Adelaide's Point of View
3 Years Later
His arms snaked around my waist from behind, snuggling his head into the crook of my neck while I was flipping eggs on the skillet hovering over the stove. He placed a delicate kiss onto my neck. "Good morning to you too," I greeted in amusement.
Calum giggled, pressing another peck onto my cheeks. "Morning, baby. Look what came in the mail today."
I spun around briefly, picking up the card that he had held in his hands. It was made of thick card stock with gold foil outlining the edges of it. In bold letters it read, "You are invited to Michael and Lucy's wedding." A wide smile grew on my face as I let out a little squeal. I was very aware of the fact that they were getting married since I was going to be the maid of honor, but it felt even more exciting when an official invitation was tangible.
"Guess we're going to need to get some plane tickets to Australia," Calum stated, taking the spatula out of my other hand and flipping the last of the scrambled eggs onto a plate.
"I can do that," I responded with a sly smile. I had finished my Associate's degree for just a general major last year and was now working at a local travel agency office, specifically using my expertise to help clients plan their vacations to Australia.
Calum's long fingers flicked the knob on the stove so it was off and handed me the other plate of eggs, moving us over towards the table to eat breakfast together. I remember when the accident happened I used to always have to cook for him since he was in so much pain and I was so grateful that we was completely healed and I only cooked for him just to be nice.
"I can't wait for us to have a wedding of our own," Calum blurted out, his brown eyes glimmering with hope. "We will have the best of wedding of all time."
I frowned at him. We've spoken about marriage many times before, but I just didn't think it was necessary at this point in our lives. We were only twenty-two, Calum almost twenty-three, and I wanted us to party and enjoy having fun without some legal document making us feel like adults. Calum still was working at Target with Luke, and I wanted to wait for him to get a stable and secure job first.
"Cal, we have plenty of time to get married. We don't need to rush. We're only twenty-two," I lectured, lifting a forkful of eggs up to my lips.
He crossed his arms across his chest, folding his lips over in a deep pout. "So are Michael and Lucy. And my birthday is in like a month."
"Michael and Lucy also have known each other their entire lives," I argued, sending him a look that conveyed the fact that I wasn't in the mood to talk about this.
"You know me better than Lucy knows Michael though."
"Look, I love you. Of course I want to get married but I just don't want to do it now. This isn't about Michael or Lucy, it's just how I feel about it." I sighed heavily, suddenly getting upset with myself for being so annoying and frustrated. "I'm sorry. Um, what do you want for your birthday?"
Calum's previous expression was replaced with the goofy grin he always sports. "Birthday sex," He responded confidently, placing his hand on my thigh and giving it a quick squeeze. "That shouldn't be so hard, right baby?"
He batted his eyelashes at me. "That's what she said," I teased, making the both of us crack up, simultaneously giving each other a high five because we were massive dorks.
Our laughing session was interrupted by a shirtless Luke, who had his sweatpants on the wrong way and his hair was sticking up in all different directions, stumbling into the kitchen. "Hey there's the guy who finally got laid last night!" Calum cheered.
"Be quiet," Luke hissed, sitting on the chair across from Calum, and his cheeks were burning up.
"That's what we were saying last night," I joked, referencing the fact that Luke and whoever the girl he had brought home last night were very loud. Calum snorted, but Luke just glared, then quickly shifted his expression to a devilish smirk.
"Addy, baby, you know you're just jealous that it wasn't you," Luke said confidently with a wink. He had returned to his flirty habits and typical personality a few months after the accident, and Calum went along with the jokes now and didn't seem to mind anymore.
I simply rolled my eyes. "Is she still here?"
"Yeah, she's taking a shower right now. Please don't weird her out when she comes down. I really like her. She is the one I met at the grocery store a few weeks ago that finally let me take her out on a date," Luke explained, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile as he glanced down at his hands, obviously still giddy from his date with her.
