Heat Waves // Calum Hood 5SOS

Chapter 22

"Look, it's not that I think it's bad. I just think that... Michael is like, supernaturally loud." Ashton stifled a laugh.

"And you don't think that's impressive?" I quipped, making Ashton laugh quietly and reluctantly nod.

"Ash, if you think I'm a godlike being then just say that." Michael scoffed with an arrogant smirk, stretching his arms out and letting them fall on the shoulders of both Calum and Blaire in a cocky manner. Blaire played it off like it was just a funny joke but I could tell she was loving it, really.

"Well- I wouldn't say that." Ashton rolled his eyes, only making me laugh more. Soon our drinks arrived and there was a moment of us just sat listening to the general conversation at the table and the sound around us, but then Ashton turned to talk to me again.

"How're you getting along with the assignment, by the way...? The pictures we took. Well, you took. I was just... there." He let out a chuckle and then awkwardly cleared his throat, whilst I bit the inside of my cheek and hoped to high heavens that the heat in my skin didn't show on the surface.

We hadn't talked about that day.

"Oh- uh-" I hesitated, unsure how to respond for a second thanks to my brain jumping straight to the awkward interaction I'd caused about two weeks ago rather than the actual question he asked me. "The pictures? Y'know, I still think they're good... but I'm not sure they're right for me, honestly." I admitted, swallowing hard and then taking a sip of my drink.

"Oh, how come? I thought they were really incredible." He leaned his crossed arms on the table and looked up at me with a soft nod.

"I just- it's a really specific subject, y'know? I feel like I have to do more to really get it right - or at least have more options." I looked down, stirring my straw in my drink awkwardly.

"I get that." He let out a breath, fiddling his hands together. "If you- uh, if you need any help taking more then- y'know... I'm always happy to help." He sat back up in his chair, lifting his hand and scratching the side of his jaw. From the corner of my eye, I could see his own eyes flickering between looking at me and the table.

"Oh." I hummed out, biting the corner of my lip and tapping the glass of my drink. "Yeah, that could be nice." I murmured, tucking my hair behind my ear. I felt like Ashton was about to respond, carry on with that subject matter somehow, but as he opened his mouth to speak my attention was grabbed away by the feeling of an arm knowingly nudging against mine.

"Dionne-" I heard Calum's voice giggle as he shifted closer to me, cutting off the thought of what Ashton had said as I felt Calum's leg press against mine gently. I turned to face him, seeing the amused expression on his face and glancing down to see the phone in his hand held out towards me. "Look, you'll love this." He grinned, immediately pulling a smile out of my own lips.

On his phone was a video of Anthony Mackie, who Calum had found out was one of my favourite Marvel actors behind the scenes for his sense of humour alone. It didn't even matter what he was saying, he could always make me laugh - and he did, in the video that Calum showed me of him complaining about 'sweet spots'.

"What the fuck is a sweet spot?" I giggled as I watched Anthony Mackie insist on demonstrating exactly what he was talking about with none other than Jimmy Kimmel as his... well, victim.

"It's right here." Calum chuckled mischievously, and then I felt his large hand slip behind me and rest gently against the small of my back, making me freeze instantly as his fingers touched the exposed skin beneath my cropped top and right above my jeans. For a second I had to wonder if he could feel the goosebumps he'd just given me... Then, he leaned in close to my face and whispered, "Hey man, I really like your movies." in the same intense, frowning manner that Anthony Mackie had done in the video.