strings attached ; firstprince

chapter five

It's a dreary Monday that drags on for what feels like forever. The past 24 hours have been absolute torture for Alex. Henry has completely iced him out, ignoring every call and text, blatantly avoiding him at all costs. Alex tries not to be completely devastated about it.

Saying the moment in his car replays inside his head a thousand times would be an understatement. Catching feelings for someone you're only trying to be casual with isn't ideal and if Henry's smile didn't do it for him, knowing him would've.

Alex started this thing with Henry–he calls it a thing because what the fuck is it really?– with entirely different intentions to what he has currently. Henry has ceased communication with his horrible ex, so his end of the deal was done and yet Alex is still doing this favour for Pez that really isn't a favour anymore.

Sitting with his thoughts and getting no response from Henry is driving Alex to insanity and he doesn't know who else to bother about his quandary other than June and Nora.

"What did you do?" June is asking him when she opens the door for Alex who walks right past her to sit on June's bed. June closes the door after him with a sigh and turns to look at him, her arms crossed. Nora is already looking at him expectantly from her bed beside him. Alex assumes by their knowing looks that they've already been informed of his predicament. Nothing seems to get past them.

"You heard?" Alex sighs, not surprised at all. Nora and June share a quick glance, probably having a freakish telepathic conversation with their eyes as usual. Alex would hate it if it wasn't so cute.

"Yeah, we heard... Pez was here earlier," Nora frowns.

"What happened?" June asks as she sits beside Nora. June and Nora both share the same concerned expression on their faces.

Alex sucks in a deep breath. "I picked him up from a party and drove him back to campus and... He tried to kiss me... And I didn't want to kiss him while he was drunk."

"Aw-" June begins to coo.

"And now he's completely ghosted me."

"Oh," June winces. "Yikes."

Alex makes a token noise of agreement. "Yup."

Nora hums thoughtfully. "Yeah, Pez said Henry wasn't in a good mood and that he didn't want to talk about it."

"Numbers on Henry hating me right now?" Alex asks hesitantly, unsure if he wants the answer.

"Well, when we tried to make a plan for the group today, Henry said he wouldn't come if you were there... So I would say about an eighty-five percent probability," Nora says slowly.

"Fuck."

"Still a fifteen percent chance he might not? Not the worst odds," June says with no confidence whatsoever. Alex finds it the opposite of comforting. "He probably thinks you were just fucking with him."

"Well... I kinda was..." Alex murmurs. "And then I really wasn't... What do I do?"

The girls share another quick glance.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Nora suggests. Alex sometimes wonders how Nora can be so smart and expect so little from him. Alex rolls his eyes.

"Obviously," Alex replies flatly. "He's ignoring me. I texted, I called. Oh, and Pez didn't let me in when I went over there."

"Woof," Nora says. June makes a noise of agreement.

Alex stands up as he seems to be the only one trying to sort out this fuckery of a situation. "You guys are no help."

"Wait!" June says putting a hand out to stop him. Alex looks at her with a blank expression as she points her finger to the bed in a downward motion. "Sit."