Come Home (calum hood au)

08: work out

"Yeah, it's just in this stupid fast food restaurant... look mom, I need to hang up now. We'll talk later." I rushed my mom over the phone, we exchanged goodbyes before I pressed the button to end the call. My eyes remained closed as I took a deep breath, knowing Kat was frowning at me for what I just said to my mom. 

"Since when do you lie about having a job to your mom?" She confronted me about it, the waitress approaching us with our orders and placing them in front of us. Both me and Kat mumbled a quiet thank you to her, I fixed my sight on the pancakes to avoid her burning stare over me. 

"Well, it's only a temporary lie, since I'll go to the job interview today." I shrugged, keeping my eyes down while I started to cut off bites of the pancake, "Maybe --probably, I'll get the job and tomorrow it will be a truth." I pointed my fork that held a portion of the pancake at the blonde girl, who stared at me as if I was crazy.

"You're delusional." Kat shook her head lightly, biting off her piece of bacon. For the first time since I moved here, I was having breakfast out. Sure I woke up with a light hangover, but after many worse ones, this one feels like a little regular headache.

"I prefer the term optimistic." I bit back a smile at my friend, who couldn't hold her laugh. I knew Kat wasn't taking me seriously, but I genuinely was now holding onto the hope that they'll accept me, for once. I couldn't dodge my mom's calls anymore, just like I also couldn't reveal to her that I still haven't found one fucking job in my third week here. The job interview will be at 2:30pm, and this time I'm sobered up and ready to get the job.

We were quietly focused on finishing our plates when I suddenly remembered I had something to tell Kat. I opened my mouth ready to spill the tea on her 'boyfriend' and what I found out about his real name, but I stopped myself on time -- do I really wanna tell her about my encounter with Calum? I damn well knew she'd demand for all of the details, and for God wouldn't keep her mouth shut about it ever again. I was also quite ashamed of my decision, not as much as I thought I would be, but still ashamed. I didn't want anyone to interpret it as an attempt to cheat on my boyfriend, neither wanted him to know about it at all. 

"You were about to say something," Kat pointed out, pressing her hand in front of her mouth as she was mid chew. I frowned my face, pretending I didn't know what she was talking about.

"No, it's nothing important." I said blankly, avoiding eye contact with Kat. I truly wanted to keep what happened yesterday night a secret to everyone -- mine and Calum's. Of course I was having the littlest bit of faith that he wouldn't blurt it all out to his friends and ruin the secrecy of it.

Kat decided to drop the matter, finishing off her place of fried bacon and eggs, "Oh, I was about to tell you. Lucio called me, like, four times since yesterday. I returned his calls and he was really worried about you," She raised her sight to me, a serious look now resting on her face, "Did something happen?" Kat crossed her arms above the table, waiting to hear my side of the story.

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times before taking a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts before expressing them, "Well --we were supposed to go on a date yesterday night, but he stood me up for three hours and then tried to 'babe' me all whiny and shit." I told Kat, sighing when I was finished.

"So why do you seem sad? You usually would be mad at that." Kat laughed off. 

I pressed my lips when she hit right on the spot, "Well yeah but... I mean I was mad. Yesterday. Today I kind of want things to be alright again." I confessed weakly, shutting my mouth as if what I just said didn't make any sense to anyone who knows me the littlest. 

"That doesn't even sound like you." Kat agreed with what I was thinking, raising an eyebrow at how I was acting. 

I rolled my eyes slightly, not knowing exactly how to express myself. I had so many mixed emotions about Lucio that I couldn't explain it in a few words, "It's just --I've been with him for three years now. Even with my hot headed personality, I managed to grow a soft spot for him. What I never thought would happen, in my twenty years of living." I explain to her the best I can, shrugging when I couldn't find the right words to continue.