Royal (A Selection Fan Fiction) (Book One in my Selection Series)

Chapter 22

"Hey! Char!" Addy runs up to me. "Have you danced with Alex yet?" I don't reply but just shake my head no. "Darn it Charlie." She huffs. "Wanna dance with one of my brothers?"

"Is that legal? Or could I get in trouble for holding a prince?" I ask wonderingly.

"I don't know." She says looking over to where her brothers and parents sit. "I'll go ask."

"No it's fine." I say reaching out an arm but she was already gone. I laugh a little and sit down. I'd already had a few glasses of wine and ate a bit from the desert table.

Alex hadn't talked to me this entire party and it was starting to get discouraging. I looked over and saw him dancing with Catastrophe for nearly the tenth time. I just look away and see Addy walking around people with her two little brothers with their dark hair brushed and gelled a little.

"She said it was perfectly fine." Addy says. "You can take Toby I'll have Todd." She hands me Toby's tiny hand who looks up at me with big eyes.

"This is Charlie, Toby, be nice." Addy says walking to where everyone was dancing. As much as I could stare at the cute little twins, I couldn't help but focus on Catastrophe pressing her butt against Alex the way she was. The worst part was the way she let him.

"Hi Charlie." Toby says in a small voice I can barely hear.

"Hello Toby." I say not even keeping from laughing.

"Do you want bubby to fall in love with you?" It takes me a minute to figure out what he means.

"You could put it that way." I couldn't say no. I know that is against the law.

"Or is it the other way around?" He was genuinely questioning me, but he had a point. Maybe it wasn't just the prince falling in love with me, but would I be capable of those feelings to him? Would I even have a choice in the end?

"I don't know, Toby." I say honestly. Addy dances with Todd nearly knocking him over while she waves her arms to the music. I lean down so I'm able to reach Toby's arms.

He just nods satisfied and jumps slightly to the upbeat music.

I saw a few girls look at me weird or just roll their Eyes. Did they think I was doing this for the prince?

"Do you love him yet?" Toby asks me.

I don't know how to answer him. Could I trust a five year old to keep my secret. Did I really love the prince? The most important question though, did I want to live?

"Yes." Lies. I think. Toby waves for me to come down to his ear level. I squat down with my dress flowing around me.

"He loves you too." He says quietly with hands cupped around his mouth that was close to  my ear.

I can feel Alex watching me and see him out of the corner of my eye.

"I don't know about that." I laugh softly.

"Mother needs us Toby." Addy says. Toby looks at me with a small pout.

"Go on." I say smiling a little and standing up. He turns around obviously not happy and walks with his sister back to his parents.

I walk back over to a chair and sit alone. Not soon after Alex walks over to me. I try not to act any different when I turn to meet his eyes.

"I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look today." He says. I don't know if it was me being upset or I just forgot to reply leaving us in awkward silence. "Not that you don't always do. But.." He drifts off a little.

"Thank you." I say simply. I realize the song has gotten softer into a slow dance.

"May I have this dance?" He asks. I smile a little but it isn't real. I wonder if this is what it would be like for the rest of my life if we were to marry? Just fake smiles? A fake love?

I nods and take his hand. He leads me out to the dance floor. We start only stepping back and forth slowly.

"You should wear your hair like that more often." Alex says, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

"You have my maids to thank for that." I laugh a little, but it wasn't really real. I couldn't help but focus on the daggers being shot at me by Catastrophe.

"I saw you with Toby. He seems to like you." He says with only a little emotion in his voice. Maybe Curiosity? Maybe even accusation?

"Like all my siblings seem to." He continues.

I look at him with my torso rigid while my feet flow clumsily across the floor.

"Okay? So your siblings favor me a little over the others? Are you accusing me of something?" I ask snorting.

"Not just a little, Charlie. Addy refuses to even officially meet any of the other girls." Alex says raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't want to meet a lot of people either if I were her." I say honestly.

"Okay." He says simply. We dance for a while longer before I end up laying my head on his chest, not out of affection but just being tired. If it were up to me I'd be sitting with a cup of wine in my hand.

"Would you like to take a seat yet?" Alex asks me with a laugh. I nod a little smiling and walk over to a seat. He sits beside me.

"You should probably go dance with your dancing partner." I say nonchalantly.

"Don't be like that." Alex replies quickly looking at me.

"Like what?" I ask raising my eyebrow.

"Jealous?" He shoot and he misses. Turns out there was never a goal.

"Don't you dare even think for a moment that I would ever want to be like, look like, or have anything to do with a girl like that. Never less jealous of her." I snort and grab a glass of wine that has probably already been drank from, from a waitress's tray.

"God Char." Alex rubs his eyebrows with one hand.

"God what Alex? What is it? I shouldn't even be here, because I don't know what type of girl you even want.  Because I know there is a fine line between girls like that and girls like me and I don't want to be sorted into the same category as her." I say standing up. He stands too.

"What do you want me to do? Send you home?" Alex says.

"Just figure out what kind of person you want to spend the rest of your life with!" I try and walk past him but he holds an arm out to block me. I push past him and to the entrance.

His hand wraps around my wrist. I turn on him but I'm just tired.

"Don't." It wasn't the demand in my voice or the sternness but just the sorrow. He lets go with the scene of everyone behind him watching. The music had stopped and the waitress's had peaked around the other people.

I turned and fled.

As some of you know it's been really hard recently and it's not getting better but I'm still trying to write💞 love you all!