The Price of Love

Chapter 17

Warning: Minor Hamliza

Alex's PoV

"Alexander, come here. Let me fix your hair." John beckons me to him. I sit on the grass in front of him back at our camp inside our tent. He gently rakes his fingers through my long hair, combing it out. "There." He ties my hair in a low ponytail and kisses the top of my head. "You look so gorgeous, dear boy." He says softly, hugging me.

"You look better." I hum, turning around to look at him. He chuckles. "Now, we have a ball to attend. If I'm honest, I'd rather spend the remainder of the day here with you, but we must go." I kiss him softly and walk out of the tent. I fix my jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles and straightening it out as we walk. When I finish, I take John's hand in mine and smile up at him. As we walk back to the city, we don't talk, we just enjoy each other's company. It's nice to be able to escape all my responsibilities and obligations and just be a normal person. Well, can't really be a normal person for any length of time, as I'm queer, and that is greatly looked down upon. But you get what I'm saying. But as soon as we get closer to Albany we have to act like nothing more than close friends, which sucks. It's really romantic and I can feel the sexual tension and sadness radiating between us. The sun has set, the moon has risen, there's blood everywhere- Okay so not thaaaat romantic. So let me rephrase it. It's a pretty romantic setting, for a place that just experienced a week long battle where dozens of lives were lost. Depressing, but true. We find the mansion the ball is being hosted at very easily. Hard to miss a mansion that I'm pretty confident has Dutch origins. I stare up at it, my mouth hanging open. It's beautiful but hideous. I'm a simple man, I'm more attracted to smaller, plainer houses. I could never live in a big house, or a mansion. But I can tell John likes it. He nods slightly as he looks at it, a small smile playing on his lips. "Come on, it's showtime." Side by side, we walk up the long yard to the grand front doors. They stand wide open, and I poke my head in for a moment, glancing around, then walk in. Following the sound of people talking and music, we walk into a large ballroom. It's massive and fucking loud. The noise doesn't bother me though. When you've been through even just a few battles, you get used to the noise. Not knowing exactly what to do, I look around and spot the mayor. "If you can't find me and you need me, rendezvous back at the entrance of the room!" I yell at John. He nods.

"See you later!" He walks off confidently into the crowd. I make my way to the mayor.

"Hello!" I call to him.

"General! Glad you could make it!" He says.

"I'm glad I could come too." I lie. He smiles.

"If you're interested, the food and drinks are over in that corner. We have some alcohol, if you would care for any." He points to the far right corner.

"Oh no, I haven't slept recently enough for alcohol. But you wouldn't happen to have coffee, would you?" I ask.

"As a matter of fact, we do." He replies. My mouth starts watering immediately and I quickly wipe it away.

"Thank you sir. I haven't had coffee in quite some time, so I'm going to go grab a cup. Or five. Or twenty." I quickly turn and run through the crowd to my precious coffee. I grab a cup and hold in close to my face, breathing in the delicious smell of it. Then I quickly chug it. And another. And another. And just one more. Oh, I feel so much better now. Oh coffee, I love you.

Eliza's PoV

I stand by the food and drink table, sipping on a glass of red wine. I spot my father talking to a young boy with bright red hair. The boy turns around and my heart goes boom. He is hot. Oh my God oh my God he's coming over here! I think as he runs over to the table. I watch him casually as he grabs almost half a dozen cups of coffee and quickly drinks them all. He laughs about something and stacks his cups and throws them out. Then I realize that he's wearing a dirty blue jacket. He's a soldier. Oh man did he just get even hotter, if that's even possible. Making a split second decision that I'm sure will change my life, I set my drink down and walk up to him and curtsey. He bows back. "Eliza Schuyler."

"General Alexander Washington-Hamilton. It's a pleasure to meet you." He says, his voice smooth, liquid, and pleasant. How does this man keep getting hotter every second? He's the general! And the prince! I nearly swoon.

"Would you care for a dance?" I offer, getting control of myself.

"Alright." He agrees. "Though I'm not much of a dancer. We don't have balls in Manhattan, you see. No, just battles." He laughs softly, but quickly stops. "No, just battles." He repeats, his violet eyes darkening. He shakes his head slightly and smiles up at me. My heart melts at that smile, brighter than all the stars. Does he like me? I wonder and he takes my hand in his and puts the other on my waist.

"So General." I ask. "Why are you here at this ball?"

"The mayor offered and I was too kind to decline, even though my time would be much better spent actively planning how to retake the rest of Albany, instead of forming half-thoughts in my head that I can now barely keep track of. Oh coffee, you are a blessing and a curse." He laughs again.

"I'm sure you need a break sometimes, General." I say as we dance. For someone who says he can't, he's pretty good at it.

"Although it benefits me mentally, I quite dislike breaks, Miss Schuyler." He says dismissively. "I find them a huge waste of time, time that is much better spent on the war." I nod in false understanding. "You have fine black eyes, Miss Schuyler." He says after a few moments pass. I feel my cheeks warm.

"Th-thank you General." I squeak. He chuckles. The song ends a minute later. He kisses my hand.

"I trust that I shall see you later?" He asks. I nod. "Good." And with that, he turns and walks away. I push through the crowd until I find my sister, Angelica.

"Angelica!" I squeal. "He likes me! I think he really likes me!" She looks at me in confusion.

"Who?"

"The Prince! He danced with me and complimented me and asked if we'd see each other later! Oh Angie, I'm in love!" I cry. She gasps in astonishment.

"Eliza, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" She cries.

John's PoV

I watch enviously as Alex, my Alex, talks to a girl. Then dances with her. And even from here, I can tell they're flirting. Am I not enough? Does he not love me? I think, watching him look at her the way he looks at me. That's my look. He can't use it on anyone else. I take a swig of beer, the alcohol clouding my judgement. If I were sober, I would realize that he's just pretending to flirt with her so nothing seems suspicious. But I'm drunk, and the week of fighting was fucking awful, so I'm not where I mentally normally am right now. I sniff, a tear falling down my cheek and splashing into my beer. Why Alex?

Alex's PoV

I want John. I want him to hold me, to kiss me, to dance with me. Eliza Schuyler is pretty beautiful, I won't lie, but she's not John. I fervently hope he understands why I'm flirting with her. I walk around for a little while, needing to not pretend to flirt with her. And that's how I end up telling about half the people here a story of one of the battles I was in. "We were losing ground fast. The British were overwhelming us. I knew we were gonna lose. But I fought on. And then, our reinforcements arrived. Let me tell you, there is not a more beautiful sight than a fresh batch of troops coming with guns blazing." I say. "Well, we drove the British off the next day. We lost more men in that battle than in any other during the war, but it was worth it. Montuak has proven to be an essential front and has helped to prevent attacks before they even start." I finish. My audience applauses. I look through the crowd once again, looking for John, but I don't see him. Where is he? I think worriedly. Is he okay? But instead of spotting my love's blond head, I see the brown head of Eliza Schuyler. I stifle a sigh, force a smile onto my face, and walk up to her. "You're so brave." She gushes.

"Thank you Miss Schuyler." I say. "But I'm just very dedicated to the cause and the people I serve. Now, may I offer you a dance?" She nods, her cheeks turning red. She takes my hand in hers and I put the other on her waist, swaying slowly to the music. Oh John, where are you? Please come save me. I giggle at the thought of John saving me. Oh, that'd be so cute. I wish he was here. I miss him. For a long, grueling, half hour, I dance and flirt with Eliza. Then finally, finally, she excuses herself and leaves me alone. I slip through the crowd, looking for a familiar blond head. I spot him, running out of the ballroom. Concerned, I run after him.