"Is everything alright?" Cal asks once we are left alone in my parents kitchen
I nod, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat.
"Can I explain later?" I plea, finding nothing but love and comprehension in my boyfriend's chocolate eyes
"Sure"
He pulls me by the hand and places a soft kiss on my forehead, immediately making me drop my tensed shoulders. The minute we arrived at my parents house, the conversation took a wrong turn. Things are not going well for my mother at work and she is afraid she might lose her job, which could change things drastically for me. My mom is the one to pay for my college tuition with my dad being released from work because of his depression and all. If she lost her job, I would have to get a student loan to pay for college and also wouldn't be able to help Drew anymore. The first thing they asked me was if I was 100% sure about quitting my job and how that might not be a good decision at the moment.
"Is it because of your mom's job?" Calum quietly asks, hugging my side
Mind reader.
"They are already worried about the expenses with Aaron's wedding, I just don't want to add to their plate..." I try to explain
"I get it, baby" He nods, kissing my forehead once again "Don't worry. We can tell them next Sunday"
I mouth a simple 'thank you' feeling an incredible amount of weight being lifted off my shoulders. I love how comprehensive he is and how he doesn't get mad when I have a sudden change of heart. It's not like my parents won't like the fact that I moved in with Calum. It's just that they will worry. His lifestyle, the band, the constant touring, the fame, all of that. They already have enough on their hands right now and I don't want to be another item on their list of things to worry about at night.
"What's the radio your mom works at again?" Cal asks before we join my family outside
"Nova FM"
My dad discovered a passion for gardening, which is very out of his character since my father is a sports guy. He drinks beer watching soccer on the TV, he plays golf at the club with his friends, he fixed a basketball hoop in the garage so Aaron would play with him every Sunday. It's nice to see him being active and finding pleasure in something so I say nothing when he insists we set the table outside so he can show us what he's been working on in the garden.
"It looks great, dad" I praise his work even though I don't see much difference "You did a really nice job out here"
"Thanks, sweetie"
My heart warms at the sight of my dad's face lighting up with the small compliment. I can't describe how happy it makes me to see how much better he is now. It's truly a blessing.
"So Ellen" Cal begins "I was wondering if there is anything I could do to help"
We are all sitting down to eat, my mom filling everyone's plates with her delicious Sheppard's pie while my dad pours beer in all our glasses, except for his own and mom's. Mom has never been much of a drinker, unlike my dad who loves a good cold beer, but because of the heavy medication he is on, he is stuck with a glass of lemonade for now.
"Oh, Calum it's so sweet of you to offer" Mom says "But I could never ask that of you"
"You are not asking" He chuckles "I offered"
My mom exchanges a few glances with my dad while I'm eager for her to accept Cal's help. I am much like her in that matter, we don't like asking for help - or we don't know how to - and even when people offer it, we struggle to accept it.
"But your band plays pop music, isn't it? I host a country radio show"
"Pop rock, ma'am" I try to hold back a laughter when Calum corrects my mother
"Oh Gosh, I'm so sorry. Pop Rock, of course"
Mom is mortified but Aaron and Tara are not so subtle about it as their laughs fill the warm air between us. It's almost spring now and the days are getting brighter and hotter every day.
"Don't worry about it" Cal shrugs it off "Well, we could at least give you an interview. We are recording songs for the new album, some press would do no harm"
And that's how I find myself heading to visit my mom at work almost a week later. It's 5 in the freaking morning and I'm sat in a car with Calum, Ashton, Michael, Luke, their manager and the assistant. I have my head resting against Cal's shoulder with eyes closed, as the boys speak with their manager about things I don't understand. I could've if I wanted to, but it's too early for my brain to function properly.
"There is no way she could've fallen asleep that fast"
I hear their voices and know they are talking about me, but choose to ignore it. I'm too tired to socialize. I have no idea how Calum manages to be nice, answer questions in interviews and all of that looking hot as hell at 5 in the freaking morning.
"We could draw on her face with a sharpie"
"I heard that, Mike" I fire back without opening my eyes and making everyone laugh "Would've expected that from Ashton, not from you..."
