#soccer!cal

[calpops]

so i’m apologising in advance for possibly bombarding you! but hm the first thought on my mind is first time attending soccerplayer!cal’s game and maybe after they do the halftime timeout he rushes to the bleachers to give you a kiss 😪

The day was warm, the sun bright in the sky among tufts of wispy clouds. Your weekend afternoons were usually calm, a place of peace among a hectic week; soft sheets with the air conditioner on low and your favorite show playing as background noise. Instead you found yourself among an uproarious crowd, sat on an uncomfortable seat in humid conditions. Your boyfriend was on the field, his excitement when inviting you to his first game of the season had warmed your heart. You’d been dating a while, had come to the exploration phase of your relationship. Learning about each other and your interests. Soccer was a huge part of Calum’s world; a part you were happy to be included in. Seeing him so in his element was a bit breathtaking.

You watched in awe as he played with all of his heart, the way he did most things. You had come to learn Calum was an all or nothing type; giving his all to every opportunity that presented itself. By the time halftime had rolled around you had completely immersed yourself in the game; but more so on Calum. Your eyes had found a way to stay with Calum, trace his movement and watch the way his body responded to the game. It caught you off guard to realize half time had already approached, the crowd settling or dispersing around you. Your attention was broken for Calum momentarily but you found him quite quickly by the sidelines, hands on his hips as he listened to another player; one of his best friends, Ashton.

When the conversation ended among the pair of players Calum rushed over to you, grin broad and hair tousled. You welcomed him quickly, standing fast and smiling. You were in his arms in a split second, his lips gracing yours with a small kiss. It had you smiling, wishing for more but understanding he had minimal time to be in the stands with you. His team awaited.

“I’ll see you after the game?” He asked.

“Of course,” you said with a nod and waved for him to get back to his team.

He did, but not before stealing one last quick kiss and leaving you eagerly awaiting the end of the game.

***

Sorry if this wasn’t very good, I don’t know much about soccer 🥺

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[boyfriend-cal]

The Jersey - Calum Hood

I still have one request in my inbox but this was in my drafts so don’t think I’m ignoring your request! I’ll get to it soon.

Description: In high school, it’s a fact that if you’re a guy on a sports team, a girl of your choice gets to wear your spare jersey to the game. What happens when the star player, Calum Hood, only has one game left in his soccer career and hasn’t given his to anyone, ever?

Word count: 3.1k

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+++

“Okay Cal, out of all the girls that ask to wear a jersey just to be petty, I’ve chosen one.” You sigh, leaning against the couch and looking behind it to where he’s standing.

You two go through this every week. Calum is #1 on the team and he’s the only guy who’s never given his jersey to anyone. Most guys on the team give them to their girlfriends or whoever they’ve been talking to that week. Others find girls that are only trying to wear one to make someone else jealous.

So many girls come up to you and Calum at school asking to be considered for this weeks game. He always took note of her name which led to this.

“What’s her name?”

“Ashley, the girl who came up to us after Chem a couple of days ago. I’ve asked around and as far as I know, she doesn’t have any issues with anyone else. You wouldn’t be caught in the middle with this one.”

That was really the point of the lists. Calum liked to stay out of the whole “wearing a jersey to make someone else jealous” situation. He’s not one for drama.

“Don’t like her. I’ll wait until next week to pick someone.” He says, uninterested. You roll your eyes at him and sigh.

Honestly, you should’ve given up a long time ago. And you would’ve, but Calum is the one who asks for these lists. It’s been 3 years now that you’ve made one for every soccer game there is, and he’s never said yes.

It’s a little bit frustrating, but you’re his best friend and you like to make him happy. For the first year or so you thought maybe you’d get to wear the jersey, maybe as like a default until he found a girlfriend he liked, but he never asked. Making the lists made you feel a little bit better about that though because if he didn’t want you to wear it you could pick someone that was good for him.

It didn’t stop him from always shooting it down. You’d worn a couple of other guys jerseys before and each time Calum would pout and say he was supposed to be the one you’re cheering on. You saved yourself from an argument and laughed it off.

“Next week is senior night, our last game. The most important.” I throw my notepad onto his coffee table and he pads over to collapse onto the couch next to me.

“I know. I’ll figure something out.” Calum pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his Instagram feed.

