Alyssa's PoV

"Mike? Who's Mike?" I quizzed but Ashton quickly pulled up outside my house and ignored the question. He unbuckled his and Kira's seatbelts before picking her up in his arms and running her into the house, knocking on the door which Calum seemed to open. Realising Ashton was actually running made me panic, so I quickly grabbed Luke and began dragging him towards the back door as Calum pulled it open.

"Hey!" He grinned, seemingly a hell of a lot more cheery than any of us right now. He easily pulled Luke up and out of the car as I leapt out between us we carried him up the stairs and into my bedroom. Laying him down and tucking him in, we put Kira beside him and shut the door, hoping to keep the noise away from them and a sleeping Cody in the next room. As I headed back out of Cody's room with an armful of blankets and cushions, another man I didn't recognise was being let into my house. Calum helped me arrange the pillows and blankets around the front room, some being lucky enough to sleep on the sofa or chair, others having to deal with sleeping on the floor. Following this, Ashton and the guy I assumed was Mike, headed in and I stood to greet him.

"Hi, I'm Alyssa." I held out my hand to the tall man with coloured hair. He let out a grin as he shook my hand.

"So formal." He laughed. "I'm Michael. Friends call me Mikey or Mike." Ashton elbowed him and rolled his eyes with a small smile tugging on his lips.

I pointed around the room. "I'm sorry. It's not much and we definitely weren't expecting guests." I laughed nervously. "I don't know how you want to decide who takes what but-"

"Shotgun I get the sofa!" Michael began to run to the sofa but Calum pulled him back.

"The lady already gave up her bed for Luke and Kira, we should at least offer her the sofa." He snapped at Michael, gesturing towards my bedroom. However, seconds later he softened and looked back at me with a smile.

"I really appreciate it but don't worry, I'm happy to take the floor. I've done it before." The three of them gave me a confused look but no-one wanted to ask anything further which I was grateful for. There were countless times that Harry brought drunk friends back with him and they slept in the bedrooms whilst Cody and I were left in the living room. Luckily, Cody was so small he was still in his Moses basket so I could carry him around with ease  I, however, had to deal with a worn out sofa which honestly was worse to sleep on than the floor so sometimes, in desperation, the floor was where I ended up. One of the first things I bought when I saved up enough money was a good quality sofa and matching chairs for the living room just to rid my memory of those awful nights.

"Well, if you're sure!" Michael said as he spun on his heels and collapsed onto the sofa, pulling the blanket over him and snuggling down. Ashton took one chair and Calum took the other, leaving me with the floor. This time, I didn't mind sleeping on the floor though, as these guys had been going through a lot and just needed a place to stay whilst everything calmed down. I was always one to offer the comfier furniture or the better looking food to guests when they came round and this was no exception. I turned the light off but left the small nightlight in the hallway on just as Cody always liked. It shone through the doorway into the front room ever so slightly, just lighting up enough that I could see the shadows of the three guys resting in the chairs. A few minutes passed by in silence before one of them sat up and got onto the floor, crawling up beside me.

"I can't do it." Calum's voice was instantly recognisable. "I can't sleep on the chair whilst you're on the floor. It just feels wrong." He let out a breathy, almost embarrassed laugh. I laughed back.

"Don't make me carry you back over there. I offered it, it's the least I can do for you all whilst you're going through this..." I tried to work out the best wording. "Difficult time. Luke said it's the anniversary of Olivia's death tomorrow and with Ivy making an appearance at that exact time? It's just not fair." I whispered so that we didn't disturb Ashton and Michael who were already asleep. Don't ask me how, but their bodies clearly knew when they rested their head on anything even half comfortable, they slept. I was one of those people who couldn't sleep because I thought about awkward encounters and worried about future things I had no control over. Oh, and where my passport was for absolutely no reason.

"Truthfully it's been a tricky time on and off for a while now. I think you're the first bit of good that's come about. I know Luke doesn't make it look that way but he's just working things out." Calum whispered back, his head resting on his hands which were propped up by his elbows. I sighed softly, still scared to make too much noise and wake everyone up.

"We've all got stuff going on and we all handle it differently. I'm not asking for anything from him, I just want to be friends. Our kids get along great and it's nice for me to have some company too. After Harry left, my outlook changed too. I understand, although his is on a bigger scale." I finally opened up to him, knowing that if anyone would be able to help, it'd be one of his friends. They seemed to be incredibly close, almost like brothers - an inseparable bond that tied them together. They all knew everything about each other, how the others thought and felt. It was truly fascinating.

"And he appreciates it. There are very few people who understand what he's going through but you seem to have gone through very similar stuff. That, and you're just very sweet and understanding. He likes you being around." I almost snorted with disbelief at Calum's statement, one that was so different to his snappy statements about how I was ruining his life and stealing all his friends. I shook my head. "What?" Calum quizzed, his brows furrowed.

"Other than the fact Luke literally shouted at me for injecting myself into his life, wrapping you and Ashton around my finger and being too nice that I reminded him of Olivia, I hadn't really got the same impression you did." Calum let out a long breath as he took in what I'd said.

"Well he's an idiot sometimes." Was his quick response. "Trust me, what he thinks, says and does are three different things. I know how he thinks. What he says is always to protect him and Kira, even if he's in the wrong. And what he does? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, and if I know him well enough, it'll start tomorrow."