Dark Promises

CHAPTER 13

Zayn's POV

After cooling down, I walked back to the venue. As soon as I entered, I noticed a crowd gathered around Kendra and Rayan. My fists clenched in anger, and I was about to storm toward her, but before I could, Celine grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, CELINE?" I shouted in frustration. Celine frowned and shot back, "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING AT ME, ZAYN?"

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself, and asked, "Just tell me why you dragged me out here?"

She crossed her arms, giving me a stern look. "What just happened on the dance floor, Zayn?" she demanded.

I looked away, trying to avoid her. But she stepped in front of me, her face full of questions.

"I... I don't know what's happening to me, Celine!" I said, disappointed in myself. Celine frowned, her tone softening.

"What's going on with you? I've never seen you like this. Why did you dance with Laria? You know what her intentions are!" she said, her voice tinged with concern.

I nodded, rubbing my temples with one hand, the other resting on my waist. Taking a deep breath, I responded, "I don't know either, Celine. I've never felt like this before... but give me some time, and I'll explain everything."

She looked at me with worry and nodded slowly. "There's something else," she added, her voice hesitant. I raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue. She sighed and said, "Mom and Dad were talking about you and Laria's engagement after they saw you two dancing.... Mr. Davis mentioned it to Dad earlier, and seeing you both together... they thought you two were in love."

Her words hit me hard, my anger bubbling up again. I clenched my fists tightly.

"Tell me, Zayn. Did you fall for her?" she asked, her tone serious.

I looked at her in disbelief and spat out, "How could you even think that, Celine? I would never fall for her! And as for Mom and Dad, tell them to stop this discussion. I won't marry her just because of their friendship. She's obsessed with me, and I hate her for it. If I try to talk to them about this, I might not be able to control myself."

With that, I stormed back into the venue. Inside, I spotted Kendra sitting alone, drinking. Rayan stood nearby, admiring her. My jaw clenched, and I marched over to her, grabbing her hand and dragging her to my guest room. I locked the door behind us.

She looked confused and started to yell at me, but before she could, I pinned her to the wall and kissed her. She was too stunned to react at first. I moved my lips against hers, and she opened her eyes, trying to push me away, but my grip was too strong. I held her hands with one of mine, pulling her waist closer with the other. After a few seconds, she stopped resisting and kissed me back. I smiled through the kiss and pulled her even closer. My grip loosened over time, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

After what felt like a long minute, I pulled back, both of us breathless. She looked at me, her eyes soft for the first time, her face flushed. A small smile crept onto my face as I watched her, but then reality hit us both. I quickly backed away, avoiding her gaze.

"I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." I stammered, but before I could finish, she interrupted with anger.

"Why did you do that? You have a wife, Zayn! What am I supposed to do now? I just kissed another woman's husband... why did I kiss you back?" she said, grabbing her hair in frustration.

I stared at her, shocked. "Wait, why does she think I'm married? Does she really believe Laria is my wife? I need to clear this up," I thought.

But before I could speak, she began walking toward the door. I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She glared at me and shouted, "WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?"