Her Fierce Protector

Chapter 15

"So… what are we gonna do now?" Amaru asked Ashera. Now that they both know that they want to see each other often, they need to do something for that to happen, "What are we gonna do now for us to meet as often as we could?"

"You can just visit me in our house, Amaru. Our house is open for suitors."

"Suitors?" he repeated and chuckled a bit for that, "I'm your suitor?"

Ashera glared at her, feeling suddenly insulted with his tone and question, but for Amaru, that was an innocent and harmless question, he does not know when can a woman call a man her suitor, especially since courtship does not usually exist in their race. Only a few of them know how to do courtship.

"Alright… I'm your suitor," Amaru said and laughed at the beautiful maiden, "But…"

Ashera's brows turned up when he added, "But?"

"But I want you to be mine, exclusively."

"Wow!" Ashera sarcastically laughed at him, "You're just a suitor, Amaru, you're not yet my boyfriend!"

"B-boyfriend? What is a boyfriend?" he asked. There are terms for mortals that he never knew the meaning of and the word boyfriend is one of those.

Ashera rolled her eyes thinking that he was just pretending like he doesn't know that word, "Boyfriend… the one that a woman has a romantic or s****l relationship with, Amaru. How could you not know that?"

Oh, shoot. That's what she meant.

"Then make me your boyfriend then," Amaru said simply.

"No, you need to court me first, Amaru."

"Hmm?" Amaru grinned at the maiden that is starting to get irritated now, "I can just court you every day if that's what you want. Reject all your suitors and be my mate."

"What?!" Ashera reacted soon.

"Why? Do you have a suitor that you like other than me?"

Ashera shook her head, that was an honest answer. She looked at Amaru, it seems like there are some terms that they know differently.

"Wait…" Amaru licked his lips and looked at her again, his way of looking at her now has a different effect on her whole-being now. His eyes are what she really admires, those beautiful gray eyes that she can watch 'til they part their ways again.

"What?"

"You told me that a boyfriend is a man that you have a romantic or social relationship with…"

"Yes?"

"Does it mean that we will do that too?"

"What?" Ashera didn't get what the man asked, "What do you mean?"

Amaru shook his head and laughed, "Nevermind…"

Ashera sighed and looked at Amaru, "You can just visit me in our home, Amaru. My father forbids me to come here to the forest. I just escape and sneak out, that's why I can sometimes visit this forest."

Amaru's bone on his neck moved, he just gulped, "Ashera… I cannot show myself to your father or your family now."

Ashera's forehead creased suddenly, she didn't know what Amaru meant by his words that he couldn't show himself to her family, "Why?"

"Ashera…" Amaru sighed, "I just can't. As much as I want to, I just can't. It'll be safer for us to keep what we have for now on ourselves."

"Why?" She moved away from Amaru, she felt the sudden pain in her chest and she was clueless why.

"Ashera…" he tried reaching for her hand but Ashera avoided his hold, "Ashera, come here…"

She suddenly felt disappointed in Amaru, it was a sign of respect to let her parents know about them, that's why she does not understand why Amaru wanted to keep what they have as a secret.

"I thought… you want us to see each other often… I assume you like me, Amaru, why can't you meet my parents then?"

Amaru sighed, "I'm gonna meet them soon, at the right time, Ashera. Trust me, okay?"

"Why not now?"

"Because it's not yet the right time to tell them. I will make you understand soon, okay? For now, let's just keep this for ourselves, okay?"

Ashera took a deep breath. Amaru pulled her back and hugged her. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

Ashera looked at Amaru. Ashera nodded.

"That's what we need to do for now. Let's start trusting each other," Amaru said. Ashera can hear the beating of his heart while her face is on his chest, she can even feel his breathing.

I will not take too long," Ashera said, "My mother might come back now from the farm and might find out that my sister let me leave for a short while."

"I understand," Amaru said, "You'll visit me again tomorrow, yes?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"I can visit you near your village if you want," Amaru said, "But only during the night when the moon is not full."

Ashera wanted to ask why but she chose not to. She just nodded at him.

"I guess you can sneak out at night?"

Ashera smiled, "I'll see what I can do," Ashera said and smiled at Amaru.

