Chapter 46 : Painful Misunderstandings 3

Mike

"I will-" he started to get up as well, intending to help Amy, when Selene cut him off again.

"I'll help you, Princess Amy," she got up and followed her outside, who nodded her head gracefully in thanks. Selene gritted her teeth at her exquisite politeness, knowing she could never imitate it. She was not meant to be a beautiful wallflower, and she stared at her rough, unfeeling hands. She was meant for war, nothing more, not even love, it seemed. Not once did she turn to look Mike in the eye as she followed Amy out of the room.

He watched the two women leave the room in silence, deep in thought, and what he was thinking made him feel a strange tightness in his chest. She refused to look at him...

"You're really stupid, you know that?" he heard Samuel say to him in a disgusted tone.

His head turned to fix the man with a stern look, a frown on his handsome face. "And why would you say that, Sam?"

Leaning against the wall behind him, Samuel crossed his arms behind his head, his bright green eyes focused on the door the women had just walked through. "You obviously hurt her feelings again, you idiot."

He winced at the rebuke, but then relaxed, lowering his shoulders and staring sadly at the table. "You're absolutely right, Sam. I've been very careless with Selene's feelings lately."

"Don't say that to me. Tell her," Samuel said with wisdom beyond his young age.

A few minutes later the two women returned, Amy as radiant as ever and Selene with a calm expression that made him feel even more guilty. He wanted to beg and plead for her forgiveness, to get down on his knees and tell her that he loved no one but her, no matter what his past actions had been. His flirting and flirtatious attitude was purely based on years of habit in seducing the fairer sex, it was not that he wanted to play with her emotions and treat her like any other, for his feelings for Selene were real and strong.

He looked at her with the love he felt for her, but Selene never saw it because she never looked at him. He sighed softly as he felt Amy take her seat beside him again, her thigh pressed tightly against his, when all he wanted was for Selene to sit where Amy was now.

Selene must hate me, and rightly so, he thought with his eyes downcast, forgetting about the food that was now spread out on the small table in front of them, until Amy said politely in a very musical voice, "I know it's not much, but I hope it fills your empty stomachs."

"It's delicious!" Samuel assured as he took a piece of cheese in one hand and a piece of berry-filled bread in the other and ate it with gusto. Selene started to eat as well, but Amy didn't take anything until Mike picked up an apple and took a bite.

This did not go unnoticed by Selene, and her left hand clenched into a fist as she placed it on her thigh under the table. Once again, she did not have the courtesy to wait for the male members of this small group to eat first before partaking of the meal herself. It had been a long time since she had been asked by her group to perform such a ceremony, and to fail in front of Amy once again embarrassed and angered her. Her appetite was gone, and after a few minutes of fruitless eating, she stood up and said to the group, "I'm full. I'm going to find your brother, Princess Amy."

"I will be forever in your debt," was Amy's appropriate response, not to Selene, but instead to Mike, who was facing a possible danger. Selene gritted her teeth as she realized that she was not important to this woman. She probably just wants me to be away from him, she thought as a depression began to build in her chest.

Anger quickly saved her from falling further into sadness. She felt welcomed by him!

Mike was already half standing, feeling a deep longing to embrace Selene and comfort her. He wanted to be with her so much in this moment that he didn't realize his arms were reaching out to Selene until Samuel's voice broke his reverie.

"Um, Selene. I think you're forgetting something," Samuel said, pausing to inhale the food in front of him.

Selene looked at him curiously. "What is it, Sam?"

"You don't even know the name of Princess Amy's brother. None of us do," he replied, his green eyes turning to look at Amy in a questioning way, as did Selene and Mike, who had just realized how ignorant they were.

Selene's face flushed. Could she not do the wrong thing in front of this woman? Jealousy and envy were strong within her as she stared at Amy's angelic face, waiting for her answer.

Amy smiled almost shyly and said, "I was stupid. I'm sorry. His name is Joshua."

Intending only to reassure her this time, his intentions pure, Mike placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "It's all right. Nothing is wrong." Then he tried to smile encouragingly at Amy, who reached out and kissed him on the cheek, whispering her gratitude.

A loud stomp signaled Selene's departure, and Mike was about to follow her in explanation, but Amy was surprisingly strong in holding him back. "Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Mike. The Goddess finally smiled at me when they brought you to my doorstep."

Feeling like a fool and no longer in the mood to be around the charming Amy since his desire to pursue Selene was so strong, his reply was no longer as flirtatious as before, leaving only politeness, "I am a warrior who has a duty to protect those who need my services. I can do nothing else, Princess.

"So polite and aloof, sir. Is something wrong?" she asked innocently.

"No, everything is fine," he tried to reassure her with a fake smile, and felt his smile crack at the end.