2 weeks later...
Calum
I tried. I tried my hardest to forget about her, to push her to the back of my mind or inside a compartment and never pull her out. It should've been easy, simple. I didn't know her all that well, and even though she was really pretty, she wasn't the most gorgeous person I'd ever seen. With all of the models and attractive fans and even my friends, she should've been shoved right out of my mind.
But honestly, the fact that she hadn't even texted me really irked me. Her face kept popping up, like a really cliched movie or something where I keep seeing her everywhere I go. I can't escape it, can't get away from it. I feel excited every time I see the back of someone's head that looks remotely like her, my heart starts to pound when I think I hear her voice, and my palms get sweaty when I see her face in a sea of people at the concerts.
I still haven't figured out why she affects me this way. Didn't I tell myself I'd just have to move on? Didn't I give myself every reason to do so? Then why wasn't I doing it?
Oh, I wasn't moping; it wasn't obvious enough that the guys were calling me out on it. I was still joking and laughing and messing around with them, but her face or her laugh or her eyes or her voice, something was always there. It always showed up. I couldn't play a game without thinking about whether or not she'd like it, I couldn't hip thrust to my favorite songs anymore without wishing she were giggling beside me, it's almost annoying.
Even now, trying to watch Beauty and the Beast with my mates--Michael chose it, not us--I wondered if she'd enjoy this movie. What would she say if she were sitting next to me? Would she laugh at the dramatics? Would she tense up because hey, four guys in a room with one girl? Or would she be entranced by the love story?
It was almost worrying how often my thumb hovered over her name in my phone, preparing to text her. I never went through with it, fortunately. What would I say? "Hey, I've missed you a lot for someone I only just met". Yeah, that would go over well.
"Why does the Beast have to be so dramatic? Why does he have to yell everything? Chill out, mate, she's not deaf." Ashton scoffed, shoving popcorn in his mouth.
I glanced at him, my lips quirking in a half smile.
"Well you know, he hasn't had any human interaction in a while, so he doesn't know how to deal with it." I replied, just to hear one of his infamous 'Disney movies and their over dramatic flair' rants.
"That doesn't excuse it! I mean he has a clock and a candelabra and a teapot telling him to calm down and think rationally. Don't you think he should take a step back and think, 'ay, I'm screaming for no reason. Even the animate objects around me are telling me to chill.' And don't think I haven't noticed how totally relaxed both Belle and her father are when those objects start chatting. And where does the horse come from?"
While he took a break to stuff his face again, I looked over his shoulder at Michael, who was glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I'd be boiled in oil already. Luke was no doubt doing the same, but I couldn't be bothered to look at him in the chair. They don't find it half as funny as I do when Ashton goes off. It's like he doesn't realize that Disney isn't supposed to be totally rational.
"Why did you start him?" Michael mouthed at me, drawing a finger across his throat in a quick slash. I snorted, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of the bucket in Ashton's lap and eating it with a bit more class.
"Don't you think it's weird? He knows where her father is, even though he didn't actually go to the castle, and when Belle leave, oh look, there he is again! Honestly, where does he come from? Does he just appear from an air pocket?" Ashton continued, waving his buttery hands around.
"Oh my God, Ashton, shut up." Luke groans from his chair.
I finally tilt my head in his direction to see him rolling his eyes and pulling his phone out. I know he's tweeting about it, that's all he does.
"No, Luke, I'm serious. Why is no one surprised by the talking objects? Why are they all so dramatic?" Ashton persisted.
"Ashton, shut the fuck up. Seriously, mate, just watch the movie." Luke said, glowering.
To my surprise, Ashton actually listened. His mouth shut on a piece of popcorn, and he didn't say another word. I raised a brow at Michael, but he shrugged, just as clueless.
Usually Ashton does not shut up. Not for anyone.
As I settled back into the couch though, my phone started ringing. It startled me, because I thought I'd turned it on vibrate, but I pulled myself up and went into the kitchen to answer it.
"Hello?" I said, not bothering to look at the caller I.D.
"C-Calum?" her voice was cracking and barely audible, but I knew immediately who it was.
"Diana?" I exclaimed, only to be shushed from the den.
"Calum, I don't have long to talk, I'm hiding right now but...but...I'm sorry, I haven't called or texted I just. Calum, I need help."
There was a muffled sob, and something was moved around before she started speaking again.
"I need help." She murmured again, voice so low I could hardly hear it.
My heart started pounding, and I gripped the phone tighter.
"What's going on, Diana?" I demanded, one hand grabbing the granite countertop.
I studied the cabinets in front of me, trying to focus my eyes but not succeeding.
"I...my dad...Calum..." I could hear the tears in her voice, the suffering.
I swear to God, if her father had so much as looked at her the wrong way I was going to beat the shit out of him.
