Red, White and Royally fucked

-31-

Alex

"Still no response!" I toss the phone across the room and Zarah – my mother's friend who also happens to be in PR - just manages to dodge in time when she unexpectedly walks back into the room carrying the coffee for us. "Sorry." I mutter when my mother sends me a foul look.

"Alex, Sunshine of my heart, you need to stop being so dramatic all the time."

"I am not being dramatic, ma. Something is wrong! I know it is. He wouldn't ghost me like this! He's been in England for nearly two weeks, and I haven't heard from him since the damn text letting me know he was boarding the plane."

"Look kiddo," Zarah hands me my phone that now has a slightly cracked screen, but still seem to work just fine, "I'm sure there is a perfectly good reason your boyfriend isn't responding. He is in the middle of a crisis, damn it. Let him deal with this on his own terms." I glare at her with crossed arms, but she seems completely unbothered by this. "You, however, should focus on dealing with your side of this scandal. After all, this is about your future, kid."

"He is my future."

"I'm sure you think so, but truth be told, you are both so young that It possibly might not be forever." My mom interjects and I have never been more furious with her than right now. "You need to focus on you and your future right now."

"Age has nothing to do with this!" I shout, completely ignoring June that is limping towards us, trying to get me to calm down. "I love him, and he loves me!"

"I know, sweetheart, but love fades..."

I can feel myself choking up. I can't believe she is trying to convince me that Henry is ghosting me because his love for me has faded. I know he would never do that. But still, the words get to me, because with all that there is going on, that would be a fair assumption to make. Maybe I'm more trouble than I'm worth? Or he thinks that I'm better off without him? Both scenarios could be true and it's breaking my heart.

"My love for him will never fade." I mumble just as June puts her arms around me and whispers calming words about how she knows that Henry loves me and there must be some other explanation.

"Listen, kid. This might be a longshot, but I have an idea." Zarah sits down on the edge of Junes bed as we are watching Gilmore Girls, my favorite winding down show, that unfortunately has zero effect on me today. I pause the show and give her my undivided attention. "I might have a way of getting in touch with your boy."

"Seriously?" I can suddenly fell myself coming back to life hearing her words.

"Yes, but I need you to be one thousand percent sure he isn't just ghosting your needy ass, because if you are wrong, I will hunt you down and cut your head from your body, do you understand?"

"Yes. I know he isn't ghosting me. I know it."

She nods and pulls out a phone and makes a call. It's different phone than what I'm used to seeing her with.

"Shaan Srivastava, this is Zarah Bankston, I know we said we would only use these phones in an emergency, well welcome to that emergency. I've got Alex Claremont-Diaz at my clients house refusing to cooperate in restoring his public image as I'm being paid to do, because he is too busy mooing over the prince like some cow in labor, and I'm not going to get this work done until you put these lovesick homosexuals on the phone together, and I don't care what any of those wrinkled white men at Buckingham palace has to say about it. I want you to march you skinny, perfect ass over to the prince and hand him your phone, or so help me God, you will never see me naked again."

"Wait, what?! You are the badass fiancé?"

Zarah just shrugs in response.

"Yes, I thought you might see it my way. Yes, we'll hold."

"Zarah! I could kiss you!"

"Do it and die." She then pushes the phone into my hand and my heart has never beaten this fast before. All I can think is that I need him to answer the phone. He cannot have been ghosting me on purpose, I know he can't.

"Hello...?" I can barely recognize his voice. Its utterly broken and so far from the confident Henry I have known and loved for what feels like forever.

"Baby..." my feelings are spilling out; all that I have been holding in for so long, is finally able to find a home in the words that has only ever been meant for Henry.

"Alex?"

"It's really you. Thank God, Henry. I've missed you so much."

"I'm sorry, Alex. I'm so sorry. They took my phone. All my way of communicating. I'm not being allowed to leave until they have managed this situation."

"I know, Henry. I know." My eyes begin to burn with the tears I'm holding back, painfully aware of both Zarah and June listening and watching. "I love you so much." my heart seems to suddenly be overflowing and I can't hold anything in any longer. "I'm coming to you."

"They won't let you in, Alex."

"I don't care! I'm coming! It was a mistake to split up. I need you in my life to deal with this shit. Actually, I just need you in life!"

"I need you too..." I can hear him swallowing dryly. "But what about the paparazzies. The reporters?"

"Don't worry about it. I have a worldclass, badass PR woman here. She'll know what to do." I shoot a glance at Zarah, and she is definitely not pleased with me at the moment.

"Just hurry..." he mutters...

"I'll break the sound barrier for you."

"This is a fucking bad idea, kid." Zarah repeats for the hundredth time since coming up with the plan and executing it.

"It was your plan." I say.

"Because we needed a better plan than your stupid, brainless idea to storm a fucking castle!" she pokes me hard in the chest and I wince. "And this was the best I could fucking do on such a short notice."

"Do you think they'll be here" I ask while rubbing the sore spot on my chest.

"They fucking better. If Shaan knows what's good for him, he will be."

"And if they are not?"

"Then you'll make a complete ass out of yourself on national TV."