Taken // Calum Hood

Panic.

I slowly slid my back down the smooth baby blue wall, my face buried in my palms. What was I going to do? My head began to ache from all the pressuring thoughts that were demanding to be heard all at once. My throat burned and my nose tingled as my eyes let the tears trickle down my face.
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I finally had what I always wanted, and it hadn't even been two days and I was screwing everything up.
A knock made itself apparent at the door, Calum's muffled voice quickly following. "Hayley? Are you alright?"
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I jumped up, wiped my face, taking a deep breath and jolting open the door. Calum seemed startled as he stumbled back. I flashed him another phoney grin. "I definitely am a-okay!" I tried to assure him, making my way back to the main room, Calum giving me a seriously confused look before hastily following me in.
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I strode straight to my jacket which was lying on the side where I'd left it earlier. "Thanks for having me Luke, but I think I'm gonna take off." I announced, turning to leave.
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"What? Why?" Calum's body stood in front of my own, failing to let me leave. He placed his hands on both of my upper arms when I failed to answer, or even look up at him. "Hey . . ." He murmured, squeezing me gently. I forced myself to look up into his desperate brown eyes. He shook his head softly to show that he didn't understand. "What happened back there?"
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I could feel the audience of our three friends watching us carefully, they too, not understanding. I swallowed the lump that was pressing inside my throat. "Nothing." I pulled his hands off of me. "My Dad called, he needs me to check if the oven is gas or fan, not sure why but you know. I need to check."
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He stared at me a little longer, still not convinced. I couldn't blame him, I mean gas or fan oven? Was that really the best I could come up with? Smiling, I walked past him to the doorframe. I turned my head back and waved to the boys. "Bye guys, see you soon." I told them but they all seemed too speechless to say anything in return.
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Sighing, I sped out of the house as fast as I could, finally escaping back to my home. Back to my bed. I dove into it as soon as I arrived, curling myself up in the now cold covers. I was aware that I was being melodramatic, but I just couldn't shake the feeling.
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It couldn't of been ten minutes when the door bell sang out, loud and clear. My eyes involuntarily rolled around out of annoyance as I heaved myself out of the warm hideaway I had created. I clambered down the stairs and pulled open the door to find Calum standing there, shaking my phone which lay in his palm. "I think you left something." He gave a small smile.
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I reached out, prying it from his large fingers. "Thanks." I mumbled, ready to shut the door. Him being so close made it so much harder to tell myself I was being ridiculous.
.
He noticed that I wanted him to leave. I don't know how I could tell, I just knew. He could see right through me. "I didn't mean just your phone Hayley." He sighed, bringing even more unwanted confusion to my brain. My face scrunched up at him until he explained further. "You left without explaining what the hell happened in the kitchen."
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He stepped up and welcomed himself into my home, shutting the door behind me and slumping on the couch. I followed him through and he patted the space next to him. "I'm listening." He said, and I knew there was no getting out of it this time.
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I sat wearily down next to him, my cheeks already burning and I hadn't even said anything embarrassing yet. "It's so stupid though . . ." I mumbled, not wanting him to laugh or think I was not mature enough to possibly have a relationship with.
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He reached out and rested his palm onto my own. "Hayley, it can't be stupid if you reacted like that. Whatever it is, I want you to tell me." I continued to stare at the cream fabric that hugged my sofa, too afraid to see his reaction when I told him the truth.
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I pushed out a shaky breath, it didn't help me sound any less nervous like I'd anticipated. "It's just, well. You know I . . . I never exactly, well I haven't . . ." I trailed off beginning to get frustrated at not being able to form any sentences, Calum squeezed my hand encouragingly. I tried again. "It's just, when Michael said those things in the kitchen . . . It just reminded me that you and Megan used to sleep together a lot and I'm hardly the most experienced person with all that and I don't look anything like her and-" Calum cut me off with a gentle kiss, surprising me completely.
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"I know you're a virgin Hayley, I'm not expecting anything." I nearly burst into tears at his words. I don't know why. I felt an overwhelming mixture of embarrassment and relief. "And don't you dare, ever compare yourself to her. You are my definition of beautiful, not her. Every time her and I did . . . anything, I always pictured your face on hers. Your body on hers. You are the one I want, not her."
.
I kissed him this time. Slowly at first, and then passionately and deep. I had no reason to be worried, I could finally stop comparing myself to her. I could finally be happy in my own skin, because he wanted me for me. And I wasn't just some rebound. His love mirrored my own.
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We were both smiling goofily as we eventually pulled apart. "What are you doing tonight?" He blurted immediately. I felt a surge of happiness flow through me at the fact we had now finished school for a good few months.
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I shook my head. "Nothing." I grinned, still cross legged and sat opposite him on my sofa. He smiled back, taking my palms in his and pulling me towards him until I nearly toppled forwards and then pushing me back to my original position.
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"Good, because we are going on our first date." He announced proudly.
My stomach clenched, in a good way. "Dress up fancy Mrs Rose, I have something pretty posh in store." He teased and I instantly knew what I was going to wear.
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I nodded, willing to comply to anything he asked. He always had had that affect on me. It was slightly worrying in a way I suppose. He stared into my eyes for a while and I happily watched him back. I took in every feature as I had done a billion times, this time not needing to do it in secret.
"Man, I can't believe we haven't even had one date and I'm already so in love." He chuckled at the strangeness of it. "I feel like such a cliché movie character."
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