c'est la vie || Calum Hood

"I want to be here with you."

I decided that I wouldn't be able to sleep so I just stood up. I checked the time and it was already 4am, a reasonable time to wake up. I went out of the room holding the little cash I had stuffed in my bra. I took my phone incase Calum called me.

I walked out of the motel and went to the thrift store that was 5 minutes from here that opened at 5am. Next to it was a coffee shop that I could stay in until the store opened. The coffee shop was deserted except for the worker.

He smiled as soon as I entered. "Bonjour. Que puis-je faire pour vous aujourd'hui?" Good morning. What can I make for you today? The man said as I went towards him.

"Salut. Je vais prendre un café sans lait ni sucre. Je viendrai plus tard pour un autre café." Hello. I will have a coffee without milk or sugar. Later I will come for another coffee.

He nodded and started up the machine. I saw how much it was on the screen and paid the amount, leaving more money than expected for the tip. He handed me my coffee and I left the shop.

As I was leaving the shop, Calum called me. I left him a paper with my number on it so he can call me when he wakes up.

I answer and hold the phone to my ear. "Cass? Where are you?" He asked with his deep morning voice.

"Good morning, Sunshine. I was getting coffee. You want some?" I said while sipping the cup that was warming my hands.

"No, thank you. I don't like coffee." He replied. I could hear some rustling from the phone.

"Okay. I'm on my way back. I'll be there in a few minutes." I said and hung up. I stuffed my phone in my pocket.

I didn't have time to go to the thrift store but I will just ask the old lady who runs the hotel if she has any lost and found items we can buy.

I jogged to the hotel because people were leaving for work now and someone was bound to stop me. Whether it be for me or my dress.

As I entered the hotel, the bells on the door rang. I waved at the lady and went to the room. Calum was sitting on the floor, looking at his phone with his eyebrows furrowed.

He looked so concentrated that I didn't want to bother him, but I decided to say something. "Hey, Calum."

"Hello. I was just seeing all the messages that the boys sent me. Did your family call you?"

I nodded and sat next to him. "They did. I just told them I was okay but needed a break. My sister will probably cover for me."

"The boys were congratulating me because they thought I left with a hookup. I haven't answered their messages yet."

"If you want to go back, I will forget all about this." I said, trying to make him feel better. I didn't want to force him to be here.

He shook his head and looked at me. "No. I want to be here. I want to be here with you."

I stared at him surprised. "I want to be here with you too."

He scooted closer to me, our hands and legs were touching. He was always warm for some reason. "You know, I never thought I would run away with a pretty girl but here we are. It was definitely on my bucket list."

I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his on top of mine, his cheek touching mine.

"So, Mr. NSYNC, tell me how you got into a band." I grabbed his hand and pulled it towards mine.

His breath hitched when I did that but he continued talking. "Me and my bandmates were friends in school and we used to post videos of us singing. Louis Tomlinson from One Direction tweeted about us and his management team signed us. We just rushed into fame when we toured with One Directions. I love my band and my fans but it can get overwhelming really quickly. Fans break into hotel rooms, follow us around and just do stuff that are invasions of privacy."

"That's horrible." I murmured in response. I wish I could stay here all day, holding him.

"I have an older sister back at home. She tried to give me advice on how to deal with that stuff but she doesn't understand my struggle to the potency I have. I'm grateful for everything that she does, though. I wish, sometimes, that I can be invisible. I can blend into my surroundings whenever I get anxious."

I asserted what he said. "I agree. Being invisible seems like an ideal superpower for people like us."

He sighed. "I just- I don't want people to see me as unreachable because I have a bit of fame around my name. It's like I can't do anything without people over analyzing everything. I get sick of the attention sometimes."

"As someone who was basically born into this I can confirm this. When I was 8 I was playing in my garden and some photographers came through the bushes. Father called the police but I thought we were playing a game until I saw my photos in a gossip magazine."

"So, what's your story, Cassiopeia?" He gave me a crooked smile that warmed my stomach until I was burning in the heat.

I removed my head from his shoulder. "That's a story for another time. We should go to the lost and found to find some clothes."