Where The Lines Overlap [CTH]

[38] Parallel Lines

Calum

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"Cal', people I do not know are finding pictures of me from 2009 and posting it online." Alexia explained to me in worry. "I just wanna say, 2009 was not a good year for me. That was my emo phase. Puberty did not treat me well."

"I know it's horrible, Alexia." I said, before plucking a few strings on my guitar. I was sitting in the middle of a songwriting session with all of the boys, when my girlfriend asked me to give her a call.

It had been almost two weeks since we last saw one another and she was back in Brighton for her classes and work.

"I just wish we were never photographed at the airport so that I could still live a normal life, you know?" She rants on and I felt a small sting at her words. "Your fans are literally flooding the coffee shop daily, which is great right? BUT, they only come in to audibly say: "Oh my God, it's her! She's not as pretty as she is on Instagram", before taking photos of me at work in my uniform and then leaving."

"Seriously?" I confirm apologetically.

"Yeah, I had to refuse my shift for two nights in a row and let Seb take over because, I literally feel naked out there."

"I'm sorry." I mumble into the receiver again and again, before handing Ashton my bass and heading towards the glass doors.

"Alrighty? Take 5?" I heard Ashton mumble in confusion, as he watched me walk out into the garden.

"Why have you been working so much lately anyway?" I asked her and this was followed by a long pause.

"I-I just want money?" She awkwardly replied.

"Look, I'm not really sure what I can do to help." I said to her in a low voice, as I stared at my reflection in the dark pool water. "Luke told me to block some of the fans that are sending both of us hate and death threats, but that's the most I can do for now."

"Can't you just-?" She began, before pausing for a moment. "Never mind."

"Can't I just what?"

"I don't know Calum, can't we just come out and say we're boyfriend and girlfriend?" She sighs, exasperated. I was tired too.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Alexia." I said.

"I mean, people already speculate that we are. So why should it matter that we come out with the truth?"

"The "truth" in social media shouldn't even matter to you or me. Even if we make ourselves public, they'll still fabricate stories about us. Today, they're together. Tomorrow, they're broken up."

"I know, but Calum it's getting a little harder for me to move around town like this." She reasons.

"People ask me about you daily too, fans and reporters. We don't have to say anything." I argue back. "We can just let them be. Let them talk."

"Okay." She replied simply, but I knew she wasn't okay with it at all.

It sounded like coming out with the truth was better than us pretending.

But, what good would come out of doing that?

We'd just be giving them more material to write about and more reason to follow us both around.