The Set- Up || 5SOS ||

Chapter Six

It's not a long trip to Birmingham. Only a mere two hours away from central London. The car was large, easily seating all of us. The midday sun was up and streaming through the tinted windows. Therefore not only should it be short ride, but fairly pleasant one too.

However, we must (unfortunately) acknowledge the following components:

1. I'm traveling with four men sized toddlers that are incapable of doing anything requiring common sense off stage or outside a music studio.

2. Unbeknownst to Calum, Ash or Michael, Luke still thinks I'm a gold digger- Calum being my current prey.

The conversation (if you could call it one) didn't exactly end very well. In fact, it didn't necessarily end. Though heated in the moment, I wasn't prepared to let anything out. Yet somehow, I managed to make it worse.

"What's yours?" he had asked. It wasn't even a question- it was a demand. I can even remember the way he said it... Gruff... Suspicious.

Angry.

The word 'squirming' doesn't do my reaction justice. I could almost feel my legs buckling beneath me. Luckily enough, Ashton had walked in before I could let anything slip. If anything was going to save me from blowing my cover to Luke, the last person I'd expect it to be would be Ashton Irwin. Especially since the only reason for his entrance was to ask if Luke had any clean underwear he could borrow. Never- the- less, I got lucky. Extremely lucky. And striking lucky isn't exactly a regular occurrence for me.

Huh. Maybe fate is finally starting to like me.

Suddenly, a long arm found it's way along my shoulders, pressing me against someones warm, jacket clad torso.

Calum. His earphones, like the other guys', were occupying his hearing. He held his phone in his right hand, casually scrolling through twitter, whilst his right was placed on my shoulder- as if this position was the total norm. I looked him up and down. Michael caught my eye and lifted his eyebrow, giving me 'the look' before turning his head back around, watching the passing scenery out the car window.

That's right. The look. The look.

I shuddered in Calum's hold, I can only imagine what Michael was thinking right now. Dumbfounded, I opened my mouth, ready to question his un- ordinary (and frankly odd) gesture.

"Um, excuse me?"

Calum removed one of his earphones, "What?"

I looked directly at him, then at his arm, then back.

"Can you not?" I said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I felt his chest rise and fall a few times before he pulled me in closer, his hand now on the stroking the side of my face.

Well. This is unusual.

His muffled voice whispered into my ear, "We're dating, remember?" I could detect a hint of humour in his voice as he played with the hair falling beside my face. To anyone watching we would look like an actual couple, Calum just being in one of his romantic moods. Though me, who could read Cal like a book, could see past the whole act.

Our foreheads touched and, letting go of his phone, he brushed my left cheek. A sweet gesture, I suppose. He looked deep into my eyes. But I delved deeper into his. I knew how he was actually feeling. He wasn't feeling romantic.

He was about to burst out laughing.

The pair of us were.

Which brings me to my last point:

3. I'm still Calum's 'girlfriend'.

I understand many girls would kill to be in this position. But this was weird. Too weird. Plus, my leg was going numb.