You've Marked My Heart [HIATUS]

by StephLastName

Summary:

1-11 - Callum is failing history classes and he doesn't have a soulmate. It's for the best to focus on his school right now instead of love - instead of finding out what's wrong with him. And maybe this Rayla (his new assigned tutor) is the solution to his problems.

12-?? - They have graduated, and right now it's summer break! College is beginning soon, who knows what lies ahead of them?

Chapter 1

Notes:

First multi chapter story that's not Undertale! Woo!

There's a few soulmate AU's mixed together. I won't spoil which ones yet, you'll have to read the story for that ^^

Also! Everyone's human in this story! I'm sorry if this makes you dislike the story, but my ideas wouldn't fit otherwise.

I hope you'll enjoy the story either way!

 

 

Callum had never expected to find his soulmate. Not because he wasn't interested in love, but because he didn't get a single sign of having a soulmate.

 

There were many ways someone could find their soulmate. A red string attached to your finger(s). Have the first words your soulmate says to you written on your left or right wrist when you turn 15. There were also situations where you and your soulmate get the same injuries or disfigurements appear on your body, so basically your injuries would be mirrored on your soulmate’s body. There's many things that show you have a soulmate.

 

And Callum... Well. He had none of that. And he had recently turned 18 (two days ago, in fact). By now he believed he'd never find his soulmate.

 

He thought relationships just weren’t in the cards for him. And also he didn’t really have much experience. He had been kissed once but it hadn't been pleasant.

 

He had a small crush on his best friend Claudia, but he would never admit that, ever. And also, it was obvious that she didn't reciprocate his feelings, so it made him feel and think even worse about love.

 

Plus, if you have a soulmate, you aren't allowed to have a romantic relationship or do romantic stuff with anyone else but your soulmate, even if you haven't met them yet.

 

And now he had pretty much just given up on love. He tried not to care about it any more, and some people saw him only more as a freak for that.

 

Sure, there were lots of aromantic people who did have a soulmate but in the platonic matter. They'd found their best friends for life. But those people still had a soulmate sign, or mark, or anything! Callum didn't have anything at all.

 

And people like that, well, they were called defects.

 

0.003 percent of the population didn't have soulmate signs or marks. And Callum was one of those very few people.

 

Even though love wasn't really his thing, maybe his grades would make up for it (let's just for a moment forget the fact that he was failing history and he had no idea how he was going to get his grade up). This was his (hopefully) final year on this school, if he passed his exams. He'd only be allowed to do these exams if he had all satisfying grades. After that he'd start at college. 

 

He knew that his little brother Ezran would go to this college for animal care after he finished highschool (Ezran was a first-year). He knew that his friend Claudia would go to a college for baking. And here he was, unsure about his future once again.

 

He wasn't so sure if he was going to pass this year. He just thought that history was boring. He didn’t understand why he would need to know about what someone had done 100 years ago. Maybe that’s why he could never focus on anything the teacher was saying.

 

A sigh left Callum's mouth. His eyes wandered down to the ground as he made his way through the busy halls of the school. He was too embarrassed to let his father Harrow down, and was too ashamed to ask him for any help with the homework. Claudia was always too busy and he knew Ezran didn't have history class at his school. So even if Ezran wanted to help, he couldn't.

 

Callum entered the classroom and took seat at his desk.

 

Another day of school to sit through.

 

---

 

"Callum, could you come here for a moment?"

 

Callum blinked in surprise and stopped in his tracks for a bit. He was about to exit the room of his last class (history, ironically enough), and he was more than ready to just go home and sleep (maybe eat first). But no, his teacher wanted to talk to him. Sigh.

 

"Yes?" He made his way to the teacher's desk, and his teacher (Mr. Merkel) smiled at him. 

 

"Callum, I've noticed that your grade in history is dropping a lot. That's why I want to assign you a tutor who will help you with this subject, if you are open to that. It's another student, she also takes history classes, but she's in a different class. Her name is Rayla."

 

Callum blinked in surprise. "Wait, that's possible? That... That would be great!"

 

"Yes." The teacher smiled at Callum's optimism. "On one condition, that would be." When Callum nodded, the teacher continued.

 

"Well..." Merkel cleared his throat. "That would be that you help her with her English classes. Me, the principal and the English teacher have been talking about this, and we think it would be a great opportunity for the both of you. You are excellent in English and I am sure you will be able to help each other!"

 

And of course, Callum agreed to it. This was his only chance to better his grade. So if this was the only condition, he'd be up for it.

 

---

 

The next day, he made his way to the school's library after school hours. Mr. Merkel had told him that he arranged a meeting with Rayla for him, so here he was.

 

Callum arrived at the library and sat down at the center table, fishing his phone from his pocket to kill some time. 

 

After about five minutes later, Callum heard someone else walk in, and he looked up from his phone (he was playing Cow Evolution because why not), and he blinked. Had he seen her before..? 

The moment that the thought "She's pretty" crossed Callum's mind he did everything in his power to forget about that as soon as it had come, his cheeks flushing slightly.

 

"Hey," the girl said as she came nearer. Callum got to his feet and smiled, although a bit awkward. 

 

"Hi! You're Rayla, right?" Callum stuck out his hand for a handshake, but it was completely ignored, so he let his arm fall to his side again.

 

"Yep," was all she said as she sat down at the table across of Callum. The boy swallowed, sitting down again. He noticed she had an accent, and weirdly enough it made him feel less nervous.

 

"So, uhm. How are you?" It was really all that came to Callum's mind right now.

 

"Listen, I'm not here to make friends. I just want to pass this stupid class, and I know you wanna pass yours too, so let's get to business alright?" It sounded as cold as ice and, not gonna lie, that kind of hurt Callum's feelings. 

 

Callum was silent for a moment, before he nodded slightly. When that happened something changed in the girl's eyes, but Callum pretended not to notice. He grabbed his study books and the girl did the same. 

 

Well... It was a start at least, right?

 

Maybe some day he and the girl could even become friends!

 

He stayed optimistic. He always tried to be.

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 2

Notes:

Hello again!

A big thank you to everyone for the kudos, the comments, the reads and the support!! It really means a lot to me and helps me keep writing!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 

 

Four days ago Callum had started the after school tutoring lessons with Rayla, but she still acted so cold towards him. It was like she didn't even try to be friendly. 

 

And so, Callum had made it his goal to become friends with her. Except he didn't have any idea how to do so.

 

So he asked the only person he knew would be able to help him.

 

---

 

It was Friday. Callum had just come home from the meeting with Rayla and he was exhausted. But more than exhaustion, he felt irritation. Annoyance. Some sadness.

 

Because no matter how hard he tried, Rayla acted cold towards him.

 

Callum let himself fall on the comfy chair in the living room, a deep sigh leaving him. 

 

"Hey Callum!" he heard his little brother call out from next to him. He opened his eyes, a smile coming to his face. Ezran was sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

 

"Hey little bro. How was school?" 

 

"It was fun! We had art class today and I drew a dragon, look!" Ezran pulled a piece of paper from his backpack that was on the ground next to him, and he handed it to Callum. Callum's eyebrows raised up. 

 

"Wow, this is pretty good!" he complimented as he handed the drawing back. 

 

"Thanks!" Ezran put the drawing back in his backpack. "I named him Zym! It's short for Azymondias! He's based on a Greek mythological dragon-like creature that's named Ladon!"

 

"That's really cool bro, nice work."

 

Callum hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "Hey Ezran. How do you..become friends with someone who doesn't want to be friends? Or at least acts like that?" 

 

"Oh! You just- show them you want to be their friend, I guess? Show them you're there for them, and that they're definitely worth your time!" was Ezran's cheery response.

 

Callum sighed. "Yeah, well... She doesn't even want to talk to me - except if it's about school stuff and such."

 

Ezran smiled reassuringly. "Keep trying, maybe she'll understand that she can trust herself to be friends with you eventually."

 

Callum nodded, a smile reappearing on his face.

 

Yeah. He could do that.

 

---

 

It was Monday, and Callum did not like Mondays. 

 

Monday was the day they had PE. And it was the first class he had, too. Who even came up with the idea to have PE first thing after waking up and getting to school?

 

It's not that he didn't like PE, he just..sucked at it. And he was always tired when he arrived at school in the mornings. That didn't help either.

 

Callum was delighted when the PE teacher announced that the class was over and they were sent to the changing rooms to shower and get dressed.

 

---

 

After PE, Callum had two other classes (Math and English), and then he had a lunch break.

 

He sat at his usual table in the corner of the cafetaria and grabbed his lunch. Two turkey sandwiches and one apple for after school.

 

He looked up when Rayla sat down across of him. She started sitting with him two days after they started their tutoring lessons after school. It made Callum happy, despite the fact they didn't talk.

 

"Hey," he greeted her. She just smiled slightly and then grabbed her English book from her bag.

 

"Uhm, don't you have any lunch?" Callum wondered.

 

"I forgot it at home," Rayla simply said, continuing to read her book.

 

"Well, here." Callum held out one of his sandwiches to Rayla and she stared at him, staying silent. "We can share if you want."

 

Rayla hesitated, then took it from him, her cheeks getting a flush to them. "Uhm. Thanks. Are you sure--?"

 

"Of course!" The boy smiled widely. 

 

"Thanks," Rayla muttered quietly. 

 

They both ate in silence after that, but it wasn't an awkward silence.

 

Maybe they could be friends for real. That would be nice.

 

But he made a mistake. Unintentional, but it was made anyway.

 

---

 

The school day was over and Callum made his way over to the library to meet up with Rayla. He was actually kind of looking forward to it.

 

"Callum! Hey, Callum!" he suddenly heard from behind him. He turned around, and was pleasantly surprised to see Claudia catching up with him. 

 

He smiled immediately, unable to help it. She had that effect on him, always. "Hey Claudia! What's up?" 

 

"Welllll..." she started, "Last week the diner opened and you promised we would go there together! Soooo..would you want to go?"

 

"Right now?" he questioned. He shot a glance to the doors at the end of the hallway, the ones that led to the library. "I kind of--,"

 

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Claudia insisted. She took one of Callum's hands and dragged him with her, laughing wholeheartedly. Callum couldn't help it and started laughing as well at that, letting himself get dragged out of school.

 

It turned out to be one of the most fun evenings he'd had so far and he was glad he hadn't rejected her.

 

Well, until the next day, after school.

 

Rayla was already sitting at the center table in the library, reading her study books. She looked focused, eyebrows furrowed. And she didn't reply when Callum sat down across of her and greeted her.

 

"Rayla?" Callum said, then.

 

"What do you want?" she spat at him. "Just get your books and let's get started."

 

Callum was shocked into silence for a moment. "What's the matter?" he asked after some time.

 

Rayla clenched her jaw, trying not to yell at the boy in front of her. 

 

"What's the matter?" she echoed. "What's the matter? Seriously?"

 

"Uh, wh--,"

 

"You didn't show up yesterday and didn't even let me know you wouldn't! And now you act like nothing happened!" Her voice cracked and she shut up, clenching her jaw so hard her teeth started to hurt.

 

"Rayla, I'm sor--,"

 

"I waited in this room for an hour! An hour, Callum! Hoping you'd show up! Hoping that, if you'd forgotten, you'd remember and show up!" She got to her feet, her eyes prickling with tears she didn't want to be there. So she blinked them away. "All of you are the same," she concluded, her voice quiet now. "...Do you even know how worried I was?"

 

Callum gaped at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "I..."

 

"Whatever." Rayla grabbed her school bag and made her way to the doors.

 

Callum knew if he let her go now that he'd never see her face again.

 

And he didn't want her to feel betrayed. He never wanted to make her or anyone else feel that way.

 

"Wait! Rayla!" He got to his feet and hurried after her, grabbing her by the wrist gently.

 

Rayla sneered, ripping her arm away from him. "What do you want?"

 

"I- I didn't mean to let you down like that! Please, let me explain?" he said hurriedly.

 

Rayla looked at him with teary eyes, she was visibly hurt. But she nodded anyway.

 

---

 

"So..that's what happened. I wanted to let you know but I don't have your phone number or email or- anything..and Clauds didn't really give me a chance to drop by real quick to let you know I couldn't come." Callum bit his bottom lip. "Not that I blame her, she didn't know. This was all on me."

 

Rayla nodded at Callum's explanation. She sighed, though softly. "I..might have exaggerated... I'm sorry."

 

"No! No, no, no, don't be sorry! You have every right to react that way! I... It was a dick move. I'm really sorry, Rayla. You don't have to, but I hope you can forgive me some day." Callum felt so guilty. He felt like an asshole. He wanted to be friends with Rayla but now he had done this--

 

Rayla smiled softly. "Callum, I've already forgiven you. It's okay," she said, interrupting his thoughts.

 

And Callum smiled widely. "Thank you."

 

But somewhere in his mind, Callum wondered if it was really okay. If they were really fine now.

 

He didn't know the answer to that but if it wasn't the case, he'd do everything in his power to make things right.

 

He wanted to be her friend no matter what. He just hoped that Rayla wanted that too.

 

 

Notes:

So the last part made me think of the part in the show itself where Callum tells Amaya that Rayla is a bloodthirsty elf and she's really hurt :')

 

~~~~~

 

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 3

Notes:

Rayla POV this time!

I'M SORRY FOR THE WAIT!! I had a writing block agshdjkf

I hope you enjoy the chapter, since it's a bit shorter than the previous ones.

Again, thank you all for the support, for the kudos and comments and reads!! The stats blow me away every time I look at this story 😁

**THERE IS SOME MILD LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER**

 

 

When Rayla got home from school that day, she made herself a sandwich and went to her room. Her dads would both be at work 'till 10 or sometimes 11 o'clock, but she was used to that by now.

 

She and Callum, after their talk, had exchanged phone numbers. After that they studied for an hour. 

 

But now that she was alone, she started to overthink, going over everything that had happened in her head, about today and yesterday. 

 

---

 

Rayla sat down at the big table in the library. As usual, Callum wasn't there yet. She sighed softly, grabbing her English book from her school bag and beginning to study, already.

 

After 20 minutes or so, she put her book down, eyebrows furrowed. She wondered, maybe Callum had forgotten? Or maybe he had gotten detention and didn't have time to let her know? She decided to wait a bit longer. 

 

She put her earbuds in and decided to listen to some music as she continued to read in her English book.

 

15 more minutes. Callum still hadn't shown up. By now the library was empty of other students. She started to think..maybe he didn't care any more. Maybe he didn't want to see her any more. Or maybe something had happened? Nah... He's fine.

 

Right?

 

"I'll wait 15 more minutes," Rayla thought to herself. She didn't have any way of contacting him. Maybe she should have given him her phone number? 

 

After waiting for another 15 minutes, Rayla came to the conclusion that Callum wouldn't show up any more. So she got to her feet, grabbed her stuff and left. She was still worried, but knew it was probably for nothing.

 

---

 

"..All people are the same. You can't trust anyone, they will eventually just let you down," Rayla thought to herself. "They always do."

 

She had enough experience by now to know that.

 

And now she still had that same mindset, even after she and Callum had "talked things out". Callum had let her down and it had broken the little trust she had in him. Even if it wasn't really his fault, he could have at least dropped by real quick to tell her that he couldn't make it that day.

 

She knew she probably jumped to conclusions way too fast but she just..didn't want to get hurt. Not again.

 

She used to be trusting, and a happy, jolly girl when she was younger. She used to show her emotions. She had many friends on who she could count on (or so she thought). But when she got bullied and eventually beaten up by some racist jerk (because she was Irish) they all just stood there and laughed at her. They had stabbed her in the back.

 

And after that it kept happening. She got close to someone, and they let her fall. They betrayed her. Then they hurt her with the things she had trusted them with. They abused her, verbally, physically and emotionally-- her parents eventually sent her to another school. But the abuse didn't stop. Because of her background and, also, because she didn't have a soulmate. As if she wasn't unlucky enough.

 

She was probably too mean or untrusting to have a soulmate. It was her own fault. She just..didn't want to get close to someone again, she didn't want to let her guard down and get hurt, again.

 

It was probably for the best.

 

Rayla frowned, her hunger now gone, and she put her sandwich on the nightstand next to her bed, before she got up and went to take a shower. 

 

She undressed, but when she took off her hoodie, her eyes fell on her wrist and she gasped. She stumbled back, almost falling on the floor because of the shock. 

 

"What the fuck," she cursed. Her eyes were wide and upon her left wrist. There was a large, black mark. "Did Callum grab my wrist that hard? It's bruised!" She touched her wrist, prepared to feel pain, but to her surprise she didn't feel any pain at all.

 

"What..?" She pinched her wrist, then frowned. No pain at all.

 

She twisted her arm, looking at her wrist from different angles. It looked like..a handprint? 

 

She turned on the faucet and washed her wrist with the water, but the mark didn't go away. 

 

And then a realization hit her. Her eyes widened and she fell silent.

 

Was this..her soulmate mark?

 

Was... Was Callum her soulmate?

 

Rayla bit her bottom lip hard, so many thoughts going through her mind.

 

She had a soulmate!

 

But also...

 

She had a soulmate.

 

Years, people had called her freak, and a castout, and weird and fucked up and many other hurting things, and worse names than that. But they were all wrong.

 

Especially now about the soulmate related things.

 

She wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad about it. She was so confused. Flabbergasted. Shocked...

 

"I shouldn't tell Callum. At least, not yet," she concluded.

 

She didn't even have feelings for him yet, if ever. Would she even get those feelings for him? She had never felt any romantic attraction towards anyone, before.

 

"What am I supposed to do?!" she hissed. Looking down at her wrist again, she put her hand around her wrist,  in the same way as Callum had grabbed her, covering the mark.

 

"No. No, no, no, this can't be happening," she murmured. She clenched her fists. She had makeup. She could cover it up.

 

Yeah.

 

Okay. 

 

She could make this work. Pretend like it never happened. And as long as she didn't touch Callum, he wouldn't get a mark either, right?

 

She hadn't known that soulmate marks like this exist, but now she did. She would have to do some research after her shower.

 

Rayla let out a deep sigh, trying to calm her racing heart and putting a hand on her chest. 

 

"Calm down," she told herself. "It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

 

She would make sure things worked out the way she wanted them to. 

 

Notes:

Oh, Rayla...

 

~~~~~~~

 

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 4

Notes:

Holy crisp!! We hit 700 hits! Aaa!!! Thank you all so much ;--; you have no idea how much it means to me when you leave a kudo or a comment or bookmark the story 💜

Also, I made a quick drawing and posted it my AO3 Tumblr account, it's Rayla's design! I might change it a bit in the future, if so then I'll of course let you know ^^

You can find it here:

https://stephlastname-ao3.tumblr.com/post/647569742409990144/repost-i-made-a-drawing-of-one-of-the-scenes 
I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 

 

So... It turned out that actually a lot of people had the same soulmate mark thingy as Rayla did! And she was happy with all of the info that she had found. Everything she had read was on one website and she was glad that they had all the info there possibly was.

 

A soulmate mark would only appear if you intentionally touched the other person. And once you shared a "true love's kiss" or whatchamacallit with your soulmate, the marks would disappear. Rayla sighed deeply at that.

 

She wasn't interested in love. She just wanted to finish her school and start with her college. Even if she didn't know yet what kind of college she wanted to go to.

 

It'd be a dream come true if it were to be something with athletics or animals. Maybe even music? Art??? She was open to anything.

 

Rayla closed her laptop, a frown on her face. She had never even expected to get a soulmate and this was just..so sudden. She didn't really know how to cope with this, how to handle this.

 

She heard her phone's jingle and blinked, before fishing it out of her pocket.

 

 

Callum        9:43 PM

Hey Rayla! Do you have plans for after school tomorrow?

 

 

Rayla blinked. Speak about the devil.

 

 

You        9:44 PM

Uhh nope. Why?

 

 

Callum        9:44 PM

Oh! No reason. I'll ask you about it tomorrow :)

 

 

You        9:44 PM

Alright

 

 

Callum        9:45 PM

Good night Rayla!

 

 

You        9:45 PM

G'night Callum

 

 

Rayla rolled her eyes. "He's so random sometimes," she thought to herself. Her stomach grumbled and that was when she realized she hadn't eaten anything yet after she had come home from school. So she got to her feet and went downstairs to make herself some dinner. 

 

 

---

 

 

"Hey Rayla!" Callum called as he entered the library. Rayla looked up from her book, then smiled.

 

The school day had gone by real fast, and throughout the day, Rayla kept wondering what Callum was going to ask (he didn't yet want to tell her during their lunch break, which was a bit annoying, but she remained patient). She didn't like to admit it but she was a very curious person.

 

"Hey," she said in return, before turning her attention back to her book.

 

"Soooo..." Callum started. Rayla looked up again, blinking.

 

"What?" 

 

Callum merely grinned. "So- you said you don't have any plans for today right?" When Rayla nodded, Callum went on. "So, uh... Would you maybe like to go see a movie with me? I mean- we're ahead of schedule! And it's good to take a break every now and then!"

 

Rayla looked at him, narrowing her eyes a bit. "You..want to go see a movie? With me?"

 

"Yeah!" Callum answered excitedly.

 

"Uh." Rayla bit her bottom lip, her right hand absentmindedly going around her left wrist. "Uhh, I don't think I have enough money," she tried. She just... She was nervous. It had been so long since she last hung out with someone, she didn't want to mess up. "Wait, I actually do have some money I think-- but I'm not really a movie person? I guess?"

 

"That's okay! If you don't have money, I can pay! I was planning on paying for the both of us anyway!" was Callum's response. 

 

Rayla felt her cheeks heat up and she hated that they did, out of habit tucking a loosened strand of hair behind her ear. Why and how was he so friendly and kind? 

 

"And- you can pick the movie! One you'll for sure like, so you won't be bored," Callum quickly added. He looked so happy and excited... How could she say no to that?

 

..so, with a soft sigh but a smile on her face, she said yes. 

 

---

 

 

She and Callum decided to go see an action movie together. Rayla loved it, Callum..not so. But he still enjoyed it, and the time he and Rayla spent together. It was really fun.

 

After the movie it was already noon, so Rayla and Callum decided to go to a small diner and have dinner. They talked about the movie as they ate and often Rayla caught herself wanting to touch Callum's hand, or shoulder. If she liked someone or was fond of them, she would always show them that she liked them with affection; through hugs and holding someone's hand, patting their shoulder and such. It was hard not to, now.

 

But..she and Callum weren't that close yet. They had only known each other for a few weeks, now. She didn't want to cross Callum's line, nor did she want to do anything that might show Callum that Rayla was his soulmate.

 

When they had finished eating, they exited the diner and found out it was already dark outside. 

 

"Oh. It's that late already?" Rayla said to herself. Her eyes were drawn to the sky, going over the stars. She loved the night. The stars. The fresh air. The way it was so much calmer on the streets... She definitely preferred night over day.

 

"Time flies by when you're having fun!" Callum said, a grin on his face. "Hey, uh, Rayla, I really did have a lot of fun today. So, uhm, thank you for that."

 

Rayla felt her cheeks heat up, and unable to help it she smiled widely, her eyes going to Callum's. "Me too, Callum. Thank you, as well."

 

"Can I walk you home?" Callum then asked. "Nothing weird! I just - you know - wanna make sure you make it home safely."

 

The girl chuckled at that, before she nodded. "Dummy. Of course you can."

 

So Callum walked Rayla home, the both of them smiling. 

 

Callum told Rayla about stars and constellations, and Rayla kept listening, intrigued by how much Callum knew about it. Turned out Callum was really into astronomy and such, and even though he had so much to tell, it never bored Rayla - to her surprise. 

