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“I don’t know. It’s just, sort of, fuck, I can’t get a word out. Insane?”
Henry twists his mouth to the side as he listens to the faraway sound of Alex’s voice over the phone. “That makes sense, love.”
“And it’s like, God, of course I’m happy for them. I’m insanely happy for them. But I just feel like I should’ve known first, you know?” He huffs out an annoyed breath, but Henry can still hear the note of uncertainty there. “It’s just shitty that I had to find out like this. I feel like there has to be a reason they didn’t tell me, I don’t know, when they started dating. Like I did something wrong.”
Henry bites back a sigh, glancing over his shoulder as Pez dances with a woman wearing a rainbow suit. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Alex. Listen, I’ll be home in a few hours. We can work on getting this all sorted out then, alright?”
He frowns at Alex’s sigh, wanting to get on a plane and rush back to New York right now, still knowing they need to get this donation for the fundraiser. “Yeah, you’re right,” Alex says finally. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You will,” Henry promises him. “And we can take David for a long walk the second I’m back. I’ll even pick up his poo.”
Alex laughs, sending a sense of relief through Henry. “Okay, okay. Go get back to the fundraiser. Secure that coin, babe.”
“I believe we’ve spoken about this ‘coin’ business already.”
“What else am I supposed to say to describe money?” Alex snorts. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight,” Henry assures him. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
“Bye.” Henry hangs up and glances around briefly before dropping his head into his hands in a silent groan.
Pez waltzes over, pulling a seat out next to Henry and straddling it. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Alex is... being Alex.”
“He’s still not over June and Nora, then?”
Henry shakes his head. “No. He’s probably locked up at home, watching Parks and Rec, feeling sorry for himself and mad at his sister for not wanting to be outed.”
Pez laughs at that, leaning forward in his seat. “He does realize that this is not at all about him, right?”
“I think that’s the problem. He does not.”
“Oh, Alex.”
“Quite,” Henry sighs, a breathless laugh forcing its way up. “I’m not quite sure how to tell him that June and Nora are, quite literally, going through exactly what we went through.”
“Then tell him that.”
Henry just sort of looks at Pez. “There’s no way he’ll listen.”
Pez shrugs. “Give your man some credit.”
“Alright.” Henry sits back, a hand on his jaw. “Pez?”
“Yeah?”
“If I leave this thing and fly back to New York early, could you finish up here?”
Pez claps him on the back, a grin in his face. “Go take care of Alex, Henry. I’ll wine and dine these fuckers a little longer.”
Four hours later, Henry is standing at his front door, wondering how he’s going to confront his well-meaning yet overbearing boyfriend. Not that he minds Alex’s overbearing-ness when it’s directed at him, of course. Sometimes he just gets a little out of hand when it comes to the people he loves.
Still, as much as he doesn’t want to talk about what Alex has deemed the unspeakable situation, he really misses the love of his life. And he’s only been gone three days.
Henry slides his small chain off his neck and pushes the key into the lock. “I’m home, Alex,” he calls, a tiny flicker of a smile coming to his face.
Alex bounds down the stairs, dropping a book on his way. “Henry?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowing in surprise, and Henry laughs, stepping forward and gathering Alex in his arms. “I thought you weren’t coming home until late tonight.”
“I decided you were more important than a lot of old rich people.
“You sneaky fucker,” Alex huffs out, his breath warm on Henry’s neck. “I missed you.”
Henry closes his eyes, breathing in the smell of coffee and spearmint. “I missed you too, love.” When he pulls back, he studies Alex, and all he can really think is uh oh, shit has definitely hit the fan.
Alex is wearing a goddamn Buckingham palace two-piece sweatsuit that Henry is pretty sure he got in a package and meant to donate to Goodwill. He has bags under his eyes, much worse than usual, and he’s wearing his old glasses. “Stop staring at me. I know I’m a hot mess.”
“You’re not just a hot mess,” Henry says without even thinking.
“Do not.”
“You’re my hot mess.”
Alex groans, throwing his head back, supposedly to God. “Not even back for two minutes, and you’ve already used your pickup line of the day.”
Henry laughs at that, tugging Alex to him and kissing him soundly. “That make up for it?” He murmurs, just after pulling away.
“Bastard,” Alex curses, adjusting the stupid Buckingham sweatpants that have no right being that snug.
“Just wait until my grandmother hears about that one.”
Finally, Alex laughs. But it sounds tired, like he’s been stressed out for weeks and not just days, and it worries Henry. “We’ve had enough tabloid rumors in our day. I don’t think people would even bat an eye.”
“About tabloids,” Henry starts, but Alex cuts him off with another kiss, pressing in urgently. “Jesus, Alex,” Henry curses under his breath, forgetting about data leaks and paparazzi and history repeating itself.
They stumble back to the couch in the sitting room, ignoring Henry’s luggage by the door, and Alex straddles him, nipping at Henry’s neck. He sits up on his hands, grinning cockily, and Henry just shakes his head in wonder. “You know, you never fail to amaze me with that mouth of yours.”
