"Smile," Hannah demands. I snap out of my gaze, witnessing her frowning at me. My lashes flutter as I realise I have fallen into a daze, and my stomach has been a twisted mess the entire day. That ring is back on my finger to avoid questioning, and I am not looking forward to a night in the hotel with him.

How is it that I tried to end it with him last week, and he expects me to wear this stupid promise ring and go to a damn hotel alone with him?

"You look stunning, and you have always loved coming to these balls. I don't know what's wrong with you but cheer up," she scolds in a hushed whisper. I smile weakly to give in, and she turns away. She's in a long blue dress that compliments her blue eyes and fair skin, slim fitting and hugging her right with her hair up in a loose updo. Ali's in a light pink dress with a v-neckline, thin straps and a slit over her left leg. Her long curls fall back, tucked behind her left ear. Both look absolutely gorgeous, as always.

"Ready?" Shane and Derek approach us, dressed in black suits. Ali eagerly wraps her arm around Shane's, and Hannah just nods, putting her phone in her silver crutch. They start to walk into the building, and I turn in time to find Josh approaching in a suit and red tie. His eyebrows furrow, eyes raking over me.

"That's not the dress I wanted you to wear," he grumbles, not pleased at all. He's right. I had sent him a red and covered-up safe dress to appease him, the original one. I switched that dress for this one last minute, picking what I had wanted out of spite of last week. It's another red dress, off the shoulder, with a low neckline to show off some cleavage without overdoing it. Like Hannah's, it hugs my body right, and it has a slit on the left leg like Ali's. Not as modest as the one I had shown but modest enough for an event like this. "Where the hell is the other dress?" he whispers lowly, standing before me with eyes dark.

"I exchanged it this morning," I mutter back miserably.

"No. We're going back to the dorm, and you are changing. You are not fucking wearing that," he whispers harshly, his eyes darting to my chest.

"You can keep forcing me to be with you, but I'm done listening to you," I whisper lowly, feeding the beast and making those eyes darken with anger. His fists ball up, and I let out a hint of a sarcastic laugh. "Go ahead, Josh. Hit me in front of everyone or drag me somewhere in front of everyone. Show everyone who you really are."

He growls, his jaw clenched. He's pissed. Furious. He won't do that, though. I'm safe here as others leave their cars and head into the building. I smile at him before moving my curled hair over my shoulder. I make my way around him, feeling slightly bigger after such a challenge. However, I'll feel the repercussions later if he gets me alone. Maybe it isn't smart, but I need an out, however possible.

We walk into the grand hall with music floating in the air and lights flittering over the walls. The tables are dressed in white, and the pillars are white with gold moulding at the top. People are dancing, a band plays live music on the stage, and servers walk around with drinks on trays. Truly it does feel special every year, but I am not in the mood for this tonight.

I find the other four already at a table, leaving four empty chairs. I sit beside Hannah, who is laughing at something that Shane must have said based on his smug grin. Josh's chair screeches hard against the floor as he pulls it out, pissed.

"You're a dick," Ali whispers to Shane, proving me right.

"You girls love it," he winks proudly.

"Do I want to know?" I ask. Hannah and Derek both shake their heads with grins on their faces. Josh's hand finds my leg, his hand holding tightly onto my leg to prove he's mad. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep a straight face.

"Megs, you look hot in that dress," Shane notes, tilting a glass of wine up to me.

"Fuck off," Josh mutters his way. The others laugh, not realising he's genuinely pissed. I beam with a smile, overjoyed. It's not every day that I wear something that makes me feel confident, and he doesn't like it one bit.

"I like it better than the other one," Ali gushes. My nose twitches joyfully, and Josh's grip on my leg tightens even more. Oh well.

"Damn, who the hell is that with Louis?" Derek starts, sounding like he is out of breath. My confidence drops in a heartbeat, and my face falls.

"Stop drooling," Hannah coughs, covering her mouth with her fist. Derek looks away, face turning a little red. If some girl's presence flusters him, she must be attractive. It's not every day that Derek gets flustered by someone, and I don't even want to look up.

"Hey," Shane grins, greeting them both. I look up to find Louis with his hair slicked back, his jawline even more prominent in that style and a black suit that fits his body so well that I want to take it off. I reluctantly look at his date, my breath escaping me instantly. Mia. Her blonde hair is straight, and she's in a black dress with thin straps, a low neckline, and a fabric that hugs her hips and flows softly down from there. She's gorgeous without makeup but a near model with makeup on. Her blue eyes look over everyone before falling on me, and her smile brightens. "Are you the famous friend he keeps talking about?" Shane asks, his tone suggestive.