 

Before she knew it, Rayla was standing in front of her house with Callum, and she didn't want to admit it but she was a bit disappointed that they had gotten there so soon. "I guess we're here, huh?"

 

"Yeah..." Callum turned to Rayla, and before she knew it, Callum had taken her in a hug.

 

She wanted to hug him back, she really did. But instead she did nothing, just smile sadly. She couldn't..not yet.

 

She knew it was probably unfair to Callum, but she just..wasn't ready yet. She felt really guilty...

 

When Callum realized Rayla didn't hug back, he let go of her quickly, stumbling back a bit. "Oh- sorry- I didn't mean to- I hope I didn't cross your line? Sorry..!" Callum apologized quickly, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I- I won't do it again. I'm really sorry."

 

"No, it's okay! Really. It was just..unexpected. I'm, uh, not really a 'touchy' person, I guess? Either way- don't feel sorry. Everything's fine," Rayla said reassuringly. She smiled, and Callum smiled back, relieved he didn't cross her boundaries. "Thank you Callum. I had a great day."

 

"Me too. Thank you Rayla." He stepped back, adjusting his school bag on his shoulders. "I guess I'll be going home now. See you tomorrow!"

 

"Yeah, alright," Rayla said. "See you tomorrow." She watched him leave, not being able to wipe the smile off her face.

 

Maybe... Maybe making friends wasn't so bad after all. Not any more.

 

Callum wasn't like the people who had hurt her.

 

Rayla exhaled softly, and then made her way into her house, that smile not leaving her face for the rest of the night.

 

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 5

Notes:

Hello! So sorry for the wait x_x"

 

I can't believe we reached 1000 hits!! I didn't even think of reaching that, or at least not so soon. Thank you all so much!

 

 

When Callum got home that night, he made his way upstairs and walked towards his room. Harrow was already asleep. He always went to bed around 10, because he had to get up early to go to his job.

 

A light coming from Ezran's room caught Callum's attention (Ezran always slept with his door open). He knocked on the door, then Ezran invited him in.

 

"Hey Ez," Callum greeted. He sat down next to Ezran, who put his book down. 

 

"Hi Callum! How was your date?" Ezran teased.

 

A slight blush made its way onto Callum's face. "It wasn't a date. We just hung out together."

 

"Riiiiight," Ezran said, a small smirk on his face. "Well, did you have fun?"

 

"Definitely," Callum said, smiling to himself. "Uh, anyway," he moved on, blushing again. "What were you reading?"

 

"Greek mythologies." Ezran showed his book to Callum with a grin. 

 

"You really like those huh?" 

 

"Yeah!" Ezran answered. "Anyway, I think I'm going to sleep now."

 

"Alright." Callum got to his feet and made his way towards the door. "G'night bro."

 

"Good night Callum." 

 

Callum smiled, then left the room, leaving the door ajar, before he went to his room to get ready for bed.

 

---

 

The next day, school went by slowly, as usual. The first lunch break Callum and Rayla sat together at lunch. They didn't talk much about yesterday, not because they didn't like it but because Callum was shy and Rayla just..well she didn't want to admit it but maybeshefeltshytoo. 

 

Not because they liked each other, of course not. But Callum's conversation with Ezran last night had made him think about it. And since Rayla knew Callum was her soulmate, she had a few mixed feelings about it. 

 

So, yeah. 

 

That's that.

 

When Callum walked into the school cafeteria during the second lunch break, he walked to the table he usually sat. A smile appeared on his face when he spotted Rayla already there.

 

“Hey Rayla!” Callum greeted.

 

"Hey," the girl greeted, smiling as well. Her eyes went to Callum's left, widening a bit. "Callum watch out--,” Rayla called.

 

Callum only had a split second to register her words before he bumped into someone. He made a small "oof" sounds and stumbled back.

 

“Uh-- Oh! Hey Claudia.” Callum's face lit up and Claudia smiled back at him. He picked up the book Claudia had dropped - she probably had been so caught up reading it that she didn't notice Callum in front of her.

 

"Hey Callum! How are--,"

“Hey! Watch where you’re walking!" Rayla spoke loudly, now standing next to Callum.

 

A few people in the cafeteria turned to look at what was happening, then decided it wasn't that important and continued with what they were doing. But even if they didn't care, it made Callum feel nervous.

 

“And who are you?” Claudia asked, not intimidated by the other girl's attitude.

 

“His friend." Rayla was glaring at Claudia. "Who are you?” 

 

“Also his friend,” Claudia replied, getting a bit annoyed.

 

"Well this is akward," Callum thought to himself.

 

He hesitantly spoke up. “Rayla, this is Claudia. Claudia, meet Rayla."

 

Both of the girls glared at each other, and after a few seconds Callum cleared his throat. "U-uhm, let's sit down and have lunch? All of us?"

 

---

 

It didn't get less awkward. It was obvious that Rayla didn't like Claudia, and Claudia wasn't fond of Rayla either. And all of that because of the way they met?

 

Callum really didn't understand girls...

 

"Hey," Callum said as he walked in. 

 

Rayla looked up from her book. "Hey, what did you do?"

 

Callum had told Rayla he'd be a bit later today (he wouldn't make the same mistake as before). He hadn't told her why yet though, so of course she was curious.

 

"I had a small talk with Claudia, that's all."

 

---

 

"Hey Claudia!" Callum had called out to Claudia. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around, a smile coming to her face. She had been on her way home, but Callum would always come first. 

"Hey Callum!" she greeted.

"Uhm. Can I talk to you?" Callum looked kind of..nervous?

"Yeah, of course! What's the matter?" she asked.

"Well- I was just wondering- Why don’t you like Rayla?" he asked bluntly. He already feared her answer...

"She acts really cold towards you, and comes off as, I don't know, kinda mean- and isn't that what you told me two weeks ago, when you two met? ..You deserve better."

Oh. That was not what Callum had been expecting.

"Well, I did, but she's not like that any more! She- she has been much kinder, and nicer, than when we first met," Callum defended.

Claudia hesitated. "I don't know Callum... Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Callum smiled. "And..well, you can't really judge her- you don't know her. At least not like I do."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Callum," Claudia admitted. 

 

Callum smiled softly, taking one of Claudia's hands in both his own. "And I love that you care about me, but let me handle this okay?" He said it while hugging her, and Claudia hugged him back.

"Fine, okay," she murmured. "But if she hurts you or your feelings, please tell me okay?"

 

Callum nodded, letting go of his friend, still smiling. "I will. Thank you Claudia."

 

She grinned softly and nodded. "Always."

 

---

 

"So, how long have you and that Claudia girl been friends?" Rayla asked.

 

"Uh," Callum let out. "Uh, since we've been kids. Why?"

 

"Meh," Rayla said, flatly. She had a small frown on her face, one of her feet tapping almost impatiently on the floor.

 

"Why do you ask?" Callum wondered. Rayla's eyes went up from her book to Callum's eyes, then down to her book again. 

 

"Just wondering."

 

"Are you sure? It seems as if something's bothering you." 

 

Rayla glared at Callum for a small second. It wasn't an angry glare, just..a glare.

 

"I'm sure."

 

"But--,"

 

"Let's just forget I said anything, okay?" Rayla interrupted. Now she sounded kind of annoyed. 

 

Callum sighed, then nodded and dropped it for now.

 

Maybe she would tell him what's the matter some other day. He sure hoped so, he just wanted her to be okay. He wished Rayla would trust him enough.

 

But..you can't really trust someone after, what, almost three weeks? 

 

He had hoped some things would change, even if just a little bit, especially after yesterday. It had been so much fun!

 

Callum focused on the study book in his hands.

 

Unless Rayla wanted him to, he wasn't going to give up on this friendship. 

 

 

Notes:

If any of you have any ideas or suggestions, or things you'd like to see in this story, feel free to comment them below! No matter if you think they're weird, or confusing, or anything like that! I'm open to anything, since I don't actually have an outline or a big plot, just small ideas I'm trying to glue together 😅

