chasing the dream, catching you

Chapter Three

I left the bathroom and was met by Maddie. I didnt want her to see the tears in my eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asks.

"I shouldn't be here. This isn't for me" I say.

"What? Just because of Morgan?" She asks.

"No. Because this isn't a life for me" I say. "I should be back home at the cafe with my sister".

"Callan, I read what you wrote. I heard you sing. You wouldn't be here right now if you didn't deserve it" Maddie says. She reminded me a lot of Carter. "Look, we've known each other for an hour, but I don't think you should go. I don't think Tae would want you to go either. Don't let Morgan being here stop you from living a dream like this". Yeah, she was definitely just like Carter.

"I-I don't know" I say.

"Please" Maddie says. I really wanted to say that I was going back home, but I didn't.

"Fine" I say. "I-I'll stay". She smiles really big. "So, James had to leave, but he left your schedule with me, and your first day is tomrrow". She handed me the piece of paper. When I read it, my heart dropped again.

"Fuck" I say. "My first writing session is with Morgan". She shown her head.

"Girl, the universe is trying to tell you something" She says as she walked away. "You go on home and rest up. I'll see you tomrrow".

I did exactly that, only when I went home, I called Carter.

Carter: hey, sis.

Callan: Morgan Wallen is signed to Jett Records.

Carter: what?

Callan: he's been signed for about two months and his girlfriend helped him get signed.

Carter: holy crap

Callan: can i come home?

Carter: no. you're staying and you're going to be fine.

Callan: seeing him like that broke my heart all over again. he left on such bad terms. he tried talking to me, but i wouldn't let him.

Carter: oh, come on, callan. i know things didn't end too well, but that was five years ago. you're both older now, and apparently he's moved on. i know it hurt you, but it's about time to get over it.

Callan: he said after all those years of chasing me we ended up back in the same place.

Carter: well, maybe he hasn't moved on.

Callan: carter! stop that, he has a girlfriend.

Carter: who is she?

Callan: Hannah Mulholland from Runaway June

Carter: holy crap, you met Runaway June?

Callan: yeah. Maddie & Tae too.

Carter: lucky.

Callan: well, naomi said next time you come down here, you needed to hang out with us.

Carter: count me in.

Callan: come now and hurt Morgan.

Carter: stop being bitter and just do your job. you're there for a reason. hell, maybe that reason is because Morgan, but who knows. just stop complaining and deal with it.

Callan: you suck.

Carter: no, i just know what you need to hear. you're going to be amazing. i know you will be. give it a chance.

Callan: fine. fine, i will, but im not going to be happy about it.

Carter: no one said you had to be happy about it, you just have to do it.

Callan: fine, but right now, im going to bed.

Carter: its 11AM.

Callan: yeah, i know. im just over this day already and need it to end.

Carter: oh my god. goodbye.

Callan: bye.

After I hung up the phone, I plopped down on the couch. I found myself on Instagram looking through Morgan's account. He had plenty of posts of him and Hannah together, but I scrolled down so far that I found pictures of he and I. The last photo he posted of the two of us lying in my bed. He was kissing my forehead in the photo and my head was nuzzled into his chest. His caption said: being laid up with you is all i wanna do". Back then, nothing else mattered to me and him. We were so in love and nothing was ever going to change that...atleast we thought nothing would. We leanred the hard way that things changed.

***
I must have actually fallen asleep, because I woke up on my couch at 8PM that night due to my phone ringing. When I looked at who was calling it read: 'Morgan♡ '. I didn't even know that I still had his number, and I definitely didn't know that the heart was still beside his name. I declined the call, but that didn't stop him from texting me.

Morgan♡: Cal, I want to talk. Please.

I didn't respond, but texts kept coming.

Morgan♡: Callan, please. It's been five years. We're overdue for this.

That text made me want to respond, but I didnt. I didnt want to talk to him, but my new job pretty much made that impossible. God, I was so screwed. I was always getting screwed over when it came to Morgan...in more ways than one, if you know what I mean. Just when I thought that I was rid of him there he was again. If the universe was trying to tell me something, I wish she would just tell me instead of all these signs. I was sick of it.