Chapter Thirty Three: No Interruptions This Time
Callum's POV
*edited*

It had been a week— time certainly wasn't flying, and that was most likely because I certainly wasn't having fun.

I flailed awake like a fish out of water as my phone rang and, without checking the caller ID pressed it to my ear.

"Callum. Finally. Jesus Christ dude, you're acting as if your life has already fallen apart." He said in his obnoxious fucking Australian accent.

God I wish I could punch him in the face. He irked me so badly.

"Shut up Craner." I grumbled, rubbing my temples.

There was a reason I avoided going back. It wasn't because I didn't miss Josh, I wanted to go back so badly because I missed him with my whole being. But it was because I knew when I got home I would be greeted with... chaos.

Craner scoffed. "That's not why I called dude. You should really talk to Josh, he's been all torn up about you being gone."

Like I haven't?

Being away from my best friend has majorly sucked. The days just felt like they dragged on and I spent most of them driving through towns, buying some cheep meal from Walmart or McDonalds and sleeping in the back of my truck. Oh, don't forget running until I physically collapsed.

Because that's healthy.

I cared about him. Like really really cared about him. I love my Josh, he was my best friend. And I knew I'd get over this, I'd find a way to cope. To get a new normality, whatever the hell sort of normality I have now.

It's not like anything major happened, but I was... petrified.

Things would be so much easier if I could forget anything ever happened. No, I don't want to forget kissing Josh, loving Josh. I want to have... simply not have been born.

Been born with new parents, a better life.

I wanted to see him and his stupid face but I also didn't want to.

"I'm just worried. I don't want... I don't think I can handle everything all at once again, it destroys me Craner." I sighed rubbing the bridge of my nose. "This break was supposed to be for me but all I can think about is fucking Josh."

Craner laughed loudly, "You're such a bloody dunce mate. I' me telling you bud, if all you can think about is Josh, than you basically have to go back, no?"

I grumbled under my breath. Craner was a dumbass. A big dumbass who got on my nerves to the point of no return....

So I fucking hate it when he makes sense and speaks logically.

I groaned loudly and mumbled under my breath. "Yeah. Whatever. Fine."

I needed to shower and change before I go back, Josh may think that I'm attractive, but I'd rather god fucking see me looking like I am now than Joshy. It's not like I'd been sleeping in a truck for the past week or anything.

"Good. Now, stop being a bloody whiner and go see him."

"I already said fine!" I snapped, pulling my truck out of the parking lot I had resigned in last night.

This should be fun...

~~~

My shit

Was

Everywhere.

It was thrown across the lawn, any electronics or glass that I owned was shattered and broken on the driveway in front of my house.

I didn't expect much different, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when I got there and saw all of my shit everywhere. With the neighborhood I had, there was no doubt some stuff had been stolen.

I forced the door open to see both of my parents arguing.

"Dad-" my voice was cut off by a beer bottle being thrown full speed at my head.

"You faggot!" He yelled marching towards me and my mom swayed a bit on her feet.

I was about to say something when he drew his arm back, hitting me in the jaw and knocking a tooth loose.

Just what I needed, there goes my plan to look nice for Josh.

~~~

Josh' POV

The doorbell rang and I stumbled to my feet as Sylvia and I raced to answer it.

We had ordered pizza again and right now, all I needed was to be the first one to grab that cheesy deliciousness and drown in my sorrows.

However both of us were stunned as we threw open to door to reveal a very beaten and bruised, Callum.

"Callum!" Sylvia and I exclaimed at the same time, opening the door wider.

Callum stepped in, jaw ticking in anger. He looked at me and his features softened and I almost broke down in apology right there, even though I wasn't sure what I did wrong.

"Hold on Sylvia. I'll be right back." I said, grabbing Callum's hand and dragging him to my room.

When I was there he wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back.

We just kinda stood there, not moving, Not talking, just hugging.

He didn't smell the best, but he didn't smell like absolute shit.

He pulled away.

"Callum-"

"Josh-" we said at the same time.

We stared at eachother seriously for a second before we broke into giant grins.

It was like I was the lightest person in the world right now.

"I'm so sorry Cal. I'm so sorry for what you had to go home to, what you had to deal with. What you got called if I hadn't had-"

Callum pressed his forehead against mine, his hand on my neck, my heart started pounding.

"Callum, are you alright? What's wrong?" I stuttered out in one breath, my voice strained as I had a hard time functioning.

Callum didn't say anything, just swallowed hard. "I was kicked out." He grumbled.

"What?"

"I figured I was..." he sighed and I felt the brush of his breath against my lips. "I mean I assumed with how they reacted when they saw... us. But I never thought... I know they don't love me, but I wished they would've thought different for one time." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "I don't know where I'm gonna stay." It was back to normal.

Maybe it was a wittle bit inappropriate but I snorted, "Youre staying here, obviously you moron."

