She was going to kill him. It was her birthday and she was going to kill him.
But not really. Because Josie couldn't think of a better way to start off her morning than with the cold tiles of the shower pressing into her back as the warm spray of water hit her skin while Calum's fingers dug into her hips and his mouth worked to bring her to her first orgasm of the day. There was nothing to grab onto except for burying her fingers in Calum's short dark hair, every time she tightened her grip had him groaning against her, vibrating throughout her body as the moan that fell from her lips echoed in the bathroom.
If it wasn't for Calum's firm grip on her or the wall supporting her back, Josie was sure she would've fallen into a heap as the orgasm rocked through her body, head tilted back and teeth biting into her lower lip before her jaw slackened to release the moan that escaped her. The sound mixed with the consistent spray of the shower, winding around the water in a symphony that wrapped around them. It was Josie's favorite birthday gift.
"You look so pretty." Her lips tugged upwards in a smile as Calum's lips pressed into her neck, his scruff scratching at her skin as his arms wrapped around her toweled figure.
Josie laughed, gaze lifting so her blue eyes could meet his brown through the foggy mirror. "You're just saying that 'cause I'm half naked," she teased as she squeezed some lotion into her hand.
His deep hum warmed her skin where his lips teased. "Maybe," Calum agreed with a teasing smirk, causing Josie to scoff as she rubbed the lotion along her arms. Lifting his head, Calum brushed his lips along her jaw, feeling her lean her back into his chest as he added truthfully, "Also 'cause it's true, pretty girl." His smirk returned when, through the reflection, he watched her gaze drop as the pinkness in her cheeks intensified. With a chuckle, Calum pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, "I'll go make you breakfast."
"Me?" Josie raised an eyebrow, watching as he pulled away from her and grabbed the shirt he'd hung on the rod. "You're not eating?"
Calum tugged the shirt over his head, sweatpants already on as he opened the bathroom door with one hand and shot Josie a wink. "I already ate."
He merely laughed when he shut the door and heard Josie's muffled yet amusedly taken aback, "Calum!" before making his way towards the stairs.
Entering the kitchen, he pulled out the box of pancake mix and box of chocolate chips, getting started on making Josie's favorite breakfast meal. He quietly sang along to House of Cards playing through his phone as he poured some batter into the pan, spatula in hand as he waited to flip it. He felt good, light on his feet as he made the pancakes, his grin only widening when he felt Josie's arms wrap around his waist and her cheek press against his back.
"Smells good," she hummed from behind him, "and I'm not just talking about the pancakes."
Calum chuckled, transferring to cooked pancake onto the plate as he returned, "You're only allowed to be cheesy 'cause it's your birthday."
Josie scoffed, giving his stomach a poke. "Hilarious that you think you can tell me when I can or can't be cheesy."
His grin widened as he poured more batter into the pan. She had a point there. "Fair enough." Then, gesturing to the plate with his free hand, he said, "Eat, doll."
She unwound her arms from around him, stepping over to where the plate was and grabbing a fork and the bottle of syrup. Calum glanced at her as she stood next to him, noting the crop top and jeans she now wore, not one to miss an opportunity to admire how good her ass looked in the jeans, biting his lower lip briefly before returning his attention to the pan.
"Mm, can you stay here forever and just cook every day?" Josie hummed in satisfaction after she swallowed the first bite of the pancake.
A smirk tilted at Calum's lips as he flipped the pancake. "Is that the only reason why you want me to stay?"
Josie snorted. "Duh." He scoffed, bumping his hip with hers that elicited a giggle from Josie as she continued eating, not bothering to move to the table as she remained standing next to him. "Have a bite," Josie then said, piercing a piece of pancake with her fork before holding it up to Calum's mouth.
He chuckled as he closed his lips around the piece, pulling it off with the fork and humming in self satisfaction. "Sweet," he commented after swallowing the bite, before his dark eyes met his blue and he smirked, "I know somethin' that tastes sweeter."
Calum was already leaning in and Josie let out a laugh, silenced by his lips capturing hers in a kiss she earnestly leaned into. The taste of her coconut chapstick mixed with the syrup and chocolate chip pancakes, a combination he enjoyed as he kissed her.
Only to be interrupted by the front door opening and Luke's voice ringing out, "Where's the birthday girl!"
They instantly broke apart, Josie's blue eyes meeting Calum's brown briefly as she grabbed the plate—not before Calum quickly placed another pancake on it—and put some distance between them, leaning against the counter behind Calum as she called back, "In the kitchen!"
Calum's grip on the bowl was tight as he poured the last bit of batter into the pan, watching it cook as he heard Luke's footsteps grow louder as he wandered towards the kitchen. He bit the inside of his cheek, calming down the quickened beat of his heart upon hearing Luke's voice. His footsteps grew closer as Calum flipped the pancake, hearing Luke's voice cheer out, "Happy birthday to my favorite sister!"