"What happened, baby? What do you need?"
I didn't pay any attention when the guys filed in, one after the other, to stare at me. I saw them in my peripheral, but I didn't comment or move to face them.
"Please help me. I don't...I don't know what to do. Calum..." the shaking was almost too much for me.
"Ok. Get your stuff together and go to the hotel. There will be a cab waiting outside to take you to the airport. Everything will be paid for." I instructed, finally turning around.
They all had their eyebrows raised, questioning my words.
"I can't..." she whispered, and I knew she was going to say she couldn't let me pay for that or something similar. Frustration poured through me; if she needed help so badly, surely she wouldn't argue?
"You can try to persuade me to let you pay me back when you get here, now please do it." I snapped, and the silence on the other end made me feel instantly sorry. I didn't mean to yell at her or make her scared, but the obvious terror in her voice was scaring me, making me worried that she wasn't okay. Well, obviously she wasn't ok, but maybe she was worse than I thought, maybe what I was thinking wasn't even half of it.
"Ok. Thank you." I heard her draw in a breath, and then she hung up the phone. As soon as I heard the dial tone, I called the cab agency and then the airport, setting things up for her as quickly as possible.
~~*~~
Diana
I didn't mean to call him. I didn't want to call him. But he was the only lifeline I had, the only person who would be able to save me right now. I ran from the backyard to my room, careful to avoid the living room where my father and his friends were sitting. The last thing I wanted was for them to remember that I existed, for them to remember what they hadn't finished.
I threw my things into a little duffel bag, the same one I'd used when I'd changed at work for my date with Calum. I tried to suppress the cries as I packed, not wanting them to hear it--or anyone to hear it for that matter. I didn't want to hear me.
I threw the only other pair of shoes in, kind of sad that I didn't have more things.
Which reminded me; I went into my closet and pulled out the little piece of wall that I'd carved out one day, placing it carefully on the floor as I reached inside the revealed hole. I pulled out the envelope and pressed a kiss to it before putting it in the same bag and zipping it up. I was already dressed, and after putting my shoes on all that was left was to leave.
I went out the back door, knowing that if I went out the front they'd catch me before I could be all the way gone. I could feel the tears drying on my cheek as I was reminded of what I was doing. I'm leaving. I'm finally leaving.
I hated that it was with him, just because he's paying for everything and I can't even afford to pay him back right now. I walked quickly down the street, keeping my head down and my bag close to my side, not mourning the loss of this town at all.
When I got to the hotel, there was already a cab waiting outside, a man standing beside it.
"Are you Diana?" he asked.
I nodded quickly, and he opened the door for me, putting my bag in the trunk.
My phone vibrated.
Calum: 'You in the cab?'
I nodded before I remembered he couldn't see me, typed 'yes', and then commenced shaking.
It was that quick; one minute I was hyped on adrenaline and I was ready to leave, and the next I was shivering and I couldn't breathe and the world was tilting. I put my head between my legs, trying to ignore the rocking of the car and the eyes I could feel watching me in the rear-view mirror.
Most people don't know what to do or say, so they tend to pretend it isn't happening.
I tried to think of something happy, something that would interrupt the the memories from only a few hours before. Anything.
And his laughing face showed up. Of course, it's not like I had any other happy memories. We were both laughing, hip thrusting around the place we'd had our picnic and dancing like loonies.
The more I thought about it, the good memory, the slower my breathing became, and I could feel the shakiness start to leave. I kept my head between my knees with my eyes closed, replaying the scene over and over again until I was sure, absolutely sure, that I could sit up without regressing.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" The driver finally asked, now that I was sitting up again.
I nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."
My voice was still unsteady, but it was better than it had been. I sat back and stared out the window, the rolling hills of the countryside telling me we'd finally left my town. I'd been panicking longer than I'd thought.
"It'll be about an hour until we get to the airport," he told me, "so if you want to try to sleep or something..."
There's no way I'd be able to sleep now; yeah, the adrenaline was gone, but I was still fully aware of the fact that I was leaving my town to stay with the guy I'd kind of brutally turned down a few weeks ago.
Speaking of, why on Earth did he even answer my call? I wouldn't have, especially since I hadn't even found the words to text him. I didn't know what I would say to him after that. When I'd stopped to think about it, getting past my natural aversion to help from anyone, I thought maybe he might've been serious. But then, the way I'd just kind of bolted from the room with such a horrified look on my face must've seemed liked I believed him crazy. Like I hated him.
I wouldn't even look at a message from someone who did that to me, and here he was, getting me a taxi and a plane ticket to where ever they were. He was maybe too nice.
I tried to clear my mind, tried to take it off of those things for just a little while as I stared at the passing scenery. I wouldn't miss this place, and I'll hate it when I have to come back.