#calum bb

"Hell, yeah. I need some spinach dip as well, please, Y/N. And that confetti wine thing y'all got. It's so good!" Michael gushed, "God, I love this place. It's nice but no pressure." "Yeah, that's why I love working here," I smiled, "For the rest of you boys?" "What are your drink recommendations?" Calum said and I felt my face flush deep. To say he was my celebrity crush was an understatement. He was my celebrity dream filled with cotton candy clouds and oceans made of marmalade and sweet sugar seaweed. "Um, I, um. Do you like things sweet or strong?" I asked, knowing my words were falling over another and there was no part of me I could fix. Calum acted as if he was thinking about it then looked me up and down, "Make it just like you. Surprise me." "Um, okay, I will." I took down Luke and Ashton's orders and then went to go get them, the hostess bumping into me on her way there. "You're welcome, y/n," she said and I hugged her before heading to get their food and drinks. For Calum, I decided on making something myself for him. A concoction I learned a while ago from a bartender friend and definitely both sweet yet tangy with lemon twist and a spritz ginger and a base of a hard liquor flavored with sour apple and sugar on the rim. I didn't price it for him, just saying he got a simple shot instead. I plated everything then  took it to their table. "Okay so we have a choose your own sampler of calamari and spinach dip with confetti wine, a smooth Chianti, one blue moon, and a special drink for Mr. Hood," I sat everything on the table, "Are you guys ready or do you need more time?" "More time but stand here because we do have questions," Ashton blurted out then backtracked, "If you're not busy that is." "Oh, no. You guys are my last table of the night then I will actually be on the road to Nashville for your concert," I giggled at the admission to that, "I bought my tickets way back when it first went on sale, even a soundcheck experience. I'm pretty excited about No Shame. It's an amazing album." "Thank you. We try to do better each time," Luke smiled and took a sip of his wine, "Oh, this is great." "Thanks it's a house specialty. Any questions?" "Wait," Calum held up a finger, dragging everyone’s attention to him and picking up the glass, "It looks really fruity." The drink came out out a pretty yellow color, my favorite color, "It's my favorite color. Go ahead and taste it." "I bet its pineapple," Michael said, "Like tropical?" "Taste it and see, mate," Luke hit his shoulder and Calum rolled his eyes, took a sip, and his eyes opened wide as hell. "Sour as hell," Calum laughed, "Yet a sweet aftertaste." "It's my own creation, I call it the Sour Patch obviously," I joked and Michael laughed. Calum nodded, giving me his approval. "How is your salmon?" Ashton asked, looking up at me with those sweet honey green tea eyes. Wow, he really did look like the cutest pool in real life. "Do you like nice things?" "Yes." "Then the salmon is for you. It's herb encrusted and comes with garlic mashed potatoes," I pulled out my notepad with one swift movement, "Huge recommend." "I'll get that then," Ashton smiled up at me and if I wasn't such a Calum girl, I would fall apart under his gaze. How do Ashton girls survive? "I think I want the ravioli?" Luke said and Michael started laughing loudly, "Ravioli, ravioli, give me the formioli!" The table erupt into laughs and I shook my head taking down his order. I heard that joke so much each day, I'm over it. "I'll have the egglant parm with zoodles," Michael chose a vegan option and I jotted it down, turning to Calum, "And for you, sir?" "Oh, girls usually don't call me sir unless in bed," Calum joked cheekily and I rolled my eyes. "You're lucky you're cute or else I'd have your server switched for that comment." "Am I not allowed to flirt with you?" "I am working, sir," that time I said it purposefully and with a wink, "I am a Calum girl...but I like to keep my source of income. What would it be?" "What's your favorite meal here?" "The chicken margherita, sir," I guessed where he was going with that and wrote his order down. I then grabbed their menus, "I'll be back with salad and bread sticks shortly." I turned to leave but not before hearing a loud whisper from Michael, "Yo dude, you just flirted with the waitress. Since when do you flirt anymore?"