"That's not fair" Ash protests "You hurt my feelings, Georgia"
I smile before going back to ignoring their incessant talk. We arrive at the building my mom works at and almost immediately, I see the boys going from my boyfriend and his best friends to the band. In fact, nothing has changed except from the air around us. They are still laughing and talking nonsense, as usual, but the surroundings have adapted. I notice people adjusting their pace to keep up with them. I see people looking from everywhere, even phones have been pulled out. I hate the feeling of being watched so I walk in the front with Ben, the assistant. Someone is waiting at the door to welcome them inside and another three are following close with folders held tightly against their chests.
"Could you please tell Calum I will meet my mother in her office?" I ask Ben and he simply nods
I look over my shoulder before walking on the opposite direction and Calum already has his eyes on me. Even with all the chaos surrounding him - there is a girl handing out VIP passes while their manager gives them instructions - he still follows my every move under his attentive gaze. It makes me feel safe in a weird way, protected.
"My mom" I mouth to him, pointing towards her office
"You okay?" He mouths back and I'm quick to confirm
"Don't worry" I smile back at him before walking off
I get in the elevator with two other girls, who are also going to the 11th floor - just like me. The brunette is telling the short girl about the band that is coming in this morning, and for that, they have my attention.
"They are so hot it's unfair" The brunette says "Only one of them has a girlfriend from what I've heard"
You're wrong.
"I think I saw them walking in the building" The short one replies "They really are hot"
"I think I can get us inside the room they will be interviewed" Brunette adds "We can give them our numbers"
"I call dibs on the dark haired one" Shorty says making me laugh silently
You're calling dibs on my boyfriend, honey.
"Apparently the one with a girlfriend brought her along today" Brunette continues "She must be so desperate not to lose him, she can't let him out of the house by himself"
I try not to roll my eyes at her words but gladly, we reach the 11th floor and we all exit the elevator. I follow down the hallway towards my mom's office and knock on the half opened door, to call her attention. A smile takes over her features almost immediately as she hangs up the phone and stands up to greet me with a hug.
"Good morning, sweetie" She says, caressing my hair "Only Calum could get you up this early in the morning"
Isn't it true.
"I won't deny it" I laugh "How are you, mom?"
"I'm good" She continues to smile "Things have quieted down since I told them I would be bringing Calum's band in so remind me to thank him again for doing this"
"I believe you have already, mom" I tell her "A thousand times"
Ever since Calum offered to help my mother, she calls at least once a day to tell me how incredibly sweet of him this is and how awesome my boyfriend is. As if I didn't know that already.
"Mrs Valentyne" The two girls from the elevator knock on my mother's door "5 Seconds of Summer arrived already. It's the band you are interviewing this morning"
"Of course" My mom nods
"Hugh is going through some steps with them downstairs and they should be up shortly after" Brunette informs
"Sure. Thank you, girls" My mom smiles "Have I introduced you my daughter?"
The two girls walk inside the office to shake hands with me and I greet them with a kind smile.
"Clarice and Vanessa, this is my daughter Georgia" Mom says "Her boyfriend, Calum, is in the band I'll be interviewing this morning"
My smile widens at my mother's words and I entertain myself watching the look of horror on these girls faces. Life is good.
"Nice to meet you girls" I say "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself in the elevator"
They exchange a terrified look before saying anything.
"So you've met before, that's wonderful" My mom praises, completely clueless "Shall we head downstairs? I don't want to keep them waiting"
Me and the two girls nod and follow my mother out of her office and into the elevator. They keep quiet as I make small talk with my mom, mostly about my dad and his gardening skills. We reach the 7th floor, where the interview will take place and we meet my mom's co-host, Joshua.
"What a beautiful morning this is, Ellen" He greets my mom with a quick hug "You look specially gorgeous today"
My mom and Joshua have worked together for almost 10 years now and he hasn't changed a single bit.