“You don’t have to give it to anyone. Let your mom wear it or something.” You tuck your knees under yourself and pull a blanket around you.

“They’re giving us shirts for our parents to wear when they walk us out at the beginning.” He mumbles and you can tell something put him in a bad mood in the last five minutes because he wasn’t like this earlier.

“Okay well I’ve gotta go but I’ll see you in the morning. You good, Cal?” You pat his leg and wait a second for confirmation from him. All you get in response is “mhm” and a sigh.

You decide to leave anyway because if you stay and ask he’ll get defensive and you two already argued about something stupid earlier in the day. It wasn’t worth it.

+

The next days game was pretty uneventful because your school was projected to win by a landslide and they did. Seeing Calum happy and screaming with his team made you happy after this funk he’s been in for the last couple days.

He meets up with you at the fence and you let him know you’re going to skip out on the after party that you two usually go to together. After your goodbyes, you head home and look forward to actually sleeping in the next day. (A tradition you started, no one could bother you before noon every Saturday.)

And that’s why when several loud knocks ring through your house at 10am, you’re more than annoyed. Way past grumpy, you trudge down the stairs and swing open the door. You’re ready to tell this person off, but you can’t once you see Calum. He looks like he’s also just woken up. His hair is a mess and his hoodie sleeves are pulled over his knuckles.

“Calum? It’s not even 11am and you know I sleep on Saturdays so can we-“

“No, I need to come in now. I have a plan. I woke up and I needed to tell someone.” He lifts your arm that’s holding the door open but also preventing him from stepping inside.

By the time you turn around, you just barely see his feet disappearing at the top of the stairs. After you shut the front door, you yawn and amble after him.

Calum is sitting in the middle of your bed, a blanket draped over his shoulders and your notebook in front of him. When you get closer you realize he also has your favorite pen resting between his lips.

“Scoot over.” You grumble, pushing him a little bit so you can sit down too. Your head falls to his shoulder and you knuckle your eyes to keep from falling asleep.

“I have a plan for who I’m giving my jersey to for the last game and it’s going to be big. You want to hear it?”

You weigh your options as you realize this isn’t the first time you heard this. Last night at the game, you’d been sitting being some juniors talking about him but you hadn’t really paid attention because you figured it was just a rumor. News like that was passed around every week, yet he still hadn’t ever committed.

“Sure, who is it?”

“Not telling. Only you and Kyle will know the plan but no one gets to know who. So...”

++

Finally, Thursday came around again. Game days were Fridays but the day before was when the pep rallies and celebrations were. It didn’t make a lot of sense to anyone but the athletic coaches. They were the ones that insisted the soccer boys only attend three of their classes on game day and spend the rest of the time leading up to the event in the locker room or in the turf room.

You were happy that Calums plan was taking place today, but only because afterward, he’d stop talking your ear off about it. You tried not to be bitter, and you succeeded when he was around. When he wasn’t, it was a different story.

You really wanted to not feel bitter about it. You were his best friend, and of course he didn’t have a crush on you like you did him. It was easy to hide until something like this happened. You knew him better than anyone else, so why couldn’t he just let you wear the damn jersey to make you happy? Why couldn’t someone make a grand gesture like Calum was about to?

To be fair, you never asked because you didn’t want to make it seem like it was a big deal when you’d been telling him he didn’t have to give it to anyone for three years.

You were fine until you were in your elective that usually only freshman take, but since you needed an easy A you signed up anyway. Big mistake. She’d approached you with something like,” Oh, you’re Y/N?”

You’d replied, trying to be nice at first but losing all cool once she rolled her eyes. “You’re not thinking it’ll be you, right? He’s had three years to give it to you, what would make him want to know? I’ve seen pictures, you looked better back then.”

After that, it was hard not to think about it. Especially since that was the last class you had to attend before the pep rally. Calum was waiting outside afterward, just like he always was. He immediately noticed that you looked upset.

“Y/N? What’s the matter?” He pulled you to the side and away from the students filing out of the classroom.

“Nothing, but I think I’m going home. The pep rally isn’t really where I want to be right now.” You shake your head and his eyes immediately filled with worry. You kind of hate yourself for ruining his good mood.

“What? No. The plan takes place at the pep rally. You’re my best friend, and I need you there. Without you I can’t do it.” You knew what it looked like when Calum started to panic, and this was it. Wide eyes, hands holding tight to yours, fast breaths, he had it all.