I was proud of him. He was the only one who was single since Ashton had recently gotten himself a girlfriend named Katie who I absolutely adored. He was the manager at the music store down the street, and she was the customer that always came in to buy CD's just to see him again. It was adorable, but still not as adorable as my relationship.
The mysterious girl that Luke always texted suddenly crept down the staircase, dressed in one of Luke's shirts and the pants I'm assuming she wore the previous night with her wet hair up in a bun. As she came closer into vision I realized I knew exactly who she was, and my jaw dropped open.
"Margo!"
*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
"Are you nervous?" I asked the redhead, crossing one of my legs over the other one as I got more comfortable in my seat across from one of my best friends. We were all currently attending the rehearsal dinner, but after the pre-wedding shenangians were taken care of, Lucy and I drifted off from the rest of our friends to get some food.
She shrugged, smiling at me with those exceptionally white teeth that she had gotten bleached prior to the ceremony. I have missed being with her and Michael, even though we have kept in tremendous touch through all of the phone calls and messages, but nothing beats being in their presence again. "No, not really. I'm just hoping I don't trip and fall down the aisle."
"Mikey will probably fall too if you did, and pretend it was planned or something," I assured her, the two of us giggling at the truth of the statement.
I scarfed down the little crabcakes they had prepared as appetizers within seconds, and Lucy's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa, Addy, you just went full vacuum cleaner on that finger food."
Laughter erupted from my mouth. She always had a way with words. "Sorry, I've just been having a ton of weird cravings lately," I confessed, licking the top of my lip to get rid of the lingering bit of food stuck there.
Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a very drunk Ashton and Michael approaching us. "Why are you guys being boring? Let's go party!" Michael cheered, taking both of his fiancé's hands in his and tugging on them so she would stand up.
"Please don't be hungover at our wedding, Mike," Lucy whined, although she seemed to be very amused.
He began dancing around weirdly, and pressed a kiss onto her lips. "No promises, babe," Michael responded while chuckling.
Ashton faced me after he peeled his eyes away from their adorable exchange, sticking his elbow out for me to slither mine into. Katie was here, along with Margo, since they were the boys' dates, but I have no idea where they were all located. I stood up and we mimicked Lucy and Michael's dance moves to the classical music that was playing through the reception area's speakers.
In the middle of laughing at how idiotic we looked and felt, a sudden surge of food climbed up my throat. I threw my hand over my mouth and immediately sprinted, in my heels, to the bathrooms without any explanation. I knew what was about to happen, especially since it has been happening often in these last two weeks.
The bottom of my shoe kicked the bathroom stall open and I instantly threw up into the public toilet bowl, leaving behind a disgusting array of colors. I gagged before flushing it down and went to wash out my hands and mouth.
I saw Lucy's figure enter the bathroom through the reflective mirror, and she seemed genuinely concerned. "I'm okay," I promised her, although I felt revolting and that I was going to barf again just from thinking about how I was just barfing. "I'm not sick. I just threw up. Must have been all those crabcakes."
She squished her lips together. "Maybe. But Addy, do you think that you could be pregnant?"
My face paled instantly, making skin even more pale than it already was. I haven't even considered pregnancy as a reason for my moodswings and puking and cravings. Or maybe I was ignoring it. I mean, the signs were all there. I just don't want to be pregnant. I can't be. Calum and I always use protection. Except for that one time in the hot tub, and that one time in the shower...
"Oh my God," I whispered, wiping my mouth with a paper towel after I finished rinsing it off with a swig of water.
Lucy smiled sympathetically, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "I have a test. That sounds weird. I'm positive I'm not pregnant since I got my period last week. But, my older sister got it for me as a joke type of thing. I can give it to you tomorrow."
I swallowed the lump in my throat that had suddenly formed. "Alright, thanks," I answered in a shaky tone.
She rubbed my shoulder. "Don't freak out, Addy. Wait until you see what the test says. Either way, it's all going to be okay."
