strings attached ; firstprince

chapter one

"Hey guys, we're just going to find a bathroom," Nora announces with June holding onto her arm.

"Oh, I can show you where it is?" Pez offers.

"Yes please," Nora smiles gratefully. Pez leads June and Nora away and Alex feels painfully awkward standing with Henry who evidently doesn't want to be here. Alex sits down in a free lawn chair and opens his drink instead. He may need a few more to get through this night. He watches as Henry grabs a drink and remains standing, an almost miserable look on his face.

"How was the big move?" Alex attempts, looking up at him. He makes Alex feel small and unworthy. Henry just sighs, taking a sip of his drink and Alex wishes he didn't even bother. He goes to get up but simultaneously Henry turns to say something. Before the words leave his mouth, Henry crashes into Alex's chest the moment he stands up and Henry's canned lemon lime and bitters has cascaded down the front of Alex's shirt. They both stare at each other, wide-eyed and speechless. Henry's eyes are unreadable and Alex's are undoubtedly full of rage. Alex stares down at his white shirt which is now transparent as it sticks to his built chest. Slowly, Alex looks up to Henry who just stares wordlessly at his now apparent athletic figure.

"What the fuck is your problem with me?" Alex seethes, pulling down on the bottom of his shirt and giving it an aggressive shake.

"I- I didn't mean," Henry splutters. He quickly pulls off the grey hoodie he's wearing and holds it in his fist towards Alex "You can wear this?"

"Just forget it," Alex grumbles, taking his shirt off instead and chucking it on the sand. "I'd rather go shirtless."

Henry's eyes linger on Alex's bare chest, his expression still unreadable. He clears his throat. "Right, okay. Sorry."

"Sure," Alex says coldly. There's a palpable silence that falls between them and they look at each for a moment as if to see who will break it. "I'm gonna go."

Before Henry even has the chance to respond, Alex has walked away, not sure where he intends to go but is quick to find familiar faces he would rather talk to.

The night grows colder as people slowly begin to leave and the music dies down. Alex finds himself buzzing, sitting almost uncomfortably close to the fire that's slowly fizzling. The heat licks at his skin, but he doesn't seem to notice as everything around him spins and blurs. His chest is finally dry but he almost regrets not taking Henry's stupid hoodie. He would rather get hypothermia than wear that snob's clothes anyway.

"What are you doing on your own?" A voice beside him asks, making him flinch for a moment. He turns to see a classmate, he isn't sure of his name but he definitely has a pretty face. His sandy hair is wild, his jaw is chiselled and his pink lips smile at him.

"'M freezing," Alex mumbles, he watches the man's eyes flicker from his lips back to his eyes. "Some dickhead spilled his drink on me."

"I can keep you warm?" He offers as he shuffles closer to him, his body heat making his side tingle and his breath shutter. Before he knows it, he's kissing the second stranger of the night.

The next few hours are a blur, he vaguely remembers the messy making out but he isn't sure how he made it back to his own dorm room.

It's not until the light of morning creeps over his eyes that he realises he had stripped naked at some point and is lying on top of his made bed. He really hopes he stripped after he got into his room. When that thought results in a panic he quickly sits up and looks down beside his bed to see the pants he wore the night before left on the floor. Relief washes over him only for a moment before he remembers why he had to ditch his shirt. How can someone he thought was so cool be such a prick?

"Alex? Are you alive?" Nora's voice says behind the door. Alex freezes.

"Yeah, wait a second!" Alex quickly grabs the first pair of boxers he sees off his ground and pulls them on. He stumbles to his door and opens it to reveal a well-rested Nora.

"You look fresh as a daisy," Nora jokes. Alex rolls his eyes and walks back to his bed, falling on it face first. "Big night?"

"Don't even get me started," Alex mumbles into his pillow. He rolls over and adjusts himself so that he is in the therapy position and Nora takes that as a cue to sit on his couch. "So, I hooked up with someone last night."

"That girl Amber?"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about her. No, I don't really know his name, I didn't ask..."

Nora gasps. "Who are you? You hooked up with not only one but two people in one night? Oh my god, you are finally entering your overdue slut phase."

"I don't even know how it happened. I was drunk and mad and well, he was really pretty and he kissed me and-"

"Wait. Why were you mad?"

"Ugh, why do you have to focus on my feelings?"

"You brought it up," Nora shrugs. "What happened?"

"Henry happened," Alex huffs, his eyes staring at the ceiling and his brows furrowing from annoyance just thinking about it.

"What? Henry? You already have beef with him?" Nora asks, genuinely confused and slightly concerned.

"He was being so blunt and dry with me and then he spilled his stupid lemon lime and bitters on me," Alex rants. "I had to go shirtless for the rest of the night!"

"Oh," is all Nora says.

"Oh?" Alex repeats.

"Henry left like, right as we came back and you must've just walked off before we got there," Nora explains. "He didn't say much and Pez was pretty confused."

"Yeah, well, he's an asshole."

"Be nice," Nora says calmly. "It was probably an accident."

"Yeah, spilling the drink maybe, but sighing every time I said something to him wasn't. It's like I wasn't worthy to be in his presence."

Nora hums in acknowledgment but doesn't say anything. Alex sits up and pivots so he's facing her. "Hello?"

"I don't know, I feel like you haven't really given him a chance," Nora says carefully. "He could've just been having a bad day."

"Why do you have to be so level-headed about everything?" Alex asks, smiling a little.

Nora shrugs, smiling. "Someone has to be."

"I think I would make some pretty bad decisions without you," Alex says fondly.

"You still do," Nora laughs. "Just not as much as you would've."

"Yeah, whatever," Alex grins. "Where's your other half, by the way?"

Nora starts to laugh. "She had way too much last night, I was holding her hair back and helping her in the shower by 11 pm."

"I'm not even surprised," Alex laughs. "No wonder I never saw you guys again that night."

"Yeah, poor darling is still asleep," Nora says. "Haven't seen or heard from Pez for a while either."

"Maybe Henry has finally pushed him over the edge?"

"Let it go, Alex," Nora says amusedly, trying not to laugh.

"I will die with this grudge," Alex says dramatically.

"I'm sure you will."