blind first dates (c.h)

"i'm glad we're on the same page"

"Absolutely not," Calum said and shook his head.

"I think he'll end up staying here for a couple of months before he feels like it's embarrassing, and then he'll get his own place," I told Calum through a chuckle. "I just wanted to let you know... since my place will be a little more occupied for the next little while. Even though I fully expect Wes to spend most of his time with Penny, since she only lives a half-hour away."

"I'll be happy to get to know him better—if he's ever here when I am," Calum said, causing me to smile.

"Thanks for taking this like a champ," I joked with him as if this had been hard news to hear. He laughed at my words and leaned forward to set his beer down on a coaster. "Are you hungry? I could try to whip something up, or we could order something?"

"I could eat," he told me with a nod.

"Let's go see what we have to work with, shall we?" I stood up and held out my hand, which he instantly took into his own before getting off the couch and following me out of the room.

We walked into the kitchen with our hands entangled, and I walked us over to the fridge before pulling open the door. We both stared at its contents for a couple of minutes without making any comments.

I dropped Calum's hand as I made my way to the pantry, wanting to remind myself what all I had in there. Calum closed the fridge and followed me over.

"I don't think you have enough pasta," Calum poked fun as he inspected my pasta shelf. I had at least two boxes of nearly every possible type of pasta—it was one of the only things I was undoubtedly good at making, so I kept a good stock.

"Just because you're jealous, Hood, doesn't mean you can be mean to me," I joked with him; finding myself smiling as I heard a laugh escape his lips. While standing behind me, he reached down and around to place a kiss on my cheek.

"I could make you a really impressive ramen," Calum said, reaching for some Top Ramen packets that hadn't been a popular choice for months. "Like... college life upgraded."

"I hate how good that sounds," I told him, unable to lie that I was intrigued. Calum chuckled before grabbing what he thought he'd need from the pantry and then making his way to the other side of my kitchen.

As he started to grab things from the fridge, I got out what I thought he'd need pot-wise and utensil-wise. 

"Thank you," Calum told me once he walked over to the stove, placing all the things he had gathered up on the counter next to the stovetop. 

"I'll go get our drinks," I announced before walking out of the kitchen and to the living room, grabbing both of the beers. I also grabbed my phone before walking back to the kitchen. I set Calum's beer down beside the stove and took a sip of my own. "Do you work tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah," Calum told me with a nod as he filled up the pot with water. "I have a client coming in at six in the morning, so it's going to be a very early morning."

"Holy shit," I said in horror. The last place I would want to be at six in the morning is a gym, exercising. Calum let out an amused laugh but simply shrugged his shoulders as he walked back over to the stove, setting the pot on one of the burners before turning the dial to start a boil. 

"It's not ideal, but that's the gig," he told me. 

"I was going to persuade you to stay the night, but I doubt that would be productive," I said through a laugh. 

"It might not be productive... but why should that stop me?" he asked, causing me to smirk. "I may or may not have conveniently left clothes in my locker at work so that spending the night wouldn't be an issue."