Calum bursted through the door, making us jump apart. His button up shirt revealed some lovely pit stains, and I wondered what mischief he had gotten into with Luke. "You okay, Ad? Ash told me you looked like you just saw a ghost."
I faked a smile. Crap, how was Calum going to react to this? What if I am pregnant? We are so young. I'm frightened even by the thought of marriage at this age, how am I going to be mature for a child? I'm not mature in the slightest. I still laugh at dirty jokes that were said in the back of the class in middle school. Calum still partied with his best friends like every night. We weren't ready to be parents. His life is going to change again because of me, and I didn't want him to be upset.
"I'm fine, I just threw up," I explained.
Calum let out a loud exhale, coming over to me and pulling me into his chest. "Again?" He complained, probably mad that my puke-breath is putting a damper on our make-out sessions. Calum enveloped me in his arms and rested his chin onto the top of my head. "Do you want to go home? We don't have to stay if you're sick. I mean, if that's okay with you, Luce?"
Lucy chuckled, walking past us in our deep embrace. She sent me a glance that clearly was intended to remind me about her little present for me. "It's fine, Calum. I think you guys should rest anyways. Big day tomorrow."
"Of course," He agreed as she exited, and Calum kissed my forehead gently. "Let's leave and make you feel better. We can have just as much fun at my house."
"I think getting out of the women's bathroom will be fun too," I teased, grinning up at my favorite boy.
--
Mr. and Mrs. Hood had already fallen asleep by the time we had gotten home. Calum and I were staying with them for the week, whereas our other roommates were residing with their own families. It was weird not being with them every second of the day, but I was really glad all of the boys got time apart to visit their families.
Calum lifted the cold, metal spoon up to my lips again, as another shot of the chicken noodle soup slid down my throat. I tried to laugh at him, because it was such a sweet gesture, but I felt like a baby being fed like this.
"I'm honestly feeling much better, you dork," I mumbled, dodging another spoonful. I tried to focus on him instead of all of the newfound worries of potentially being pregnant.
Calum didn't change much in appearance wise as he grew older. His cheekbones became more sculpted, and his jawline sharpened even more. He had gained just a tiny bit of weight, but was now obsessed with going to the gym to get rid of the little flab he accumulated. His eyes were still the same lovely shade of brown, and they always looked at me with adoration and kindness that made me melt.
He stretched back in his chair, finally pushing the bowl of burning soup further away from us. He scratched the back of his neck, the same anxious habit he has been practicing for years. "You know, your house is up for rent again."
"Really?" My eyebrows raised as he nodded his head to confirm. "Wow, there are so many memories there."
"I bet we can still sneak in," Calum declared, his face molding into an expression full of excitement as if he was anticipating adventure. He grasped my hand, intertwining our fingers together, and started darting towards the back door. "Come on!"
I was giggling like a school girl, one of my many responses to fear, as our feet soon hit the familiar feeling of sand squishing beneath them. "Cal! We can't just break into the house!"
He flashed me a giant grin, one of those massive ones that made his eyes crinkle up with happiness and my heart burst. "Sure we can. Anything is possible, Ad," Calum spoke in a mock-inspirational voice as we stood in front of the single tree that was next to my bedroom. "You can climb it first."
"Are you insane?"
He placed his hands on both sides of my waist and hoisted me up the first part so I could clutch onto the tree. "I've got you, baby," Calum said while laughing, slowly placing his palm onto my butt and pinching it. I shrieked, jumping slightly at the surprise, and making him laugh even more. "I'm kidding, Ad. Just climb up to that branch and grab onto the window sill. It should be open."
"Why are even doing this?" I whined, using my arms to yank my body up a bit more and then making the small leap to the branch. With a tiny swing I reached the top of the window with ease, it really wasn't that high up, and somehow managed to get through the window without getting any tree branch stuck up my butt.
