A Different Beat

Calum wasn't surprised when he woke up just past three in the morning, balled on the couch clinging to a blanket that wasn't hardly long enough while his Xbox controller laid in his lap. He laid still for a moment, groaning at the bright light from the TV- he couldn't decide if the trek upstairs was worth sleeping in his own bed, or if he could stand spending a night on the lumpy couch.

But before he could wage the decision, he head the faint sound of a guitar strum.

He finally found it in himself to pull his tired body from the couch, making his way downstairs to the studio. Calum stopped dead in his tracks when he realized the person behind the guitar was Norie.

She was sat on the floor, a black and white blanket covered her lap, a guitar sitting in the space between her tangled legs. To her right she had an open notebook with a piece of crumpled sheet music sitting atop it. She had a pen in her right hand and a bright red guitar pick between her pink lips, her left hand was wrapped around the neck of the guitar. In front of her she had an open large pizza -well, half of a large pizza- and a cup of tea.

Her hair was perched on top of her head in a messy knot, and for the first time since she entered the house, she had her glasses on.

She was mumbling incoherently to herself as she continued to scribble, but suddenly, it was as if something inside her clicked.

She let out a tiny, delight filled squeal as she threw down the pen, plucking the guitar pick from between her lips before she started to strum.

Papa I know you're going to be upset
'Cause I was always your little girl
But you should know by now
I'm not a baby.

Her eyes were closed as she strummed. Her words soulful and filled with angst.

You always taught me right from wrong
I need your help, daddy please be strong
I may be young at heart
But I know what I'm saying

The one you warned me all about
The one you said I could do without
We're in an awful mess, and I don't mean maybe - please

Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh
I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm...

What Calum did next was certainly against his better judgment.

But he hadn't planned it, it was like he couldn't control himself- like his hands had a mind of their own as they began to clap, applauding her solo performance.

Norie let out a tiny squeal- her hand flying to her chest as her guitar pick was sent flying across the room, only to bounce across the hardwood before landing somewhere under the leather sofa.

"Jesus Calum!" her jade eyes were as wide as saucers, her breathing labored. "You scared the living piss out of me! How long have you been there, anyways?!"

Calum's mind and heart began to race- each one running faster and faster like they were pitted together in a relay as his mind scattered. He wanted to apologize -for scaring her, for sneaking up on her, for anything, really- but he couldn't manage to form any words.

Instead, he grumbled.

His eyes closed instantly as he silently chastised himself.

Smooth move, moron.

"Earth to Calum!" Norie's voice finally tore him from his rambling thoughts, her hand waving in a methodical circle.

"W-what?"

Norie furrowed her brows, "Are you okay?" she finally asked, folding her notebook closed.

Calum shook his head, clearing his throat before he fell to the floor beside her, his legs in front of his as he wrapped his arms around them. "I didn't mean to scare you-"

"I know..." Norie grumbled before taking a sip of the lukewarm tea.

"It's like-" Calum paused, glancing at the clock on the wall, "3:30 in the morning, what are you doing up?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?" her tone wasn't one he had heard before, but if he had to guess, he'd call it defeat and the look on her face told him she was dodging his simple question.

"Norie-" he didn't expect his mother-like tone to work, but he really didn't expect her to spill her guts.

"I haven't been sleeping. Holden and I, we um-" her eyes started to burn as big, crocodile tears formed in their corners before running down her porcelain like cheeks. "we broke up. I found out he got some girl pregnant and I've just...had enough."

"Norie-" Calum breathed out helplessly.

What was he supposed to say?

He hated Holden.
He hated every ounce of him. He hated the way he took Norie for good, and he hated the way he used her and the way he kept her on reserve. But most of all, he hated that he had her.

That he had Norie, and that privilege meant absolutely nothing to the smug bastard.

He wasn't upset that he was gone.
Not one bit.
He just prayed that this time, it was for good.

As much as Calum wanted to celebrate this moment, the tears welling in her bright green eyes wouldn't let him.

Instead, he grabbed the guitar from Norie's delicate hands before sitting it against the wooden stool before he scooted across the hardwood until he was at her side, his arm wrapping comfortably around her waist.

Norie pressed her face into the black fabric of his Blink-182 t-shirt as he rested his chin on the top of her head. He wasn't sure where, but a sudden burst of confidence surged through his body- making him press a soft kiss to her forehead before letting out a slow sigh.

"He didn't deserve you anyways. Guy was a dick."

Norie sniffled, her head shaking from side to side as the strays of her top knot tickled at his nose. "I just...I took it, for so long. I just thought he could change," she let out a low sob, "you know? I thought maybe I was worth changing for."

Calum just pulled her closer.

"Norie- if he were smart, he would have been whatever you wanted."

"obviously not." she breathed out, making him scoff.

"Seriously Nor. You deserve-" he paused, his gaze finally meeting hers as he reached up, stroking his thumb over the apple of her cheek, getting rid of the fresh crocodile tear before offering a shy smile. "you deserve the world. You deserve love notes on your pillow when you wake up and flowers, just because. You deserve to be kissed like you mean it, you deserve a guy who knows how lucky he is to have you- a guy who will spend every single day he has with you proving to you just how lucky he is. You deserve a guy who will never forget to tell you just how beautiful you really are."

Norie was hesitant as her eyes landed on Calum. "Why-" she hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "why are you being so great? I've been plain awful to you."

She felt awful about the way she had treated him, but she didn't want to get close to him- she had seen what the papers had written about them. She was the favorite, set to be Calums final pick, purely because they thought he "liked" her -puppy love and infatuation, as they had so kindly called it- she saw the accusations that the camera crew were protecting Norie and Calum and their non-existent "behind the scene romps" because of her mother.

But none of it was true.
And she did everything in her power to keep it from being true.

But as his hands cupped at her porcelain cheeks and her arms wrapped around his muscular neck and their lips locked, she knew she was in big trouble.