 

~~~~~~

 

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 6

Notes:

Whew! So many months have passed already? I'm very sorry for the wait! x_x"

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

The next day, when Rayla woke up, she woke up kind of pissed. She was glad her dads weren't home (already at their jobs). She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She just wasn't feeling it today.

 

...maybe because of what had happened yesterday. Oh, well.

 

It's not like she's jealous.

 

When she got at her locker to get her school books, she heard snickering behind her, and a bunch of footsteps getting closer. She sighed softly, still facing the locker. 

 

"Hey freak!" A small group of bullies were walking towards her. She really didn't want to deal with them right now.

 

"What do you want?" she spat at them, annoyed. She grabbed her books, slammed her locker closed and turned around.

 

"You know that weird kid you're always hanging around with is a loser, right?" said the boy who seemed to be the leader of the group. She remembered his name; Travis. Ugh

 

"Haha, yeah! Which makes you a loser too!" one of his buddies agreed.

 

Rayla rolled her eyes. She simply ignored them, and moved past them.

 

Well, until one of them grabbed her by the arm, jerking her back. 

 

Rayla let out a snarl, facing them again. "Leave me alone."

 

"Or else?" a third boy said.

 

"Or else I'll beat you up. It's that simple." Rayla was still glaring at them, and all that the four boys did was laugh at her.

 

The leader eyed her closely, then made a "Hmmm..." sound. Then he continued. "No wonder you're friends with that freak. You both don't have a soulmate. You're just perfect for each other."

 

Rayla felt her face go hot with anger. 

 

"Hey, hey! Remember that time we bullied Callum about that, and then he actually walked away crying? Priceless!!" The four of them laughed.

 

Rayla's blood boiled.

"You better shut your mouth before I'll punch it shut." It might've seemed like an empty threat, but it wasn't. Not for Rayla.

 

Rayla was damn serious.

 

"I bet you can't, loser!" Travis laughed. 

 

"Haha, yeah! I bet you don't even know how to throw a punch!" one of the others said.

Rayla gritted her teeth. She was about to do just as she had said, but then hesitated, because knew she couldn't hurt anyone in school otherwise she might risk getting kicked out again. And she hated it.

 

She just glared at the boys, before turning around and walking away in silence. She heard the bullies throw insults at her and heard them laugh at her, but ignored it with a heavy stomach.

 

---

 

It was finally lunch break. Callum sat at the table he usually sat at, waiting for Rayla to show up. When she still hadn't shown up after 10 minutes, he got worried. So he sent her a text, with "Hey, are you at school today?" even though he couldn't think of a reason why she wouldn't be. 

 

Of course he didn't get an answer (nor did she read it) so he decided to go look for her. He packed his stuff - food could wait - and got up. 

 

He looked around the cafeteria, but Rayla was nowhere to be found, so he exited the cafeteria and decided to look around the hallways. 

 

No sight of her. He sighed softly, and decided to walk around the school to see if he could find her. 

 

Where he found her was at the library. His face lit up as he spotted her. "Hey! Rayla!" He walked towards his friend. 

 

"Hey." Rayla looked up and smiled faintly, then returned her gaze to her book. 

 

"Hey, what's up?" Callum sat down next her. 

 

"Nothing. Sorry I didn't join you in the cafeteria. Wasn't really feeling like it," Rayla murmured. 

 

"Hey, no problem! Want to tell me what's the matter, though?" Callum turned to her, his attention all hers, now. It kind of made Rayla feel uneasy. 

 

"Uhm..." Should she tell him? She wasn't exactly sure... "Well... Uh... You- you know Travis and his group, right?" When Callum nodded, she continued. "They confronted me, this morning. Said some pretty nasty stuff about you and about me."

 

Rayla saw Callum's face fall and then turned into an angry (annoyed?) look. "What did they say to you?"

 

"N-nothing much!" Rayla stuttered. "Just, uhm, soulmate related stuff. The fact that we're both losers and freaks, y'know, things like that..."

 

Callum shot up and Rayla quickly did the same, then followed him when he walked out of the library. "Wait! Callum!" She reached out, about to grab hold of him, but she stopped herself quickly. "Callum! Please, I don't want you to get involved in this."

 

Callum stopped in his tracks when he heard Rayla's "please", and then he frowned, turning to Rayla. "Why? They should be stopped!"

 

"And they will, someday." She stepped closer. Seeing his teary eyes she wanted to hold his hands, or hug him, something... 

 

She knew this must hurt him, too. Those jerks have been bullying and pestering him for years, now. She knew what he was going through, what he was feeling. And she also knew what it felt like to stand by, powerlessly, and watch a friend get hurt by those same people while not being able to do anything about it. "Just not now, and not by you, okay?  Truly, I know how you feel." She hesitated. "But this isn't up to you, alright? Let me handle this. Trust me?"

 

Callum swallowed away the lump in his throat and nodded. "Okay... Alright. Sorry for making such a scene."

 

"Don't sorry about it. I understand." She held herself back from patting his shoulder, feeling worse about that, now. "Want to go back to the library? They cancelled the next class."

 

Callum nodded silently, and they walked back to the library together without saying a word.

 

Though they did feel a little bit closer to each other. 

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 7

Notes:

**TW FOR MENTIONS OF DEATH**

GUESS WHO'S BACK (spoiler alert, it's this story lol)

Also, I'm very sorry to bring this story back and bring you this sad and angsty chapter, I promise there will be happier and fluffier ones soon asdfghjk

I just needed to put this in the story because I'm planning on bringing this back again some time later and it's very important for Rayla's character

 

Today was a dark day for Rayla. Her birthday, July 31st. Not because she was an edgy teenager who didn't like growing up or any of that sorts. No, this was for a very different reason.

 

This was the day she lost both of her parents.

 

She walked around with this heavy guilt every single day, but on this day, and her parents' birthdays, it was so much more heavier. 

 

It was 10 in the morning when Runaan (her Guardian) walked into her room and put a plate on the nightstand next to her bed. She didn't bother going to school today. She didn't bother to do anything at all, today.

 

"Hey," Runaan said softly. He sat next to Rayla on bed, putting a hand on her shoulder and rubbing it gently.

 

Rayla was still wrapped in her blanket, eyes drawn to the wall and she was just staring at it in silence. She managed to speak a weak, "Hey."

 

"How are you holding up? I made you something to eat," Runaan said, voice still soft. 

 

Rayla just shrugged, her eyes closing. They were blood drawn and puffy because of all of the crying she had been doing. 

 

"Please, you need to eat something..." he then said. 

 

"I-I don't want to. I can't..." 

 

Because it was her fault her parents were dead.

 

And she remembered so well.

 

---

 

She was waiting for her parents to get home when Runaan got the call.

 

They were all celebrating Rayla's 11th birthday party at Tiadrin and Lain's (her parents) house. Runaan and Ethari were there, they had brought their dogs and Rayla had been playing fetch with them when Runaan and Ethari had to break the news to her. 

 

Her parents had gone out for a bit to get Rayla the birthday present they had ordered for her. And after they got to the store, there was this explosion like a bomb and then gunshots. They had gotten killed, and the murderer felt the need to also take their bodies, and to hide them. The bodies were never found.

 

They got killed because they were cops. That's the statement the killer gave. To take revenge, all because they just did their job and locked up a bad guy. 

 

They were killed by one of the family members of this drug and gun dealer they had locked up recently. The murderer got caught, but it never felt enough. Because the bodies were never found. All that was found was their blood. It wasn't closure.

 

They got killed because they had to pick up a gift for Rayla, one she very much wanted. 

 

If it wasn't for her, they would still be alive.

 

It was all her fault.

 

She would never forgive herself for that. Ever.

 

---

 

Rayla didn't know she was crying until she felt Runaan gently wipe the tears from her cheeks. 

 

"I know you feel guilty. But I'm gonna keep telling you that it's not your fault they..." His sentence trailed off. "It's not. It never was your fault, it never will be."

 

Rayla sobbed softly at that. She sat up and hugged onto Runaan tightly, completely breaking down and not even bothering to care any more. No matter what he or Ethari or anyone said, she'd never not feel guilty about it. 

 

Runaan knew that, too. But he still tried to convince her otherwise. Because it wasn't Rayla's fault. And he would never stop telling her that. 

 

And when she went to school the next day, she pretended she was fine, she had to. 

 

The moment she walked out of her house and put her backpack on, she put on a fake smile. She didn't want to, but she needed to.

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 8

Notes:

SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, IT'S BACK!! WOOOOO!!!

I really wanted to update this in May but I couldn't due to mental and physical health issues. But I'm back now!

Enjoy the read! :)

 

"Hey, Rayla!" Callum greeted. He sat down next to Rayla in the cafeteria, and grabbed his lunch from his backpack.

 

"Hey Callum," Rayla responded, then she took another bite of her apple.

 

"How are you? I hadn't heard from you all day yesterday, were you sick?" Callum wondered. 

 

Rayla just nodded, not wanting to lie to him. "Wasn't feeling that well. I'm better today, though. How are you?"

 

"I'm okay!" he responded with a smile, happy to be talking to his friend again. "Oh, by the way, uhm... And you don't have to say yes to this if you don't want to,  but... Would you maybe like to come over to my house today? To study? And you could stay over for dinner, too!"

 

Rayla felt her face go hot. "You mean, your house?"

 

Callum chuckled softly at that,  then nodded. "Yeah,  if you'd like to. You'd be able to meet my little brother and my father!"

 

Rayla felt her face go even hotter. "Uhm. I'll, uh, let you know before the last period, is that okay?"

 

Callum nodded with a smile. "Of course!" And after that they ate in silence until the bell rang. They said their good byes and went to their classes.

 

---

 

During mathematics, Callum received a text. He sneaked his phone out of his pocket and read it, then smiled. Good thing he had already told Harrow and Ezran he'd have a friend over today.

 

 

 

Rayla        2:35 PM

 

I decided; sure, I'll meet you at the gate when we're out

 

 

 

 

You        2:36 PM

 

Alright! See you then :)

 

 

 

He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled a bit wider.

 

---

 

"Hey!" Callum called out as he walked up to Rayla. Rayla turned to him, then smiled softly when she saw her friend (she'd been on edge ever since she got bullied).

 

"Heya. Let's go?" 

 

Callum nodded and they started walking. 

 

Soon, they arrived at Callum's place. It was a two story house, pretty simple. A beautiful garden was in front of the house, with lots of colourful plants and flowers. It made her feel a bit more welcomed.

 

"Here we are!" Callum opened the door for Rayla and she walked in, feeling a bit awkward. She looked around as Callum closed the door, then hung up his coat (Rayla almost never wore a coat, feeling too warm most times). There were tons of family pictures on their beautifully painted turquoise walls and it made her smile. She could already tell they were a close family.

 

"You have a lovely home," Rayla commented as she and Callum walked into the living room. There was a big corner sofa and matching chair, a medium sized coffee table in the middle, and a HUGE television hanging on the wall.  On the other side of the room, was their kitchen island. "Holy crap these people are rich!" she thought to herself. The walls were a nice off-white, and on those walls were even more pictures of what she assumed was more family, maybe friends too.

 

"Thank you!" Callum responded. "Have a seat! What would you like to drink?"

 

Rayla smiled and took a seat on the couch. "Some water,  please."

 

"Coming right up!" Callum walked to the kitchen to get him and Rayla something to drink, which gave Rayla more time to study their lovely home.

 

"So, your dad's the principal,  huh?" Rayla said, a bit surprised. "That must be pretty annoying."

 

"Not really," Callum said, walking back to the living room and putting their glasses of water on the table. Then he sat on the couch next to Rayla. "He isn't really my dad, either. He married my mom." Callum's face fell a tiny bit. He saw Harrow as his father,  but didn't actually think Harrow saw Callum as his son. At least, not like he did with Ezran. 

 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rayla noticed Callum's mood change and decided to change the subject. "So, your mom, what's she like?

 

"Uhm,  she passed away when I was twelve, so I don't remember her as much."

 

"Oh." Rayla felt bad, now. She was so bad with small talk. Always used the wrong words or asked the wrong questions. "I'm sorry, I-"

 

"No, no, it's okay!" Callum gave a reassuring smile. "I'm..I've made peace with it. Kinda. No worries." He smiled at Rayla. "I'm sure you'll love Ezran, my lil bro! He's gonna be home in an hour or so."

 

"I can't wait to meet him," Rayla admitted with a smile. Callum had talked so much about his little brother,  he seemed like an amazing kid.

 

Rayla's answer made Callum smile. "So, let's get started?" He grabbed his backpack and so did Rayla with a nod.

 

---

 

Shortly after they finished studying and had started watching a movie, Ezran came home. "Hi Callum!" he called as he closed the front door. He heard Callum call back, "Hey Ez, welcome home!" as as hung his coat on the coat rack, and then he walked in the living room.

 

"Oh, hi! You must be Rayla!" Ezran said as he made his way over to Callum and Rayla. 

 

"Hey, I am indeed!" Rayla answered with a chuckle, then she held out her hand. "You must be Ezran?"

 

Ezran nodded and shook her hand, then flopped on the chair next to the couch. "What are you two watching?"

 

"A pretty funny movie, it's called Free Guy or something?"

 

"Oooh nice!" Ezran commented,  then decided to stay to watch the movie with them.

 

A half hour or so later Callum got a text, it was from Harrow, saying he wouldn't make it home in time for dinner and that they should go ahead and eat dinner without him. Callum sighed softly.

 

"Hey, dad isn't going to be home in time for dinner, wanna order some food?" he asked Ezran and Rayla. Rayla nodded. "Yeah, sure."

 

"Can we please have Thai?!" Ezran asked excitedly, which made Callum chuckle, then nod.

 

They ended up ordering some vegetarian Pad See Ew for Ezran, some Pad Phuk Tong with brown rice for Rayla, and some Gai Tod for Callum.

 

They spent the rest of their evening playing a board game and when it was around 10 pm Rayla had to go home.

 

She said good bye to Ezran with a high five and Callum walked her home. 

 

"Today was really fun," Rayla said as she and Callum were walking. "Thank you for inviting me over."

 

"Of course! I'm glad you had fun," Callum said with a wide smile. "We should definitely do that more often."

 

"Definitely!" Rayla agreed with a big smile. "And you're right, Ezran is an amazing kid." That made Callum smile wider, his little brother meant the world to him and since Rayla was his close friend, it made him very happy to hear that and to have seen them get along so well.

 

They talked some more and then arrived at Rayla's house. They said their good byes, Callum made sure not to hug her this time (even if he wanted to), since Rayla made it clear last time she wasn't comfortable with it. Then they parted ways.

 

Callum didn't realize it,  but he had a big smile on his face for the rest of the night,  and fell asleep with that smile still on his face.

 

He was so lucky to have a friend like Rayla.

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 9

Notes:

WOOOOOO season 4 came out!! Who's excited to watch it or has watched it already??

To the people who watched it already HOW ARE WE FEELING haha

(Also please keep the comments spoiler free ^^)

Also also if any of you have any suggestions and/or ideas that I could work into the story or if there is something you'd like to see I'd love to hear it! 😁

 

Three months had gone by since since Rayla had visited Callum, and after that time they made it a weekly thing,  where Rayla would go with Callum to his house and they would study. After a few weeks they started hanging out just for fun, together with Ezran. Sometimes the two of them would hang out together, either going to the movies, lunching or sometimes having dinner together, and they even went paintballing and karting two times (Callum wasn't that much a fan of the former). They had become even closer in those past few months. 

 

Summer break was getting closer, which meant the final exams as well. They still helped each other with their homework and classes they weren't that good at, even though at this point it wasn't that necessary any more. They both got way better at understanding their classes - English and History - and at this point the only reason they really still studied together was just to spend time with each other.

 

And since they had become so much closer, Rayla had also found out about Callum's feelings for Claudia. Which hurt her, in more ways than one.

 

How is she supposed to tell him, "Hey, just an FYI, I'm your soulmate and it really pains me that you like her that way and not me."? She just couldn't. At this point she was pretty sure that her and Callum were platonic soulmates, because even though she had finally come to terms with her feelings for him, it truly seemed as if Callum was in no way interested in her in that way.

 

What's even harder was that she really liked Callum,  not just romantically but he had truly become her bestest friend. She wanted to hug him so often and had to hold herself back from doing so, not wanting to make it clear that they were soulmates by giving him a mark upon touching him anywhere. 

 

She had tried looking things up about it on the internet, about how you'd make the marks that she had disappear. All it said was "a true love's kiss", for those who were romantic with their soulmate. And so far for people who were aromantic or had a platonic soulmate,  it didn't say anything. At least, not with this thing where you'd get a mark if they touched you or vice versa.

 

So at this point Rayla was kind of lost.

 

What was she supposed to do now? Never ever touch or even hug Callum because she was scared of losing him as a friend? Or maybe..she had to touch him on his head, where no one would see or even notice it.

 

No. No,  she wasn't gonna do that, that's horrible. Just thinking about it made her feel rotten to the core.

 

That means she was stuck on this once again.

 

---

 

"Good morning, Rayla," Callum said with a smile. He had been waiting at the entry doors for Rayla.

 

He seemed more excited than usual, Rayla noticed with a smile. "Hey. Morning, Callum."

 

"Soooo," Callum started, walking next to Rayla as they entered the building. "Claudia won some movie tickets, and she had one spare ticket, and I asked her if you could come with and she was okay with that!"

 

"Oh. Uhm, so I can come along with you and Claudia, then?" Rayla didn't show it but she didn't really want to come with. She didn't want to be a third wheel, which she knew she would be because Callum liked Claudia so much and Claudia did not like Rayla. 

 

"And Soren, yeah!!" He seemed so excited that Rayla couldn't say no. 

 

"Soren, that jock?" She shrugged. "Alright,  sounds fun."

 

"Awesome! I'll tell Claudia and then we can all sit together and pick a date at lunch." Callum grabbed his phone to do so while they walked to their class. 

 

"What did I get myself into," Rayla thought to herself. 

 

---

 

During lunch they settled on Friday, which was 3 days away. Rayla and Claudia didn't talk to each other that much but she found herself actually surprised by how likeable Soren was. She had heard some stories - rumours really - about Soren and that he wasn't all that great and a bully, but she yet had to see that. He seemed like a nice dude.

 

After school, while Rayla was walking home (through an alleyway, one of the shortcuts), her way was suddenly blocked by Travis.

 

She glared at him. "What do you want."

 

"Well, well, well. What do we have here." The boy crossed his arms over his chest. "If it isn't freak number two."

 

"Piss off, dude." Rayla started walking and tried to get past him,  but he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back in front of him aggressively, once again blocking Rayla's way.

 

"Hey! Keep your hands to yourself," Rayla shouted at him. 

 

"Or what?" He had this ugly,  smug smile on his face...

 

She rolled her eyes and tried to walk past him again, only for him to push her against the wall this time, grabbing hold of her shoulders to keep her in place.

 

"I want you to listen to me," he spoke to her. His voice rumbled with anger. Rayla was actually taken aback by all this; he used to be all bark and no bite, she hadn't expected this physical violence from him. She swatted his arms away, about to speak up, when Travis continued, "I don't know, and I don't care what you and that freak are, but you need to stop seeing him. I tried to tell those other two friends of his but they're just as weird as him and don't seem to care. But I'm telling you this for your own damn sake!" He almost growled, that's how angry he seemed to be. "And if you don't listen, I'll go after him instead and make his life a living hell."

 

"What exactly is your problem?" Rayla's brows furrowed, angered by his words. She shoved Travis off her harshly and he stumbled backwards. "And no, you won't. If you're smart you won't even dare to lay a finger on him."

 

Travis snorted at that. "Or what?"

 

"I already warned you once at school. Hurt him in any way and I'll make your life a living hell."

 

He laughed at that. "I'd like to see you try, freak." He turned around and walked away, Rayla's angry glare following him until he was around the corner and out of sight. Then she let out a deep sigh and relaxed, making her way home again.

 

She would have to ask Callum why on earth this Travis guy hated his guts so much, because she honestly couldn't think of any reason at all. Callum was so kind, and funny, sweet and caring and she couldn't imagine him not being that way. 

 

After she got home she took a shower and then made some dinner together with Ethari so they could all eat together when Runaan came home from work. 

 

---

 

Friday came around the corner much sooner than expected. Before Callum knew it,  he and his friends were walking to the cinema. He had a big smile on his face, unable to help it; All of his friends were together, Claudia and Rayla talked occasionally somewhat normal to each other, and they were gonna see a movie he had been waiting for to be released a few months now. It was great!!

 

Halfway there, Rayla asked Callum to walk beside her, and they now walked behind Soren and Claudia. Claudia gave a brief look, her eyebrows raised, then decided to let it go and talk to her brother instead. 

 

"Hey, what's up?" Callum asked her.

 

"Hey. I've been meaning to ask you something..." Her voice trailed off, hesitation taking over for a moment.

 

"What is it? You can talk to me," Callum reassured her, putting his hand gently on her shoulder.

 

Rayla smiled a bit at that. "Okay, so. Three days ago, Travis and I had a..conversation. Said some nasty things towards you and I'm just- well, I'm confused as to why he hates you so much?" She looked at Callum. "I mean, I get it,  it's a bully, they don't usually need a reason to, well, be jerks, you know. But he seems..pretty passionate about it. He told me I need to stop seeing you for my own sake. I mean, who even says that?"

 

Callum looked just as confused as she was. "He really hates me that much?" When Rayla nodded and replied with "apparently" he continued. "Well. I'm not even sure what happened to him, or what happened between us... Did you know we used to be childhood best friends?"

 

"What? For real?"

 

Callum nodded. His face drooped the more he talked, now. "Yeah. We used to do everything together. Me, him, Claudia and Soren used to be one big group of great friends, in kindergarten already, and then from one day to another he suddenly changed like that. Out of nowhere. And he always blamed me for it too. He started trash talking about me to everyone in school and they all started to bully me." He let out a soft sigh. "Then, when I had mustered the courage to finally ask him about it in seventh grade, his bullying started. I'm glad Clauds and Soren had my back. It got so bad that at some point..." He seemed to force a smile on his face, something Rayla hadn't seen him do ever before. "Well, let's just say that if it wasn't for my family and friends, I would not have been here, ahah."

 

She wanted to hug him, hold his hand, anything. He looked so hurt and sad. "I'm so sorry, Callum... That must have been tough."

 

Callum nodded in response. "A-anyway, uhm. Now you know. I'm honestly just as confused as you are."

 

Rayla nodded in response, and they continued to walk to the cinema in silence for a while. 

 

"Thank you for listening,  by the way," Callum spoke up after some time.

 

"Of course, Callum." Rayla smiled at him,  and he smiled back at her.

 

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 10

Notes:

Thank you to everyone who left a comment, a bookmark, a kudo and/or a view! It's greatly appreciated! And welcome to all the new readers :)

Some important things are discussed in this chapter!! Enjoy!

 

Rayla and Soren sat next to each other, and next to Soren sat Callum, and next to Callum sat Claudia. Rayla didn't really like it at first, but once she and Soren started chatting and making similar comments on the movie she started to somewhat like him, and she had the impression he felt the same towards her. It was a nice vibe overal. 

 

The movie itself was really fun, and by the time it was over it was past 7pm already, so they decided to grab something to eat at a nearby café. After that, they decided to go home. Since Claudia lived in the same street as Callum she decided to walk with him, and Rayla went the other way after she said good bye. Soren had his training at 8 so he decided to go there a bit earlier so he could do a nice warm-up. 

 

"Hey, Claudia?" Callum started while they were walking. 

 

"What's up?" she responded.

 

"Have you, uhm, found your soulmate yet? I noticed..." He pointed at her hand, more specifically her finger which had a black ring around it. He remembered that Claudia had once told him if she were to ever find her soulmate she would want to get matching black rings.

 

"Yeah! Remember Terry from biology?" She had a big smile on her face. Callum looked at her with a puzzled look.

 

"You mean that guy who came out last year?" When Claudia nodded, he went on. "Oh, yeah. I remember him. He's..your soulmate,  then?"

 

"Yeah! I know other people can't see it, but when me and Terry first met and shook hands my red string tied into a knot, and so did his! That's how we found out. We're taking things slowly, though. We're friends now and are just starting to get to know each other."

 

"That's great, I'm happy for you two." Callum didn't sound too happy about it though, and after he'd said that he was silent for a while. Then after a few minutes, "Claudia, can I ask you something?" When she nodded to his question, he continued. "Did you..ever have feelings for me? Before you found out we weren't soulmates?"

 

"Callum..." Claudia sighed softly, a small frown on her face.

 

"I just- I need to know."

 

"Why?" she wondered then. "You know the rules, we--,"

 

"Because I need to know if I'm loveable. I need to. I need to know that this not having a soulmate thing isn't personal, that I'm actually a nice guy who people can like and care about and won't leave and--,"

 

"Stop." Claudia shushed Callum's rambling by putting a finger to his lips. "You are. You're very kind, and funny, and very likeable and awesome at drawing!" Her eyes softened when their eyes met. "And you're loveable, too." She hesitated for a moment. "I did like you, in that way, and to be honest I still do, a bit. It'll probably take a while for those feelings to go away. But Terry is my soulmate, and you're not." She frowned a bit, feeling almost guilty, because it looked as if Callum's heart broke into a million pieces, right then and there.

 

"...Okay," was all Callum said in response. It was all that he could say at that moment. Without a word he continued walking. Claudia knew he probably didn't want to talk any more right now, so she just walked with him. They said goodbye when Claudia arrived home (not with a hug this time, like they usually did), and then Callum walked to his house, occupied by his many thoughts.

 

He tried to not think about Claudia's words too much,  but for obvious reasons he couldn't.

 

"I did like you, in that way, and to be honest I still do, a bit. It'll probably take a while for those feelings to go away."

 

He couldn't be happier when he heard those words. Someone did like him like that. He wasn't unlovable. 

 

"But Terry is my soulmate, and you're not."

 

And then it felt as if his heart started crying.

 

If he liked Claudia, and she liked him, then why couldn't they be soulmates? Why was the world so unfair?

 

He had so much love to give, and just wanted what everyone else has. He hated himself for being a defect. He blamed himself so much for it. 

 

He didn't want to, but he cried himself to sleep that night. 

 

---

 

The next day, Callum was quiet. Rayla noticed right away. But when she asked her friend what was the matter, he just shrugged it off - which confused her, because usually Callum was all about this "big feelings time" and now it seemed as if the roles were reversed.

 

When they were studying at his house, and when Callum replied emptily to something that Rayla said,  she snapped.

 

