pyrrhic • cth

mastermind

𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕

mastermind - taylor swift

"and the touch of a hand lit the fuse
of a chain reaction of countermoves
to assess the equation of you
checkmate, i couldn't lose

what if i told you none of it was accidental
and the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?
i laid the groundwork and then, just like clockwork
the dominoes cascaded in a line
what if I told you i'm a mastermind?."

ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕞

It had been three weeks since her first yoga class with Norah and the two had become fast friends. So much that she had even agreed to join her Tuesday class as well; the two deciding to get early dinner together afterward. Brooklyn had yet to see the dark haired man again since she ran into him before her first class. She brushed the meeting off as a fluke and figured that he normally wasn't there on Thursdays and that was the reason she hadn't seen him.

Calum was there, of course. He was at Babylon every day; the man just decided not to come upstairs around the time the blonde would be there. No more awkward encounters oh his watch... and the plan was working great, until she waltzed in on a Tuesday afternoon.

She had her golden hair up in a white claw clip and light blush coating her cheeks, though whether it was makeup or a result from being in the chilled october wind was unclear. A black oversized jumper lay haphazardly on her, exposing her left shoulder leaving a stark contrast from the fabric and her milky skin. A pair of baby pink shorts peeked out from beneath the dark top and a pair of grey leg warmers sat atop a pair of brown fur boots. She had a white puffer coat over her arm while the other cradled her large duffle in the crook of her elbow.

And those damned pink tights.

Calum was sure he was going to collapse at the sight of her slightly frazzled exterior standing in the doorway with her body wrapped in that perfect pink fabric.

A voice that sounded as if it were spitting venom snapped the man out of his potentially creepy stare. "What are you doing here?"

Axel had come storming into the lobby from what only Calum could assume was his office. His face was set in a furious glare, his stoney tone clashing drastically with her gentle appearance. Her slight flinch at his voice caused Calum's fingers to twitch in anticipation, for what he wasn't sure.

"Not that it's any of your business, I'm here for yoga." Her voice, though stern, still sounded soft. As if her words floated through the air before landing with a little bit of a bite.

"Of course it's my business, not to mention well in my rights to ban you as a manager." Axel spit his words back in her face.

Brooklyn's delicate features turned pointed as she took in the man's words, clearly displeased. "Why I outta-"

"As the person that fronts the money for this place, you'll do nothing of the sort."

Calum hadn't even realized he was talking and based on the shocked expression on the girl's face and the irritated on upon Axel's, neither were aware he was present.

"Hood, she shouldn't-"

Calum rolled his eyes before walking towards the pair. "June, I couldn't care less what explanation you have for turning away a paying customer but it ends now. The girl has been attending classes for weeks now and has clearly added a second one. If you must be a dick, bring that energy to one of the guys that keep slamming my weights in the main gym. Now get out of my sight before I decide to do something rash with your position that you seem keen to abusing."

It was silent for a few moments before Axel shot the girl one last angered look and stormed in the direction of the main gym. Neither Calum nor Brooklyn wanted to be the first to interrupt the silence even if it felt suffocating.

Right as the quiet was about to become uncomfortable, her soft melodic voice reached his ears. "Thank you for sticking up for me, I really appreciate it, Calum."

"He was being ridiculous and had n-" Calum stopped and blinked at her a few times. "How do you know my name?"

Brooklyn's face turned a dark red color as her eyes widened a fraction. She stumbled over her words for a moment before settling on, "Norah told me."

The man couldn't help the smirk that begged to fall across his lips at the notion she had been asking about him. There was no way, based on her reaction, his name had come up in casual conversation. No, the ballerina in front of him had been asking about him. Never had something so minuscule felt so good before.

He only graced her with a simple humming noise before taking her coat and hanging it on the coat rack by the door. He then proceeded to remove the duffel bag from her shoulder and walk towards the locker rooms. She quickly scrambled after him, feeling quite foolish at her admittance. The two walked in silence down the hall and past the door that had almost hit her at their first meeting.

At the door, Calum turned back to her, arm outstretched with her bag. She claimed the strap, her fingers lightly brushing his palm. Her touch left fire in its wake and Calum had to resist the urge to reel back in surprise. She mumbled out a quiet "thank you" and fiddled with the handles. After a moment in silence, the girl assumed he wasn't going to say anything in return and opened the door.

A door that didn't close before she heard his response.

"Have a nice class, Brooklyn."

He heard her soft gasp and felt her eyes on his back as he walked away. He confirmed he knew who she was and hoped this would ignite her desire to ask more questions, despite knowing more about him toed a dangerous line. Calum may not know why he was craving interactions with the ballerina but he knew that with this small move he'd get more.

Checkmate, your move.

𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖'𝕤 𝕡𝕚𝕥

i kind of really hate this chapter but i needed to get an update out after shelving this story for so long.

so if this chapter lasts, yay. if it doesn't well... pretend this never happened.

anyway, i love taylor swift and was dying to use this song... along with the rest of this album.

just prepare for the great war at some point.

*unedited*