Even If You Don't // Calum Hood

Chapter 24: Nothing Lasts Forever, Nothing Stays the Same

Mari's POV

I trudged back to the stage where everyone else still was, wiping my eyes the best I could before I got there. I shoved my hands into the pocket of the hoodie I'd stolen from Calum's suitcase that morning and tried to make it seem like nothing had changed, but I wasn't sure if I was doing a very good job.

"Mari!" Michael chirped when he noticed I was coming back, "We were thinking about going out to eat to celebrate the last show of the tour! Are you in?"

"I'm kinda tired," I answered quietly, "I think I'm just gonna go back to the hotel."

"You're still gonna come over to our house tomorrow though, right?" he pouted, "I'm gonna miss having an actual challenge when playing video games with someone." Luke scoffed, but didn't say anything. My heart started racing when I heard Calum coming up behind me, but I shrugged it off the best I could.

"Yeah, Mikey," I promised him, "We're still coming over." Michael smiled brightly, bouncing over to me and hugging me tightly.

"See you tomorrow, kitten," he squeezed me lightly as my arms wound around his midsection.

"You're more of a kitten than I am, Mikey," I reminded him.

"But like, a bad ass kitten," he stated, letting go of me. I rolled my eyes, making him laugh. "Do you want me to ask Bryan to drive you back to your hotel?" he asked.

"Nah," I shook my head, "I'd rather walk."

"Okay, well, when you get lost, call me," he snickered, earning himself a slap to the chest from me. "Be careful," he said seriously, kissing the top of my head lightly, "We'll have Bryan come by the hotel and bring you over tomorrow." I simply nodded, hugging Luke and Ashton and telling the girls I'd see them when they got back. I didn't even so much as glance at Calum as I left, which understandably worried the group, but they clearly decided not to ask about it.

~

Kaylynn's POV

"Mari, we're back," I announced quietly as Kenzie, Vanessa, and I entered the room.

We found her lying on her bed and figured she was already asleep, so Kenzie and Vanessa went across the hall to their own room, not wanting to wake her up. I put my key card on the nightstand, grabbed my pajamas from my suitcase, and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When I came back into the room, I heard a quiet sniffling sound and my heart dropped. Mari was never a person to really cry – especially when she knew there were other people around – so hearing her do it now was a little surprising.

"Mar," I whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her back. I put my hand on her shoulder, "You okay?"

"No..." she whimpered honestly, but not turning to face me.

"What happened?"

"Y-You know how Cal and I disappeared f-for a minute before we all l-left the venue?" she asked. I was silent, but she could tell I nodded. She obviously didn't know how to ease into what she had to say, so she just said came out and it. "H-He broke up with m-me." My jaw practically hit the floor – that was the last thing I would have ever assumed would come out of her mouth in that moment.

"He what?!" I whisper-yelled. Mari finally turned onto her back so she could wipe her eyes with the sleeves of Calum's hoodie.

"H-He said that he doesn't th-think we'll be able to handle b-being 11,000 miles f-from each other all the- all the t-time," she told me.

"What the fuck?" I whispered to myself before turning my attention back to the girl in front of me.

I could clearly see how hard she was trying to keep herself from falling apart, and that only made me more upset at Calum for doing this to her. Mari was the strongest person I knew and the fact that someone had this much of an effect on her showed me how much she really cared about him.