тwenтy one

It was one of those days that just didn't seem right for no particular reason and left Callum in a very sour mood. From the moment his eyes opened in the morning, he could taste a bitterness inside his mouth and a stinging sensation in his head, making him want to rip his hair out. He could pay no attention to anything he did, whether it was eating or doing homework, and when one of his cats attempted to climb up his leg, he yelled at her.

Thankfully though, it was the weekend, meaning he didn't have to face the turmoils of school and the torture of lectures, and he could simply hide under his blanket whenever he felt particularly ready to burst. And that was exactly what he did. Curtains drawn close and lights turned off, he crawled into his bed and snuggled up under the sheets.

However, his mother didn't seem to like the idea, and when Callum had spent over an hour curled up underneath the bedsheets, she stomped into the room and yanked the covers off him, leaving him quite close to another outburst.

"What's going on with you, Callum?" Erin asked in a voice half laced with concern, half with annoyance. "You've been hiding in your room since after breakfast, and not even talking to us. Is something wrong?"

Yes, I had a fight with my boyfriend, but the thing is, I'm not even sure that it was a fight, and I think he's mad at me. Oh, and did I mention that I have a boyfriend?

"I'm fine, Mum," he grumbled as he curled up into a ball and brought his arms up to shield his face. Erin stood still for a moment before shoving the curtains aside, allowing the warm orange sunlight to flood into the room. Then she came up and sat on the side of his bed, placing a hand over his shoulder.

"Tell me what's wrong," she insisted.

"Nothing," he sighed. "I just feel weird."

She remained silent for a few seconds. "Did you have a fight with Aiden?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at her in confusion.

"He has called you so many times during the holiday, but you just ignored his calls," she explained. "Did you talk to him in school?"

"I did. It's fine."

"Then get up," she pushed him. "If anything has happened, you can't solve it by lying in bed all day."

Reluctantly, he pushed himself out of his bed and picked out a jumper at random which he put on. As he ran his fingers through his hair to get them under control, Erin continued to speak, "Take Four out on a walk. And see if any of the neighbours wants to adopt a cat. I can't stand the fur everywhere."

Callum chuckled. "No promises."

Once he was out on the road, Four began to sniff around, before trotting up to him and giving him what he realised was a complaining whine. The lack of dirt and grass wasn't something he liked, and he lingered by his feet, many a time causing him to trip. But Callum remained absentminded, stroking his ear only twice as he began to nag too much.

He hesitated as he reached the intersection, and frowned at the road that stretched ahead of him. It took him some time, but finally he made up his mind and stepped forward, his feet crunching the snow underneath, revealing brown muck that mixed with and stained the soft white snow.

The familiar house decorated with plants stood before him, though the usual green was now replaced with white in places. He found himself hesitating once again, but Four was already inside the gate, barking loudly as the leash tugged on his neck. Callum followed reluctantly.

He was almost at the doorstep and was about to knock when a voice called out his name and startled him. Turning left, he found Aiden seated on the ground with his hands draped around his legs which were pulled up against his chest, his cheeks coloured a bright red from the cold, and a beaming smile on his face. Callum pulled the leash to summon Four from the bushes lining the house, and walked toward Aiden, sitting down when he gestured to the spot beside him.

"I hope you don't mind dogs," he said, holding Four between his arms as he climbed onto his lap.

"Not at all," answered Aiden. "Though, I must say, I'm sur–surprised to see you here."

He bit his lip. "I just needed to talk to someone," he muttered, almost incomprehensibly. "I hope you don't mind."

"Stop saying that," Aiden said with a laugh. "I don't – I don't mind your company."

"What were you doing outside?" he inquired.

"My mum is in a bad mood, and I thought that – that it would be safer to be here than there."

Callum lowered his head and stroked Four's body absently, while the dog dozed off in his lap. The atmosphere seemed quite comforting, with the cool snow beneath him, the bushes and potted plants around and over him, the ivy crawling up the walls of the building before wrapping themselves around the metal bars of the windows where they nestled amidst the bonsai trees and sprouted pink and white flowers, the green of the leaves and stems providing a striking contrast against the pale colour of the walls.

"Why do you stutter?" asked Callum suddenly, before immediately turning red in the face. "I mean –" he sputtered, "– I don't mean it like that. I was going to ask, is it – um – hereditary?"

He felt deeply embarrassed, but Aiden simply smiled. "Yes. My father used to stutter."

"Used to?"

"He took a therapy."

"Why don't you take it too?" Callum asked with a frown, leaning back slightly and resting upon his hands which were stretched behind him.

"You need con–confidence," Aiden answered in a small voice, a sigh lacing the words. "My dad says that the work is half – half done if you know that you can stop stuttering. But I've never been very confident myself."

Callum moved his eyes away uncomfortably and glanced at his surroundings, noting how different the place was from his own home. The building itself was painted a pale pink colour, unlike the dull white of his house, and the plants were a refreshing change from the lifeless aura of his home. He realised too, that the opening in which they sat was a lawn, sharp blades of grass peeking here and there from underneath the snow. Four would love this place.

"Is something – wrong?" asked Aiden, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You can't seem to – to concentrate."

Callum shook his head. "Nothing you need to bother yourself with." He paused, then looked over at the boy, who kept a worried gaze on him, his cheeks still unusually red. "Aiden," he began, but hesitated, "when you – uh – said that you like me, did you – um – did you mean it?"

He felt uncomfortable, and he wasn't even sure that it was a good idea talking to him about it. But he felt that he needed to get it out of his mind, otherwise he'd explode with everything he had to keep inside.

Aiden seemed taken aback by the question, but he didn't look as awkward as he felt, which was surprising. But then, he was full of surprises.

"Why would I lie about such a thing?" he asked, not sounding resentful, nor angry. He simply smiled. "Yes, I really meant it."

"Um – and it doesn't bother you that I already have a boyfriend?"

Aiden shrugged nonchalantly. "People have boyfriends and girlfriends. I can't hold – hold that against you."

Callum found himself smiling. Despite his hesitation and lack of confidence, Aiden was an easy person to talk to. And when he asked, Callum told him about his orphanage days, though he carefully kept the subject strayed away from the cause of his landing in the orphanage, allowing him to think that his parents were dead.

"And you simply pick up any homeless animal that you – that you find on the street?" asked Aiden in amusement.

He laughed, embarrassed. "Well, they need a home."

"One of my cousins found a mouse in their basement." he informed. "It was stuck inside a co–container and couldn't leave. Now it won't leave them because they fed it. Do you think –"

He never got to finish the sentence as Callum immediately perked up. "Of course!" he exclaimed, and Four woke up with a jerk, growling at him. "Six would be a great name for a mouse. Where do they live? Can I visit them?"

Aiden laughed and patted him on the back, though quickly retracted his hand when Four gave him a threatening glare. Callum wrapped his arms around the dog and drew him away, but the other stared at him warily. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly a booming voice erupted from inside the house and cut off all sounds from around them. Four, who have been pretending to be formidable, gave out a low whimper and hid under his arms.

Aiden chuckled and stood up. "That's my mum," he explained and helped Callum to his feet, while the pug clung onto him desperately. "She yells a lot but – but she can be sweet when she needs to be. Come, I'll intro–introduce you."

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I didn't realise when it happened, but thanks so much for 1k!!