"Alright, boys, is this going to be together or separate?" I smiled up at them as I started messing around with the ziosk. "Eh, make it separate. I don't like these lads all that," Luke said and I laughed pulling up his check on the screen and slid it over to him. I let them all pay and then gave it to Calum, "Okay, just do the same as them, swipe your card, adjust your tip amount and then sign." "Alright, miss," Calum said and then turned his screen to me, adjusted his tip amount to 100% and then signed. "Sir, that's a 100% tip. Your check will be doubled." "Oh, that's certainly not enough then," Calum reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of 20s, "Consider it gas money." "We'll see you later, Cal," Michael said and the other boys scooted out leaving me with Calum. More confusion came to mind at whatever plan that I missed. "Gas money," I repeated not fully comprehending and Calum nodded, taking time to smile up at me and let his eyes wonder across my face and take it in. I kind of liked it, "For why?" "I have a question for you," Calum said with a smile, "Will you say yes?" "Depends." "So, driving on a tour bus for months with multiple smelly teenage boys is terrible, yeah?" "I do have brothers so I can imagine." "How would you feel if I drove these next couple hours alongside you? We're both headed to the same place, why not carpool?" Calum said, standing then. I realized just how much taller than me he was to me like this and the fact that I got to look up at him was amazing. "Carpooling isn't four hours long," I couldn't really process what this gorgeous man was asking me. He wanted to stay in a car. With some girl he just met. For four hours. "I know it sounds crazy but, I got gas and snack money," Calum giggled, "It will be fun. I'm great at carpool karaoke." I stopped and thought about it for a second. Weighing the pros and cons.

Pros: Calum Hood. Cons: I just met Calum Hood.

Pros: I don't have to pay anything Cons: I'm a strong independent woman who don't need no man.

Pros: that man is Calum Thomas Hood. Cons: I am the worst flirt

Pros: he wants to hang out with me Cons: i don't even want to hang out with me.

"Hello, earth to y/n," Calum waved in front of my face, snapping me out of my face. Just from that movement I saw his hands in my face, perfectly made and covered in tattoos. And I wanted that hand everywhere. Yeah, I've decided. "Yeah, sure, just let me close out." I turned my back on him after he said he'll be waiting up front for me. What have I done?

After clocking out, I changed into my street clothes of just leggings and a hoodie so I can be comfortable driving down. Now looking at it, I sort of regretted not looking like a bad bitch on this ride since I suddenly had company. "Hey, Y/N, enjoy the concert!" my work wife called to me as I left and I kissed her cheek before leaving, "Will be bringing me a souvenir, yeah?" "Yes, I will," I waved goodbye and went up front to the lobby area to see the tall Maori man looking over at me and a wave of his hand. "Hello, Y/N," he opened the door and led me out just as I saw a large van leave, "The boys just left so now you have to take me. No backing out now." "Fun," I laughed and walked over to my Kia. I saw he had a large book bag with him and popped the trunk, "Just toss it in." I got into the car and Calum did the same, "Alright, Calum, I am going to give you the aux. You better play some good shit or I will severely judge you." "Oof," Calum said, taking the Bluetooth, "Than I better pick great, huh?" "Damn right you better," I said and reversed out of the lot and to the gas station. Needed to fuel up my car, myself, and my soul before I got on this ride. I heard the sound of Don't Stop blare out through my car's speakers and just looked over at the man, "Really? Don't Stop?" "You said it better be great. It's our best song." "You think so?" I mocked him, squinting at him and scrunching up my face as he laughed that boyish laugh, "You really think so huh? Because you are RIGHT, motherfucker. Turn that shit up!" "Oh, no," Calum said, his voice in a fake panic, moving to change it and I grabbed his hand before he could. "ASK FOR YOUR NUMBER. SAID YOU DON'T HAVE A PHONE," I started screeching as I pulled into the gas station and parked at a pump. Calum was laughing his off on this side, covering his face with his other hand. I couldn't help it. It was one of the first songs by them I liked unfortunately. I do not respect Don't Stop slander. I reached for his other hand pulled his body so he was looking at me and then actually sang, "Everybody wants to take you home tonight, But I won't stop until I make you mine, SING IT CALUM." He laughed, his face crinkling around his eyes and his smile taking over his face as his body shook in laughs. It was beautiful to watch and nevertheless he sang with me, "Don't stop, doing what you're doing." "Yeah! Cause every time you walk in the room you got all eyes on you." "AND YOU KNOW IT, KNOW IT, KNOW IT," we sung together and collapsed in a laughing fit, my head knocking into his. Our heads collided like two bowling balls and I groaned at the feeling, "Fuck." Calum rubbed his head, his face skewing in pain, "Shit maybe we should stop." I giggled and rubbed my head and he moved my hand gingerly, picking it up look at where I was rubbing. I felt his breath whisper next to my ear and it took all of me not to start shuddering in chills at his proximity. His large hands rubbed gingerly at the part of my skull where our heads hit and he looked down at me, his voice soft and heavily accented as he spoke barely above a whisper, "Are you okay?" His eyes could only be described as the Underworld. As if, if I looked away I would end up falling down, down, down to never be seen again. They were so deep and on display. I wanted to stare at him forever, "Yeah. I'm okay." "Great," Calum moved away and suddenly the air around me felt cold, "I'll go get some gas and snacks. What your energy drink of choice?" "Cold brew. Black," I said and he nodded, "Respect. Like a woman who enjoys shaking from coffee." After he shut the car door and walked into the station, I hit my head against the steering wheel, trying to get my heart to stop jumping ten feet out of my chest.

