Before You, He Had Me

Eighteen

What is an update schedule anyway? Read 17 if you haven't. I love you guys!! 😂

"You have to take the test." Calum leans back in his seat as he looks over at Meg, having just pulled into Michael's driveway again.

"I know. I will." She sighs, "Thanks for like letting me lose my shit a little bit last night about that. I haven't told anyone what I was fearing, and I don't know. After you kissed me I sort of just let go of everything. So when I got sick... it just sort of came out."

"I hope you're wrong, Meg, I really do. You don't deserve to have to deal with that on top of everything. But you have to know for sure." Calum reaches over to squeeze her hand.

"I know." She repeats softly.

"It's all going to be okay. You know that right? Everything is going to work out. It's been shitty so far, but it will end up okay. I know it." He sighs, pushing the clip to undo his seatbelt.

"How pissed do you think Mike is going to be at me? I disappeared for a whole day on him." She sighs as she follows Calum's lead, leaving the safety of the car behind.

"Hey, he can be mad at both of us. And in actuality, remember he has no right to be angry that you, a grown adult, went out for the night."

"But he will be." She stops, meeting him at the front of the car.

"Oh, I know that." Calum laughs, "But you don't have to feel bad for being at my house and not checking in every ten minutes." He smiles, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, Calum. I really needed yesterday."

"I enjoyed having you over." He presses a soft kiss to her temple before letting her go to head for the door.

"It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it." She smirks.

"I swear I didn't invite you over as an excuse to kiss you." He laughs.

"I know. It might have been a good surprise though." Meg bites her lip softly glancing over at him before slotting her key into the lock on the front door. "Here goes nothing."

"MEGAN GRACE?" Michael's voice fills the house as soon as the beep sounds that the front door was opened.

"Michael Gordon." She retorts with sass, despite knowing it won't help her at all to give him even more attitude.

"Where the hell have you been, Meg? You didn't answered your phone all day yesterday! We got home and you were- Calum?" Michael stops ranting as he comes around the corner, his eyes moving from Megan to Calum and back.

"Calm down, Mike, she was at my place." Calum rolls his eyes, "And she's fine."

"Well I'm not! I have been worried sick!" Michael glares between them.

"That is not my problem, Mike, I was fine. I was with a friend. I don't have to give you an itinerary of my every movement. Calum invited me over for the day to get away from your overbearing parenting shit and I took him up on it." Megan snaps.

"Friend? You couldn't stand him for years! You only changed your mind in the last few weeks!"

"Oh I'm sorry I can't fucking like the guy who saved me? And took care of me, and has held my hand through every fucking interrogation I've had to go through about what happened to me? You've wanted me to like Calum for as long as we have known him, but now that I do you are going to be angry with me for it?"

"I want to know why you are lying to me, and running away from me, and hiding things from me, Megan! You never used to do that. You always talked to me!"

"Somethings you can't talk about except with those who get it. And Calum gets the emotions I am going through better than you do, because Calum played a role in the incident. Don't parent me, Michael. You are not my dad, you are my cousin. You do not get to tell me what to do or where to go or when I can. I am twenty-three now, I can go hang out with Calum if I want to."

"Are you two..." Michael stops, looking between them again before his eyes still on Calum, "Are you together? Is this a relationship you are keeping from me? Are you afraid I'll be mad?"

"Me giving her a break from your over the top coddling is not the same thing as a relationship, Mike." Calum says softly.

"I needed away from the constant nagging, the every second of questioning, the smothering. Calum gave me a day to be me again, to laugh and chill and not talk about my mental state and my feelings. A day that I didn't have to constantly be reminded that I went through hell."

"She needed it, mate. And you need to chill a little bit. Give her some space. She's good at asking if she needs help. Trust her." Calum adds.

"Let me deal with this how I will." Michael glares at Calum.

"No." Meg states matter of fact, both men turning to her.

"What?"

"No, Michael. I will not let you deal with it how you will. I am the one who was raped. I am the one who has to live with that mans eyes burned into my brain, the feeling of him on my skin. I am the one who has to face him in court, and I am the one if this gets out that will have to deal with it all. So no. I will not let you deal with this how you will. I am asking you to deal with it how I need, because I am the one who needs to heal, I am the one who was assaulted, and I need you to back the hell off. Now excuse me. I would like to take a shower." She pushes past him quickly, turning as she reaches the hallway, "Thank you, Calum, for helping me heal how I need, and for supporting me in that. And thank you for yesterday. I would love to repeat it again." She adds before spinning and heading down the hallway, her door slamming behind her as she enters.

Unpacking her little bag, she finds some comfortable clothes, slowly opening the drawer of her nightstand and pulling out the pink box she'd bought a few days prior. Wrapping it in her clothes before crossing the hall to the bathroom.

With the door shut and the shower running she opens the box with shaky hands, pulling the small white stick out and uncapping it.

After peeing on it, she sets it on the counter and steps into the hot water, wanting to enjoy a hot shower before she has to face the answer she is terrified of receiving.

Once washed and draining as much of the hot water as she can allow herself, she steps out, wrapping a towel around her body before stepping back to the counter and with a deep breath, looking down.

Positive.

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Oop! What now?

Life is getting really really messy.

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I love you guys!!!

~M =)