"Talk to me." It wasn't a suggestion or question any more.

 

"What?" Her tone caught Callum's attention and he looked at her.

 

"Talk to me, right now. Tell me what's been bothering you all day."

 

"Oh..." Callum looked at the book in his hands, not actually reading it but just staring at the page. "Sorry I haven't been that upbeat today. I know I usually am."

 

"You're avoiding the actual reason, Callum. Tell me, please. It's, what do you call it again? Big feelings time. Yeah!"

 

Callum smiled a tiny bit,  then looked at her. His expression was so sad, it made her feel sad.

 

"Well, you know how Travis always makes fun of me for not having a soulmate? It's... It's true, everything that he says. I'm..a defect. I'm one of those 0.003 percent of people." He looked away from Rayla, not wanting to see her reaction to this. "I know you probably thought he was joking all the time but he wasn't. I'm broken. I'm sorry you're close friends with someone like me--,"

 

She couldn't take it any more. The way he talked about himself and the fact that she was the reason he felt like this. 

 

She put her arms around him and hugged him closely. The place where she first touched him was on his back, between his shoulders, she made sure of that. And that's where his soulmate mark then appeared.

 

She felt Callum tense up all over, not expecting that from her at all, and then it seemed as if he completely melted in her embrace, hugging her back and just letting all those walls down. He started sniffling,  and when she started rubbing his back, he broke down completely and just sobbed in his best friend's arms.

 

After a while, when Callum had calmed down, he squeezed Rayla gently one last time before pulling back from the hug. She smiled at him,  and he smiled back (albeit faintly), his puffy eyes looking at hers. 

 

She needed to tell him the truth. She felt horrible that he felt and thought this way about himself, that he almost seemed to hate himself, all because of the fact that Rayla hid this soulmate situation from him. She took his hands in her own gently. "Callum--,"

 

"Thank you for listening to me, Rayla." He smiled softly at her. "And thank you for not judging me. I'm really lucky to have such a good friend." 

 

A jab of guilt struck her and she forced a smile, her courage to tell him now gone. "Of course, Callum. Always." Then Rayla blushed, her face flushing red. "And, uhm, sorry for hugging you out of nowhere. I don't know if that was okay, or--,"

 

Callum answered her by hugging her this time, and she chuckled softly, hugging him back. This time it was brief, but still nice. "I really appreciate you, Rayla." When Callum pulled back from their hug he laughed softly. "Though, wasn't it you who said you weren't a touchy and affectionate person a few months ago?"

 

A sheepish smile formed on Rayla's face. "Just with people that I'm close with. Which includes you."

 

That made Callum smile widely at her. "I'm glad. Now there's one thing left that you have to do," he said jokingly. 

 

"Oh, right! Tell you that what you feel is valid!!" Callum nodded with a laugh and she joined in. When the laughter subsided, she looked at him, a serious look now on her face. "For real though, Callum, your feelings are valid, and so are you. Whether you're a late bloomer with this soulmate stuff or not. And you can always talk to me about things like this, or something else. Anything else. I'm here for you, alright?"

 

A genuine smile made its way on Callum's face. He felt so much better, now. "Thank you, Rayla. You too."

 

She couldn't do that, she couldn't tell him that they're soulmates.

 

But that was fine. For now.

 

So she nodded and said, "I know, thank you." 

 

That made Callum smile wider, feeling reassured that she would do the same. "Alright, good." 

Notes:

Reminder to check out My AO3 Tumblr, where I post updates and other stuff! You can also leave me asks (anonymous and not) and suggestions/ideas on there if you'd like!

Chapter 11

Notes:

Hey everyone, MERRY CHRISTMAS/HANUKKAH to those who celebrate it!!!

I am very sorry for the late update. I'm not sure who of you have been keeping an eye on my personal Tumblr blog but I got very very sick with pneumonia. And then literally two days ago I had an allergic reaction and had to be rushed to the hospital with an ambulance x_x I'm still recovering from all of it, hence the delay. I still don't feel 100% but I hope the chapter will be nice to read nonetheless.

Also, answers to a few questions some of you have been asking!

Also also, there's some violence in this chapter!

 

It was finally summer break.

 

A week ago, they'd had all of their exams. Miraculously, both Callum and Rayla passed all of them (yes, even history and English). They had been sitting together on the day they would be called by some person who worked in their school to let them know if they passed or not.

 

First Callum had been called, and an hour or so later, Rayla was called with the good news. When Rayla ended the phone call they hugged each other and practically jumped around Callum's living room, cheering and laughing.

 

Callum was now on his way to school (former school now that he graduated?), for the graduation party. Ezran and Harrow were already there waiting for him. Somewhat halfway he stopped at Rayla's house to pick her up. They linked their arms together with a chuckle and resumed walking, chatting about their plans for summer break.

 

"So, are you going anywhere this summer?" 

 

"You mean like a vacation?" Rayla nodded her head at Callum's question. "Yep! Together with Runaan and Ethari. We're still gonna stay close though, for both my dads' jobs. We're going to this nearby recreational state park and rent a big house with a hot tub and all of that stuff, for two weeks. We do it every year!"

 

"Fancy," Callum replied while wiggling his eyebrows, which made Rayla laugh. 

 

"What about you?" Rayla then asked him. 

 

Callum shook his head. "Nah. Me, Ez and Harrow usually go to this winter lodge Harrow owns, but - obviously - only in the winter."

 

Rayla's eyes sparked with an idea and she stopped in her tracks. "Do you want to come with us?" Rayla then asked him. 

 

"Uhm." Callum's face got hot for some reason. "I-I don't know if I can, uhm... I'd have to ask dad, but..I'd love to!" He smiled then, and his answer made Rayla smile widely too.

 

"Awesome!" 

 

They continued walking, and when Rayla's hand found Callum's, he linked their fingers together without hesitation.

 

Rayla didn't complain. 

 

---

 

The graduation party was, well, they had tried their best! It was held on the big school square and they had set up the stage in the middle of it, and in front of it were chairs for everyone, and next to those some stands where you could get something to eat and drink. 

 

It was how every graduation went. Students were called upon the stage, they got their diploma and then left the stage. For some reason they thought it was a good idea to let Soren give a speech. It went kind of disastrous, but it was funny either way, which was Soren's goal; to make people laugh.

 

During the afterparty, held in the gym, Callum stepped outside for fresh air. It's not that he didn't like parties, but there were just so many lights,  people, loud music..at some point it became a bit too much, and he needed to calm down for a minute. 

 

He heard footsteps behind him and a smile came to his face. Claudia had promised to join him outside soon. He turned around, about to greet her, but to his surprise it was Travis that was making his way over.

 

He stood next to Callum in silence, and rested his arms on the ledge of the fence to lean on them.

 

"Uh. Hey." Callum looked at him, his stance awkward because he didn't know how to act around his bully.

 

For a moment, Travis was silent. Then he turned his head to Callum. He glared at Callum, and Callum took a step back. "Why do you hate me so much?"

 

That seemed to have caught Travis's attention. He stood back up and across from Callum. "Are you serious right now?"

 

His tone made Callum nervous, but he nodded anyway. "Very. You've been bullying me for forever and I don't know why. So, why? Is it something I did? Something I said? What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

 

Travis was quiet for a moment, he seemed to be collecting his thoughts before speaking up. "You really don't remember? It literally meant so little to you that you don't even remember or try to?"

 

"..Remember what?"

 

"Fifth grade. Does that ring any bells?" Travis continued to glare at Callum. When Callum shook his head, Travis sighed in frustration. "You're literally the dumbest person I know! You don't remember how you pushed me, and I had to get this stupid surgery because my head hit a damn rock and then I had temporary amnesia for such a long time I had to do over three years of school?! People started bullying me, making fun of me, because of the fact that I was so behind and that I had this huge scar on my head. Because of you, I spent so many years of my childhood lonely, being bullied, being made fun of. All because you thought it would be fun to push me! No shit I hate you! We..we used to be best friends and then you suddenly pushed me and ruined my life! And apparently you never gave a shit about me because you don't even remember!"

 

By the time Travis got to the end of his story he was yelling and out of breath.  His eyes were teary, even. Callum just stared at him in shock. He remembered..none of this. All that he remembered was that Travis had gotten into an accident, and after the accident he had never been the same... 

 

How was he supposed to remember all of this? He was, what, 11 or 12 back then? "I..really don't remember. I'm sorry--,"

 

"Oh, shut up and own up to your mistakes!" Travis walked up to Callum and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You shithead! You ruined most of my life and now you're saying you didn't?!" He punched Callum in his face and Callum stumbled backwards with a cry and fell to the floor, holding both his hands over his already bleeding nose.

 

"Hey! Stop it!" Claudia's voice cut in. She ran to Callum's side and knelt down next to him, checking him over before glaring at Travis. "He doesn't remember because he's not the one that pushed you!"

 

"Pff, are you on drugs or something? Did someone spike the punch? Obviously this asshole punched me, I have the scar to prove it!" Travis spat back. He was furious, shouting, yelling, and his voice cracked with emotion.

 

"You two got into a fight over who got to be on the swing, yes, and then you pushed Callum and he pushed you back. But that's not when you hit your head!" Claudia explained. "Soren told me that his friend Daniel is the one who later that day pushed you over some toy, and that's when you hit your head. Soren knows because he's the one that went to get the teacher the moment he saw blood. You were a kid, everyone was, everyone always fought over every little single thing." Claudia turned back to Callum who was now crying because of the pain in his nose. It was definitely broken.

 

"..." Travis was silent. His eyes widened when something clicked in his head. He..he remembered now.

 

All this time, he had been making Callum's life hell. Callum, who did nothing wrong.

 

Well, shit.

 

"I'm- I need to go." And with that, Travis walked away without another word.

 

"Hey... Are you okay?" Claudia took one of Callum's hands in her own and saw that the bridge of his nose had a deep gash, and his nose itself was definitely bent to the left. "Oh, my God. We need to get you to the hospital right now, you need stitches." She looked down at his face, shirt and hands. He had lost a lot of blood already from his nose and the gash on his nose. She called Soren on his phone and luckily he answered. Within a minute he was with Claudia and Callum. He helped Callum up and carried Callum to his car together with Claudia.

 

The moment he felt the seating beneath him, Callum closed his eyes and lost consciousness because of the pain.

 

---

 

On the way to the hospital, Claudia had called Harrow, and texted Rayla. Upon arrival, Callum regained consciousness.

 

Callum's nose was treated and he got stitches in the gash. He also got some pain medication. After that he was sent home. Harrow thanked Claudia and Soren with a hug, and then left with Callum.

 

Rayla was waiting for Callum at his place, to make sure he was okay. When Callum confirmed it for the third time, she finally believed him.  They parted ways after hugging each other (Rayla lingered for a bit longer, but Callum didn't mind).

 

When callum got to the upstairs bathroom with a set of clean clothes, he stripped out of his bloody clothes and took a shower, both to get rid of all the blood and to relax. He sighed softly, feeling as of all of his tension washed away with the blood. He made sure no water hit his nose - or rather, the stitches.

 

After he washed his hair and body he got out of the shower and dried himself off. Then he dabbed his face with a wet washcloth and avoided the stitches as best as he could. He managed to get rid of all of the blood except for the blood that was very near the stitches.

 

He turned around to toss the washcloth in the laundry basket, when something on his back caught his eye.

 

It was a black mark. Kind of bean shaped, or more like a deformed circle. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.  He tried to move his arm to touch it but it was right between his shoulder blades. "Hm..." It for sure wasn't blood. So what else?

 

Then he remembered that he had hit his back on the ground when Travis had punched him, and he shrugged it off. It was probably a bruise.

 

He tossed the washcloth in his laundry basket and after that he put on a loose t-shirt and underwear,  and socks. After he was done in the bathroom he walked to his bedroom and then lied down in bed, finally feeling somewhat okay.

 

He closed his eyes and within seconds he was sound asleep.

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 12

Notes:

VERY, VERY LATE HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

I wish all of you good health and much happiness! And thank all of you for the very kind words and comments and the reads on the last chapter, it means so much!

Also, heads up, I'm gonna be changing my username very soon, definitely in February!

I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter, while I enjoy my vacation like Rayla and Callum haha

 

It turned out that Travis had punched Callum's nose so hard that it had displaced the bones and cartilage in his nose, meaning he had to get those manually realigned after just 10 days of the break. He had gotten some brief anesthesia, and the procedure itself didn't hurt.

 

The recovery took longer than expected, but that was fine; all that Callum really noticed was just how he couldn't breathe through his nose,  and that he had to take a lot of pain medication daily. And he had to sleep with his head very elevated, which sucked. And he had to take hot showers to make it steamy to get rid of build up mucus, which also sucked because he liked his showers, well, way cooler. It did help with his asthma, too, though.

 

But overall, he felt fine. Halfway in the second week after the, what they called it, 'nose reset', he didn't need as much pain medication any more, which was great, because in another 2 weeks he was gonna go on the vacation with Rayla and her dads!

 

He had asked Harrow about it who was skeptical at first, but he couldn't forbid his 18 year old stepson anything,  he was a young man! So he just agreed, only asking that Callum let him know how he was doing every day.

 

Of course Callum agreed to that. When he later texted Rayla the confirmation it was in all caps with many exclamation marks.

 

Those two weeks went by fast. Callum and Ezran played a lot of games (sometimes on consoles, other times board and card games), Harrow was home way more now as well and would sometimes join the boys in those games. And they had movie nights together, too. It was very fun, and they had all very much missed spending time together as a family. 

 

---

 

Time had gone by fast, indeed, and before he knew it, Callum was sitting in the back of the car next to Rayla, with Ethari and Runaan in the front seats, and their suitcases in the trunk of the car.

 

"So, Callum was your name?" Runaan spoke up just after they had started driving (Ethari was the one driving, though).

 

"Uh, yes, sir." Callum had never actually spoken with either of Rayla's dads' before, and he was awkward around new-ish people. Especially his best friend's dads.

 

Runaan chuckled. "Just Runaan is fine. How is your nose? Rayla told us what happened."

 

"Oh! Yeah, it's okay right now. It just sort of stings sometimes but that's all I really notice." 

 

Runaan nodded at that. "What about the boy who did this? Have you heard of him yet?"

 

Callum shook his head. "No. I honestly just want to forget about it. And I'm not gonna press charges, either. " His dad and Claudia had both suggested that he press charges, but it was already tiring to think about it,  let alone the actual process. They kept trying to convince him though,  and it had been pretty stressful. 

 

Runaan nodded, then turned his attention back to the road.

 

He felt Rayla take his hand and squeeze it gently, to show him she was listening, and he looked at her with an appreciative smile. 

 

"Aren't you hot?" Callum spoke to Rayla quietly. It was summer, after all, and she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. 

 

Rayla shook her head. "Nah, not really." But she was. She felt very hot and hated long-sleeved shirts, but the truth was that she forgot to do the make up on her wrist this morning, and now her soulmate mark was visible. She had bought that kind of waterproof make up but she still forgot to apply it. Luckily she didn't forget to bring it on this trip or she would have been screwed. She didn't want to tell Callum about the mark yet.

 

Oh, right, soulmate mark... She thought about how she had given Callum his mark without his knowledge,  and how she had quite literally and figuratively done it behind his back. She felt like scum every time she thought about it. 

 

"Alright, then." Callum squeezed Rayla's hand like she had squeezed his, and then turned his head to look outside, and Rayla relaxed. Every time he looked at her it felt harder not to tell him. It sucked. 

 

By now, it was pretty obvious she had feelings for him. She had admitted it to herself already. But she felt horrible, because she knew that Callum was her platonic soulmate. Because he had never once shown any kind of romantic interest in Rayla. Even though Callum had admitted to Rayla that his feelings for Claudia had been ebbing away slowly,  he never once told her why, or if he had feelings for someone else. And it was driving her kind of crazy,  because she had feelings for him. 

 

So, yeah. She was still trying to figure out how to break this news to him, in a way he wouldn't be weirded out or uncomfortable. In a way that they could remain best friends, without any awkwardness. 

 

She had to lose feelings for him, first, so they could actually live up to those platonic soulmate marks. 

 

But purposefully losing - more like getting rid of - those feelings, that was gonna be hard. 

 

---

 

"We're here!" Ethari beamed. 

 

They pulled up at a bungalow house. It looked nice and simple. The layout of the house was as followed: the open kitchen, living room, bathroom and toilet were downstairs, along with a bedroom for two people. Then upstairs was another bathroom and toilet in the middle, and on the left and right of it were two more bedrooms. The laundry room was also upstairs, across of the bathroom and also in between the two bedrooms.

 

It was very nice, and the fact that the park was quite literally in a forest was very calming. No sounds except those of nature itself.

 

In the backyard was a hot tub and next to it a small shed which had an actual sauna in it, which was very awesome considering Callum had never been in either of those.

 

Ethari and Runaan settled in the bedroom downstairs and Rayla and Callum settled in both of the upstairs bedrooms.

 

"So! How do you like it so far?" Rayla asked right before she sat down next to Callum on the couch. Ethari and Runaan were grocery shopping, which would most likely take them an hour since the nearest store was 24 minutes away by car.

 

Callum looked at Rayla with a smile. She was wearing a t-shirt now, instead of the long-sleeved shirt she wore earlier. She looked way more comfortable. 

 

"It's great! I really love the quiet and peace," he replied. "Oh! And I really want to try the hot tub and sauna sometime soon!"

 

His friend laughed softly at that. "Me too! And the sauna will be great for your nose, too, right?" When Callum nodded in agreement,  Rayla went on. "Well, let's change then!"

 

"Oh! Right now? Alright!" They both got up from the couch and went upstairs to their bedrooms to change into their swimsuits and to get their towels.

 

"I'll be downstairs!" Callum called out, and when he heard Rayla say, "Alright I'll be there soon!" he went downstairs. Of course he would be much quicker, all he had to do was strip his clothes off and put on his swimshort! He wondered what kind of swimwear Rayla would be wearing...

 

He blushed. Obviously he didn't think in a weird way! It's just that she usually wore tomboy clothing and never really..feminine clothes? So would she wear a bikini or a one piece? Or maybe...

 

He lost his track of thought and got his answer when he saw Rayla come down the stairs.

 

She was wearing a black, green and blue bikini with long shorts that went down to her knees, and honestly, she looked great!

 

"You ready?" she asked, snapping Callum out of his thoughts.

 

"Uh, yeah! For sure!" He got up from the couch and grabbed his towel, and then they walked out of the door that led to the backyard. 

 

Rayla got in the hot tub first, letting out a deep, relieved sigh when she finally sat down in one of the built in seats. Oh, how she had missed this.

 

Callum swept his legs over the edge and when his feet touched the water he let out a soft yelp. "Woah! That's way hotter than I expected!"

 

Rayla grinned at him. "A good hot, though,  right?" She had draped her arms behind her over the edge of the hot tub, watching as Callum tentatively got in. 

 

He lowered one of his legs in the water and he shuddered, not because it was cold but because the water felt so hot in just the right way.

 

He looked at Rayla and smiled at her. "Yes, a good hot." He lowered his other leg and once his feet were on the bottom he lowered himself into one of the seats across of Rayla. "Oh my god,  definitely a good hot haha!" He laughed softly, then let himself relax and close his eyes. "This is great."

 

"I know, right?" Rayla pressed a button next to her on the built-in keypad on the ledge and the hot tub water started bubbling, which was even better. She then closed her eyes and relaxed as well. 

 

"Ohhh, bubbles!" Callum chuckled, then let out a contend sigh. He could definitely get used to this.

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 13

Notes:

Hi, disclaimer: in Europe the legal age of drinking is 18 years old, so they're not underage drinking, don't worry ^^

Also, ANGSTTTT

 

"Callum, I need to tell you something important," Rayla uttered quietly. She couldn't keep lying to him. Not like this, when they were so close. Not any more.

 

"What is it, Rayla?" Callum replied calmly. 

 

"I... I've been lying to you." She looked down at her wrist, then started rubbing it thoroughly.

 

"Woah, hey, stop that!" Callum gently took hold of her wrist, just like he had when he gave Rayla her soulmate mark.

 

"No, you don't get it. Look." Callum took away his hand and looked at her wrist, or rather, her soulmate mark.

 

"What's..?"

 

"It's- it's a soulmate mark. That you gave me. We're soulmates--,"

 

Rayla stopped talking when she felt Callum hold both her hands gently.

 

"I know."

 

"What?" Rayla looked at Callum in surprise, her eyes wide. How could he know? 

 

Callum's eyes locked with hers, and he gave her a soft, reassuring smile like he always does. Rayla couldn't help but smile back, she felt her face grow hotter as Callum slowly closed the distance between them. One of his hands traced her jawline, then settled on her cheek, and she held his hand there, leaning into it a bit. So long, so often, she had dreamed of this... She was speechless now.

 

"I know we're soulmates."

 

She felt hot everywhere,  not because of the hot tub's water, but purely because Callum was so close to her and cupping her face. And also because of the fact that he acknowledged that they were soulmates and wasn't freaking out. Did he feel the same way all along? She needed to know.

 

"Callum..." She rested her other hand on his shoulder.

 

Callum didn't say anything,  instead he moved his face closer to hers, and then finally kissed her, his lips connecting with hers.

 

She couldn't help but return the kiss. His lips were so soft... It was honestly a dream come true.

 

Well, scratch that last part. It was, unfortunately,  just a dream. 

 

Rayla stirred awake, and the moment she remembered what she had just dreamed of, she felt her whole face go hot.

 

After the hot tub, nothing had happened. They got out, and then she took a shower and so did Callum, and then her dads got home, after dinner they watched a show, and after that they went to bed.

 

If only the dream was real...

 

She moved to lie on her side and looked at her wrist, the heat on her face slowly getting less. She really couldn't keep lying to him,  in the end it would just hurt both of them even more.

 

A soft sigh left her mouth and she closed her eyes again, and managed to doze off eventually.

 

---

 

"Good morning!" is what Rayla was greeted with when she got to the bottom of the stairs. Runaan, Ethari and Callum were already in the kitchen, setting the table for breakfast.

 

"Hey, good morning," Rayla replied.

 

She lend them a hand and soon they were all sitting down at the table, eating their breakfast.

 

"So, we actually wanted to go sightseeing today, downtown!" Ethari started. Runaan nodded, unable to say yes because his mouth was still full with food.

 

Rayla let out a sigh. "Really? We do this every year! Can't we not do it for once?" 

 

"Well," Runaan joined in after swallowing his food. "We know that you have seen it before. But Callum hasn't."

 

Honestly,  Callum was excited to go sightseeing! He had never been there before. He nodded excitedly. "I'd love to go!" Callum then turned to Rayla. "If you don't mind?"

 

Usually Runaan and Ethari went downtown together, since Rayla had gone three or four times already, and after that she felt like  she had seen it all. But, she supposed it could be fun to do it again if Callum was coming. 

 

"Nah,  of course not. I'll tag along this time."

 

It couldn't hurt to go one more time,  especially not if she went together with Callum. 

 

And so, after breakfast and washing the dishes, after everyone had gotten dressed and freshened up,  they got into the car to go to the city.

 

Rayla rested her head on Callum's shoulder (making him blush, like always), and she felt him put his arm around her. She felt her heart flutter at that.

 

She really had to tell him the truth, today. She didn't know or care how she was gonna do it,  but it had to happen.

 

---

 

It had honestly been so much more fun together with Callum, Rayla concluded. They went to woodwork shops, a shop that was entirely filled with anything and everything cheese (and also a wine collection, since those two go great together - they bought two bottles of fancy wine and some cheese spreads for toast), an antiques shop, and a few clothing stores that also sold magnets of the town they were in (Callum collected magnets and ended up buying one). It was very fun, to Rayla's surprise. And after the eventful day, they went back to the cabin.

 

"That was so fun, thank you for taking me there today!!" Callum said as he closed the front door. He walked to the kitchen to put away the cheese spread and wine and Rayla put the rest of the souvenirs on the dinner table to put away later. 

 

Ethari chuckled. "Of course, Callum. We enjoyed your company." 

 

Callum smiled at that, glad to hear it. 

 

"Me and Ethari made a reservation at a restaurant for dinner, would you two like to join us?" Runaan then said.

 

Rayla and Callum exchanged a look and then both shook their head. Rayla's dads deserved some quality time together. "No, we're okay. You two have fun!" Rayla then said with a smile. Callum nodded in agreement. "Enjoy!" he added.

 

Runaan and Ethari shared a smile and then left to go to the restaurant together.

 

Callum turned to look at Rayla. "Wanna order some take out?"

 

Rayla grinned. "I'll get the wine."

 

---

 

They ended up ordering Greek food and opened - and finished - one of the wine bottles they'd gotten today, and it was great. They watched a stupid movie together on the couch and by the time they put on a second movie they were already very tipsy, bordering drunk.

 

"Hey, so, what's the deal with you and Soren?" Callum asked as they were now watching Pitch Perfect.

 

"Huh?" Rayla said. She turned to look at Callum, who was looking at the TV screen intensely as to not make eye contact with Rayla. "What do you mean?" They were both slurring their words at this point.

 

"Well, y'know... Since we hung out with Clauds and Soren you, uh, have been texting a lot with him,  right?"

 

Most of the texts Rayla and Soren sent to each other were either dumb memes, gym tips or just occasional texts like when they graduated, to congratulate each other. "Yeah, nothing too serious though, why?"

 

Callum glanced at Rayla, then shrugged and mumbled something. 

 

"What was that?" Rayla asked.

 

"Nothingjustcurious," Callum mumbled softly.

 

Rayla chuckled, then rested her head on Callum's shoulder. Her head felt as if the world was spinning a bit. "Can I tell you something and you promise not to freak out?" Ah, drunk courage.

 

"Yeah, you okay?" Callum turned to Rayla, and Rayla sat up so they could look at each other. They both had a red hue on their cheeks, both probably equally drunk. Callum didn't even remember what they had ordered at this point.

 

"I..." Rayla tucked a strand of hair behind her ear,  something she often did when she was nervous. Her eyes locked with Callum's and she fell quiet, as she felt that strange feeling in her stomach again, as she always did whenever they made eye contact. 

 

Callum placed one of his hands on top of hers that were on her knees, and  gave it a little squeeze. "You can tell me."

 