“Okay okay. I’m standing by the door though, not sitting with the crowd. You’re going to do great anyway, with or without me.” You look him in the eyes and give his arms a squeeze before you turn both of you toward the gym.

“Fuck, it’s so nerve wracking and people have been talking about it all day. Kyle must’ve been a snitch. Maybe I shouldn’t do it.” Calum rambled nervously as you two made your way through the halls. This time, all eyes were on him much more than normal.

“No, you can do this. Come on, let’s go.” You tugged on his sleeve and got him to follow.

“Fine.”

We enter the gym and you give him one more reassuring look before you join your favorite teacher next to the door. Usually, only the teachers stand up, but she never minded hiding you with her.

Calum went to join the team on the benches at the side of the court. Your hands were sweaty now, what if the girl he chose said no? What if he got humiliated in front of the whole high school? You knew as his best friend that you needed to support him but you also had to prepare to do some damage control if something went wrong.

You’re almost knocked over by the cheerleaders entering the big room with the dance team following right after. The crowd of students immediately starts to get hyper, rustling in their seats and starting to scream and yell. It’s the biggest game of the season and it’ll be a close one. Your school has only beat your opponent once before.

You never were the biggest fan of the pep rallies, but you were Calum’s biggest fan which meant you had to be there to support the speech he always gave at the end. It wasn’t super important, just rallying up the students and telling them they need to come to support the boys the following night. He was good at capturing the attention of the whole crowd.

So just for him, you sat through the cheerleaders showing off their perfected competition chants and stunts, as well as the dance team doing their choreographed routine. A lump in your throat formed as you were getting closer to what you knew was coming.

“Now your captain, Calum Hood, will give his speech.”

You swore you could hear a pin drop as Cal stood up and took the microphone. Everyone was silent and waiting for what he was going to say. Or maybe just you were, not everyone else knew the plan. It felt like even your heart needed to take a deep breath.

“Let’s go Panthers!!” He screams, fist-pumping in the air. The crowd goes wild, everyone’s jumping and screaming “Go Panthers!” It’s a little bit ridiculous how excited everyone gets.

“Alright alright. You know how this goes, right? We need every one of you to come out and support us tomorrow! Students get in free and parents for only one dollar. Let’s show the Bison that we didn’t come to play!” Calum makes some kind of grunt or groaning noise and cheers erupt again. A smile starts to grow on your face because you notice how happy Calum is. This is the last time he’ll get to hype up the crowd. It’ll be passed to the next senior captain. Although, you didn’t think anyone was ever as good at it as Calum.

“Okay, just one last thing,” Cal raises an arm and points his index finger so everyone is quiet, “I’m sure you all know that I’ve been holding on to this for quite some time.”

He turns his back to the crowd and picks his spare jersey up from his seat. It’s the green one, your favorite. They get to wear the navy ones for home games. The crowd falls silent, everyone anticipating the next move. Even you feel your chest tighten.

“So I’ve decided that there’s only one person special enough to give it to. I apologize for not asking sooner, but Y/N, will you wear my jersey tomorrow?” Calum turns and looks directly at you. You feel like you have tunnel vision and you can’t see or hear anything other than him.

The teacher next to you has to push you forward a little bit to get your feet moving, but once they do they don’t stop. You might look silly running across the court, but it doesn’t matter because Calum’s smile is so big.

As soon as your bodies collide, he picks you up into his arms and spins both of you around. That’s when you hear it, the deep roaring sound of the team behind you hooping and hollering. Unbeknownst to you, everyone had been cheering for you and Calum (give or take the few jealous freshman girls). Everyone knew it was a long time coming and that now it was finally happening.

Finally, Calum sets you both down and you immediately take the jersey from his hands. “I hate you for making me sad all day because I didn’t think it was going to be me!”

You lightly shove his chest and he chuckles. “It’s always going to be you, Y/N.”

Then, from behind you, someone clears their throat and you realize that the principal is waiting for Calum to dismiss everyone like he always does. He looks at you before he brings the mic up to his mouth. “And for the last time from me...”

He holds the microphone between both of you and counts to three. “GO PANTHERS!”

++

Coming to the games was never hard because Calum was good at what he does. You love watching him. It doesn’t matter if he’s on the field playing and communicating with his teammates by calling out play names or if he’s got them in a huddle to hype them up.