"My goodness, Georgia" He notices my presence "Look at you all grown up"
"Good morning, Joshua" I give him a hug as well
"When your mother told me your boyfriend was coming in with his band, I almost chocked on my coffee. The girl is only fifteen, I thought to myself" His loud voice can be heard from the entire building, I'm sure
"It's been a while since I've been 15" I tell him with a laugh
"I can see that, dear" He joins my laughter "Old people tend to live in the past. I stopped back in time, clearly"
My mom and Joshua walk inside the booth to set their microphones, leaving me alone with the two girls from the elevator. I turn around to face them and see my handsome boyfriend coming my way from down the hallway.
"One of them is still single, if you want me to give him your numbers" I offer, trying to be nice "Since you won't be allowed inside the room where the interview will take place" I add, this time not so nicely
The girls barely have time to respond since the band is coming closer and closer to where we stand. A headset with the radio's logo was given to each one of them and Calum happily shows me his. He got the green one, while the others got much cooler colors such as black, silver and red.
"This is Don't Stop all over again" Cal whines, making the other three laugh really hard
I don't understand much but Calum promises to explain it to me later. My mom walks over to us with Joshua following close behind and they all greet each other and make introductions.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs Valentyne. You have a lovely daughter" Luke tries to shake hands with my mother but she pulls him for a hug
"Call me Ellen" She says "Thank you all so much for doing this"
"It's our pleasure. Georgia is a dear friend to us" Mike add, hugging my mother too and making me emotional
I think Calum notices because he has an arm around my shoulders in no time. I glance quickly at him while trying to hold back tears. It's really nice of them to do this for my mother - and for me. They're busy writing new songs and recording the new album but to think they still took time to do this for me, it's heartwarming. It may not mean much to them but I won't ever forget a gesture like this.
"Nice to meet you, Ellen. I'm Ashton" My mom is quick to hug Ash as well, making me laugh with teary eyes "Thanks for having us this morning and for doing us a huge favor. Promo for the new album is very much welcomed"
Ashton has his own unique way of being nice, and this is the nicest I've seen of him. He's trying to make my mom feel less in debt with them by turning things around. We all know they don't need this kind of promo. It's a radio show of country music, after all.
"You are the boyfriend, I assume" Joshua says to Calum, attraction all eyes and ears
"That is me, sir. Nice to meet you, I'm Calum"
Calum offers his hand for Joshua to shake, since he is playing tough and all.
"Come here, son" Joshua also pulls Cal for a hug "Any friend of little Gi is a friend of mine too. You better treat her nicely, son"
"Joshua, quit the act" My mom intervenes, pulling them apart "Let's get it started. Shall we boys?"
We all enter the room where the interview will take place and I take a seat next to their manager and the assistant, behind the cameras. I sit there quietly and happily entertained, watching Calum do his thing next to the boys he considers his brothers. They speak and interact in perfect synchrony, as if it had all been choreographed. The four of them exchange looks and smiles, silently telling each other things I could not decipher. It is beautiful to see and it is also the first time I see Calum the way he once introduced himself to me.
"Hi, I'm Calum. I play bass in 5 Seconds of Summer"
The interview goes on smoothly. The boys are comfortable answering the questions and not much is asked about their personal lives. I think they'd rather this way. Laughter and jokes fill the studio as boys mess around and even come up with a country cover for one of their songs. My mom is over the moon, obviously - and I'm not much different from it. We leave the radio building once the interview is over and head for breakfast in the cafeteria downstairs.
"So Ash" I say before sipping on my orange juice "The Brunette girl that greeted us at the door this morning"
"What about her?" He asks with his mouth full of scrambled eggs
"Ew, dude. Swallow first" Calum reprimands
"That's what he said" Ashton jokes making all of us laugh once he understands what he just said
"Anyway" I continue "I got you her number, in case you are interested"
All eyes are on me and all them look very confused.
"You got me a girl's phone number?" Ash asks, seeking for some clarity
"Yes" I nod
"You, Georgia. Got the phone number of a hot girl for me, Ashton" He is still confused, which only makes me laugh more
"Babe, what..." Calum is also shocked
"Actually I rode the elevator with her and she was saying how you were really hot and blablabla" I explain "Then the girl said how she thought only one of you had a girlfriend and then she called dibs on Calum"
They are all laughing now, except for my boyfriend, who seems almost concerned. Cal is studying my features as if it would cure cancer.