Rayla felt her face go even hotter, this time not from the alcohol but because she was blushing. The way they were sitting right now made her think of the dream she had last night, and she was speechless.

 

Seeing Rayla do her cute hair tuck and seeing her blush did something to Callum, and the fact that he was drunk didn't help either. And before he knew it,  he kissed Rayla, softly pressing his lips against hers. 

 

Rayla's eyes widened and before she could even enjoy the kiss or reciprocate, she felt Callum pull back hastily. "I-- I am so, so sorry!" he blurted out, as if he had just committed a crime. "I honestly don't know what came over me, I'm really sorry Ray--,"

 

Before he could finish his apology,  Rayla had pulled him back into a kiss, a deeper one this time. She slid her arms around his shoulders and immediately felt Callum relax into their kiss, knowing that these feelings and cravings were mutual.

 

Callum slid his arms around Rayla's waist and moved closer, and Rayla slowly lied down on her back and pulled him even closer, until he was practically lying on top of her. She felt her wrist rub against Callum's shirt as she had slid her arms around his shoulders and was pretty sure the makeup had come off, but at this point that didn't matter any more.

 

"Mm..." Rayla couldn't help but let out a soft sound in their kiss, loving the feeling of their lips moving together. This was really happening, this time. Callum was on top of her, they were making out and when she felt his tongue make contact with hers she let out another sound,  unable to help it. One of her hands went to his hair and she tangled her fingers in his soft hair, moving her body closer to him until their bodies pressed together. 

 

She felt one of Callum's hands go from her waist underneath her shirt and slowly making its way up to her chest and she felt a shiver on her whole body. He rested his hand on her back, his fingers curling around the clasp of her bra, and Rayla didn't know how to describe how she felt right now except for amazing.

 

Their kiss was deepening and Rayla was pretty sure she heard Callum whisper, "Woah..." through their kisses, and she couldn't help but smile against his lips at that. They broke their kiss reluctantly and gazed in each other's eyes, catching their breath and trying to contain the yearning they felt for each other right now.

 

But then, Rayla's glance fell to her wrist. The mark, it was still there. And at that point she was pretty sure Callum's mark was still on his back, too.

 

They were both drunk.

 

This wasn't consensual, not entirely.

 

It was a mistake. A huge mistake.

 

"Sorry, I, uh, we can't do this," Rayla spoke up quietly. 

 

"Oh." Callums eyes widened, he totally misread Rayla and thought she didn't want to do this, while the reasons Rayla actually had were completely different from that. "Oh!" He immediately got off Rayla and sat all the way on the other side of the couch, giving Rayla all the space she might need. "I'm sorry, we can stop. Are you okay??" he asked concerned. He was so sweet...

 

"I..." Rayla got up from the couch and didn't dare to make eye contact with Callum. "I'm really sorry, Callum..." Sorry that their first kiss hadn't been consensual, hadn't been 'real'. She felt so guilty and stupid. 

 

"No, no, it's okay! I promise." Callum stood up and tried to take Rayla's hand to comfort her, but instead she just pulled away from him,  apologized again, and then went upstairs to go to her bedroom.

 

Callum stood there in the living room, watching Rayla walk away from him after what they'd just done. It was all blurry and a haze, but he was still conscious enough to know this wasn't good.

 

He just hoped Rayla would want to talk about it in the morning.

 

Callum waited some time until he was sure Rayla was asleep, then turned off the TV and went straight to bed, unaware of the fact that in the room next to him,  Rayla was crying herself to sleep.

 

She had really messed up this time. Why was it so impossible to just tell him the truth? Why did she let this happen?

 

All she could do was overthink everything, and cry.

Notes:

Don't come for me pls hahaha

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 14

Rayla dreaded to go downstairs the next morning. She didn't want to be reminded of her mistake, she didn't want any awkwardness between her and Callum, she wasn't ready to explain the whole soulmate ordeal now, she didn't want any of that. And on top of having to confront the situation, her head was pounding. And her eyes were all puffy and hurting, too.

 

She let out a sigh. She knew she couldn't avoid any of that. She just... She hated to admit it, but she was scared. Was her and Callum's friendship now ruined? Did he even want to talk to her after this? Because as far as Callum knew, they weren't soulmates and they kissed, they did more than just kissing. And everyone knew that was not allowed. 

 

What if this situation escalated? What if Callum would call authorities because of this? There were so many things that could go wrong, what if--

 

Knock knock

 

Just like that, Rayla's overthinking was interrupted by two knocks on her bedroom door.

 

"Hey, Rayla? Can we talk?" 

 

It was Callum. He sounded very groggy, not happy.

 

Rayla was not ready to talk.

 

But she knew she had to. Better get it over with.

 

She sat up in her bed and looked at the door. "Uh,  yeah. Come in."

 

Callum entered, and he looked horrible. He looked like a walking corpse, honestly. "Hey," he muttered as he walked over, then sat down next to Rayla. They often did this, and neither had a problem with it. But that was before last night. 

 

"Hey. You okay?" Rayla didn't know what else to say right now.

 

"Not really." Callum was looking at the floor. "I can't really remember anything from last night... It's all a blur, and the only things I do remember are that we had food and some wine,  and then also that we watched that one singing movie, but even that is just..vague. What happened?" He locked eyes with Rayla and only then did Rayla realize he was not tricking or testing her, he was being honest, and he was genuinely confused.

 

This guy was such a lightweight when it came to alcohol that he did not remember a single thing.

 

What.

 

"Am I gonna be honest with him? Tell him everything that happened? Am I gonna tell him partly? Do I play along and say I don't remember much either?" All these thoughts crossed Rayla's mind. She didn't know what to do. 

 

Callum got a small blush on his cheeks. "I also had a pretty weird dream, but..I think that's just the alcohol,  heh. What about you? Do you remember what happened?"

 

"Oh my god, so he does remember,  then. He just thinks it was a dream!"  Rayla still hadn't said a word.

 

"U-uh," she managed to stammer out. "It's..kinda a blur for me, as well," she then finally replied.  It wasn't a lie, there were some parts of last night she didn't entirely and vividly remember. She just wasn't ready to share the full truth with him,  yet. "I did have fun, with everything I do remember," she then added. This brought a smile to Callum's face. 

 

"I'm glad, so did I." Then he chucked. "Though next time, let's take it easy on the alcohol, please,  yeah?" 

 

Rayla laughed at that. "Yes, please. My head is killing me right now."

 

"Me, too," Callum replied with a laugh as well. "Drink a bunch of water, it helped a bit for me."

 

Rayla nodded at that. "Yeah I will, thanks."

 

Callum smiled at her. "No problem! I'm gonna go downstairs, see you soon?" 

 

"Yeah," Rayla replied. Callum gently patted her hand once before getting up and going downstairs.

 

When Rayla was sure he was downstairs, she let out a deep sigh and let herself fall backwards on the bed.

 

One one hand, a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders now. On the other hand, she had another burden, another secret to carry now. And she absolutely hated it.  She regretted her decision,  she should've just been honest with Callum.

 

She closed her eyes and draped her arm over her face, groaning. 

 

Why did she make this so difficult for herself?

 

---

 

When Callum got downstairs,  he saw Ethari and Runaan drinking some coffee at the dining table and he greeted them with a "Hello!".

 

They both looked at him and grinned. Smirked? Callum couldn't quite read their expression. "Good morning, Callum. How are you today?"

 

Callum honestly wasn't sure if Rayla's parents were okay with them drinking so he couldn't really tell them about his hangover. "I'm doing..okay, thank you. How are you both doing? How was the dinner?"

 

"We're doing just fine. Dinner was great," Runaan replied. 

 

"That's good!" Callum walked over to the small table in front of the couch because he had forgotten his phone there and only then did he realize Ethari and Runaan had indeed been smirking. They forgot to clean up yesterday and the wine glasses and food containers were all there.

 

He immediately turned to Ethari and Runaan. "I am so sorry!" is all he managed to stammer out. He was so embarrassed and felt like he had embarrassed Rayla too. "I'll,  uh,  clean up right now!" He turned to the table and started cleaning up,  and when he heard Rayla's dads chuckle his face went red.

 

After making sure he had cleaned up like he said he would, he grabbed his phone and checked it real quick, when he noticed a text from Rayla.

 

Rayla        9:33 AM

Hey, I actually need to tell you something. Can you come back upstairs?

 

 

You        9:57 AM

Yeah of course!

 

 

He pocketed his phone and then walked back upstairs to Rayla's room. He knocked on the door and heard Rayla say "come in" so he did. She was dressed now and had already brushed her hair and everything.

 

"Hey," she said. Callum smiled at her and said a "Hey" as well before closing the door behind him and walking over, then he sat down next to Rayla on her bed.

 

"Is everything okay?" he then asked her.

 

Rayla let out a big sigh, then turned to face him. "Okay, so look,  it's about last night... I don't want you to freak out, alright?" When Callum nodded, Rayla went on. "That dream you had, it, uh, wasn't a dream. I mean- that is if it is about us kissing. B- because we did, kiss I mean." Rayla turned her head, her cheeks now very red. She could have worded that so much better, and in her head it had sounded much better, but all that came out were these stuttered words.

 

"Oh," was all Callum managed to get out. He felt his whole face turn red. "Oh, uh."

 

Rayla turned to face him again. She didn't want to lie any longer. "But! But,  it's okay, because..we're actually--,"

 

"No," Callum interrupted.  "It's not okay at all! It's- I mean, we're not soulmates! We're both defects right? So how does that make it any better?" He stood up and started pacing around the room. "If anybody finds out then we're very much screwed! And- well I mean they probably don't care because we're both defects but that doesn't mean it's allowed right??" He was still pacing from left to right, over and over. "How- what do we do?"

 

Rayla stood up and stood in front of him,  stopping him in his tracks. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, calm down, please?" 

 

Callum took a deep breath, trying to calm himself,  and so Rayla went on. She had wanted to tell him they're soulmates, but maybe now wasn't the best time. She wasn't ready for him to freak out even more. "No one is going to find out, this will be our secret okay?" She locked eyes with him, and only continued when he nodded in reply to what she said. "No one needs to know. No one would even care about it anyway, alright?" Not because they're both defects, but because they're soulmates.

 

Only he still didn't know.

 

"Yeah... Okay. You're right, I'm sorry." Callum let out another deep sigh, then rested his head on Rayla's shoulder and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry that we did that."

 

Rayla wrapped her arms around him to hold him close. "It's okay. We're okay, nothing has to change between us, alright?" Callum nodded in agreement. Rayla smiled at that. "Okay, good."

 

---

 

Only things did change between them.

 

Not exactly in a bad way. It's just that more than often, Callum now found himself looking at Rayla and think about how badly he wanted to kiss her,  and run his hands through her hair, pull her closer to himself... And Rayla sometimes often found herself thinking about how Callum's hands had felt on her body and how she wanted that again, and to have him on top of her while kissing her breath away, maybe even more.

 

And it did make things just a tiny little bit awkward between them.

 

Luckily, they were only on vacation for 4 more days, it couldn't be that hard, right?

 

...Right?

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm going to take a small break from writing, I'm planning to for max 2 months, but if anything changes about that I'll be sure to post it to my Tumblr! Thank you all for reading and for all the comments and support so far, it means a lot :)

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 15

Notes:

Firstly, I wanna say a HUGE thank you to the amazing senat0rh0tcheet0 for beta reading this chapter and helping me a lot!!!! (Go check out her fics by the way they're awesome)

As some of you might know, I posted a poll on my Tumblr account that was pretty much gonna decide what I was gonna write in this chapter (thank you to everyone who voted by the way)!

I hope you'll enjoy the chapter :)

 

They both thought that those next four days would be easy to get through without any..accidents. They were so convinced of that.

 

Well, scratch that, because it was harder than either of them could imagine.

 

It was like, after that night, a switch had been flicked on and it was so hard now to not do or say anything.

 

While Callum only had the making out in mind, and how that had somehow intensified his crush on Rayla (how was that even possible?), Rayla would oftentimes feel like she was shot with guilt, and it would swallow her whole. She tried not to cry because she honestly felt awful and started feeling worse by the second as it consumed her.

 

But eventually, she couldn't handle that guilt any longer, and caved in.

 

---

 

It was the night before their leave, and Ethari and Runaan were out on a date. Callum and Rayla had both asked, at different times throughout that day if they could join the two lovebirds for dinner, which only resulted in weird looks from both Ethari and Runaan (and a declination). 

 

It was just that both Rayla and Callum knew that if they were left to be alone again, it would make things awkward (and also more difficult for Rayla).

 

So far, the past 3 days, all of them had been busy with shopping (usually for groceries), sightseeing and went on a walk in the mountains. They kept busy almost the entire time, with their minds occupied.

 

But now, Callum and Rayla were alone in the house. Together, just the two of them. And was it mentioned, they were alone in the house. Neither of them knew the other one was struggling so much with, well, not giving in to their differing feelings. And though there was an awkward tension every now and then, they hadn't thoroughly talked about things.

 

"Hey, so I'm gonna take a last dip in the jacuzzi before we leave tomorrow, wanna join me?" Rayla spoke up after they finished washing the dishes. Above all of this and above all their feelings, they were still best friends, of course.

 

"Yeah, sounds nice! I'm gonna miss it," Callum answered with a light chuckle. 

 

Rayla smiled at him, then went upstairs to change, and Callum did the same. They both exited their rooms at the same time and gave each other a sort of awkward chuckle, before making their way to the jacuzzi. 

 

After putting away their towels, they stepped in the jacuzzi, and once again Callum let out a big sigh. 

 

"I forgot how relaxing it feels," he said, before sitting down in the water.

 

"Haha, yeah, me too." Rayla sat down as well, in front of Callum. They just sat awkwardly like that for a bit, before they literally spoke up at the same moment, like one of those scenes straight out of a movie.

 

"So, Rayla--"

"Hey, Callum--?"

 

They both stopped talking, not wanting to interrupt each other. "Sorry, go on," Rayla then said.

 

Normally they would have laughed about something like that, but they were both too nervous.

 

"Yeah, okay..." Callum tried to swallow through the big lump in his throat. "Okay, so..." He took a deep breath, then reached across and took both Rayla's hands in his own, his eyes locking with hers. Rayla felt her face heat up, but didn't say anything.

 

"I..I've been thinking a lot about our..." Callum wasn't really sure what to call it. 

 

"Make out sesh?" Rayla said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood. Callum chuckled. He felt a bit less nervous now.

 

Callum looked away, feeling flustered now. "Yeah, that. And, uhm, I wanted to be completely honest with you. I..I really like you, Rayla." Callum felt his own cheeks heat up at his confession, but continued before he lost his bravery. He felt Rayla gently squeeze his hands, which helped a ton, too. "And, I have the feeling you might like me, too? I know we're both defects, which might help us in this case because we won't get in trouble, and... Well, I'd love to be your boyfriend, and for you to be my girlfriend."

 

Callum looked back at Rayla, who was staring at him wide eyed, her face dusted in red, but then tears welled up in her eyes. Of course she was crying - her soulmate,  who didn't even know was her soulmate, confessed his love to her, and was willing to risk a lot to just be with her, because he liked her. But of course he did, he was quite literally meant to, but wasn't even aware.

 

"Rayla? You-you don't have to answer what I said just now, really! But are you okay?"

 

Rayla felt that guilt press on her chest again, felt it weighing her down, and she let go of one of Callum's hands to wipe the tears off her face. "Before I answer, I have to tell you something." When Callum nodded, she went on. 

 

"Okay, so..." How the heck was she gonna word this? She had thought about it at least a hundred times, but now that she was actually gonna confess, she didn't know what to say. Or, rather, she knew what to say, she just didn't know how to.

 

Then she decided, screw it, and just said whatever came up in her mind.

 

"A bit after we first met, in the library, I was gonna leave because we had that small fight, and you took me by my wrist to stop me, and that left a mark, and the mark wouldn't leave my skin and then I did research, and then I found out you're my soulmate, and I wasn't ready for you to know so when we first hugged I touched you on your back first, and then made your mark appear there, and have been hiding it from you since, but- but you have a soulmate and you're not a defect and I'm so sorry." By the time Rayla had finished her ramble, she was out of breath. She took some deep breaths, and continued. "I... I'm truly, truly sorry I haven't told you, but I promise you that's the only thing I haven't been honest about. Really."

 

Callum just looked at Rayla. He slowly retracted the hand that had been holding Rayla's hand, still, and just..looked at her, in silence.

 

He was speechless. His mind was racing with thoughts, he was overwhelmed by all the feelings he felt right now. Joy, anger, relief, sadness, confusion, surprise. He felt betrayed and heartbroken, but also so happy he wasn't actually broken like he had believed all these years. He felt so much, he thought so much, the heat of the jacuzzi wasn't helping and on autopilot he exited the jacuzzi. He felt his whole body shaking, he heard a voice calling for him but it seemed so far away, it echoed in his mind.

 

He didn't know his breathing was speeding up, but he did notice an immense pain on his chest and he brought his hand up to clench it, as he just stood still on the tiles outside. Suddenly there was someone in front of him, touching him on his shoulders,  shaking him gently, saying words but he wasn't sure which ones. And then out of nowhere he started hearing a high-pitched ringing in his ears, getting louder and louder, his head started hurting excruciatingly,  and before he knew it his vision went black and he passed out.

 

---

 

When Callum finally came to, he was lying on the couch inside, on top of a towel but with a blanket draped snuggly around him. His head was spinning a bit and still hurt a lot, but regardless,  he remembered how he ended up here. He sat up and looked around him.

 

"Rayla?" He called out. Rayla walked inside shortly after, a relieved smile on her face. She went to Callum's side and sat down next to him on the couch.

 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked him. 

 

"Better than before," Callum admitted.  He pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "Uhm, so, we need to talk."

 

"Yeah, we do," Rayla admitted. 

 

There were so many things Callum wanted to know, and ask, but he decided to start simple. "How long have you known for?"

 

"Since..two weeks after we met? I think?"

 

"What?" Callum almost shouted. "That-that was almost a year ago! You've been lying to me for that long? Seriously?"

 

"No! Well, yes, but- I just--," Rayla took a deep breath. "I..really didn't know how to tell you. I tried so many times, but... I couldn't find the courage. I'm sorry I hid it from you for that long, or at all really."

 

Callum crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You mean, lied." Rayla flinched at that but at this point, Callum didn't really care. "Because that's what you did, you lied to me. After seeing how much I got hurt, believing I was broken. You let me get bullied, you..you let me hate myself, for all that time." Callum felt tears prickle at his eyes but he blinked them away quickly. Rayla didn't deserve to see him like that, not after this. "I trusted you, I was vulnerable with you, about this very fact. Why--," Callum felt his voice tremble. "Why did you do it, honestly?"

 

"It's not just about you, you know," Rayla said sharply in reply, making Callum feel like she didn't even care about anything he just said. "Of course it's about you, but it's about me as well. And I felt broken too, alright? I-I just wasn't ready for a relationship, I needed to focus on school, and honestly so did you. It's not like I wasn't ever gonna tell you, but we had more important stuff to focus on at the moment, right?"

 

Callum couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rayla knew how much he had hated himself for being broken, and how much Travis hurt him, and how he thought he was broken every single day. He had believed that his very existence was wrong and Rayla knew all this, and yet she didn't tell him. Yet, she said all of this right now. Callum got to his feet, and turned his back to Rayla the moment he felt tears run down his face.

 

"Firstly, you could have told me, and we could have just waited to get together until we were both ready. And secondly, if you truly believe what you said just now? Then, honestly, you don't know me at all, Rayla." He walked away from Rayla and went to his bedroom upstairs.

 

Rayla just sat there in silence, feeling her eyes start to well up, and this time she let those tears fall.

 

All these months she felt like she had messed up, but all of that was nothing compared to how she felt now.

 

This time? Well, this time she had really messed up. 

 

She should have just been honest with Callum from the start, especially because Callum was at battle with himself every single day because he thought he was broken.

 

But she couldn't change any of that now.

 

Now, it was too late.

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 16

Notes:

Once again thank you very much for helping me so much senat0rh0tcheet0 I appreciate it!!

Also I'm sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger in the last chapter gsjduejufjf it'll be okay eventually! It has the happy ending tag 😅

Enjoy a little bit of Callum's perspective!

 

That last day and the trip home, well, they were awkward. After Rayla and Callum had confessed to each other - or rather - after Rayla had revealed she had been lying to Callum for a year now, Callum didn't really say another word to her. Of course, when they had breakfast with Runaan and Ethari the next morning he had said "Good morning" and that was all Rayla had heard him say since the conflict.

 

She tried to talk to him numerous times after breakfast, but every time he'd say something along the lines of "Not right now" and would walk away.

 

It hurt Rayla, because in their whole friendship so far, Callum had never ever given her the cold shoulder like this. She knew she had hurt him, but she just wanted to talk about it and try to make it stop hurting. 

 

When everyone had packed and cleaned the house, they left to go back home. It was still early so they would most likely be home around midday as the drive was around 5 hours. Callum took a big distance from Rayla in the car; she noticed, but decided to not say anything and just listen to music. She didn't want to make things even more awkward by trying to have this conversation in the car with her dads.

 

---

 

The hours flew by and before Rayla knew it, they had arrived at Callum's house. He just stuttered "Uhm- bye" to Rayla before he got out of the car to get his suitcase from the trunk. No hug, no "See you later", just an awkward bye. And that, once again, hurt. It hurt a lot. 

 

"Thank you for having me," Callum said to Ethari and Runaan. "It was very fun."

 

"Of course, Callum!" Runaan said in reply. "It was a great joy to have you with us," Ethari added, which brought a faint smile on Callum's face. 

 

He waved goodbye to them as they drove off, and when they were finally out of sight, Callum let out a big sigh. It wasn't his intention to hurt Rayla, he would never do that on purpose of course, but at the moment he really couldn't have a normal conversation with her. He knew he needed to process his own thoughts first.

 

He grabbed his suitcase and keys from his pocket and went inside.

 

"Hey, I'm back." He called out. When Callum got no reply, he went to his bedroom to start unpacking. After he brought his dirty clothes to the washing room, he went to the bathroom to take a shower. 

 

After he had undressed, he couldn't help but wonder about this soulmate mark Rayla had mentioned. He turned to the mirror a bit, and turned his back some more, and lo and behold, there it was. 

 

Between his shoulders was a little black bean-shaped spot. He had seen it once before, after Travis had broken his nose, but back then he thought it was a bruise from when he fell after being hit. 

 

It wasn't a bruise, though. It was his soulmate mark. His soulmate mark. He still couldn't wrap his head around it. He had a soulmate, after all this time, after all of these feelings and thoughts and the bullying and abuse, he turned out to be not broken after all. It was just..insane to him. Never in a million years would he have expected this. 

 

All those feelings and thoughts from when he had his anxiety attack came back to him, but this time he tried to stay grounded before it got to that point by taking deep breaths. Just like his mom had taught him when he was a little kid. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight…

 

It took him a while but he fortunately managed to calm down a bit, and as he showered he went over things in his head once again, though the shower helped a lot. 

 

Of course he was beyond delighted that he had a soulmate, and that his soulmate was Rayla out of all people. He had liked her for a long time now, strangely enough his crush on Rayla helped Callum get over his feelings for Claudia. Back then, he wasn't too happy about it because it would mean he had yet another hopeless crush on someone who he wasn't soulmates with. But now he knew better. 

 

He was so happy, but at the same time he felt so betrayed and sad and scared. Rayla knew that they were soulmates basically their whole friendship and he wondered how much of her feelings were true, and if some of her feelings were just there because she had found out they were soulmates and she didn't have a choice but to keep him in her life. Thoughts like these wouldn't leave his mind, and it was terrible.

 

After his shower and dressing in comfy clothes, he went to his bedroom to lie in his bed and ponder for a bit. 

 

---

 

Callum realized he had fallen asleep when he woke up to the sound of the front door closing and Ezran and Harrow coming back home. He looked outside his window and noticed it was already getting dark, so they probably came home from grocery shopping for dinner.

 

He got out of bed sluggishly and then went downstairs to greet them both with hugs.

 

They all had dinner together and Callum told his family all the things he had done while he was away, and Ezran and Harrow filled Callum in on what they had been doing during those past two weeks, and after dinner Callum and Ezran decided to watch a TV show, while Harrow would work on some project in his office.

 

"Hey, Ez, can I talk to you about something?" Callum said after a while of watching the show. He knew it was probably for the best if he got this whole soulmate thing off his chest, and have some insight from someone who wasn't directly involved.

 

"Yeah, of course!" Ezran said in reply. He noticed by the way Callum was talking it was something serious, so he turned down the volume of the TV and turned to his brother, giving him all his attention. "What's the matter?"

 

"It's a very long story but I'm gonna shorten it for you, okay?" Callum started. When Ezran nodded, he continued. "So, Rayla and I are apparently..soulmates? She told me yesterday, and I'm very happy about it, but she knew about it from the start and has been lying to me for a whole year. And we had a small fight because I obviously don't like being lied to. Especially not about something like this, you know? And I just..I feel kind of stuck right now. I don't know what to do."

 

"I get where you're coming from - no one likes being lied to. But I think you should try to let that go and be happy about it," Ezran said. "I'm sure she had her reasons, but that's not the part you should be worried about, if I were in your shoes I know I for sure wouldn't! Because I know how worried you were for years that you were broken and now it turns out there’s nothing wrong with you after all, so that's great! You should be celebrating!" Ezran tried to be uplifting, but Callum just sighed. 

 

Of course Ezran wouldn't understand it, he didn't know just how difficult life had been for Callum these past few years and how much he had struggled, and that it wasn't as easy as how Ezran made it sound like. "I know I should be, Ez. It's just a little hard, but I'll try. Thank you for listening." 

 