Josie scoffed behind Calum, the amusement in her tone as she responded, "Your only sister—oh, my God."
Calum looked over his shoulder as Josie laughed, eyebrows raising with a laugh when he saw the amount of balloons Luke walked in. All colorful, all saying happy birthday, while two silver balloons were shaped into the number 23. Josie stood up, a happy grin on her face that showed off her dimples as Luke set the balloons down and handed her a bag. "This is for you." Josie grinned as she put down the plate, taking the bag from Luke, who glanced at the plate before raising an eyebrow at Calum with a grin. "Birthday breakfast?"
Calum returned the smile, taking the cooked pancake and putting it on Josie's plate before he switched off the stove. "Only for my favorite Hemmings," he quipped, prompting Luke to roll his eyes with a chuckle.
"Oh, this is adorable," Josie laughed, pulling out a jar shaped like a Hershey's Kiss and taking off the lid to see that it was filled to the brim with the tiny chocolates—her favorite. Her grin was wide, dimpled and giddy as she pulled out another thing from the bag, letting out, jumping excitedly on her toes as she looked at the box of AirPods. "You didn't," she grinned, brightly looking up at her brother, who grinned proudly at her reaction. "You're definitely my favorite brother," Josie laughed, wrapping her arms around Luke as he hugged her back, and Calum felt a fond smile tug at his lips as she told him, "I love you."
He engulfed her in a hug, larger frame easily taking over hers as he kissed the top of her head. Calum averted his gaze, feeling as though he was intruding a moment between brother and sister. "I love you, too." Luke chuckled before they pulled away, eyebrows raising as he clapped his hands together. "You guys ready for a full day at the pier? Everyone else is gonna meet us there."
"Yeah—when are we leavin'?" Calum asked, glancing down at himself. He only really needed to change into jeans and he'd be ready.
Luke shot a pointed look at Josie, asking knowingly, "How long will it take you to do your makeup?"
Josie pursed her lips as she put Luke's gifts back in the bag and grabbed her plate. "Give me half an hour," was all she said before taking the two items with her up the stairs, calling back, "Thanks, guys!"
Calum chuckled after her, taking the used pan and spatula and placing them in the dishwasher, and as he faced Luke, the blonde grinned, "Can you make me pancakes for my birthday?"
The brunette grinned despite the clench of his chest. Still, he couldn't help but tease with his arms crossed over his chest, "You're not as pretty as your sister, man."
Luke let out an exaggerated sigh, giving a shrug of his broad shoulders as he crossed his arms. Leaning against the counter Josie had been on, he conceded almost grievingly, "It's why all the boys want her." Then with a smirk, he laughed jokingly and said, "But you'll help me fight them off, won't ya, pal?"
Oh, Jesus fuck.
Luke was only dicking around, Calum knew, yet even so, Calum bit the tip of his tongue as he chuckled shortly in response. The guilt of lying to Luke came back in full swing as he nodded. "Of course, buddy."
And Luke grinned, which only tightened Calum's stomach, because he had no idea that his sister was literally one of his best friend's girlfriend.
*****
The Santa Monica Pier was bustling with people, which wasn't a surprise given that it was summertime and tourists crowded their already overflowing city. But that didn't deter Josie, and the excited grin on her face had Calum's own lips tugging upwards. She had said she didn't want to do anything crazy for her birthday, just wanted to spend it with them at the pier because she hadn't visited it before. The sounds of music playing, people clamoring, the roller coaster rattling mixed with the the distant ripple of the ocean as well as the seagulls flying overhead.
"Back in Davis, my friends and I would go to Six Flags at least once a month," Josie hummed happily as the eight of them stood in line for the rollercoaster—including Luke's new girlfriend, Sierra, who they'd meet a few days prior. Calum glanced at Josie, took in the brightness of her blue eyes even as she squinted up at the coaster. "Especially after exams."
"We can always go to the one in Valencia," Calum suggested with a shrug, adding on with a half smirk, "It may take us hours to get there with L.A. traffic, but we can do it."
Ashton jumped into the conversation, an arm draping over Calum and Josie's shoulders respectively as he grinned dimply. "Is that a date or are the rest of us invited?"
Calum bit his tongue, his eyes meeting Josie's briefly before he quickly answered, "It's not a date," at the same time Josie said, "We'll make it a group thing."
Calum hated that his skin felt hot, especially as Ashton giggled and Luke raised an eyebrow. "Who's going on a date?"
Josie huffed. "No one."
"Calum and Josie," Michael answered with a shit eating grin, joining in on Ashton's teasing, neither of them aware of the tension they were both creating in Josie and Calum's muscles.
