The SelecTXTion

Chapter 20

*author's note*

Hi everyone! We are so sorry to have kept you waiting such a long time for an update. Life is... hectic lol. We will hopefully be posting updates more frequently now. Thank you for being patient with us! :)

- h, j, & t

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"He had surely never expected to develop feelings on his first date."

yeonjun

written by: t

Yeonjun had been extremely overwhelmed the entirety of the group date. It had been his first date not just within the Selection, but his first date... ever. As heir to the throne, he never got a chance to date, and he wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for his first.

Beomgyu showing up was not part of the plan, which had overwhelmed him even more than the normal first date nerves. Why can't Beomgyu understand how stressful the Selection is for me? Yeonjun reflected on the rest of the date as he walked over to where Amy sat in a lawn chair.

He had enjoyed watching Amy, Maddie, and Taehyun relive memories from their childhood. It made him wish he had someone he could share memories like that with. He smiled as the three of them erupted into laughter over a third-grade memory he couldn't relate to in the slightest.

Forgetting about his hint of sadness, he considered his feelings for Amy and Maddie as the group continued to reminisce. One of them could be his future wife, after all.

Yeonjun loved Maddie's competitive side and how she wasn't afraid to show her tougher personality around him. He loved her laugh; it was so cheery and lightened up many awkward moments during the date. As for Amy, Yeonjun was mesmerized by her simple beauty. He loved the way her hair fell behind her shoulders, the way she sipped her drink and the softness of her hands. She didn't seem to be afraid of affection at all, and Yeonjun appreciated how she invited him to hold her hand or return her smile.

"Want to head inside? It's getting hot out here," Amy asked, bringing Yeonjun back to the present. He noticed Maddie and Taehyun had already begun walking away.

"Of course. I'll walk you back to your room." Yeonjun said to Amy, holding her hand as she stood up from the chair.

She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head, revealing her deep green eyes. Yeonjun noticed how they matched the vibrant green of the early summer leaves. Yeonjun and Amy waved to Maddie and Taehyun as they disappeared into the castle. Beomgyu was long gone at this point, off to who knows where.

Leave it to Beomgyu to crash my date and then walk away without saying anything besides "I don't want to get burned". Yeonjun rolled his eyes at the thought, but quickly brought his attention back to Amy, who was ready to leave.

"Should I put this chair back by the picnic things?" Amy asked, cutely tilting her head to the side.

"No, it's alright. One of the staff will get it," Yeonjun replied.

"Okay, let me grab my bag," Amy ran over to the picnic blanket, slung her tote bag over her shoulders, and ran back to Yeonjun.

Her legs peeked through the slit in her dress as she moved towards him. It almost seemed as if she was moving in slow motion as Yeonjun watched her hair flow behind her, just like in movies.

Seriously, he scolded himself. He had to remind himself that there were other girls he was dating, other girls that he felt connections with. He couldn't use up all of his feelings on one girl alone, even though he did enjoy the feelings growing between Amy and himself. This is why I was against dating 35 girls in the first place. I don't know how to date and have connections with multiple girls. I don't even know how to connect with one.

"Ready!" she said with a smile as she approached. Suddenly, her glasses slipped down her face, loose from the momentum of her running, and landing on the tip of her nose. "Oops," she exclaimed, reaching to fix them.

Yeonjun laughed. "Let me help you." He reached for her sunglasses and put them back on her head.

She stared in amazement at him and quickly laughed to ease the silence. "Thank you," she replied.

Yeonjun was equally amazed with himself. He was shocked he had the confidence to do such a thing, especially with how nervous he was for his first date.

Amy boldly slipped her hand through his, and the pair made their way back inside the palace. She continued sipping on her drink.

"I am so glad Maddie and Taehyun got along so well. It was just like old times!"

"I'm glad he could come along. I didn't know that Beomgyu was going to be attending, but whatever," Yeonjun replied with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, he was surely entertaining all right!" Amy replied.

Yeonjun grimaced, thinking about all of the random things Beomgyu had said and done during the group date. Luckily, Amy had laughed at all of his brother's quirks.

Yeonjun moved closer to her as they walked inside the castle. He could feel the sun's warmth radiating off her tanned arms.

"Yeonjun," she hesitated, still obviously uncomfortable with using the prince's name so casually. "You need to try these pink sodas next time. They were fabulous."

"Next time?" Yeonjun asked, prompting her about her choice of words. He watched as Amy's face turned red.

"Well, I mean, when you get a chance, sometime, maybe...." she stuttered.

Yeonjun smiled, happy to be the one causing nervousness, and not the other way around for once.

"Trust me, there will be a next time. Thanks for a great day," he said with a smile.

She returned his gesture, turning her key in the lock on her bedroom door.

Yeonjun wished he could spend more time with her, but unfortunately, he had official business to catch up on. He wanted more time with her so they could get to know each other. He wanted to share his initial nervous feelings and how her confidence rubbed off on him. He wanted to rant about the whole Selection and how hard it's been on him, but because of who he was, he couldn't continue the date, even though he wanted to. He hadn't met a girl whom he felt so easily connected to with barely knowing each other. He worried he would get used to the feeling. Surely not every girl could be this way.

Yeonjun gave Amy's hand a quick squeeze, gave her one last smile, and walked away.

"Lieutenant Yun," he said, pausing quickly to greet the guard by her door before turning away. His cheeks flushed, slightly embarrassed that Lieutenant Yun had witnessed the scene. He decided to shrug it off, this was the Selection after all. Isn't this what I'm supposed to be doing?

He continued down the hallway, still feeling the warmth from Amy's touch. He felt like he could see the flames connecting the two of them. Or perhaps a string of fate as some stories suggest. He had surely never expected to develop feelings on his first date. 

......