She still couldn't believe that they are talking about them right now. She just confessed that she wanted to see him earlier, and now they're planning what they should do next. She does not have any problem with it, honestly, she was happy with what is happening to them right now. She is not yet sure of what she truly feels for the gray-eyed man, one thing is for sure, and that is… Amaru is very different from all of her suitors. He gives her the feeling of something she cannot name. Even yesterday when they got home, Amaru kept running on her head, especially his muscled body. He is very guilty for fantasizing about her, that was her first time thinking about a man almost all the time. That is also the reason why she forced her sister to let her leave the house for a while as their parents were still on the farm.

"I have to leave now," Ashera said to Amaru, she doesn't want to leave so early but she has no other choice.

Amaru pulled her once again and hugged her tightly.

"Bye…" Amaru said.

"Bye."

Ashera looked at Amaru one more time before she finally ran back to their village, she was lucky enough to find that her mother was not yet there.

Amaru, being left in the forest by Ashera because she needed to go home before her mother does, took a deep breath. It just felt so good to be with her and the thought that they are slowly getting into something he knew he will like, that makes him so happy.

He was even whistling while walking back to their village as he recalled what happened between them earlier.

There are a lot of things he does not know how to make works, just like what he had told her earlier about going near Ashera's village, he is not sure if he could make that possible. He shifts every time the moon is full. Aside from that, he cannot be seen by mortals.

He also does not have any idea how courtship works for mortals, he is clueless about where to start and what he should do first.

As if on cue, he found his foolish friend, Xerxes, coming.

Maybe he has the idea of courtship.

"Xerxes?!" he called him in his usual voice. The pact warrior immediately grinned seeing him and rushed to him. They're not yet in their village.

"Gamma lover boy, how was your flirting?" Xerxes teased him, getting comfortable again, probably it was obvious on his face that he had a good time with the beautiful mortal.

"Good, really good," he said and chuckled, he ran out of words to describe what he was feeling because of what just happened earlier.

"It was obvious, Dude," Xerxes said and laughed then tapped his shoulder, "I'm happy for you, Dude."

Amaru nodded.l, "Though… I wanna ask you about something."

"What is it?"

Amaru's brows furrowed like he was really clueless and confused about it, "Dude, how does courtship work? I'm her suitor now," he proudly said the latter words.

His friend suddenly burst out laughing at his face like he just said something funny.

His reaction on his face immediately changed, he suddenly narrowed his eyes at his laughing friend, when Xerxes saw that, he forced himself to stop laughing, he was even coughing because of laughing too much.

"Dude, why did you sound proud telling that you are her suitor? Dude, anyone can be a suitor of a woman if he wants to."

"What?" Amaru asked, and couldn't believe what he just heard from his friend.

He gulped and stilled as the realization hit him so suddenly, "Do you mean that I can be Ashera's suitor even without her confirming that I am her suitor?" he asked innocently.

"Precisely," his friend said like he was just on point.

Amaru sighed… and here I thought that being a suitor is something… promotional. He winced with that thought realizing how stupid he was.

"Now you realize?" his foolish friend mocked him.

He glared at Xerxes, "Why didn't you tell me?" he annoyingly asked.

"Why? You didn't ask, Dude!"

He gritted his teeth and looked at Xerxes, "So how can I court her then?"

"Well," his friend looked serious again, "I'm not sure about this, but I heard this from the mortals while I was roaming around."

"Hmm?"

"They give flowers and presents to the woman they like. Like freshly picked flowers, Dude. Then presents, I don't know what kind of presents, but they said presents, so it's presents."

He glared at his friend again, "You're nonsense!"

Xerxes' mouth dropped open, "Dude, I'm serious!"

"Then what?"

"Then they sing a song for the woman they like—"

"What?"

"They sing a song, Dude," Xerxes said and suddenly showed him, "Like La-la-la-la-la-hmm-hmm-yeah!"

"What?! I'm not doing that, Xerxes!" he shouted.

"But that's how they do it!" Xerxes said and laughed.

"I'm not doing that, Xerxes!"

"Then you have a low chance to make her your mate," Xerxes said and crossed his arms on his chest.

He looked at his friend intently, he glared at him trying to see if he was just making him a fool, but Xerxes was consistent, he didn't take his words back, which means it was true.

He sighed, he never experienced singing, not even once.

Whatever… I'll do it as long as it's for her.