For a split second, Calum truly considered throwing two of his best friends off the pier as he watched Luke's face scrunch up at Michael's words. Arm wrapped around Sierra's shoulders, Luke gave a disapproving shake of his finger before scoffing, "Don't even joke about that man."
Oh, for fuck's sake. Calum's jaw tightened as he averted his gaze, feeling only mild relief when Josie groaned. "Jesus Christ—we're standing right here, y'know. Shut up."
The line moved forward as Ashton and Michael erupted into laughter, and with everyone's backs to them, Calum glanced at Josie, who stood with her arms crossed and glare focused on the wood paneled ground. She looked as disgruntled as Calum felt, the boys' teasing and Luke's words striking a nerve Calum himself had yet to relax.
Calum knew it was because of what Luke said—don't even joke about that in reference to the mere idea of Calum and Josie going on a date. It only churned Calum's stomach, knowing Luke's surface disapproval. How would he react if he were to find out that Calum and Josie were already together? Had done far more than just go on a date? Calum tried to tell himself Luke was only protective of Josie, knew her past relationships had only left her burned, and he hoped if it came down to it, Luke knew that Calum would never hurt her. But the idea of, despite knowing that, Luke still not thinking he was good enough for his sister had Calum's stomach churning uncomfortably.
He was pulled out of his thoughts, then, suddenly, when he felt a touch on his right pinky. Calum glanced down and instantly felt the corner of his lips quirk up at Josie's pinky reaching out, curling against his own gently, and his gaze flickered up to meet hers. He saw her pink lips quirk up a bit, a soft smile on her face that instantly calmed down Calum, allowing him to release a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.
So he gave her pinky a little squeeze with his own, glancing forward to see everyone's backs still to them, so Calum took the opportunity to life her hand and press a quick kiss to the back of her hand that widened Josie's smile, dimples and all. If they had been caught in that moment, the smile on her face would've made it worth it.
A couple of hours later—actually, Calum wasn't quite sure how long, because the group of them kept themselves quite busy—he stood in line with Ashton to get some popcorn. Over the sound of the busy pier, he could still make out the sounds of their friends, who'd already gotten whatever they wanted to eat and were occupying the only free bench they'd found a few feet away.
"Hey, man, you okay?" Calum glanced at Ashton, eyebrows furrowing together at his words in confusion. "You've been acting kind of off since Mike and I made that joke about you and Jos going on a date." With an almost nervous chuckle, he added, "We were just messin' around."
Realization flashed across Calum's features, forehead smoothening out as he looked down at his shoes with a gentle scoff. He hadn't meant to look off, especially on Josie's birthday. Except if he did, she knew it wasn't because of her, but because of that brief conversation they'd all been in that Calum seemed to carry with him throughout the day. Josie apparently put in the back of her mind, at least for today, and he didn't blame her for it. But it still sat in the forefront of Calum's mind despite his attempts of pushing it back. The fact that Ashton picked up on it was completely accidental.
"Yeah—except you were gettin' uncomfortably close to the truth."
"I—what?"
Calum inhaled sharply, aware of the words he just let slip, but not entirely sorry for it. He looked at Ashton, noticed the bewildered look swimming in his hazel eyes, and Calum glanced over his shoulder, saw that their friends were still preoccupied, and looked back at Ashton and said, "Josie and I—we're seein' each other."
He watched as his words registered in Ashton's head, lips parting and eyebrows rising as they settled. Ashton looked ahead then, hazel eyes wide and Calum waited patiently as his friend processed the information. Finally, when Ashton looked back at Calum, his expression was still one of bewilderment and curiosity. "Wha—since when?"
"Uh, officially? Almost two weeks but uh—" They moved forward in line and Calum let out a near sheepish chuckle, quiet and low. "We hooked up when I was visitin' my dad a couple of months ago."
"Shit, are you kidding me?" Ashton laughed out incredulously, eyes once again widening as he shook his head. He rubbed a hand down his mouth as he glanced over his shoulder once before asking Calum, "Are you two just fooling around or is it—"
"No, no fooling around," Calum instantly answered with a subtle frown. He let out a breath, feeling his lips curl up when, as if on cue, he heard the sound of Josie's laugh travel over all the noise around them, a warmth in his chest as he told Ashton, "I really like her, man."
Ashton eyed him before smiling through a soft scoff. "I can tell." He gestured to Calum's face, grin widening. "You've got this look on your face just talking about her. It's sweet." Calum let out a short breath through his nose, suppressing the foolish grin threatening to escape as they stepped forward. After he asked the vendor for two packs of popcorn, extra butter on his, Ashton asked, "You gonna tell Luke?"
