Layla's POV
"uhm Liam, where are we?' I asked Liam.
"You wanted to be with him, right? I brought you to him."
"No, no, I don't have that kind of relationship with him. Jackson is only my close male friend. We've been living on the same land for years now, he's a close friend."
"A close friend?" Liam asked, his tone skeptical. "Then what am I?"
"Layla?" someone called. I looked to my right and saw Jackson standing not too far from us.
"Layla, you came," he said, rushing over and unexpectedly wrapping his arms around me for a tight hug.
Liam didn't take it well, his eyes flashing with anger as he furrowed his brows.
"Uhm yeah, yeah, I came," I said, pulling away despite Jackson's reluctance.
Liam didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on Jackson with a scowl.
"Uhm, Liam, let's go back now. We'll come another time, Jackson," I suggested, but Liam didn't respond, his eyes still fixed on Jackson.
He suddenly turned, walked around his car, opened the door, and got in. He slammed the door shut and drove away, leaving me behind.
"Liam, wait for me!" I called out, but he didn't stop.
"Let him be, come with me," Jackson said, taking my hand. I pulled away.
"I still haven't forgotten what you did, Jackson. I'm still mad"
"You're mad that I kissed you?"
"Have you fallen for that guy?"
"He's not just 'that guy', Jackson"
"I don't care. You've fallen for him?" he pressed, his eyes narrowing.
I looked away, feeling my cheeks grow hotter. "Well, it's not your business."
"Layla, you came!" I heard a familiar voice, and I looked to see mariam and Noona.
They rushed over to me and enveloped me in a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," Mariam said, worry etched on her face.
"Let's go in," she suggested.
"Uhm, okay," I replied.
She pulled me by the wrist and led me through the gate into a large compound with a big building. I saw my friends running around, laughing and chatting. Maybe listening to the queen was a good idea after all.
"Layla!" Cathy and Olivia exclaimed, immediately standing up and rushing over to me. We exchanged warm hugs.
"You're okay?" Cathy asked, hugging me again.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, I am," I replied.
Cathy pulled away, looking concerned. "Why don't you sound okay? Did something happen? Did that hottie do something to you?" she asked.
"They fucked," someone said, and I turned to see Jackson standing behind me, a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Shut up, Jackson. Stop being a jealous freak," I snapped.
"I'm not jealous," he huffed, looking away.
Mariam playfully gasped. "Oh my goodness, girl! You didn't tell us you had already fallen in love!"
"Layla has found herself a prince Charming!" Cathy shouted.
I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"Keep it down, Cathy, I haven't fallen in love."
"Wow, Layla, I'm so happy for you!" Olivia chimed in.
I turned to Jackson, who was still sulking. "See what you caused, Jackson?" I said, as my friends continued discussing about Liam.
"That's the truth," Jackson said. "You let him in and forgot all about me."
"Forget all about you?"
"I'm leaving," Jackson said, and walked away.
"So, tell us all about it, Layla. Did you guys really get naughty in bed?" Mariam asked, chuckling.
"Mariam!" I exclaimed, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Tell us, you did, right?" She teased.
"Uhm... leave me alone," I said, shyly running away. I could feel them chasing me from behind as they continued to chuckle.
"Leave me alone, you guys!" I ran behind the building, resting my back against it.
"Layla and Liam sitting on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," I could hear them singing out loudly.
I slowly slid down the wall and sat on the cemented floor, my hands covering my face as I could feel my cheeks growing hotter.
"There she is," I looked to my left and saw they had already found me. I hastily stood up, trying to hide my tomato-red face from them as I began running again.
"Wait up, Layla!" they called from behind me.
"No, stop it already, you guys!" I replied, trying to escape their teasing.
"Tell us all about it, Layla. How many times did you guys do it?" I knew that was Mariam.
I felt a vibrational flow throughout my entire body. Could I really have fallen for Liam? From hate to love. I don't know what to say, but what a great change.
Exhausted, I decided to stop, and they finally caught up.
"You must be missing him, right? We'll find a way to take you to him," Mariam said, chuckling.
"Shut up, Mariam."
"Come on, tell us," she said, pulling me back to the front of the building. I walked along, allowing them to pull me.
"You guys, stop it already," I said, rolling my eyes and keeping my face down, trying to hide my embarrassment.
We finally got to the building at the front, and the weather was beginning to change. The clouds were looking dark, not just evening clouds, but rainy clouds. It seems like it's going to be a heavy one.
"Let's get in," Mariam said.
Third Person POV
At The Bar
Harry, Liam's older brother, asked,
"What's wrong, bro? You look mad." He sipped his glass of dark-colored alcohol, sitting by the counter beside Liam.
Liam took another shot, resting his arms on the counter, his hair falling around his face.
