The Love Pact

"What are you doing here Liam?" Louis bitterly asked Liam when he opened the door to him. Two days had passed since the incident in the man's car and he didn't want to face Liam yet.

"I'm your fiancé, remember?" Liam answered sarcastically. "Your dad said that you need a date for the small gathering with your high school friends, so I'm here." Louis closed his eyes tightly. It's a good thing that his father was inside his room and wouldn't witness them arguing.

"I don't need a date." He snapped. Liam just sighed.

"And I don't want to be your date, too. Look Louis, I don't want to do this too. But we have to play our parts until we find a way to break our engagement. So please, stop being so stubborn." Louis glared at him.

"Let's get this straight," Louis seriously said. "No touching. What happened that night-"

"Was a big annoying mistake." Liam interjected. "It's hormones, Lou. You're sick, I'm tired, really late, dark place. That's just lust and hormones. It's perfectly natural. It meant nothing." Liam said drily. Louis just kept quiet. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

The guy walked out of the house first. Louis was still glaring at Liam as he followed him.

Of course he knew that. It was just hormones. It meant nothing.

Louis felt a twisting pain inside.

*****

"Lou, are you not feeling well?"

Louis was surprised to see Liam outside the locked comfort room where he hid for a while.

Louis was not enjoying the gathering and honestly, he wants to go home already. One of the things that he regret was going with Liam to this event.

He didn't like the comments of his past classmates about him and Liam's engagement. They said that they're polar opposites and that it's shocking that they're with each other. Louis feels like those are insults to him. "Why are you here?" Louis asked uninterestingly.

"You've been gone for a while now. I thought something bad had happened. I'd noticed that you're not okay. Do you have a fever again?" Liam reached out to touch his forehead, but he dodged it immediately. "I'm okay, I don't have a fever anymore."

"Are you sure? You're a bit pale. What did the doctor say?" Liam was about to hold his shoulder but he swatted Liam's hand.

"I said I'm okay!" It came out more forcefully than Louis intended.

Damn it! He doesn't need the concern of this person. It was hurting him so much to see Liam genuinely concerned about him. It was confusing him.

"Just leave me alone." Louis flatly stated.

Liam's expression hardened. "Do you really hate my touch that much?"

Louis did not answer him, instead, he left Liam and went back to the function hall and walked straight to the adjacent terrace of the room.

He breathed deeply. He doesn't want to see Liam so concerned about him... he doesn't want to see Liam treating him nicely. He doesn't want to feel Liam being kind or gentle or sweet. It was only making him... making him... making him what? "... Those are just women that I spent a night with. My relationship with them were purely physical and I never pretended it to be otherwise."

"It's hormones, Lou. You're sick, I'm tired, really late, dark place. That's just lust and hormones, it meant nothing..."

Liam's words replayed in his head. Purely physical. That's what Liam thought about the kiss between them in his car. It has no meaning to Liam, so it should also not mean anything to him.

Louis' eyes flew inside the function room and he saw Liam talking to a lady who is obviously flirting with him.

Louis felt a sharp stab of pain. He bit his lip.

"No way." He whispered. What he's realizing about himself can't be true. Not with Liam.

There was nothing lovable about Liam. He was a womanizer, a dictator, a hard core capitalist! Liam is the embodiment of everything that he's fighting against.

And yet...

That man would never feel the same way for him or for anyone. Inevitable and endless pain- that's what he'll have with Liam.

He didn't notice the tears that had fallen out of his eyes. He dazedly stared at the floor where the tears fell.

Oh gosh... here are the tears... please stop... not now.

"Boo?"

Louis looked at the source of the voice- Zayn, who just entered the terrace. He was his classmate since primary school until college so it's just expected that the guy was also present at that event. Zayn is his best friend after all. "Louis! Are you alright?" There's panic in Zayn's voice upon seeing the tears on his face. He must've looked so miserable in his best friend's eyes.

"Zee, I..." He thought he was seriously ready to fall for Zayn. But what is happening now? Damn! He should be in love with this man. "Zayn, I'm... I..."

Zayn held his shoulders and leaned down to level his face with him. "What's wrong?" He soothingly asked him. Louis closed his eyes tightly and Zayn brushed the fallen tears gently with his thumbs. "It's okay if you don't want to talk. Do you want me to leave you alone for a while? Should I call Liam-"

"No!" Louis almost shouted. He willed himself to calm down when he saw Zayn's shocked expression. "I'm sorry, it's just.. I just..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Zayn hugged him and he buried his face in his best friend's chest. Zayn kissed his head before tilting his face up and cupping both sides of it gently. His best friend leaned down, touching their foreheads together. Zayn's hand was comforting and soothing. Zayn was so nice and they were so much alike... why couldn't his heart just choose this man?

"It's okay, you can tell me anything. We're best friends, rig-"

Zayn wasn't able to finish his sentence as someone pulled his arm harshly from behind.

Louis was surprised to see Liam in front of him.

"Listen up bastard, and listen well. I don't like repeating myself," Liam's voice was cold and menacing. "Stay the hell away from my fiancé or you'll find yourself in deep social and financial shit."

Liam grabbed Louis by the elbow and pulled him towards the exit of the terrace and the function room. Eyes were on them as they passed. Liam kept on dragging him until they're at the empty hallway. "What are you do-!"

The rest of Louis' sentence was cut off by Liam's hot kiss.