Chained Hearts

Chapter Three

The faint hum of laughter and music surrounded the booth, blending with the smell of popcorn and coffee wafting through the air. I should have been enjoying this day, but every time the chain between us clinked, it reminded me that I was stuck—literally—with the last person I wanted to be with. The irony wasn’t lost on me. Today was supposed to be a fun event, but somehow, fate—or Eros’s twisted sense of humor—turned it into a personal nightmare.

“Welcome to the marriage booth!” two women with identical smiles greeted us in perfect unison.

“Thea, Lexa” Xavier greeted, his voice casual as ever. “Where’s your sergeant-at-arms?”

The twins exchanged a look, and their cheerful expressions instantly vanished. Thea sighed dramatically while Lexa folded her arms.

“If you find him, do tell us also,” Lexa muttered. “He just left us with a huge mess to clean up.”

“Figures,” Xavier said with a smirk.

I raised my hand, shaking our cuffed wrists like a frustrated prisoner. “Then can you at least remove this? I swear my hand’s starting to itch.” I shot them a hopeful look. “You do have the key, right?”

Thea gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Pat. Rules are rules. And we don’t have the key either.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Lexa added, shrugging helplessly. “Even our President is chained to our Vice. So, no worries—you’re not suffering alone.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” I deadpanned, glaring at my so-called groom-for-the-day. “Why am I even chained to this jerk?”

“Because your names were written together in the marriage booklet,” Thea explained, flipping through the binder dramatically. “It’s one of our booth's twists. People can either write their own names or nominate a pair. And guess what, Carl? Your name came up way too often.”

“But don’t worry, we complied with the sacred marriage rules,” Lexa added. “You can only marry one person. Which, as you can tell, is Pat.”

Xavier chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “Lucky me, then.”

Before I could protest, he reached out to ruffle my hair like I was some pet dog. I kicked his shin on instinct.

“Ow! Violent much?”

“Then what do we need to do now before I use this chain to choke him,” I said through gritted teeth.

Lexa grinned and handed us a sheet of paper decorated with cartoon hearts and a checklist. “You two just need to get this ticket stamped by the attraction attendants. Finish the list, and you’re free.”

“Now run along, future couple!” Thea added with a teasing wink. “If you don’t want to sleep chained together tonight, better start moving!”

~*~

“f**k!” I cursed under my breath, half-walking, half-running toward the carousel. People gave me wide-eyed looks, stepping aside as if I were contagious.

And maybe I was—infected with rage.

Because Eros. Freaking. Santiago. Played. Us.

“Why is everyone in your group crazy?” I hissed, shooting Xavier a glare sharp enough to cut. “Eros manipulates people like it’s a hobby. Theo can’t go a day without a fight. Alexis acts like he’s allergic to women. And Prince and Az? I’m convinced they’re part-time troublemakers.” And you—you’re the worst of them all.

I waited for his comeback, but he stayed quiet. Suspiciously quiet.

When I finally glanced at him, he wasn’t even looking at me. His gaze was fixed on our joined hands.

“What’s your problem?” I demanded.

“You,” he said seriously, still not meeting my eyes.

I blinked. “Me?”

I grabbed his chin and pulled his face toward mine, a little too hard. Suddenly, our faces were only inches apart. I could feel his breath on my lips, and my heart instantly decided to betray me—pounding like it had its own mind.

“Louise?” he murmured, his voice unexpectedly soft. “Are you okay?”

The sound of my name on his lips snapped me back to reality. I pushed him away, too fast—forgetting we were chained. The motion jerked me forward instead, and I stumbled right into his chest.

His arm instinctively wrapped around my waist, steadying me.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, genuine worry in his tone. His hand lingered just a second too long, and I could feel my cheeks heating up.

“I’m fine,” I muttered quickly, stepping back. “Let’s just get this over with.”

I turned to walk ahead, but he grabbed my arm and intertwined our fingers. His grip was firm, protective—almost possessive.

I froze.

He didn’t look at me. But there was something in the way his jaw tightened, in the storm behind his eyes, that made me wonder—why did he look like he’d destroy anyone who got near us?

~*~

“I know you hate me,” he said later, his voice softer this time, focused as he dabbed ointment onto my bruised wrist. “But you shouldn’t let yourself get hurt like this.”

“I didn’t plan on it,” I replied defensively, watching him with curiosity. His brows furrowed in concentration, his touch surprisingly gentle.

He frowned. “Thank God it didn’t bleed.”

“You really hate blood, don’t you?” I teased without thinking.

“I don’t hate it,” he said calmly. “I just don’t like looking at it.”

“Enough to faint at the sight of it?”

He shot me a glare. “That was one time.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The memory of him passing out on the day we met because of my action was too good to resist.