It was going to be a long drive.

"Wait, so you've never left this area?" Calum asked me two hours into our drive. We spent time talking about everything around us and avoiding the deeper topic of ourselves. "I've basically stayed in the Midwest all my life till I moved here so I've never experienced a different timezone," I stated matter of factually as we passed through into another city. "Shit, I've been around the world too many times," Calum said, staring out the window, his voice going dreamily as he thought about it. "Is it tiring?" "I guess you could say that," Calum picked up his drink and took a swig of it, "A lot to get used to. Never home for as long as I would like to be and when I am, I'm bored. It's become a routine being on the road." "Yeah, I imagine," I nodded as I started to just cruise since the next hour was going to be a straight shot into Nashville, "I always wanted to travel. I think everyone does though." "That is true, it's amazing to see the world. It's much more than your own bubble," he said and I nodded. "I always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef," I said, taking a quick glance at him. He was staring at me, fully, his eyes on me as if I was the only thing worthy of looking at. "Not to change the topic, but you're incredibly beautiful," I smiled at his compliment and rolled my eyes, "why the eye roll?" "Thanks, I am, I'm just not your type," the words came out of my mouth so matter of fact but the way the man next to me started laughing made me look over at him. "My type? What do you think my type is?" Calum said between laughs, keeping his full attention on me. "Perfect body, makes the greatest insta posts easily, perfect hair, perfect smile, probably has dreams of modeling or something, white passing or white or just not ethnic but exotic," I could have continued on but Calum was quick to interrupt. "You mean, my friends date girls like that," he said quickly, "Yeah THEY are constantly dating models. doesn't make me think any less of them. They're are different types of beautiful. And you and your skin and your hair and your smile and body are the most beautiful thing to me, y/n. Now I'm going to nap the rest of the way but I want you to know you're definitely my type. I wouldn't have did so much extra shit just to get you alone." "Calum-" "And when we get there, I want to take you out on a date."

Taglist:

They were even more beautiful in person was the only thing I noticed as we walked up. Each boy had this dazed, yet tired look on their face and were talking amongst each other. I heard Ashton's iconic giggle at something Calum had whispered to him while Luke and Michael were playing some game that involved hitting each other and fast hand motions. "We're a serious band, huh?" Angie sassed and they all turned around and went red. "We didn't know you guys would be coming in so quietly!" Michael said, his voice just a naturally loud volumne, "Come in! Bring it in!" Michael said this as he brought Tasha in for a hug and I swear she melted into his arms instantly. Angie and I went to go hug each of the boys, starting with Luke, then Michael, Ashton, then Calum. When I got to Calum, he looked down at me and smirked before bringing me in for a hug. It only got odder when I felt his lips move next to my ear and a soft whisper, "You're very beautiful." It was so faint, I was sure I didn't actually hear it.

