strings attached ; firstprince

chapter five

"Well I'm kinda busy with organising the ball and all..." June sighs over the phone. "Is it important?"

"I mean... Only my love life is on the line so... I suppose not," Alex drawls, smiling to himself knowingly.

"I'm listening."

"You can't ask follow-up questions," Alex says seriously.

"Mhm."

"You've read Jane Austen, what's Emma about?" Alex asks, skimming the pages himself. "How can I use it as a pickup line?"

"You're evil for not allowing follow-up questions."

"If this doesn't work I'd rather have zero witnesses," Alex says. June groans loud enough for Alex to pick up his phone and hover it by his ear at a safe distance.

"Fine. Basically, Emma tries to play matchmaker with her friends and ends up just making a mess of things. People either love or hate her."

"Okay, I can work with that," Alex hums.

"What are you plan-" Alex hangs up before she finishes her sentence. She can't tell June his plan until he knows it's worked. After an hour of many Google searches and skimmed pages later, Alex writes:

My Dearest Henry

Like Emma, I may be clueless

But another chance and I promise to be less stupid.

P.S This book provided me with a new favourite quote:

"If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."

Alex closes the book, relieved he finally conjured up something he deemed good enough for the note stuck inside. Alex hopes with every fibre of his being that this works out for him.

It's 6 in the evening when Alex leaves the third book in front of Henry and Pez's door. Once again, he knocks and races down the corridor. As he walks down the stairs, he hears the echo of a door opening which has him smiling from ear to ear.

—

"What are you thinking of playing?" Nora is asking as they walk down the dimly lit corridor to Alex's dorm. They typically make this trip together as their dorm rooms are in the same corridor.

"Um..." Alex gulps audibly, realizing he's been so swept up in this plan for Henry that he hasn't even thought about what he's going to play for June and Nora's charity ball.

"You don't know, do you?"

"No..." Alex winces. Nora glares at him. "I do have something in mind though."

"Yeah, right. Like what?" She asks firmly, raising an eyebrow.

"I have a few Hozier songs up my sleeve," Alex tells her proudly. She rolls her eyes and at that moment, a bright pink sticky note stuck to the front of Alex's door catches her eye.

"What the fuck is that?" Nora asks, about to reach for the note but Alex is quick to snatch and scrunch it up in his fist. Nora gives Alex a puzzled look. "Okay, that was weird."

"It's nothing," Alex says hurriedly.

"I literally don't believe you."

"Does it matter?" Alex groans, opening the door to his dorm and walking in ahead of her. He digs his feet into each of the heels of his shoes and kicks them onto the floor so that they bounce in different directions.

Nora stands in the doorway, watching him. "I mean, your reaction just made me even more curious."

"Okay. Fine," Alex says, sitting down on his couch with a huff.