strings attached ; firstprince

chapter four

"Fair enough."

"Also, did you have the address?" Alex asks, leaning against the open doorway and crossing his arms over his chest. Henry's eyes flicker to Alex's arms and up to his eyes again.

"Yes, I'll just get it up on my phone," Henry says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. The moment Henry unlocks it and puts the location into maps, Alex impulsively plucks Henry's phone from his fingers. Henry makes a noise of protest while Alex puts his contact into his phone and quickly hands it back to Henry who is already staring at him wide-eyed.

"You can just text it to me," Alex says breezily followed by a wink. Henry looks at his phone with a soft smile.

"I don't usually do emojis," is all Henry says.

—

It's around 9 p.m. when Alex finally decides it's a reasonable time to show up. Alex drives there as the address Henry sent him is just a little out of walking distance and he's not sure if he will stick around for long. He needs to stop saying yes to things he really doesn't want to do just because a pretty boy with dimples asked him to.

Especially when he pulls up outside and there are cars parked all along the street and on the grass in front of the house that is overflowing with people, music and flashing lights. He sucks in a deep breath and resorts to parking down the street. As he walks to the house, the blurred noise mixed with chatter and booming music grows louder with every step he takes across the lawn and he strongly considers just turning back.

There are people surrounding the place, a few even stare as he walks in. The moment Alex enters through the open door, it's abundantly clear that he is the only sober person present. The first thing he notices is the couple making out on a couch and a poor guy sitting on the floor, blacked out and slumped against a wall just beside them. Alex has been there far too many times.

"What's wrong with him?" Alex hears someone ask.

"K hole."

Alex scans the room. It reeks of weed and alcohol and for some reason it sends a surge of anxiety through his body, wondering if Henry is still even here or if he's safe. His heart crawls into his throat when he finally spots him. Henry is leaning against a wall, his eyes glassy and his cheeks flushed. There's a short blonde girl talking to him, her eyes full of concern and her hand rubbing his arm. He hurriedly beelines towards them.

"Hey," Alex says. Henry's head snaps towards him and a smile immediately engulfs his face.

"Alex!" Henry grins, slurring a little. The blonde girl looks at him, taken by surprise but a look of recognition lights up her eyes.

"Oh, so you're Alex?" She says, smirking slightly.

"That would be me," Alex confirms.

She crosses her arms and leans against the wall, smiling. "He's quite the dancer."

"Is he now?" Alex laughs, looking at Henry who shrugs amusedly.

Henry stares at Alex with soft eyes and a gentle smile. Alex feels his cheeks hurting from how much he's grinning back at him. Henry drops his gaze bashfully and Alex wants to follow that smile, wants to hold his face in his hands and never let go. He needs to calm down.

"He tried to ballroom dance with me in the middle of the living room," the girl replies, giggling. "It was amazing. We had everyone watching."

"Sounds like I missed one hell of a party," Alex jokes.

"I missed you," Henry says abruptly as he lifts his gaze. Alex's breath hitches. He gulps, not sure if Henry really knows what he's saying.

"How much have you had?" Is what Alex decides to reply with. An unreadable expression crosses his features before he fronts a bashful smile.