Cadences [cake au] ✔

// epilogue //

Epilogue

Ten Years Later

Calum's POV

"Hurry up, we're gonna be late!"

The Hemmings and Hood family members were milling about frantically in a desperate plight to get ready for my big concert. Although my mother was no longer around (she lost her battle to cancer two years ago), my dad and sister were both here to encourage me, and I was very grateful that they accepted Luke as my boyfriend without any fuss.

Speaking of Luke, he was nowhere to be seen. I stopped myself for saying that it was just typical of him to be elsewhere on the day that I, Calum Thomas Hood, got to play in my favourite venue in the whole wide world; the City Recital Hall in Sydney.

Oh well. There wasn't much time left and our taxis were waiting outside, beeping their horns to get us to hurry. I shovelled the majority of people into them before heading back to the living room where Liz was sat on the sofa, flicking through a photo album from more than two decades ago.

"Liz, I'm sorry to rush you but we need to go, the taxis are waiting-"

I stopped when I saw the tears staining her cheeks, her hands preventing them from dripping onto the old book of photos. "I-I'm sorry Calum, I'm just so happy Luke is with someone like you now... God, he used to be so pure and untainted as a child. Just look at him!"

I glanced down at the album and saw a familiar pair of blue eyes looking right back at me. Those there the eyes I loved, and that was the boy I fell in love with as a child. "I didn't realise Luke was your flower-giver for a really long time."

"Every now and then I'll go through pictures of my sons. It reminds me of when they were all mine to keep..." She grasped my hands tightly. "Thank you, Calum. My son doesn't deserve someone as amazing as you!"

Laughing, I replied, "That's not true, Luke's pretty cool himself. Now we really have to go!"

~

As we all sat in the green room an hour before I went on stage, my fingers were going crazy tapping the dressing table in front of me. I was on edge, there was no other way of explaining it – there had still been no sign of Luke and he was the most important person on the guest list! All our family members were happy and chatty, and then there was me.

He'd never stood me up like this before, not in the ten years we'd been dating. This show was meant to be a celebration; I was playing all the pieces that brought us together in some way or another. Everyone knew that!

My head turned like a bullet when I heard the door click open. "Hey guys! Calum, we're here!" Ashton exclaimed, running over with Michael following closely behind. The expression on my face fell but I tried my best to keep a smile on.

Michael and Ashton had been on and off during uni but as soon as we graduated, they stuck to each other like limpets to a rock. Ashton joined Luke and Michael's band and they were a very successful three-piece who I got to know very well, no thanks to Luke dragging me along to every single one of their concerts, no matter which continent, country or city. I learned to deal with their immature ways and strange tour habits – nonetheless, it was very enjoyable to sit and watch them perform in front of thousands of fans on a regular basis.

"Thanks for coming guys... have you guys seen Luke today? He still isn't here," I grumbled, hugging them both. Michael shrugged.

"Nah, I haven't heard from him. Were you guys together last night?"

I nodded. "This morning when I woke up, he'd disappeared and I've been ringing him every half hour... you don't think he's in any sort of trouble, do you?"