Calum took the same path as I did, and I helped lure him into the room. It was pitch black, except for the fraction of light illuminating in from the moon, but just being in the room where so many memories were created filled me with overwhelming nostalgia. This was my favorite place in the world, and I missed living in this house more than anything.
I sat cross-legged on the floor of the room, not bothering to stroll the length of my ex-bedroom to turn the light on. Calum joined me. Neither of us said a word. We just soaked up what it was like to be in this environment again.
"We can get arrested for this," I finally blurted out, inhaling another breath of that familiar odor.
"It will be worth it though," Calum promised me, making one of my eyebrows quirk up in confusion. He placed his lips on mine in a hungry peck before standing up, still in the darkness, and motioning for me to stay seated. "So, Adelaide. This is where we first met. I mean, we were down in your kitchen then, but this is still the place. And I will always hold that special to me."
I pursed my lips together. "What are you doing, Cal?"
"Shh," He silenced me. "As I was saying, if it wasn't for you making the brave decision of moving across the world by yourself, into this fine home, we never would have fallen in love. I can't imagine a world without you as my girlfriend. I am so glad that you are my girlfriend and I am so lucky to have you, but lately, I've been getting selfish. Girlfriend isn't good enough for me. You deserve to be called something so much greater than that because you are so great."
"Calum," I muttered, my breathing rate rapidly increasing as my heart pounded against my chest.
"You make me happier than I've ever been in my entire life. You make me laugh all the time, you make me turn into a sappy, emotional freak, you make me very horny, and you make me a better person," Calum cooed, smiling down at me. "I want nothing more than to make you just as happy as you make me, for their rest of your life. Now, I know you are skeptical about this, but I don't care about that anymore. I can't wait any longer. I want you to be my Goddamn wife, Ad."
"Oh my God," I breathed out, lifting my palms up to my mouth as I felt happy tears start to form on the brim of my eyes. "Oh my God."
He raced over towards the lightswitch, flicking it on, and revealing my bedroom to have been covered with rose petals all over the floor. My black walls were still there, and on the chalkboard paint, written in enormous, bold letters read the words, "Will you marry me?"
I gasped, feeling the tears stream down my face. Calum stuck his hand out for me to grab and tugged me onto my feet as he knelt down onto one knee, reaching in his pocket to unveil a velvet box. He beamed at me. "Adelaide Winters, will you please change your stupid season last name and take mine?" Calum laughed, since he never can take anything seriously ever. "No, I'm just kidding. Addy, will you marry me?"
"Yes, Calum, I will," I stated happily, an overwhelming sense of giddiness flooding through my veins as he slid the large and shining ring onto my third finger. I then jumped into his arms, cupping his stupid, gorgeous face in my hands and kissed him with every ounce of passion that was found in my body. "I love you. I can't believe it. Oh my God. When did you set this up?"
"Mali actually did it all," He admitted, kissing me again and keeping a tight grip around my back.
I squealed, still feeling overjoyed tears run down my cheeks. I didn't want to be married before, but now that I think about it and he made such a beautiful and humbling speech, it didn't make sense for us to wait any longer. I was no longer afraid of the future with Calum there with me.
"You're so good to me," I gushed, pressing another kiss onto his lips since I couldn't get enough of him.
"You're so good for me."
"So cheesy," I joked, smiling against his lips. "I can't believe you proposed. Especially like right before another wedding."
"I know. I can't wait to see you in your cute little bridesmaid dress tomorrow. But I can't wait to see you in your own gown, Ad," Calum replied. "Jesus, we're the best freaking couple ever."
--
My pefectly curled ringlets were bouncing up and down as we swayed to the beat of the music that the DJ was playing. Luke was still mad about the fact that Michael had a DJ instead of a band at his reception, and he was convinced that him, Calum and Ashton could easily have done a nice job. They had started their own little band to play covers whenever they were bored, but I didn't think they would sound good unless they got someone else to play guitar.
