The Thirty Fifth Guy

Chapter Twenty-Two

Her eyes shone with understanding and she muttered, "too late for that."

"I have to tell him don't I?"

She shook her head 'yes', "Macy told me Ian liked you, tons of people knew, by the way."

My mouth dropped open in shock, "what! And no one thought to tell me?"

She rolled her eyes at me, "and say what? 'Sorry to break up the happy couple but Ian likes you?' Not to mention Callum would be pissed and most likely end their friendship." She told me turning back to face One For The Money, which was on the TV.

If I tell Callum that's exactly what's going to happen. Not to mention we have to spend the whole rest of the summer here.

"Meleah. I can't tell him. It would ruin their friendship!" I whined.

She shrugged, "so don't."

I nodded, "I'm sorry," I told her, "for ditching you and running away from my problems." I apologized, just to get rid of the pestering feeling of guilt that was steadily consuming me. I didn't have enough room on my plate to juggle Meleah, Daisy, Ian, Zach, and Callum problems all at once.

She smiled gratefully at me, "don't worry about it. I hung out with Zach for a while and went to the beach with the girls one day."

I smiled at her, the knot of guilt still present in my stomach, "we'll make the most of your last three days here I promise!"

She giggled, "I know we will."

Turning my attention to my phone, I sent a text to Ian.

I can't tell him, ur friendship!! Secret? -C

He replied back a couple minutes later, uk im fine with whatever u decide...just beware tht relationships aren't healthy based off of lies (; -Ian's The Man (;

I rolled my eyes, not bothering to reply to his text.

I actually liked Callum and didn't want to jeopardize what could be, with Ian.

But then, did I really like Ian? Or was I too caught up in the moment?

No matter what my brain told me, I knew that Ian was just giving me a way out of an already claustrophobic relationship, and I'd eventually want out because of my mentality. It was just a matter of out now or later?

I was going to end up hurting either Callum, Ian, or myself and it was about time that I finally realized it.

Callum's Point Of View

After Chris left Macy's house, Zach left to go help Ian find her.

I was trying to figure out why I didn't go after her, and instead went back to the guys' and I's house.

They were all asking and all I could do was shrug my shoulders lazily.

"I'm so bored! We should've went to look for Chris!" Hayden moaned from the couch.

Ryan threw a pillow at him and it hit Hayden square in the face with an oof, "we should have stayed at Macy's!"

"But Kent and Macy were gonna get it on, Zach and Meleah left and Salem and Erika went to get Starbucks, I think," Hayden said creasing his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at their bickering walking over to the flat screen TV and looking through the cases of movies on the wall.

A, B, C, D, I kept flicking through the titles which were alphabetized, Connor was OCD about the movies being in order.

I finally picked out one of my all time favorites, 21 Jump Street, from the selection and put it in the player.

"What's in?" Ryan asked.

"21 Jump Street," I told him, my eyes still trained on the player.

"We just watched that!" He complained.

"Tough luck bro," I told him, plopping down on the coach with the remote in my hands.

"Yeah, go after your girlfriend, Ian's going to steal her," Hayden told me, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed at the thought. Ian might have had a couple girlfriends in the past but there's no way he would go for Chris, they're just friends. And anyway, he acts so weird around her in general.

I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye and told them, "I don't know where she'd be." It was a lame excuse and I knew it, but thankfully their eyes trained back onto the TV and they left the topic alone for the time being.

Was I really just stringing Chris along because she was my rebound from Shelby? Or did I think of her as something more?

***

So many feelings in this chapter... Hopefully things are a little more sorted in the next one (; -H
ALSO - s/o to my new friend @GodsandMonsters5 and one of my biggest fans @ashlukecalmike (you're kind of awesome & I love your support!).