Addie’s POV

The next morning I wake up from a nightmare-ish dream. Even though they happen very often, I still can’t get used to them. I take a cold shower and have breakfast, when my mom comes down the stairs.
“Good morning” She says. She is all smiling and cheery.
“Hi” I say, finishing my cereal. “How did it go last night?” I ask.
My mom blushes and then just says “It was alright”
“Alright? Are you seeing him again? Where did you go?” I lean in and she blushes even more. Oh yes. I’m enjoying this.
“We went to dinner, and then for a drink at a bar. And yes, I am seeing him again.” She then opens a fruit yogurt she took out from the fridge and puts a spoon in it “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go out”
“Look at youuuuu” I say as she walks to the front door to put on shoes “You have a better social life than me”
“Speaking of” She faces me, after putting on her shoes “You won’t be having any today, because you’re doing laundry.”
“Yes sir!” I salute her, and then she leaves. I clean my bowl, and then go to my room. I put on headphones, my phone in my pocket, and start gathering clothes that I’m going to wash. I knock on Aggie’s room then, and when I enter she’s sleeping. I gather all the clothes from the floor and hope they are all suppose to be washed. Fortunately, my mom always brings her clothes in the upstairs bathroom, and so when I bring mine and Aggie’s, I sit on the floor and separate whites and lights from darks and colours.
My music stops halfway and my phone starts vibrating.
“Yellow” I answer not looking at the caller ID. I mean really…I have 5 friends.
“Hey” Cal’s voice comes through the headphones.
“What’s up” I ask, trying to decide where to put a light pink shirt.
“I’m going at Ash’s. Wanna come?” He asks.
“Can’t. I’m grounded, as I’ve mentioned a billion times before” He laughs on the other end at that “Also, I’m doing laundry.”
“Okay, okay.” He says, and we stay in silence. “Can I come over later? Strictly for studying business” Now it’s my turn to laugh.
“Sure. Text me when you’re on your way” I say. “And say hi to the boys”
“Alright. I’ll see you later then” He answers and after we say goodbye, we hang up.
My mom comes back with lunch and the three of us eat.
“So I was thinking” My mom begins and both Aggie and I look at her “of maybe inviting Joy and her family over for dinner.”
Oh no. I know what she’s doing.
“I mean, she has invited us twice, and I think it’s only fare. Plus, I haven’t seen her in a couple of days-“
“Do you hang out?” I ask her, a bit mortified
“Oh yeah. Her job is close to the hospital, so we sometimes have lunch together. Anyway” She continues “Tomorrow they’re coming over for dinner, and I need you guys to help me out”
We then continue eating and I change the subject. My mom starts asking us about colleges and where we’re planning on studying and what not, which makes me stress a little bit.
After lunch I clean all the dishes and I put in another batch of laundry, while putting the first one in the dryer.
When I come back to my room, I have a missed call from Calum, so I call him back
“Hey” He answers.
“Sorry, didn’t hear my phone. What’s up?” i say, tidying up my room.
“Can we hang out?” He asks.
“Sure. My mom’s home though, so we might actually do a tiny bit of studying” I say.
“Just a tiny bit” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“A smidge, if you prefer.” He laughs at this.
“Alright. I’ll be there in 20” He says and I hear Michael and Luke in the back.
“Can we come?” Luke is saying
“You guys never want to hang out with us anymore!” Mikey overlaps him.
“I’ll see you later, byee” Calum is laughing and then hangs up.
I get out of my room and walk to the living room
“Calum is coming over” She gives me a look “To study!” I clarify.
“Sure he is” Aggie says, her mouth full with a big chunk of an apple
“Well, tidy up the dining table” My mom says and smiles at me. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“Yes mother. Anything else?” I say with a horrible british accent “Do you need me to scrub the floor, or wash the carpet? Oh, could I please go to the ball?! I’ve done all you’ve asked of me!”
Both Aggie and my mom are laughing “You are not getting out of being grounded two days earlier, Cinderella.” My mom says.
“Ughhh, fineeeee. But if we get no work done, it’s because of the TV and you guys talking” I say and exit, towards my room.
I bring my books, my notebooks, highlighters, pens, colored pens, and pencils to the dining table. I text Calum, warning him about the slight change in plans and that we’ll have to fake this study session. He just texts me ‘No worries’ and then a minute later, my doorbell rings. My mom and Aggie are deep in conversation about some show they are currently watching, and neither of them makes a move to get the door.
I open it and Calum is standing in front of me, his backpack on his shoulder, smiling and looking all cute and stuff.
“Hey there” He says, and glances in the direction towards the living room, and then quickly leans down to kiss me softly.
“Hey” I say, when he pulls away. “Come in”
We go to the living room so he can greet my mom and Aggie, and then we sit at the dining room table, next to each other.
“You went all out” He says, looking at all the stuff I’ve laid out.
“Well, might as well actually do some work” I say and he raises an eyebrow, then kisses me. We kiss for a while when I hear someone clearing their throat. Cal laughs, our lips touching.
“Let’s study then” he says, and pulls away.
“Yah” i say and turns towards the books.
We do our math homework which Calum struggles with, but I help him out. And then I highlight and make study notes for AP Psych, while he revises for his History quiz next week.
As I’m simplifying a paragraph about Cognitive Influence, Cal pushes a little note to me. I look at him, but he seems engaged into highlighting something in his history textbook. I open the note and on it, in his messy handwriting, it says ’So your mom invited us to dinner tomorrow’
I sigh dramatically, and he laughs.
I then pick up a pen and write ’Yeah. It’s gonna be like our first date….except our families will be joining us. How romantic, right?’ bellow his handwriting and pass it back. I feel like we’re in class and we’re passing notes and trying not to get caught. Of course, we have our backs to the living room. It’s cute though. I like it.
He passes it back after he scribbles something on it. ’M8 I’m taking you on an actual date next week’
‘Better be more romantic than our parents eating dinner with us’ I pass it back. He laughs out loud and puts his arm around my shoulders.
“Deal” He says and kisses my temple.
“Do you want something to eat? Or drink?” I ask, getting up. I feel like I want a break.
“Sure” He says, following me to the kitchen.
“Lemonade, or Coke?” I ask, opening the refrigerator.
“Coke” He answers, and leans on the kitchen counter “You know, I’ve never spent this much time studying in a day. My grade average might just go up”
“You’re welcome” I say, pouring coke in a glass for him, and Lemonade for me.
We talk and kiss in the kitchen when I get a text from Michael
‘I know you think you’re sooooo cooooolll having a boyfriend now and all that, but can we hang out at ONE point this weekend?’
I show Cal the text, hoping he won’t be upset. I don’t know why, but I think he will, even though it’s one of his best friends we’re talking about. But he doesn’t he just laughs.
“He sent me the same text while we were studying” He says, taking out his phone and opening the text from Mikey.
‘I know you think you’re sooooo coooooll having a girlfriend now and all that, but can we band at one point this weekend?’
I laugh and my eyes just glance above that text, and read the 4 previous texts, involuntarily.

