Fixing Me ∞ Hood

Chapter 50 - Secret

"Jordan?" Calum called out from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" I called back.

Finishing taking my makeup off, I frowned when I didn't get a reply from Calum. The tone in his voice suggested that he's serious about something, but if it is important he'd either come in here or keep bellowing from his place on the bed.

I leaned down to the sink, turned the tap on and splashed my face with cold water, scrubbing lightly in an effort to clear my head. These past few days have been a little overwhelming, when I put them all together. I convinced Joy to let us stay two more nights here - meaning we miss two days of school but go on the Wednesday.

Calum and I have been spending all our time together, not like we couldn't, but it's been nice. We've sort of been acting like a couple; holding hands, kissing cheeks and acting all 'loved up'. The only thing wrong about that is that I don't actually know whether we're a couple or not. We haven't talked about us at all since that night that things got heated between us.

I don't know whether it's because we're both scared of the potential answers, or whether it's because we're just enjoying our time together. It's been amazing being able to spend this much time with Calum alone, just the two of us. We've been getting to know each other, in a way. It's not like we didn't know each other before, but we're getting to know the fine details, I guess.

But tomorrow is the day that we have to go home. I do want to go home in some ways; to see the boys and the rest of the Hood family, but I don't want to have to face the reality that comes with going home. I don't want to go back to school, I don't want to have to deal with my gang and everything that comes with it, and I don't want to have to deal with the fact that people are being murdered because of me.

With a sigh I reached over to grab my towel and dry my face. I pulled it slowly away, looking in the mirror and screaming when I spotted a figure in the doorway of the bathroom. I turned and realised that it's only Calum standing there, now with his hands covering his ears.

"Jesus, Calum, don't do that." I snapped.

"Sorry, babe," he muttered quietly, hanging his head. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I instantly felt guilty for snapping at him when he didn't do anything wrong.

"No, I'm sorry," I sighed. "I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just... I don't know." I shook my head and turned back to the sink, leaning my hands on it.

He quietly padded into the bathroom, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, hugging me from behind. He pecked my cheek and rested his head on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He looked at my face through the mirror.

"I don't know... everything?" I laughed at myself. "Actually, not everything, because you and I are fine. But, I just don't want to go back to reality. I don't want to go back to my problems."

"I'm going to be right here next to you the whole time, okay? Feel free to put some of your burden on me."

I smiled and chuckled lightly. "You won't be saying that when I do put some burden on you."

"I'm sticking to my word."

"That's good to hear." I smiled at him through the mirror, then turned around in his arms to face him. "Now, did you want to talk to me about something?"

"Oh, um, you know what? It's not important, it can wait-" He started to unwind himself from me, but I stopped him by wrapping my arms around his neck.

"No, come on, what's up?"

He stared at me for a while, probably deciding whether he should actually tell me or not, but he finally sighed in defeat and walked backwards to sit on the edge of the bath tub.