Goddess Secret by M. W. Muse Page A

that. It doesn’t matter. I’m not confused, so keep your hands to yourself.” She turned away from him and started to walk off.
    “Wait!”
    She turned back around and glared at River. “What?”
    “What do you mean I have to keep my hands to myself?” He looked panicked. “I-I, umm, I told you I was going to respect your relationship with Adin. I’m not going to get mad about petty things anymore. I know your relationship with him is none of my business.”
    “Then what do you not understand here?”
    “Our friendship has nothing to do with Adin. Why do I have to keep my hands to myself?”
    “Really, River? Because you try taking it too far. Don’t act like you don’t.” She crossed her arms.
    “Please, Legacy, please…” River stepped over to her. He had his arms reached out like he was going to hug her, but crossed his arms and rubbed on them with his hands. He stepped closer to her, shaking his head. If she wasn’t so fed up with him, she’d feel bad. “Don’t do this to me. The only joy I have in life is being near you. I don’t get to touch you very often as it is. Please don’t cut me off completely. I don’t know how I could manage going through life without the hope that I’d get to touch you in some way. You have no idea how much I look forward to stroking your arm, caressing your cheek, hugging you…”
    “I’m sorry.” She shook her head and started to turn around again.
    “ Legacy !” River jumped in front of her, stopping her from leaving. “Calli touches you all the time. It’s not fair to hold her to a different set of standards.” Oh, he was grasping all right.
    “ Calli isn’t in love with me, and she sure as hell isn’t seeking out opportunities to take advantage of her friendship.”
    “I’m not taking advantage of you.” River shook his head and closed his eyes.
    “But you are in love with me.”
    “Legacy, please don’t.”
    “But you are.” She needed him to face it.
    “With all my heart,” he said slowly as he shut his eyes. He had his arms wrapped around himself as if he were trying to hold himself together physically to keep from falling apart emotionally.
    “Which is why you’re not the best judge of character when it comes to how you interact with me. You can make the earth move by just thinking about me. That’s major.”
    River opened his pleading eyes. “It’s not what you think,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “The first time I felt the tremors, I was thinking about you, but it wasn’t because I was thinking romantic thoughts. I was sad.”
    “What do you mean you were sad?”
    “I was feeling ignored. You were out with Adin, and I was wallowing in my own neglected feelings. Granted, I didn’t have to hold you to show you what I could do, but I wanted to see if I could still embrace those neglected feelings with you in my arms. The conflicting emotions caused a powerful result, which was what I wanted to see. You were the only one I could have tested that with.”
    “You could have told me this yesterday.”
    “I didn’t want you knowing the emotions behind the tremors. I know you worry about the boundaries of our friendship. I figured if I told you what I was thinking about, then you’d get mad at me for feeling ignored.”
    She nodded, not saying anything. He had a point there.
    “I think that’s why I got so mad about Adin. I had just embraced my neglected, unrequited feelings right before I found out he wasn’t helping you—”
    “He is helping me!”
    “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. I know he’s helping you, but I had just found out that he chose not to get to know Venus. I know I would’ve handled myself differently. I still know that, but since I had to feel completely neglected by you to make the tremors happen, it made me feel—in that moment—like you deserved better than what you were getting from Adin. I just wasn’t emotionally ready to deal with Adin not giving you want you wanted. Even if