Mikey: ;) ;) ;)
Calum: Stooop, nothing is going to happen!
Mikey: Then why do you have a condom on you? Pls wear it
Calum: fuck offff

I quickly look away, and I think Calum notices because his eyes scan the phone screen and I look away, sparing him the embarrassment. Or sparing myself.
“Um-“ He begins and I am not planning on having this conversation in my kitchen while my mom can hear us
“He’s a weirdo. But he’s right, I’ve been anti-social lately” I say, quickly and laugh nervously, while putting the Coke back in the fridge.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, and I think he’ll just continue his previous thought but thank god he just says “That has little to do with me, and more to do with the fact that you’re grounded”
“Whatever” I turn around and smile at him. He reaches for me and pulls me by my hands. My body collides with his and he puts his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. I have to look up, my hands resting on his shoulders.
“Hi” He says, almost whispering.
“Hi” I say back and we both smile.
He leans in and kisses me on the lips and after a couple of kisses he starts kissing towards the edge of my lips, then my cheeks, traveling to my jaw and moving to my neck, where he places little wet kisses that make the places he puts them on burn, but also makes me shiver, all at the same time. My hands, automatically, wrap around his neck and I lift myself on my toes, to give him more access. He takes a deep breath, probably surprised by my sudden encouragement. I sigh into his neck, because this is doing something to me, something that reminds me of the time in his bed when he was drawing circles on my tummy and we were spooning, or the time in his car last night. He tightens his hold on the small of my back, and I can feel his hands starting to travel south.
“Cal” I whisper to him, and he stops kissing me. He pulls away, and I feel cold air settling on my neck. I go down to my normal height, and look up at him.
“Yeah” he says and nods.
It takes all the power and energy I have to step away from him and go back to the dining table. He joins me, and places his hand on my knee, as if no big deal, and then continues with his History text book.
We occasionally talk through out our study session, and eventually he leaves at around 6 so he can go to Ash’s and band with the boys. I walk him to my door, and he says bye to Aggie and my mom before getting his attention on me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow? Or tonight?” He smiles, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Tomorrow” I say and smile. He leans down to kiss me and pulls me in, our chest touching. I wrap my arms around his neck and we kiss, tongue and all, when i hear my mom clearing her thought, very obvious.
“Bye” I whisper as I pull away. He gives me a quick peck on my nose and then goes.

