// chapter fourteen //

michael's pov

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i f*cked up big time.

why did i have to do that to talia? why? i knew i shouldn't have had too much to drink, but alcohol is my weakness. the sickly sweet smell of the unhealthy liquid was practically screeching my name. how could i resist it?

i run a shaky hand through my teased hair, and gingerly rub my injured nose. i inhale a shuddering breath as i scroll through the contacts on my phone. my finger hovered over talia's name, contemplating whether i should ring her or not.

after muttering quietly to myself, i decide against it; she might want some space.

therefore, i call the next best person, praying to god that they still wouldn't be pissed at me. i tap the person's name, holding in my breath as the dial tone went through twice. three times. at the fifth ring, i pull my lips into a dejected frown, and take the phone away from my ear. i sigh, but a small crackle on the other line catches my attention.

'michael,' he says simply. my eyes dilate, and i press the receiver back to my ear.

'calum!' i exclaim. 'holy sh*t, calum. i thought you were still mad at me.'

he's silent for a moment before responding. 'i still am.'

i crinkle my nose, and plop onto my unmade bed. 'then why'd you answer your phone?'

knowing calum, i could practically hear him shrug, even though we weren't face-to-face. 'i want to hear your side of the story, i guess. don't get me wrong; what you did was f*cked-up, and you hurt my sister's feeling real badly. but i still want to hear you out.'

i sigh in relief. 'thank you.'

'i still don't forgive you, though.'

'i didn't think you would,' i reply with a nervous chuckle, pulling random locks of my purple hair. 'meet me at the cafe near my house?'

calum sighed. 'sure.' and he ended the phone call.

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thirty minutes later, i was tugging my heavy, leather jacket closer to my body as i fought the wind over to the cafe. my scalp tingled as my hair blew back forcefully, and i kept my head down. it was rather barren downtown, unsurprisingly. the temperature was close to freezing, and the day was anything but beautiful.

i passed small boutiques and shops as my heavy footwear trudged along the brick pavement. i shivered, and hoped that the cafe had good radiators.

when i reached the glass door of the cafe, i spotted calum's mop of brown hair at the back corner of the shop. wasting no time to engulf my shivering body in the heat of the building, i open the door, and small wind-chimes tinkle above my head. besides the table where calum was seated at, only four other booths were occupied, giving the cafe a roomier illusion.

smiling back at the waitress, i sit myself across from the kiwi, and shove my hands into my pockets. his big, brown eyes meet mine. 'hey,' he says simply without emotion.

'hi,' i say back. 'so uhm. do you want anything or?' i ask awkwardly. i was trying my best to be polite.

he shakes his head. 'i'm good.' adverting his gaze away from me he asks, 'so... the concert. why would you do that?' he sounded almost uncomfortable to form the actual words.

i sigh. 'cal, i was drunk. i left talia for a bit to grab a shot at the bar. i was going to come back, but i kept drinking more and more... and then my mind went hazy. then some girl in a slutty outfit came up to me... then it happened.' i watched as my best friend's eyes darkened. slightly frightened, i add, 'but i was drunk, calum! i couldn't think clearly-'

'michael, you never think clearly!' he exclaims. 'you know how you are with alcohol, and you know that concerts like those are full of whores! you were bound to know something bad would happen even if you got a little tipsy. so why didn't you prevent it?' he stares at me with such a look of disgust, that i feel a pang in my chest. 'michael, you tore talia's f*cking heart apart. and what's worse is she's in the band. now that this happened...'

'so what do you want me to do?' i ask, my voice rising slightly. 'break things off with her?'

calum's face contorts into one of anger. 'so you're not even willing to try? you're just taking the sh*tty way out by dumping her?'

i tug on my hair. 'calum, i don't know what you want me to do!' i exclaim exasperatingly.

'i want you to stop being a d*ck and fight for her. apparently that's not your plan,' he says, shooting daggers with his eyes.

'you said you'd hear me out! now you're just f*cking insulting me!' i yell, attracting some unwanted attention.

in a sudden, calum jumps to his feet, and hunches over to force his face in mine until we're eye-to-eye. i could hear his heavy breathing, and a vein was threatening to burst from his neck. 'look. the only reason i agreed to see your f*cking face was to help fix whatever the hell is wrong between you and my sister,' he spits quietly. 'i know you don't mean her harm, michael, but sometimes people like you can't stop sh*t from happening.' his eyes tear away from mine for just a moment to glance at the cafe workers who were shooting the situation worried expressions. 'so grow the hell up, and have the balls to make amends, or don't and be the biggest asshole she's ever met.'

i feel my eyes widen at his words before he stands. 'the choice is yours,' he remarks before sticking his middle finger in the air, and walking out the cafe door.

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okay guys. so so so so SO sorry for not updating in a while. i know i said last time that i'd update as soon as the last chap hit 5 votes, but writer's block bit me in the butt. also, my apologies if this was sh*t. but thanks to coahchella for giving me the idea of a situation between cal and mike #malum.

next update: 5 votes & 1 comment.

teehee xxx