He looked at me with squinted eyes, "I can't do that. I'm always in your guys' hair." He dismissed me with a wave and I laughed lightly.

"Stop acting as if we haven't been friends for 16 years." I said, mocking him from awhile ago. "Besides. You can just sleep in the guest bedroom." I said and he blinked a few times a relieved look coming over his features.

"I'm really fucking lucky to have you, Josh." He said wrapping his arms around me again. "And I missed you. And I'm sorry for ever being a dick and up and leaving after that because you didn't deserve that, everything felt so... awful. And I left for me but Josh-" He inhaled slowly before exhaling, he tightened his grip. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I grinned as I hugged him back, "I know. I'm pretty awesome."

~~~

"Callum, don't be a little bitch." I grumbled, watching as he tauntingly held the last puzzle piece.

Callum rolled his eyes, "I could swallow this right now and you won't ever be able to do shit about it." He held it to his mouth.

I made a face, "Thats disgusting, what are you? A baboon?"

Jesus I missed him.

Let me give you a little run down of how my week went without him, besides the whole bowling incident.

1) my ass hurt all week.

2) I was very moody

3) I was very guilt ridden.

Well I think about the third one and then I remember the hurt in Callum's voice and my whole mood changes because Callum actually sounded like he had been really truly hurt by everything happening and the yelling and the emotions we got caught up in.

A week away was probably needed.

Although it sucked that he had to take a week away from reality without me.

I reached for the puzzle piece and Callum's tosses it into his mouth, I gave him a horrified glance as his lips pressed into a thin line while he tried to hide his smile.

"That's so gross." I said looking at him like he was crazy. "You don't know where that's been. What if it has diseases on it?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

He took it out of his mouth and rolled it eyes. "We don't know where anything has been and yet we still shove forks and other things into our mouths." He states with a smug smile.

"Those get cleaned."

"But how clean do they really get?"

I glared at Callum and he glared at me. Jokingly of course.

"You've got a thick skull, Callum." I placed my hands on my temples.

"Huh?"

"I called you dumb."

"That's not very nice."

"Who said I was nice?"

"Your mom did. Ooo roasted."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Callum's face was still bruised and slightly bloody, his knuckles weren't wrapped because he refused to let me touch any sort of antibiotic because, and I quote, 'it'll ruin the moment, Joshy'.

So he was still bleeding from his hands that were slowly scabbing over.

But he was smiling, so I guess that was a good thing.

~~~

Remember how I had ignored Callum's wounds previously? Well now it was night time so there was no 'mood' to ruin.

Which is why it was incredibly annoying that he was whining about it like a baby.

"It's fine, Josh. Itll just scab over, it always scabs over."

"The fact that you're so accustomed with the healing of your bloody hands makes me sad, Cal." I rolled my eyes, sighing. "Just let me clean and wrap your hands you big child."

He hesitantly held out his hands, sitting on the counter.

I sighed, "We haven't seen eachother in a week, and yet you still come back bloody and bruised and I still drop everything to help you. It wouldn't be any other way though." I shook my head but smiled, "What am I? Your mom?"

He cackled, "My mom is the one who threw the picture at me and gave me this." He pointed to the scratch on his arm.

"Oh I didn't even notice that. Do you have any more?"

Callum hesitated before saying, "A few on my stomach but they're just scratches."

I rolled my eyes, "knowing you that doesn't sound all that great. Can I see?"

Callum hesitantly pulled his shirt up and over his head.

And now it was awkward.

Callum was sitting there with a stressed look on his face.

"Did your dad give you these?" I asked, mouth agape.

He shrugged, "I guess."

"Callum, that's like... kinda serious." I looked at the semi deep gash on the side of his stomach.

He rolled his eyes, "But I'm not dead right? So it's fine." His tone was snappy and I frowned at him.

I watched his features soften. "Sorry. Sorry." His raised his hands, "I shouldn't have snapped, especially when I just got back." He sighed.

"Why did he do it again?"

"It wasn't him." He said without thinking.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Who was it? That gave you the gash?"

He cleared his throat, "There's so much more to talk about." He said softly, sadly. "Let's not talk about that."

Him pushing it away made me truly wonder if  what Sylvia had said was true. How hurt had Callum gotten before but he'd just gotten to pretend he was fine.

It sparked an ache in my chest.

I tossed him his shirt and he quickly slid it on.

"Well. You're living at my house now, so it's fine." I said, staring into his mystical green eyes.

Jesus this guy had the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen.

"Yeah I guess."

And then it fell into silence as I worked on his hands.

It wasn't a tense or awkward silence, It was a silence full of taking in each other's presence for once in the past week we'd been apart.

I had just finished wrapping his knuckles.

"Hey Josh?"

"Yes Callum?" I said, adding the finishing touches and then looking up.

My body froze, eyes wide.

Callum was kissing me... for the third time.

And this time there were no door swinging open, no people shouting. It was us. Our lips.

No interruptions. The way it should be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

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