disconnected || calum hood

4 | Elizabeth

"You're up early,"

Calum sat at the kitchen table, nonchalantly scrolling on his phone while enjoying a bowl of cereal. Since Michael's departure last night, we hadn't engaged in much conversation. When he returned to the living room for pizza, he didn't send me a text, simply signing "thank you" and taking a seat next to me. We watched "Sex Education" on Netflix for a while before he retreated to his room again, leaving me with the lingering sense of curiosity about my new roommate.

Maybe he wasn't that social. I didn't mind.

The tan man looked up, waving his fingers at me in greeting before returning his attention to his phone. My gaze was immediately drawn to his arms. He was wearing a tank top, allowing me to have a clear view of his well-defined, muscled arms adorned with an array of tattoos. Among them, I noticed a bird, something resembling a name, a horseshoe, a tally mark, a native tribe headdress, and several other tattoos covering his left arm. Two more tattoos were partially visible under his tank top, but I didn't want to stare any longer and make things awkward.

In the daylight, I began to notice even smaller details about him. The second thing that caught my eye was the presence of three rings adorning his right hand and a silver bracelet on his wrist, which added a touch of personality to his appearance.

The third and final thing that caught my attention was the pair of boxing gloves lying next to him on the kitchen table.

"You box?" I inquired, causing Calum to look up once more. He nodded and offered a brief smile.

"Oh, so that's why Michael is picking you up? You guys box together?" I questioned. Calum shook his head and then proceeded to type something on his phone. I approached him and waited patiently until he finished typing in his notes.

Nah, Mikey doesn't. Luke and I do, Mike just likes to watch.

"Is Luke also a friend?" I inquired, glancing up at Calum, who nodded. "Where do you guys practice? Is it that gym at the end of Anmore Road? I was considering a membership there, but I've heard mixed opinions," I began, but Calum shook his head.

"Not that gym?" I asked, making him shake his head once more. Calum resumed typing on his phone.

We don't practice anywhere near here, but the gym on Hillcrest lane is a good one.

"Alright, I'll look into that one, thank you," I said, giving him a warm smile. Calum flashed me a quick smile before returning his attention to his phone. I couldn't help but wonder why he chose to practice boxing on the other side of the city when there was a gym with a boxing area just a few blocks away. Perhaps it had something to do with where Luke lived. Nevertheless, it wasn't my place to pry.

I went to grab a bowl and started preparing my own breakfast when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Calum holding a cigarette between his fingers. He raised one eyebrow, giving me a questioning look.

It took me a moment to grasp his intention. He was offering me a cigarette. I responded politely, "Oh, no, I don't smoke. Thank you, though." Calum simply shrugged and then made his way to the small balcony, closing the door behind him.

On our very first day as roommates, I was already beginning to realize the challenges of communication due to his inability to speak. I contemplated the idea of learning sign language to ease the communication barrier because my patience was certainly being tested with each message he typed on his phone. It wasn't only the issue of communication; we also seemed to have rather different interests, and it was starting to become apparent.

We didn't have to be friends though, we were just roommates. Being roommates didn't mean we had to be friends as well.

I sat down at the kitchen table and began eating my breakfast while gazing out the window. Calum was still leaning against the balcony railing with a cigarette held between his long fingers. After a few bites of my breakfast, I decided to send a text to my best friend, Amy, asking her if she was going to university today and if she might want to swing by and pick me up from my new place.