"Of course!" Ezran smiled at Callum, and then they continued the show. But Callum still didn't feel any better about the situation, and felt that heavy pit in his stomach for the rest of the night. He knew he should be happy and practically dancing from joy, he just..couldn't. As if his head wouldn't allow him to be happy for whatever reason. He thought he felt this way because Rayla had lied to him but now it felt like something else was going on, and he just couldn't figure out what it was.

 

It was a very personal issue, so of course no one other than Callum himself could have an answer to that, but he just wished he could have a bit of guidance, or advice on what to do next.

 

---

 

That night, when Callum tried to sleep, he couldn't. And then he couldn't stop his head from thinking about what Ezran had said, and how even though he felt okay and at peace about the lying part, he still felt very bad about something. It just didn't feel like the answer he needed, and he couldn't stop overthinking about the whole ordeal. So he did what he always does when he was stressed; drawing.

 

It was 11:47pm when there was a light knock on his door, and Callum frowned in slight confusion. Usually Ezran would go to bed around 10pm or 11pm latest, why was he still up?

 

"Come in," he said, and he was surprised when it was Harrow who walked in, and not Ezran like he had thought. "Oh, hey." Callum closed his art book and set it aside.

 

"May I?" Harrow asked, gesturing to Callum's bed. When Callum nodded, Harrow sat down on the bed next to Callum. "How are you holding up?"

 

Callum shrugged. "Could be better, could be worse. Why?"

 

"I..overheard your conversation with Ezran earlier today," Harrow started.

 

"Oh god this is so embarrassing," Callum thought to himself, but he didn't say anything and just nodded, so Harrow went on.

 

"It..made me think of Sarai and I, in some way."

 

That caught Callum's attention. Harow didn't usually talk about Sarai, it was always too painful for him. 

 

"And..I think this is actually not about the fact that your friend, Rayla, has lied to you."

 

"What? Of course it is," Callum replied. 

 

Harrow chuckled softly at that. "You see, I was in the same boat you are in right now, but the other way around. I found out that I was your mother's soulmate, before she did. And I hid it from her for a while, too."

 

"Why?" Callum asked him. Neither his mother nor Harrow had ever said anything about how they ended up together, so he was very intrigued, especially because Harrow claimed he and his mother had been in a similar situation.

 

"As you know, your mother came from a very wealthy family. Meanwhile, my family was poor. And I was always scared to 'bring her down with me', which is why I lied to her for so long. I felt like I wasn't good enough for her, but luckily she proved me wrong in the end."

 

When Callum didn't say anything and just nodded in reply, Harrow continued. "Me and your mother went to different schools but got befriended because we both did volunteer work at the nursing home. And I'm not sure if I or Sarai have actually ever told you this, but our soulmate marks were literal black marks that appeared on the first spot we touched each other. This is mine." He held out his hand, and there it was, his mother's handprint on Harrow's hand. Or rather, a tattoo of it. Callum had always assumed it was a birthmark, but when he asked, Harrow had told him that it was his soulmate mark, and before it disappeared,  both him and his mother got them tattood.

 

"Wait, that's the same soulmate marks that me and Rayla have!" Callum said in reply. "That's..pretty cool." It made him feel a little bit closer to his mother, another similarity they had in common.

 

Harrow smiled at that. "It really is, isn't it? But, I hid it from her. I started wearing gloves, claiming my hands were just always cold, and Sarai always joked about it. I lied to her about it because, well, we came from entirely different worlds. I thought that it would never work out because, to put it simply, she was rich and I was poor. And I didn't want to..'drag her down' to my level." Harrow sighed softly. 

 

It hurt Harrow to talk about it, especially because Sarai should be here with him at his side, telling this story together. But it was a bittersweet ache, it brought up so many joyful memories, and to remember his sweet Sarai like that again, it was worth it. 

 

Harrow smiled fondly at the memories that resurfaced in his head. "Eventually, I had to help her up because she had tripped over something, and I didn't think twice and then she also got her mark. But that's not the point. I think, Callum, that you actually don't want to face this soulmate problem because you're afraid, and not because Rayla lied to you. Because I know I was very afraid, and I..see myself in you, and how you talk and think about what happened between you and Rayla, and also with how you have talked about your friendship in the past. You always talk as if she's this amazing person and you're not, and that's not true, Callum."

 

Callum glanced away, not entirely agreeing with Harrow, but he went on, anyway. "You deserve love as much as anyone else, maybe even more because of all the hardships you went through. And if there was any reason at all you two shouldn't be together, then you two wouldn't be soulmates. You two belong together, and that's the truth."

 

And that, well that was indeed the truth.

 

While Callum had proposed to get together with Rayla, he still had his doubts. He had said that on impulse, and a big part of him actually expected Rayla to turn him down. Or..maybe he wanted Rayla to turn him down, which is why he said it at all - to just get it over with and so Rayla knew he liked her. Maybe part of him tried to self-sabotage his friendship and relationship with Rayla. Because what Harrow said was true. Although he loved Rayla, he didn't feel good enough for her. She was so badass, and sweet, and just awesome, and he honestly had already forgiven her for lying. 

 

And when he found out that they were actually soulmates, well, he didn't really want to accept it because he felt like Rayla could get so much better than him, and deserved better. But because they're soulmates, she was..stuck with him. And that's why he ran away. He wasn't upset because Rayla lied, he was scared of his own feelings.

 

And Harrow knew that. Harrow knew..him, and knew and said exactly what Callum needed to hear. He understood Callum. And that surprised him, in a good way. Callum had never felt this close to him before, and he was so glad they'd had this talk. Callum wouldn't worry again whether or not he could go to Harrow for advice or to just vent, he knew he always could, from now on.

 

He pulled Harrow in a tight hug, feeling tears prickling at his eyes. When he felt Harrow hug him back, he sniffled. "Thank you, H… Thanks, dad."

 

He heard Harrow sniffle as well and chuckled at that, closing his eyes and relaxing in the embrace, finally feeling like he could breathe again.

 

And now that his head was less of a mess, he knew what to do.

 

Notes:

There probably won't be a chapter next week as I'm gonna be very busy with my birthday and other birthdays, but who knows!

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 17

Notes:

THANK YOU AGAIN senat0rh0tcheet0 FOR THE HELP!!!

And also a thank you to acronymKing for the great idea of writing about Rayla, Runaan and Ethari!!!

This time it's a smaller chapter! Hope you enjoy the read ^^

 

When Rayla got home after she and her dads had dropped off Callum, she immediately went to her room. After putting her suitcase on the floor she let herself fall on her bed with a heavy sigh.

 

She was absolutely drained. Mentally and physically.

 

These past 2 weeks had been so eventful and fun, and then on the last day she had ruined literally everything, or so it felt - and seemed.

 

She and Callum were... Well, she honestly didn't know what they were right now. Definitely not in a relationship, that was for sure. But were they even still friends after what had happened?

 

She truly didn't know the answer to that. She knew Callum needed space right now so she wasn't going to text him and 'bother' him. That didn't mean she didn't desperately want to text him; she had so many questions, and many more things to say to Callum. 

 

She wanted to explain her side of the story further, she wanted to hear what Callum had to say about all of this, she wanted them both to make up, she wanted to apologize a million more times- she wanted to do so much. But she couldn't, not for a little while at least. It would probably make this whole situation even worse if she pushed herself onto Callum when all he clearly needed right now was space.

 

She couldn't do anything but wait.

 

---

 

Luckily, she didn't have to wait for long. The following day, she got a text from Callum. Just seeing his name pop up on her phone screen made her heart flutter anxiously.

Callum      2:43 PM 

 

Hey. I'm sorry with how I left things and for the way I reacted 😓 Are you still open to talk? If so, want to meet up at Barius's Bakery in an hour?

 

You      2:44 PM

 

of course, I'll be there

Rayla put her phone away and started getting ready.

 

She wondered what Callum had to say, and what was going to happen between them. She didn't blame him for reacting the way that he did, especially not given his background and how much he had struggled all these years.

 

Whatever Callum decided, she would be on board. That was the least she could do.

 

---

 

When Rayla got to the bakery, she already spotted Callum sitting at a table. When he spotted her, a small smile came to his face and he got to his feet.

 

"Hey," she greeted.

 

"Hi," Callum said in return. He hesitated; he wanted to hug her, but when she sat down at the table he realized maybe they needed to talk first, so he took a seat at the table as well.

 

"So, uh, what's up?" Rayla then said.

 

"I..I've thought about everything. And I wanted to apologize." Callum was nervously fiddling with his hands resting on the table. He wasn't quite sure how to properly explain things. "I realized that I wasn't that upset because you lied, but because…" He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I'm not happy with myself - you know this. And because I don't like myself that much, I didn't feel worthy enough for you, not as your friend and definitely not as your soulmate. Which is why I ran away from you, and from us." He had practised that so many times with Ezran, and let out a soft relieved sigh after he had finished talking. That went better than expected.

 

"Oh, Callum…" Rayla frowned at this. That explained some things. She just wished he didn't feel so bad about himself.

 

"And, well, I just wanted to say I'm deeply sorry for the way I treated you. That's never okay, and I hope you can forgive me."

 

Rayla reached across the table and took hold of his hands, gently squeezing them. "Of course I forgive you, dummy. I wish things hadn't happened this way, but I'm grateful that you told me now." She gave Callum a reassuring smile. "What do you want to do now?"

 

"I–,"

 

"Hi! What can I get for you?" a waitress interrupted them. 

 

Rayla rolled her eyes (wasn't it obvious she and Callum were having a moment??), and Callum blushed and retreated his hands from Rayla's out of shyness, before stuttering out, "U-uhm, can you give us some more time to decide?"

 

"Sure thing!" The waitress left, and Callum let out a sigh. 

 

"Sorry, where were we?" Callum started, before he remembered. "Oh! Right. Well, I was gonna ask you the same thing. What would you prefer? And what are you comfortable with?"

 

"You can say no to all of this, okay?" When Callum nodded, Rayla continued. "I would like for us to explore our relationship, and, well, make things official. Get together! Be boyfriend and girlfriend! Enter this relationship!" she said, making a silly gesture with her hands.

 

Callum chuckled at that. Rayla was so adorable. Whenever she got flustered or nervous she would just start saying the same things but in different ways and it was very cute to him. 

 

"Me too," he then answered. "I would really like that."

 

Rayla's heart fluttered at that, and she gave him a big smile. And when Callum said, "I'm happy that out of all the people I know, you're the one I get to spend the rest of my life with." She almost cried.

 

"I feel the same way," was all she could think of to answer that. 

 

The rest of their day was nice. They ordered brunch at the bakery and after that they took a walk in a nearby park to talk about things some more.

 

They both wanted to take things slow, because when they kissed they had both been intoxicated. They wanted to do their 'first kiss' right this time, and for it to happen when it felt right to both of them. Of course from now on they were in a relationship, but they really wanted to not rush things. 

 

Callum walked Rayla home and they departed with a tight, lingering hug. Rayla kissed his cheek and laughed when Callum’s whole face turned red at that. She had always wanted to do that and now...she could? Because they were soulmates. She still couldn't wrap her head around it. 

 

When she walked into the living room she saw Ethari and Runaan sitting at the dining table, sipping on their coffee (what is it with adults and coffee?). 

 

“Hey,” she greeted, walking to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

 

“Hi, Rayla. Where have you been?” Ethari asked. 

 

Oh, right! She still had to inform them about..well, everything. 

 

She sat down at the table with her dads and smiled at them. “I have to tell you both something huge.”

 

Runaan put away the newspaper he had been reading, and they both turned their attention to Rayla.

 

“Okay, don't freak out, alright?” When they both nodded, Rayla continued. “So, me and Callum are..soulmates.” 

 

Ethari and Runaan gave each other a look, before getting up from the table in sync, and before Rayla knew it she was in an embrace, squished between her dads. She let out a chuckle, and before she knew it her eyes welled up with tears.

 

“We're so happy for you,” Runaan began. 

 

“We know how much you have struggled,” Ethari added. Rayla let out a choked sob and wrapped her arms around her dads. 

 

She had been so focused on Callum, and his feelings, and hadn't once stopped for a moment to think about how she felt about everything. Of course she'd had enough time to think about it the whole year she hadn't told Callum, but for him to finally reciprocate her feelings and to hear him say he wanted to be with her, well that was a lot of new information and feelings to process.

 

Fortunately, she had Runaan and Ethari. They understood her, and she was so grateful.

 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 18

Notes:

Sorry for the late update asdfghjk, right after the break I took for my mental health I got covid- I'm doing a bit better now though fortunately.

And as always, a big thank you to senat0rh0tcheet0 for helping me out again!

I hope you all enjoy the read ^^

 

They were going on a date. An official, non-platonic date. On a date as boyfriend and girlfriend.

 

Both Callum and Rayla were quite a bit giddy. They were on their way to a nearby beach, bags on their shoulders and their fingers intertwined. 

 

Rayla planned to sunbathe the whole time they were there because she was definitely not getting in the water. She hadn't told Callum about her fear of open waters and she wasn't planning to. Not as a secret, she was just embarrassed about it. 

 

“We're here!” Callum announced, snapping Rayla out of her thoughts. She smiled at Callum, who gave her a big smile in return.

 

They picked out a place somewhere between the water and a nearby food stand in case they got hungry, as Callum forgot to bring the food they had prepared. They laid their towels down, and after that they headed over to the small dressing cabin next to the showers to get changed.

 

A knock was on Rayla's door, before she heard Callum’s voice. “Do you want me to help you with your sunscreen?”

 

A blush appeared on Rayla's cheeks at the thought of being alone in this cabin with Callum, and of him touching her back and arms. She let out a dry cough and stammered out, “Uh, yeah, hold on!” She put away her clothes in her beach bag after changing into her swimsuit, the same she wore at the vacation getaway with Callum and her parents. 

 

“Okay, you can come in,” Rayla said as she unlocked the door.

 

Callum entered and closed the door behind him, and Rayla leaned closer to reach behind Callum in order to lock the door - which in turn made Callum blush.

 

“Uh- turn around?” Callum managed to say. Rayla nodded, and then did so, turning her back to Callum.

 

Callum put some sunscreen on Rayla's back and then put the bottle away, before carefully spreading it along her back and shoulders. The longer he was applying the sunscreen the more he felt his face heat up... 

 

He had always known Rayla did athletics, and that she probably had some muscles, obviously he had seen them, too, but to actually..touch them, feel how toned her body was beneath his hands, that was on a whole other level. Not in a sexual way, he was honestly just impressed and kind of humbled Rayla trusted him enough for him to be able to do this, and see her like this, and be with her like this.

 

“There we go,” Callum said after he finished. Fortunately his blush had subsided a bit. 

 

Rayla turned to him and gave him a grin. “Thanks! Want me to do your back as well?” she said hurriedly, as if she was trying to hide the fact her whole face was red. 

 

“Yeah, thank you.” Callum turned his back to Rayla and she did the same for him, making sure his shoulders and back were covered in sunscreen. After that, they took their bags and went back to the spot they had picked out, relieved to see their towels were still there (the nerve of some people, right?).

 

“Ahhh, some well deserved relaxation,” Rayla said as she lied down on her towel, her hands beneath her head. 

 

Callum snorted at that. “You do remember we went on that trip with your family, right? With the jacuzzi, sauna, hot tub… Ring any bells?” He lied down on his towel next to Rayla, letting out a soft sigh.

 

Rayla laughed softly at his comment. “Yeah, yeah. This is still nice, though.”

 

“Yeah, it is,” Callum agreed. He closed his eyes and let himself relax, and Rayla decided to do the same.

 

---

 

Rayla realised she had fallen asleep when she was woken up by some laughter from kids running by. She stretched, letting out a soft squeak, then smiled upon seeing Callum, who was lost in this book he was reading.

 

She booped his nose and he looked up from his book with a blush. “Oh! Hi. Had a nice nap?”

 

“Yep!” Rayla sat up, facing Callum, and he put his book away and sat up as well. 

 

“Wanna go for a swim?” Callum asked. 

 

Rayla almost let out a gulp. Almost. “Nah, I'm good. You go ahead though!”

 

“It won't be fun without you. Pleaaase?” Callum then said, doing those stupid puppy eyes. 

 

Rayla couldn't say no to that much cuteness. She rolled her eyes. “Agh, fine. Whatever.” 

 

“Woo!” Callum cheered. He got to his feet and held out his hands for Rayla, who took them with a chuckle. After he helped her to her feet they walked to the water, hand in hand. They were both still getting used to the fact they were in a relationship now, but very grateful that relationship was built upon their friendship and, most importantly, their trust. 

 

Rayla smiled to herself as those thoughts ran through her head, and then it felt as if she was violently shaken out of her thoughts the moment she realised she was ankle-deep into the water. She looked down at the blue waves of water hitting her ankles. “Uh, actually, it's a bit too cold--,”

 

“What are you talking about? The temperature is just about right!” Callum turned to Rayla, and then he noticed the look on her face; fear. It was mild, but it was still there. “Hey, are you okay?”

 

“No, uhm, not really. I'm kind of... Uh… Afraidofopenwaters.”

 

“Oh.” Callum took both of Rayla's hands in his own. “That's okay, I'll help you through it, how does that sound?”

 

Rayla hesitated for a bit, but… She trusted Callum. Unconditionally. She nodded at him, and he gave her a soft smile as he gently squeezed her hands.

 

“Would you like me to give you advice or distract you?” Callum then wondered. Rayla thought for a second.

 

“I think distraction would work best,” she admitted. 

 

“Okay,” Callum said. As they were talking, he slowly started taking steps further away from the beach and deeper into the water. “I'm gonna ask you five questions.”

 

Rayla groaned at that. “Please don't. Anything is better than that, Callum.”

 

Callum chuckled at that. “Come on! It'll be a fun distraction, help take your mind off things.” When Rayla sighed but then nodded, Callum went on. “Okay, question one: what's the best gift you've ever received?”

 

That was an interesting question, but not a hard one. Rayla smiled fondly at the memory resurfacing in her head. “My parents, biological parents I mean, they gave me a necklace a long time ago. It's nothing fancy or special but I treasure it. It's a family heirloom.” She hadn't noticed how, as she talked, Callum was slowly leading her further into the water - which was probably a good thing.

 

“That sounds nice. Is it the silver one with the purple blueish glass in the middle?” 

 

“Yeah!” Rayla answered with a big smile, happy that Callum remembered. 

 

“See, it's working right?” Callum then asked. Rayla blinked and looked down, and then noticed the water was already up to her knees. 

 

She chuckled, then focused her eyes back on her boyfriend with a soft smile. “Maybe so. Ask your next question.”

 

“What were your parents like?” Callum then asked with hesitance. Rayla never wanted to talk much about her biological parents, and he respected that. But Callum wondered if maybe Rayla would be open to it now that she had brought them up first. And as Rayla answered, he repeated what he had done last time, and slowly led them further and deeper into the waters.

 

“I don't remember them too well,” Rayla started. “I know that they were very kind, and brave. They… Runaan told me they were cops, and very good at their job.” She thought for a moment, and her face fell a bit. It worried Callum, but he didn't speak up, instead giving Rayla time to process her thoughts and say whatever she wanted to say.

 

He squeezed Rayla's hands gently, which brought a short, faint smile to her face, before she spoke up. “They passed away - no - they got murdered, because of me,” Rayla then started. “I don't like to talk about it, about… Well,  them. Because it hurts, you know? But..it's true. All because I desperately wanted this specific toy for my birthday, that's the only reason they're not here anymore.”

 

“What?” Callum spoke up softly. “What do you mean?”

 

“They were killed in a store, in an armed robbery, because I was a stupid kid and wanted a stupid toy.” Rayla's voice grew quieter, before she just stopped talking. She avoided Callum's gaze and retracted her hands from his. She felt too guilty now, she felt so horrible, and was convinced she didn't deserve any comfort. 

 

Callum frowned at that, but knew Rayla well enough by now to know exactly how she felt and what her thought process was like. “Hey, no, that's not fair to yourself,” he then argued, though with a gentle tone.

 

“It's not fair to them,” Rayla retorted sharply. “Can't you see it's my fault? You're just like my dads. They don't understand, either…”

 

“It's really not your fault, though.” Callum took both of Rayla's hands in his own, and when Rayla didn't pull away, he gave her a small reassuring smile. “Rayla, as much as it hurts, and as much as you blame yourself, you have to realise someday that they were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.” He stepped closer to her and put his hands on her upper arms, gently rubbing them to try and comfort his girlfriend.

 

Rayla reached up to rub her eyes, trying to prevent those stupid tears from falling. Callum took that as a chance to continue. “I know now, how bad you feel. And I'm sorry you have felt this way for all of these years. But you don't have to carry this burden on your own any more, okay? And I'll remind you as many times as I need to that it's not your fault, until you believe me.” He brought one of his hands up to cup Rayla's damp cheek gently, and she brought up one of her own hands to hold his hand in place, leaning into it a bit. 

 

“Thank you, Callum.” It was all she could say right now. Her voice quivered and she was trying everything in her power not to cry. While she didn't truly believe his words, she still appreciated them, and appreciated him, and somehow found some comfort in his words. She kissed his cheek softly and couldn't help but chuckle when Callum's face went a bit red.

 

Callum got a bit shy at that, then pulled Rayla in a hug, which she immediately returned. “You don't have to thank me,” he replied, words a bit muffled by Rayla's shoulder. “Honestly.”

 

“I'm still grateful,” Rayla replied quietly.

 

They both wrapped their arms around each other a bit tighter and Rayla felt all her worries melt away. Even if Callum didn't fully understand her (he didn't need to), he always knew what to say to her, to help her feel better. She loved this boy so much, and was suddenly overwhelmed by it, alongside all of the other emotions she was feeling.

 

“Can we go back to shore?” Rayla then asked as she reluctantly pulled back from their embrace. 

 

Callum gave her a smile and a nod, and hand in hand they made their way back. Rayla felt so much lighter now, and she was so thankful to have Callum at her side through all of this. And she knew she would do anything for him, as well. Anything to ensure his happiness and health, like he deserved.

And with anything,  she truly meant anything. 

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 19

Summary:

FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF FLUFFFFF

Notes:

As always, a big thank you and shoutout to senat0rh0tcheet0 for helping me again! :)

I also wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who support my story in any way. All the views, kudos, comments, bookmarks, they mean everything to me. So thank you, all of you :)

Oh, also also, I added some stuff to chapter 7, the backstory of Lain and Tiadrin's deaths. It's pretty much the same but I added some more details/context! So feel free to check that out whenever you want to ^^

Enjoy the read!

 

“Can we talk about something?” Callum spoke up. He and Rayla were now walking home from their beach date, as the sun had set and it was getting a bit too cool to stay on the beach. And the thing Callum wanted to talk about had been kind of bugging him for quite some time.

 

“Of course, what is it?” Rayla asked. She hoped it wasn't about her parents, because she really didn't feel like talking about that again. After she and Callum talked about it earlier that day, it took Rayla quite some time to feel better about it and she didn't want to end this day on a bad note like that.

 

“I've been thinking about college. Or more specifically, about us when we're in college.”

 

Rayla turned to look at her boyfriend, a somewhat worried look on her face. She had heard about couples breaking up because they couldn’t handle long-distance relationships, and certainly hoped Callum didn’t have that in mind. “What have you been thinking about?”

 

A smile came to Callum’s face, one that immediately washed away any worries Rayla had. “Okay, so! I actually talked to dad about this as well, and he was very supportive. I want to take a quick course in driving lessons, so that once we start college, I can just come see you whenever we want to! How does that sound? I've been hesitant to ask because I don't want you to worry about money or something like that, you know? I promise, it's no issue!"

 

Honestly, Rayla wondered why she even had any doubts in the first place. It’s Callum, of all people. She should have known he would never ever want or suggest something bad like that.

 

Rayla brought one of her hands up to cup Callum’s face and smiled warmly at him. “I think that sounds like a great idea.” 

 

“Great!” Callum’s face lit up, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek softly. Then chuckled when his face went red.

 

From now on, only good things were headed their way, it seemed.

 

---

 

The man took a step forward, his fists clenched and at his sides. “Listen, I know I've done a lot of bad - no, terrible - things. I am well aware. And you know I'm willing to do everything for my children. However dangerous. However vile. But I am not a murderer. And I believe that they are still withholding some important information that can help us!”

 

A deep, sultry voice replied. “Why, yes. You've been telling me that for quite some time now. Yet here we are, and they haven't been any help to us.”

 

The man took another step forward. “I ask of you, give me another week. I will get it done.”

 

“You get forty eight hours. Best get to work.”

 

---

 

“I had a lot of fun today, Rayla. Thank you,” Callum said as he pulled back from his and Rayla’s hug. He was dropping her off at her place after their beach date.

 

“Me too. Actually, would you like to come in for a bit?” she then asked. Her dads weren’t home so they could hang for a bit longer without any awkwardness.

 

Callum smiled and nodded, and she let him in before closing the door behind them. “Wanna order some dinner?” Callum took off his coat and put it on the coat rack, and Rayla did the same.

 

“Yeah, sounds good. Wanna go to my room while we wait for the food? We could put on a movie or something.”

 

“Alright!” Callum followed Rayla upstairs to her room, a small blush on his cheeks. Not for any weird reasons, but in their entire friendship he had never been in her room before. He had been to her house for their tutoring lessons and hangouts, but that’s about it.

 

“Make yourself at home,” Rayla said as she closed the door behind them. Her room was just that: a room with a bed, a desk and chair, closet, door to a small bathroom. Nothing special or weird. She had lots of Marvel bobbleheads and a few movie posters, and a poster from this famous freerunner Rayla had excitedly rambled about a few times. So, nothing unusual.

 

He sat down on her bed, and Rayla sat down next to him with a smile. “So, what do you want to eat?” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and opened a food delivery app.

 

“Hmmm, what about Greek?” Callum suggested. Rayla made an “Oooh” sound and nodded, before ordering them some gyros, pita and a side of tzatziki. After that, she pocketed her phone again.

 

“It’s gonna take about half an hour, what do you wanna do until then?” Rayla turned towards Callum, who blushed (yes, once again). 

 

