Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 2-Saved

“Are you alright?” he asked, his gaze raking down my body, his eyes lingering every now and then. I shifted a bit from foot to foot, uncomfortable with his blatant observation of me.

“I-I’m fine,” I stuttered, wincing a bit when the throbbing pain in my cheek intensified. A long finger slipped under my chin, angling my head to the side slightly so he could get a better view. I was almost certain I saw him smirk when he saw the red tint to the normally rather pale color of my face.

“He got you good,” he commented, his thumb dashing out to swipe a small drop of blood that had gathered on my split lip. I took a hesitant step back, trying to escape him only to almost tumble over again, the only thing stopping me being a strong hand that gripped my waist. His whole demeanor seemed to harden again as he glanced around, suddenly aware of the numerous stares we were receiving.

“Where’s your ride?” he asked, his once concerned tone now devoid of emotion. My brow furrowed in disappointment at his sudden mood change. Had I done something to make him angry? Nothing came to mind, I mean, I has only said two words to the guy. ‘Then why are you concerned with what he thinks?’ you asked yourself, silently cursing that you had opened yourself to that sort of rejection, even if it was in the smallest way.

“What makes you think I have a ride?” I snapped, glaring a bit. At that he let out a humorless chuckle.

“Seriously, babe. Where’s your ride? You sure as hell didn’t come on your own,” he sneered. Suddenly, he didn’t seem like such the hero.

“You know what? Thanks for the help…but I think I’ll be going now,” I huffed, trying to twist my hip out of his grip. His fingers curved into the skin there, lightly tugging me towards him. My feet stumbled a bit, kicking up some dirt as I was pulled almost toe to toe with him. I swallowed thickly, my tongue dashing out over my lower lip nervously.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” he spoke lowly. To be honest I wasn’t sure what he was referring to given the fact that he was staring right at my lips. He seemed to snap out of his small daze though almost immediately and he cleared his throat.

“What that guy did to you is only a taste of what most here would do if they got their hands on something so…innocent,” he said, a small smirk ghosting his face at the last word.

“How do I know that you aren’t just another one of them? I saw you in that cage,” I asked, my voice surprisingly strong even though I was inwardly scared of what his answer would be. His head slowly lowered to rest right beside my cheek, his stubble brushing the soft skin there.

“That’s just it. You don’t know,” he whispered darkly, his lips brushing my ear.

“Let go of me, Liam,” I squeaked, trying to escape his close proximity. He released my hip, holding his hands up in a mock surrender.

“Lucky for you I’m not like every other guy here who’s looking to get laid,” he said, gaze roaming over me for the third time.

“Will you stop doing that?” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest self-consciously. He met my eyes again, amusement clearly present.

“Doing what?” he asked with a knowing tone.

“Looking at me like that,” I mumbled, cheeks flushing crimson. It was off setting to have him so obviously looking at me, almost appraisingly.

“Hey, Payne!” someone suddenly exclaimed causing Liam to tense, his sight flickering to someone behind me.

“Randy,” he acknowledged, a noticeable clenching of his jaw making me worry a bit.

“Well, what do we have here?” the gruff voice chuckled, pushing his way till I could feel his breath on my neck. I glanced up at Liam, finding myself pleading for him to do something.

“Lay off of her, man,” he chuckled lightly, though the look on his face was anything but.

“Got a new toy?” Randy smirked, a finger twirling one of my chestnut ringlets. “Because I must admit that you have quite the eye. She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” I was about to wrench away from him when Liam shot me a warning glance, silently asking me to stay still. I bit my lip to stifle any protest and stayed frozen in my place, saying nothing.

“Mind if I spend some…quality time with her?” the stranger purred in my ear. Tears stung the back of my eyes as I inwardly pleaded that Liam wouldn’t let me go with this man. Who knew what he would do to me?

“You’d better go get warmed up, man. You’re up against Hale in ten,” Liam countered, his tone daring this ‘Randy’ to argue.

“Okay, okay,” he smirked. “I know when I’m not wanted. But my offer always stands, sexy.” My bum was suddenly slapped roughly making me squeak and jump forward, steadying hands grabbing the tops of my arms.

“You’re alright. Just follow me, yeah? You’re drawing to much attention here,” Liam said softly, quickly grabbing my hand and tugging me behind him. It kind of stung that he didn’t want to be seen with me, but then again it also made perfect sense. Why would he want to be seen with me? I should be grateful just for the fact that he had helped me. Expecting him to like me was a bit much…

Another slap to my bum and I flinched, clutching onto his hand tighter and letting my other grasp the back of his black tanktop. I was guided through the mass of roaring people, my focus fixated on trying to catch a glimpse of Jordan as we traveled. Gosh, she was going to be ticked that I had ended up lost let alone with a fighter.

“Hey, kid.” Fingers snapped in front of my face and I realized we were outside the building. “You can let go of me, now.”

“My name’s not kid,” I muttered, releasing any hold I had on him. “I’m just as old as you.”

“Age is only a number, love. Your innocence speaks for itself,” he chuckled but quickly catching himself and tensing up. “Now can you call the idiot who brought you here before I have to save your sorry arse again.”

“Whatever,” I snapped, sending a quick text for my sister to meet me outside. She quickly responded that she would be right there and I sighed. I guess my time with this ‘Liam Payne’ was about to come to an end. A crunch made me flinch and my head snapped up to meet the warm depths of familiar eyes. Nothing was said, but he grasped my chin and held it in a firm yet equally gentle grip, a wet bandana dabbing my bottom lip and traveling to my chin. He methodically cleaned the small split in my skin and wiped away the dried blood before dropping the material to rest on top of his duffel bag. I had to wonder how I didn’t notice that before but quickly brushed it off on the thrill of my rather short adventure.

“Just ice your cheek when you get home to help with the swelling,” he instructed quietly, leaning to pick up the strap of his bag and sling it over his shoulder. “Pop a few painkillers too. That will feel awful come tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” I said, my tone equally low. “You didn’t have to save me back there.” He stared down at me with a dark expression.

“You’re right, I didn’t,” he whispered, taking a step closer, gravel crunching under his trainers. “But don’t take it to heart, kid. I never want to see you again, you hear me? And tell whoever the hell brought you here that we don’t take kindly to naivety here.” With that he turned on his heel, walking away and leaving me staring after his retreating figure. I was confused as ever, but one thing I knew for certain; this wasn’t the last I would see of Liam Payne…I would make sure of it.