Dirty Little Secret // C.H.

Thirty-three

Luke tried to go back to sleep like Niall had told him to. He had failed, and tried again, and failed some more. He couldn't possibly rest after seeing Sienna in the condition she had been in.

He'd been able to hear Calum and Sienna's voices, unable to make out the words said between them, from his bunk. Not long ago they'd gone quiet. The silence was driving Luke mad. He needed to see Sienna. He needed to see that she was alright.

He huffed as he pulled the curtain back and stood from his bunk. He heard Michael stir in the bunk above his before the silence returned. He headed in the direction of the sofa where he knew he would find Sienna and Calum.

His eyes landed on them and he smiled.

Illuminated faintly every few seconds by the headlights of passing cars, the light shining dimly through the tinted windows of the bus, Sienna and Calum slept peacefully on the sofa. Calum's head rested on top of Sienna's as he cradled her in his arms. Sienna laid against Calum's chest; her head resting on his shoulder, a hand still clutching his shirt, and soft snores rolling from her lips.

He let out a quiet laugh and took a seat on the floor. He pressed his back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. He saw now that Sienna was okay. He could breathe now.

He looked up as he heard someone coming down the hall from the bunks. Niall appeared next to him, looking down at him from where he stood. He quietly took a seat on the floor next to Luke. They both turned their attention to Sienna and Calum.

"I'll never understand it." Luke told him in a hushed voice. "What it is between them." He took a deep breath. "Do you think they worked it out?"

"What?" Niall asked quietly, looking over at Luke.

"Whatever happened between them. Do you think they worked it out?" Luke asked again. "I assumed they had a fight or something. That's why she called you, right?" He added. "They wouldn't even speak and now look at them." He nodded to Sienna and Calum. "Do you think they worked it out?"

"I hope so." Niall admitted.

"You and me both." Luke sighed. "I'd like to see them go back to being as close as they were."

The two of them were silent for a few moments before either of them spoke up again.

"I know you don't have younger siblings," said Luke. "And, technically, I don't either, but Sienna is the closest thing I'll ever have to a little sister." He told him. "When you have that, someone you're responsible for protecting, there isn't anything you wouldn't do for them." He took another deep breath. "You sit up all night after they have nightmares just to make sure they're okay."

"You do a great job looking out for her, Luke." Niall assured him.

"For most of our lives, I was the only one who could calm Sienna down after her nightmares." Luke said, sadness stinging his voice. "It's..." He shook his head slightly. "A hard adjustment to make. Realizing she doesn't need me like she used to."

Luke was thankful Sienna had so many people who cared for her. The lads were a major part of her life now. Sometimes though, Luke missed the times when Sienna only needed him. He missed knowing that when something was bothering Sienna, he was the one who could make it all better.

"Luke, she'll always need you." Niall said sincerely. "You know that."

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "But it's hard watching her grow up." He said with a sad sigh. "I used to have to check under her bed for monsters, and stand up for her when kids at school would pick on her, and hold her hand when she was scared." He told him. "She doesn't need anything like that anymore." He took a deep breath. "But that's just part of having younger siblings, right? They grow up."

"Sure, she may not need you to look for monsters under her bed anymore, but she needs you to be her home." Niall told him. Luke turned his head to look at him once again. "If she's told me once, she's told me a million times that Sydney wasn't home without you."

"She said that?" Luke asked quietly.

"Yeah." Niall nodded. "She said she didn't feel at home until she was with you again. You lads always say "where the band is, home is", yeah? Well, for Sienna, home is whenever you are." He explained. "She may not be that little girl who needed you for everything, but she will always need you more than you know." He promised him. "Without you, who knows where she would be." He placed a hand on Luke's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "You're doing a damn good job of taking care of her, Luke."

Niall's reassuring words made Luke feel much better. He didn't feel useless and unneeded like he had before. He no longer had an uneasy feeling in his stomach and his mind was now clear of worries that Sienna didn't need him anymore.

Even if he sometimes missed the days when it was just Sienna and him, Luke realized the days they were living now were far better. They had amazing friends, amazing lives, and they had each other.

"You're a good friend." Luke admitted. This was something Luke felt he didn't say enough to the people around him.

"Right back at ya', mate." Niall chuckled. He looked to Sienna and Calum once again. "It's okay to miss the way things used to be." He told Luke. "Just don't let it keep you from enjoying the way they are now."

Luke nodded, thinking hard on Niall's words for a moment.

"We should try to get some rest." Niall told him. "She's in good hands."

Luke nodded once before he stood from his seat on the floor and extended a hand down to Niall. He helped him to his feet and the pair of them started to head back to their bunks.

Luke paused as a thought crossed his mind. He turned on his heel and quietly made his way to the sofa where Sienna and Calum were sleeping soundly. He grabbed a blanket that had been draped over the back of the other sofa. He gently laid the blanket over the pair of them.

"Sweet dreams, you two."