•Calum
"Hey slow-poke, do you want to maybe get dressed already?" I complained, buttoning up the jeans that always hugged my legs while Cassidy merely stood in front of the mirror, with only a towel clinging around her body, combing through her wet hair.
She sighed. "I don't want to put my dress back on. I think I'll just stay naked all day."
I rolled my eyes at her, lifting my shirt back over my head. "Yeah that's not going to happen," I ordered, throwing my shirt at her. "I'll steal one of Michael's. Can you please just cover yourself up before the boys wake up? And dammit, put some underwear on already!"
Cassidy giggled innocently, letting the towel fall so she could slip into my oversized shirt that fell to just above her knees. She looked adorable in it. Even better than in that dress she wore last night. Seeing her in my clothes is such a nice reminder that she's my girl, a feat that I will always be proud of.
Cassidy took a step closer to me, placing her hands on the nape of my neck. She had a giant smile covering her face. "I had a lot of fun this morning," Cassidy told me, pressing a kiss onto my cheek.
I felt my cheeks warm up as recollections of what had happened only a few minutes ago raced through my mind. It was the perfect morning. And I couldn't have thought of a nicer way to wake up, even with a raging hangover.
I nearly forgot our surroundings during that shower. I just only thought about her. But now reality was hitting me. I quickly backed away from Cassidy. "Well I hope you'll have fun getting caught if you don't hurry up and get back downstairs."
She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "Fine," Cassidy huffed, as I opened up the bathroom door and made a beeline for Michael's bedroom. I took the first shirt out of his closet that I saw, leaving behind an empty plastic hanger that dangled from the silver rod. The four of us all steal each other's clothes anyway, so I don't think Michael will even bat an eye when he notices my choice of apparel.
Cassidy exited the bathroom shortly after, carrying her silver dress in one hand. Her legs were bare, with the absence of pants, but my shirt was so long that it covered her up. I wasn't going to argue anyways. I was just glad she was somewhat decent and not teasing me any further. I got enough of it with that stupid game she made up.
I peaked inside the den after traveling downstairs, spotting Luke and Michael still sprawled out on the floor. The light from the window was illuminating the room, and I could guarantee that the blinding light would cause them to wake from their slumber momentarily. Ashton, however, was nowhere to be found.
Cassidy followed behind me into the kitchen, even though I lost the game and had to make breakfast all by myself. A familiar figure stood against the counter, his curly hair appearing to be a disheveled mess, as his arms were crossed against his chest.
"You two are disgusting," Ashton declared, shaking his head at us.
"What are you talking about?" I asked playfully, even though I was fairly certain what he was referring to. I opened up the fridge, searching for some food to make.
Ashton chuckled at me. "I woke up and find you two missing. Then I hear the shower on. And then you come downstairs and Cassidy is in your shirt and you both have wet hair. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."
Cassidy's face was bright red. "Sorry, Ash," She mumbled, glancing at the floor instead of making any eye contact with him. "I told him it was a bad idea! But we both needed to shower! It was just to save time, I swear."
"Cass, you're not on set right now. There's no need for your acting skills," Ashton teased, making me let out a little giggle. Her mouth dropped, only furthering her own embarrassment. "I'm only messing with you guys. You don't have to apologize, Goldfish. I get it."
I decided on making scrambled eggs, since that was the only thing in the fridge besides random junk food and cases of beer that had yet to been open. I guess Michael's parents going away for the weekend meant that he had access to revamping their entire refrigerator.
I turned on the stove and cracked some of the eggs into a bowl, leaving the shells in the garbage disposal side of the kitchen sink. I heard Ashton leave the room and then Cassidy sauntered over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me from behind. "I can still help you if you want."
I spun around, pulling her body close to me and viewing her head tilt upwards to smile at me. "No, it's okay. I'm actually the best scrambled egg maker that walks the face of the Earth, so I don't think you would be much help to me anyway."
"Oh yeah?" She asked with amusement, raising her eyebrows at me. I nodded my head, feeling my lips curve upwards into a grin. "Well I'm the best bacon maker on the planet, so I think you could use some help."
I shrugged. "There's no bacon in the fridge. Sorry babe, but you're out of luck. Guess I'm just automatically the winner this time."
