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“You don’t have to love me,” is the very first thing Win’s husband ever says to him.
Slowly putting down the glass of water he was given, Win stares at him. “What?”
Sound Saran is… captivating. He’s handsome, is the first thing Win thinks, but it’s more than just his looks - the way he moves, the way he talks, it’s all tinged with an edge of fluidity, of grace. He commands everyone’s attention but manages to diffuse his presence in a way that is easy, familiar.
None of this is particularly surprising, considering he’s the first and only heir to the Saran Corporation. It still manages to catch Win off guard, who had seen the photos and the articles and had expected something different.
Not this different, though. Taking a careful seat on the couch in front of Win, Sound lets out a low breath, brows furrowed. “I won’t love you, so you don’t have to, either.” The look on his face is unreadable - or really, it’s unreadable to Win. He doesn’t know if this is Sound’s honest expression or his nervous one. He doesn’t know anything about him.
But - he wanted to learn. He’d come into the room and sat on the uncomfortable couch and tried to calm his nerves, not for his parents or the company or anything else but because this was Win’s marriage. He was getting married. And love was unlikely but he’d hoped for friendship, at least, or something resembling it, and yet -
‘I won’t love you,’ Sound says, and all Win can do is stare.
—
“We’re supposed to be husbands?” is the very first thing Sound’s husband ever says to him.
Sound hesitates, then walks into the room. “You don’t have to love me,” he says, because he's not sure what else to say.
The response he gets is a stare, and then something like anger. “What?”
And… Win Thanapon is - breathtaking. He's physically attractive, soft eyes and a sharp jawline, but it's more than that - it's the way he sits, posture loose and comfortable yet still proper. It's the way he watches Sound, gaze sharp and calculating, and the way he moves in defined, precise movements.
Not that this is surprising. He's probably had years of lessons and training and people standing over his shoulder pointing out his flaws just like Sound has. But it still manages to catch him off guard.
He can't let it show, though. Sitting down, Sound sighs. “I won't love you, so you don't have to either.” He refuses to be a burden or an obligation to Win, so he tries to be as honest as he possibly can be - they might be legally tied together, but Sound won't force him to play pretend marriage.
He can't. This whole thing had been predetermined and they're getting married solely because of who they were born as, their families’ obsession with bloodline and heirs and promises made so many years ago that don’t hold any weight today. No one has asked either of them if they want to. It's no wonder Win is angry and annoyed. Sound would be too - he is - but he's been trained too well in not showing his emotions.
But - he wants this marriage to at least be a partnership, or maybe even friendship. Just… something that he and Win can build of their own volition and find comfort in. And the first step is this, Sound thinks.
‘I won't love you,’ he says, and hopes it is a bridge that can connect them.
(He regrets it, later.)