Broken (AU Calum Hood Fanfiction)

XXIII

The rain's coming down harder now and her tears get lost in the rainwater that has found refuge on her face.

"And this - how I've felt this past week - is exactly why I shut everyone out. Because everyone always fucks me over." she says, focusing on the water plummeting onto the street.

I really want to comfort her, to remedy the hurt that I've caused her to feel. I cautiously scoot closer to her and lift my hand to her chin, forcing her eyes to mine.

"I won't. Not again." I whisper before leaning in slowly to press my mouth to hers.

She recoils at first but I hold my ground and eventually she moves closer to meet me halfway.

The relief that flushes through my body at the very second that our lips touch is indescribable. Like somehow this past week that felt like hell was all worth it just for this very moment.

I notice that her hands stay glued to the cement on either side of her body but both of mine are on her face, holding her to me.

"Damn you." she say seriously when I pull away and I feel my chest hollow a bit and my breath shorten ever so slightly at her remark but I just smirk and choose to let it go.

"You're gonna get sick in the rain." I comment, standing from the curb.

"I know." she says, looking up at me.

Her eyes hold such a toxic mix of innocence and experience, of willingness and hesitancy to trust, and of lust and pain.

"What?" she asks me as she finally stands.

I realize that I must've been staring at her.

"I just miss you." I say quietly.

"Ditto." she replies, and I see the shadow of a smile cross her face.

Jackie's POV:

I wander back into the house with my right index finger grazing over my lips. Thinking about what just happened. What I've been hoping would happen for the past week but haven't been brave enough to initiate.

I shut the front door and slide down it, sitting on the ground. Just thinking.

Ashton sees me and his eyes go wide.

"I'm seriously going to kick his arse. Move." he gestures for me to get out of the way of the door.

"He didn't do anything wrong." I say slowly, stretching my legs out in front of me.

"You sure?" he asks as his face softens and he sits on the carpet directly in front of me.

"I'm sure." I respond and I smile for the first time all week. "We're going out tomorrow."

After a long pause he says "Don't let him break you, Jackie." with a somber expression.

I felt bad for him having to watch me wallow about all week long. There was nothing he could do to help me. But he tried. He tried to get me to go out. Tried to get me to eat. To watch TV or listen to music with him. But there was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone but Calum could do. And that kind of dependency on Calum scares the hell out of me.

"I'm already broken, Ashton." I tell him heavily.

...

The next day I look in the mirror and am surprised by how much healthier I already look.

I ate well last night and I slept fairly solid despite waking up in the middle of the night with a bad nightmare.

I wash my face and swipe red lipstick across my lips before putting on my trademark skinny jeans and band shirt. After not-so-careful deliberation I decide that All Time Low will decorate my chest today.

The doorbell rings and my heart stops simultaneously. When I walk out of my room I see that Ashton's already answered the door. Calum's standing in the living room and Ashton's glaring at him with crossed arms.

"Oh my God, Ashton. Stop acting like such a dad." I joke as I punch him in the arm.

"Whatever." he huffs grumpily and retreats to his room.

"Wow." Calum says in reference to Ashton's cold behavior.

"Do you blame him?" I throw out and immediately regret it. That's not the way to start this. I need to be nicer than that.

"No, I really don't." he responds quietly while he examines his hands.

"Let's go." I say, grabbing hold of one of his hands and pulling him out the door.

Calum's POV:

Before Jackie came bustling in Ashton told me how miserable she was this week, how miserable I made her.

I apologized to him too and I really hate apologizing to people.

I admire Ashton's protectiveness over her, he doesn't want people treating her like I did.

But I won't treat her like that again.

"Where're we going?" she asks me from the passenger seat.

"I, uh, I made reservations for us at this place on the Santa Monica Pier." I say nervously.

Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous, if she hated me she wouldn't be here right now. But that thought doesn't help my nerves in the least.

"Is it fancy-schmancy?" she asks, giggling.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm not really dressed for that, Cal." she points down to her jeans and tank top.

"It'll be fine." I tell her and risk setting my hand on her knee. I take it as a good sign that she doesn't swat my hand away.

Maybe this can work after all.

A/N: You guys, drama's coming soon. Any predictions? Leave 'em in the comments if you'd like. I'd love to hear them :)

Thank you so much for reading! This is close to 400 reads and that absolutely blows my mind.

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On that note, special thank you to those of you who've been voting and commenting! I appreciate it immensely.