Usually during the Summer break, Alex is doing one of two things; performing at small gigs, or third wheeling with June and Nora. This time, he is doing both. There's a bar that's within walking distance from their campus which has open mics and Alex couldn't resist after the feeling he got from the campfire performance, and of course Nora and June wanted to come along.
Alex arrives at the bar and it's fairly quiet, which isn't surprising as it's only 5 pm, but the bar staff were more than happy for Alex to play a few covers. He starts off with 'Tiny Dancer', as Nora and June woo and holler in the background.
"Ballerina. You must've seen her. Dancing in the sand. And now she's in me. Always with me. Tiny dancer in my hand."
As he finishes his set of prepared songs, the bar claps and cheers for him, he even gets a few tips from people who have been drinking in the bar since midday. After he packs up his guitar and hangs the case on his shoulder, he finds Nora and June sitting in a booth, smiling proudly at him.
"Can you play Taylor Swift next time?" June asks jokingly. "You never play anything from this decade."
"If you're lucky," Alex grins.
"So, Pez invited us to come over," Nora begins. Alex opens his mouth to rebuttal but Nora is quick to prevent him from complaining with "No, Henry isn't there at the moment. You don't need to get your panties in a twist."
"I hate how well you know me," Alex sighs. June looks at the both of them, visibly confused.
"What's wrong with Henry?" June asks.
"Oh, nothing. It's just Alex being dramatic because-"
"Uh, no. That's not true," Alex interrupts. He turns to look at June and loudly whispers "He sighed at everything I said and spilled his drink down my shirt."
"Which was obviously an accident," Nora retorts. June just smiles in amusement.
"That's it, I'm not going."
Alex, Nora and June end up at Pez's dorm room less than an hour later, not much convincing was needed other than the promise that Pez was shouting them dinner. Upon arrival, he knew he walked into a trap.
"Alex, I need a favour," is the first thing Pez says when he opens the door for them.
"You lured me with food?" Alex asks, feigning offence.
"I've ordered pizza," Pez says dryly.
"Alright," Alex sighs as he walks past him and makes himself comfortable on Pez's couch. June and Nora follow in shortly after and sit beside him. Pez closes the door behind them and slowly walks towards them with hesitancy.
"I didn't want to have to do this," Pez begins. Alex gets a sense that this conversation isn't headed in a direction he likes. "I need your help."
"My help?" Alex repeats in a terrible British accent, a smug grin engulfing his face. "Pray tell."
Pez rolls his eyes. "Please, don't make this harder than it has to be."
"What on earth would you ever need Alex's help with?" June asks. Alex glares at her. "No offence."
Pez takes a deep breath. "So, Henry–"
"No, no, no, no. No, absolutely not," Alex quickly interrupts. "Whatever you want me to do, I would literally rather step on a million Legos."
"You are so dramatic," Nora laughs. "Hear him out."
"No? Do you not remember when I told you he spilt his drink on me and sighed every time I spoke?" Alex argues.
"Honestly, I will kill you if you tell me one more time," Nora deadpans.
"How many times has it been?" June asks.
"I've lost count to tell you the truth, June," Nora sighs, leaning her head back on the couch. Alex rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, Henry mentioned that..." Pez says quietly.
"I sense a pause," Nora says.
Pez sighs and Alex, Nora and June look at him expectantly. "He had a huge fight with Connor that night. Connor is basically guilt-tripping him for moving here and is confusing Henry by saying he'll be better if he comes back... I don't even know where he is right now. He left this morning and I'm worried he's going to go back to London and get back with him."
"Oh," Alex says. Pez's look of concern that washes over his face is enough to pull at Alex's heartstrings, despite the grudge he's holding on his friend.
"I promise Henry isn't as bad as you think. He just... needs some help getting his confidence back. All I want is for you to just flirt with him a little, it doesn't have to be serious. Just a summer fling to get Connor out of his head. Alex, he needs to let go of Connor. I really think you two would get along. I need you to try. Please. I need my best friend back."
"I don't know, Pez," Alex starts. "I don't even think he likes me."
