15 - there she goes

KACEY'S HOME
los angeles, california
march 25, 2024
monday
12pm

as callum and i packed up the drivers car with our luggage my family stood nearby.

"and you have enough things? what about clothes? what if you run out of clothes...you'll be there for about two months." kris said as she observed the luggage in the trunk.

i rolled my eyes and chuckled. "yes, mom. i have enough clothes. i've packed plenty. i'll have access to, you know, stores and laundry services over there." i reassured her, trying to keep my amused smile hidden.

kris pursed her lips, clearly not satisfied with my response. "i just want to make sure you have everything you need," she said, her eyes scanning the luggage in the trunk. "have you packed enough shoes? what about jewelry? you can never have too much jewelry."

i chuckled again, knowing that my mom would never be satisfied with how much i had packed. "yes, i have plenty of shoes and jewelry. i even have my swimsuit packed in case i go swimming at some point."

kris raised an eyebrow. "swimsuit? in london? are you seriously going to swim when it's probably going to be cold and rainy there the entire time?" she asked, her tone dripping with skepticism.

callum, who was standing nearby loading our bags into the trunk, couldn't help but chuckle at my mom's comment. i shot him a playful glare before turning back to kris. "yes, mom, i packed a swimsuit. just in case. you never know."

kris shook her head, clearly unconvinced. "you're going to freeze your ass off if you go swimming in that cold weather." she warned.

i sighed and rolled my eyes once more, while callum chuckled again in the background.

"take good care of our precious cargo." kim said to callum as she pushed her sunglasses farther up her face, a playful smile on her face.

callum chuckled and nodded at kim. "you have my word. i'll take good care of her." he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"you better," kim warned with a smile, pointing a manicured finger at him.

khloé then jumped in, "like kim said she's our precious cargo and we don't want anything happening to her."

i groaned, feeling like a child being dropped off at summer camp. "guys, i'm a big girl. i can take care of myself." i said, rolling my eyes once more.

khloé raised an eyebrow, clearly challenging my statement. "really? are you sure about that?" she asked, a smirk on her face. "i seem to remember a certain incident involving a blender and a phone last week..."

my face flushed with embarrassment as the memory of my blender-phone incident came rushing back to me. "that was a one-time thing!" i protested.

callum chuckled, clearly finding my embarrassment amusing. "oh, i'm sorry. you blended your phone?" he asked, unable to hide his amusement.

i buried my face in my hands, feeling mortified that callum was witnessing this situation. "accidentally," i mumbled through my fingers.

kendall moved closer to me and opened her arms for a hug, i removed myself from callum's grip to hug her back. my arms wrapped around kendall as i hugged her tightly, feeling a wave of love and appreciation for my oldest sister. "i'm going to miss you," i said, my voice muffled by her shoulder.

kendall hugged me back just as tight, her arms strong around me. "i'm going to miss you too," she said, her voice slightly choked up. "don't have too much fun over there without me."

i chuckled and pulled away from the hug. "no promises," i said with a playful grin. "but i promise to text and facetime as much as possible."

kylie then shimmied over. "alright, it's my turn."

i laughed as kylie stepped forward, clearly eager for her own hug. i opened my arms and pulled her in for a tight embrace.

kylie hugged me back tightly, her arms around my neck. "i'm going to miss you so much," she said, her voice slightly wavering. "promise you'll call me every day."

i laughed and squeezed her tighter. "i will. i promise. and you can always text me anytime you want. i'll respond as soon as i can," i said, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought of being away from my family for so long.

kylie nodded, her face still buried in my shoulder. "good," she said before pulling back, her expression serious. "but if callum does anything to hurt you, i will personally fly all the way to london to beat him up myself. got it?"

i shook my head and rolled my eyes, knowing that kylie's threat was mostly empty. "yeah, yeah. i got it." i said, shooting a glance at callum, who was watching the exchange with an amused expression.

"hey, kylie. how are stormi and aire doing?" callum asked.

kylie smiled at the mention of her children. "they're doing great," she said, a proud smile on her face. "stormi is really into dance now...and aire is crawling everywhere."