Truth be told, all he wanted was to lie down and cuddle with her. But he didn’t want to be too sappy. “W-well, uh… Actually…” How was he going to word this without sounding too corny? He wasn’t actually sure if she would mind corny and sappy stuff, but he was too shy to ask. Why did he have to be like this? “Uh…”

 

Out of nowhere, he felt Rayla take a gentle hold of his face and plant her lips on his softly. His eyes widened and before he could even process what had just happened, Rayla pulled back. And when she saw Callum’s expression, she spoke up. “Are you okay? I thought you wanted to - as well, I mean.”

 

“N-no, I didn’t. I mean, I do, but I actually wanted to just… Lie down and cuddle. But that doesn’t mean I don’t, uh, didn’t, want to kiss! Because I do! I just didn’t expect to. Right now, I mean.”

 

Rayla let out a snort. “Dummy. You talk a lot without saying much, if that makes sense. Next time, just tell me what goes on in that head of yours.” Rayla gently poked Callum’s forehead, then chuckled.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed with a sheepish smile. “I, uh, did like the kiss. A lot. Can we do that again?”

 

Callum didn’t need to ask twice. He and Rayla leaned closer, and then their lips met again. It was soft, calm, and Callum was so grateful he got to experience this with Rayla again. Because, last time they kissed, they were both absolutely wasted. And he never expected they would get another chance at a do-over, especially not while sober. And most definitely not as partners, soulmates, boyfriend and girlfriend.

 

Time flew by, and before they knew it, the doorbell rang. 

 

They pulled back from their kiss, both of their faces heavily flushed red, and goofy smiles on those reddened faces. 

 

They had spent the last half hour just...kissing. And while that would probably sound boring, or like a “tease” to most people, to them it meant the world and so much more. It was soft, and slow, and gentle. There were light caresseses, soft whispers of “I love you’s”, warm embraces. They got to know each other on a whole other, more intimate level. And it was truly amazing to the both of them.

 

Two years ago, both of them still thought they were broken and would never get to experience this kind of love. Sometimes, they doubted if they even deserved that kind of love at all. And now, here they were, together at last. Together in more ways than one.

 

“I’ll, uh, get it,” Callum spoke, before getting up, and then almost tumbling over because his legs felt like literal jelly. Rayla laughed softly, and Callum let out an embarrassed chuckle, before making his way downstairs to the front door to get the food.

 

“Wow,” Rayla sighed almost dreamily. She let herself fall backwards on the bed, on her back, and closed her eyes, reliving what had just happened in her head. A giddy smile made its way on her face and she laughed softly.

 

She was definitely open to more of that.

 

“Hey, I’m back, and I brought food!” Callum walked inside holding two paper bags, a grin on his face.

 

“Great, I’m starving!” Rayla got to her feet, and then walked back downstairs with Callum to get some plates and cutlery from the kitchen. They sat down on the couch in the living room as they ate their food and watched some TV. It gave both of them a sense of deja vu; it made them think of the first time they kissed, back at the bungalow. They had ordered Greek food and put on a movie as well. 

 

He glanced at Rayla’s wrist and a smile came to his face. The soulmate mark was gone, now. Not because it was hidden by makeup, not because it was covered by a sleeve, but because they’d had their first kiss. A real one this time. A heartfelt one.

 

“What are you smiling about?” Rayla questioned. She noticed his glance was on her wrist and then a smile appeared on her face as well, when she noticed the soulmate mark had vanished. 

 

It put some emphasis on the fact they were indeed soulmates. That it was all true, and all happening. The real deal.

 

She rested her head on Callum’s shoulder and let out a content sigh. “I love you, Callum.”

 

Callum wrapped his arms around her, a big smile coming to his face. “I love you, too, Rayla.”

Notes:

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!

Chapter 20

Notes:

WOOOOOO I'M BACK BABY

A big big thank you to my lovely qpp who helped me a TON with this chapter, especially with writing scenery and descriptions (because I really suck at that)

Also huge thank you to senat0rh0tcheet0 for helping me with beta reading this chapter like always!!

Between the last two page breaks there's some touching - so be prepared for that. If you don't want to read it at all you can skip to the next page break after reading the part that mentions the after dinner dip (that sounds super funny out of context lol)

Enjoy the read!!

 

He needed to get out of here. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible to deliver this news. 

 

He ran, as fast as his legs could take him, ignoring the ache in his lungs and throat, the sharp stabs of pain in his feet. He needed to get out of here and tell her.

 

“Where are you going?” 

 

That voice made him stop in his tracks. He turned around to face the woman who the voice belonged to, trying to catch his breath before speaking up.

 

“Didn't you hear? I need to tell her. She deserves to know.” 

 

“That's not up to us to decide. What you need to do right now is stand down and don't say a word to anyone about this.” She was glaring at him. Obviously, this was not up for debate.

 

“Okay.” He knew it was wrong. Every cell in his body was telling him agreeing to this was wrong. “Okay, I won't.”

 

She stepped closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I know it's hard. But they know what they're doing. We just have to trust them.”

 

He nodded in agreement, eyes drawn to the floor.

 

This wasn't fair.

 

---

 

It was nearing the end of August. By now, Callum and Rayla had gotten their acceptance and rejection letters from colleges they applied to. As both had been anxiously expecting, the colleges they ended up attending - both their respective top choices - were around 6 hours apart by car.

 

And while they were both ecstatic they could attend their preferred college, being that far apart upset the both of them.

 

It was another few weeks before they started college in September, and they would just have to make the best of it.

 

Callum had started his driving lessons together with Harrow and his final exam was coming up very soon. Meanwhile, on the days that Callum was busy, Rayla had picked up a hobby of her own.

 

---

 

“Excellent job, Rayla.”

 

Rayla turned to Runaan with a big grin on her face. In her hands, she was holding a bow, made from marvellous wood work. Ethari had made it specially for Rayla, as a late birthday gift. They always gave Rayla her birthday gifts before or after her birthday, as on her actual birthday, she would be too upset to accept gifts of any sort. And best of all, Runaan was teaching Rayla how to actually use it. She was a natural.

 

“Thank you,” she replied, that grin still on her face. 

 

Some beeping came from Runaan’s pocket and he fished out his phone, reading over whatever was on his screen. “Ah, I must leave for work.” 

 

Rayla nodded and carefully put down her bow on the desk next to her, before hugging Runaan goodbye. He hugged her back with a smile, then left to work.

 

Rayla let out a soft sigh, sitting down on the chair that was in front of the desk. She glanced around her, a smile still on her face. In the basement of their house, they had all sorts of gym equipment; it had always been there, even before Rayla had moved in with them. However, after Runaan and Ethari had given Rayla her bow, they had worked on making her her own training area, and she was so grateful. Now she didn't have to go all the way to the shooting range to practice her bow skills.

 

Her phone ringing caught Rayla’s attention and she grabbed it from the desk next to her, then answered the call with a big smile when she saw who was calling her.

 

“Hey Callum,” she answered.

 

“Rayla! Hi! Did you get my texts?”

 

“I probably did, but I haven't been on my phone for a while now. What's the matter?”

 

“Come see for yourself,” was all Callum said before he hung up with a snicker. Rayla's eyebrows raised up at that, a bit confused, before she got to her feet and did just that.

 

She walked outside to see Callum leaning against his dad's car, on his own, a big smile on his face.

 

“No way! You passed?” She walked up to Callum and he did the same, before they hugged each other.

 

“Yep!” Callum said after they hugged. 

 

Rayla kissed Callum’s cheek softly, making his face turn red. “I’m proud of you.”

 

Callum stuttered out a thanks while trying to get his blush to subside. “Are you busy next week?” he then asked.

 

“Mmm, no not really. Why?” 

 

A big smile appeared on Callum's face. “You'll see.”

 

---

 

The following Sunday, Callum had asked Rayla to pack a bag with some clothes, toiletries and other necessities enough for five days. On Monday, he had picked Rayla up in Harrow's car. By then, Callum still hadn't revealed where they were going and it drove Rayla nuts. She didn't like surprises (actually she did, but didn't like the anticipation).

 

It was around early evening when they arrived at their destination. Well, sort of. They had to leave the car at a parking area near a gate and then they had to walk the rest of the way. Callum offered to carry Rayla's bag and she let him with a grateful smile. 

 

They followed a trail through a grassy field, surrounded by trees far in the distance. Rayla squinted her eyes when they fell upon what looked like a little wooden building up ahead. Was that where they were going?

 

Her questions were confirmed when Callum stopped in his tracks in front of the building and announced, “We're here!”

 

It was a cottage, made entirely out of white pine, and it was standing in the middle of a grassy field, still surrounded by trees everywhere. There were dozens of flowers everywhere around them, and a bit further up ahead there was a small lake. Rayla closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, enjoying the silence. 

 

“It's perfect,” she spoke up when she opened her eyes again.

 

Callum grinned. “Wait until you see inside!” He felt the comfort of Rayla's hand being placed onto his back as he looked back at her with a smile.

 

She met his gaze and smiled back as she spoke, "Go ahead, I'm ready to see it." 

 

Callum nodded as he walked the small stairs up to the porch, before he unlocked the wooden door. He placed his hand onto the handle and opened it steadily as the door revealed the secrets it was keeping.

 

Their eyes were coated with the soothing evening sun of soft burning shades of fading embers and gold, as the natural light gently melted onto everything inside the cottage, giving the entirety of what laid before them a soft glow. Both Callum and Rayla felt as if they were immediately being invited in.

 

Callum could only stare at everything, his body practically frozen in place. He had seen pictures of the cottage online, but seeing it like this was way different.

 

Rayla was entranced immediately, from behind Callum she took a step forward with her feet guiding her inside as her eyes stayed glued to the scenery. Her first stop was the dining area; it didn't contain much but it had what was essential. A modest rectangular wooden table surrounded by four chairs coated by bold dark greens. 

 

The quiet peace of the cottage was disturbed by Rayla roughly pulling out a chair, as a sudden squeal of wood emerged, before she sat down eagerly. "Now look at this!" she exclaimed to Callum. "Isn't this just perfect?” Her trail of thought was interrupted by her noticing what was right next to the dining room - the kitchen. Things just got even better. Rayla practically flew from her seat as she scrambled to investigate immediately. “It has such a cute wee kitchen!” 

 

Callum could begin to feel his heart quickly fill with warmth as it began to dance in his chest from witnessing Rayla's excitement. That feeling helped him finally take in the moment as he walked forward and joined her inside, being only a step away from the kitchen so Rayla could have it all to herself as she explored.

 

As she did, she finally noticed an incredibly obvious detail they had both missed; leaves above them. The ceiling and upper part of the walls were being held gently by rich green leaves that had learned to twist and turn to cover the whole space, peaking around every corner they could. Rayla took a step back from the kitchen to get a better view of the ones in there, while Callum followed their twists and turns all along out of the kitchen, and they guided him into taking a glance at the rest of the room. 

 

His gaze was immediately caught by a bookshelf directly across the kitchen, tucked away neatly in the corner of the living room. It was tightly packed with novels, all to be comfortably read with the two chairs placed close by, matching the set of the chairs in the dining room. Callum clasped his hands together and easily stated, “Okay, yes, this puts everything together!" 

 

Callum’s excitement over the little book corner was cut off by Rayla grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him eagerly as she spoke.“Did you see the TV?!” Before Callum could respond to his very enthusiastic girlfriend, she put her hands around his face and turned his head towards said TV, hanging neatly on the wall in front of a couch. "Look!” 

 

He did indeed look, and he saw there was a very comfortable L-shaped couch, in front of the TV, coloured a darkened green the same as the other furniture. In front of it was a petite brown coffee table and of course the flat screen TV hanging on the wall. It was huge.

 

Across from the living room, next to the kitchen, was a small room, Callum noticed. While Rayla was still obsessing over the big plasma TV and comfy couch, Callum peeked inside the room to find a small bathroom. The walls were made from white pine as well, although if you looked closely you could see that the wood was treated with oil, varnish, and then painted with a waterproof, minty colour. 

 

The floor was made of white tiles, with light grey patterns all over it that formed some sort of sun with stars around it. As the sunlight was able to make its way inside, the patterns on the tiles came to life as they began to glisten brightly while Callum gazed at them, in just the right angle for their colors to show and their sparkles to twinkle. There was a big shower with glass doors and in the corner on the opposite side of it was the toilet. Next to the toilet was a simple sink built in a dark green, cute vanity made from wood, the colour matching with the rest of the furniture in the cottage.

 

It was very pretty, Callum concluded, as he closed the door again behind him. He turned back to Rayla with a soft smile. "Wanna go see upstairs?"

 

Rayla nodded with a big smile. "You bet!"

 

A soft chuckle escaped Callum, and together they walked up the stairs next to the bathroom to go see what that floor had to offer.

 

The first thing that immediately caught their attention was the giant Wyoming King bed, its enormous scale allowing it to cover the entire middle part of the room. It was gigantic. And the tiny, dark green nightstands made it look even bigger.

 

"I didn't even know beds that big existed,"  Rayla spoke up.

 

"Me neither," Callum admitted, before letting out a soft laugh. "Woah."

 

The bedsheets were made of soft material, Rayla concluded as she trailed her fingers over it. She felt it practically glide across her fingertips, its delicate fabric gently welcoming her hand. She knew only the finest of silk had such a wonderful texture. The bedsheets had a cute, simple print - shapes like triangles, squares, circles - and the colour of the sheets were black and white. 

 

In the right corner of the room was a big drawer and long mirror, and a wardrobe. Just like the other furniture, they had a nice dark green colour.

 

The white pine walls were painted with a pastel lavender colour, for a change, and opposite of the bed was a dark, electric fireplace. The floor was covered in a white, fluffy carpet. And the ceiling was covered in leaves, just like downstairs, giving it the finishing touch.

 

On the opposite side from where Callum and Rayla entered the room were two big glass doors, leading to a small balcony with two chairs, with a fantastic view. 

 

"Come look at this view!" Callum exclaimed excitedly as he stepped outside. The many trees on the horizon, the little lake in the middle of the grassy field, and the dozen wild flowers all around them, coating the field with pink, white, blue and yellow, as if the grass were the canvas and the flowers were strokes of paint, adding so much more beauty.

 

It was stunning.

 

Rayla stepped beside him, a small gasp leaving her. "It's beautiful." She turned to Callum with a soft smile. "Imagine the drawings you can make!”

 

Callum turned to Rayla, his eyes softening. “I would love to draw you alongside the view, you would complete it.”

 

A blush came to Rayla's cheeks at that comment. She loved it when Callum got all sappy like that. She cupped his face, gently leading it towards hers, and planted a soft kiss on his lips, one he gladly returned, his hands resting on her waist gently and pulling her a bit closer.

 

“Dork,” she murmured after they broke apart, and Callum chuckled softly, unable to help it.

 

"I just love to capture your beauty every chance I get," Callum added, hoping to make Rayla blush even more. 

 

A smile grew from Rayla immediately as she shushed him affectionately. "Okayyy that's enough from you... For now.” She ended her sentence with a quick kiss on Callum's cheek and let her hands find his as she held them gently. "Callum, you know we haven't even finished looking at the last room that's here and we're already getting distracted." She let out a soft chuckle.

 

Callum kissed one of Rayla’s hands and replied, "But that's the best part of us being here; being distracted by and with each other as much as we want." 

 

Rayla couldn't take one more thing from Callum without feeling like her heart was overflowing, so she playfully yanked him and started making her way towards the very last room they needed to explore without saying a word (mostly to hide the fact that she felt her face practically burning). Callum didn't say a word as he walked along, but knowing Rayla, he knew he had accomplished what he wanted and he laughed softly. 

The wooden door was hastily opened with Rayla's impatient hand, as Rayla led herself and Callum inside the last room. It was the master bathroom! Rayla's quick entrance was halted to a complete stop as she realized just how different this bathroom was compared to the one downstairs. She was amazed by it - by a bathroom for crying out loud! Callum wouldn't judge her though as he was in the exact same position. How did this place keep getting better and better?

 

The bathroom was divided into two different sections that were separated by a dark marble wall that went through the centre of the room. The wall had an opening right in the middle to walk between each area. The first part of the bathroom that was revealed upon entering was the pastel soothing green coating the entire interior, complemented by the bold whites of the furniture laid out. The most noticeable furnishing was the outstretched wooden vanity on the right side, which held two matching sinks and one big rectangular mirror; it was absolutely perfect for them. A little less noticeable furniture, installed besides the vanity, was a tidy toilet.

 

Rayla quickly brought Callum over as she gestured to the matching sinks. “Both of these, right here! We are definitely going to be using them everyday!" She felt her hand hold onto Callum's more tightly, the idea of just being able to spend these kind of simple moments with him made her soul feel warm. 

 

Before her mind could wander more, Callum's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Let's see the rest of it, yeah!" 

 

Rayla turned towards him as she agreed immediately, "Yeah! I never thought I'd be excited to see the rest of a bathroom." They shared a laugh that filled the room as they made their way through the opening of the wall in the centre of the bathroom together. 

 

A fully polished tiled grey floor presented itself to them, showing off how perfectly clean it was with no imperfections. The only part of the floor that was disturbed was the oval-shaped four person tub on the right, implemented directly into the ground. Around the tub were some waterproof cushions so you could lean on the edge of the tub if you wanted to.

 

Occupying the opposite side of the room was a waterfall showerhead mounted onto the wall, and beneath it was also a regular showerhead. Standing between the tub and the showers, against the wall, was a towel rack - already neatly prepared with clean towels.

 

Rayla and Callum had let themselves fully observe everything, and once they finished their eyes landed on each other. Their excitement began to grow between the two of them, and Callum let out an enthusiastic, "That tub calls for a bubble bath!!!" 

 

Rayla excitedly chimed in, "We must  try that later!” Their excited prattles halted and Rayla let out a deep sigh as she hugged Callum, who hugged her back immediately, a big smile growing on his face. They took a moment to relish in their shared excitement, and Rayla allowed her heart to carry out her movement as she placed her forehead against Callum's. She saw Callum close his eyes and his smile grow softer, and she felt her heart overflowing again, just like before.

 

After a while of staying like that, their foreheads resting against one another as they embraced, Rayla spoke up, "Should we finally make use of this place and go relax?” She let out a chuckle, one Callum joined her in. “I'm pretty sure we've covered everything.” 

 

Callum leaned his head back to look at her as he responded, “I think that's a great idea." From there they took their leave from the bathroom, and made their way downstairs to finally begin to relax.

 

---

 

Rayla let out a content sigh, soft smile on her face. She and Callum were sitting on the couch, or rather, Callum was sitting and Rayla was lying down with her head in his lap. He was holding a book in one hand and his other hand was stroking her hair, as she was watching TV. 

 

This was very nice.

 

The first thing they did was unpacking their stuff and putting it in the drawers, and looking around the cottage a bit more. After that they ate some dinner - Callum had packed some groceries and other stuff for their stay - and now they were resting during their after dinner dip relaxing on the couch, both enjoying each other’s presence in silence.

 

Rayla stretched then, playfully smacking Callum's face gently to get his attention, and he put his book down with a soft laugh, then took hold of Rayla's hand gently. “Everything alright, Rayla?”

 

She smiled at him. “Yeah. I'm going to try out the bubble bath upstairs... Wanna join me?” She had asked it in a sort of teasing way, and Callum didn't quite understand why. 

 

A small blush appeared on Callum's face, remembering what happened the last time they had been in a bath together. “Yeah, sure!” 

 

Rayla jumped to her feet, allowing Callum to get up as well. They both made their way upstairs, and Callum paused in his tracks as Rayla was about to walk into the bathroom.

 

“What is it?” Rayla turned to Callum, waiting for him as she stood in the doorway. 

 

“Uh, do you wanna go in first?” Callum asked her. “I'll wait for a bit.”

 

“Sure.” Rayla smiled at him, before she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The bath was filled up within minutes and just after Callum had finished changing into his swimshorts, he heard Rayla call out, “I'm done!”

 

Callum entered the bathroom and walked towards the bath, and then froze when he saw Rayla. Rayla's eyes widened so much it looked like they were about to fall out of her skull.

 

There had been a ..misunderstanding. Rayla was sitting completely naked in the bath, and even though she had put in a bathbomb, and the bubbles were on, and the water was up to just beneath her collarbone, it was still very obvious she wore nothing at all.

 

“Uh,” Rayla stammered out. “I'll– uh–,” she struggled to form any words. She was so embarrassed. She thought she had been clear with her intentions and thought Callum had caught on, but apparently not. “I'll– I can– I'll change–,” Rayla managed to stammer out, her entire face burning hotter than the bathtub's water. She shifted, about to get up and do so, when Callum spoke up.

 

“W-wait,” Callum replied, seeming almost as embarrassed as Rayla. Or was he flustered? “I… If you want, I can…” His own face was dusted red and he felt his ears heat up by his blush. “I can..undress, and..join you like that?”

 

Oh.

 

Unable to form any words, Rayla just stared at him and nodded. Callum gave a sheepish smile, and Rayla turned to face away from him to give him some privacy to strip and get in the tub with her.

 

“Okay, I'm..sitting.” 

 

Rayla looked back at Callum, his face as red as hers by now, and she couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up out of nowhere. Rayla's laughter was so infectious that soon enough Callum joined her, and before they knew it both of them were in tears from laughing so much. 

 

“I'm sorry if I made things awkward,” Rayla spoke up after their laughter had subsided a bit. 

 

Callum smiled at her. “I think we both did a bit. But it's okay now.”

 

Rayla snickered a bit, before she scooched closer and rested her head on Callum's chest, and when Callum wrapped his arms around Rayla in return, the both of them finally seemed to relax.

 

“This is nice,” Rayla spoke up softly. Hearing Callum's heart beat steadily, one of his arms wrapped around her securely, his free hand intertwined with Rayla's while he absentmindedly rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. It felt so..safe. 

 

“It really is,” Callum agreed. He kissed the top of Rayla's head and she looked up at him to give him a smile. Callum untangled his hand from Rayla's, but only to gently cup her chin and bring her face to his, and Rayla gladly let him. 

 

They kissed again, softly and sweetly at first, but soon Callum tilted his head a bit to deepen their kiss. Both of Rayla's hands went to his chest, then made their way up to Callum’s shoulders. She took Callum off guard when she slipped her tongue between his lips, but soon enough Callum's tongue found her own as they deepened their kiss more.

 

Rayla let out a soft sound, unable to help it. She felt one of Callum's hands come to rest on her hip, and his other hand, that had previously been cupping her chin, lightly caressing her jaw before cupping the side of her face, his thumb then trailing along her ear. He knew exactly  how that made her feel, and it showed, as she let out a soft sigh against his lips. She felt Callum's lips curve into a smile, maybe even a smirk, she didn't know. She was enjoying all of this too much to open her eyes, lost to their kiss and his gentle touches.

 

She wanted more, she suddenly realized. She felt her face burn at just the mere thought. Carefully, she shifted her body, before she moved to straddle Callum's lap. 

 

Callum's breath hitched at that and his eyes opened halfway, pausing their kiss for a moment so they could both catch their breath.

 

Rayla was okay with that, because it gave her a chance to lean in and start kissing Callum's neck, and she felt Callum's fingers twitch at that. “Rayla…” he murmured softly.

 

Rayla glanced up and saw that Callum's eyes were now gleaming with desire, just as hers. She grinned, her teeth grazing his neck, and he gasped softly. One of his hands went behind her head, fingers tangling in her hair, and before she knew it he had drawn her in to kiss again, immediately deepening the kiss. 

 

Rayla then did something she hadn't done before. She moved closer and pressed up against Callum's chest with her own. And it didn't go unnoticed, because within moments she felt him grow hard beneath her. She gasped softly against his lips, feeling his erection and wanting even more. She didn't know what had come over her, but as long as Callum didn't protest, she continued what she was doing.

 

She ground her hips, then, right up against Callum's, and he let out a soft cry in their kiss, one of pleasure. She liked that, a lot. 

 

Callum then surprised her. One of his hands made its way up before cupping one of her breasts, and she broke the kiss to nuzzle her face in his shoulder, inhaling deeply.

 

“Callum…” Rayla didn't know what else to say, she was in heaven. The hot water surrounding them, her being in Callum's arms, his hand playing with her breast and touching her nipple in just the right way to make her shudder all over, all she could manage to get out was his name.

 

Callum honestly had no idea what he was doing and if Rayla was enjoying it, well until he heard Rayla say his name in that way, that was. He felt himself grow even harder at that and he shivered. If they kept this going, then sooner or later, they'd…

 

His thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he felt Rayla shift and buckle her hips, because the moment she did that he felt his cock rub against her entrance, and he let out a soft moan and arched his back in return, unable to help it. “R-Rayla,” he managed to grunt out. 

 

“Callum,” Rayla breathed in reply, her head still in his neck, and he felt her breath tickle his neck a bit, making him shiver even more. 

 

“D-don’t get me wrong, I'm enjoying this as much as you are,” he started, “but I rather we not have our first time in a tub,” he then laughed out softly. He slid down his hands to rest on Rayla's waist, and he heard her giggle in reply. 

 

“No, you're right. Me either.” She adjusted herself so she was no longer rubbing up against Callum's cock and let out some laughs. “I'm sorry about that.” 

 

“I think we were both to blame for that, no?” Callum raised his eyebrow and Rayla chuckled and nodded in agreement.

 

“We can keep kissing though, yes?” Rayla then asked him teasingly. Callum replied by cupping her face and kissing her softly, something she reciprocated gladly.

 

---

 

“What are you thinking about?” Callum's voice spoke up in the dark of the night. 

 

The curtains were still open and he could see the moonlight shine down on Rayla's beautiful face, one that showed she was still awake after they said good night.  

 

“Just.. about us.” She snuggled closer into Callum's embrace, exhaling deeply and relaxing a bit more as she put her head on his chest. “Nothing bad, don't worry.”

 

Callum smiled at that. She knew him so well, he was so grateful. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

 

