Unsettled, A TRR Fanfic, Liam x MC

Disclaimer: Choices owns this and I do not.

Liam was walking the halls of the Fydelian estate.  It was late in the evening and the evening felt like a long one at that.  He had spent a lot of time with nobles currying goodwill seemingly to no effect.  Not one of them guaranteed their presence at his and Halle’s upcoming wedding.  Lots of I’ll-see-what-I-can-dos though.  As he was about to turn to go down a different hallway to his room, he saw Halle heading to hers.  She was walking barefoot while her heels are dangling from her hand and she kept trying to adjust her shoulders.  He increased his pace so he could be by her side.

“You did wonderful tonight,” he said trying to sound encouraging in his tired state.  “You got both Adelaide and Godfrey to agree to attend our wedding.  Not only that you also managed to get A Dem–I mean, Madeleine, to agree to be your press secretary.  I knew you could do it.”  He finished with a slight smile.

Halle remained unresponsive and continued to walk down the long hall to her room as if nothing was said.  Liam wrapped his arm around her to pull her to his side.  She wordlessly slipped out of his embrace.

“Halle?”

She stopped walking and turned to face him. Her eyebrows came closer together. “Where were you?”

“What are you talking about? I was here.”

“Could have fooled me.  I’ve barely seen you all night.”

“I know.  I was making time for the nobles that did come.” He reasoned, keeping his tone and hopefully the mood light.

“Because there were so many.”  Halle turned to continue to her room.

“Hey!” Liam stood in front of her.  He lifted her chin so that she can look him in the eye.  “Hey? What is going on? Are you unhappy with me?”

“Unhappy?” Halle stepped away from him.  “Liam, I am angry with you!” she snapped.

He jerked his head back in shock. “Angry?”

“Yes. Angry.” She wrapped her arms around her chest.  “You left me alone for the majority of the night.  Sure you had to entertain the 5 or 6 nobles who dared to be seen with us, but I had all of the tough, shitty tasks.  I had to be the ones to convince Godfrey and Adelaide to come to our wedding.  I had to recruit Madeleine, of all people, to be my press secretary when my fiance,” she gestured to Liam.  “My future husband has a team of them but cannot offer me one. Not even the name of one. So I had to eat crow and beg that heifer for a job that she doesn’t need or want.”

“Madeleine is an asset–”

Halle cut him off.  She was done hearing about A Demon as a necessary asset.  “That has history with us.  You dumped her to be with me publicly after agreeing to an arrangement–”

“That arrangement was to protect you, Halle.” Liam challenged with his nostrils flaring.

“World of good that did.”

Liam’s mouth fell open, his small eyes widened at the reference to the Homecoming Ball.  He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.  Instead, he took a deep breath, stiffened his jaw and his eyes returned to their normal size, but the warmth they held was gone.

Halle took the opportunity to redirect and continue.  “The point is while Madeleine is incredibly qualified, but she is not the only one.  I needed you tonight, and you were nowhere to be found.  Is that what this tour is gonna be like? Me looking for you, and you having conversations with someone else about scotch?”

Liam’s eyes shined with frustration.  “What did you expect Halle?” He barked.

Halle took a step back.  She had never heard him be frustrated enough with her to use that tone.  Drake and Maxwell entered the hall to go their rooms and stopped in their tracks when they saw Halle and Liam. Drake held Maxwell back from stepping any further.

Liam continued. “That we would spend the entire tour canoodling? That you would sit in my lap and we would stare dreamily into each other’s eyes?”

Undeterred, she snapped “Well I certainly didn’t expect to come on this tour to be Iyanla and literally put back together A Demon’s family!”

“Iyanla?”

“Google later! The fact is you weren’t with me.” Halle felt herself get emotional.  She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. Her eyes were raised to one of the light fixtures to keep herself from crying.  She was not going to be one of those women that cried during arguments.

Seeing Halle momentarily break was enough for Liam to know that this has gone on enough.  He closed the distance between them.  “I am here now.”  He wrapped his arms around her.  When he hugged Halle, he saw a stunned Drake and Maxwell standing in the hallway behind her.  He locked eyes with Drake.  “Let’s continue this in your room.”

Halle shrugged off his embrace. “No, I am going to bed.” She held up her hand to stop a rebuff before it started.  “Alone.”  She quickly marched to her room.  Liam followed after her and got to her room just in time for her to slam the door in his face.

Liam turned to where Maxwell and Drake were standing, silently watching everything unfold.  He faced the door and attempted to turn the handle, but it was locked.  Liam shook the handle to no avail.  He knocked on the door.

“Halle, let me in so we can talk.”

“Sorry, Liam.  There is no suky-suky tonight!” Halle shouted through the door.  “You can suck on your own damn dick!”

“Halle!” he yelled. Half-command, half-plea.

“I said Good Day!”

Drake put his hand on Liam’s shoulder.  Liam reflexively smacked it away before realizing it was his friend.

“C’mon,” Drake warned.  “ You are making a scene.  Let’s have some whiskey in my room.”

Liam continued to look at Halle’s closed door.  His shoulders rose and fell as his harsh breathing returned to normal.

“C’mon.” Drake softly pleaded.

Liam patted Drake’s shoulder.  “I think I have had enough for tonight.”  He straightened his posture.  “We have a long trip to Portavira, and we shall need our rest.”  He then left his friends and headed to his room for the night.