"No bacon?" Cassidy repeated in sheer shock. She backed out of my grip, opening up the freezer for any sign of the meat. I watched her search through cartons of ice cream without any sign of bacon. It was sort of cute how determined she was.
Cassidy huffed, shutting the freezer door. "Well, that's disappointing. I'm going to have to lecture Michael about this later."
"Why don't you do it right now?" I suggested, spraying the pan with a layer of non-stick spray before dumping the eggs onto it. "It's about time they wake up."
She smiled in a mischievous manner. "Okay," Cassidy agreed, a look of excitement covering her features. She lifted herself onto her tippy-toes to peck my lips quickly, before dashing off into Michael's man cave.
Minutes later, I faintly heard yelling and laughter, which I assumed meant that the guys had finally awoken. I continued to focus on my scrambled eggs in order to make the most delicious breakfast that was humanly possible
I transferred the eggs from the pan on the stove onto a few plates, setting them out on the table. I walked over to the room we had all crashed in last night to let them know that I had made breakfast, probably the best breakfast ever and it was going to make their taste buds throw a party.
The four of them were all playing some video game and were pressing rapidly on each of their controllers. Luke and Ashton were on one sofa, and Cassidy was sat in front of Michael on the other, her back against his stomach with his arms wrapped around her body.
This would usually make any guy jealous, but not me. I actually love seeing my friends hang with her. Of course I know Michael is probably loving getting to have a girl as beautiful as Cassidy in his arms, but he would never go any further than their current friendly contact, and I know very well neither would Cassidy. She absolutely loves me, almost as much as I love her, and I don't have to worry about anyone stealing her away. It's not like that at all. I love that they are all friends because it's just going to make it easier when we live together again someday.
And at the end of the day, I'm the only one who gets to see her in her most vulnerable state and I'm the only one who gets her complete attention. My friends can taunt me all they want about being whipped because it's true. Well, mainly I'm just in love, and if being called a lame word in attempt to belittle my masculinity is the price, then so be it. And it's evident that she loves me, even after everything that has happened and even while she is cuddled up against my best friend. I mean for God's sake, she's wearing my shirt as she sits on Michael's lap, barely even an hour after we just had sex. I think it's obvious who her heart is with.
"I made breakfast everyone!" I cheered, yet no one even looked up at me. They were all too consumed with whatever game they were playing. Cassidy was the only who glanced over, and she grinned at me, which only filled me with even more happiness at being acknowledged. "Hey, assholes. Turn off the game and come eat."
"Fine," Luke huffed, pressing a button on the television that ignited a chorus of groans. "Morning, Cal. How's the hangover, pal? See what I did there? It rhymed."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Are you still drunk?"
Luke laughed lightly, standing onto his feet. "No, I don't think so. I think I'm just excited for this new year."
"Maybe this will be the year your balls finally drop," Michael deadpanned, not even cracking a smile at his own joke. Luke just smiled at him, not one bit fazed by Michael's comment, as the rest of us stifled out a laugh.
Cassidy climbed off of Michael's lap, setting her controller onto the table. She followed Luke out of the man cave, sliding her arm around my waist as I slung mine over her shoulder, leading her over to the table and chairs. The rest of the group filed in, everyone picking up their silverware to eat my gourmet scrambled eggs.
"This is kind of nice, all of us eating together," Ashton stated, lifting his fork up to his lips. "I mean, it's like we're all one big happy family. A family that gets drunk together and has sleep-overs and makes fun of each other. It's nice. I love you guys."
"Can we all have breakfast together every morning?" Luke asked, his blue eyes filled with hope.
I groaned, letting my head hit the back of my chair with a thump. "I am not getting up early every day on our break just to eat with you guys," I whined, which made all of my band-members pout and Cassidy softly giggle at my annoyance. "How about we save that for tour?"
"Sounds good to me," Ashton agreed, lifting his glass of orange juice to clink it against mine.
"It's too bad you guys are going back on tour again. I don't know what I'm going to do without all of you," Cassidy murmured, fixating her gaze on the yellow eggs as opposed to looking at either one of us.
I frowned, placing my hand on her thigh. I didn't want to face the fact that we would be leaving soon, but I was positive that I wasn't going to let it be a repeat of last time.
"Hey, we'll make sure we all stay in touch this time," Michael insisted, shooting a warning glare in my direction. "And we won't give Calum any bad advice before we leave either."