"She said she would go inside the interview room to give you her number and that's when I had to step in" I justify
"What did you say to her?" Luke asks, clearly interested
"Not much really. I simply kindly offered to give her number to the single one in the band" I conclude, sliding the piece of paper over the table to Ashton "Have fun, Ash"
"I love you" Ashton takes the paper "You are a better wingman than your boyfriend, Gia"
The next day, I head to the campus apartment after work, thinking I might take a nap before classes start. I still have my key with me, so I don't have any trouble walking in as if I still lived in the building. A few familiar faces walk past me and I greet them with a small smile. I love the vibe around here.
"Honey, I'm home" I sing once I unlock the door, announcing my presence in the apartment
Cups and cans are scattered around the living room and their shoes are right by the door, almost blocking the entrance. The center table is still in the same place we had it, with an ashtray and a small vase on top of it. A single picture of the three of us is hanging on the wall behind the TV, which has some weird documentary on. Everything is exactly how I remember, but is the look on Jason's face that tells me something has changed.
"Gia?" His surprised tone shows "Hey! What are you doing here?"
One minute he was lying on the couch watching TV, the next he is standing up and coming to me.
"What's up?" I greet him with a small smile "I have classes later tonight, thought I'd stop by"
I've been busy the previous week, finishing work almost at 5p.m. helping Clark organize the fundraiser. I haven't been to the apartment ever since I moved out, the same night of the frat party.
"Hm, okay" He nods, looking really weird "Do you wanna go for a walk around campus? I have practice at 6p.m."
I check on the clock, it's still 4:32p.m. Does Jason not want me in here? I thought I was still welcome here even though I don't live here anymore.
"Is this not a good time? Do you want me to leave?" I ask, feeling a bit hurt by the way he's acting
"No, G. It's just..."
We hear the bathroom door open and Jason looks almost in pain. Physical pain. I turn around towards the sound to acknowledge the third person but nothing could have prepared me for what I would witness. Derek is walking out of the bathroom and like we owned the place, with a towel hanging around his neck.
"What...?"
Derek stops on his tracks immediately after hearing my voice, and he too looks terrified. I look between Jason and Drew's brother, trying to understand the scene taking place before my own eyes.
"What is going on?" I ask, this time louder and angrier
None of them know what to say, so they keep quiet.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I ask directly to Derek
I can't believe his nerve to come back here after all he's done to Drew. He left without as much as a goodbye and disappeared during years, not even bothering to call once in a while to say he was alive. During all those years, he left Drew dead worried and alone to take care of their alcoholic father. But decides to show up when he needs to borrow money, how convenient.
"Jason?" I ask my friend when I don't get an answer "What is Derek doing here?"
Nothing. Not a word.
But the way he's looking at me says a lot. Says it all.
"Un-fucking-believable" I mutter before storming off the apartment
I run downstairs and into Calum's car. I drive even though my tears are blocking most of my sight. I feel hurt and betrayed. I never thought Jason and Drew would lie to me like that. My heart feels like its been ripped apart and I can't stop the tears to stream down my face. I'm still sobbing when I get home and it scares Duke. I run upstairs and into by bed, hiding under the covers. The two people I trusted most and so blindly have hidden this from me. They were taking Derek's side and keeping it from me. I wasn't living there anymore, they were no longer on my side.
With trembling hands I unlock my phone and text Calum, hoping he would be home soon to hold me tightly and tell me everything is going to be okay.
To Calum:
When are you coming home?
From Calum:
I'm meeting Ash at Jack's house tonight baby
I told you, remember?
Won't be home until later
Is everything okay?
I wish Calum would've guessed something was wrong when I never replied his text. I wish he had stopped by before going to Jack Barakat's party, just to check on me. So he could see how much I needed him right now. I wish he had called me once he left the studio, to ask about my day. So I could tell him what happened and how broken I felt.
Calum had been able to read my mind so many times before but not this time. The one time I really needed him to. And while Calum had fun with his friends at some party, I lied in bed, feeling as alone and betrayed as ever.