i miss you

America

*Erika's POV

It felt good to be back home. My mom and Dad were of course pissed at me for running to Australia without telling them, and they put me right back into school, but it was a good ritual I needed. Being back with my friends from school, seeing familiar places, sleeping in my own bed...sure it wasn't anything compared to sleeping next to Ashton...Oh my god, I can't even think about him. It had been weeks since I left him lying there in the hospital bed, but it hurt so much to think about him. And the possiblility of him never waking up...

"Hey, Erika, you coming?" I shake out of my thoughts to see my friends waiting for me to join them for lunch. 

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you guys in a sec, kay? I need to make a phone call." I leaned up against the lockers and pulled my phone out, scrolling through the names until I landed on his. I did this everyday and night. I'd call Ashton's phone, just in case he had woken up. I clicked call and listened as it went straight to voice mail. 

"Uhmm hey! It's Ashton, I'm a pretty busy dude, so uhh..I'll call you back!" His chirpy voice brought tears to my eyes, just as it always did. I left a short message, hung up and then caught up with my friends. As I walked into the cafeteria, my eyes immediately attached to a huge surprise sitting at my table. 

"Katy?!" I screamed with happiness even though I was beyond confused. She jumped up from her seat and ran into my arms. I held on tightly as we hugged and all at once reality hit me. My best friend was back in America, and for the first time since I arrived, I was finally home. "What are you doing here?!" 

"I couldn't be away from you anymore. You need a friend right now, and so do I."

"But what about-" I was about to say Luke and the guys, but she cut me off.

"They'll be fine, they have each other. We are all going to get through this, even Ash. He'll be okay, Ryde. He wouldn't leave you to raise the baby by yourself. He wouldn't leave you in general. He just needs time to heal." I had no tears left to cry so I just simply nodded and sat down with her, catching up on everything. She told me word for word how much of the world she saw while on tour with the guys for a couple of days. She said the sights of the world are beautiful and every show they put on was amazing but the way she talked about Luke...

"He is just so amazing. He's always looking out for me, when I feel like someone is watching me, I turn to him and he is already looking at me. He'll smile and my heart lights up and I can't help but smile with him. The way he puts everything he has into what he does, whether that's singing, dancing, playing guitar, eating, talking to a fan...anything, its something I can't turn away from. Just watching him and knowing he is mine and I'm his...it makes no sense because never in a million years would I think we'd end up together, but somehow, we did, and I've never felt this way, I just hope that doesn't make me sound clingy. You know I hate clingy."

"Kaitlyn... did hear the way you described the way you felt about him? How your heart swells, how you smile just from his smile, and you can't turn away...anyone who see's the way that boy looks at you knows that that is exactly how he feels about you. There is nothing clingy about it, its called love and you can't get away from that, especially when people love the way you two love each other."

"Really? You think he feels the same way?"

"Seriously? Is that even a question. Of course he does!" I stared at her for a moment and watched her process everything I knew she already knew, but felt good to hear out loud. "How has life been since you two have gone..public?" I cringed at the thought only because the same day Ash and I went public, he was shot. Thank God Luke and Katy were okay. I have no idea what I'd do if something happened.