Cassidy laughed, but silence soon crept back over the five of us. I knew she was doubting everything, but I had to make sure she knew that I was for real. I had learned my lesson; I would never let go of a relationship as strong as ours ever again. I couldn't. She was my best friend.
I leaned over to whisper in her ear, letting my lips barely trace against her skin. "After this will you go somewhere with me? Just the two of us?"
She nodded her head. I sat straight up again, clearing my throat. "Want some more ketchup?" I asked Cassidy in a normal tone, picking up the bottle. She nodded her head again.
Carefully, I squeezed out the ketchup onto her plate, forming letters with each squeeze. It now read "Love you" over the tops of her eggs, and there was now a gigantic, genuine, grin stretching from ear to ear on her face.
•*•*•
"Where are we going?" Cassidy asked through pants of breath and mild laughter. I still tugged on our intertwined hands, causing her to run just as fast as me.
I abruptly stopped at the end of the parking lot. Our heads tilted upwards to stare at the massive bus in front of us. It was silver and shined underneath the dim lighting of the parking garage lights.
I motioned my head towards the door, rummaging through my pocket to grasp the set of keys I picked up earlier. "Come on, Cassie," I said in a sing-song voice.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "We're going in there?"
I smiled, opening the door to the bus up. "Yes, Cass. Being a rock-star has its perks sometimes."
She rolled her eyes at me, following closely behind me as we stepped onto the cramped bus that I was fairly accustomed to. I noticed the familiar black leather couches and the TV's that I spent hours watching movies on to make the bus rides more enjoyable.
Cassidy's face lit up in awe as she twirled around inside the bus. "This is so cool!" She chirped excitedly, leaping onto the sofa and lounging across the length of it. "What are we doing in here? Are we taking a road trip? Or are we just hanging out? I'm fine either way. This is so cool. It's like a house on wheels."
"Have you never been in a tour bus before?" I questioned, leaning against the wall of the bus to watch her as she inspected every detail of the bus, seeming to be incredibly interested and amused with even the littlest things.
"I've never been on one before! Actors don't get cool shit like this," Cassidy said with a laugh as she touched everything in her sight. "A full kitchen on a bus! A stocked fridge while you drive across countries! Dude, I am so jealous of you. This is so cool."
"You're so adorable," I blurted out, not being able to hold back any of my thoughts. I loved her excitement with everyday things. It made me want to push away all of my complaints and pessimistic thoughts and enjoy the little things.
I walked down the narrow hallway that was lined with bunks, except they were completely empty and stripped of the sheets and blankets that typically covered each tiny bed. "Okay, this is what I wanted to show you."
"What? A bunk? Oh my God, that's where the term 'bunk beds' comes from. That's so cute. Who do you sleep next to? This is so cool," Cassidy rambled off, her eyes scanning the entire place.
"Cass, baby. Calm down for a second," I said softly, placing my hands on the tops of her shoulders in an attempt to get her to relax. She was the cutest thing ever, but I was about to be serious for once and I couldn't have her creating havoc.
Cassidy's cheeks flushed until they were rose tinted. "Sorry," She muttered shyly. So I kissed her forehead.
"It's okay," I assured her, giggling momentarily at her change in attitude. I took a step back, pulling on the curtain covering one of the bunks to reveal a bottom bunk at the end of the row. "Now, do you know what this is?"
"A bunk?" Cassidy guessed, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She cocked her head to the side. "Didn't we already go over this?"
I smiled brightly, filling happiness and nerves bubble up in my stomach because of what I was about to say. "Yeah, but not just any bunk. This is our spare bunk. It's in need of a really good owner. Right now, we usually just fill the bunk with our clothes or gifts from fans and it turns into a complete mess. I think we need some new organization methods."
Cassidy's face still had a puzzled expression plastered over it. "Okay?"
I picked up her hand, lacing our fingers together once again. "So, I was thinking a lot last night after midnight about how I wanted to spend my new year. I want to be with the band and work on our career, yes, but it doesn't feel right to get to have all of these experiences without you by my side. I mean, we almost were going to be parents together. Obviously our relationship is serious and being with you makes me the happiest I have ever been. I just can't be without my favorite person for months again. That was torture before. I think I mainly don't want to repeat any of my mistakes this year."