"yeah, she's got way too much energy for me," kendall added, shaking her head in mock exhaustion. "it's like she never runs out of steam."

kylie chuckled. "and aire is getting into everything. he put a fork in the electrical socket the other day and i swear my heart stopped for a minute," she said, a hint of worry in her voice.

khloé burst out laughing. "oh my god, really? is he okay?" she asked, clearly amused by the story.

kylie nodded, a slight grimace on her face. "yeah, he's fine. thankfully it wasn't plugged into anything and he didn't get hurt. but it just scared the shit out of me."

i looked over and noticed kourtney walked down the driveway, i groaned and leaned into callum.

callum chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, sensing my annoyance. "what's wrong?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

i scowled and nodded towards kourtney. "kourtney's walking this way." i said, my tone laced with disdain.

callum nodded, his expression becoming more serious as kourtney approached us. "ahh, i see," he said, his arm still around my shoulder.

as kourtney drew closer, i noticed a camera crew behind her. did filming for 'the kardashians' start already? i raised my eyebrows. "what the hell is this?" i spoke gesturing towards the camera crew.

kourtney sighed and gave me a tight-lipped smile, clearly feigning politeness for the cameras. "we're filming a little segment for the show," she said, her tone almost saccharine sweet.

i rolled my eyes, already annoyed by her mere presence. "i thought you said you wanted to stop being shown on the show." i pointed out.

kourtney ignored my comment and turned to callum, her expression still forced. "hello, callum. how have you been?" she said, her tone just as fake as her smile.

callum nodded politely, his grip on my shoulders tightening slightly. "i've been well, thank you for asking," he said, his voice cordial but guarded.

kourtney's gaze flicked between callum and me, and i could practically see the gears turning in her head. "so," she said, her tone dripping with subtle judgment, "are you two still...together?"

"nope, we're just posted up like this for shits and giggles." i said sarcastically.

callum chuckled at my response, clearly amused by my sassy reply. kourtney's fake smile faltered for a moment, her annoyance evident in her eyes. "oh, i see," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. "i was just curious since you've been through so many guys recently."

i bristled at her remark, feeling irritated by her comment. "what is that supposed to mean?" i retorted, my jaw clenching.

kourtney shrugged, her expression smug. "oh, nothing," she said innocently. "i'm just saying, you've had a lot of...boyfriends...recently. it's hard to keep track."

kim spoke up, "kourt will you stop exaggerating? i swear all you do is exaggerate." she said firmly before taking a sip of her water.

kris, cut in with a firm but kind tone. "let's not start an argument right before kacey's leaving, shall we?"

kourtney rolled her eyes and huffed, clearly irritated by kim's interruption. "i wasn't exaggerating," she said, her voice clipped.

kris shot her a look. "kourtney, enough. i'm not in the mood for this today." she warned.

kourtney seemed to back down, clearly realizing that kris wasn't going to tolerate any arguments. she huffed and folded her arms across her chest, her eyes flicking towards callum and me once more.

"well, we're gonna head on out." i said with a small smile.

"yeah, we've got a flight to catch." callum added, his hand still on my shoulder.

kris hugged me tightly. "you call us when you land, okay?" she said, her voice firm but loving.

"i will." i reassured her, hugging her back just as tight. 

khloé then jumped in for a hug, her arms enveloping me in a tight embrace. "you better keep us updated constantly, or i'll be on the next flight to london to kick your ass." she warned.

i chuckled and hugged her back. "yeah, yeah. i'll keep in touch, don't worry." i said, knowing that khloé's threat was definitely real.

kim joined in on the hug, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "i'm going to miss you, little sis." she said, her voice slightly choked up.

i chuckled and leaned back into her embrace. "i'm going to miss you too, kimmy." i said, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought of being away from my family for an extended period of time.

finally, kourtney stepped forward, her arms open for a hug. i hesitated for a moment before stepping into her embrace. the hug was stiff and awkward, and i couldn't wait to pull away.

"have a safe flight," she said, her tone barely concealing her thinly veiled disdain.

i nodded, biting back a snarky retort. "thanks," i said simply, quickly pulling away from her embrace. callum then stepped forward, clearly sensing the tension.

"all ready?" he asked with a small smile.

i sighed with relief, grateful for callum's distraction. "yeah, let's go." i said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"wait," kim said suddenly. "before you go, we should get a group photo." she said, holding up her phone.

"oh, of course." kris said, gathering the family together. we huddled closely, posing for a group shot. i stood in the middle, flanked by my family. callum stood behind me, his chin resting on top of my head.

