human ↦ calum hood {au}

eight: white

CHAPTER EIGHT:

| calum’s pov |

She kept quiet the whole time we walked to the coffee shop she once loved. I doubt she remembers this either, but that was fine. 

That way, nothing would trigger her having flashbacks about me.

“Why were you staring at me earlier?” I asked, breaking the awkwardness in the air. It’s the least I could do now.

Her eyebrows knit together, faking an unknowing expression. “I wasn’t.”

I copy her face from when we met a few minutes ago. “Really?”

“Fine, fine. I was.” She sighed, admitting defeat. Lynette avoids eye contact, saying nothing more than that. 

“And why?” 

“Because you look different,” she mumbled, placing her hands in her pockets. “I’m just used to seeing you… not like that.” She motioned towards my attire; a NASA shirt and black jeans. 

I made an effort to laugh– I must be that great in evading her. Considering this was a small city, and we were bound to see each other at least once, that made me a bit proud. 

She crossed her arms, looking like she was in deep thought. She didn’t speak, though.

I, instead of bombarding her with questions, stared at her intently, knowing this would make her feel uncomfortable and force her to tell me what she was pondering on.

“Don’t you get tired of white?” 

The memory of her relived in my mind– the times when she’d inquire something out of the norm, and I’d chuckle at how far out her inquiries were.

I remember, and it hurt. It hurt because she’d changed so much before. She’d changed for the bad, and I couldn’t hold the misery in. 

“Lynette, what happened?” The unconscious part of my brain steps in and decides to remind me of things I couldn’t ask before. Things I couldn’t understand.

“It’s pure, don’t you think? I like it because of that.”

She frowned, shaking her head. “It’s pure and all, but it’s easily stained.”

That was natural of her to do– to disagree when she didn’t like an opinion. It got on my nerves sometimes, but not right now.

I don’t contradict. Not at all. 

“You have a point,” I said. “Innocent but quickly tainted.”