Tutor||l.h.

nine - feelings

~Luke's POV~

By the time I got Dalaiah in bed, she was already asleep. I smiled and bent down next to her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and kissing her forehead softly. I was falling for her more and more each day. I was dreading her joining us on tour originally, but now I couldn't have been more excited about it. She was beautiful and funny and kind and genuine and, despite being a dyslexic, she was smart. She was a bit awkward at times but I found it adorable. I hated knowing that I couldn't call her mine. Not yet, anyway. I slipped off my shoes and crawled onto the bed next to her. I sat with my back against the headboard and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. Instinctively, she rolled over and wrapped her arms around my stomach and rested her head on my shoulder. I smiled in content and kept my arm around her, scrolling through my twitter feed with my other hand. Pictures of Dalaiah and I were all over twitter, along with pictures of Dalaiah and all four of us boys. A lot of fans were tweeting me and asking about Dalaiah, asking who she was, why was she on tour with us, are we dating, and everything else they typically ask. Some fans had figured out who she was and that she was our manager. A lot of people were commenting saying how pretty she was while others took time to point out her flaws that made her "unsuitable for someone like Luke." It was absolute shit. Yes, she wasn't perfect. But she was still beautiful. No one is "perfect", I'm not, Michael's not, Ashton isn't, and neither is Calum. No one will ever be "unsuitable" for us because every is who they are. Yes, Dalaiah had her flaws. She may be awkward at times, but so am I. She may have a few small blemishes on her face, but so do I. She may not be perfect in everyone's eyes, but she was perfect in mine, flaws and all. I think I love her, but I'm not sure. She made me feel warm on the inside, she made me feel happy and safe. I think this is what love feels like.

~~~~~~

A mere half hour later, Ashton called me.

"I'm heading back to the hotel. Cal and Mike are getting all cozy with that Annabelle girl and her sister, uh... Maggie."

I laughed and looked down at Dalaiah as I softly ran my fingers through her hair, "Okay. I'll be here."

It was only 10 silent minutes before Ashton came into the room."You guys are cute," he teased, dropping himself onto the bed by my feet.

"I know," I laughed, "If only we were actually dating."

"You really like her, don't you?" he whispered, looking at her sleeping, pale face.

I nodded, "Yeah. I don't think I've ever felt this way about someone."

"Even Aleisha?" Ashton asked, bringing up my ex-girlfriend from only a year ago. 

"I loved Aleisha a lot," I said, "part of me still does. But Dalaiah... there's just something about her I just find her so... so lovable."

Ashton smirked, "Are you guys really close?"

I shrugged, "I like to think we are. I mean, yes, we are. But I know she's closer with you. I know she's told me things she hasn't told you. Things she doesn't want anyone to know. But I know she's told you a lot more."

"She definitely has an interesting back story," Ashton sighed, "but all we can do is try and help her through everything."

"I really want her to be more open with us, all of us," I said, "I know she doesn't like to tell us everything because it's just too personal, but it's bad to bottle everything up. It's good to share stuff like that so people can help you through it.""

Yeah," Ashton agreed, "and what if something were to happen to her but none of us knew what was going on or how to help her because she didn't tell us about it?"

I nodded, "I just don't want to pressure her into telling us anything. I don't want her to ever feel uncomfortable or forced around us."

Ashton looked down, "She'll tell us when she's ready, but until then all we can do is remind her that she can always tell us anything. That's how I opened up to you guys about my self-harm. You always told me that you would always be here for me and support me. Then I opened up to you."

"I just hope it will be soon," I whispered, "I want to know her better."