Midnight ☆ L.H (au)

four

I watched as numerous people crowded the subway train, pushing past each other as soon as the doors flew open. I stood on my tippy toes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Calum before I was to get pulled away in the crowd surge.

In the midst of the crowd, I saw a tall figure walk into a clearing. His brown hair was messy and poking up through the crowd of people. I clutched my purse harder and ran towards him, a smile on my face.

My body slammed into his, embracing him in a tight hug as I felt a larger hand wrap loosely around me.

"Not here," he whispered and began dragging me through the crowd. I was stumbling over my own feet as I tried to match his pace while walking backwards.

I flipped myself around, walking in the direction he seemed to be leading the both of us. I had been too focused on not falling to have a chance to see his face yet, and I had no idea why he wanted us to keep walking.

I marched up the metro stairs back up to the sidewalk and finally turned back around to face him.

While it was dark, the numerous lights above us illuminated a face I hardly recognized. He had a large gash under his left eyebrow, a swollen cheek on the right side of his face with one bloodshot eye to match. I cupped my mouth in horror, my eyebrows furrowed, "Calum! What the fu-"

"Annie, I am okay," he reassured, reaching his hands up to my shoulders.

I let go of my face, dropping my hands down to my sides as I stared up at his brown eyes, "What happened?"

"Some group of guys tried to mug me on my way home. I'm okay though."

"That's horrible." I shake my head, trying to keep the event from playing out in my head.

"You should see the other guys," he teases, spinning me around by my shoulders.

I walk forward, spotting a nearby bench occupied by a few stray pigeons hoping for spare food.

Seems like we are one and the same.

I sit slowly, my eyes still locked on Calum as he joins me on the bench, keeping his focus in front of us. It was almost as if he was avoiding my gaze.

"Why are you in New York? I thought you were staying in Italy?"

He takes a deep inhale, followed by a gust as his warm breath spills out into the cold air, "After college, I flew straight to Italy. I stayed in Reggio Calabria for two weeks, and then I left."

"Wha-"

"And before you start Annie, I don't want this to be a thing where you lecture me. I left because I found something good for me here okay? What about you and Con? How have you two been?" The words seemed to spill out of his mouth, like a child who's just gotten caught by their parent.

I can't help but divert my gaze from him, planting my eyes on the floor for a moment. I hear him quietly sigh and shift after a moment, so I shrug.

"I mean, you know already if you'd been reading your texts. Connie and I had been texting you once in a while. She knew someone willing to rent out a room, so we've got a solid place above a library. Sometimes we're even helping out on the floor between everything. It wouldn't do you any harm to wrap some of those up, you know."

He hums, his eyes never once landing on me, but steady on the area. "You two still pursuing your degrees?"

"Just me. Juggling an internship and getting my master's. She's content with her bachelor's because she found a good job here. Which is why I'm offering to patch you up, Calum," I smiled his way. "Perks of having a nurse as a friend," I chuckled. "Come on," I tell him, "I need something from the store, but we'll head back right after."

I pull him inside the first store I managed to find, my hand grasping his upper arm to keep him near. His body seemed to tense once he realized how many people were near. Calum dropped his head immediately, his eyes scanning the rows of people down the aisles we passed by.

His behavior was odd, but I chalked it up to anxiety.

I stopped at the pharmacy aisle, tossing a few packages of gauze and antiseptics into the basket he held with a tight grip. I wanted to patch him up quickly given the cooler temperatures will do nothing good for his cuts and scrapes. I'd hate for anything to get infected. At the cash register, as I was pulling my card from my purse, he stepped up first with a hand full of cash.

The cashier paid no mind, but he saw the look I was giving him.

"I told you," he shrugs. "I found something good for me here."

"Here's your change, sir," broke me from the incredulous look I was giving him. I shook my head at him but took the bags and showed him the way to the library.

He didn't let me hold the bags, especially as I had to pull out a key to unlock the backdoor on the first floor of the library. We'd walked the way here mostly in silence as I tried to make a mental list of jobs suitable for him that might allow him to carry around actual wads of cash.

"Connie's gone for work, by the way. Maybe she'll stop by soon. Maybe she won't. With that job of hers, she's really... in and out. I'll let her know you stopped by if she's out all day."

As I led the way closer to our apartment door, I felt more and more like I was inviting a complete stranger into my home. We made brief eye contact as I was unlocking the front door--he averted his eyes guilty as he saw I was still deep in thought.

He even sighed again.

"What happened in Italy, Cal?" I asked, my hand on the door handle.

I could have started a timer for the silence he gave me. I turned the handle and entered, gesturing him inside and closing the door behind us, motioning again for Calum to get comfortable inside. He chose instead to stand in a corner with his arms crossed as he stared at me uncomfortably, unpacking the bags I swiped from him as he entered the threshold of the apartment.

"You can sit," I reiterated, so he pulled the nearest chair from the kitchen table, and awkwardly sat down. The chair wobbled from the pressure, most likely due to it being built incorrectly.

I'd be pretty embarrassed if he fell.

I ripped open the plastic product bags open to gather everything I needed. My hands were shaking, fumbling with the stuff.

"I'll be right back, sit tight," I gave a soft smile, excusing myself as I hurried to the bathroom to wash my hands.

Part of me was anxious, feeling more and more like I was talking to a stranger with some dark past. I didn't recognize Calum. I didn't see the glow in his smile, nor the crinkle near his eyes when he did so. He changed about as much as a person can in a couple of months. It was unfair of me to pry and try to figure out why, but it was building an awkward tension in the air that was suffocating.

I dried my hands slowly, making sure they were as clean as possible before I swung the door open to see Calum hadn't moved an inch from his position at the dinner table, his eyes locked on Lilo.

I scooted a chair closer to him, sliding on a pair of gloves and giving him a quick wipe with a saline towelette before picking up the clamp and suture needle, making sure I was holding everything with the proper technique. I made sure to avert my eyes to anywhere on his face that wasn't his eyes.

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was certain he could hear my breathing. Once the needle made contact with his face, he gripped the table slightly but made no other sign of emotion.

"Cal?"

He hums in response, his eyes lifting from the picture frame hung behind me. I knew what he was looking at. I didn't even need to scan his face to realize he was staring at our graduation photo. The one where I'm situated on Calum's shoulders while Connie hangs on his back, where we all had the biggest smiles on our faces.

I hadn't seen Calum smile once today. I wasn't sure if I should be worried, or scared.

Calum Hood was a force to be reckoned with.

"What happened in Italy?"