Senior night is always emotional. The parents walk each boy onto the field to be introduced for the last time, and then when the game ends you all hold your breaths until the lights are shut out because it’s the last time you’ll ever be here as students.

At the last buzzer, indicating a Panthers victory, the field is flooded with students. Your senior class was one of the best. In the past, there had been classes that hated each other and never did any cool pranks because they couldn’t get along. Your class was the opposite. You were like a big family.

You got caught up in the crowd but soon realized everyone was forming the traditional “senior circle,” so you had to jump in line and wait to find Calum. Together, everyone rocked side to side while you all sang the school alma mater one more time. Even the soccer boys were crying.

As you sang, you scanned the circle to look for the one person you wanted to see. Finally, you found him, directly across from you. Calum smiles even bigger when he sees you and you think he winks at you but it’s a big circle and your eyesight isn’t the best.

The song comes to an end and cheers erupt from everyone around you. Emotion swells in your heart. There’s only one more semester of high school and then you’re out of here. On to bigger and better things.

Truth is, you didn’t know how it could get better than this. The girls next to you broke the chain by letting go of your hands and you took off for Calum. He was coming toward you also. You met smack dab in the middle of the field. You didn’t hesitate to jump into his arms and wrap your legs around his waist.

Calum is laughing underneath you and when you pull away you can see that his eyes are getting misty. You know you have tear trails down your cheeks but you just laugh with him. “You gettin emotional on me, Y/L/N?”

“Shut up. You know you’ll miss all of this.” Calum continues to hold you by the waist as you gesture around to everyone and everything.

“Damn right I will.” Calum sets you back onto your feet and steps back. His eyes trail you up and down and you raise your eyebrows. “Look at you in that jersey. I should’ve given it to you a long time ago, it looks better on you than it ever did me.”

You roll your eyes at him and reach up to hug him again. “You’re right, dumbass, I waited for three years.”

Calum’s shoulders shake with laughter because that’s all the two of you seemed to do when you were together, laugh. “Okay, I deserved that one.”

You didn’t notice that most people around you had turned to watch the two of you. You didn’t know that the whole soccer team had been teasing Calum about not being man enough to kiss you earlier, so they were all waiting for it to happen. It’s silent between you and Calum for a beat, but he starts talking again.

“I know it’s way overdue, but would you want to be my girl?” His cheeks are rosy but not from the game he just played. Your heart soars at him calling you “his girl.”

“Of course I would.” You smile and wipe at your cheeks that were cold now because your tears had dried.

Calum doesn’t say anything else, he leans down with his hand on the back of your neck and pulls you into a kiss. You’d never spent a lot of time imagining what kissing Calum would be like, but it wouldn’t have been able to compare to this.

Whoops and hollers ring out around you and it only pumps you with more adrenaline than you already had. Calum is the first to pull away. “We might’ve won the soccer game, but you’re the best prize.”

++

as always, please reblog is you liked it or want to save it!! feedback is always appreciated 💕

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[honeycombcal]

Clichés - (C.H.) Pt. 5

AN: hi guys, remember me??😅 sorry i’m the worst with updating but i just finished school (FOR GOOD WOO) and i got a small bit of inspiration for this next small chapter!! i know it’s not much but i hope to figure out where i want this story to go and get something new posted asap :) if anyone has any requests, that helps so much with my writers block so please feel free to send them in!! alright i’ll stop babbling, i hope you enjoy this lil bit inside of calum’s head💛 p.s should i give Y/N a name since i’m continuing with this or keep it?! let me know!!

*Calum’s POV*

It took everything in me not to jump off the stage and go after her as she stumbled out of the bar. Thank God the song was over, or else I would’ve ruined it by forgetting the chords. I glanced at her roommate, who was quick to get out of her seat and follow her, but not before shooting a look that would make Nickie drop dead if only looks could kill. I looked at my ex then, who gave me a sheepish smile before shrugging and leaning back in her chair, her thin arms crossed across her chest.

I could feel my anger rising up just then, knowing full well that she had opened her big mouth and said something to upset my girl. Why the fuck was she even here? She stopped coming to these gigs months ago.

“Everything all good, mate?” Luke whispered in my ear, making me jump. I could feel my jaw clenching so hard that it began to hurt as I shook my head slightly. Michael was currently talking to the crowd, so I didn’t want to make it too obvious that something was wrong.

