VII

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Uh, nothing, nothing. Sorry."

I know what's wrong, but I don't want to tell him. This feels too personal. This whole thing. And I don't like getting close to people.

But I like him. And I'm willing to at least try and open up for him.

You're turning soft, I think to myself.

He's still holding onto my hand as I finally step into his room.

He releases me and sits on the edge of his bed.

"So, are Michael and Luke your roommates?" I ask.

"They may as well be, they're here practically 24/7." he says, chuckling to himself.

"Oh." I say although I'm dying to know who he lives with in such a nice house.

I'm standing in the middle of the room, fidgeting because I don't know what to do with myself.

Should I sit next to him on the bed?

Should I lay on the bed?

Should I sit on the carpet?

There's a chair in the corner too.

Ugh, decisions.

Vital, vital decisions.

I finally opt for the last seating choice but stop in my tracks when I see a picture of him in a graduation cap and gown. It sits in a frame on top of the dresser and there's two other women in the picture. They share his facial features and by the age differences  I assume one to be his mom and the other his sister.

They look genuinely happy for Calum.

"My parents didn't even come to mine." I scoff pointing to the picture "I was the damn valedictorian, too."

"No offense, but your parents sound like real jerks." he says, eyeing me carefully.

"None taken. I agree fully." I state, plopping into the chair.

"I hated high school." he says.

"Me too, but I liked studying. It kept me busy." I sigh. "Plus I always tried to get the best grades. I thought it would make my parents happy. It didn't." I look down, embarrassed that I just admitted that.

"It's decided, they're officially jerks." he declares before saying "You can sit over here if you want." he chuckles, patting the spot next to him as he moves up to rest against the headboard.

"Uh, yeah, okay." I say as I stand.

"You wanna watch a movie?" he asks. 

"Yes." I say too quickly, relieved that we'll have something to focus on.

He gets up from the bed just as I sit down on it.

He can't seem to sit still, which I take as a sign that he's nervous too.

"Monsters Inc.?" he asks with his back to me as he looks at a shelve full of DVD's.

I'm grateful that he isn't looking at me because I'm smiling at his taste in films.

"I didn't have you pegged for the 'Monsters Inc.' type. I figured you'd be more into like 'Independence Day' or something." I say.

He turns around with a serious expression as he says "Will Smith is the king." then turns back to the shelve, pulling out a case "I just so happen to have 'Independence Day' as well so which will it be?" he asks, holding up both cases.

"Well, I'm feeling kind of adventurous, sooooo, 'Monsters Inc.'" I say, pointing to the case as I choke back a giggle.

"Good choice." he grins.

He grabs his laptop and puts the movie on.

"Who uses DVD's anymore? Why don't you just use Netflix?" I ask while the movie loads.

He shrugs and sarcastically says "I only own the classics, like 'Monsters Inc.'"

I must have the stupidest grin plastered on my face as the movie starts.

We're both leaning against the headboard with the laptop set on the bed between us. There's a pretty big gap between out bodies but when I lift my face to look at him and comment on the movie it suddenly doesn't feel that big. At all.

I open my mouth to speak but the words evaporate once his eyes meet mine.

It's fairly dark in the room, the only light being emitted is by the laptop screen and one bedside table lamp.

Still, I see his eyes move from my eyes down to my mouth. They linger there as he leans closer and puts one hand under my chin to pull my face to his.

My heart's pounding so fast it feels like it's about to explode.

I mumble out a "Uh, Sully and Mike, uh..." but it's so low that I don't think he hears me.

This is the third time I've ever seen Calum. It's also the second time Calum's tried to kiss me.

His lips press lightly to mine and I pull back immediately.

"Calum." I whisper. "Not yet. I'm sorry."

"Oh, okay. Sorry, I thought - " he says as his arm drops back to his side.

I can't deny that I want to kiss him, because I do.

But this is what I do best. I avoid.

"I just don't want to mess this up." I say, gesturing between him and I. "I should go."

"No! Don't go! I'm sorry, I mean, finish the movie at least. I'll keep my hands to myself. I swear it."

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes, it's a great idea." he replies, smiling as if nothing just happened.

"Um, okay, I guess." I say as I turn my attention back to the movie.

...

I wake to Calum chuckling at me.

I slid down the headboard when I fell asleep and am now laying flat. Apparently I tried to turn over and my leg slammed into the laptop.

"Ow." I mutter, rubbing my leg.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." I yawn. "What time's it?"

"Quite late. You slept long."

I groan as I roll out of the bed. "You have a ridiculously comfortable bed. It's dangerous."

"You can stay the night if you want."

"I don't even know you." I say, laughing at the idea.

"There's a spare room down the hall. It's late and you just woke up, you shouldn't drive. Just stay here. I have spare clothes for you too. It'll be fine."

He can be convincing, I'll give him that.

"Oh my God, okay. How do you talk me into stuff like that?" I ask.

"Oh, there's more that I'd like to talk you into." he winks and I feel my cheeks redden.

"Anyways, here's some clothes." he says handing me a t-shirt and sweat pants from the dresser.

I make a mental note to return his shirt that's currently lying on my bed.

I thank him sleepily and follow him as he exits the room and walks down the hallway, opening the door and turning on the light.

It's a small room, about the size of mine at home but there's something comforting about it. More comforting than mine, at least.

"Bathroom's right there." he says, pointing. "There's food in the fridge if you get hungry. Help yourself to anything. And let me know if you need anything else, okay? Sleep well." he says as he starts to leave the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Calum-" I call out.

"Yeah?" he asks, reopening the door and peeking his head in.

"Thank you. For everything." I tell him, hoping he understands just how thankful I am for him. For everything that he is and everything that he has to offer. For the kindness that he's showed me, despite hardly knowing me. Hoping that he understands how much I appreciate the potential that is shared between him and I. Potential for more, more than this. More than I've ever had with anyone.

"Anytime." he replies with a smile and wink as the door shuts behind him.

My last thought before I drift off to sleep is you're going to get your heart broken.

A/N: Poor Calum... Jackie's being lame. Or is she? Dun-dun-dun! On another note, I got some votes!  *does happy dance* Infinite thanks to the person who voted. Like, seriously, you made my day, just sayin'. Also, thank you guys so much for even reading! It means a lot to me. The next chapter's coming soon. Please comment and vote!

Side note: I've been laughing at that .gif on the side for about five minutes now. Like, really. I mean, just look at it.