"What's the move?" Tasha asked once the show was over. We were still buzzing on a high from seeing them. They were honestly amazing. Their vocals were insane live and honestly, we may just go again. "How about to get a drink?" Angie suggested and we all nodded. We didn't have classes tomorrow anyway, so why not live a little? "Alright, ladies," I said dramatically, "Time for Mission Wasted, do you accept?" "Ai yi, captain," the two girls said in their best pirate voices. "Alright then, laddies!" I laughed, "There's a bottle of scotch with our names on it." "Oooh, I can't."

____

There was nothing Calum liked more about after shows than the drinking parts. After most shows, Ash and him went out on the town to celebrate if they could before getting back on the tour bus. Often times, inside the city, no one recognized him so he didn't have to worry that much. The club was buzzing at it reached midnight. People were still coming in and Calum was sitting in the VIP booth watching everyone as he drunk a glass of the most expensive bourbon he could get. Women were walk naked and men were sweaty and all of them grinding against each other. Ashton clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Ay, mate, think I found a girl for tonight. I'm gonna head out." "Wear a condom," Calum responded and Ash laughed saying something along the lines of  'of course' before leaving him to his people watching. It was then after Ashton left that he saw her. She just reached the bar and she was radiant against the club lights. Calum took her in, everything about how beautiful she was. He remembered mentioning that to her at the meet and greet earlier. He felt this insane craving just by looking at this mysterious woman and knew he had to have her. "Hey," Calum called a waitress came over, "Put everything that girl orders on my tab." The waitress nodded and went to go do just that. He watched as the girl got the news of it and looked up at him. She smirked before saying something to the bartender. Whoever this girl was had huge guts because the next thing Calum knew the bartender was grabbing a bottle off the top shelf and handing it to her. She looked up at him and held up a thumbs up before disappearing into the crowd. Calum laughed, admiring her little game she was playing but knew he wasn't leaving tonight without her on his arm. He damn near ran down the stairs to where he last spotted the beautiful girl and found her walking to a booth. He followed after he composed himself. "Hello," Calum said as he walked up and saw the girl dishing out the bottle between her two other friends. She turned to him but he still got a good look at her ass. It should be a fun night. "Hey, thanks for the drinks," one of her friends giggled. She quickly shushed her and turned to Calum. God, she was gorgeous. "I was wondering if you wanted to dance," Calum asked the beautiful girl. She set her mouth in such a way and put a hand on her hip, "Look around, Calum. It's girls night. We don't leave the girls for dicks." "Yeah!" her other friend, obviously drunk already, yelled out, "Chicks before dicks!" Calum's been rejected before, no doubt. But it always stung whenever it happened. It was also frustrating. "Maybe another time. I'm the designated driver," the girl pulled him aside and slipped something in his pocket, "Be there at 2AM. No earlier." Calum smirked. She would definitely be getting punished later for this.

