disconnected || calum hood

25 | Elizabeth

The next morning, I awoke with a surreal sense of disbelief. The events of the previous night, that passionate and unexpected kiss with Calum, left me feeling like I had entered an entirely different reality. It was as if the universe had somehow aligned all the stars in the sky, and in that moment, it truly felt like I had found my way back home.

There was no lingering awkwardness between Calum and me. It was as though we both understood that the kiss, despite its unexpected nature, was not something to be made into a big deal. Of course, there was nothing remotely ordinary about the situation, considering our weeks of avoidance and the secrets we harbored, but the connection between us felt like it had been forged over months, not just a single night.

I slowly got out of bed and got dressed before making opening the door, a little post-it falling to the ground as I did. I raised my eyebrow and looked to Calum's door - there were no small z's on it nor a time he'd be back, meaning he was still home. I bent down to pick up the post-it, revealing that Calum had drawn the most comically hideous smiley face, complete with a mischievous tongue sticking out. In the corner, he had also drew a tiny heart. A warm smile graced my lips as I realized that everything was returning to the way it used to be.

I made my way to the living room and saw that Calum was indeed still home. He sat at the kitchen table, munching on a bowl of cereal, engrossed in his Instagram feed. "Morning," I greeted him, and he placed his spoon down, lifting his gaze to me. A warm smile spread across his face as he saw me, and he waved a greeting with his long, tattooed fingers.

"Had a good night's sleep?" I asked him and Calum nodded in response. Then, he pointed at me with raised eyebrows, prompting me to answer. I mirrored his nod. "Yeah, I did too," I replied, fetching a bowl from one of the cabinets and taking a seat beside him. I filled it with cereal and added milk, feeling his gaze lingering on my actions. A light chuckle escaped my lips.

"Sorry Cal, can't all be psychopaths who put milk in before cereal like you," I said and he gave me a soft nudge with his elbow and shook his head with a smirk.

Calum finished the last bit of his cereal, pushed the bowl to the center of the table, and began typing something on his phone. I glanced over as he showed me the message he had composed, and my heart skipped a beat as I read it.

How would you feel about going out for dinner tonight? As a date?

I looked back at him. "I would love that," I said and he smiled at me before typing something new.

Good. I'm going to practice with Ash in a few but I'll pick you up at six-thirty, sound good?

"Six-thirty is great," I replied, and he stowed his phone, took his empty bowl from the table, placed it in the sink, and returned. Calum pressed a tender kiss on top of my head, giving me a smirk before heading back to his room. This man was truly something else.

Yesterday, after our kiss, I spent over an hour debating with myself about whether I should tell him that I knew about the whole illegal fighting thing, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. How was I supposed to confess that I had followed him because I didn't trust him? He would probably hate me if he found out, especially if I mentioned that Luke and I went to the party together as part of a mission to confront him about my stalking. If I told him, it might ruin any chance I had with him. I didn't want to lose him. For some reason, this man with two sides had gotten under my skin, and the thought of going on a date with him had my knees shaking already.

At this point, I wasn't even sure if I should tell Amy about it. She wasn't the biggest fan of Calum anymore since that night, and she might disapprove of whatever was developing between me and Calum, even though we didn't officially have anything yet. We had kissed once, and we were going on a date tonight. Normally, I would tell Amy everything about my life, but maybe, for once, I shouldn't.