Adelaide's Point of View
"Addy?"
I glanced up from my cup of coffee, removing my gaze from the swirls of the hot liquid and the cold cream. I set the metal spoon that I was using to stir with on a scratchy napkin and stood up from my stool, heading towards my front door.
When I opened the door, a smile grew on my face as Calum came into view. However, he did not look happy at all. His mop of hair was a tangled and disheveled mess and his eyes were glazed over and bloodshot. "Hey, is everything okay?" I asked.
He shook his head, walking past me and taking a seat where I was previously sitting only moments before. I raised my eyebrows, closing the door with my foot, and following him to the other side of the counter. His tired face was in his hands, his elbows propping him up. "Cal, can you tell me what's wrong?"
Calum sighed heavily. "My mom is really sick, which you know, and the doctor prescribed her medicine but it has to be picked up at the pharmacy and my dad and Mali still aren't home."
I was aware of his uneasy feelings about going into town. "Well, I can go pick it up for her. What's the name of the medicine?"
He shook his head again. "No, you can't."
"Yeah, I can. It's really not a problem," I insisted, reaching for my lightweight jacket that was on the back of a chair. The pastel blue colored popped against my fair skintone. I was still bitter that with the amount of time I spend in the sun, I have yet to get a visible tan.
"No, Ad," Calum stopped me, putting his hand on my forearm. "Like you physically can't. The insurance policy only lets a family member pick up the antibiotics."
"Oh," I said quietly, my cheeks burning with embarassment. I searched his face for some kind of reaction, but he was staring at me blankly. "Would you like me to go with you?"
"More than anything," He admitted, wrapping his arms around me. I rubbed his long back in a comforting motion as he buried his head into my neck.
When Calum pulled away, we both walked across the connecting yard and into the lone car parked in his driveway. I have never been in a car with Calum before and I had to admit that I was a bit anxious. He told me that he hated driving before and I wasn't sure if that was due to being bad at it or just not enjoying the task itself.
The radio was playing softly from the speakers, the only noise that could be heard in the vehicle. His hands were tightly gripping the leather steering wheel and his jaw was clenched to the point where it looked as if he was biting down on a thin piece of food. His tongue would continously glide over his lips as he watched the road in front of him. As hot as I found the motion to be, I knew his nerves were eating away at him.
"When was the last time you went into town?" I inquired, shifting my body so I was facing him as best as the constricting seatbelt allowed me to.
Calum didn't even glimpse over at me. "Two and a half years ago."
I swallowed. That was such a long time to be locked up in his own world of the secluded beach. "Um, may I ask why?"
The tires skidded across the parking lot of the local pharmacy as he turned into a space and twisted the key to cut the ignition. "You'll see," He stated simply and vaguely, foreshadowing our next events.
I unbuckled and raced to his side for support, my hand instantly grabbing his. He hesistantly laced our fingers together after a few seconds. His brows were still furred together and his teeth were gritted. It was no surprise that Calum was both frightened and infuriated, but I was still curious as to why.
As soon as the automatic doors opened, various customers gasped. Couples huddled together and whispered quietly to each other, their glares burning into our backs as we strolled to the back of the store for pick up. I squeezed his hand even tighter, suddenly becoming protective of him as the whispers and shocked expressions grew. One little boy who had to be around eight pointed his finger at my boyfriend with wide-eyes, and Calum clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth in annoyance.
My thumb caressed his hand as we approached the pick-up counter. The teenage girl glanced up and immediately gasped at the sight of us, not hiding her surprise one bit. She backed away carefully. "C-Ca-Calum?"
"That's my name," He spat. She gulped, nodding feverishly. "So, can I get the medicine I called for, or what?"
"Uh, erm, right. Sorry. I'll go, um, check that for you," She blubbered, dashing off to the backroom with trembling fingers.
"Thanks," Calum replied sarcastically, irritation evident in his tone. He looked at me sadly. "See? This is why I don't come out in public. People look at me like I'm a circus freak."
I didn't know what to say. Shock was running through my veins. I had no idea that people could be so terrified of my favorite person on the planet. It didn't add up. He was the sweetest boy I've ever met and their hushed ill words about him that seemed to be filled with venom and ignorance even angered me.
A guy with a royal blue vest on and an official name tag on his chest entered, who I assumed was the manager. I immediately recognized him as Michael's best friend that I had met the other day. "Adelaide?"
I attempted to smile politely, but I was still pissed and puzzled, so it most looked like a sheepish half-grin. "Hi Eric."
"Calum," Eric greeted, who earned a nod in response. "I didn't know you two were dating."
"Well, we are," Calum snarled, becoming even more impatient.
Eric looked uncomfortable. I felt slightly sympathetic for the kid and I butt in, trying to get him to forget about Calum's outburst. "Yeah. I thought Michael would have told you?"
"Well, he told me you were dating someone, he just didn't mention it was Cal," Eric explained. Eric seemed less afraid of Calum than I had expected and the use of his nickname was surprising. "It's good to see you again, Hood. Here is your mum's medicine. Make sure she takes two capsules a day for at least two weeks. I hope she feels better."
"Thank you," Calum said quietly and sincerely, snatching the orange colored container of pills out of Eric's hand. "I hope your family is well."
