Who's Gonna Love You Like Me? [Brother's Best Friend!Calum AU]

Part 6

Should she text him, ask him when he was coming home? No, no. Josie didn't want him to dread coming back, knowing she was waiting for him. It may give him even more of an excuse to keep avoiding her which, frankly, she knew he couldn't do forever but wanted to put an end to it as soon as she could.

It was around eleven that Josie heard the front door open, and as she went to the stairs, she silently prayed that it wasn't her brother. Reaching the steps, Josie felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of Calum entering the threshold, pulling his keys out and locking the door behind him. She gripped the bannister with her right hand as she slowly descended the stairs, even her soft footsteps catching Calum's attention as he looked up and met her gaze.

She saw the subtle sinking of his chest with the soft exhale he let out as she continued down. "Hey," Josie greeted, her voice sounded too loud in the quiet house.

His gaze never left hers, lips parting as he fisted his keys and returned slowly, "Hey." Calum's dark eyes went past her, up the stairs as he asked, "Luke home?"

"No," Josie answered, lightly clearing her throat as she reached the bottom of the steps. This weird hesitance between the two of them tensed Josie's muscles uncomfortably, knowing that it was her and her big fucking mouth's fault. But, God, she needed to clear the air. Frankly, Josie preferred it when Calum inconspicuously made jokes only the two of them understood rather than this awkwardness. "I think we should talk before he is, though."

At her words, she saw the resigned expression that befell across Calum's face, looking away with a quiet grunt, giving a shake of his head as he turned to the living room and began, "Josie—"

She was quick to follow him, eyebrows knitting together. "We can't just pretend last night didn't happen, Calum—not again."

"For fuck's sake, Josie, I'm not pretending it didn't happen," Calum breathed, the exasperation clear in his voice over the clinging of him dropping his keys in the ceramic bowl behind the two seater couch. He ran his hand over his head, rubbing at the back of his neck as he faced her once more and said, "I just need time to think."

Josie clenched her jaw briefly. "You had three months to think," she answered pointedly, catching the way his dark eyes flashed in realization. A sharp breath expelled past her lips, her exhaustion from this ordeal making itself known. With a raise of her eyebrow, she continued, "It should be more than enough time for you to decide on how you wanna handle this."

"Jesus." The word escaped him in another exasperated breath, looking away from Josie as he ran a hand down his face. She saw the clench of his jaw, the way his throat worked before he shook his head at her. "I thought we decided to never talk about it again, Jos."

Something stung in her chest, tightening almost unforgivingly as she gave an instant shake of her head. "No—you decided that for us," Josie told him firmly, noting the way her tone had Calum's eyebrows raising. "I only agreed because you seemed pretty set in your ways."

Calum's risen eyebrows were accompanied by his jaw slackening, incredulity coloring his features as he scoffed out, "Are you kidding me? I said that for both of our benefit."

She knew he had a point, but Josie was also pretty damn stubborn sometimes. "You said it because it was the easy way out," she shot back, arms crossing over her chest defiantly. The press of his lips told Josie she was on the right track. "It was easier to push that night to the back of your mind than actually acknowledge it."

It would be comical, the offense that flashed across Calum's features, if Josie wasn't so determined to see this conversation through—despite her own nerves tangling up. "You think I pushed it to the back of my mind?" Calum returned, the incredulity thick in his tone as he took a few steps towards her, eyebrows drawing together in annoyance. "How much of a dick do you think I am?" he demanded, voice dropping as it laced with anger.