IF I LOVED YOU: rwrb

attached to my chest

"Why, exactly?" June nonetheless passes Alex the drink with no hesitation.

"International relationships, of course," Nora tilts her head and grins. "Your mom told us to play nice with everyone."

Alex slowly smiles, immediately knowing where this is going, "And to show off how amazing we are. God, Nora, you're a genius."

June looks between the two. "I'm afraid to ask."

Nora giggles and whispers, "Prince Henry."

"Oh, shit."

"So I either become besties with him," Alex sips his drink. "Or I embarrass myself in front of royalty. Nora, gimme the odds."

"It's more likely you'll embarrass yourself, but I'm still rooting for you."

"I mean," June sighs. "It is kind of a good idea. I say go for it."

"And see if his sister is single," Nora laughs as June groans. "What? We both have another string. Might as well explore the options."

"I highly doubt a princess is—"

Nora clicks her tongue, "You'd be surprised," then she looks back to where Alex assumes Prince Henry is. "Alright, Alejandro. Let's see you practice those diplomacy skills," she pats him on the back and pushes him in the right direction.

He laughs and continues walking until he spots his destination — the tall man with blond hair, surrounded by various men and women alike. He grins and speeds up, slipping through the crowd.

It all happens very fast. Alex straightens his posture, ignores the strange tug at his left hand, and holds onto the caipirinha with his right. He nods politely at someone and then stands before the prince.

Prince Henry is a good few inches taller than Alex and smells strongly of fancy cologne. His blue eyes look down at Alex, almost startled or confused.

"Uh, hi. Alex Claremont-Diaz, my mom is running for US president." Alex realizes he's still holding his drink in his right hand and fumbles for a moment before resigning to holding out his left for a handshake.

And then.

Prince Henry looks at his hand and takes a sharp intake of breath. Alex purses his lips and looks down as well, checking to make sure there isn't any sort of unprincely dirt that would cause such a reaction.

The prince takes a step back. Alex stands there dumbly until he sees it:

Prince Henry fidgets both his hands, twisting a signet ring around. It's only half a second before he stops and puts his hands behind his back. He clears his throat and whispers to some sort of butler at his side, "...get out of here."

An unmistakable flash of red. Alex's finger pulls and pulls, and Prince Henry's face scrunches uncomfortably. Alex realizes his hand is still sticking out, and he quickly puts it back at his side, nearly frozen in shock.

The string is so tight with tension that Alex is sure it'll snap.

It doesn't.

"So very sorry, sir," the posh accent breaks through the still moment, and the butler gently pushes in front of Prince Henry, blocking him from view. "I'm afraid His Royal Highness has some personal matters to attend to. Have a good rest of your evening."

And, as if nothing ever happened, they're gone.

He walks back in a daze.

Nora bites her lip, "Embarrassed?"

He shakes his head and collapses into his seat. "No." Not yet. "Worse, I think."

June pats his shoulder and sits beside him, "It's okay, I'm sure you'll have another chance when Mom wins—"