Somebody I Don't Know : Book 1 of the Teeth Series

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Trigger Warning: This story will deal with serious topics that some may find triggering including mentions of suicide and child loss. Please consider this before reading.

July 2019

Fallon Harding couldn't breathe. The scene in front of her was too painful, too painstakingly familiar. Just outside the door of her apartment, drenched from the torrential downpour that had settled on Los Angeles, stood Calum Hood. The man that she had spent a year believing to be her soulmate.

She didn't believe that anymore of course. She didn't even believe in soulmates anymore.

Her long fingers still gripped the doorknob from when she had pulled back the door to reveal him, the only thing confirming for her brain that this was something that was actually happening and not a dream. Her mouth moved from open to closed and back again. She wanted to say soemthing but what the fuck was she supposed to say to the man that had torn her heart out of her chest?

For his part, Calum seemed to be struggling just as hard with what to say to her. His hands were shoved deep into his pants pockets as beads of rain water dripped from his hair onto his tan skin and rolled down. Her eyes rebelled against her brain and scanned over his body. He'd filled out since the last time she had seen him. His arm and chest muscles were much more prominent and defined.

It wasn't fair. He shouldn't be allowed to look that good when he had made her feel so horrible. When he had made her hate herself.

Thoughts of the last time she had seen him flooded her mind and she felt the anger build inside of her. He didn't get to just show up unannounced like this. She moved to close the door and suddenly his reflexes kicked in, his foot blocking the door from closing as he finally found his words.

"Fallon, wait."

Whatever look was on her face evidently was doing the trick because he swallowed thickly, fear in his eyes.

"I need to speak with you."

"You've had nearly six fucking months to speak to me Calum. The time for speaking has passed." She shot back, her words doing little to hide the anger behind them. Not that she had put in any effort to hide it.

"I know I should have called before now, Fallon, but I didn't know what to say. I still don't." He admitted.

"Then why are you even here?" She said, obvious exasperation in her words.

"I wouldn't be if it weren't important. Please Fal, just let me in."

She didn't know what it was that made her open the door for him. Wasn't sure why she allowed him into the apartment that at one time had practically belonged to him too. Maybe it was the desire in her heart that things for them might one day return to the way they had once been, or maybe it was just the way he said her nickname. Whatever it was, she was as surprised as Calum was, judging by the look on his face, as she stepped back and allowed him into her home.

She stood uncomfortably in the living room area that her front door opened into nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She hadn't been expecting him and she sure as hell never expected to let him in so he was seeing the true nature of her apartment. Dishes stood piled in the sink, the trash needed taking out, she couldn't even remember the last time she had found time to sweep but the undone house chores were the least of her concerns. She watched as Calum took it all in, his eyes focusing one by one on all of the mementos from their trips and pictures of them together that still filled her bookshelves, she had never had the heart to move them from the places they had held six months prior.