"Chill out, bro, take it easy. What's wrong?" Harry asked again.
Liam didn't respond, simply staring into the air, a shot glass still in his hand.
"Say something, dude. You're creeping me out," Harry persisted.
Liam slammed the glass on the counter, causing the bartender to flinch. He bowed his head low, his hair falling on either side of his face.
"Uhm, Liam," Harry reached out to touch him, but Liam raised his head and shot Harry an angry glare. Harry immediately pulled away, surprise and fear evident in his reaction. He took another sip of his drink, his gaze fixed on Liam.
Just then, a lady approached, wearing a tight, sleeveless red gown that accentuated her curves. Her long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her shoulders as she sat beside Liam.
"You don't look well. Do you need my help?" she asked, licking her lips seductively.
Liam slowly raised his head, a smile spreading across his lips as he gazed at the lady. She smiled, shifting her hair to reveal her plump chest to Liam, her eyes locked on his. Liam's eyes scanned her body, his gaze lingering on her chest before furrowing his brows in disapproval.
"What's wrong, Your Highness? Am I not to your taste?" the lady asked, her voice husky and seductive.
For a moment, Liam thought she was Layla, but he quickly realized Layla didn't have such a voluptuous figure, so he knew she wasn't the one.
"Go away," Liam said, turning his head back to face the front.
"I'm better than I look," the lady said, her fingers tracing seductively along Liam's arm.
"You heard me the first time," Liam replied, his gaze as cold as ice, not even bothering to look her way.
She pulled her fingers away and stood up, her eyes flashing with disappointment. "If you change your mind, I'll be right around the corner," she said before walking away.
"Somebody needs some Layla," Harry said, sipping his drink.
"If you're going to refuse all the ladies here, then let's head back."
Liam stood up, finding it difficult to maintain his balance. He was drunk. Harry reached out to hold him, dropping his glass then wrapping his arms around Liam's shoulder.
They walked out of the bar, all eyes on them as they left. Some girls even tried to touch Liam, but Harry's presence deterred them.
"Come again, I'll be waiting," one of the ladies Liam had refused called out, but Liam was too drunk to respond.
They reached the outside, where their guards were already waiting. A guard took hold of Liam and helped him into the car.
"I'll go with him. You take the other car," Harry instructed, getting into the same car as Liam.
Liam's head rested on the car seat, his eyes closed as he faced the headlining.
"If you really needed her, why didn't you take her with you?" Harry asked, pulling out his phone.
"She has somebody else," Liam managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Took you so long to say something," Harry muttered. "What makes you think so? Did she tell you herself?"
Liam's response was weak, "She doesn't have to."
"That's crazy, Liam. Do you know how you look right now? You need her, bro," Harry said, dialing someone's number.
"What are you doing?" Liam asked, turning his head to face Harry, his eyes slightly open, his nose and cheeks red from the alcohol.
"I'll inform the guards to bring her," Harry responded.
"No, don't do that," Liam said, his voice weak and slurred as he tried to reach for Harry's phone but ended up falling onto his shoulder instead.
"You need her, bro," Harry said, his concern evident.
"No," Liam whispered.
"Well, if she can't come, I'll get her on the phone," Harry insisted, scrolling through his phone for a contact. When he found it, he dialed the number.
"Good evening, Your Royal Highness," the guard answered from the other end.
"I want to speak with Layla. Hand the phone over to her," Harry instructed.
"Yes, Your Highness," the guard replied.
"Uhm, hi," Liam's eyes shot open as he heard Layla's voice on the other end.
He quickly sat up and grabbed the phone from Harry. "Layla, I love you, please come to me," he said.
"Uhm, Liam? Is that you?" Layla asked, sounding uncertain.
"Yes, it's me. I'll come get you," Liam replied.
"Huh? N-no, no, it's about to rain. Don't come, s-stay there, o-okay," Layla stuttered.
Harry chuckled and pulled the phone back from Liam. "That's it, don't worry about Liam, I'll take care of him," Harry said.
Liam stared angrily at Harry as he cut the call, his hair falling all over his face, the glint in his eyes reflecting anger. The thunder and lightning added to his scary expression.
"Good heavens!" Harry sat up, looking terrified.
"Drive faster, he'll kill me!" Harry told the driver.
The driver increased speed, and Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Take it easy, bro," Harry said.
Rain started pouring down from the sky, and Liam's eyes blazed with fury as he stared at Harry. The thunder didn't ease things up, it made Liam look even scarier.
Then, Liam collapsed, his eyes shutting closed as he fell onto the car seat.
Harry poked him, "You still alive, bro?"
"Liam," he called.
"You're drunk, it's nothing serious." Harry chuckled to himself.