Payton's POV
I sat on Styles' bed with my arms wrapped tightly around my knees while my thighs pressed deeply into my stomach and chest. I couldn't keep my eyes off of the door that would soon be opened any minute. My body was shaking ever so slightly and my breath seemed to be as loud as my pounding heart.
I was super nervous because I knew Styles will be walking in any minute firing questions at me. And who knows if that's all he'll do. Maybe he'll smack me around for not eating. After all, Zayn said he wouldn't be happy with that fact. I gulped and flinched as soon as the door opened, not giving me a chance to remember if I even heard footsteps coming towards the room or not.
Styles stared at me sharply before turning slightly to close the door shut behind him. He then flicked the switch, making me flinch again as the bright light consumed the darkness. His eyes stayed deeply focused on me, making me shake even more in my own skin. I stared at him with wide innocent eyes, afraid to set him off with any word or movement.
He eyed me quickly before taking a few steps forward, making me just barely lean away when he got closer. "Why do you look as if you're in trouble?" He finally spoke, breaking the terrifying silence. "I- am I n-not? In... trouble?" I said with a shaky voice in shock.
He looked at me more carefully before he crossed his arms. "Are you?" He asked, making me puzzled. "We'll have to see. So I heard you're not eating?" He said as I gulped. "I'm surprised that you-"
"What? That I care?" He raised an eyebrow during his interruption.
I closed my mouth slowly as he stared me down. "It's not so much of that Payton. I just don't think you should starve yourself. You need to eat. You're skinny as it is." He commented as I scoffed. "I'm not skinny. Please." I chuckled as I shook my head.
"Yeah you are. I can wrap my whole hand around your waist." He stated with narrowed eyebrows. "Well I'm not hungry. I'm not starving myself. I just don't have an appetite." I said as I now crossed my arms and slowly leaned back.
"So if I offered you food right now, you wouldn't eat it?" He asked. I shook my head before he rolled his eyes. "You will eat in this house. That is a rule, and an order." He said as he now pointed at me, his words getting bitter by the second. "I don't have to eat. That's not my rule to follow. That's ridiculous." I scoffed before he climbed on the bed and grabbed my shoulders, slamming me into the headboard.
"Excuse me? Would you like to repeat that?" He hissed as I whimpered and looked into his eyes with fear. "If you're a part of our gang, you need to have some meat on your bones. You're too skinny. Anyone can snap you like a twig. It'll be easy." He said with intimidating eyes.
"Why? So that you can eat me? What's so important about having meat on my bones?" I asked. "So that you're strong. You're weak." He said as he eyed me. "I'm not weak!" I raised my voice as he smirked.
He then leaned back before pulling me along, catching me off guard as my breath left my mouth. "If you're so tough, push me off this bed. Right now." He said as he held my arms. I looked at him before making a weird face. "What?" I asked, confused. "Push me. Off. The bed." He ordered.
"Ha, I'd be glad to. Thought you'd never ask." I commented as he narrowed his eyes at me. He then squeezed my arm super tight, making me whimper. "I didn't ask for that remark. Watch yourself." He warned.
"Sorry." I whispered before he released me. "Come on now little tough girl. Push me. Prove to me that you're not weak." He smirked as his knees sunk into the mattress. "O-okay..." I said as I looked at his chest before my hands.
I then launched my hands at him, pushing at his chest as hard as I could, waiting for him to go flying off the bed. I then frowned as he stayed in the same spot with an even bigger grin on his lips. He leaned back just very slightly, making me fluster as I realized it didn't phase him at all.
"W-"
"Was that your best shot?" He chuckled as I looked down at my hands, trying not to believe the words he's been feeding me. "N-no." I lied, not knowing how much strength I even had compared to this guy. "Liar." He grinned before he just pushed me with one hand, making me gasp and fall off the bed.
He then laughed aloud as I squealed and fell against the floor with a thud. I was in shock at this point as I looked down at myself. What a prick. I then clenched my jaw before climbing back on the bed and staring at him madly. "That was rude!" I said as he kept laughing. "No. That was damn hilarious. That's what that was." He smirked as I rolled my eyes.
"Ugh whatever, I'm leaving you." I groaned as I crawled off the bed and walked away. "Nope. You're not going anywhere." He suddenly stopped laughing and grew serious as he leaned towards me and snatched my waist. I gasped as he wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me back.
"Let go of me!" I struggled in his grip as he now sat me on his lap. "Shhhh." He hushed as he held me down tightly. "No! Let me go! I've had enough of this all day already!" I said more clearly as I kept trying to escape.
