Contrast [ A One Direction AU ]

chapter thirteen: bella

chapter thirteen

✥ Arabella ✥



It happened all too quickly. One moment, he was dabbing his dirtied face collectedly by the bench. The next, he was at Nik’s neck, threateningly holding him by the collar.

The sight of this infuriated side of Liam causes goosebumps to ride up my arms and my throat to constrict. It’s the crazed element in his blazing dark eyes as he stares Nik down, and in the stiffened, protruding muscles on his arms – displaying the damage he could potentially inflict with them. Almost effortlessly, he felled an opponent nearly twice as large as he; threat is certainly imminent.

I twist around to scan the crowd and I am relieved to find that the men are still buzzing with the thrill, chills and whistles echoing through the darkness set on the shady inner-street.

My hearing turns hazy with the sound of my pounding heart filling the blur of noise. I soundlessly watch the two men exchange words filled with anger – taut lips and spluttering, and exchanged glares.

“L-Liam…” my words falter, “Do-don’t hurt him!”

His scowling expression doesn’t flinch, though being provoked Nik sneaks me a grateful glance.

He tosses Nik out of his way like a rag doll, and his attention turns to me. It’s only as his fiery eyes divert to me, that I realise how truly terrifying he is when enraged.

Liam advances toward me, his steps coming down onto the dirt in slow motion. My vision narrows down to the built male striding toward me, everything else swirling into a blur of nothingness.

His steps fall heavy, my heart racing inside the constraints of my rib cage, eager to burst out in apprehension. The dark, intense glower that Liam sends me pushes me to tear my cowering gaze from his. However, my instincts tell me that I have to forge confidence.

I straighten my stance and try to look back with an aura of coolness, but my shaky knees give away my distress.

Despite my feigned confidence, Liam makes no move to stop stalking toward me.

    Run.

But I can’t – my feet are locked to the dirt, my eyes dilated in fear like a deer caught in headlights.

I manage to shuffle my feet shakily backwards. As he moves forward, I move backward. Whilst I step back, a buzzing in my pocket shocks me, most likely my phone but that is the least of my worries at present. Liam and I continue to play the cruel game of cat and mouse – until I have my back on the wall.

    Bad, bad bad.

Liam takes one last stride and he is right in front of me, his arms by either side of my face, trapping me. The air in my lungs turns cold with the sensation of his heavy breaths on my exposed collarbone.  

His eyes – dusky yet burning orbs pierce through my soul.

In a threatening tone he finally breaks the silence, “Arabella.”

“L-Liam,” I choke out, two tones too high to seem collected.

Nik, groggily recovering from his shoves, rises from the ground. He rushes to my aid the instance he realises Liam has got me caged in his arms, putting an arm on the span of his shoulders to try push him off.

Liam sounds a feral growl of warning to Nik, which induces a chill down my spine.

Nik puts his hands in defence, “Hey hey I know you’re mad and I’m really sorry, extremely sorry. Just don’t hurt the poor bird, o’right?”