Forced Hearts [WilliamEst]

Prologue

William Jakrapatr and Est Supha stood side by side, their parents beaming at the news of their arranged marriage. But behind their forced smiles, the tension between them was unmistakable.

“I can’t believe this,” Est muttered under his breath as they walked out of the family dinner.

William, trying to maintain his composure, couldn’t resist a jab. “Trust me, it’s not like I’m thrilled about marrying you either.”

Est’s eyes narrowed, and he shot back, “Good, at least we’re on the same page. I don’t get why you’d want this anyway.”

William turned to face him, an exasperated look in his eyes. “Why would I want to marry a spoiled brat like you?”

“Better than marrying a freak,” Est hissed, crossing his arms.

They had been like this since the announcement. Every interaction was filled with biting comments, each of them determined not to give the other the upper hand. It didn’t help that their friends had picked sides, adding fuel to the fire.

Nut and Joong, their friends, seemed to enjoy watching the two bicker. Joong would often provoke Est further, saying, “Come on, Est, William’s not that bad. He’s cute, right?”

Est would scoff and roll his eyes. “Cute? Please.”

On the other hand, William’s friend, Nut, would tease him, “You two have chemistry, whether you like it or not.”

“Chemistry? More like a disaster waiting to happen,” William would reply, though he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of something whenever Est was near.

Their mutual hatred didn’t stop their parents from pushing the wedding forward. Est tried to avoid William as much as possible, only showing up for necessary meetings and events. Yet, even then, the friction between them was palpable.

One evening, their friends decided it would be “fun” to bring both groups together, forcing William and Est to spend time in the same space. Daou and Tam acted as buffers, but even their calming presence couldn’t prevent the inevitable arguments.

“Why do you always have to make everything so difficult?” William snapped after Est had once again refused to cooperate with a simple dinner plan.

“Why do you care? You’re not my boss,” Est shot back, his eyes blazing with defiance.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to care if you didn’t act like a brat all the time.”

Est stood up, pushing his chair back with a force that echoed through the room. “I’m not a brat! And maybe if you weren’t so annoying and overbearing, this wouldn’t be so hard.”

The room went silent as everyone stared at them. Joong let out a nervous laugh, trying to diffuse the tension, while Hong, Tui, and Lego exchanged glances, unsure whether to intervene.

William clenched his jaw. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Yeah? Well, I don’t want to,” Est replied coldly before storming out of the room.

William stood there, hands clenched into fists, staring after him. He didn’t want to admit it, but Est had a way of getting under his skin like no one else.

Joong sighed dramatically. “You two are really something else.”

Daou shook his head. “They’ll figure it out. Eventually.”

But for now, they remained enemies, bound by a fate neither of them wanted. The more they clashed, the more they realized that perhaps their intense dislike was hiding something deeper—something they weren’t ready to confront yet.