashton mumbles quietly.

"Can we discuss band stuff now? Because I don't want to keep having this conversation." Calum sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Right, band. Well we got nothing until this shit is over so..." Michael laughs, but they do finally start to discuss the things they need to.

Two hours later, and some real laughs, Calum turns off the computer, cleaning up his drink and heads for his bed again, exhausted and ready for a nap. As he lays down in his bed he is surprised to get a whiff of a citrusy blend he would recognize anywhere. Lia's perfume must have stuck to his clothes last night, and found its way onto his sheets.

Rolling to his back he stares up at the ceiling, running a hand through his hair as he recalls the one kiss he had shared with Lia in the last sixish weeks. Ashton's words replaying in his head as he remembers looking down at her peaceful face, her words that day playing through his head as well. If he had fallen in love with her it had been slowly, and then all at once, and it had been in that very moment...

"I'm fucked." He mumbles out as he realizes it's not an 'if'. He had fallen in love with her that day. That's why he kissed her, that's why he couldn't stop watching her as they were supposed to watch the movie last night, and that is why when everyone else who cares about him warns him to not get attached, he is offended. Because he is already attached. His heart is hers, and he would go to the ends of the earth to take care of the bratty but sweet girl with the fucked up family and messy head. She had him at her mercy, and he was entirely terrified of that fact as his chest filled unapologetically with an intense warmth.

How did this happen?

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Oop! What now!?!?

Calum admitted he was in love! (Thanks Ashton)

How does he deal with that? And how does it affect CiCi and him?

Broken hit 100K 😭🥺 thank you to anyone who has read that story. It's one I will forever be beyond proud of. My first Calum story and the book that introduced me to my very best friend in the whole world! (I love you SavSOS_!!!)
That being said, I promised the first chapter of Wildflower (my next Calum book!!) if it hit 100K today, so I'm going to post that right now! This update was another thanks for helping Broken hit 100K.

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~M =)