Tangled Strings (sequel to Red Strings)

Chapter 37

Natalie's POV

We all got out of the pool, and thankfully we had some towels to dry ourselves off.  "Should we get some ice cream out?" Luke suggests before Ashton yells "Yes!"  Sylvana giggles before suddenly I ask "So should we get Mikey from up there or...." "Maybe he's already had dessert...." Calum says and I smack his arm and he looks at me and says "What?"

"Try and be a little appropriate around his new girl!  I mean, she seems really innocent, and I'd rather let her slowly adjust to your perviness and immaturity." I say as I walk in the hall as I put a couple of the towels on the banister of the stairs to dry.

Calum smirks at me before following behind me.  I can suddenly sense him moving closer to me and it's not just to hug me.  "Well you know we already had dessert at the boardwalk...."  I can feel a couple light kisses get pecked on my neck and it's teasing me like crazy.  And Calum knows it.

"When are you not horny?" I ask through gritted teeth as I try to not succumb to the idea of just a quick round and get it over and done with.  "After I'm relieved of my horniness.  And there's only one way to do that..." Calum jokes as he spins me around before smashing our lips together in a rough kiss that's instantly spiralling out of control.  But I'm not letting Calum get this one, and I try desperately to keep my head together while he's kissing me but it's almost like he sucked out every part of me through one goddamn kiss.  

I grip onto his arms for balance before my back finds a wall and I tangle my fingers in Cal's hair.  Suddenly I feel his tongue graze my bottom lip and I instantly part my lips ever so slightly before Calum takes the opportunity to explore my mouth.  

I hear a cough behind us and suddenly when we pull away I can see that Michael and Nina are together and Michael raises an eyebrow at us and then says "Don't mind them.  They can't keep their hands off of each other and they haven't exactly made it official but they're technically dating."  

Calum glares Michael and I push back some of my hair and say "Well everyone's in the kitchen and we may have some ice cream going around if it interests you....?"  Nina smiles and says "I love ice cream.  What do you say Mikey?"  Michael gazes up at her and I can tell that he's totally fallen for her.  "Yeah, let's go get some." he says and they go in the kitchen.

"He's so into her.  I've never seen him look at a girl like that." Calum comments and I look at where they had gone and I then said "You know....that used to be you."  "Huh?" Calum asks looking at me.  I turned to him and said "Back in high school.  When me and you first started dating you practically drooled whenever you saw me." "I so did NOT drool." "Ok let me rephrase.  You basically had that whole lovestruck face that Mikey just had with Nina.  You used to have that with me." "Are you saying it's a bad thing that Mikey has it?" "No I'm just scared that you'll never look at me like that ever again." 

Calum turns my chin to him and I can suddenly see his expression change.  It's all coming back to me I feel like I've been transported back to nearly three years ago and back in the hallways of Norwest, back by the beach, back in the truck.  I can suddenly see the old Calum, the younger version of him with the same puppy dog eyes that I fell in love with.  But I start to feel dizzy and my knees start to shake and everything is coming back to me all of a sudden and it's too fast, too real, and I feel like passing out.

"Nat?" Calum asks and I snap back to reality and it's almost like I've forgotten how to breathe.  Everything in the past seemed so real for just a moment that I could've touched it before it was gone again.  "Natalie?" Calum asks again and I blink before breathlessly replying "Yeah...?"  Calum strokes my cheek and I blink a couple more times before finally pulling myself together.

"You ok?" Calum asks and I can't even respond but I start shaking again and before I know it I'm crying.  There are tears streaming down my face and I can't stop it at all.  Calum's shocked by my reaction but I begin to cry into his chest and he's silent as he gently rubs my back.  "Should I take you upstairs?" he asks and I whimper before he gently picks me up bridal style, before heading to his bedroom.  

I hadn't been in the bedroom for what seemed like ages and I felt him put me gently down on the bed and when Calum lets go of me to let me lay on the bed, I grip the sheets and begin to cry again.  But I can smell his cologne, I can smell a bit of his aftershave, sweat and it's making me feel sick because it's all him and I know I'm falling in love with him all over again but this time I don't want to and it's like I'm physically trying to refuse it.  

"Natalie?" he asks stroking my hair and I can't respond because I can't even comprehend my own thoughts let alone form a sentence and him touching me isn't helping.  But I know the second he stops that I'm just going to start craving it and begging for his attention.  And I'm just surrounded in him and I feel it all pressing against my chest and it's getting harder and harder to breathe the longer I'm in the room.  

Calum doesn't say anything and I'm breathing heavily, the tears still rolling down my cheeks as I grab a pillow and begin to sob into it, my cries getting muffled.  Calum is silent still before I can feel the bed shift a little and I know he's beside me and he then says "I'm gonna go get you some ice cream yeah?  Do you think it'll make you feel better so you can tell me what's wrong?"  

I lift my head and my bloodshot eyes meet his and I nod a little and he leaves, shutting the door gently.  I then roll onto my back staring up at the ceiling and suddenly I get up and I start pacing the room as I bite my lip, hands running through my hair and I feel so lost and so confused that it's nearly impossible to comfort me.  Nearly.

I then glance around the room as I then begin to rummage through the drawers.  Drawer after drawer, I'm coming up empty of what I want to find.  I shut each one before moving over to the closet, pulling hangers back and forth, seeing what's where.  Finally I see it, shoved in the back of the closet and I feel relief wash over me and I instantly reach out and grab it.

It's a black sweater.  Calum's sweater.  My favourite hoodie.  I rub the fleecy material through my fingers and I take off my top before just chucking the sweater over my shoulders and zipping it up.  I suddenly feel better, a sense of relaxation washing over me as I sigh deeply, closing my eyes as the cuffs of the sweater cover my hands and I lay back down on the bed.  

"Natalie?" Calum asks quietly knocking on the door.  I then roll over again and say "Come in."  The door gently creaks open and Calum peaks in and says "Feeling any better?"  I shrug and Calum comes over and says "Well ice cream is said to help...."  I giggle a little before he hands the bowl of ice cream over to me and I smile at the sight of it before I begin to eat some of it.

"Looks like you found this...." Calum said running his hand up my arm and I look to see he's talking about the hoodie.  "Yeah, you had it buried behind all your shit." I said pulling the hoodie closer to me.  "Oh yeah and I also snuck this up...." Calum said pulling out two bottles behind him.  Beer bottles.  I smiled and laughed a little before grabbing one and saying "You know too well." 

Calum chuckles a little before opening them.  "To better days?" Calum says raising his bottle a little.  I nod before doing the same, and asking "Cheers?" "Cheers."