 It was just a perk of seeing this man every day. "What is it?" I said and he just shook his pretty head, showing me his laptop screen. On it, all I saw was a bunch of coffee tables. Some glass, some wood, some plastic. All different. What even? "I don't know what kind of coffee tables to get when you move in," he smiled nervously at me, looking me in the eye and I broke out laughing at this pitiful boy. He was the absolute cutest. "Calum!" I managed to get out between laughs and he pouted, his cute full lips sticking out, knowing his puppy face was my weakness. I went and put myself in his arms and he hugged me, leaning his head on the top of mine, "That is not an emergency, bubba." "What if you hate the coffee table?" "It's hard to hate something that's purely functional." "What if it's ugly?" "Just go with wood, bubba." I said and I felt his heart stop. "Mahogany? Chestnut? Oak? Pine?" "I'll choose the table. Alright?" I lifted my head to look him in the eye and he smiled at me before moving to kiss the tip of my nose. "I was hoping you would say that. Can you also choose the new bed set, tables, and guest room lay out?" Calum said, giving me a nervous smile and I giggled. I was so in love with this boy. "Let's just hire an interior designer," I suggested and he nodded, relief flooding his face. I was glad to be the brain of us. "That could work too, thanks baby. You always make everything so much easier," Calum said, giving me a bunch of kisses all over my face. "How unprofessional!" I fake yelled, "Mr. Hood, are you trying to come onto me? In the workplace? What will people think?" He kissed me deeply after that fell out of my mouth. I was quick to kiss back, throwing my arms over his shoulders, glad I wore the heels that made me closer to do this very specific thing. He pulled away right before we went into full blown making out territory. "Is it working? Me coming onto you?" Calum said and I laughed at him, "Don't you want to know what it's like to come home with the boss man? See what its like to be with aboss." "Oh, but will your fiancee approve, Mr. Hood? I heard she loves you way too much to share," I asked him, knowing damn well it was me. I loved whenever we roleplayed like this. It was always so silly and giggly and cheered Calum up. "I think she'll be fine with it," Calum said before pulling me so close that my body was slick with his, he put one hand in mine and wrapped his free arm around my waist. "Alexa! Turn on our song." I groaned as I heard his Alexa's voice cue up Death of a Bachelor by Brandon Urie, "Calummm, I don't have the shoes to dance today." "I told you not to put them on this morning," Calum remarked. Sometimes I really hated that sass that I fell in love with, "You did this to yourself." "You did this to yourself," I mocked him and stuck my tongue out and he just licked my tongue, "Oh my god, you're so weird!" "It's only because I love you," Calum smiled down at me as he began leading the dance across his office. I knew he was trying to get me to practice our first dance as man and wife, as well. I wasn't mad at him though. I looked into his deep brown eyes and just smiled at how happy this man made me ever since I met him when I was just a fresh out of graduate school marketer, I was over was the social media division. I remember seeing him for the first time, when his father still ran the place, and he was right beside him in some gray and black suit with his curly black hair everywhere. He smiled at me when I first walked in to the marketing meeting and I smiled back not knowing that he would someday be the love of my life and I'd have a pretty diamond ring on my finger because of him. Funnily enough, he proposed in a meeting. Well, it was a sham of a meeting and all my other colleaques were in on it. I walked in to Calum having a powerpoint cue'd up for one of his newest ideas for some new artist he wanted to market alot of off and considering that was my branch, most of my colleaques and employees were there, watching. I sat through the meeting, taking notes on what Calum wanted and tried to come up with the best way to make this new DJ we signed a hit. I was forming a good plan by the third slide. On the fourth slide, there was a video diary of the relationship Calum and I held over the years. I couldn't take my eyes off of it as I watched it. I didn't want to either. Seeing Calum grow just as much as I had and all the while, I got an outsider's perspective of the love that he and I must share. I looked over at Calum, trying to figure out why he would show all of my coworkers that deeply intimate thing, until I looked around the table and saw them all holding a ring box. Each ring seemed to be more beautiful than we last. "So, I had them all pick a ring. Then I bought them all," Calum said, scratching the back of his neck, "I didn't know which one you would like more so I bought them all." "I would have liked anything you gave me, bubba," I said and quickly walking over to him. He was quick to kiss me deeply and hold me to him. I could tell just how nervous my baby was. "Please say you'll marry him and continue to make me this happy for the rest of my life," Calum said, putting his forehead to mine and pulling me closer. "If you say no," my coworker, Ashton, spoke up, "We have a pros list on all the reasons you shoulda said yes." I looked over and saw the next slide just filled with Pros for Marrying Calum Hood.

Pros: -it's Calum Hood -he's rich and famous -you've been together for over three years -you two are so happy together -you'd have the cutest babies! -calum -hood

Cons: -what's a con it's Calum motherfucking Hood?

Calum looked at me and smiled. He knew my answer as much as anyone in this room did but I knew how it must have felt to want to hear the words. "I want nothing else to be your wife."

"Ashley invited me. I'm on her production team," I told the man in front of me and he nodded, taking a sip from the drink in his hand and getting a look around at this place. He looked familiar but I couldn't care enough right now to place it. This party was fun, yet full of people I never really got on with. That's, after all, most of what this industry was. People from supposedly different walks of life in a room, whereas the harsh reality was it was mostly just white people from a billion different towns and the occasional black or brown person sprinkled in. Which is why I only went to other poc parties, I didn't want to feel any more subjected than I already am, daily. We were at the corner of the party, blending into the dark corners. I was more into people watching than sitting there, looking at all these people and realize I don't belong here. For some reason, I thought Ashley's party would be different. "I'm Calum," he said after a moment of the both of us watching two guys dance, high off some substance, and strip to nothing. I looked in astonishment and he looked incredulous back at me. He turned his full body back to me and reached out to shake my hand, "You are?" "I don't know," I smirked, giving his hand a shake, watching as his large, brown hand enveloped mine, "I liked the Dollface bit. I may have to change my name."

