Michael + Ch. 28 - Road Trips + Champagne

I didn't know what to think or expect at seven in the morning, but I did know that I had school, and that the unexpected can happen inside of that building and out. Daryl was working – new construction job out of the city, six hours a day, fifteen dollars an hour, forty five minute drive there and back. I had to start waking myself up again, which wasn't much of a difficulty since I haven't been sleeping well lately, but getting ready was the ultimate struggle; trying to pull a pair of cuffed sweatpants over my cast, sliding a shirt over a damaged spine, trying to eat breakfast with a different hand while trying to figure out how to use the house phone, trying to get ready but failing miserably. I called Daryl, but he didn't pick up, and Ashley was out having a coffee with Ashton Irwin – which I found hard to believe since he did say he didn't want to be the father, nor did he want to help raise the baby. (I only knew this from the sticky note she left on the refrigerator, blue background, words hazel like her eyes, red lipstick on the bottom left corner. She always tried to make things look aesthetic enough for her Instagram feed, though in my opinion, she didn't even need to try. She was already the aesthetic.)

I wheeled towards the cabinets, finding a taped, black box with my hundred dollar champagne bottles – the ones I haven't touched since I associated myself with Calum Hood. I'd say he's a good influence on me, but people think he's the worst, and try to get into his head so they can bring out those vulnerabilities that he tries to hide. I swallowed the flame burning in my throat, and it was hard to breathe without him here. The temptation was unbearable – haunting my past, laughing at me, mocking my every move until I gave in. I was going to drown in champagne until I was drunk. (It was at this point that I didn't care about attending school, or passing this semester despite the fact that I'm leaving two months before it can end. I didn't care about those mocha eyes, or those pretty plump lips either. I only cared about ruining my life, because I didn't have much left of it.)

I grabbed the bottle on impulse, heart racing inside of my chest, mind climbing ladders, fingers shaking, and brought it up to my lips without hesitation — but then the door bell rang before I could get anything down, and I screamed because I was angry, and I wanted to give into my old addiction. I wanted to be like Calum who vaped every once in a while, and smoked cigarettes when everything got bad. I wanted to be like him because he seemed so free, something that I felt the complete opposite of. But I knew that drinking my problems away wouldn't solve anything, and I didn't want to get sent away for underage drinking, so I stopped, and I set myself straight before wheeling myself to the door, only to see Calum Hood standing right in front of it. He is a good influence, he has to be if he's here when I need him the most.

"Don't tell me you were about to down that entire thing," Calum pressed, his fingers molding into the doorway, his eyes never leaving sight of the champagne bottle. "I won't let you do that. It's bad for you."

"You know what's bad for me, Calum?" I laughed, feeling my bones rattle as I leaned against the padding of my wheelchair. "You and your bad habits, and your. . you know what – I'm not arguing with you today. It's bad enough that I'm temped to drink before school starts. I don't need to add any more negativity to my list."

"Actually, you're not going to school," Calum commented, his lips curving lopsided. "I talked to your dad, and you're excused from school for the entire month, Michael."

"No, I'm finishing two weeks before Thanksgiving Break," I said, my heart set on one, and only one thing, staying. "So I don't know what you're thinking. . but I'm going to school to, might I add, spend the day stalking you and staring at you because I love being around you, and I love you." (Saying that felt wrong, forced, almost like I was trying to pretend that we had something here. I knew he was just going to run away again, that our relationship was nonexistent because he didn't want to be with me as long as I'm going to Columbia. I knew that he wouldn't pick the daffodil over the sunflower, or the dandelion over the rose. We were nothing as far as I was concerned, and I hated embracing feelings that wouldn't be returned in the future for an eternity. Eternities don't exist with Calum and I.)

"Michael," Calum sighed, his eyes dropping to the floor before they met with mine. "You haven't asked me anything that has to do with why I'm here." He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring the slightest bit, and I didn't miss the way he rolled his shoulders, or the way he started mumbling to himself the way he used to, or the way he was stepping on stones in his mind. I couldn't miss anything today – I couldn't look away.

"Okay," I challenged, arms crossed, brows furrowed, body narrow and locked in place. "Why are you here, Calum Hood?"

He smiled, genuinely, unforced, happily. "We are going on a road trip. Just the two of us."

"Where to?"

"Anywhere you want."

There was only one place I could think of. And it wasn't what he had in mind at all.

-

"Columbia," Calum chuckled, hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road but occasionally peering over towards me. "I can't believe we're taking a road trip to fucking Columbia. Where your new home will be in a month. You could have chosen Paris, or New York, but you chose this. God, you're unpredictable."

"And also reading the map wrong," I sighed, folding the paper up and tossing it into the glove box of Calum's ( was it Calum's ?) car. "We've been driving down the wrong road for fifteen minutes straight."

"Who would have thought the guy I'm in love with would be the worst navigator in the world?" Calum teased, eyes still on the road just before he made a quick U-Turn.

The first thing I did was roll the window down, which was a terrible mistake because papers began to fly everywhere, the majority of them nearly leaving the vehicle. I rolled it up quickly, then looked over at Calum who was shaking his head with a silly smile painted on his face. "Okay, tell me something that I don't know about you."