Calum pursed his lips. "Eventually, yeah," he muttered as he pulled out his wallet. "We're just not sure when—or how. Josie's leaving it up to me, for the most part."
"How come?"
Calum shot Ashton a wry smile. "She's his sister—he can't be mad at her forever. He's got the option to do that for me, though."
A scoff escaped Ashton as he received his popcorn from the vendor, raising an eyebrow at Calum. "You really think she'd let Luke be mad at you forever? Or that he's even capable of being mad at you forever? I'm sure he'd get over it if he saw how happy you two make each other."
Expression flattening, Calum tilted his head skeptically as he also received his popcorn. "You think so?" He was unconvinced. "You saw his reaction to just the suggestion of Jos and I going on a date, right?"
Ashton paused for a moment as they made their way back to their friends, pursing his lips before he nonchalantly finished, "He'll come around."
Calum scoffed as he shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth. Real convincing, Ash.
They kept themselves entertained as the sun started to go down, snacking and making most of the arcade and the gorgeous carousel. But once the sun had set, the group of them got in line for the ferris wheel, its colorful lights bright against the night sky. Before it was their turn to get on, though, Calum had pulled KayKay aside and asked for the small box he'd asked to stash inside her small backpack. He'd played it off earlier, when he'd asked to put Josie's gift in there, that he'd forgotten to give it to her earlier and would do it later. KayKay, fortunately, didn't seem too curious or questioning and complied, and so right before they got on the wheel, he asked for the box and placed it in the inside pocket of his leather jacket, feeling a corner of it dig into his side.
As luck would have it, everyone split into twos to get into the ferris wheel gondolas, and Josie and Calum ended up in one that arrived last, putting distance between their gondola and the ones of their friends.
As it slowly moved up, Calum looked at Josie, watching as the breeze danced through the strands of her blonde hair. "Did you have fun today?" he asked her, right arm easily settling around her shoulders.
Her blue eyes met his, dimpled grin happy. "I did," she confirmed. "All of us here—it's all I wanted."
Calum gave her arm a squeeze, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm glad," he murmured. The wheel stopped once again, just shy of their gondola being at the very top. The view, still, was impeccable. "But I hope you're not counting this as our first date or anything. That's still yet to come."
Josie raised her eyebrows, though the smile on her lips was coy and flirtatious. "Really?"
He scoffed, shooting her a look. "You think our first date's gonna involve all our friends—including your brother?" Calum rolled his eyes. "'S not how I do things, pretty girl."
She laughed, shifting so her left shoulder pressed into the wall of the gondola and her legs were resting across his thighs. She looked up at him, blue eyes glimmering against the lights of the ferris wheel as she hummed, "Fair enough. I can't wait."
Calum grinned just as their gondola stopped at the very top. Josie admired the view, pulling her phone out to take a couple of pictures, and Calum took the opportunity to pull out the small box from his jacket. "Happy birthday, Jos," he smiled, watching as she met his gaze before looking down at the wrapped box. With a chuckle, he added, "Forgot to give it to you earlier."
From the other pocket, he pulled out the card he had for her, and Josie let out a surprised breath as she took the card from him. She opened it and Calum watched as she read the front and let out a laugh. It read If it weren't for you, I'd still be swiping left. "Please," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "As if you'd ever get a dating app."
He grinned. "It's the thought that counts."
"Mhm," Josie rolled her eyes again, though the grin remained on her face as she then read what he'd written inside. Just a simple message, letting her know what she already knew—that he was grateful to have her in his life, in any aspect, no matter what. "You're so sweet," she murmured softly before she moved on to unwrap the box. An excited gasp escaped her and Calum couldn't help but grin, glad he got the gift right as she pulled it out. "A pocket projector!" she cheered, blue eyes bright. "I've always wanted one of these!"
Calum smirked, proud and smug. "I know—I'm just that good," he mused, earning a laugh from her.
"Thank you," Josie smiled, the projector and card in her lap as her blue eyes met his brown. Her hands then lifted to cup his cheeks, pulling him closer which he complied to easily, and Josie's voice softened as she added, "Thank you for being here and celebrating with me."
His hand settled on her hip, admiring the curve of her lashes and the presence of her dimples, his own smile appearing when her nose brushed against hers. "Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else, pretty girl," Calum responded, adoring the grin that curved her lips before he pressed his own against hers.
Sure, his stomach had been in some knots after a thirty second conversation with the boys, nerves acting up at the thought of Luke's disapproval of him and Josie being together, but all of that disappeared the second he was finally able to kiss her. He leaned into her, into her touch and everything about her, remembering that she did make him happy, did make him absolutely dizzy in the best way possible. And he would be damned if he deprived himself of her. Sometimes he had to be a little selfish.