Be Your Everything

f o u r t y

Luke's Perspective

"Lennie?" I come back into my room to find Elle sitting on the bed, staring off into space with a blank expression. Tears have stained her cheeks, but her crying seems to have subsided before I got here.

"Is Michael okay?" She asks while wiping tears out of her eyes. I take a seat next to her and shrug, not wanting to tell her that Michael is even more of a wreck than she is. She's always so selfless, and I just wish I could be the same way for her.

"He will be," I assure her, uncertain of what to do right now. I know that she's seen the article about Kat and Calum, but I don't know if she believes it or not. I'm not sure which one I'd prefer. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" She scrunches her nose and laughs, but it lacks sincerity. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" I press, wanting more than anything for Elle to just be honest with me. I can never tell what she's thinking, but I would hope that by now she knows she can always be honest with me, even though I still haven't been entirely honest with her about how I feel.

Now that I think about it, I'm a total fucking hypocrit. How can I seriously expect her to open up to me when I won't even fess up to having a huge crush on her?

"Maybe," she mumbles, finally admitting that she's upset. She looks up at me, and I can already see the tears coming back into her eyes before she looks down at her hands again.

As much as I want to comfort her, I also don't want to overstep my bounds. From how pissed Calum looked when he came downstairs, I can only guess that Elle broke up with him while he was in here, but I know better than to bring that up.

Without a word, I scoot back to lean against the headrest of the bed, leaving Elle to decide if she wants my company or to be left alone. She hesitates for a moment, but then crawls up the bed and into my arms, cuddling into my chest as she sniffles to herself. I shush her in an effort to calm her down, and it seems to help some. We sit like this for a while as her breathing returns to normal, but then she looks up at me with those innocent eyes of hers, and I know what she's about to ask me.

"Do you think it's true about Calum and Kat?" Her voice comes out just above a whisper.

'Of course not,' my subconscious answers, but I can't tell her that. While I was consoling Michael, I'd gotten an email from Miss Baker, and it was just as bad as I anticipated.

'Luke,

Given the recent social media posts regarding Katerina and Calum, I feel inclined to remind you of the terms of our arrangement. You are to fulfill a one-year PR arrangement in exchange for not having to go to a rehabilitation center. Eleanor is new to the industry, so I expect you to guide her through the process.

It has come to my attention that Eleanor has engaged in a romantic relationship with Calum. Because the rules and expectations were more loosely outlined when she entered her contract, we've turned a blind eye to the situation so long as it stayed out of the press. Since then, our staff has released two statements on your behalf to cover the scandal. Do NOT let there be a third, or disciplinary action will have to be taken.

My suggestion is to have Eleanor move into your house to reaffirm the relationship in the media, but given the complexity of the situation, I won't require you to do so just yet. I do not like the current situation anymore than you do, but given our limited options, this is the way things must be. Terminate the relationship between Calum and Eleanor, or I'll be forced to discipline her myself.