"He's just guarded," Pez says. "If you do this, I can pull some strings and get your tuition completely covered. You'll basically be on a scholarship."
"You can do that?" June blurts, her eyes wider than ever. Alex feels his heart drop to his stomach. His parents worked so hard for the money they put in for June and Alex's college tuition, and since June got a scholarship, that was the only way they could even afford for both of them to go to college. He considers that it would be nice for his parents to be able to keep the money for themselves.
"I can't really do this often, but Alex I can't watch this anymore. I finally got him here," Pez pleads. "Please, just think about it."
The door handle abruptly jiggles and everyone looks over to the door. A disheveled Henry, wearing tracksuit pants and an oversized hoodie opens the door and instantly freezes upon seeing everyone's eyes on him.
Henry slowly walks in, hesitant in his movement. "Hello?"
"Where have you been?" Pez looks at him with nothing other than concern. Henry pulls down his sleeves as his eyes scan around the room.
"Um, I needed a walk and then..." Henry pauses, his eyes flicking to the ground to avoid eye contact with Pez. "Connor called."
"What did he want?" Pez asks coldly, Alex begins to think he asks Henry this a lot.
"His dad is sick," Henry almost whispers.
Pez's eyebrows furrow and he crosses his arms. "Bullshit."
"What?"
Pez sighs, relaxing his demeanor. "He's manipulating you, Henry. He knows that will be a soft spot for you," Pez says softly. "You know what he's like..." He trails off as Henry goes to open his mouth but nothing leaves. He stands there for a moment, his face carefully blank.
"I know, Pez."
And with that, Henry turns on his heel and heads to his room, the door clicking shut behind him. It leaves a deafening silence in the room he left. June, Nora and Alex all share a look. Alex can't believe he's about to agree to this.
"Fine," Alex breaks the silence. Pez turns his head to him.
"What?"
"I'll do it," Alex states, reluctantly.
"You will?" Nora asks in disbelief.
"Yeah, but no promises that it'll work."
"Maybe now that you have to be nice to him you'll be more pleasant," June offers. Alex just groans, wondering why he even agreed to this.
"Alex, you're the best. Seriously," Pez says in a hushed whisper. Alex doesn't know what he's gotten himself into and he fears he may already be regretting it.
—
Summer is coming on strong and it's undoubtedly perfect swimming weather. June, Nora and Alex decide they want to go to the local swimming hole and Pez makes sure to invite Henry. June begins the set-up by laying down a picnic blanket on the sand, and Nora and Alex set up the gazebo above her.
"So, what are you going to do about this Henry thing?" Nora asks while she's pegging down one of the legs of the gazebo.
"I don't even know, we didn't exactly get along last time we were alone together," Alex mumbles, pegging down a different leg.
"Maybe apologise?" June offers, already lying down comfortably on the picnic blanket.
Alex scoffs. "For what?"
"Just be the bigger person, say you overreacted or something," Nora suggests, finally finished with setting up the gazebo.
"This is torture," Alex moans.
"You didn't have to agree," June says, slightly sitting up to look at him.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't say no to Pez's puppy eyes," Alex says as he sits down beside June. "I mean, you saw them!"
"Aw, you finally warmed up to Pezzy," June cooes, pinching Alex's cheek.
"Shut up," Alex mumbles.
"You know what we could do?" Nora starts. June and Alex look up at her expectantly. "We can play a classic game of beach soccer and put you and Henry in a team!"
"There's five of us," Alex points out.
"I'll be the judge," June grins, proud of herself.
"Fine, but only because I know we'll beat you and Pez."
"Whatever makes this easier for you," Nora puts on a big fake smile. Alex twists his back to look around them.
"Can these guys hurry up," Alex says as he stands up. He pulls his shirt over his head and now stands in only his grey swim trunks.
"Woah, wait till Henry gets here," Nora teases. June laughs outwardly.
"You two are going to make this hell," Alex sighs exasperatedly.
"Hey guys!" Pez calls out. Alex turns around to see Pez and Henry strolling over to them across the sand. Henry is wearing a casual white undone button-up shirt and blue swim shorts. Alex has to stop himself from staring at his bare chest which is more toned than he expected.