"Yeah," Louis clears his throat, eyes falling on me for a split second before looking at her. I genuinely think I may love her and Jace at this point. She's here to settle any of my nerves, and Jace must've given the two permission. "Uh, this is Mia. Mia, that's Shane, Ali, Josh, Megan, Derek and Hannah," Louis introduces, his eyes falling on me once more for a hot second. Everyone greets her, and I give her a welcoming smile. They sit across the table, and Shane leans onto it with a smirk.

"It's about time we've met you. Louis talks you up lots," Shane grins. Oblivious, thank god for that. Louis described me that day at that restaurant, and this girl is the total opposite.

"Does he?" she lets out a small giggle, not merely as flustered as when I mentioned Jace talking about her lots. "Wow, you three girls are so pretty. I saw you walking in and couldn't stop gazing at your dress. That dress is hot," she notes, looking at me. Now my cheeks become warm, and I can't help but smile. Except Josh's fingers dig deep into my thigh, and I jump slightly from the sharp pain. My lashes flutter, and I look away, a frown taking over my lips.

"Wine?" a waiter appears to my left from behind. He holds a tray of red and white wines, looking between Josh and me.

"I'll take red. She doesn't drink wine," Josh answers, letting my thigh go.

"I'd love a white," I remark, looking to the waiter. He looks at us with confusion before setting the two glasses down. Josh growls under his breath, faint enough for my ears only. I thank the waiter and take a sip, looking Josh in the eyes. I smile in a false, sweet manner and set the glass down. That vein appears above his brow, and he's trying hard not to burst. He takes a sip of his red wine and looks away bitterly. The waiter makes a round to Louis and Mia. He refuses the wine, but she takes a white, like me—one commonality between us.

"So you guys do this every year?" Mia asks, gazing around. The guys answer, and Derek takes a few stolen glances her way. He really fancies her, but she's with Jace.

"Not like we have much choice, but it's a nice turnout," Shane notes. My eyes fall on Louis, and his eyes lock on mine. I nibble on my bottom lip, desperately wanting to be in Mia's seat with my hand in his. He looks good in anything but seeing him in a suit makes me want to tear it right off., or maybe he could keep it on while between my legs.

The rest of the table chats away for a little, asking her questions like she is a new student. I find out that she's also from Surrey and her family still lives there, which is how she and Louis met before he introduced her to Jace. However, she won't admit that for obvious reasons. She also attends Manchester University for Pre-Med. Beautiful and smart. A total package for Jace. She also does a lot of charity work and is terrified to get tattoos, unlike her boyfriend. Sweet and kind-hearted. I like this girl more and more every time I see her.

Dinner began to come around after we had picked one of three options: steak, salmon or eggplant parmesan. I chose the steak to compliment the wine that I had finished and started a second glass of, to Josh's dismay. With an empty stomach and my second wine, I can already feel the buzz moving through my veins.

"My god, the steak is huge this year. I'm not going to be able to finish this," Hannah gasps, tapping at my arm.

"I'm starved. I could eat the entire cow," I giggle softly, swaying a little.

"You're tipsy already. Lightweight," Derek laughs. I must have that familiar sparkle in my eyes, and I feel much lighter already. I shoot him a playful wink before accidentally making eyes with Louis, just long enough for my heart to skip.

"That's enough wine," Josh whispers, close to my ear. I quirk an eyebrow and look back at him, my chest tightening. He gives me a stern look, wanting me to oblige. Out of spite, I grab the glass and down the rest of the wine, keeping eye contact with him. "Megan, damn it," he curses lowly. I ignore him with a roll of my eyes. "Get up," he whispers, standing, and I don't listen, grabbing a fork for this steak. He leans down before whispering into my ear, "so help me, God, if you do not stand up, you will be lucky to see another fucking day."

My skin pales, and everything falls silent. It's like I can no longer hear, and everyone is moving in slow motion. My eyes fall on Louis and Mia. She's looking directly at us with a slight hint of a frown and nudges at his arm. His eyes are on me in an instant. There must be something on my face to show my fear, but it's as if no one else notices. I set down the fork and stand up, no longer having any appetite. I stand up, giving in to him despite wanting so bad to retaliate.

"Where are you two going? The food just got here," Shane exclaims.

"The bar for more drinks," Josh notes, his tone more pleasant than the darkened one in my ear. I turn and walk away, my heart deep in my stomach. His hand grabs my arm, and I pull it away.

"You know what, I'll go too," Mia is quick to announce, standing up. I let out a shaky breath, looking back at her. She taps at Louis' arm and raises her eyebrows. "You'll accompany us, right?"

He nods and stands, eyes focused on Josh beside me. My muscles ease with some relief, and my lungs begin to function again.

"I'll grab it for you two," Josh offers, irritated by them joining.