His eyes softened as he looked at me again. “It’s nice to see you smile.” He paused, his tone shifting. “It suits you.”

That simple line made my stomach twist.

He went on before I could respond, his gaze trailing briefly down my dress. “And… the dress suits you, too.”

I looked away quickly, pretending to fuss with the hem of my skirt. “Whatever.”

He sighed. “Can’t we call a truce? Just for today? Until we’re finally unchained?”

I hesitated. A truce meant lowering my guard. But part of me was tired of fighting him—tired of denying the small flutter that kept growing every time he smiled.

“Fine,” I said at last “Deal.”

The curtain beside us suddenly flew open, revealing Alexis sprawled on a bed, clearly annoyed. “Can you two stop being disgustingly cute? Some of us are trying to sleep.”

Xavier grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. Alexis dodged and muttered something about “idiots in love” before disappearing again.

“Let’s go,” Xavier said, standing up and holding out his hand. “We still got a carousel to ride and a wedding to finish, future Mrs. Montreal.”

I smacked his arm but took his hand anyway. “Keep dreaming.”

~*~

Hours passed, and the list was finally almost complete. From the haunted house to the cotton candy stall, we’d done everything—argued, laughed, and almost tripped over each other more times than I could count.

When we reached the last booth, Xavier stretched his arms, grinning. “Finally!” he shouted, voice full of relief. “Not that I didn’t enjoy it.”

I couldn’t stop my small smile.

Because I did enjoy it. More than I wanted to admit.

Eros might have played us, but this crazy day made me realize something dangerous. I was falling for Xavier—hard and fast.

I should’ve hated him. He was loud, cocky, infuriatingly smug. But somewhere between his laughter and the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t noticing, something shifted.

“Bastard!” Xavier suddenly yelled, smacking Eros on the back of the head. “Unlock us already!”

“You didn’t have to hit me!” Eros rubbed his head, scowling. “Anyway, you still have the wedding booth left. But fine, I’ll remove the chain.”

He handed Xavier the key, and the metal finally clicked open. The freedom felt weird.

“Do we have to?” Xavier asked, hesitating. “Can Louise back out?”

Eros smiled slyly. “Do you want to back out?”

I hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “This’ll be the last one,” I said. “Might as well finish it.”

“Louise, you don't need—”

“Afraid of marrying someone like me, Mr. Montreal?” I interrupted, forcing a grin.

His smirk returned instantly. “Why would I be? Let’s get married, wifey.”

~*~

As I walked down the fake aisle of our fake marriage, the world seemed to slow. The music—soft, cheesy, romantic—faded into a dull thrum in my chest. Around us, students clapped and cheered, their laughter echoing under the string lights hanging above. The glow bathed everything in warm gold, and for a second it didn’t feel fake at all.

I could see Xavier at the altar, his gray eyes locked on me as if I were the only person in the room. My hands trembled slightly as I clutched the bouquet of paper flowers, every step echoing louder than the last.

I couldn’t help but wish this was my reality. Me, walking down the aisle toward the person I love. Toward the person I chose to spend my forever with. Him, waiting for me—because I was the one he chose.

But this was just a game. A stupid booth event.

When did I become such a hopeless romantic?

As soon as I reached him, the “priest” skipped straight to the vows, not letting anyone object. We exchanged rings—cheap plastic, but it still made my chest tighten.

And then came the moment.

“You may now kiss your bride.”

Everyone started chanting.

“Do it, Montreal!”

“Kiss her!”

“Make it real!”

I wanted to disappear. My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Xavier grinned, lifting my veil slowly. “Sorry,” he said softly.

“For what—”

Before I could finish, he leaned in and kissed me. My first kiss.

It wasn’t on the cheeks like we’re allowed to. It wasn’t a teasing peck or a quick joke. It was warm, gentle—too real. The world disappeared for a second. Just his lips, his arms, and my heart going wild in my chest.

When he finally pulled away, he wrapped me in a hug, whispering against my ear, “Sorry if I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Xav—”

“I’m selfish,” he cut me off, looking at me with that intense gaze again. “So, I’ll be honest. I want to take all your firsts for myself. Can I court you?”

The world tilted.

My brain said run, but my heart was screaming yes.

So naturally, I did the most logical thing possible—I punched him in the face and ran.

“Is that a yes?!” he yelled, voice muffled. “Oh s**t—blood! I’m bleeding!”

Behind me, chaos erupted. People were laughing, others were panicking, and someone shouted for tissues and a medic.

But all I could do was clutch my chest, my face burning.

Because no matter how far I ran, I couldn’t escape the truth.

Xavier Montreal made my heart flutter.

And that terrified me more than anything else in the world.