"Hey. I'm not done with you. Stop." He commanded as he squeezed me against his chest, making me freeze. I looked at the wall madly, knowing he won yet again as he breathed on my neck. "What do you want?" I whined, wanting my own space already.
"I wanted to talk to you about that." His voice got lower all of a sudden. "About what?" I turned my neck to look at him in the eyes. "About you and Louis." He said. "Oh don't tell me you're jealous of that. After all, you practically left me with the pervert! He's been taking advantage of me all day!" I said as he clenched his jaw.
"I'm not jealous. I just wasn't a fan of what I saw when I came home." He said seriously. "And why's that?" I was curious myself. "Not going to tell you." He said as I dropped my jaw. "Then what do you even want to talk about?!" I was growing impatient, tired of being on peoples laps right now. "I wanted to ask if you were uncomfortable with Louis today." He asked as he looked deep into my eyes.
"Why do you care?" I bit back. "I actually don't. But I will respect the fact if it makes you extremely uncomfortable." He said as I narrowed my eyes at him. "You make me extremely uncomfortable. What will you do about that?" I questioned rudely, poking his chest.
He narrowed his eyebrows before rolling his eyes. "I don't care what you think anymore. I'm sick of your attitude." He said before lifting me up off his lap and tossing me to the side. I gasped as I landed on the bed before I watched him get up. "You know what? Next time, I won't have a talk with Louis about taking advantage of you. Next time. I'LL JUST F***ING ALLOW IT'!" He yelled as I flinched and backed away, terrified out of my mind right now.
"And whatever my boys do to you, I won't do sh*t about. It'll be your own problem to deal with. Cuz it won't be mine. After all you're just a damn hostage." He growled before he turned around and marched out of the bedroom before slamming the door shut.
I was in pure shock as I found my body shaking in fear from his random outburst. I wasn't expecting that at all. I gulped as I sat on the bed more comfortably, trying to process exactly what just went down. I didn't understand why he got so mad so quickly about the subject. But what made me wonder was the fact that he actually told Louis not to take advantage of me.
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"Eat." Styles spat as he shoved a plate towards me. "I'm not hungry." I said softly with a slight grumble as I stared at the food. "I said eat Payton." He growled as I felt his eyes on me. "I don't want it." I mumbled, pushing it back with my hand.
"God damnit! Eat it!" He slammed his fist on the counter, making me jump and look even more down. I was too afraid to look in his scary eyes at this point, already knowing they'd be intimidating.
"Is this how you're gonna act? After I took the time to make you some damn food?" He said very lowly, pointing a finger at me. "I didn't ask for any-"
"I TOLD YOU YOU WERE GOING TO EAT!" He boomed as I flinched, now feeling goosebumps on my skin. "Eat. I swear I'll force it down your throat if you don't obey me." He growled as I slowly looked up at him.
The dim kitchen light shined upon his angry face as we made eye contact. Every inch of my body wanted to crawl or run away from him but I couldn't move. My feet rejected what my mind wanted most. I then sighed, showing my defeat as I stared at the plate of chicken and vegetables.
"It's good for you. So eat up." He said much softer this time but his angry glare told otherwise. I then picked up the metal fork beside me before slowly pressing it against a piece of broccoli. I examined it for a while, not really in the mood to eat at this point since fear ate away my appetite.
I then glanced up at Styles, noticing he narrowed his eyes at me. I then took a bite of the broccoli, watching as his shoulders eased up a bit from his stiff structure. "Happy?" I mumbled under my breath as my eyes darted down to the plate. "What was that?" He snapped, slamming a hand on the counter.
I flinched before shutting my mouth. "Nothing." I whispered after I finished chewing. "You're eating too slow." He muttered madly. "Well I can't eat with you gawking at me like you're ready to kill me at any moment!" I said as I looked up at him.
"You have no idea how bad I want to." He hissed. "Then why don't you?! If you hate me so much? Why did you even let me live if I make your life so miserable?!" I fired at him as he just madly stared at me.
He then shut his mouth and gawked at me with a very scary stare. He didn't dare say anything after that but his eyes were spilling a million answers that I couldn't crack. "Finish your food. I'll come back to see if you actually obeyed me and did what you're told. If not they're'll be consequences." He said before he left the kitchen with my eyes following him.
I felt angry at the fact that he didn't answer my question at all and instead he dodged it. I will never understand why Styles spared my life and decided to keep me when he hates my guts. And quite frankly by the looks of it, I don't think he understands it either.