wildflower : calum hood

safe: protection

Calum would always imagine what it feels like to go out of his house and spend the day without worrying about the people around him. Don't get him wrong, he loves his fans so much, they play such great impact on his life. But a part of him wishes they would respect his personal space. He even regretted buying a house from LA, serving an easy target of him for the paparazzi.

He doesn't know how to handle these type of things very well. Sure there were days when his easy to welcome fans asking for pictures but on times when he doesn't feel the greatest, he would find struggle in turning them down. Which adds up to the reason why he had randomly picked up a book about flowers at the book cafe when he first met Ava.

Calum doesn't find that much interest in flowers. There was never a day where he would buy them for his past girlfriends or has he kept one in his house. But when Ava left from her vacation, he immediately purchased the same book he hid himself from weeks ago and took time off his work to read it.

Few studio sessions later and coffee breaks, he soon became very intrigued with every single word and picture in the book that he asked his bandmates to help him cultivate his own backyard garden. They find it strange for him to gain such interest like flowers over a short period of time but they never questioned him about it.

He realized that flowers were therapeutic to him. The way it blossomed under the heat of the sunlight early in the morning while the different colors of its petals compliment the dewy grass made him feel relaxed and at peace, as he continues to watch it grow in a good distance from his patio.

The flowers almost reminded him of Ava. The same feeling of composure and calmness washed all of his uneasiness when he laid his eyes on her for the first time. He felt like he was safe enough when she's around with him. It's the same type of secureness when he goes back to his house after a long day of work only to stare in admiration of his garden of wildflowers. It doesn't matter where they are as long as he can feel her fingertips with him. She is home for him.

//

Ava was lounging in the living room, trying to entertain herself by flicking through different kinds of films on the screen. She wore the only comfy sweater she had, a tub of ice cream laying on her lap while a number of chocolates was spread across the coffee table. But she was not bothered about her current state right now.

She hadn't seen Calum the whole day which was very odd considering they're both living at the same household. Unlike the other days, he did not join her in her workout this morning, which she dreaded to think about because he was the one who always hyped her up. When she ate her breakfast, Calum stayed in his room and when she finished eating and decides to go back to her room, he then eats his breakfast.

It worries Ava, him suddenly ignoring her makes her think she has done something wrong for the past few days. She spent the next few hours contemplating on her actions in the living room, and her stomach churns every single time she sees at the corner of her eyes Calum wandering back and forth from his garden and his room.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a doorbell ringing aggressively. She cursed silently, standing up from the couch as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to look at the figure standing behind the door through the peep hole. There stood two tall guys with one of them holding a box.

"A package for Ava Har- what do you want, Luke? I'm making it-"

"What are we doing again?"

A series of muffled voices were heard and before they could even comprehend it, the door flew open. Ava looked up at them, trying to identify their faces that was covered by their masks. When they noticed her confused expression, they took a step back, taking out a ruler while measuring the distance between them and the doorstep to six feet before pulling up a smile which couldn't be seen underneath the mask. But she noticed how their eyes wrinkle in happiness from the glare of the sunlight, making her less afraid.

"Ava Harrison? We're sending a package from Five Sauces Date & Sex Servi-"

"Wh- Ashton  this was not how we fùcking planned it to be!"

"Hey don't curse at me."

Ava widened at the sudden choice of words by the man with black hair. He sees her face before laughing loudly, earning snickers by the blonde guy beside him.

"Look- we're sorry if any of this-" The blonde curly haired guy gestured his hands between both him and his friend. "Doesn't make any sense."

"Calum had wanted to give you a package?" The guy raised his eyebrows while lifting the box a little bit while her eyes glanced towards it and back to the two guys. "Which is weird because he literally lives here too." Ashton muttered under his breath.

"And you guys are?" Ava asked while trying to remember where she had seen those faces before.

"Oh we're his bandmates. I'm Ashton and his-"

"Luke. May I? We've disinfected ourselves, especially this box." Luke took off his mask while slowly moving forward towards the house.

"Oh! I mean yeah sure. Sorry if I didn't recognize you guys from a far." She apologized before opening the door wider for both of the guys. They both mirror a grin, thanking her as they stepped inside the house that they haven't been to so long. Duke barked around the house which caught the blonde's attention, running towards Duke as he lunge him in a big hug.

"It's a bit of a mess here, sorry. Didn't expect any of you to come here. I'm-"

"Ava." Luke and Ashton giggled, looking at the short girl while she gave the same shock expression she had a while ago.

Ashton handed her the box, her fingertips running a long the silk that covers it. She proceed to open it, only to be stopped by their voices.

"I know Calum is a bit too stupid for asking us to bring a package when he's literally right there but you gotta trust him with this one." He chuckled while Ava could only give him a sad smile. She starts to question what contains inside the box she's holding.

He wouldn't give me something nice in here, of course. He has been ignoring me for the past couple of hours. Maybe this is his goodbye gift, I may have annoyed him too much. Oh no, maybe that's why he wanted his friends to give it to me because he doesn't want to do it in person. Am I gonna be homeless in LA? I can't do this, I lov- all establishments are close and-

"Uh, we should get going I guess?" Ashton questioned, catching Luke petting Duke. He stood up from the floor, brushing off Duke's hair off his lap.

"Yeah sure. It's nice meeting you Ava." Luke nodded before wearing his mask back again. He disinfected himself with some alcohol before looking at Ashton.

"It's nice meeting you guys too. Stay protected out there." Ava smiled at the both of them.

"Thanks Ava, you too. Tell Calum to wear protection." Ashton grinned, giving double meaning to the last word, giggles escaping from Luke's mouth before both headed towards their car. Ava furrowed her eyebrows, completely oblivious by the scene while she closed the door.

She held the box in her hands tightly, walking towards her room before locking the door behind her. She sat down on her bed, while silently studying the mysterious box infront of her. She heard the sound of the door beside hers open, implying that Calum has went out of his room again.

Her heart beats faster, gripping the top cover as she took it off. Her eyes widened, laying its sight on the dress that was beautifully placed on top. She stood up and laid it against her body, glancing her reflection on the mirror. This is so beautiful.

She digs into the box, to find her favorite snacks and chocolates. The grin on her face never leaves, feeling her blush reach right off the tips of her ears. More stuff has been thrown into this box but one thing that stood out most was a small envelope that was stuck on the bottom of the box. She teared it before grabbing the paper inside it. Her fingertips ran over the words printed on it.

Wanna go on a wildflower adventure with me?