"What took you guys so long?" Alex is the first to ask. Pez rolls his eyes.
"Henry took a lot of convincing," Pez explains tiredly. "Told him his pasty skin needs some sun."
"I'm not that pasty," Henry retorts. All four of them laugh.
"You better strip down and soak in that sun then, cream cheese," Alex smirks, his eyes flickering up and down him. Henry's cheeks instantaneously turn a light pink.
"Um," Henry begins to say.
"Let's get in that water, it's calling to me right now," Nora says, waving her hand to her face. "I am sweating."
"Say less," Pez quickly strips off his shirt and throws it, along with his bag on the picnic blanket. Nora and June begin to strip down to their bathing suits as well.
"Hey," Alex says coyly. Henry looks up and his eyes lock with Alex's, his expression unreadable. "You getting in?"
Henry clears his throat. "Um, yeah."
Alex nods his head, turning his head to look at the water instead of having painfully awkward eye contact with Henry. This is going to be harder than he initially thought.
"I'm sorry, by the way," Henry breaks the silence.
Alex's head swiftly turns back to look at him. He blinks several times, not expecting to hear those words come out of his mouth. "For?"
"Well, for spilling my drink on you..." Henry says. "And for acting like an asshole."
Alex almost gapes at him. "Oh, so I wasn't imagining that?"
Henry smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, I think I was just hating everything that night," Henry explains timidly. "It's no excuse, but I do apologise. For that."
Alex smiles, pleasantly surprised. "It's fine, we all have days like that. I didn't mean to blow up at you, I just think I was nervous."
"Nervous?" Henry repeats, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, um. I've just seen you before, like, because you know," Alex stammers. He knows he looks like an idiot right now and he wants to melt into the sand.
"Because of my dad?" Henry offers, his eyes slightly crinkled from his smile.
"Yeah," Alex exhales. "Didn't want to sound like a fan."
"Definitely didn't think that, I mean, I thought you hated me," Henry says.
Alex laughs. "Well..."
"Wow."
"You two coming in?" Nora asks, water dripping off of her. Alex realises Pez and June are already in the water. Alex looks to Henry, expecting him to answer for the both of them.
"I need sunscreen, you two go ahead," Henry tells them as he pulls his shirt off, the muscles in his arms and shoulder flexing. Nora is already heading back to the water while Alex lingers a little longer, watching Henry lather himself in sunscreen.
"Any reason you're watching me put on sunscreen?" Henry asks while he struggles to reach for a spot on his back.
"You want me to get that?"
Henry turns a deep red. "Wh- oh, no it's okay."
"Whatever you say, sweetheart."
With that, Alex is running into the water. The water is shockingly cold but the moment his body submerges, he feels his heart beat louder and not a single thought can enter his head. He feels his skin tingle as his head resurfaces and Nora, June and Pez are all cheering.
"Bit chilly," Alex says with his horrible British accent.
"Freezing, innit?" Pez plays along.
"Fair dinkum!"
"Wrong country," Nora corrects. Alex makes a fart noise and then ducks underwater once again. His head feels light, probably from the cold of the water but he feels so alive. It's as if he can feel everything all at once. Shortly after, his body adjusts to the cold and he feels a warmth surge through his body.
He resurfaces once again and notices Henry has joined them in the water. Alex watches as Henry talks with Pez, his wet hair is now flat on his head and forms a fringe on his forehead. His torso remains above water and his skin glistens under the sunshine, drops of water racing down his chest and abdomen. Alex feels his breath hitch when Henry laughs at something Pez said and crinkles form by his eyes. Alex tries not to think too deeply about how much he's noticing about him right now and blames it on the coldness getting to his head.
"Alex?" Pez is saying, both Henry and Pez looking at him expectantly.
"Huh?"
"We were asking if you want to do a game of football on the sand?" Pez says, trying to hide a smirk.
"You mean soccer?" Alex says, blinking innocently.
Pez rolls his eyes, ignoring his remark. "Nora already shotgunned me for her team so it's you two on a team versus Nora and I."
