"Your father."
My skin paled and I had to lean against the wall as I heard those words.
"Dalaiah? Are you still there?"
"You're not my father," I spat, "You're a dick."
He sighed into the phone, "This is why I want to take you into my custody. Your mother has not raised you well."
"No you want to take me because you're a dick and you want to ruin my life. How did you even get this number?"
"Same way I got your mom's. I know people."
"Look, I don't give a shit who you know," I snapped, "just stay out of my life because I can guarantee you that if I have to live with you I'll kill myself that first night."
"Hmm, suicide threats I see. This will be interesting for the court to hear."
With tears on my face, I ended the call and dropped to the floor, leaning against the wall and crying with my knees tucked to my chest.
My phone buzzed as Steven called again. I ignored it. By the third time he tried to call me, Calum and Luke had come back from the pool. I heard their loud, happy, and laughing voices before I saw their faces but I didn't even try to leave. I didn't have a key with me anyhow.
"Dalaiah?" Calum asked, "What happened?"
Luke crouched down in front of me and Calum got down next to me.
"It's... It's a long story," I mumbled, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.
Calum glanced at Luke.
"Is Ashton talking to his family right now?" Calum asked.
I nodded, "Yeah."
Luke stood up and pulled his key card from his pocket, "Take her into my room. Mike is out with Harry."
Calum nodded and looped his arm around my back, the other going under my legs and he lifted me off the ground.
"Luke, grab her phone," Calum instructed. Luke nodded and quickly bent down and grabbed it, turning back around to unlock his hotel room.
Calum carried me inside and sat me down on a messy bed. Luke's bed, I figured by the stuffed penguin laying on the pillow.
"So, tell us what happened," Luke said, sitting next to me. Calum sat on my other side and we were all in a small circle on the bed.
"My dickhead of a dad called," I said, "I don't like calling him dad though, so Steven." Calum looked at my phone that Luke sat on the bed. It was still vibrating, receiving calls from Steven. He quickly grabbed it and shut it off completely, setting it back down.
"I asked who he was and he said 'your father' so I responded saying 'you're not my father, you're a dick' and then he went on about how that's why he needs to have custody over me because I wasn't raised properly because I was so rude to him."
"How did he get your number?" Luke asked.
"He said he got it the same way he got my mom's. He knows people, whatever the hell that means."
"What else did he say? I mean, and what else did you say?"
"Well I told him he was ruining my life and that I guarantee him if he gets custody of me I would kill myself."
Luke's face paled and he looked down nervously, then back up at me, "Did you mean it?"
I nodded, wiping a tear from my eye, "Every word of it."
"What else?" Calum asked, his voice thicker as he tried not to cry.
"He said 'a suicide threat. This will be interesting for the court to hear' and then I hung up," I said.
Calum nodded sadly and Luke looked down at the covers of the bed.
We all jumped as Calum's phone rang. "Shit, it's my sister," he muttered, looking at me guiltily. I could tell he desperately wanted to talk to her.
"Just go, Cal," I smiled, "Family first."
He smiled appreciatively and swiped answer on his phone before he ran out of the room to get some privacy.
Luke and I were left in an awkward silence. After a few minutes, I crawled off of the bed and grabbed my phone.
"Where are you going?" he asked quietly.
"Um, I was just going to head back to my room."
"Oh."
"Did you want me to stay?" I asked.
He shrugged and looked down with a blush, "Kind of."
I smiled and pulled myself back onto the bed.
"So, are you okay?" Luke asked, "I know this is a lot to deal with."
I shrugged, "I'm not sure. I don't even think I know what it feels like to 'be okay'."
He nodded and scooted closer to me, "You know you can come talk to me anytime. Or any of the boys."
I nodded with a smile, "I know." I wiped a few more tears from my face and Luke looked down sadly.
"What's wrong?" I asked him. He shrugged, "I want to comfort you but I don't know how. I mean, I can't relate to this in any way so I don't know what to do."
I giggled and looked down with a blush, "Luke, you don't have to be able to relate to someone to comfort them. You don't even have to talk. All you have to do is listen and let them know that you're there for them, not just emotionally but physically."
Luke nodded, "Like hugging them?"
I nodded, laughing slightly as I realised I was teaching a boy how to comfort people.
"Can I hug you?" Luke asked.
I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore and I fell back onto the bed in hysterics.
"Why was that funny?" Luke asked, looking down at me.
I shrugged, "It just was. Come on, lay down."
He scooted down on the bed until he was lying next to me. Our arms and legs were pressed against each other and our heads were only an inch away.
"I want to be there for you," he whispered, "I want to be there for a lot of people."
I smiled at Luke, turning on my side. "You're doing good so far."
He continued to smile as I draped my arm over his chest and tucked my other one into my chest. I let my leg rest on top of his and my head fell onto his shoulder. His arm instinctively wrapped around my back.
"This is the best way to comfort people," I whispered.
Luke smiled softly, "I guess I'll have to do it more often, then."