"Uh, my parents wanted to name me Kayden. With a K instead of a C – well, no, don't look at me like that, Calum," I laughed, feeling embarrassed. "They wanted my name to be part of theirs, so they tried to combine the two, but it didn't work out."

"I'm glad it didn't, Kayden with a K," Calum mumbled. "You know, you don't look like a Kayden, now that I'm really looking at you."

"What do I look like? I mean. . aside from a Michael Clifford?" I asked, my insides tingling as I looked at him and watched him smile, and drive down the road like it was his home, and he was living in it. "Give me something exotic, unique."

"You look like. . ," Calum paused, leaving the tension in the air to feel thin this time rather than thick, "a Michael."

"You're a sarcastic son of a bitch."

"Correction: I am a handsome, sarcastic son of a bitch," said Calum, his eyes moving away from the road as we approached a red light. "You need to get your facts straight, Clifford."

I smiled, feeling genuinely happy for once, not broken. "This is nice."

"What is?"

"Having a conversation with you that doesn't lead to an argument. I like that," I replied, and I knew that if I looked at him any longer, I'd start feeling like the sun and the moon and the stars are not the sun and the moon and the stars without him, but I kept looking anyway. I kept looking because he was nice to look at, because I loved him, because looking at him was better than doing anything else. "And. . I hope that it'll last for a while."

"As long as you don't give up on us when you leave, I'll make sure it does."

-

Road Trips consist of a lot of pit stops, and ours always had to be the gas station. Calum helped me out of the car and into my wheelchair each and every time, and he'd wheel me into the store, let me pick out the snacks and beverages I like, and we even grabbed emergency items – like shirts, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and some weird, jacked up vinyl that the store was giving away. When we loaded back into the car, (for what felt like the ninth time, but was probably only the fourth), we blasted music, drove down the highway, and talked about things that don't matter to anybody else. And I knew that this couldn't possibly last.

"Okay, okay," Calum laughed out of the blue. "If you had to choose between having money that you never run out of, or being with me, what would you choose?"

"I'd obviously go with the money," I chuckled back, just before getting hit in the chest by Calum who had a small, playful scowl on his face. "I'm joking. . you know I'd always choose you over anything. I didn't fight for you that long just to leave."

"But you are leaving," Calum sighed, fingers tapping against the steering wheel, eyes growing tired as he looked into the night sky. (We've been driving the entire day.) "And. . I don't want to lose you again. You're my baby, and I will never let anything hurt you. But if you're gone. . there's only so much I can do."

"Don't worry, Calum. I'll always be your baby," I said back, feeling a little funny inside. We never use nicknames – though maybe this time was different. Maybe he was finally warming up to me. "And if you really don't want me to be gone, then you should come with me."

"Seriously?" Calum practically yelled, his cheeks turning red from excitement. He seemed so happy, so alive – he was the city light that made everything fall into place. "You want me to come with you. . to Columbia?"

"That's where we're going right now," I smiled, "and if you like it there, you can just move in with me. We can start a life there."

Calum didn't know what to say – I could tell. He was the chaos in a world wanting peace, and I wanted more of it. I wanted more of him.

". . You're looking a little tired. Maybe we should just. . check into a hotel for the night," I spoke after a while, hating the silence that wrapped itself around my lungs. "I wouldn't mind stopping for a few hours."

"No, we have to keep going. We only have a month to make this the best time of your life, Michael, and I am not wasting a second of that."

He was stubborn, and ignorant, and he always had to get what he wanted, but if it was what somebody else wanted, he'd never stop fighting for it until that person gets it. In this case, he doesn't plan on letting me down, and that's why I love him so much. I never want to stop.

-

A/N;

2259 words.

Thoughts? 😊

I told you I could give you guys a happy chapter. Psh. Doubting me and malum. Psh. Rude. (I'm kidding ily all so damn much.)

Whoa Autumn, why is this chapter so short??? It's hardly ever under 3000 words, what are you doing?!?! It's just short bc the next chapter is gonna fuck everybody up lmao so I'm warming you guys up with a filler.)

Malum road trip. How do you feel about that? I think it's cute.

Thoughts on the two going to Columbia, where Michael will be living?

Thoughts on Michael asking Calum to come with him?

Thoughts on this book in general?

Fun Fact; ketchup was used as a medicine back in the 1930's.

Okay, seriously. This story just keeps getting bigger and bigger and it means so freaking much that all of you are supporting it. I love writing it more than anything in the world. I don't really know what I'd do without it. But a surprise for you all, there's still so much to go! I mean yeah, we're nearing toward the end, but you're going to get something great out of this book. I promise you.

Your support means the absolute world to me. I just can't believe how fast this story grew. It went from 1k to 10k in just a few months, which is incredible! Outstanding! I'm so so so happy. Thank you all. Seriously, so fucking much.

I'm gonna update this again at the end of the week just bc you all deserve it for the endless reads and support and love. Thank you again. Have a lovely day or night or week or year. Or all. 💕