Henry looks between Alex and Pez with wide eyes. "Oh." he says lamely. Pez just laughs and begins to swim towards the sand. Alex raises an eyebrow at Henry.
"Don't sound too excited."
Henry whips his head towards Alex. "Have you even played before?"
"I've played beach soccer once or twice," Alex says. Henry grimaces. "It's not that deep, snookums."
"You don't get how much of a try-hard Pez is when it comes to football," Henry explains. Alex goes to reply but Henry is quick to interrupt. "Soccer."
"Already reading my mind, partner," Alex winks. Henry tries hard to conceal his smile but fails horribly.
"Just, follow my lead. I think Pez needs some humbling," Henry says.
"Yes, boss."
Alex is quick to find out that Henry wasn't lying about Pez's competitive nature when it comes to soccer. Alex has already kissed the sand several times and it's been approximately 5 minutes of playing. Henry isn't happy about it. June's set up of soccer consists of two rocks that represent the goal, one on each end of their playing field. It suffices.
"Boo! You suck!" June yells at Alex from her comfortable spot on the blanket.
Henry surprises Alex when he puts his mouth an inch away from his ear. "Focus."
It sends a tingling sensation down his spine, Alex's eyes follow Henry who is already dead focused on Pez as he is about to start with the ball. Alex follows his lead, locking his eyes on the target. He decides to take this seriously now. Pez starts traveling with the ball, Nora following closely behind him. Alex knows Pez will pass her the ball and give her the chance to score so Alex watches her. The moment Pez kicks back to her Alex pushes hard into the sand and runs fast enough to intercept and kick the ball into the goal.
"What the fuck?" is all Pez says and Henry is smiling at Alex like he is the next risen Mosiah. It becomes decided that the first to five wins and Alex and Henry are determined. For the majority of the game, each team has a turn getting a goal until it becomes four all and the next goal wins. Alex grabs Henry's shoulders, adrenaline coursing through his fingers.
"We got this," Alex whispers closely to his ear. Henry shivers but tries his best to play it off.
Henry starts with the ball, which he handles surprisingly well with his feet. Alex giggles to himself at that thought. Alex sneaks ahead, Nora keeping on him trying to block him from the ball. Henry and Alex make eye contact and Henry flicks his eyes to the left and somehow Alex knows exactly what he's trying to say. Just as Henry looks like he's about to kick the ball, Alex sidesteps to the left and Henry quickly passes it directly towards him. Alex catches the ball with his foot and pivots swiftly to kick it straight into their rock goal. Without another beat, Alex runs to Henry, picks him up by his waist and spins them as he cheers. Henry's hand holds onto Alex's shoulders and his head falls back as he laughs and cheers with him—inexplicable joy.
"Yous got lucky," Pez grumbles, almost drowned out by Alex and Henry's celebratory cheering. Alex finally places Henry back on his feet but quickly grabs Henry's face with both of his hands and places a loud kiss on his cheek. Alex drops his hands, still cheering while Henry turns into a caught off guard flushed mess.
"That was fun, we're a good team," Alex says to him after he ceases his celebration. Henry clears his throat, attempting to regain his composure. Alex pretends not to notice.
"You're not too bad," Henry says to him. Alex raises an eyebrow. "At soccer."
"Have I impressed you?" Alex asks, a smirk on his lips. Henry laughs.
Henry hums in thought. "You're alright... Do you still hate me?"
Alex rolls his eyes, smiling still. "You're not as bad as I thought, I guess. Not totally convinced yet."
"Right," Henry says, feigning offence. "Still haven't proven myself then."
"Guess I'll have to get to know you a bit better then," Alex shrugs, faking a deep sigh.
"Oh bummer," Henry says, just as sarcastic.
They both look at each other for a moment as the silence settles between them, having stupidly big smiles on their faces. Alex feels a little breathless from having such prolonged eye contact.
"Hey guys," June's voice says, oblivious to what she just interrupted. They both turn to look at her. "We're packing up, would be nice if you helped." June pointedly looks at Alex.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Alex says, following after June. Alex takes one last glance back at Henry who stands still, already watching him as he walks away. Alex feels this summer may be more interesting than he anticipated.