I Like Me Better
He hated the cold air and the days so short that made him feel unaccomplished at 4pm. He hated having to constantly put on or unload layers of clothing whenever he entered or left a building. He hated how the beloved summery months of January and December were suddenly freezing in the northern hemisphere. He hated the icy roads that made it difficult to walk and drive. He hated being stuck indoors when the weather was too bad. He hated having permanently chapped lips and a constant cold. He hated everything to do with the season. And it was in the winter when he met you.
You were a face he frequently saw sitting next to the window in the coffee shop next to the studio. You were a face that often watched the snow fall outside with a smile, the warm mug in your hands fogging up the glass. You were the face that nodded him over to your table for two on that abnormally packed day in which he couldn’t find a seat. “I’m Y/N,” you told him. He began to sit there every time he could after that.
Over the weeks he learnt that winter was your favourite season, and how sad you were to see it soon come to an end. You learnt that he craved those summer nights where he felt like he had the world in his hands. He learnt what your favourite drink was and surprised you outside the café with one in his shaky hands as he asked you out on a date. You learnt that he had never ice skated before after walking past a frozen lake. He learnt that you liked to take the long way home just to enjoy the winter scenery a little longer. You learnt that his kisses were sweet even if they tasted of coffee.
Soon the hot drinks turned into roses as the winter became spring. Calum loved how everything around him began to regain colour and life, and the world did seem a little brighter whenever he was with you. You met his friends and he met yours. Your relationship blossomed like the colourful flowers at the park where he asked you to be his. Stolen kisses became a regular thing. The rainy days that once dampened his week turned into lazy days with Duke and you. His notebook started filling up with doodles of flowers and lyrics about you. Daisy chains and soft kisses became his favourite thing that day you spent in his garden, singing to all your favourite songs with flowers in your hair. He grew to love the feeling of fingers as soft as dandelions running through his hair. You loved how his cheeks would blush whenever you surprised him at the studio with buttercups for your favourite boy. His yellow-coated nails matched the sunflowers you painted on his bass. He didn’t mind the teasing from the boys whenever his face lit up after receiving a text from you. Calum was happy.
He was ecstatic when the days grew longer and the sun was warmer. Calum loved summer. He loved the whispered ‘I love you’s as he laid beside you under the stars, sharing your deepest secrets. He loved taking you to endless music festivals just to see the large smile on your face when your favourite artists performed. He loved dancing with you in the moonlight. He loved the feeling of your hands intertwined as you led him towards the rollercoaster at a fair. He loved midnight driving with the windows down. He loved lazy days at the beach that ended with you in his lap, arms wrapped around your waist, gathered around a bonfire with his closest friends. He loved the spontaneous trips, each becoming an unforgettable adventure. He loved making out in the pool. He loved waking up with you between his arms. He loved smushing ice cream onto your cheek, the happiest of laughter escaping his lips as you chased him. He loved feeling like he was on top of the world. He loved the drunken nights where he could only remember you. He loved singing at the top of his lungs while you drove through the streets. He loved you.
Autumn came as the greens were replaced by browns and the air became chilly. The burgundy lipstick you now sported often stained his neck. Calum enjoyed walking on crunchy leaves with your hands intertwined. He liked seeing you in his warm hoodies. He loved seeing you after they had been discarded onto the bedroom floor. You liked how dates at the coffeehouse where you met became more frequent. You loved using the excuse of “I’m cold” just so you could wrap yourself around him whenever you pleased. Watching films hidden beneath piles of blankets became a recurring theme throughout the week. Baths that smelled of cinnamon while you sipped on hot drinks were the highlight of his day. It was the season for baking pies and making out on kitchen counters while they sat in the oven. It was the season when he cleaned up and met your family, nerves eating him up from the inside. You held his clammy hand in yours throughout the night, your grin as big as his when you noticed them visibly approve of your boyfriend.
The winter felt foreign to Calum this time round. He didn’t mind the cold air that whipped around him as you taught him how to skate on ice. Because with you he felt warm and happy. The snow that he once thought of as a nuisance became ammunition for your snowball fights in the garden. He liked drinking hot chocolate while his other hand held yours in his pocket. He felt accomplished by the time the sun set at four o’clock because he spent the day helping you move in to his home. Your home. He loved the morning cuddles that lasted well into midday, your body pressed against his. Date nights consisted of spending hours in his car with the heater at full blast, eating takeaway in an empty parking lot. He didn’t mind caring for you when you were sick, even if he managed to catch whatever it was a few days later too. It was his turn to calm you down just before his parents flew out to LA to see you both. He loved seeing how well you got on with them, his Dad pulling him to one side to tell him “she’s the one.” He knew from the first time you talked, he’d be there a long time because he liked himself better when he was with you.
Calum loved the winter. Calum loved you.