tattoos || c.h.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏʀᴛʏ ᴏɴᴇ

mia

"so i'm not giving up that easily."

"my mental health isn't the best right now." i explain. "that's why i was crying before you and julian surprised me."

"wanna go inside and talk?" calum offers and i shake my head. "why not?" he leans back and grabs my chin, lifting my face to meet his eyes with my own.

"you have friends and julian at your place." i look back and forth between his eyes. such pretty eyes. "so you technically have no choice."

"or you can come with me and we can sit on the balcony and talk like the first time." he reminds me of the first time i came over to his with june and met the whole friend group, where we ended up talking till midnight while on his balcony.

"let me put on jeans then." i tell him and he throws me over his shoulder and closes my front door. "calum, what the hell?" what the actual fuck goes through this man's head?

"you look fine." he places me down once the elevator door closes. "plus, it's not like there's anyone to impress." i lean against the elevator wall, but calum pulls me to his chest. "i haven't touched you in any type of way in a week. i'm getting my time back."

"you're a real doof. you know that. right?" i let my arms wrap around his torso as i feel the vibration from his laughter. "also, you do know you won't get any time with me because, as usual, julian will steal me away for the whole time."

"i love my son, but you're by my side for the rest of the night." calum interlaces our fingers as he walks us to his car. "or he can hang on your back like the first time you two met." he opens the passenger door for me and i hop in, him soon following my actions on the drivers side.

"i thought you had plans!" gigi runs to me and wraps her arms around me. "what happened?" she pulls back and asks me.

"i stole her." calum jokes as julian jumps on me and i pick him up. "just as julian believes he can steal mia for the rest of tonight, but can't."

"why?" julian rests his head on my shoulder and pouts as he looks at his dad. "i haven't seen mom in a week." he wraps his arms around my neck. some would be surprised that the whole room isn't surprised by julian's choice of name for me, but everyone already knows what happened. big stuff like this is told in the group. why? i don't know.

"because your dad hasn't seen your mom in a week either." crystal pops in and i smile at her words. "i bet they missed each other a little more than you and mia missed each other."

julian continues to argue about him wanting to steal me for the whole night to watch tv and talk. julian may be four, but he sure likes to talk about some adult things. the kid somehow brought up taxes! we all settled on me holding julian for the rest of the night as all of us hung out in the kitchen.

"tired?" i whisper to julian and he snuggles into my neck. "i'll take that as a yes." i say and silently move my way out of the kitchen, hoping to be unnoticed. i lay julian in his bed and tuck him in. how i wish i was able to carry a kid like you.

"kiss him on the forehead and you might seem even more like a mom to other people." calum's voice fills the silence in julian's room. "now that he's asleep can i have the conversation on the balcony?"

"fine." i huff and stand up, walking to the door calum stops me. i look up at him as he grabs my shoulders. "what's wrong?"

"i don't know if the 'fine' was sarcastic or if you feel i'm forcing you to talk." worry fills his tone of voice. "i don't want to feel forced to talk to me about anything or anyone."

i pull calum in for a tiny kiss, "it was sarcastic."

"i know you wanted to call me something, but we're standing in the doorway of julian's bedroom and you still worry if he can somehow hear us." calum laughs at me and i roll my eyes.

i leave to go to the balcony and calum follows along. is it bad that i'm now sat out here, talking to calum, and forgetting the rest of our friend group inside?

"how much you wanna bet it's somewhere near midnight?" i raise my eyebrows and calum shakes his head as a cute laugh falls from his lips.

"i'm not betting anything." he says and i check my phone to read it's 11:32 at night. "let me guess, it's near midnight?" he tilts his head and i nod. calum picks me up, once again, and brings me inside his apartment, where no one is standing in the living room or kitchen. calum walks to his room and places me down on his head. "june left and i'm your only ride. which you know i'm not leaving julian alone."

"you planned this out." i glare at him as he pulls me closer to him under the covers. suddenly, julian comes running into the master bedroom, freaking out. "what's wrong?" i sit up and he wraps his arms around me.

"i had a nightmare." julian sniffles as he has his grip around my torso. i run my fingers through his hair, hoping it'll calm him down just a little bit. "can i sleep in here?"

"yes." i lean back on the bed, giving calum no choice in whether his son falls asleep in his bed tonight. i care about calum's opinion and his choice, but i don't feel like getting up and i also don't feel like leaving julian alone when he's just had a nightmare.

calum wraps his arms around me, leaving julian squished between us. calum kisses the top of his son's head and mine.

"goodnight." he whispers to us and soon enough sleep overtakes all three of us.