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If there was one thing you loved about summers in LA, it was the nights. Being able to sit out in the warm air, letting the breeze run its hands through your hair while you watch the stars competing with the glow of the city lights...it was true contentment. Something you and Cal did often.
So it was no surprise when you woke up to an empty bed in the middle of the night, the sheets tossed off to the side and an empty indentation where Calum had been lying. You looked over to the bedside table and read the clock’s lit-up display, showing the numbers 2:43 am.
You rolled onto your back with a little groan, rubbing at your eyes to wake yourself up more. The door to the balcony was wide open, letting the warm summer air flow around the room, the sheer floor length curtains rippling in the movement. You could vaguely make out the figure lounging in one of the chairs on the balcony; Calum’s silhouette relaxed against the back of the chair, head tilted back as his hand came up to his mouth to take a long drag of a cigarette. You watched as he slowly blew the smoke out, a long stream of it hanging in the air, slowly fading, until it floated away on the wind completely.
You lay in the sheets for a moment longer to watch Cal draw in another long breath, letting the smoke drift out his open mouth once more, head resting against the back of the chair. The city lights created a backdrop of glittering sparks behind him, lighting up the contours of his face and the shadow along his jawline.
You smiled to yourself as you pushed the sheets off and sat up on the edge of the bed. The cool wood floor greeted your warm feet as you stood and made your way over to the balcony, the balmy air washing over your bare skin, which was mostly exposed by the short nightgown you were wearing. It was summer after all.
“Hey.”
Calum turned at the sound of your voice, a hint of a smile dancing over his lips when he saw you.
“Hi, darling,” he replied, already holding out his arm to make room for you on his lap. You smiled at him sleepily as you crawled into his arms, legs curling up on the chair either side of him, face snuggling into the crook of his neck. His bare chest was deliciously warm against you, and one of his hands came to rest on your back as the other lifted the cigarette to his lips again.
“I thought you were trying to quit,” you murmured when you felt the puff of smoke drift over your head.
“Yeah, I know,” he said quietly as he flicked the ash off the end of the cigarette for the wind to take away. “Just needed it tonight. I can stop now if you want though.”
“No, it's fine, Cal. I kinda like it when you smoke,” you said through a smile. He didn't miss the teasing tone in your voice.
“Yeah?”
“Mm hm. You make it look incredibly hot.”
He chuckled, the sound of it vibrating through his chest to your ear, making you smile even more.
A comfortable silence settled over the two of you now, just the quiet noises of the city floating around you as Calum occasionally dragged in a long puff, then slowly let the smoke escape out his lips again. You turned a little to look at him, eyes tracing the outline of his face as he gently blew a stream of smoke out into the air.
This night wasn’t the first time you had woken to Calum sitting out here, more often than not with a cigarette in hand. You knew it was a hard habit to give up, especially when it seemed to calm him so easily, so that didn’t particularly bother you. It was more the fact that he had felt the need to smoke, that was the worrying thing.
You shifted in his arms, moving over to his side more and turning so you could see him better in the dim light. You noted the tense set of his jaw, and how his brows were drawn together in a slight frown as he looked over the sea of golden lights spread out in front of you.
“You okay, Cal?”
“Hmm?” He raised his eyebrows a little when he turned to look at you, then faint smile flickered on his lips for a moment as he leant in to press a gentle kiss to your head. “I’m fine, love. Don’t need to worry about me.”
“I know, Cal, but I have to. It’s my job,” you said softly, eyes tracking his hand as he took another drag of the almost burnt out cigarette. “You know I’m here for you, if you ever want to talk or anything.” Your hand lightly drew over the shapes of his tattoos as you spoke, the roman numerals just under his collar bone coming to life as your fingertips traced over them. He just hummed and flicked more ash off his cigarette.
“Yeah, I know, love. And I appreciate it, but really, I’m fine.” He turned to look at you again, a hint of a playful smile on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes. You just silently watched the way the twinkling lights of the city were reflected in those dark eyes for a moment, sparks of shining embers lighting up the endless swirling shadows.
The moment of quiet contemplation passed, ended with a simple, “Okay.” Nothing more needed to be said anyway. You could tell he didn’t want to talk right now, and that was okay. It was enough for you to just be there for him.
You kept silent as your fingertips skimmed over his chest once more, tracing the tattoo inked under his other collarbone now, almost in the shape of a feather. His eyes fluttered closed as he savoured your gentle touch, cool fingers dancing over warm skin, taking in the feeling of the heartbeat in his chest and the slow rise and fall of his breathing.
His eyes opened again when you stopped tracing patterns on him, drawing your hand back to rest on his arm instead. You could see his smile growing as he looked at you, the little creases beside his eyes beginning to show.
“What?”
“You really like my tattoos, huh?”
“Oh shush,” you smiled as you gently smacked his arm, making him laugh. You gestured to his other hand that was holding the cigarette. “You going to share or what, handsome," you teased. He was grinning now, a contagious smile spreading onto your face too.
“Only for you, my love.” He held the cigarette up to your lips for you to take a long drag, making the embers at the other end glow for a second. Another spark reflected in his beautiful eyes.
You let your head fall against his shoulder as you slowly blew the smoke out, eyes closed and soaking in his radiant warmth, contently breathing him in now and listening to the sounds of the city around you. It was so peaceful.
You felt him press another kiss to the top of your head, and you snuggled even closer into his warmth with a smile. There's no where else you would rather be than right here.