That night all I can think about is Calum having a condom with him and what that means. And I know that most boys have one in their wallet and it’s no big deal, girls should have them too (and some do as well), but thinking about it makes me nervous and scared. So I do the only logical thing I can think of - I overanalyse with Lucy.
“You do know you’re overreacting, right?” She says, I can hear the smile through her voice. We’ve been talking on the phone for the last 9 minutes.
“I knowwww” I say, and roll on my side. “But it’s so weird how we act like we’ve been in a relationship for longer than 3 minutes, you know? And we get along really well, and I like spending time with him, but it’s just… I don’t know” I answer.
“And plus. There is nothing to be scared of. It’s just sex” She says. I think she’s eating chips or something, because I can hear the crunching.
“You talk like you’ve done it” I say, and there is a silence on her part. “Lucy?”
“It was camp, last summer” She says laughing.
“Oh my God, and you haven’t told me?!” I sit upright. I don’t know how to react. I’m not mortified, I am kinda laughing, but it’s so surreal to think that Lucy, my baby cousin (yes I know she’s just a year younger than me) did it before me!
“It’s no big deal, dude!” She laughs “Seriously, stop putting so much meaning to it”
“With who?” I ask, kind of glad I’m not thinking about Calum and his condom anymore.
“This guy at camp. He was from New Mexico, I think. It was two months of love” She sighs. “Anywayyyyy, it’s really, like, no big deal. So don’t stress about it, even if it does happen sooner thank you thought. If you’re not ready, just say no, and if he doesn’t listen, knee him in the balls, hit him on the head with a blunt object and run like hell”
I start laughing at her very violent, twisted mind, and she joins me.
“Wait, so do you still talk to him? What was his name? How old is he?” I ask, suddenly very interested in this whole story.
“His name is Antonio. He is 19 and yes, I still talk to him” She finishes. And before I can reply she starts adding “But like we don’t talk everyday. It’s more of a once-in-a-week thing. We snapchat almost daily though.”
“How am I just hearing about him??” I ask, faking suspicion. She laughs.
“I don’t know. Never came up. I don’t have the need to talk about him and overanalyse every conversation we have” She says that last part accusingly which makes me laugh.
“So wait, are you like..in love with him?” I ask.
“I thought I was, but we’ve both come to terms with the fact that we can’t really be together. Plus, I like someone else now, and there’s no point in wasting energy on Antonio, when nothing can happen” She says, eating again.
“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What’s the deal with you and Luke?” I say
“I. Don’t. Know.” She says, pausing between each word. “I think he likes me, but then he’s like really friendly with me, and we flirt but it’s all just a joke i think? I don’t know. I’m confused”
“You think he likes you?” I laugh “Are you blind? Do you not see how he looks at you like you’re his queen?” She starts laughing.
“I don’t know man. He isn’t making any moves besides the light flirting” She says, after dying down her laughter.
“Well, maybe you should make a move?” I say, and she laughs again “I’m serious! Come on! You were all up for the whole I-should-make-a-move-on-Calum thing. Take your own advice. Destroy those social norms! Show ‘em who’s boss!” She keeps laughing and I can’t help but crack up as well.
“You know what? I will!” She says, triumphantly. “I’m gonna ask him on a date! And I’ll plan the shit out of that date!” She says. We continue this talk and somehow we make a $10 bet on who has their first date, Cal and I or Luke and her, which is extra motivation for Lucy, because she has weird plans for those $10.
“Alright, well, let the best couple win” She says.
“You aint even kissed and you call yourself a couple. Pathetic.” I joke and she laughs.
“We’ll see about that.” She answers “Alright, I’m gonna go shower. Stop stressing about the condom. I’ll see you tomorrow? Oh, no wait, you are grounded. Ok then. Monday morning. Let’s hope that we can gloat in the aftermath of yesterday’s ninja mission. Byeeeee” And then she hangs up, before I can say anything.
I actually stop thinking about the condom and having sex with Calum…until she just mentioned it. Great.
I shower before bed and I may or may not have had a wet dream about Calum.

Notes

Hello! Enjoy :))))