The ceremony was beautiful and their vows made me want to cry. I was still in shock that Calum and I would be doing the same thing, except that was a secret at the moment since we didn't want to draw any attention away from the newlyweds. When the song changed to a slow dance, the six of us hovered over to our table to sit and watch, since it was Michael and Lucy's first dance as a married couple.
They looked so in love and I couldn't handle it, so I plopped down onto Calum's lap and made him hold me so I wouldn't get emotional. The satin material of my dress rubbed against his sharp suit, although he would be ditching the jacket in a few moments most likely.
"They are so cute," Katie, Ashton's girlfriend, thought out loud as she rested her head on his shoulder, still glimpsing out at the slow-dancing couple, who both had matching heads of bright red hair now.
"Not as cute as us," Luke argued, slinging his arm around Margo's shoulder and planting a sloppy kiss onto her temple.
"You're a loser," Margo teased, making eye contact with me. I was happy my other best girl friend was at this wedding too. It made it feel like all of my friends were in one place. I felt like I was at home.
The night continued on, and we all scattered around the reception hall, moving between the dance floor, to the food, to the bar. I was having a blast, especially since I was surrounded by all of the people I love. Calum and the boys were being total dorks as usual, making up some weird interpretive dance moves or pretending they were moshing, but he would always find his way back to me to make some lame joke or to kiss my cheeks.
I finally got the chance to speak to Lucy and Michael for the first time right after dinner. I can't even remember what we were talking about, all I remember is a waiter asking if I would like any wine.
"I don't think I can have any," I responded, sending a glance in Lucy's direction. I patted my stomach gently once the waiter disappeared. "That wouldn't be good for the baby, now would it?"
Lucy began to say something, probably along the lines of how I didn't even know whether or not I was pregnant. But instead, we interrupted by Calum's dark eyes staring right at me in complete surprise, his mouth parted open. "What?" He hissed.
"Oh, hi. Um, I-"
"What baby are you talking about? Why can't you drink? Are you, oh my God-" Calum almost yelled, and I placed my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"Cal, calm down. Just enjoy the party, man," Michael said, protecting me as usual. I don't think he even knew about my pregnancy worries unless Lucy had told him.
"No, Ad, tell me right now," He ordered.
"I don't know, Cal. I haven't taken a test yet. We think it could be a possibility," I tried to say in a relaxed manner so he wouldn't freak out.
He clenched his jaw together, making it protrude even further. "Don't you think you should have told me this?"
"I- yeah, I'm sorry, baby," I apologized quickly. "Lucy has a test. I'm going to take it tonight. Please don't worry though. Let's enjoy the wedding like we were before."
"Before I knew I could be a father," Calum mumbled under his breath, almost so quiet that I didn't even hear it. But I did. I so did. And my stomach was churning in fear.
--
"Can I please come in?" Calum called, knocking on the bathroom door. My hands were shaking as I peed onto the stick, because I was so afraid of what the results would be. I didn't answer him, so he just barged right in through the door, spotting me on the toilet and making him blush. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to be here for you."
I flushed the toilet after I had wiped, hiking my pajama pants up my legs and heading over to the sink to wash my hands. Calum was shirtless, still in his dress pants, and was staring at me cautiously through the mirror. I didn't say anything, mainly because I was terrified and I still had no idea what Calum's opinion of this was.
"We're not ready to be parents, Calum. We still act like teenagers. We are just barely financially stable. The boys will have to move since they won't want to live with a newborn. We don't even know if we are going to stay in America or Australia or not. I didn't even want to get married so soon and now we could possibly be parents and I don't think we can do it."
Calum sighed loudly, crawling over to me and circling his toned arms around my body, planting countless kisses on the top of my head. "Ad, please don't talk like that. I know my reaction to this wasn't the best but it was just because I was surprised. I think we can do it. We are a team. We can handle what life throws at us together."