“My ex is gonna be the fuckin’ death of me,” I whispered back, Luke’s blue eyes widening just a smidge. “We can talk more after.”

He nods before we go into the next song. Ironically, it was the one that Y/N and I were talking about earlier in class: our cover of “Stay”. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, knowing that this was one of her favorites and I was really looking forward to hearing what she had to say about it, but because of the she demon in front of the stage, I’d have to wait.

The set seemed to drag on, especially once I realized that she wasn’t coming back. Nickie had upset her bad enough for her to want to go home, and for once in my life, music wasn’t helping me right now.

Finally, we finished the show and as soon as we did, I hopped off the stage and made a beeline for Nickie. She stood once she noticed me approaching, a fake smile plastered on her face.

“Cal! That was a great show-” she started, arms outstretched to hug me, but I ducked out of the way just before she could make contact.

“What the hell did you say to her?” I growled, trying to keep my voice low. I ignored the couple of stares that we were on the receiving end up, something that normally wouldn’t bother Nickie but now made her bristle.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t-”

“Cut the bullshit!” My voice was louder this time, making Nickie wince. I huffed before dragging her outside, my grip on her arm not tight at all but she knew that I meant business.

“I know you said something to her,” I said once we’d made it outside, the cool wind nipping at my face. I started to pace as Nickie crossed her arms once more and jutted her hip out.

“We just talked. I don’t know why she got all sensitive,” she insisted, her voice completely uninterested as she began to inspect a nail. I wanted to rip my hair out.

“I’m gonna ask you one more time. What. Did. You. Say?” I stopped in my tracks. Nickie seemed to pale a little bit at that, but she kept her mouth shut.

“Alright then. I’m gonna ask nicely that you don’t come to any more of our shows. Got it?” Her eyes widened and her mouth popped open to say something but I wasn’t listening. I went back into the bar to help tear down and grab my stuff before making up my mind that I’d go to Y/N’s place once I was done.

I just hoped she’d want to see me.

[honeycombcal]

Clichés - C.H. (Pt. 4)

AN: TEN YEARS LATER I finally have an update!!! sorry i suck, school has been kicking my booty lately and i’ve been uninspired. for this one, i had them play songs from the new album simply because i feel like even if the guys weren’t famous, they’d still pursue music as a hobby and it’s fun to write haha. when they sing ‘Ghost of You’ in this chapter, I was picturing the video going around right now where Cal looks like he might fcking SOB ugh that video hurts my heart. and i used their apple music acoustic performance as inspo as well :) anyways, i’ll stop rambling!!! feedback is always always welcome and appreciated, hope y’all enjoy xxx

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

You were sat at your desk, working on a study guide for an exam you had next week when Britt burst into your room, flopping on your bed with a groan. You set your pen down, turning in your chair to quirk a brow at your best friend as you giggled.

“Rough day?” you ask, Brittany’s face buried into your comforter. She lets out another loud, muffled groan.

“I totally bombed that exam,” she whined, picking her head up to rest her cheek on the bed. She jutted her lip out, pouting.

“I doubt that. You always say you do poorly on an exam and end up acing it,” you tell her, rolling your eyes playfully in the process.

“I’m serious this time, Y/N! I really think I failed,” she countered, and you gave her a sympathetic look.

“Wanna go with me to a gig Calum’s playing with his friends tonight? It’ll make you feel better,” you ask her, wanting your best friend to cheer up. She purses her lips, thinking it over.

“Yeah, if I can get my homework done, I’ll go with,” she tells you, making you smile.

“Better get started!” you tell her, flinging your pen at her and giggling when it hit her right in the middle of her forehead.

“Hey!” she yells, whipping it back in your direction and missing entirely, making you laugh even harder. You turn to grab the pen from where it landed on your desk when your phone lights up with a notification.

“Um,” you say as you read it, surprise and unease settling in your stomach.

“What?” Brittany asks, sitting up on your bed now.

“Cal’s ex just requested to follow me on Instagram,” you muttered, your brows furrowing as you clicked on the notification and it took you to Nicki’s profile. It was filled with pictures of her, her friends, and if you scrolled enough, pictures of her and Calum.

“Seriously? Let me see,” your roommate insisted, holding her hand out. You tossed her your phone, bringing your pen to your lips and chewing on the end lightly.

