Red, White and Royally fucked

-17 -

Alex

"That was actually fun." I throw my jacket over the back of a chair in Henry's room. "It's not always that fun hanging out with my parents. At least not lately." I turn to him as he follows me inside, seemingly unbothered that I treat his room as my own.

"Well, it was definitely fun today, love. I rather enjoyed it." His eyes gleams as he speaks, and there is no doubt in my mind that he actually means it.

"My mom seems to like you very much." I discreetly glance at him to see his response. I'm curious to know if he panics.

"You think?" he beams with pride, not a shred of panic at all. "I really like her too. And you dad is really fun."

"Are you crushing on my dad, Fox?" I tease him as I remove my t-shirt. I know we haven't exactly planned for me to sleep here, but he did say we could cuddle and watch tv.

"Will you be jealous if I am?" he pulls me into his arms, and I breathe in that scent I've become so addicted to. And it's not his cologne - although that is very seductive too – no it's his natural scent that gets more obvious later in the day when the cologne starts to wear off.

"Maybe." I begin to pull his shirt of too. "I'm not sure I can share you with my dad."

"Then I better just stick with you." He says and I instantly freeze while pulling of his shirt. My body doesn't seem to respond at all anymore.

"Alex?" he says with his arms in the air and the t-shirt over his head. "Are you there?" When I don't respond, he quickly pulls it off himself and discards it onto the floor. "Are you okay, love?" he asks, and I want to punch his dumb, beautiful face. Of course, I'm not okay.

"You can't say things like that!" I shriek in a high-pitched voice.

"Like what? What did I do?"

"Henry!" I shout. He can't be serious that he doesn't know what he is doing.

"What?!" he grabs my face with both hands. "Help me out here, Alex. What did I do wrong this time?"

"The thing you just said."

"What thing? The crushing on your dad? I wasn't serious."

"No, Henry! The other thing." My body seems to be on fire, trying to deal with all these emotions that rushes through me, and I don't know what to do with myself. And him not fucking understanding the problem just makes everything so much worse!

"Alex, be clearer! I have no idea what you are talking about?"

"You don't? you really don't?!" I nearly shout, completely frustrated and slightly annoyed with how clueless he can actually be.

"No. Or I wouldn't say it. Alex, please tell me." Henry suddenly seems to be in such despair, that my heart almost break for him.

"You said... you said you'd better stick with me..." I'm just hoping he gets what's so frustrating for me about this, because explaining it... that will be the worst humiliation known to man.

"And that's wrong because...?"

Damn it. Time to completely humiliate myself.

"Because..." I step away from his hands. I can't be this close to him when I say this. "Because you say it without meaning it the way I want you to mean it..."

"I'm not sure what... how do you mean it?" I have never seen Henry this confused before and it so insufferable but kind of adorable at the same time.

"It's just the same as this." I pull the poem out of my pocket. "This... this is also... you know...? like, it isn't real... and I'm..."

"Alex! For the love of god, finish you sentences." Henry is clearly getting frustrated.