“Even when-”
“Yes, even when you’ve stuffed ten marshmallows in it during Chubby Bunny,” Henry sighs in mock annoyance. “Really, the things Americans get up to.”
Alex smiles again at that, a mischievous glint in his expression, and God, it makes Henry want to kiss the grin off his face. “I could show you what this American can get up to.”
“And you say I have the bad lines,” Henry mutters, shaking his head. “Just come here for a minute.”
They lie there on their much-too-small couch, wrapped up in each other, Henry’s fingers carding through Alex’s hair. “I’ve missed sleeping next to you,” he says softly, rubbing tiny circles on Alex’s scalp.
He sighs in response, letting his eyes flutter shut. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
“Yeah, I think I might have some idea,” Henry starts. “Have you been sleeping well?”
“Not really, since there was a hole in my bed shaped suspiciously like a stuck-up prince with a stupid accent.”
Henry chuckles, fiddling with Alex’s glasses. “What happened to your other ones?”
“Broke them,” Alex shrugs, exaggerated in the tiny space. He shifts, curling into Henry a little more.
“Love,” Henry says, almost whispers. “Talk to me.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you idiot, you aren’t, and you need to talk about it.” Henry pokes Alex’s forehead. “I’m here.”
Alex lets out one frustrated breath. “I guess, I don’t know, it’s like- like I wasn’t the one they came to when they were dealing with this shit that I literally just went through a year ago. I feel shitty for even thinking that, but it fucking sucks. Like, I wasn’t important enough to tell.”
Henry swallows, and his heart nearly swells out of his chest, because, oh, Alex. “Alex.”
“Don’t do the pity thing. I can’t handle it right now,” Alex says, pulling his glasses off and rubbing harshly at his eyes. “I’m acting like a super pissed off toddler, I know.”
“Maybe just a mildly pissed off toddler,” Henry starts, pulling Alex’s hand away from his eyes and wondering how to approach this situation. “Have you talked to June since Wednesday? Or Nora, for that matter?”
Alex looks to his left. “No. It’s not like they’ve called.”
“What about your mother?”
“She’s busy, too. You know, since she’s in charge of the country.”
Henry rubs the pad of his thumb over Alex’s wrist. “Alex, they’re probably worried that you haven’t called.”
Alex hesitates, biting his lip. “I’m not pissed at June. I just can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was fucking our best friend and not yours like everyone thought.”
“I was surprised, too,” Henry responds softly. “But we didn’t tell anyone when we started dating.”
“You told Pez.”
“Pez knew I was a lost cause for you long before you shoved me into my brother’s wedding cake.”
“Okay, I did not shove you-”
“What I’m saying,” Henry continues, feeling Alex’s pulse through his wrist, soft and steady. He wonders if their heartbeats are synced, questions how being so in love with someone makes you want to let them be right in every conflict. “Is that June and Nora didn’t know, they had to figure it out on their own, and if they hadn’t, they probably would’ve read it in a news alert.”
“Which fucking sucks.”
Henry pokes his side. “Yeah, but do you remember how that felt? The secrecy?”
“Of course I remember.”
“How would you have felt if June had up and ignored you for two days after we got outed?
Alex is silent for a moment, and then he buries his head in Alex’s shoulder. “I’m acting like a dick,” he says, muffled.
“Little bit, yeah,” Henry responds, stroking his hair again. “But I understand. Love, you have to listen to me, though.”
“Yeah?”
He placed a soft kiss to the top of Alex’s head. “They didn’t leave you out to exclude you. If they didn’t tell you, I’m sure they told no one. You are not unimportant.”
The response Henry gets breaks his heart, the tiniest crack, edging along the place Alex has made for himself. “Sometimes it feels like it, though.”
“Alexander Claremont-Diaz. Alex. Honey.” Alex lifts his head to look at Henry, his eyes filled with hesitation and confusion and way too much sadness, hidden behind their fire. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to this damn world. I’d gather June and Nora feel about the same, since all they’ve ever done in their adult lives is try to protect you.” Henry leans in and presses his forehead to Alex’s, gently rubbing the back of his neck. “It doesn’t mean they don’t love you all the same,” he murmurs. “It just means they were scared. Like we were.”
“They’re probably still scared, and I’ve been sitting here, like an idiot,” Alex mumbles.
Henry kisses his temple. “You can fix that. Go call them.”
Alex leans back, letting his head fall onto the couch cushion. “Do you think they’re together right now?”
“If we had been in the same country after the news broke, I wouldn’t have let you out of my sight.”
They’re both quiet, lost in old memories and new memories, and Henry remembers waking up to Alex’s call in the middle of the night to frantic shouts of June and Nora are dating and someone found out. Finally, Alex stands, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Okay. I’m going.”
“Alex?”
He turns around. “Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Don’t get all sappy on me, Wales.”
Henry just grins, watching Alex walk away and praying that the phone call goes well. He rolls over on his stomach and grabs his own phone. Bea, I finally got him to pull his head out of his arse...