“That’s so weird… does she wear extensions?!” Brittany asks as she scrolls, making you laugh.

“I don’t know, I’ve never paid much attention to her. She’s beautiful regardless,” you sigh, thinking back to the party when she had lead Calum away from you. She really was beautiful- perfect dark hair, sparkling green eyes, clear tan skin, and a smile that was bright enough to blind you.

“Don’t do that,” Brittany warned, looking up from your phone to meet your gaze.

“Do what?” you ask innocently.

“Put yourself down! Compare yourself to her! You’re beautiful too, inside and out, which is more than she can say,” your best friend quips, making you smile. Your phone began to vibrate in Britt’s hand, and her eyes widened and she smiled at you as she read the caller ID.

“It’s your boyyyy,” she sang, tossing you the phone back. You felt your face heat as you accepted the call, bringing the cool glass screen of your phone to your ear.

“Hello?” you breathed.

“Hi, doll,” Calum’s smooth voice sounded down the phone, making you shiver.

“Hi,” you respond, unable to fight back your smile as Brittany mirrored it and rolled her eyes playfully.

“How was your day?” he asks, and you can hear shuffling in the background.

“It was good, nothing too special after you dropped me off,” you tell him, fiddling with your pen.

“That’s because I wasn’t there,” he tells you, and you can practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“You’re not wrong,” you respond, making him laugh.

“You still coming tonight?” he asks.

“Of course. I’m bringing my roommate Brittany, too,” you meet Britt’s eyes and wiggle your eyebrows. She tosses a pillow at you and you can’t help but laugh.

“We’ll try not to suck so we make it worth your guys’ while,” he jokes, making you roll your eyes.

Brittany catches your eye and mouths ‘tell him about Nicki’. You press your lips together and shake your head, unsure if you should bring it up. It probably isn’t even that big of a deal and you’re overthinking it.

“Is everything okay?” Calum asks, interrupting your thoughts.

“Hmm? Yeah, everything’s fine,” you shrug, waving off Brittany.

“You sure? It doesn’t sound like it.”

Brittany gives you a look and you sigh, relenting.

“It’s not a big deal. Nicki just requested to follow me on Instagram is all,” you say, unsure of how the conversation will go now.

“Well that didn’t take long. Jesus,” he sighs, and you wonder if he’s running his fingers through his hair like you think he is.

“I just thought it was odd,” you twist a piece of hair, chewing on your lip.

“We were only together for like three months, I don’t understand why she’s doing this. Just ignore her,” he assures you, and you nod.

“I’m not that worried,” you chuckle.

“You have no reason to be. Drinks on me tonight,” he quickly changes the subject.

“It’s Monday!” you squeak, and he laughs.

“One drink won’t hurt anything. I’ll see you soon, doll,” he tells you, and you feel your cheeks heat.

“Can’t wait,” you tell him, exchanging goodbyes before hanging up.

“You’ve got it so bad,” Brittany teases as you turn back to your studying. Like usual, your best friend wasn’t wrong.

“This bar is so cool!” your roommate exclaims, making you smile. Your heart swells as she takes everything in, happiness blooming in your chest at the fact your best friend seems to enjoy this place as much as you do.

“Y/N!” a voice calls, and you look to see Mickie behind the bar, grinning at you.

“Mickie, hey!” you greet her, walking up to the bar.

“Here to see Cal?” she asks with a knowing smile. You nod, rolling your lips into your mouth to hide your smile. She laughs as she begins to make two drinks.

“They’re finishing setting up, I think he might be in the back,” she tells you, pushing the drinks toward you and your roommate.

“How much?” you ask, pulling out your wallet. Mickie tsk’s.

“I was instructed to put them on his tab,” she tells you, winking. You roll your eyes playfully, as you should’ve known.

“Mickie, this is my roommate Brittany. Brittany, this is Mickie. She owns the bar,” you introduce your roommate as she takes a sip of her drink.

“I love this place,” Brittany praises, making Mickie smile.

“It’s nice to meet you. You girls go ahead and take a seat, they’ll probably start soon,” Mickie nods towards one of the tables closest to the stage. You thank her and make your way over to the table. You take a sip of your drink, the fruity flavor dancing on your tastebuds.

“How many guys are in the band?” Brittany asks, examining the set up on stage.

