5sos One-Shots

Photography |Cashton

"Okay," he finally said.

Calum's eyes lit up. "We're done?"

His excitment at the thought of being able to leave made Ashton's smile waver but he covered it up quickly. Why would he want to spend time with a nerd like him anyways?

"Done? We haven't even started," Ashton chuckled.

"What? But you've been taking all those pictures!"

"Those were just test shots," he explained. "A practice run. You know, to get a feel for angles and lighting and such."

Calum groaned, "I've been sitting here for a billion years!"

"It hasn't even been ten minutes."

"Do we have to do this today?"

"Yes, Calum, I already set up all the equipment and I'll need the rest of the week for retouching."

"But this is boring," he complained.

"Suck it up."

He pouted and Ashton refocused the camera. "Okay," he said. "Now you need to actually model. Give me your best love expression."

Calum visibly swallowed. Then he attempted what Ashton thought was supposed to be a dreamy expression but in reality looked more like he had stubbed his toe and was trying to conceal the blinding agony. Ashton sighed.

"Um... Calum? Not to be rude or anything, but you don't look in love," Ashton bit his lip. "Like, at all."

Calum dropped the face and said, "Well what does being in love look like to you?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Less painful?"

Calum shook his head, "I disagree." Ashton raised an eyebrow and Calum continued, "I think pain is a huge part of love. There's the sadness of hiding your crush. And you're slowly dying inside when you see them with someone else. Angry that they won't look at you that way. And of course, the worst pain of all: heartbreak. The blistering pain that causes you to cry and eat ice cream and wear pajamas and watch terrible movies and just hurt.

"There's a lot of emotions in love when you think about it. There's all the pain and sadness. But there's also happiness." Ashton placed his chin in his hands, listening as Calum stared into space, describing love in a way he had never imagined. "When you finally get together, there's this swell of joy, a bubble of happy that makes your heart increase three times the size and makes you want to smile and never stop. Love isn't one emotion. It's a thousand emotions all bundled up with a new label slapped on."

When Calum finished his tirade, they sat in silence mulling over his words. They had been strangely wise and insightful. A thought occurred to Ashton.

"Calum, have you... have you ever been in love before?" he asked.

He didn't respond, his cheeks turning bright red. He nodded keeping his gaze on the wall behind the curly haired boy. He looked anywhere but Ashton's eyes.

"Really?" Ashton asked.

Calum nodded and bit his lip before saying, "I still am."

Ashton smiled and hesitated before saying, "Do you mind if ask who?"

That was all it took. Calum's eyes hardened, his guard flung up like a solid wall of concrete. It was clear that the answer to that question was yes, yes he did mind.

"Nevermind," Ashton quickly said. "You have a point about love being more than one thing. Love is a jumble and that's what we need to do for our project. You said you're in love so show me. Show me all the emotions you feel when you think of her."