ᴋʟᴜᴛᴢ | ʟʀʜ

𝟑𝟎. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐨 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞

This chapter is dedicated to calwildflower for introducing me to the song "Cherry Wine" by Hozier (the song for this chapter). Hellooooo! Crazy week, right? I am: exhausted. But...stream Skinny Skinny and Better XD

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"The Office or Glow Up?" Alina asked, nibbling absentmindedly on her bottom lip. She'd been doing that unintentionally for two days, Friday night being the disastrous night at the club and now Sunday offering nothing more than her guilty conscience and her bickering friends.

"The Offi-"

"Glow Up," Calum interrupted Nina quickly, glaring from his spot on the couch. They all knew the drill: Nina on the left, Calum on the right, and Alina in the middle separating the two just in case their debates over who was hotter in a show escalated.

Nina rolled her eyes, finding it humorous that Calum thought they'd watch Glow Up over The Office, "No."

Ignoring the dark-haired girl, Calum posed the question while cupping his chin as if her answer would be the most interesting, capturing thing in the world, "What would you prefer to watch, Alina?"

"I honestly don't care," she shrugged, telling the truth. All she wanted was to watch a show with her two roommates. It didn't matter what they chose; it'd be entertaining either way because it was with Calum and Nina.

"Decision master," Nina applauded Alina sarcastically.

Running a hand through his black curls, Calum scoffed and barely kept himself from rolling his brown eyes, "Says the one who oscillates between a bitch and a sweetheart every minute."

"Oscillates? Big word challenge or what?"

"Fuck. Off." He punctuated each word with a brief pause in between.

Nina knocked her head back on the leather cushion behind her, closing her eyes with a deep, long groan. "I closed my eyes to block you out but even your voice gives me headaches," she muttered as if amazed he could bother her that much.

"I have a headache," Alina mumbled, shifting slightly between Nina and Calum.

The dark-haired man threw his hands up in the air suddenly. "Jeez, Nina! You complain about your pea-sized brain throbbing-"

"Egg head," Nina brazenly called him, a smile twitching on her gloss covered lips.

Calum took a deep breath before continuing where he left off, "A-And here I am trying to put a show on to make Alina feel better." In his eyes, he was the better friend by far. It's not a competition but if it was, I'd win, he thought solemnly to himself.

"Excuse me? I'm the one who comforted her when she came home crying after her fight with Luke!" Nina countered, pointing a finger proudly at herself. It is a competition and I'm winning.

"Pfft! Yeah only because I was in class," he spluttered, blowing a raspberry at her silly argument. He would have been there for Alina if he hadn't been sitting, with his head wobbling precariously on his hand while he struggled to keep his eyes open, in a crowded lecture hall.

"Are you guys really arguing over this?" Alina asked, shaking her head with a small, short chuckle. Even with her friends, she struggled to genuinely laugh. She needed a bit more time and maybe her planned "talk" with Luke today would give her some closure.

"Fine! Watch Glow Up! I can't bear to sit next to him," Nina pointed accusatorially at Calum who rolled his eyes, "for another second." Rising from the couch, the taller girl stormed off to her room. There was only one person who could calm her down but she'd had to check if he was free or playing video games first.