“It’s Cal and his three roommates. I haven’t met Michael yet,” you tell her, checking the time on your phone. Ten more minutes.

“Hey,” a familiar voice calls, and you look up and instantly feel butterflies being released in your stomach. Calum jogs over to your table, looking absolutely delicious in a white button down with black pinstripes tucked into black pants. His hair looks incredibly soft, his curls bouncing on his forehead and all you want to do is run your fingers through it.

“Hi,” you breathe, standing to greet him. He gives you a soft kiss before pulling you into his chest.

“Thanks for comin’,” he squeezes you.

“Wouldn’t miss it. Cal, this is my roommate, Brittany,” you reluctantly pull away to introduce him to your best friend. Brittany smiles and gives a little wave from where she sits.

“Heard a lot about you,” Brittany teases, making you groan inwardly. Calum smiles, which makes you slightly okay with your roommate’s comment if it meant seeing that shy smile of his. Calum glances back from where he had came and turns back to you.

“Alright, I’ve gotta get ready to go on. Enjoy the show,” he winks at you, kissing your cheek before waving to Brittany and jogging back from where he came.

“Well, he’s yummy,” Brittany says, making you laugh as you sit down. You notice she’s just about sucked her drink dry, and she doesn’t drink often. You wonder if she’s already feeling a little buzzed.

“I know- “

“Is this seat taken?” a high pitched voice asks from behind you. You feel your blood turn to ice as you remember the last time you heard that voice. You turn to see Nicki, looking as beautiful as ever in a cream sweater dress and over the knee brown boots, her hair curled into glossy waves and her makeup subtle but stunning. You instantly feel insecure in your simple outfit, having swapped out your oversized flannel for an oversized sweater but opting to keep the leggings and moccasins. You glance at Brittany, her eyes wide as you look back to Calum’s supermodel ex standing in front of you.

“No, it isn’t,” you answer.

“Mind if I sit?” she asks, giving you her megawatt smile. You swallow before shaking your head, gesturing for her to sit next to you. You bristle as she joins the two of you; you were never one to be rude, and your kindness was often taken advantage of by people who didn’t deserve it. You had a feeling this was going to be another one of those times.

Nicki pulls out the chair next to you, settling in as Brittany shoots you a look as if to say, “are you crazy?!” You roll your lips into your mouth as you shrug slightly.

“Is this your first show?” Nicki asks, resting her left arm on the table as she places her chin in her right hand. She cocks her head a bit, her eyes searching your face and you instantly wish you’d put a little more effort into your appearance tonight, feeling as though she was judging you.

“Yeah, it is,” you respond, taking a long sip of your drink. If you had to deal with intrusive questions from Nicki all night, you were gonna need all the alcohol you could get.

“I remember my first show last year. They’ve come a long way,” she says dreamily, glancing to look over at the stage. Last year? Calum said they’d only dated for three months. Something about it didn’t sit right with you, but you kept your mouth shut.

“What made you come out tonight?” Brittany asks bluntly, your head whipping around to stare at her, your eyes feeling like they might pop out of their head. Your best friend has an unimpressed look on her face, not bothering to try and hide the fact that she’s annoyed that Nicki showed up. If Nicki noticed Britt’s bitchy tone, she didn’t comment on it.

“Oh, I come to their gigs every week! Bit of a tradition,” she smiles cheekily as you feel your gut twist. You try to not let it show that she’s getting to you, because you know that’s exactly what she wants, so you just nod as you fiddle with the straw in your drink.

Finally, Mickie steps onto the stage in front of you, taking the mic out of the stand and introducing the boys to the crowd that has gathered. You clap as the guys make their entrance, taking their spots on stage before thanking Mickie. Calum’s eyes immediately find you once he’s settled before scanning over to the harpie sitting to your right. His eyes widen just enough for you to notice as they flick back to you. You purse your lips, giving him a small nod before finishing your drink and standing to get another one.

Mickie has one ready for you as you approach the bar, seemingly reading your mind. She gives you a sympathetic look as you exchange your empty glass for the new one.

“I never liked her,” she mutters under her breath, making you smile but it wasn’t enough to help your sour mood. You sigh, Mickie mouthing ‘good luck’ before you turn and make your way back to your table. Luke has just finished his introduction as you sit down once more, glancing at you, then Nicki, then back to you again. It looks as if he’s struggling to hide his smirk as he winks at you, tucking some of his blonde curls behind his ears.

