Where The Lines Overlap [CTH]

[36] Sparks

"Cal!" A beautiful girl with hair like honey greets, as she looks up from where she sat on the floor, tending to a record player.

Etta Jones' "At Last" was playing in the background.

"Mali?!" I heard Calum happily exhale, before he made his way across the room to wrap his arms around her.

"Belated Merry Christmas!" She exclaimed as she held Calum by his sides. "Jesus, you're so damn tall now!" I followed her gaze to the skin on his arms, where she doted on his tattoos. "I see your collection's growing."

"Yeah, well. A lot has changed lately." Calum laughed, before running his hand through his hair playfully. "Mali, I want you to meet someone."

"So this is the girl, eh?" She says to me, before obviously and slowly eyeing me up and down.

I felt naked.

"Hi, I'm...the girl." I announce, before holding my hand out awkwardly. My brain was filled to the brim with thoughts as to whether I should go and shake my boyfriend's sister's hand or do I lean in and give her a hug?

Or was it too much?

"I know." I only hear her reply, after a long pause.

"Y'know? Alexia likes Coldplay too." Calum brings up, before digging his elbow on my side and then Mali's. "She loves the Mylo Xyloto album the most."

"Yeah, it's a really good album." I add confidently, standing upright.

That's it.

We're making conversation.

"I hated that album." Mali replies bluntly, before flashing her teeth at me, to which my heart sank and trembled to. "It sounds nothing like Coldplay anymore. I prefer Parachutes more."

"AWKWAAAAAAARDDDDDD" My brain screamed.

"Well that's just me anyway." She adds, much later.

"Ah. Yeah, I see what you mean." I hear myself agree with her in a lame manner.

This isn't going the way I thought it would at all.

Calum reads my expression and gives Mali a look. "Oi. You're scaring her." He says to his sister jokingly, before excusing himself and disappearing to help his Dad outside.

Mali and I were alone in the living room together.

"So, Alexia right?"

"Yeah, haha."

"Tell me a bit about yourself?" Mali asks, before sitting down on the couch and kicking her feet up on the coffee table. Her voice was deep and raspy, like Calum's. She pats the space next to her, urging me by her side. She was so intimidating like that. "Where abouts London do you live?"

"South Kensington." My voice shook as I spoke, when I sat down. "I'm currently living out though, I'm studying in Brighton University."

"I see. I live in central London too. Brighton's a nice place though. I've been there quite a few times with friends."

"That's cool."

I could feel the blood rushing to my brain as I thought of topics to talk about with Calum's cool, older sister, but without another moment passing by, I noticed her clutching her stomach and laughing all by herself.

"W-what?" I nervously let out a laugh, bewildered by her sudden reaction.

"Nothing, I just..." She began, unable to control her smile. "Calum is really head over heels for you."