strings attached ; firstprince

chapter eight

"If you listen to this, because for all I know you could toss this out without even listening... I wish I said this in better circumstances, but I fell for you, Henry. Pez just asked me to flirt with you until you gave up on Connor. But the problem is, I stupidly, fell in love with you. That was never what Pez asked of me. Also, I called the deal off with Pez. I don't need a "reward". The prize was you all along, I was just too stupid to see it at first. But I understand if you never want to see or talk to me again. I respect whatever decision you make but I had to tell you how I feel. I'm so, so sorry Henry."

Alex ends the recording, his heartbeat ringing in his ears and a heavy breath escapes his lip. He has no idea if this is going to work. Alex gets a blank CD-RW from his desk, ones he had when he impuslively bought when he decided to start recording his own music but eventually lost motivation due to him being in the middle of exams. He slides the disk into his laptop and begins burning the audio he just recorded onto the disk.

Alex leaves the disk in his laptop, allowing it time to burn, staring tiredly and blankly at the screen.

Suddenly, a knock at his door shatters the silence, and his heart leaps into his throat. He quickly stands up from his desk chair, pushing it back on its wheels with a nervous energy he can't contain.

"Come in," Alex calls out, his voice betraying his anxiety as he stands in the center of his dorm room, staring at the closed door.

The door creaks open to reveal June and Nora, and Alex's heart drops a little at their unexpected arrival.

"Oh," he mutters, his spirits deflating as he sits back down in his desk chair, heaving a tired sigh. He didn't expect Henry to show up at his door but deep down, he wishes he would.

"Wow, try not to sound too excited to see us," Nora quips, walking into the room with a paper bag in her hand.

"You look like shit." June, with her ever-observant eye, surveys the state of his room and raises an eyebrow. "And your room looks as bad as you do."

Alex blinks, not sure if he's more annoyed or grateful for their presence. "Did you come over just to insult me?"

"No, actually," June replies with a grin, nodding to Nora. "We come bearing gifts."

Nora chimes in, her smile warm, "We got you a burrito."

Alex's tired expression softens, and he manages a weak smile. "You guys didn't have to."

June and Nora exchange knowing glances before June perches herself on the end of Alex's bed. "Well, someone has to make sure you're still alive."

Nora hands him the paper bag containing the burrito, and he takes it with gratitude. He doesn't know what he'd do without his girls.

"Thanks," he says sincerely, feeling a knot in his throat as he starts unwrapping the burrito. Food hasn't been a priority lately, but he realizes as he gets a wiff of the burrito that he's starving. Living off iced coffee isn't exactly healthy.

"You're welcome," Nora replies with a gentle smile, sitting down on the edge of his bed beside June.

The three of them fall into an easy silence as Alex takes a few bites of the burrito, savoring the taste even as his mind races with thoughts of Henry. He can feel their concern hanging in the air, unspoken but palpable.

Finally, June breaks the silence, her voice soft and understanding. "So, how are you holding up?"

Alex looks up from his burrito, meeting June's eyes. "I've been running."

"You run?" June raises an eyebrow.

"I do now," Alex says. He clears his throat, deciding to cut the bullshit and just be honest. "Actually... I've been a mess. I really fucked up. Like, really bad."