"Nonsense. I'm happy to walk around a little," Mia beams. His negative energy is wrapped around me, but with these two joining us, I don't feel so suffocated. I turn and start to walk toward the bar, the slightest smile creeping onto my lips. Josh grumbles to my left, pissed. Maybe I will regret all of this later. Perhaps I'll run to avoid any retaliation at all.

We approach the bar, and Josh's arms cross over his chest. His foot taps on the floor with aggravation, knuckles white as he grips his arms. Mia bounces on her toes and looks around as we wait. I don't even look Louis' way, but I can feel his stare. Josh lets out a disgruntled sigh and puts his hand in his hair. "I'm going to the bathroom," he murmurs and walks away. I watch him disappear into the crowd, taking all his fury with him.

"Are you alright? What did he say to you?" Mia is quick to whisper, eyes large as she gazes at me. My eyebrows twitch a little, still wondering how she knew. "You had gotten so pale, and your eyes just screamed that you were terrified."

"I'm alright."

"Megan, I'm not stupid. What happened?" Mia asks once more, arms crossing over her chest. I hesitate, a lump forming in my throat.

"He threatened me if I didn't get up and leave with him because he's pissed about my dress choice and the fact that I'm drinking alcohol," I whisper. She frowns, and I look up at Louis. His jaw is tight, and he's looking in the direction Josh went in with darkened, angry eyes.

"What kind of threat?" he growls, his fist balling up. Instead of answering, my mouth just dries out. The way his muscles are tensed and visible under that black suit and the fury in his eyes is something I'm not used to from him. Mia searches my face with concern mixed with hers.

"Nothing," I whisper and look away at the bartender mixing drinks.

"Megan, don't play these damn games right now. Tell me," he gets closer, his voice deep and sinister almost. But I'm not intimidated by him at all. His anger is directed toward Josh. I nibble on my bottom lip, these nerves hitting me with full force.

"He said I'll be lucky if I even see tomorrow," I admit quietly, my pulse becoming thready. A threat that I actually believe too.

"Louis," Mia grabs him just as he tries to split away. My face falls, and I look at both of them. She's giving him a warning glare, and he growls for her to get off. "Don't be stupid. Now is most definitely not the time," she hisses, eyes frantically searching for Josh.

"You need to end it with him," he demands, his eyes switching to me and filled with rage. I swallow, my chest filled with an overwhelming amount of pressure. "I'm not talking about for my sake, either. You can't just keep expecting me to sit back and do nothing," he whispers with a growl, stepping closer. I wasn't intimidated before, but now I am nearly shaking by his presence. It's not me he's mad at, and I have to keep reminding myself that. "You won't let me do anything, so you need to."

"I tried," my voice cracks. Both of them look at me, eyebrows furrowed, and I gulp. "Last week. He won't let me go."

"Megan," Louis breathes out. I shake my head to stop him and look away. The familiar ache is returning to my eyes.

"There's no way out, so please just stop," I plead, my voice so thin and quiet. "This whole thing was just a bad idea. I really shouldn't be seen talking to you, and I think we should just stop sneaking around."

"What?" his face falls drastically.

"Louis, he knows. Not entirely, but he knows, and I can't risk it anymore. We need to stop before it goes any further," I whisper, my own words stripping me down to the core.

"Megan," he starts but is cut off by an obnoxious, fake cough from Mia. She fans her face and stands between us.

"Do you think they'll have a whiskey sour?" she asks randomly. My stomach is in knots, knowing fully well that Josh must be returning. I barely shrug, and the bartender finally looks at us, cleaning a mixer with a rag. My arm is grabbed, and I twist around, only for Josh's hand to meet my cheek as he kisses me hard. My heart plummets, dread consuming every last bit of me with Louis right there.

He lets me go, and my heart is torn to shreds. He moves toward the counter to ask for a beer, and my eyes find Louis. He's looking away, lips pressed tightly together and hands shoved in his front pockets. Even Mia is looking at him, a slight frown on her lips and a sorrowful gaze in her eyes. I almost want to whisper an apology to him, but he won't look at me at all.

Josh gets a glass of beer and grabs my forearm, pulling me back towards the table. His grip is firm and may leave a bruise, but it's not merely as painful as my chest. "Did you fucking talk to him?" he huffs, that grip getting worse. I shake my head, nausea wreaking havoc on my insides. He grumbles under his breath and his threat from the other night just circulates through my mind.

We return to the table with our cheerful group of friends, and I sit back down. I grab my fork to finally eat this steak, despite not having any sort of appetite at all. The laughter and joy around me is a tease. The last time I felt any happiness was in that flat with Louis, the first in a long time. I don't think I'm getting that happiness back.