Runaway [cake au] ✔

Chapter 2

Random Monday morning update. Also last update of August ☀

Chapter 2

"Luke, wait!"

Before he could reply, I slammed the door shut, pressing my back against it in a panic.

Suddenly I couldn't breathe. The memories of our past came flooding back like a tsunami crashing onto the land ferociously and ruthlessly, and no matter how many times Harper shook me in attempt to get some kind of answer, I wouldn't budge.

Calum was dead, right?

If he wasn't, then all those years of turmoil and therapy would've been for nothing. And I wasn't prepared to let that be the case.

"Luke, please get up, at least let me open the door!" Harper tried to persuade. "Please?"

I pulled myself together and took a deep breath. "I-it's no one. I thought it was a burglar, that's why I panicked. Let's just go back to bed, please?"

Having come to the conclusion that it had all been my imagination, I bit my lip and stood up, grasping Harper's arm with my right hand. "Okay, but are you sure you don't want me to check babe? You look pretty shaken."

"I'm fine."

"Okay. Okay, let's go back to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning yeah?"

I nodded weakly, thanking her for caring so much about me. Honestly, how had I managed to land such a wonderful girlfriend, and soon-to-be wife? Now I genuinely hoped that this whole incident was fake, because if Calum really was back, then everything would be about to change – and not for the better.

~

I was right.

I woke up at seven am, as usual, and did my business before heading into the main living area, pouring myself some water. It wasn't even in my intentions to open the front door randomly, but honestly I wanted to see if Calum really had been there last night – maybe he'd left behind a note or something?

Tentatively, my hand reached for the lock and fiddled with it until I heard a small click, knowing inside that there wouldn't be anything.

So, as you can imagine, it surprised me immensely to see him still there, now sitting against the corridor wall, fast asleep.

Part of me wanted to slam the door shut again – the feelings were overwhelming me – but at the same time, I had so much to ask him.

Where have you been these past ten years? Why did you fake your death? Why are you back now? What's your job? Who else knows you're alive? Are you in a relationship? Do you have kids now? What do you want?

Checking that Harper wasn't behind me, I bent down and shook him gently.

"C-Cal?"

He roused, eyes flickering in the morning sun spilling in from the window at the other side of the corridor. "Oh, finally, you opened the door," he said in a croaky voice that very almost made me break out in tears right there and then.

I missed him so much.

Ten years ago, our band was just beginning to take off – and then he 'died'. Well; he left, technically, but there had been no sightings of him for at least six months so he was classed as 'missing' and then his parents decided to hold a funeral, after the police held several failed attempts to find him.

That ceremony had been the hardest thing for me to attend. They made me prepare a small speech and I ended up not being able to speak, because it hurt me so much. It was like everyone had thought he'd actually moved on, whereas inside I believed he was still alive – and now, I found out I was right all along.