I've always loved pet names since I was younger. From my aunties and many older cousins constantly calling me, 'sugar', 'tink', 'baby girl' to just about anything under the sun. I missed it out here in LA. Most pet names felt either patronizing or downright sexual. I miss the affection in them. "Well, Dollface," Calum looked around, his eyes going wide, I figured he had an idea forming, "Do you want to get out of here? Between you and me, I'd rather be anywhere else, not this uncomfortable in a friend's house." I smirked at the boy, though I agreed with everything he was saying, I wasn't that easy. I still couldn't place his face, even though he looked softer than a bunny. My mom did not raise a fool though, "You think I'll go with some boy I just met? I'm not gonna end up on the news." "Trust me," Cal held up his hands, showing the palms of them. I got a good look at the ink that covered them, what peaked out from under his jackets sleeves. He looked artistic with the black ink decorating his skin, "I couldn't hurt a fly if I tried." I thought about it for a second. I looked back around at Ashley's party. I watched as some guy, skin shining in the black lighting of the room, showing just how flushed he was, his porcelein decorated in tattoos and his inky, jet black hair, long and greasy, climb onto Ashley's coffee table, a bag of some small, pill drug in his hand and yell, "Who's ready for Pictionary!" "Yeah, let's get out of here," I said quickly and rushed out the door. Calum was quick to follow behind.

--

"So what's it like being in a rock band?" I asked Calum. We left the party around 9 at night. Still way too early to just go home. We found ourselves, just an hour later, in some beat up diner on the outskirts of town, eating whatever they had to offer and a table covered in a slur of milkshakes. "Uhhhh," Calum thought for a second, taking a sip of the salted caramel milkshake before taking out his straw and sliding it over to me, "It's amazing for the most part." "I use to want to be in a rock band," I confessed, putting my straw into the milkshake and slurping. That was pretty darn good. "Why didn't you?" This time he grabbed a cheesecake one and tried it. His face scrunched up in thought at the taste then nodded. He approved, sliding it to me. "It's pretty hard to be black and taken seriously in genres like that and country. It's hard enough just being in the industry," I said honestly and he nodded, completely understanding me. "My fans whitewash me," Cal's voice was solemn stating that, he spoke softly, looking down at the table, his fingers tracing the wood grain. Something that probably hurt him at the erasure of his culture and skin tone to fit some looks that girls wanted him to be. I'd believe it considering whenever someone even labelled me as anything less than what I am, it took a complete hit. I could only imagine what that was like on a larger scale to people that never met you. I took a sip of the cheesecake milkshake and he went on, "It was really bad when we first came out. People would take pictures of me and raise the exposure," he paused and barked out a laugh that didn't quite sound as hearty, "I swear in some photos I was paler than Mikey." I gave him a sad smile and he threw a butter packet from the dispenser at me. I yelped and ducked quickly out of the way, the packet hitting the booth instead of me, "Watch it!" "Don't sad smile me," Calum giggled, taking another sip of the salted caramel milkshake, "I'm a grown man, Doll." "Even grown men get compassion sometimes, Calum," my voice was soft and he looked up at me then, like really looked at me. His brown eyes held me there and I felt like he was reading me, trying to figure out what I had to gain from this, but it was nothing. I gained nothing from our interaction right now and I think he saw that in my eyes in that moment.

