online || lrh

16

leyla woke up, luke's arm across her body, soft snores falling from his lips as he laid on his chest, his head close to hers. she smiled and ran her hands through his curly hair.

they stayed up for hours talking about everything, laughing and enjoying each others company. her phone started to ring from the nightstand and she quickly grabbed it before it could wake luke.

"hello?" she whispered.

"where the hell are you?!" screamed her mother's voice down the phone.

"at a friends." she sighed, wanting to end the call as quickly as possible. "gotta go."

"no, you listen to me! get home this instance!" her mum started to go off on a rant, shouting abuse at her. tears pricked her eyes and she hung up the phone, not being able to listen to that. she looked back at luke to see him already looking back at her, with a worried expression on his face.

"what-" he was cut off. "leave it, luke. it's nothing, i promise." she forces a smile and gets up to go the bathroom. they may have talked for hours last night but she hadn't mentioned her mother, she was too scared too, she couldn't drag him into her mess.

"ley, that was your mum, right? she's the one shouting that twisted shit at you?" luke asked as she walked out the bathroom, sitting at the end of the bed. she just nodded and tears streamed down her face, not being able to hold it in. "fuck, its okay!" he held out his arms and she walked over, and fell into his arms, not wanting him to ever let go. "please, gorgeous, please stop crying!"

he moved up the bed, still holding her, so that they would be more comfortable.

"talk to me, ley. tell me what is going on."

she sighed and then looked up at him. "my mum, uh, she's an alcoholic and let's just say she, she's th-" she stopped, more tears pouring from her eyes, luke rubbing her back attempting to comfort her. "she's the reason i'm so fucked up."

"you are in no way fucked up!" luke said quickly, shocked she even thought that. "i swear to you ley, there is nothing wrong with you."

"my dad left when i was five and that's when she started drinking. it wasn't so bad then, she wasn't violent and i still had my auntie around to help me out. then my mum found a new boyfriend. they broke up when i was 12, which made her drink again. that's when she started to get angry so i stayed out her way. then a couple years later she got sober again and all of a sudden she is drinking again and it's worst. you heard what she said, it's like that whenever she sees me. and she hits me, luke, i can't stand it and i want to get out but i can't not finish school, i need an education." leyla cried. "she's the reason i hate attention, she's why i stay away from everyone and don't want anyone to see me, i am scared they will do something bad to me. she is the reason why i have panic attacks and can't trust anyone."

"hey, shhh." luke whispered in her ear, tears filling his eyes too. "how violent?" he questions nervously. she shifts on luke's lap and lifts up her shirt, a large bruise across her ribs were visible. she then lifted up her leggings and her legs were just as bad. luke's eyes widened in shock and he wiped them, trying not to cry. "here is what we are going to do, okay, you're staying with me until i have to leave to go back on tour, so four days time. then, no way in hell are you going back to that house other to get your stuff, i will pay for a hotel for you to stay in nearby school and you will stay there until your exams are over and then as soon as you're done you join me, wherever i am and that's as far as i got. you stay with me for however long, forever if you wanted."

"but-" she stopped, taking in everything luke had just said, very surprised. "you can't do all that for me!"

"yes i can, try to stop me!"

"thank you so much luke!" she buried her head into his neck and smiled, not believing how unbelievably sweet a guy could be and how lucky she had got.

"anything for you, darling." he kisses the top of her head. "where did your aunt go?"

"she left too, like they all do. she sends cards and money on my birthday but that's it."

"oh."