Taken // Calum Hood

Bonding.

I had expected him to be late but he was already there when I arrived, and I was early. I pushed the glass doors open and became greeted by his giant grin as he got up from the table and strode over confidently.
"Hello, Hayley Rose." He smirked.
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"Hi." I laughed a little at the oddness him using my full name.
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I'd always loved this place since I was a kid, the delicate paintings that smothered the walls, the friendly atmosphere that complemented the beautiful scenery nicely. Luke and I used to come here a lot.
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~~~
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"So where did you move from?" I asked, biting another mouthful of my delicious sandwich.
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He ran a hand through his thick brown hair, his green eyes twinkling. The view alone made me melt. "Not far from here actually. But my gran lives close so it's not like anywhere here is new to me. Just the people."
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"That's cool." I nodded, slightly disheartened that he hadn't moved from somewhere new. I loved hearing stories about different cultures and new areas.
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He finished his sandwich and gulped down the rest of his drink. For a brief moment I was concerned he wanted to leave and was having a terrible time, but he smiled his easy smile and said, "Dessert?"
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"So what would you like to do, you know your hopes and dreams?" He wondered, scanning the menu.
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I felt the excitement grow rapidly inside of me as everything began to spill out like word vomit.
"I want to travel the world." I stated.
"I want to see and explore everything, and one day, I will."
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He rolled his eyes, I hoped it was in a teasing sort of way. "You and everyone else." He said bluntly. And then, I thought of Calum for the first time that evening. He had always believed I could do anything I wanted. He'd always encouraged my dreams, the moment I told him I wanted to travel, he took me to the nearest library and brought me a world map.
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"Well I actually am." I protested. "And I'll send you post cards to prove it."
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He opened his mouth to argue, but luckily the waitress came and asked for our orders. We never discussed the subject again.
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~ Two months later ~
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Zach and I had been dating ever since the Rocky Café. Calum hated him more than ever, and now Zach hated Calum too. It was awful. I was stuck right in the middle and that really sucked.
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A warm hand settled on my thigh making me grin. I looked up at Zach through my long lashes, feeling my cheeks pinken slightly. I really liked him. He managed to completely distract me from Calum whenever we were together and for that, I was forever in his debt.
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I was still hopelessly in love with Calum though, and each day was getting tougher and tougher.
"Can I sit with you at lunch today?" Zach whispered I my ear making my throat tighten. Our teacher looked over but chose to ignore it.
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"I, er . . ." I mumbled, searching for a good excuse.
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He sighed quietly. "Let me guess, Calum?" He asked knowingly. I didn't answer. "He needs to get over it, it's not like you two are together or anything." He whined. "Why's he so over-protective?"
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Luckily the bell went answering for me as I got up and we began walking to the hall. He laced his fingers with mine and kissed me cheek softly. "Can I talk to you before we go in? Privately?" He asked, I nodded, actually glad that there would now be less time to face an awkward lunch.
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He led me into an empty classroom, flicking on the lights before walking back over to me. He sat me on one of the cold tables and cupped my face in his hands.
"I just thought I should tell you that I really, really like you, Hayley. As in more than I've ever liked anyone before." I blushed heavily as he kissed my lips slowly and rested his forehead against mine. "You're the only girl for me, Hayley." He whispered, kissing me again.
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~~~
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"Why is he here?" Calum spat as soon as we sat down.
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"Can you try not to be a total arse? Just for one day?" I glared. He certainly never kept his promise of being nice to Zach.
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Calum was silent, but the way he was looking at me spoke volumes.
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"Hey." Zach spoke up. "We're together okay? You need to get the hell over that because you'll be seeing a lot more of me." He declared. "Last time I checked you had a girlfriend anyway, so keep your hands off mine."
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I blushed at his words, girlfriend? Since when was I his girlfriend? He never asked, but I wasn't about to argue.
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"I don't, I-I, she's my best friend." Calum stumbled over his words before his anger shone through. "Whatever, I can't sit here if he's around. Sorry guys." Calum told his other friends before storming off. I stopped breathing for a moment, contemplating whether or not I should follow.
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"Leave it." Zach muttered in my ear. He knew me a hell of a lot better than I thought, that's for sure.