“I just..love being here with you, spending our time together like this. It makes me appreciate it more, and I don't want things to change once we go back.”

 

Callum blinked, then turned to look at her again, surprised to see Rayla already looking at him with a sad smile. “Why would things change?”

 

“College,” was all Rayla said. She sounded so upset, and it broke Callum's heart because he knew she was right. Things would   change once college started. A lot.

 

“Let's just make the most of the time we have, then, before things do change,” Callum said in reply, a reassuring smile on his face.

 

“Yes,” Rayla agreed, before she moved closer to him and kissed his lips softly. Callum brought his hands up to cup Rayla's cheeks gently as they kissed, feeling his heart flutter in his chest.

 

Their kiss deepened  - yet again - and this time, they didn't stop.

 

Notes:

If any of you want updates from ymmh, you can follow My AO3 Tumblr!!

ALSO THE NEW SEASON 7 SNEAK PREVIEW??? HOW ARE WE ALL FEELING

ALSO ALSO NEXT CHAPTER IS SMUT

Chapter 21: *Chapter 21*

Notes:

Wooo!!! Finally, the promised smut :) It's well past 5k words, so I hope you all enjoy!!

A HUGE thanks to senat0rh0tcheet0 who helped me with this big chapter 🙏

And also a big thank you to my dear qpp who helped me with actually finishing this chapter and helped me with my procrastination 😅

 

 

“Oh my God,” was the first thing going through both Callum and Rayla's minds as they kissed.

 

Because this time, they didn't have to stop because of certain circumstances.

 

This time, they could go as far as they wanted.

 

“I'm a virgin–,” Callum blurted out mid kiss. He sat up - as they had been lying down as they kissed. Rayla sat up as well so she could look at him. 

 

“Yeah, so? We both are. And even if I wasn't, or you weren't, I wouldn't care.” Rayla giggled softly then, unable to help it, and it helped ease Callum's nervousness. His lips curled into a smile and one of his hands found Rayla's. She looked down at their hands as she intertwined their fingers without hesitation, and then locked eyes again with Callum.

 

“Do you want to do this?” Rayla then asked, her tone gentle. 

 

“I do,” Callum replied with a nod. “Do you?”

 

Rayla smiled and nodded in reply. She felt Callum squeeze her hand lightly and then said, “Yes, Callum. I do.” She knew Callum took consent very seriously - especially after the bungalow - and he had wanted to hear Rayla say it, and not just nod her head like she had done. 

 

“Okay.” His expression seemed to relax after hearing her say it. 

 

“Actually, I…” A blush formed on Rayla's cheeks and went as far as to spread to her ears. “I’ve kind of..been hoping for it, for a while.”

 

“Really?” Callum looked at her, surprise clearly written all over his face. Rayla nodded with a shy chuckle, then reached in her nightstand. She moved to sit back next to Callum and held out a–

 

“OH!” Callum let out, his eyes on the bundle of packaged condoms in Rayla's hand. She wanted to go all the way as well? “Oh you really have, then!”

 

Rayla felt her shyness grow and nodded, something Callum caught on quickly. He moved closer to Rayla and cupped her warm face gently with both of his hands.

 

“Me too,” he said reassuringly. “Ever since we started things at the bungalow, I… I have been, too. I just didn't want to push you into anything. And I was too shy to ask. Especially after everything that happened, after… Well, you know,” he admitted.

 

Rayla put down what she was holding before bringing both her hands up to hold onto Callum's arms lightly, as she pressed her forehead to his with a smile. “Well then, that clears things up.”

 

“I want you, Rayla,” Callum said then, gaining a sudden boost of confidence. “All of you.” Callum locking his eyes with Rayla's on that last part as emphasis, that ignited something within Rayla. She couldn't describe it. Instead of using words, she leaned in and kissed him deeply, her arms going around his shoulders to pull him as close as possible.

 

He returned the kiss immediately, his arms looping around Rayla's waist as they kissed. He knew that Rayla had understood what he had meant with that last part. It wasn't just about what they were about to do now, he had meant every part of Rayla; not just her body but also her soul. Not just her pretty parts but also her ‘ugly parts’, as Rayla had worded it herself one time. 

 

And to Rayla, that meant everything. She felt so many feelings at once that she had no way to convey it all with words, using actions to make up for it instead.

 

Within moments, Rayla had climbed into Callum's lap as they kissed, once again straddling him like that. Callum pulled Rayla closer so their bodies pressed flush together, something that delighted Rayla. Her hands moved to Callum's hips, but only because she wanted this damn shirt off of him. She grabbed hold of the hem and pulled it upwards, and they momentarily broke their kiss so Callum could assist Rayla in pulling off his shirt. She tossed it to the side and, right away, they went back to kissing.

 

Callum's hands went to the hem of Rayla's shirt then, and Rayla pulled back from the kiss to reassure him, “Go ahead.”

 

“Okay,” Callum replied. He lifted up Rayla's shirt, his fingers shaking slightly, and then took it off. After tossing it to the side to join the other shirt, he looked back at Rayla, and he felt his mouth go dry. 

 

Rayla was sitting in his lap, they were both bare chested, Rayla was sitting in his lap bare chested–

 

“Earth to Callum,” Rayla said jokingly, waving her hand in front of Callum's face. Callum looked up at Rayla's eyes and felt his face burn.

 

“S-sorry!” he managed to stammer out. 

 

Rayla laughed softly, unable to help it. Callum was so adorable. “It's okay,” she replied. She leaned closer, her hands going to Callum's shoulders, and she captured Callum's lips in another kiss, a kiss that was immediately reciprocated. 

 

Callum's hands were on the small of Rayla's back and she shivered as she felt him trail one of his hands up her side slowly. And when his hand finally settled on one of her breasts, she let out a soft sigh against Callum's lips, unable to help it.

 

“What I did last time, was that okay?” Callum spoke up softly after he had pulled back from the kiss slightly. 

 

“Yes,” Rayla replied, and she was about to kiss him again, when he started doing just that, his fingers playing with her already hardened nipple. She let out a soft sound and nuzzled her face in his neck again as she felt her face burn. “Callum…” 

 

Callum chuckled, glad that she was enjoying herself, as he still didn't have a clue on what to do and what things Rayla liked. He had read some things about sex and foreplay and other related topics, but putting it into practice was a whole other story. Especially since he didn't know what Rayla's preferences were. 

 

His brain stopped functioning the moment Callum felt one of Rayla's hands slip between them, then inside his pants, before she hooked her fingers around the waistband of his boxers. All the feelings he'd had in the hot tub came rushing back and he felt his face heat up. He focused on kissing Rayla's neck and jawline, trying to distract himself from the feeling of Rayla's hand being so close to his erection. 

 

“Can I keep going?” he heard Rayla speak up, voice quivering. Callum was still touching her breast and nipple and it felt so nice. 

 

“Yes, please,” he murmured, breath trailing over Rayla's skin. She shuddered, eyes fluttering closed. 

 

Her hand slid down further Callum's body and was met with curly hairs - which pleasantly surprised her. Then her fingers made contact with his cock and she felt her mouth go dry. 

 

She opened her eyes and gazed at Callum as she wrapped her hand gently around Callum's cock, and she loved hearing and seeing him moan softly and tilt his head back. She felt his cock twitch in her hand and that's what made all those feelings she had felt in the hot tub rush back, for her as well. She yearned for him. 

 

Ever since she and Callum had made out and touched each other at the bungalow, she had been fantasising about this very moment. And now that it had finally arrived, she was thrilled.

 

Callum ducked his head down and captured one of Rayla's nipples with his lips, before slowly flicking his tongue over the sensitive skin. Rayla felt a shiver run down her spine, and in return, she started stroking Callum's length slowly. He muttered her name, his voice thick with need and his hands now at her back, his fingers slightly digging in her skin. 

 

Rayla used her free hand to take a gentle hold of Callum’s face, and then proceeded to guide it to her own so she could kiss him again. She felt his tongue snake between her lips and she met his tongue with hers quickly, their kiss deepening once again. 

 

Within moments, both of them had their pants and underwear off and on the pile with the other clothes. They were quiet for a moment, admiring each other’s body. “You're..uh. Wow. Uh.” Callum’s face went red. “Radiant,” was all he managed to add, his throat was so dry he had trouble speaking up. “N-not just because you're, you know, naked–,” he quickly added.

 

Rayla shushed him by putting one of her fingers to Callum's lips. “I know what you mean,” she reassured him, a soft chuckle leaving her. “Dummy,” she said affectionately, lowering her hand and then putting both of her hands on Callum's shoulders.  

 

Rayla was about to go back to kissing - and touching - Callum again, when he spoke up.

 

“May I touch you?” he asked her, voice a tad shaky with… Nervousness? No. Desire?

 

Rayla blushed at that. “Yes, please,” she replied. She lay down on her back to make herself comfortable, but not without bringing Callum with her and pulling him close and on top of her, their lips meeting in another kiss. She felt his cock rub against her thigh as they made out and felt herself grow hotter, that familiar pulse between her legs intensifying all the more.

 

Far too soon for Rayla's liking, Callum pulled back from their kiss, but only to start making his way down her body, tantalisingly planting kisses on his way down. On her ear, her jawline, her neck, her collarbone, between her breasts over her heart, her tummy, and then…

 

“What do you like?” Callum spoke up, some hesitance in his voice. He didn't want to do anything she didn't like. 

 

“I like anything,” she answered, a blush creeping on her cheeks. “Although the outside feels nicest.”

Callum thought for a moment, being so lost in his thoughts that he even forgot to answer Rayla. She squirmed impatiently, about to speak up - to make sure he still wanted to do this - before she felt Callum's fingers make contact with her wet folds, and she shuddered, a soft sigh escaping her. 

 

All this touching and making out had gotten her very wet by now, something that was nothing new to her but honestly surprised Callum, in a good way.

 

He lingered his fingers over her folds, before very carefully and slowly bringing one finger between said folds and inside of her. Rayla gasped, her hands clenching the bedsheets lightly. Callum's fingers were longer, and thicker, and..different. Way different. And it felt way different, too. 

 

Of course Rayla had expected it to feel different if someone else were to pleasure her, but she hadn't expected it to feel this much better than when she masturbated. 

 

She was about to speak up, but only managed to get a moan out the moment she felt Callum's lips touch her clitoris. 

 

“Oh my god,” she gasped out, her hands clenching the bedsheets tighter now. Her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head back to rest on the pillow behind her. 

 

Callum then focused his mouth on her clit, his finger still inside of her and moving it slowly, until he felt his finger land on a spot that felt different than before. Rayla’s back arched slightly, unable to help it. “Right there,” she managed to choke out. Callum continued what he had been doing, and within moments, Rayla was swaying her hips. Callum matched her rhythm with how he moved his finger inside of her, and was delighted when Rayla moaned his name softly. 

 

Without a second thought, he grazed his tongue over her clit, and Rayla cried out, one of her hands finding Callum's head and holding onto his hair gently. “Oh my God, don't stop,” she gasped out breathlessly. 

 

Callum happily complied, moving his tongue around her clit as he moved his finger inside of her. Her taste was intoxicating and he absolutely loved it. 

 

“M-more,” was all Rayla managed to get out. Callum was confused for a bit, before he understood what she meant and slipped another finger between her folds and inside of her. He knew he had understood correctly when Rayla wrapped her legs around him, her heels digging in his back. “Yes,” she rasped. 

 

Soon enough Rayla's pace picked up, her movements became jerky, her moans got louder and her grip on Callum's hair had tightened slightly. “Callum,” she cried out, “I'm… I'm very close. Don't change what you're d-doing.” 

 

Callum did as told, happy to see and hear Rayla like this. Pleasuring her, making her feel good, hearing her make these kinds of noises… He absolutely loved it. 

 

He was so lost in thought that when Rayla keened out his name, it snapped him back to reality. Her entire body tensed up as she did this, her back arching, and Callum felt Rayla's walls clench around his fingers. She dissolved in her pleasure, a string of soft whimpers and moans following shortly. 

 

Callum slowed the pace of his fingers and tongue and let Rayla ride out her orgasm, before retracting his fingers slowly. He carefully and gently lapped up her juices with his tongue, her taste so enticing. Rayla let out a very soft moan at that, not disliking the feeling of his tongue between her hot, wet folds one bit. 

 

He lifted himself up with his elbows as best as he could with Rayla's legs still hooked around him, eyes on her and a grin on his face. 

 

She was breathless, covered in a sheen of sweat and her whole face was flushed. She had a big smile on her face though, assuring Callum that she had indeed enjoyed herself as much as she had made it sound like. 

 

“Are you okay?” Callum spoke up after a bit.  

 

“Legs are jelly,” Rayla breathed out. “C’mere?” She opened her arms to him, eyes still closed. Callum chuckled softly, then slipped out from underneath her legs, before joining her side and cuddling her close. Her arms wrapped around Callum weakly, and she turned a bit so she could lie on her side and rest her head on Callum's chest. 

 

“That was amazing,” Rayla spoke up after a while. Although she was still panting softly every now and then, she sounded less out of breath. “Thank you.”

 

Callum moved one of his hands up to stroke away some strands of her hair that were sticking to her face, before planting a soft kiss on her sweaty forehead. “I'm so glad. And no need to thank me.”

 

He closed his eyes, resting his chin atop of Rayla's head, and exhaled softly with a goofy smile on his face. The fact that Rayla trusted him enough for any of this made his heart feel like it was about to burst from happiness.

 

He felt his face heat up when he felt Rayla's lips, then teeth, connect to his neck, his body shuddering. A surprised gasp left his mouth when he felt one of Rayla's hands wrap gently around his cock. He was still hard, and looking back on just a few minutes ago, how could he not be? “Rayla, if you're too tired or don't want to…” 

 

“I know, but I do.” She looked up at him, a cheeky smile on her face. “Very much so.”

 

“O-oh,” Callum stammered. “You know I didn't– just for you to–,” he was struggling with words because Rayla's hand was stroking his cock and it made his brain malfunction in the best way possible. “I didn't pleasure you just for you to–,”

 

Rayla cut him off with a kiss, a soft and quick peck on the lips, but it was enough to get her point across. “Shush, you. I know that.” 

 

Callum cupped her face, then drew her back in for another kiss, one she returned gladly. She then continued what she had been doing and wrapped her fingers around Callum's cock again, one of her fingers trailing over the tip of it, and she couldn't help but smirk in their kiss when Callum let out a soft noise against her lips, his hips bucking slightly. 

 

“Rayla…” Callum murmured, pulling back from their kiss to bury his face in the crook of Rayla's neck. Rayla could tell he was blushing by the heat that emitted from his face, and she held back a soft giggle. Instead, she focused on her hand, one that was still teasing Callum. 

 

She wrapped her fingers around his cock firmly and started moving her hand up and down slowly. Callum exhaled shakily, his warm breath ghosting over her shoulder. 

 

Callum was not as vocal as Rayla had been, she noted. At least, not with words. He didn't moan loudly, or speak up much. Instead, he exhaled or inhaled shakily, he whimpered, and occasionally he gasped or gulped, and his body jolted every now and then. 

 

Rayla didn't mind though, she could still tell he was enjoying himself very much. 

 

Not much time passed before Callum had his arms wrapped around Rayla, fingers digging in her back slightly and his hips moving along with every motion of Rayla's hand. He felt so lightheaded, but in a good way. He had been feeling that familiar buildup for a while now, but he knew that any moment now, he would come. “I-I’m..almost there,” he managed to groan out. This felt so intense, Callum was afraid he wouldn't be able to last another round if he came now. 

 

“Good.” As if Rayla read his mind, she pulled her hand back - reluctantly, it had to be said. She quite enjoyed seeing Callum lose himself to her touch like this. Callum looked at her with a confused, puzzled look, his face red. Rayla reached behind her, before holding up a condom. 

 

“Oh.” A sheepish smile formed on Callum's face. “Are you sure?”

 

Rayla nodded, unable to hide how excited she was for this. Excited and nervous, but her excitement outweighed her nerves by a great deal. 

 

The both of them sat up, on their knees, and Rayla opened the wrapper around the condom before fishing it out. They both shared a look, before Rayla let out a giggle. Callum chuckled softly, unable to help it. 

 

“Do you want me to put it on?” Callum spoke up after their giggles had subsided. 

 

“I think I can manage,” Rayla said with a smug smile. She then put the condom to the tip of Callum’s cock, and then proceeded to roll it down until it covered everything properly. That went easier than she had expected.

 

Her eyes locked with Callum's again, who looked…

 

“What's the matter?” she spoke up. 

 

“I'm worried it might hurt you.” Callum chewed on his bottom lip. “I really don't want to hurt you in any way. Especially not like this.” 

 

Rayla couldn't help but pull Callum's face close and kiss him deeply. Callum let out a soft surprised noise in their kiss, but returned it regardless. 

 

“I love you,” Rayla said after she pulled back from their kiss. “I love you so much. Thank you for caring for me, about me.”

 

“I love you too.” One of Callum's hands cupped Rayla's warm cheek gently, something she leaned into, her eyes fluttering closed briefly. “You don't have to thank me for that. You are my everything, and I mean it when I say that.” 

 

Rayla's eyes filled with tears, her smile quivering. She wrapped her arms around Callum’s neck and pulled him close, kissing him so deeply it took his breath away. He reciprocated it almost immediately though, melting in their kiss as his hands found her waist and settled there, pulling her a bit closer.

 

Rayla's hands found Callum's slightly sweaty hair and she threaded her fingers through it, something Callum seemed to like. He hummed softly in their kiss, exhaling deeply through his nose.  His hands went to her back and settled between her shoulder blades, pulling her closer to him as he moved closer as well, until their bodies were pressing against one another closely. 

 

Rayla shuddered as she felt Callum's cock prod against her groin, liking that a lot. She pressed her body closer to his, as close as possible now, and moved her hips to grind against Callum's, something he gasped at softly, his lips barely brushing over hers now. “W-wait,” he spoke up. “We didn't actually talk about, uh, the possibility of me hurting you.”

 

“Oh!” Rayla let out a soft laugh. “You're right about that. Well, I think it won't hurt since I always use tampons?” she answered his question with another question, not quite sure herself.

 

“Okay, but that means it might still hurt, then?” he asked, a tad worried.

 

Rayla shrugged her shoulders. “I might have to get used to the feeling, maybe it'll hurt for a bit.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “But it can't be that bad, right?”

 

“Promise me that you will tell me if it hurts, or if you get uncomfortable, or anything of that sort?” Callum gazed into Rayla's eyes as he said this.

 

“I promise,” Rayla said truthfully. Callum smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

 

They kissed again, pulling each other as close as before, and now nothing was holding them back any more. 

 

Rayla gently pushed Callum backwards until his back rested against the headboard, so he could sit comfortably  instead of on his knees. She then straddled his legs carefully, before pulling back from their kiss. “How do you wanna do this?”

 

“Whatever is most comfortable for you,” Callum replied. Rayla brought one of her hands from Callum's hair to his face, cupping his cheek with a soft smile on her face. 

 

“Okay.” She looked down and angled her hips above Callum's. Callum used one of his hands to hold onto the base of his cock, keeping it in place and making it easier for Rayla.

 

With a determined glint in her eyes, Rayla settled both of her hands on Callum's shoulders and moved her hips down slowly. Both of them gasped as the tip of Callum's erection slid between her slippery folds and inside of her.

 

“Don't rush it,” Callum spoke up softly. His free hand stroked Rayla's cheek gently, and she kissed the palm of that hand, then nodded.

 

She locked her eyes with Callum's worried ones as she lowered herself a bit more and took in more of Callum's cock. She exhaled deeply, shakily, the feeling very unfamiliar. 

 

Callum saw how nervous she was and let his other hand join Rayla's face to cup it gently. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. “It's okay. Take as long as you need,” he reassured her.

 

“Thank you, Callum,” she replied. She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, before deciding to just get it over with. She lowered her hips all the way - although slowly - until they were touching Callum’s hips, and she heard him gasp, his fingers twitching slightly on her face.

 

Rayla let out a hiss and lowered her head, eyes closing momentarily. It felt like… It wasn't exactly painful, more like a discomfort, but it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Immediately, Callum's focus was on her again, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs gently. “Are you okay? Do we need to stop?”

 

Rayla shook her head, something that only worried Callum more. 

 

“I just need a bit of time,” she assured him. “It doesn't hurt. It just…” She exhaled softly, finally managing to relax, and she felt the discomfort dissipate.

 

It didn't feel amazing though, like the way people described and wrote and talked about. It felt nice, but no more than that. Was something wrong with her? Was the first time always like this?

 

“I'm okay.” She gave Callum a smile. 

 

Callum's worries melted away at seeing her smile and hearing those words. “Okay, that's great.” He paused for a moment. “How about you set the pace?”

 

“Okay,” she agreed, before moving closer to kiss him. He met her lips with his own eagerly, one of his hands going to the back of her head and the other still cupping her face. Rayla smiled in their kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck and holding him closely. She slowly started moving her hips, the pace slow, and Callum followed shortly, moving along with her and making sure to match that pace.

 

Their hips grinding against one another definitely helped, and Rayla let out a soft sound in their kiss, liking the feeling of his cock inside her quite a lot. She dared to speed up a little bit, and once again Callum matched her pace almost immediately. She moaned against Callum's lips, unable to help it. It started to feel really nice, and the worries she had felt earlier faded away more and more with every thrust of their hips, and the more she felt that pleasure build.

 

Soon enough their pace quickened and Rayla didn't hold back any more, riding Callum the way her body told her to. She tilted her head back a bit as she broke their kiss to catch her breath, and Callum immediately took advantage of that and started kissing her neck, something Rayla let out a soft sigh to.

 

“Callum, don't hold back,” she then murmured softly, and Callum blushed, pausing his kisses on her neck briefly. His body came to a halt because of the surprise he felt. Rayla paused as well, leaning back more so she could look Callum in the eyes. 

 

“How did you…?” Callum wondered. 

 

“I know you, dummy,” Rayla said with a grin. Suddenly her cheeks flushed as a thought seemed to occur to her. “Uh, can we…” When Callum nodded for her to continue, she did. “Change positions?” 

 

Callum felt himself blush at that too. “How?”

 

Without breaking their connection, Rayla wrapped her arms and legs around Callum, before letting herself fall backwards with her back on the bed, pulling Callum with her and on top of her. They landed with a soft “Oomph”. 

 

“Where did you learn to do that?” Callum asked her, astounded. 

 

“Training,” she said with a snicker. 

 

“You continue to amaze me,” Callum said then, his look one of love and admiration. Rayla felt herself grow a bit shy at that, her face heating up. 

 

“Kiss me,” she simply said. After a soft chuckle, Callum did. He kissed her again, and she seemed to almost melt in their kiss, her arms wrapping around his torso and one of her hands going to his nape to settle there. Callum had himself propped up on his elbows so as to not put his full weight on Rayla. 

 

He wasn't sure if Rayla wanted to immediately continue their lovemaking (even though he was still inside her, something she had done on purpose). Well, until she hooked her legs around his waist and ground her hips against his, that was. They both let out a soft moan at that. 

 

He remembered Rayla had told him not to hold back. To hold true to that, he shifted his hips a bit, before burying himself inside of her all the way, a groan escaping him. The way they were positioned now allowed him to go even deeper, something Rayla noticed and felt immediately. Their kiss was paused again as she moaned loudly, her head thrown back against the pillow. Her entire body prickled with pleasure and she felt her knees buckle. That is how it was supposed to feel? That felt way different than before.

 

“Fuck,” she cussed under her breath, unable to hold it back. 

 

“Are you okay?” Callum immediately asked, obviously concerned by this.

 

“Definitely,” Rayla answered, her voice thick with lust. “Please don't ever hold back again,” she added. 

 

Callum blushed, finally catching on with what was happening. “You, uh, you've got it,” he stammered, feeling elated that he could make her feel this good. He had read some things about how some people weren't satisfied, or didn't enjoy, vaginal sex only, but it definitely didn't seem to be the case with Rayla.

 

She locked eyes with Callum, hers clouded with obvious desire. “Keep going?”

 

Callum nodded, before doing just that. He buried his face in Rayla's neck again, tasting the saltiness of her sweat as he kissed her there.

 

“Yes…” Rayla breathed, clinging to Callum with her arms and legs as they rolled their hips together.

 

Soon enough they found their own rhythm, their slick, hot bodies moving against one another, and the both of them a panting, moaning mess. Callum felt his orgasm creep up on him all too soon as his movements grew clumsy. He wanted to be like this just a bit longer, enjoy it the way he did just a bit longer. And he wanted Rayla to come. He really wanted her to come again. 

 

He opened his eyes, although lidded, to take a peek at Rayla. It seemed he had nothing to worry about though, as Rayla seemed really close to her orgasm as well. Maybe even closer than Callum was, from the looks of it.

 

Her head was turned to the side, her eyes shut tightly, and she had her flushed face buried in a pillow, moaning and crying out with almost every breath. Her nails were digging in his back - something he hadn't felt until now - and he noticed her moves were becoming jerky, and clumsy too. 

 

She tried to say something, but then she climaxed, and all that came out of her mouth was Callum's name, shouted in the same way she had done earlier, the way that gave Callum's entire body shudders and made his heart race faster. 

 

Rayla tilted her head back as she came, unaware of what she was even saying or doing. All she noticed was electricity rippling through her entire body as it tensed up, her eyes practically rolling back into her head. 

 

Callum wanted to make sure Rayla rode out her orgasm, and wanted to focus on her instead of himself, which is why he was caught by surprise when he suddenly felt himself climaxing the moment he felt Rayla's walls clench around his cock tightly. A low moan rumbled from deep within him, his hips bucking as he felt himself come. His vision went black for a moment as he felt his body quiver with shockwaves of pleasure. 

 

Rayla went limp beneath him, her legs falling to the bed as she panted, her eyes still closed. Callum nearly collapsed on top of her, but managed to catch himself before that happened. He lied down beside her and looped one of his arms around her waist clumsily, completely out of breath. Rayla shuddered when she felt him slip out of her and let out a noise, everything feeling sensitive. 

 

They both laid there for a moment, not moving a muscle as they caught their breath. After a while, Rayla felt she had just barely enough energy to drape one of her own arms around Callum.

 

“Wow, that was…” Callum started, taking deep pants with every word. 

 

“Amazing,” Rayla finished, and Callum just nodded in agreement, his head resting on her shoulder. 

 

“I love you,” Callum spoke up, his voice soft and hoarse. 

 

Rayla pressed a soft kiss to his sweaty head. “I love you too.”

 

The both of them were absolutely spent, so it was no wonder that they both dozed off within a couple of minutes, holding each other close and snuggling.

 

Notes:

I hope that was worth the wait :) This is the first time I've written realistic F/M smut, so if any of you have any pointers for me, feel free to let me know :D

Feel free to check My AO3 Tumblr for any updates, polls, new fic links and whatsoever!!