“We’re gonna start out a little slow tonight, this is ‘Ghost of You’,” he continues, nodding to the boy on his right who must be Michael, the only one you haven’t met yet. Michael nods as he starts strumming the opening chords, looking down at his guitar in concentration as he does so. You’re instantly intrigued, the chords almost sounding like a lullaby.

“Here I am wakin’ up, still can’t sleep on your side,” Luke starts, and you feel your eyebrows shoot up. He’s good. You look over to Calum, and find that he’s already looking at you. He smiles, a sight that brings a smile to your own face. He turns to play the keyboard to his left, and you inhale sharply. This song is so hauntingly beautiful, and even though you hadn’t heard any other song from them, you knew this was going to be your favorite.

Calum steps towards the mic and opens his mouth to sing, strumming his bass, the chords almost too low for you to hear.

“Cleanin’ up today, found that old Zeppelin shirt,” his low voice sings, a slight rasp to his words. His eyes squeezed shut as he sang, passion clear on his features as his long fingers strummed the strings of his bass. You felt your heart swell with pride and appreciation and pure awe. You really had had no idea what the boy who sat next to you in English class and brought you hot chocolate was capable of. And now that you had even the smallest inkling, you never wanted to stop learning about him.

“He’s good,” you hear Brittany murmur, your best friend leaning over to speak softly into your ear. You smile as you look at her and nod.

You listened to the lyrics, the song making your heart break at its painful message. The instruments and vocals blended together almost magically, and you couldn’t believe you were lucky enough to sit in this small bar and listen to this beautiful song performed by these talented men.

The song slowed and before you knew it, it was over. You sat stunned before you joined the crowd in applause, your cheeks hurting from the smile on your face. Calum found you in the crowd, his face mirroring yours as he took in your expression. ‘Wow’ you mouthed to him from where you sat, and the smile that took over his face was one you wanted to see every day; it was shy and proud at the same time. He pushes his curls off from where they had fallen onto his forehead, stepping towards the mic.

“Just wanna say thanks to everyone for comin’ out tonight. Your support means a lot to us,” he says, looking at you the entire time. You feel your face heat as Britt nudges you, making you smile.

“Continuing with the slow songs, we’re gonna slow this one down tonight. Hope you guys like it, this is ‘Want You Back’,” he continues. Michael has swapped his electric guitar for an acoustic, and he starts just a split second before Luke does.

“Oh, this is my favorite,” Nicki says from beside you, and you jump slightly. You’d almost forgotten she was there. You turn to her, acknowledging her comment as you listen to the lyrics of this new song. Just like the title suggests, it’s about wanting someone back after they’d left, a message you felt uneasy about given your current situation. Nicki smirks at you as you realize what she’s talking about.

“They wrote this one after Cal and I broke up the first time,” she murmurs, the music now falling upon deaf ears as you feel as though she’s just slapped you. Your lips part at this new information, and you turn from her to stare at your drink in front of you.

“You know even when I say I moved on, you know even though I know that you’re gone, all I think about is where I went wrong, yeah I still dream for you,” Luke sings, Calum’s voice harmonizing.

Suddenly, it felt like the walls were closing in on you. How could you be so stupid? You were just a rebound; you could never compete with a girl like Nicki. This song, along with Nicki’s comment, was all the proof you needed. You felt as though you might pass out, your surroundings blurring together, and you needed to get out of there.

You stand abruptly, surprising Brittany as you push away from the table.

“Y/N?!” she calls after you, but you wave her off, stumbling outside for some fresh air.

The cool wind hits your face as you slide down the side of the building, settling on the ground and resting your forehead on your knees. You take in a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm your racing heart and mind.

Brittany bursts through the door, looking around wildly before spotting you to her left.

“What the hell did she say to you?” she almost growls, taking you aback as your best friend was normally very soft spoken.

“Nothing that I didn’t already know,” you sighed, hanging your head again. She huffs as she sits next to you, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you to her side.

“Can we go home?” you murmur. You feel Brittany nodding before she stands and hauls you to your feet. She hands you her car keys, as she’s clearly too buzzed to drive, and pulls you close again as you walk to the parking lot behind the bar.

Tonight was a perfect example of why you were a homebody.