Desperate ~ Calum Hood (au)

28

Shannel

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They walked across the bridge that lead them towards trafalgar square, passing a perfect view of the setting sun, setting the sky alight like one beautiful glowing flame.

It was a slow walk, passing a man playing his afro-caribbean music on a steel drum, dancing along as he smiled at all the passers by. She enjoyed the music and stopped to take a listen as business men and women passed them in a hurry, determined to get home before the rush hour kicked in.

Calum stopped beside her, observing as she smiled at the man and began nodding her head to the music.

"You like it?" He asked her, placing a gentle hand on her waist. She nodded, glancing back at the man.

"Come on, we better get back before it gets late." He told her, checking the time on his phone as she looked at him and nodded. He pulled out several more loose coins from his pocket and placed it in the mans steel drum bag on the floor in front of him.

The man nodded in their direction, winking at her as Shannel waved him goodbye, continuing to glance back every few minutes.

On the bridge Calum had been spotted, it was just three girls all bubbly and excited as they ran up to him, one immediately engulfing him in a hug as he laughed and the other two asking for pictures as Shannel gave them a moment, sneaking away and acting as if she was never with him.

A small wave of jealousy had overcome her, noticing the happiness on his face from seeing the fans. She could tell he was genuinely happy to see them and wondered what it would be like to be famous, to have people adore you, love you and talk about you almost everyday of their lives.

Heading towards the end of the bridge, Calum was several feet behind, finishing up with the three girls as his gaze searched for Shannel's.

"Any loose change?" She heard it and looked around her, noticing a man sat by the edge of the stairs, curled in a corner with a dog looking as weak as he was, perched on his lap. His skin looked old, and the bones in his face came through, a shaggy beard and mop of hair practically smothered his features.

She found herself walking over to him, instantly feeling sympathetic for the man begging for money, holding a small 'costa' coffee cup in his hands, shaking it as very few people acknowledged him and dropped their spare change into it.

She stood in front of him, crouching down to pet the dog in his lap as he grinned at her, barely showing any teeth at all that were left as most of them had been corroded and fell out.

"What's its name?" She asked him as the dog sat up and moved closer to her, enjoying the feeling of being stroked.

"She's beauty. My little beauty." The man said, releasing an almost maniacal laugh as he spoke, yet it did not frighten her.

"Hey there beauty, you certainly live up to your name don't you." She said, giving the dog a good belly rub.

"So how come you're out here? I mean don't you have a place to stay?"

"If i did sweetheart you think i would be out here now?" He asked, sarcasm laced in his voice.

"Sorry." She mumbled, sympathetically smiling at him.

"Most days it's not so bad, we get to sleep in underground station if were lucky, or if not a cheap hostel or dark alley seems to suit us just fine." He explained, smiling up at her.

"I know how that feels, believe me." She told him, as Calum came over, crouching down to pet the dog as Shannel finished off her conversation with the man.

Calum could see it in her eyes, how much she felt for the man and how she obviously knew what he was going through.

"Well i hope things get better for you." She told him, genuinely meaning every spoken word.

"So do i sweetheart, so do i." He grinned, this time at both of them and Calum smiled back.

"Come on we better go." He whispered to Shannel and again she nodded, standing up as he copied.

Calum pulled out his wallet from his pocket, feeling guilty if he did not do something to help the homeless man. He took out a twenty pound note and reached down to hand it to him.

"Don't waste it." He said as the man practically snatched it from his hands.

"God bless you. God bless you both." The man grinned, shaking the note around in the air frantically as if he had won the lottery.

Waving goodbye, the two of them departed down the stairs, heading towards the famous landmark of trafalgar square a short distance away.

"Thank you, for doing that i mean." She said to Calum, gesturing to the man on top of the stairs.

He smiled and she smiled back, sneakily placing her hand in his as she reached up to place a kiss upon his cheek.

That small gesture had meant a lot to her. It gave her an outside view of how Calum had been with her.

She mentally thanked her lucky stars for meeting him that one night, specifically that one shooting star she came across when she wished for one thing and one thing only.

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She was in love and she had only herself to blame.

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ANOTHER ONE BCOZ THE LAST ONE WAS MEH

XD

THE NEXT CHAPTER IT IS GOING DOWN MAAAN OMFG I CANT WAIT THAT'S WHY I HAD TO POST THIS

NDEIKWISIJDKWOWOEODKWKSKDKDS

I WOULD TRIPLE UPDATE BUT THEN I WONT HAVE ANYTHING SAVED SO YAH.

-S