---

"Holy hell, doll, you're wig scared the shit out of me," I giggled at Calum coming into the room, holding the mannequin head with one of my wigs placed on top of it. I was currently in the middle of washing my hair and was busy towel drying it when he came in. We'd been dating for six months now. To say the six months wasn't one of the best of my life, would be a complete lie. I was fully devoted to Calum and he was to me. It felt like since we met, we were meant to be. He just understood me completely and I understood him and all his wants, needs, and pleasures. I knew it from the first time he shook my hand and how my hand fit in his, it was perfect. I watched Cal from the mirror as he looked at the mannequin. I heard him clear his throat and I sighed. Whatever he said was going to be something annoying, I just know it. "Wow, Calum, you're so gorgeous," Calum spoke in a high pitch voice, moving the mannequin's head as he spoke, making his ventriloquist debut, I suppose. "Oh, god," I groaned. "Oh, thank you, dollface" he said in his normal voice. Then in his crazy voice, he spoke again, "You're so hot, you scalped me." I nearly choked on my own laughter. I loved his puns so much and he knew it. I rested my head in my palms and he continued. "Is that you meant when you said you wanted me to pull your hair?" "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." I was full on laughing at this point, nearly breathless watching him go back and forth talking to my wig. At some point, he decided to put it on his shaved head. "How do I look, doll?" he said and squatted down to where I was in front of the mirror, getting a good look at himself. "Wow, Calum, you're so gorgeous," I mocked him and he rolled his eyes at me. "Don't act like you don't love my shenanigans," Cal draped his arms around my waist, pulling me in close before kissing my lips softly. I love you, I thought but was careful not to say it. Not yet.

---

"It's hardly anything special, doll." "Hardly anything special?" I was literally bouncing on the balls of my feet. Calum chuckled at me, pulling me into his lap and kissed my cheek. "This is something you want, right?" Calum asked me, his eyes wide, "I've always been scared of doing this but doing this with you just makes sense." "Calum," I grabbed his face and pinched his large cheeks. I couldn't help but giggle at the squishy boy, "It's perfect. Post it!" For the past nine months, we've been dating in secret. The boys knew about his, so did my coworkers and Ashley but the rest of the world did not. We were pretty decent at not having any pictures of us taken, most people just assuming I was a new manager of theirs since I was Ashley's. But we were nearing one year and we wanted to go out in public together, alone, and be a couple. I wanted to say that Calum Thomas Hood was my baby and no one elses. "Alright, but once I do," Calum said, pulling out his phone. His voice was grave as if trying to scare me and I just rolled my eyes at him, "There's no going back." "I don't want to go back. I want you," I said and he pulled me closer into his lap. "Keep talking like that and I'll want you riding me in just a second," Calum's voice was dark and I winked at him. "What makes you think I don't want that too?" I whispered in his ear and he growled, his lips attaching to my neck. I moaned as he began with the soft kisses in all the spots I wanted, "We're getting distracted, love." He groaned and moved away, unlocking his phone. He tucked his head in the pit of my neck and cuddled me close. Our bodies pressed together as if he was scared I'll leave at any second, "I'm yours. No matter what happens." "I'm yours, Calum. Don't worry, you act like they're going to kill me," my arms were wrapped around his shoulders and my cheeks getting irritated by the small strands of his hair, but I didn't move. I never wanted to leave his embrace. Calum showed me his phone as he posted it.

@Calum5sos Santa gave me the best gift this year.

Underneath was a a picture of the two of us in my full length mirror. We were both wearing matching Christmas pajamas, covered in festive prints with Duke at our feet in his own Christmas jumper. My hair was out and unstyled, something I hardly ever did unless I was home, Calum was in his full scruff and just woken up eyes, holding me snug against his body as he took the photo with Duke jumping onto his legs. We were both smiling happily in the photo that was taken just yesterday. "I love that picture," I mumbled and I felt Calum smile against my skin. The comments began rolling in. My heart sank.

(A/N: i hope these aren’t anyones names besides the three i hyperlinked)

@domsmash: OH, so he likes them black, huh?

@discalneckted: i'm so sad about this. interracial dating is never okay

@galcalirwin: oh my gosh, you look so happy, I'm so happy about this! I'm shipping it fully! You go, Cal.

@bluebabycal​: this makes me SO soft asjhfdkjjssjs. i can't believe i'm blessed.

@lmmuffinsos​: if i don't get at least one (1) metaphor comparing her skin to beautiful things on the next album, i'm unstanning

@ifcalhoodwaswhite: why are you guys so excited about this, this is not OKAY? @ifcalhoodwaswhite: Calum should be single or dating one of his own! @discalneckted liked this comment @galcalirwin​ replied: Literally go fuck yourself. Race means nothing when he's smiling that big

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