c'est la vie || Calum Hood

"It's a surprise."

The guilt wouldn't leave, it couldn't. I felt like everything I did was wrong, it was all my fault.

I decided to say my thoughts out loud. "Calum, we are going back tomorrow. Your friends miss you and it's obvious that you miss them too."

He looked up from his phone. "I'm not going tomorrow. I came with you because I wanted to, not because I felt bad or anything."

"You have to practice for your set and you don't even have the clothes you are going to wear." I said desperately.

"It's always the same set and I can wear whatever I want. Why do you have so much trouble accepting that I want to be here?"

"I don't. I just want to make sure that you are okay and content. It doesn't affect me." I lifted my eyebrows as a challenge.

"Then yes, I want to be here. I will see them before the concert. I've lived with them for years, 2 weeks apart won't kill us."

"You seem sad anytime they get mentioned and I don't want you to feel obligated to be here."

" I'm not. If I wanted to leave I would have left already. This is the most fun I've had in a while."

"Calum, you have people waiting for you. They love you."

"Your family is also waiting for you so I don't know why you think nobody likes you. You sisters love you and Henri has to tolerate you because you live with him. I am not the only one they are missing."

I stood up, pacing. I hate that I ran away and took some kid with me. He was loved and that messed with my head.

"I know they are waiting for me, this is not the first time I ran away." I said, then processing what I said and shutting up.

"When did you do this before?" Calum asked, making eye contact that was not needed right now.

I sighed. "I've run away 2 times. The first with my sister and the other with a friend of mine. My family is used to it, I keep going back because they always convince me that they love me. They shower me with kisses and gifts and after a week it's all gone, leaving me with the same void I had before."

"You just shouldn't go back." Calum said like it was the first time someone told me that.

I stared at him with a fake surprised face. "No shit, Calum. Elaine calls me and it's over, I go running back."

He stood up and grabbed my phone from my hands. He powered it off, setting it down on a small table. "Now they can't call or locate you. You're safe from all their tricks."

I put my hands around his neck, my head on his shoulders. I hugged him the tightest I have ever hugged someone. I love him, I thought, I love him. I wasn't going to say this to him but I felt it deep in my core. Nobody had ever been so considerate and patient with me, making me feel wanted.

He was surprised when I hugged but hugged back. He lifted me up from the floor and moved from side to side. He put me on the ground but I didn't pull away, I wanted to make him feel what I felt when I was with him.

I finally pulled away, looking him in the eyes. He kissed my forehead, leaving some of his warmth in my thoughts, taming them into being good.

I lifted an eyebrow and smirked when an amazing idea came into my head. "I'm taking you to my favorite place in the world. Come on."

I pulled him outside, clutching to his hand. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."