Reach For You [Dad!Calum Hood AU]

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"ARE YOU SURE you didn't just imagine things?" Calum's eyebrow twitched at Luke's words, eyes narrowing into a scowl. "I mean, it could've been anyone."

"But it wasn't just anyone," Calum retorted with a snap, his patience thinning as he glared at his friends. "It was her. I'm positive." He took a drag of his cigarette, let it burn his lungs before letting out a deep, slow breath. "It was definitely Aspen last night at the club."

Michael let out a disbelieving breath, eyebrows raising as he paused his typing on his laptop. "And she didn't say anything to you? She just—she ran?"

Before Calum could respond, Ashton let out a scoff from next to him. "Are you surprised? Seems like something she's good at."

Calum pursed his lips at his best friend's words, staring ahead as he watched the soccer game on TV. It was no secret that Ashton wasn't a fan of Calum's ex-girlfriend and as much as Calum wished it didn't bother him, it did. Ashton and Aspen got along perfectly fine when they were dating, they were friends, but after she broke up with him with a half-assed apology and virtually no explanation, leaving the dark haired man confused and lost and devastated, Ashton remained vocal about how much he disliked the girl that broke his best friend's heart.

But Calum had loved her. Hell, she was the only girl he's ever loved. And so he couldn't bring himself to side with Ashton whenever a comment was made, which irritated him beyond belief. Her leaving him practically destroyed Calum; how could he still want to defend her against his friends? Why was she still on his mind, practically every day for the past—what was it? Four and a half, five?—years? Why the fuck couldn't he let her go? He didn't think he still loved her—her leaving him had the whole idea of love putting a bitter taste in his mouth—but the desire to see her, to talk to her, was strong and it was already driving him crazy.

She broke his heart, for shit's sake. Why was he still chasing after her?

"I gotta find her." The words slipped out of his mouth before Calum could help it, and now all three of his friends were staring at him with a mixture of bewilderment and shock.

"Why?" Ashton demanded, shifting so his back was against the armrest of the couch, eyebrows drawing together. "What good is that gonna do?"

Calum shot him an aggravated look. It wasn't like Ashton spent every day for the past four years showing his dislike for Aspen, but it was still unneeded. Calum was still reeling from the shock of unexpectedly seeing her last night. It had been dark in the hallway and his mind was halfway clouded with lust for the girl who'd caught his attention, but he knew Aspen's face anywhere. She was seared into his mind without his consent. No way did he mistake her for someone else.

"He needs closure, man," Luke frowned at Ashton, kicking him lightly as he remained seated on the other couch, and Calum was grateful for his blue eyed friend. Switching his gaze to Calum, Luke added, "I think you should find her and talk to her. You've been carrying this around for four years; I think it'll do you some good to just. . . Sit and talk with her."

It's what Calum's been wanting to do since the day she walked out on him. There had never been a reason for Aspen to just leave like that—or maybe there had been and she just neglected to tell him, which Calum thought was a sick fucking joke. All she said was some crappy line of It's just not working anymore right before both of them graduated from their separate universities—Calum in Australia and Aspen back in Los Angeles—and by the time he moved back to the States, she was gone.

There was no sign of Aspen, her mom or her older brother. She'd deleted him and his friends from social media before going private or simply deleting her account. She hadn't had close friends because she was too busy with school, so no one could help Calum. She just. . . Disappeared.