"everybody say 'kacey's going to london!'" khloé called out, prompting the family to say the phrase in unison. i couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit but smiled for the picture nonetheless.

once the photo was taken, kim reviewed the picture and smiled. "that's a good one," she said, showing everyone the image on her phone. "now you two get going, before you miss your flight."

i nodded before meeting my mom in a big hug and then walking back over to callum.

callum and i exchanged a look before nodding in agreement. "alright, we better head out." he said, his hand resting on the small of my back.

"bye everybody," i said, waving over my shoulder as we turned towards the car.

"bye!" the family called out in unison, waving back at us as we headed to the car.

callum then opened the back seats door for me. i smiled up at him in thanks and slid into the backseat, settling into the comfortable seat as he slid in next to me, buckling his seatbelt before giving me a wry grin.

"ready for the long flight?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

i groaned and leaned my head back against the seat. "no, not really. i hate long flights." i whined.

callum chuckled and draped his arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer to him. "don't worry, we'll make it through." he reassured me, his touch gentle yet firm.

°˖✧✿✧˖°

LONDON CITY AIRPORT
london, england
march 26, 2024
tuesday
9am

as we stood at the carousel waiting for our checked bags i turned to callum. "it's so weird how time changes work...like it's 1am in los angeles."

callum nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning the crowd. "i know what you mean. it's like the time zones just warp your sense of reality."

as the luggage began to appear on the carousel, he leaned down to grab our bags, effortlessly he grabbed my extremely heavy silver aluminum suitcase.

i raised my eyebrows, impressed by his strength. "you make that look easy." i said, watching as he hoisted the suitcase off the carousel with ease.

he shrugged modestly with a smirk. "it's not too bad." he said, his tone casual. he then shifted his gaze to the large city that lay beyond the airport windows, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "guess we're officially here."

i followed his gaze, taking in the sight. the sprawling skyline of london stretched out before us, a mixture of modern and historic buildings standing tall against the grey sky. i let out a long breath, feeling nervous but excited at the same time. "yeah, i guess we are." as we stood in silence, waiting for his bag i spoke up, "so where are we staying? a hotel? your london house?"

callum glanced over at me as he grabbed his own bag. "we're staying at my place in central london. it's a penthouse apartment in a building right on the thames. you've never been there, so you're in for a treat."

i raised an eyebrow, impressed. "a penthouse apartment? sounds fancy." i said, trying to hide my excitement.

he chuckled as we began walking towards the exit. "yeah, it has a great view of the city. better than what your hotel had." he said referring to the hotel i stayed at in london when i was on tour. his expression turned somewhat serious, his eyes flickering over me before continuing, "also i should warn you...the press is relentless here. they'll probably be waiting for us outside the airport."

i let out a sigh, feeling a twinge of anxiety at the thought of the press. "great," i said sarcastically. "just what i need right now...stalkers with cameras."

callum chuckled at my response, his hand resting on the small of my back to guide me through the airport. "just keep your head down and ignore them."

as we stepped towards the exit, he was proven right. a swarm of paparazzi and reporters were gathered outside, their cameras flashing and shouts of our names filling the air.

i immediately tensed up, feeling overwhelmed and annoyed by the sudden onslaught. callum's grip on my back tightened, his body subtly shifting to shield me from the majority of the cameras.

"just keep walking," callum murmured in my ear as we pushed through the crowd. "don't even look at them."

the paparazzi shouted questions and comments at us as we made our way to the car waiting for us outside. "is it true that you two are together?" "kacey, are you dating cal?" "over here, kacey!" "how long are you staying in london?"

i gritted my teeth, doing my best to ignore the barrage of questions and demands for attention. callum kept his arm around me, his gaze focused straight ahead as he guided me to the car.

as we reached the car, the driver quickly opened the door for us and we quickly climbed inside, shutting the door behind us and effectively shutting out the sound of the paparazzi.

i let out a sigh of relief as we sank into the plush seats of the car, grateful to be away from the press and their intrusive cameras.

