Stranger Calum

Chapter 3

I wake with a startle, heart racing chasing after my breath and surprisingly no headache. There's that familiar aching in my heart though, the one that's there both when I'm sleeping and when I'm awake. It's been like this for a few weeks now. Ever since I had made the plans to come home for a couple weeks.

I check the time, it's around half past two in the morning and I'm wide awake now. I'm not sure what the dreams mean and they're never the same or seem to follow a storyline but Calum's always there and Emily as well but I suppose that has something to do with the fact that they're both back in town...together.

I'm not sure how I ended up in my room but I look out the window and over to the one I had spent so many nights seeking comfort in before.

Against my better judgment I walk over to the window not expecting anything but drawn shades and the moonlit sky. However, the shades are not drawn, giving a clear view of the empty bedroom. I can't stop myself from frowning at the sight but not even a minute later something in the yard is catching my eye.

With creased eyebrows I throw on an old hoodie and head outside without hesitation.

"Are you crazy? It's freezing out," I pout at the dark haired boy sat on the ground in my backyard, clad in a sleeveless shirt, sweats, and those god awful slippers of his. He looks startled, eyes wide as he looks up at me.

"Nice outfit," he teases and it's almost like I've been transported back to before. Back to when he was mine and everything was perfectly imperfect.

"You'll get sick out here you know," I ignore his tease because it's hard enough standing out here - which I'm still not even sure why I'm doing - but to pretend like everything was fine? Like my heart hadn't completely shattered and never fully recovered? That was even harder.

"You always could pull off looking a mess, I always loved you best like this. In one of my hoodies and your pajama bottoms," he also goes with the ignoring tactic for his own reasons it seems. I realize then that I had grabbed one of his old hoodies I must have stolen at some point and my cheeks warm but I'm sure they're already pink from the cold.

"What are you doing out here?" I ask in a attempt to change the subject.

"Couldn't sleep..it's nice out," he shrugs.

"And you couldn't sit in your own yard?" I cock a questioning brow.

"Yeah but your yard always had the best view of the stars." There was no arguing that. It's why we always ended up in my yard more often than not.

"You couldn't have put a jacket on?" I get back to my fussing, shaking the memories of us laid out in my backyard.

"Think you've stolen all of them to be honest," he cracks a small smile.

"That's not true," I pout because if I was being completely honest I felt like I didn't have enough of his clothes. "Will you please just put a jacket on, or at least wrap yourself in a blanket?"

"Maybe," he hums.

"Calum," I whine.

"Only if you stay out here with me," he raises his brows and waits for my reply.

"I don't know Calum," I sigh. Everything in me wants to latch onto him but I'd probably never let go and I'm not sure that's such a good thing.

"Come on," he drawls. "We don't even have to talk."

Those words. He has to know what he's saying, what he's doing. But he doesn't even bat an eyelash. The words fall so effortlessly that I'm sure he hasn't got a clue what they mean or the emotional brick wall they just made me crash into.

"Please?" he sticks his bottom lip out and I find myself nodding even if I'm mentally a million miles away. He grows a proud smile and heads over to his yard, opening his back door and coming back out with my favorite blanket of his.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and sit on the floor without a second thought.

"Snoopy!" I giggle once he's close enough.

"Forgot about this actually, mum washed it and everything for me," he beams. It was the infamous snoopy blanket we always attempted to share in his bed but it was a bit small so we always ended up just cuddling ourselves impossibly close to each other just to fit it over the two of us.

He doesn't say anything after that, just sits himself next to me and sadly enough doesn't even offer to share the blanket. I suppose the hoodies enough and the blanket is the first thing he's actually sort of implied a memory with so I'll take it.

"I forgot to thank you," I quietly break the silence.

"For what?" he looks over at me.

"Seriously?" I reply dumbfounded. He shrugs. "For punching that guy maybe?" I deadpan.

"Oh," his lips making a perfect 'o'. "That."

"Yes that, what else?" I say lightly.

"It was nothing," he shrugs dismissively.

"You always were a hothead." And because it's three in the morning now and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with Calum I add, "Like that one time you nearly bit Michael's head off for wanting to walk me home." I peek a glance at him just in time to catch the flash of a grin but it's gone as quick as it comes.

We sit in silence for a bit after that, I'm not sure how long but it feels like too long and not long enough all in the same.

"It's freezing out, think I'm going to head inside now. And you better keep that blanket on," I get to my feet looking at him pointedly.

"Wait, why did you come out here?" he looks up at me, tearing his eyes from the sky and finally speaking again.

"Isn't it obvious? Couldn't sleep. And my sleeping pill happened to be out here in my yard freezing himself into a cold."

I let the words float around in the air surrounding us, Calum's eyes softening and they're as big and warm as I remember. It makes my heart do that fluttering thing it hasn't done in years and I need to get away from this boy as fast as possible.

"Goodnight kiwi," I merely whisper and can physically see him perk up to full attention at the petname. If he plans on saying anything I don't let him, already starting the short distance to my back door.

It's not the way I thought our first conversation in two years would go but it was better than nothing.

--

Sorry this was so late and short. But I needed some Calum fluff in my life. I'll try and update again before Wednesday but we'll see.