Belief

7.4

Maddie's POV

"Why can't we hang out at our place, this dorm is so small," Calum groans as he takes a seat on the floor, leaning up against Grace's bed where she sits across Michael's lap as he shows her some new game he got to keep himself occupied on tour.

"It's not that bad in here," Ashton plops down on my bed which is only a few feet from Grace's. For the two of us the room was big enough, well as big as a college dorm can get (which is really not big at all) but once you stuff four teenage boys in there it gets pretty cramped. Especially when one of them is trying to stay as far away from me as the undersized, square room will let him.

I take a seat next to Ashton, his arm slung around me as he presses his cheek against mine with a wide-grinned chuckle. "I missed ya Madds," he giggles. I feel so much comfort in his arms. The comfort I have been needing for so long. I give him a side hug, squeezing him extra tight to make him laugh, but the boy in the corner shifts uncomfortably so I pull away.

The boys ask us about our classes, when school starts for the 'normal kids who don't spend their summers being extra nerdy', and we make them tell us about the tour, the places they've traveled, the things they've seen. Then of course there are Grace's questions.

"Have you been on One Direction's tour bus? I can't believe you get to hear them sing every night- ugh the things I would do if I lived with them-"

"Hello your boyfriend is right here," Michael nips her neck with a kiss to remind her of his presence.

"Sorry babe I got a little carried away," she gives him a cheeky grin. "But you know if you are ever up for a threesome I am a Niall girl," she gives him a wink. Michael chokes on his breath, his ears reddening. He runs a hand through his now bleached white hair and gives Ashton the 'change the conversation right now' look.

I turn my head to the side, looking at Michael's new hair, "When did you start dying it so much?"

He shrugs, giving the white hair a little shake. "During the tour. So far I've had two different browns, some blues, a little purple, galaxy, light pink, and now this," he grins.

"I want to pick the next one," Grace giggles, spiking up his hair.

"Fine, but I'm keeping the white for a little while, I like it," Michael sticks his tongue out at her.

We catch up for the rest of the day, everyone sharing stories from our past six months without each other. Everyone except for Luke. Luke doesn't say a word. That bothers me more than it relieves me. He just sits in the corner, watching everyone talk without showing an emotion. The only time a smile flickers across his face is when Calum stubs his toe against the dresser.

After the sun escapes the sky, and Grace and I start groaning about our 8 a.m. class tomorrow morning, the boys stretch, yawn, and say their goodbyes, promising to be back tomorrow before we even return from class. There is still a pit in my stomach, a voice nagging my brain, a problem I still have to fix. I give Grace a look, and she gives me a nod, offering to walk to boys to the end of campus because she has to stop by the bookstore.

They start to file out the door, Luke watching them go and slowly pushing himself up off the floor.

"Luke-"my voice cracks. I clear my throat. He stops next to the door, looking back at me with wide eyes, hurt eyes; the look of brokenness that rattles my own broken core. "Can we- can we talk?"

Luke nods, hesitating before shutting the door. He cautiously takes a seat on the bed next to me. He rubs his hands against his thighs, looking at the floor rather than me. Perhaps he doesn't want me to see his broken stare again.