"Thanks, man," Eric responded, grinning. "I'll be at the florist tomorrow, Addy. See you then!"
"Okay," I agreed, waving lightly as we retreated out of the pharmacy and the fearful eyes on the two of us continued. I sighed, desperately wanting to get back into the car, removing all of the attention off of him.
Calum sat in silence in the driver's seat. His face had paled and his lips were pursed and his mind was wandering with thoughts. I sunk into the leather seat beside him, slowly placing my hand on his thigh. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," Calum snapped. I expected him to be in a crummy mood from all of those customers watching him like a hawk through the rows of over-the-counter vitamins and pain relievers. I could barely handle all of it, so I can't imagine what he felt like. It was understandable why he didn't want to go out anymore. "Don't pity me, Ad. Let them talk. It's just complete lies."
"I know," I told him. His body still refused to move. I cleared my throat from the lump that was forming. It amazed me how much his emotions were affecting me. I have never cared so deeply about a person's happiness before.
When I studied his bronze face with his pouty lips that I had grown accustomed to kissing, I realized that I loved him. It felt weird to finally confess, but I did. It might have only been just under a month of actually dating, but I couldn't help myself from falling for him. He was my first thought every morning and my last thought every night. And seeing him so distraught made my desire to spill my love for him so much stronger. I was afraid of his reaction though so I locked it up in a safe, waiting for the right time to open it.
"Were you and Eric friends before? I know he's close with Michael, that's how I met him," I explained, an attempt to change the subject.
Calum broke out of his trance and started the car. He buckled his seatbelt and checked behind him before switching to reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. "We were sort of friends, I guess. He was much nicer to me today than I expected. He's Ellie's cousin."
--
When we arrived back into my house, my boyfriend collapsed onto my couch in the living room without a second thought. I joined him, plopping down on the opposite side of the sofa. My heart ached at the sight of him being so upset but I could not properly cheer him up without knowing what the cause of this whole situation was.
"Calum?" I called, lifting my gaze to meet his chocolate irises in front of me. He was watching me intently with his pouty lips pressed into a thin line, and one of his hands running through his dark tousled hair. "Calum, why is everyone in this town so afraid of you?"
He blinked rapidly to supress the hot tears on the brim of his eyes, threatening to fall. I had never seen him cry before and it would be painful to endure viewing the tears stream over his chiseled cheekbones, leaving a wet stain and bloodshot eyes. I extended my hand out to him, lacing our fingers together to provide some sort of comfort to the distraught boy in front of me.
Calum sighed, shaking his head back and forth. "I just- I can't, I mean I can but I just-"
"It's okay," I mumbled, lifting my free hand to gently touch his face, tilting his chin towards me, forcing us to make eye contact. His tan skin was so smooth in comparison to my calloused palms that were caressing his prominent jawline.
His tongue slowly licked his lips as he let out another deep exhale. "I'm going to tell you soon, okay? I just I don't want to scare you. You're one of the few people who aren't afraid of me and that's why I love you. I don't want you to leave if you find out."
My breathing hitched in my throat. A family over butterflies fluttered through my stomach as he spoke the word love in his velvety voice. "Wait a second, you love me?"
Calum's brown eyes that I adored widened as he registered what had flown out of his mouth. He squished deeper into the plush cushion of the couch in my living room as he chewed on the inside of his mouth. Beads of sweat formed on the top of his forehead which were illuminated as the sun shined in through the sheer curtains of the adjacent window. "Addy, I, I just, well, I guess that-"
"Cal," I said firmly, interrupting his nervous stutter. His cheeks had altered to an array of shades of red due to embarassment, something that was quite unusal since he always seemed so confident. "I love you too."
He smiled widely at me in a stunned manner. "You do?" He clarified.
"Yeah, I do," I assured him. Calum shot me a goofy grin that only added to my happiness.
His hands found their way to the side of my waist, resting against the cotton material of my sundress. His touch was gentle, yet it initiated a set of firey sparks through my body. He leaned in closer to me, so close that I could feel his minty breath, and my lungs were filled with the lovely aroma of his musky cologne.
Although we have kissed many times before, this time we both seemed more hesistant. We were soaking up the feeling of fireworks in our bellies and the adoration in both of our starry eyes. I carefully placed my hands around his neck, tugging him closer so our foreheads were pressed against each other. My heart was pumping faster than ever as I swiftly crashed our lips together.
I could feel him smile against the kiss. If we weren't in the middle of a heated smooch I'm positive Calum would have teased me about being incredibly impatient. But as his tongue slipped inside of my mouth and I melted under the magical spell we were both under, I could care less. All I cared about was how completely safe I felt with his strong arms wrapped around me.
The thought that so many people were terrified of such a loving and kind boy was unfathomable. But I was destined to find out why they were so scared of Calum Hood.
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Author's Note: So the scene from the prologue has finally made it's way into the story! And now they're in loooove
Thank you sooooooo much for reading! I really hope you guys like it and ship Caddy?? I don't know a proper ship name tbh
All your comments and votes mean the world to me like wow you guys rock ily thank you for getting this story ranked so high, Love you lots!
I update every other day so pwease check back :) xx
dedicated to machinery bc her comment on the last chapter made me laugh