"I don't know. I'm not ready for this. Everything in our life will change," I responded with doubt, leaning my head back onto his chest. He kept trying to soothe me, but I just couldn't concentrate on anything else except for what may or may not be growing in my uterus. I checked my phone, and sure enough it was time for us to see the results. "You do it, Cal. I can't."
"Sure, baby," Calum responded, leaving another chaste kiss onto my neck before scrambling onto his feet and inspecting the stick. I curled my knees up to my chest. "Ad, it's negative."
"What?" I choked out, gasping in utter surprise. I thought I was pregnant. I felt pregnant. I expected him to say positive. Not negative. "So, I'm- I'm not going to be a mom?"
He smiled sadly. "Well, not yet. Eventually you will be. And we will have the cutest babies around. When we're ready. See, it's all going to be okay."
A flow of tears trailed down my cheeks again, almost combusting instantly after hearing the news. I should have been relieved. I didn't want a child yet. I wasn't prepared. But I was suddenly so disappointed on the fact that I wasn't carrying a baby. A part of me really wanted a little bundle of joy that Calum and I had created together, no matter how hard it would be for the two of us to make ends meet.
Calum frowned, wiping away my tears with his thumb like he always did. "These aren't happy tears, are they?"
"No," I managed to say through my sobs, collapsing into his body again. "Are you sure it's negative?"
"I'll check again," He assured me, picking up the stick again and matching it up with the instructions, skimming over every word on the page. Suddenly, he dropped the stick and his jaw dropped wider than I have ever seen. "Wait, I read it wrong. Oh my God, I read it wrong! Baby, we're having a baby!"
*•*•*•*•*•*
We got married. We gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Sydney Elizabeth Hood, after the city, who had her father's cheekbones and her mother's smile. I thought it was going to be a boy who would grow up to be as wonderful as his dad, but Calum insisted he was having a daughter "that wouldn't be as lame as her really hot Mom."
We bought a new house of our own. Calum got a real job after getting a part time degree and was now a music teacher. We had another baby, this time a boy, named Thomas James Hood, who looked exactly like Calum but even more adorable. We went to Katie and Ashton's wedding, and Luke and Margo's wedding, and went through helping them have their own kids as well. We were all still as close as could be, even with Lucy and Michael, who briefly lived in America as well.
Life was great for us. It was the fairytale I had always dreamed of. I was still irrevocably in love with the same goofy guy that I met when I was nineteen, and I had two gorgeous children with him that I loved to death.
And when Sydney turned eighteen and asked us if she could move to Australia for the summer to discover why she had been named after a city, Calum and I just gave each other lazy smiles, with our new wrinkles poking out of our older skin.
"You should do it, Syd," I remember encouraging her in the dining room where we discussed this, intertwining my fingers with Calum's underneath the table. "You should go out and experience the world. Maybe you will meet someone who will change your life. Whatever happens out there, just remember, don't be afraid."
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Author's Note: THIS WAS SO LONG OMG I STILL DONT KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS ITS SO CHOPPY AND ALL OVER THE PLACE BC I WANTED TO SHOW AS MUCH AS THEIR FUTURE TOGETHER AS I COULD
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT I SAY THIS ALL THE TIME BUT I MEAN IT I NEVER THOUGHT AFRAID WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL AND ITS ALL BC OF YOU GUYS WHO MAKE ME FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE
im so sorry this has to end it is probably my fav story ive written and i hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it. i'll never forget caddy or you guys and i hope you dont either ok i love you all so much
i have two new calum fanfics called roommates and amnesia which i truly hope you check out bc i will start posting chapters for those very soon!!
it would mean a lot to me if you read those too cause i will miss u guys and your comments so i hope to see u all in my notifications again, remember you can message me whenever :)
also you can always reread this story if you miss caddy i will probably do that to & tweet me @calumfridge with your thoughts whenever ok babes
love you all so much thanks again this has been a crazy journey
and without further adieu
THE END