noted → calum hood | #Wattys2015

forty three

"Long time, no see." Michael smiles at the cheery Melanie on his doorstep.

"Well, I'm here now." She leans in to give him a hug, and Michael does the same. "So," She steps into the house and closes the heavy wooden door behind her. "What did you need to see me for?"

Michael shrugs as he walks to the kitchen, ushering for Melanie to follow him. "I just wanted to catch up," he opens the refrigerator and grabs two sodas, handing one to Melanie. "One of my best friends have been gone for two months, am I suddenly not allowed to see her?"

Melanie has a kindhearted smile on her face, appreciative of Michael's efforts to stay close. "Well certainly you have something to catch me up on? By the looks of your letter, I missed a lot when I was gone."

Michael shrugs. "Nothing really, apart from what I wrote."  He jumps onto the counter and sits atop it. "Ash agreed to going back out with Alexis, so they're a thing again."

Melanie shakes her head and sits on a barstool that stands against the counter, next to Michael. "I wish them the best of luck, but I don't think it'll last."

The boy in front of her shrugs. "It's whatever."

Melanie smiles. The silence between them is a bit tense, but nice. There were a million things they both wanted to say, but knew better than to do so. Just finally being in each other's company was enough for the pair of friends.

No words needed; they still got each other.

"How was the roadtrip?" Michael asks, sipping his drink.

Melanie smiles. "It was...nice." She's unable to stifle a small, quiet laugh. "I don't know. It's weird; waking up somewhere different every morning, where the only thing that isn't completely foreign to you is the person sleeping in the bed across the room is just-"

"The exact same as our road trip?"

Melanie sighs at Michael's interruption. "Well, yeah," She ruffles her fingers through her hair. "But it wasn't as exciting, this time around. It was almost as if I was just counting down the days I could come home."

Michael's face is flushed with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I loved being with him, but at the same time we were just being really stupid." Melanie sighs. "I had this bet going on with Ashton that I could make Calum fall for me by the end of the trip," Michael nods, urging her to go on. "It got to the point where Cal and I both were just unintentionally messing with each other's feelings. And yeah, I started liking him by the end of the trip, but I just don't know if I want to like him."

"Why wouldn't you want to like him?"

Melanie sighs. "It's a stupid reason, really."

Michael shakes his head and starts.playing with the bracelet on Melanie's wrist. "Doubtful," he watches her carefully and concerned. "Is there someone else?"

Melanie sighs. "I don't know. I don't feel any spark when I kiss him; my stomach doesn't do backflips when I'm around him; There's no electricity whenever he holds my hand..." she trails off with a long breath. "I just don't feel anything for him." She watches Michael as he stays silent, his red hair flat against his forehead as he fiddles with the wooden beads on the string around Mel's hand. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Michael shakes his head. "There's such a thing as falling out of love."

"What if I was never in love in the first place?"

Michael smiles at Melanie. "Then you fell out of like."

"That sounds kind of dumb, to be honest."

"Perhaps." Michael chuckles and finally leaves the bracelet alone, only to interlock his fingers with Melanie's. "Do you believe in love, Mel?"

She shrugs. "No reason for me not to."

"Then give it time, things will work themselves out."

Melanie groans, pulling her hand away from Michael's. "That's all anyone has told me."

Michael slides off the counter and rests his elbows on it. "They were speaking in regards to your friendship with Calum. I'm just talking in general." He smiles empathetically. "If Calum doesn't make you feel the same happiness pizza does, find someone who will."

Michael pats her shoulder and runs his his hand down to just above her elbow before kissing the top of her head. The contact ends as soon as it began, he having walked into the living room and expecting for her to follow.

Melanie steps down from the stool and makes her way to where the redhead is, trying her absolute hardest to ignore the shiver in her arm and butterflies in her stomach.

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an: the chapter numbers are changing.

because so many of the chapters are just notes, the numbering needs to change so it doesn't get too high by the end of this book.

by the next chapter uploaded, the numbers will have gone back, but no chapters will have been removed!