Push Me Away : Book 2 of the Teeth Series

27

"Promise you won't be mad."

"Yes, because that's how I dream of every conversation with my fucking best friend and business partner starting." Ashton rolled his eyes dramatically on the other end of the video chat.

Calum sat in his junk room that had taken on a dual role as both a studio and home office once the world shut down in the midst of the pandemic. His computer screen was divided into four boxes, one housing each of the members of his band along with himself.

"Fuck, you're going to be mad I can feel it." He mumbled under his breath as Ashton's playful laughter died down and the drummer stared more cautiously at his best friend through the screen. Luke and Micheal were silent, their curiosity obvious but their patience seeming much less thin than the opinion Calum knew would be the loudest once he had stated what he had gathered them all to discuss.

He blew out a big breath, clinging to the memory of a chat not too long ago where Ashton had promised to step out of the way where things with Fallon were concerned and hoping that now, with things more concrete, his best friend would remain steadfast in his word. "Fallon and I are back together...and we're working on some new music."

"Oh...um, well okay."

"That it then?" Calum asked after a moment of tense silence followed Ashton's awkward reaction.

"I don't know what else there is that you could want me to say really. When we talked about the probability of you and Fal getting back together I told you I wouldn't stand in the way and I gave you my word."

"Yeah, but this is different. We're making music together and I don't know...I've never done anything out on my own like this and I understand if it's something that we as a band need to discuss but I'd like to pursue it."

Ashton shifted in his seat, a hand snaking up into the view of the camera as he scratched at the base of his neck. "Well, truthfully me having any issue with you wanting to do something outside of our band's realm would be a bit hypocritical of me. I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you all that my little side exploration project has taken on a life of its own. I've got plenty of songs in the late stages of production for an EP and I still have lots of ideas. I'm thinking that once it reaches a place where I feel it's done I'm going to release it. Now, I don't know if it will just be a self-release or what but I'm in no position to tell you that you can't express yourself in whatever way you deem necessary."

"I'd have to be in agreement. I mean, I've had the whole DJ thing for a while now plus I stream some. Honestly, I think that's one of the great things about our band and the way we do things. We each have our own identity outside of who we are as a group and I think that's a strength really. Plus, as much as I love you there're only so much of you three I can take before I want to murder you."

Calum felt the layers of weight and anxiety he had previously had about this conversation begin to shed as he turned his attention to the last member of his band. "What about you Hemmings?"

At the sound of his name Luke's eyes quickly slid to the screen. Previously he had been staring off into space, clearly zoned out of the conversation as was evident by his startled "what?"

"Fucking hell bro. We're talking about if anyone has issues with me and Fallon maybe doing something together."

"Sorry, got a bit wrapped up in my thoughts. If you're asking my permission, I've got no issues with it. Sierra and I have been messing around with some ideas ourselves. To be completely transparent I think this time away from the chaos our schedules typically are. I'm basing this on the notion that this is indeed going to go on for at least a couple more months..." He gestured with his hands as if to ask the rest of the band if they agreed and nods from the group confirmed his suspicions. "But think about it, when was the last time we had a genuine break. I don't know if I speak for all of us but for me at least, I feel like a burden has been lifted. It's like I can breathe for the first time in ages and I don't feel the pressure to force out a perfect new record."

"Well yeah, we don't have the label breathing down our neck telling us how we're failures and need to crank out a new album or we're going to fade into obscurity." Ashton chuckled as he said it but the humor was missing. They all remembered what it had felt like when the people around them had spent every waking moment criticizing them and how it had affected their psyche and self-confidence. No doubt they were all in a much better place mentally and professionally now.

"Look Cal," Micheal started, "What it all boils down to is we always just want you to be happy. Our reservations about Fallon are simply because you two have a history and it wasn't always a pretty one. You're a grown-ass man though and if this pandemic has taught us anything I think we can all agree that it's how important the people and relationships we surround ourselves with are. If you're ready to trust her then who are we to stop you."

*

Calum felt lighter as he exited his junk room and made the short walk down the hallway to the room he and Fallon now shared. He was excited to tell her the positive reaction that his bandmates had given him in regards to not only their once again blooming relationship but their desire to work together professionally.

He only made it a few steps through the doorway however before the muffled sounds of tears stopped him dead.

"Fal?" He said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

There was a jerk of movement on the bed, presumably as his girlfriend, though it still felt a bit weird getting to use the term again, tucked the covers closer to her body.

His feet carried him towards the bed and he gingerly crawled over the mattress until he was laid beside her, their bodies separated by the thin wall created by the fabric of their sheets and comforter.

"Fal, what is it?"

All the excitement he had held beforehand dissipated, replaced instead with anxiety and dread that he had somehow managed to already fuck things up.

"It's nothing.." Finally came her reply, her words wavering as she spoke through her obvious distress.

"I haven't just met you this morning, Fal. It's obviously not nothing."

There was a long pause and Calum began to wonder for a moment whether she had cried herself to sleep before she finally broke the silence again. "I talked to the girls..."

Oh. Well, now things were becoming clearer. Given her current state, Calum had a pretty good idea how that conversation must have gone.

"It didn't go well then?"

The comforter was thrown back and Fallon's face, red and blotchy, appeared as she threw her arms around him and began to sob into his shirt.

His kneejerk reaction was to simply hold her, his hands softly rubbing across her back as she cried into his chest and he wondered what in the world he was going to do, how he could fix this for her. For them.

An: I have no excuse except being six months pregnant with some sort of professional kicker. I'm sorry.

Still love you 🖤
Sav