Cassidy's lips curved upwards into a smile as her green eyes locked onto my own. She bounced on her feet with anticipation. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anything. It's terrifying how much I love you, Cass," I stated, shaking my head at the thought. "But what's even more terrifying is not having you in my life. Or not having the chance to see you everyday. You told me you wanted a plan for our relationship, right? Well here's my plan. There's an empty bunk on this tour bus that's ready for you to sleep in every night. We can be roommates again. All you have to do is say yes."
Her jaw dropped, her mouth lingering open. "You want me to come on tour with you?" Cassidy squealed as her face conveyed she was ultimately shocked.
I shrugged. "Well, yeah. I called Mel and she said you could take a little break and start auditioning for new roles after the tour is over, and if you have any events you can just fly out and then come back to the tour. I made sure that it wouldn't affect your career. I don't want you to put your dreams on hold, but for me, personally, I wouldn't be able to fully live out my dream without having you right there next to me."
"Calum," She cried out, jumping into my arms and squeezing my body tightly. I hugged her back, lifting her up and spinning her around in circles. "Oh my God. Are the guys okay with this? I don't want them to be mad that I'm ruining your bromance."
"I talked to them about it already. They all said it was okay. They love you, Cass," I promised her, hoping to ease some of her worries.
"Well I love you," Cassidy confessed, colliding our lips together. "Seriously, I love you. You are the sweetest boy I've ever met. I would be honored to get to come along with you and get to see you perform on stage every night and explore the world together and get to call you my roommate again. Actually, I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do than that."
I grinned, placing my hands on her waist before kissing her again, this time with every ounce of passion that was stored inside me. "This is going to be so cool," I mocked, but she shut me up by kissing me once more.
People make mistakes in life. Sometimes they make many. And it may be a challenge to overcome those mistakes, but once you push through the guilt and the consequences, you might be able to endure some of the most amazing moments of complete bliss. If there is one thing I've learned for certain, it's that mistakes do not define who you are, but it's your ability to make those mistakes into lessons or into something great that are a true reflection of your character.
I shouldn't be this lucky. I do not deserve to have a girl as wonderful as Cassidy in my life. Four years ago should have been the last time we ever spoke. Yet here we are, drunk on our love for each other.
Life has a silly way of working things out. It may take a bit of patience (maybe four years; or more recently, maybe just a few months) but somehow greatness will be restored. You just need to be willing to let fate or freewill run its course.
Sometimes even the most awful situations at one time may end up being the most amazing experiences in the end. I thought being roommates with Cassidy Gold was practically a death sentence at first. But after those first few months of hell, it ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me.
Every person has the ability to leave an impact on someone. I just never expected, after everything that has occurred between the two of us throughout the years, that Cassidy has made such a positive impact on my own. I couldn't be more grateful to have a roommate, because being roommates has taught me so much more about life than I am even able to sum up in a few words. And best of all, being roommates has led me to my soul-mate.
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author's note: WOW I WOULD RATHER PUNCTURE MY OWN LUNG THAN HAVE TO TYPE THESE WORDS BUT HERE IT IS GUYS. THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF ROOMMATES (minus the epilgoue)
i procrastinated so much with posting this just because I don't want to face reality that this story is ending. i mean i am still writing an epilogue but this is the last official chapter and that is so heartbreaking to have to say
i hope you guys are satisfied with the ending. i tried my best to keep it simple and not overdramatic and still include everyone and show that everyone is all happy and that c squared is going to have a great future together
i will be posting an epilogue soon, so please don't delete this from your library just yet!
also, i just want to say a massive thank you to all of you for taking your time to read this. i hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it. i love all of you soooo much and cannot possibly thank you enough for your continued support. you guys always shower me with luv and make me so happy and i feel like we are all a family and it is the most beautiful thing in the entire world. couldn't have done this without you
i can't tell what i'm going to miss more- this story or you guys and all of your comments and tweets and messages
i still havent decided whether or not i will be posting another fanfic after this, but i know for sure that i will be POSTING AN EPILOGUE SO STAY TUNED. also we can always talk on my twitter @ calumfridge okay?
love you guys so much. honestly can not even put into words how grateful i am for all of your kind words and for reading this. i hope you have taken something away from it or from my long authors notes. maybe a life lesson or maybe just a chance to escape and daydream for awhile or maybe it was just pure entertainment. idk, but i do know that i love you all. thanks sugarplums