"i hate them," i muttered, my tone laced with irritation. "i don't understand why they care so much about our personal lives."

callum chuckled and took my hand in his, his thumb gently rubbing soothing circles on my skin. "they care because they need something to report on. celebrities are an easy target." he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "we just have to learn to ignore them."

i leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. "easier said than done." i said with a grumble, my eyes closing as i tried to relax. the car pulled away from the airport, the sound of the city outside the window filling the silence.

callum's grip on my hand tightened, his free hand coming up to gently run through my hair. "i know it's frustrating, but it'll die down eventually." he said, his tone soothing.

the car continued to drive through the city, the familiar sites of london passing outside the windows. big ben, the london eye, and the shard could be seen in the distance.

i opened my eyes and looked out the window, taking in the familiar yet foreign sights of the city i loved. i couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as the car continued to make its way toward callum's apartment.

after a while, the car pulled up in front of a sleek modern building situated along the thames. a doorman hurried over to open the car door for us, recognizing callum immediately.

callum gave the doorman a nod in acknowledgment as he helped me out of the car. as we made our way towards the entrance, i felt a sense of anticipation wash over me. i had never been to callum's london place before, and i was curious to see what it was like.

as we stepped inside, i was immediately impressed by the luxurious lobby with its high ceilings and sleek modern decor.

"look at you mr. big baller." i joked.

callum chuckled and rolled his eyes in amused mock-exasperation. "it's not that fancy," he said modestly.

we walked over to the elevator and he pressed the button for the penthouse level. the elevator ride was relatively quick, and before i knew it, the doors were sliding open.

we stepped out into an elegant carpeted hallway that led to the penthouse. callum fished out a key from his pocket and opened the door, allowing me to step inside.

i couldn't help but let out a low whistle as i took in the breathtaking view that awaited us. the apartment was spacious and open, boasting floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city skyline.

the living area was exquisitely decorated with modern furniture and artwork, and the kitchen was equipped with all the latest appliances.

callum chuckled as he closed the door behind us. "i take it you like it?" he asked, clearly pleased with my reaction.

i turned to face him, my eyes wide with admiration. "like it? i love it." i said, still taking everything in. i walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the city skyline. the view was truly breathtaking, and i could see the thames river glittering in the distance. "you weren't kidding about that view."

callum smirked as he walked over to stand beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. "told you you'd like it." he said, his tone smug.

he pointed out a few landmarks visible from where we were standing, naming each one as he went along. his enthusiasm was contagious, and i listened intently, enjoying the way his passion for the city shone through.

i leaned into him, feeling a sense of calm wash over me as i took in the scenic view. it was a stark contrast from the chaotic scene back at the airport, and i found myself feeling grateful for this peaceful moment.

after a while, i turned to face him, a sly smile playing at the corners of my lips. "so, is this the part where you give me the grand tour?" i asked, a teasing glint in my eye.

callum chuckled, clearly pleased that i wanted to see more. "you're impatient, aren't you?" he teased before starting the tour. he led me through the rest of the apartment, showing me the guest bedrooms, the office, and the rooftop terrace. i was impressed by each room's elegance and attention to detail.

by the time we reached the master bedroom, my fatigue had set in. i let out a sigh as i collapsed onto the luxurious king-sized bed.

the bed was soft and inviting, and i let myself sink into the plush bedding, feeling the exhaustion from the flight finally catching up to me.

next to me, callum chuckled, clearly amused by my exhausted state. "jet lag getting to you?" he asked, sitting down on the bed beside me.

i groaned and buried my face in the pillow, my voice muffled. "yeah, it's hitting me hard." i mumbled.

callum laughed and ran his fingers through my hair, his touch gentle and soothing. "i can tell." he said, his tone soft. "you should get some rest. i'm sure your energy will kick in tomorrow."

i sighed, "but i wanna explore london with you."

callum chuckled and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. "don't worry, we'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow. you need to rest." he said, his tone firm but affectionate.

i was too tired to argue, so i just grumbled in resignation. "okay, fine." i said, my voice still muffled by the pillow.

callum chuckled again and stood up from the bed. "i'm gonna grab a quick shower. just rest, okay?"

i lifted my head from the pillow just long enough to nod before burying my face in it again. i heard his footsteps retreating towards the bathroom, the sound of the shower turning on shortly afterwards.

~~

a/n

song of the day: there she goes the la's 🙏 get it bc there so goes to london

anyway i've decided to work overtime for you guys...so expect frequent updates

also for the sake of the story, i'm going to be using photos of dua and callum but it's supposed to be of kacey and callum unless specified otherwise.