two moons ❦ calum

❦ chapter thirteen ❦

Flossy woke up the next morning to rain hitting her roof, though it sounded more like soldiers marching to war. it was a serene moment that kept her under the covers for a few moments longer after her alarm sounded the tunes of the Imperial March, starting off her day on an angsty note. she eventually got out of bed and began her normal routine with a shower, but not before admiring the small moment that encouraged her that today was going to be a good day.

half an hour later she sat on one of the chairs near the kitchen island, smiling as she watched a link that Calum had sent her just before she went to bed. her makeup had been done to her standard of perfection: eyeliner wing just pointed enough to look like it was effortless, mascara making her eyelashes look naturally long, and lipstick dark enough to catch the attention of any person who might wonder what it felt to kiss them. she knew that girls - and even some daring boys - in that same moment were filling in eyebrows, applying highlights, or even covering their imperfection with perfectly contoured foundation. she probably could do all of that along with them but honestly she didn't have the time, attention span, care, nor the need to wear all of that makeup. she thought those people looked beautiful whether they wore $100 dollar makeup or even none at all, as long as they felt content and comfortable.

Chessie came down the steps at around 5:45 and noticed how wide her older sister was smiling, in addition to the way her eyes were enkindled under the dim light of the sunrise and couldn't hide the smirk at the sight. she had never seen her sister quite like that before.

"it's raining outside and you're smiling like you're the reason the sun is out. what gives?!"

"I'm going to break up with Diff today," Flossy answered her sister, the smile peeking out from the sides of her mouth. it was such a contrast: smiling when speaking of a decision that could emotionally hurt someone else. however, it was just a revelation that Chessie had been wishing on the stars for since Calum became a factor in Flossy's love life math equation.

"does Calum know?"

Flossy shook her head at her sister. "we never really talked about how we feel about one another, but we know it's there. he never forced me to break up with him either because he knows that whatever I feel is more towards him than Diff."

"and how do you feel?" immediately flung out of Chessie's mouth before her brain could even tell her not to ask. she always loved hearing about her older sister's boy gossip even when they were kids, mostly because she never got any and wanted to know what it was like. now that Chessie is 16, and Flossy 17, it's much more than just wanting to know her sister's drama. it's more like wanting to know who's at the top of her murder list if someone were to hurt her, or even just wanting her sister to be happy with whoever could make her organically produce that emotion.

Flossy actually had to think about how to word what she's been feeling since that fateful October day that she made the rash decision to sit next to Calum in English. "I've been with Diff pretty much the entirety of my high school career, and even before him I was with different guys just because I wanted to see what it was like to be in a relationship. this is Calum, though and everything is different with him in comparison.

"to me, he's the sun coming through the clouds after he worst hurricane of the summer. he's the sun peeking through my windows in the morning, prying me out of  bed. he's the thought that pops into my head every so often and can make me smile no matter what. he's the blood pumping through my body. he's the stars that light up my sky at night, keeping me safe from all harm. he's the air on a warm day accompanied by a few spurts of wind to keep things cool at the same time. he's -"