Prince Alex's Selection

Chapter Two

Prince Alex

I walk towards the common room. I'm so pleased to finally be out of that meeting. I don't see the point in me even attending seeing as Father doesn't let me speak. I sigh and pull my kindle out of my pocket. At least now I can relax with a good book. I open the door to the common room and frown when I see twelve girls look up at me eagerly. How could I forget they were here?

Daniel surprises me by tackling me to the ground. 

"Get off me, Dan!" I say angrily. 

I'm really not in the mood for playing games or for trying to impress a bunch of girls. I don't even know how to go about doing that. I've never had a relationship before. I sigh and get to my feet. Better start making a positive impression.

"Hello ladies." I give them a smile and then sit on a sofa which has the least amount of people on it. 

I'm not really a people person... Which I suppose kinda sucks considering I'm going to have to run a whole country full of people one day.

There's an awkward silence in the room at first but then Daniel breaks it.

"I've been talking to all of the girls and they are all so lovely. You're very lucky Alex." He says loudly so that they can hear.

I notice a few of the girls blushing. How does he do it?

"Well, I look forward to getting to know them." I say just as loudly.

None of the girls blush. I suppose I need to compliment them in some way. Oh, I'll figure this all out soon enough, I'm sure. For now, I really need to finish this book. The girls can wait. I turn on my kindle and start reading.

Five minutes later, a blonde girl with sparkling blue eyes leans over my shoulder. 

"What are you reading?" She asks. 

I look at her and recognise her as Lady Sunny.

"'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. It's my favourite book." I answer.

She smiles brightly. "Oh, I love Harry Potter."

"Me too." Another girl pipes up. Lady Indie.

Lady Indie intrigues me. She's very different from the other girls. I've only ever seen her wear black clothes which she accessorises with blues or reds. The other girls tend to opt for the brighter colours. I'm not saying I really have a preference, it's just different.

I notice Daniel staring at her from the opposite sofa. I wonder if he's interested in her? I wouldn't have thought that she'd be his type. Then again, who knows what Dan's type is?

AprilMay

I hear a knock on my bedroom door and rush to answer it. I'm so fast I actually manage to answer it before any of my three maids. I'm sure I know who it is. I've heard from some of the other girls that the dates have finally started. I open the door and sure enough, there he is; Alex. I smile at him and push a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Lady AprilMay, would you like to accompany me to the gardens?" He asks, smiling back.

"Of course," I answer eagerly and step out the door- completely forgetting to bring a jacket of some sort.

He offers his arm to me and I take it. We walk to the gardens having light conversation. It's not forced- there isn't much tension- but I can tell he doesn't really know how to talk to girls. 

I bite my lip and try to hide a laugh when he starts going on about the evolution of whales. Unfortunately, he notices.

"What? Why are you laughing?" He asks, worriedly. "I swear, they really were land mammals millions of years ago."

I laugh loudly now. He thinks I'm laughing because I don't believe him.

"No, I do believe you. It's just-" I can't finish my sentence because I'm laughing so hard.

"Just what?' He asks.

"Just that you really don't know how to talk to girls, do you?" I ask, still laughing.

His face reddens and he looks down.

I roll my eyes and hug him. He stiffens, surprised at my actions but I just move his arms so that they wrap around me.

"This is how you hug people, Alex." I giggle.

He seems to relax a little and hugs me back. I pull away after a few seconds and look up at him.

"Don't worry I think it's adorable." I tell him.

He blushes and I resist the urge to tell him how handsome he is with rosy cheeks.

We walk around the gardens for a while and then sit down on a bench. 

"So, what are your family like?" He asks.

I frown slightly. That's one of the last things I want to talk about. 

"Well... Let's just say we aren't close. I don't see my Mum and Dad often, they just stop by to give me and my brother Sammy some money on occasion. And not much at that."

He looks at me for a moment. I wonder if he pities me? I hope not.

"And how old is Sammy?" 

I think for a moment. "He'll be ten in August." 

We sit in a comfortable silence for a moment. I shiver at the thought of my Mum and Dad.

"Are you cold?" He asks me worriedly.

I shake my head but actually the warm summer's evening has turned a bit chill. He shakes his head at me and laughs.

"You're not a very good liar, are you?" 

I shake my head in reply and bite my lip. He takes off his blazer and places it over my shoulders.

"But won't you be cold?" I ask, looking up at him.

"So long as you're okay, I'm okay."

That's so sweet. He doesn't even know me but he already cares. I can see it in his eyes. I look at him, considering something for a moment and then ruffle his golden hair. He looks at me in confusion. I giggle.

"Sorry, I had to do that. You're hair is great." 

He blushes again and laughs slightly.

We talk some more but when it starts getting dark he walks me back to my room- which is sad because I like it best when it's dark and the stars can be seen. I open the door to my room and hand him back his blazer.

"Thank you for a lovely evening." I say to him, smiling.

He takes the blazer and leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek. "No, thank you." He whispers in my ear. His voice sends shivers down my spine and I feel my cheeks flush red. He smiles at me one last time and then walks away. I close my door and lean against it as I melt inside.