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“Listen, mate.” Sympathy coloured Leo’s voice, his earlier brashness gone. “The best you can do is turn into a broken record. Just keep repeating, again and again, that you have never been involved in your father’s politics. If you have to say it a dozen times, say it a dozen times. If you have to say it a hundred times, say it a hundred times. Other than that? Play your fuckingheartout.”
That made sense. Right?
“Do you have people in your corner?” Joshua asked gently.
Alex thought of Jeff, of Lee. Of a couple of friends from school that would stand by him, scandal be damned.
“I do.” He cleared his throat. “At least I think so.”
Joshua smiled. “Good. Keep them close.”
Keep them close.
Somehow, Alex managed to smile back. Even if he couldn’t feel his face.
Isabella,Jeff’s girl, was everything Lee was not—poised and beautiful, well-spoken, and dressed with a touch of class. It was easy to picture someone just like her by Alex’s side, and maybe Lee needed the reminder because that was how it would end, wasn’t it? With Lee, alone.
He stuck with Oliver and Sanna for a little while, then drifted between groups of teammates scattered around the hotel’s outdoor terrace. The city setting hardly registered, the noises that defined Madrid at night filtered by the park-like green space that surrounded the hotel.
Still no sign of Alex.
Lee considered sending him a quick message, but he didn’t want to come across as needy. They weren’t boyfriends, so checking up on each other wasn’t something they did, no matter how much Lee wanted to. Alex was fine—probably, almost certainly.
The first players were already heading off by the time Alex finally showed. A smile was pasted on his face as he suffered some good-natured ribbing for having friends in high places, and he countered all speculation about what had taken him so long with variations of, “It’s classified.”
His eyes were hollow.
Jeff, about to leave with Isabella, didn’t seem to notice. He pulled Alex in for a tight hug, grin wide enough to split his face in two as he let Alex go with a, “We did it, mate. Can you fuckingbelieveit?”
“We did,” Alex agreed, genuine joy washing over his face that was gone all too soon. Tension formed a thick knot behind Lee’s ribs. He smiled through it, keeping an eye on Alex even as he teased Jeff about turning into a sensible person who left before the party was over.
Jeff draped an arm around Isabella’s waist. “It’s the company I keep.”
Her laugh was surprisingly loud and just a hint wicked as she leaned into him. “I think we have yet to decide whether this is a ‘keep’ kind of situation.”
“Is that a challenge?” Jeff looked rather happy at the idea, and Isabella sent him a bright look.
“What do youthink?”
They left soon after that, and Lee drew Alex over to the side of the terrace, where softly illuminated trees and blooming hedges granted them a hint of privacy. “What’s wrong?”
For a second, Alex’s façade cracked. “I’ll tell you later.”
Lee glanced around before he lowered his voice. “They didn’t, you know… They didn’t hurt you or something?”
“What? No.” Quickly, Alex shook his head, surprise in his eyes. “Godno. They’re not—they’re good people. Why would you even think that?”
Lee exhaled. “Because you’re not okay.”
“I’m…” Alex’s gaze slid away, voice dropping to a whisper. “It’s family stuff.”
“Family stuff?” Lee repeated slowly, taking in the miserable tilt to Alex’s mouth, the tired slump of his shoulders. “What—did your dad instruct the prince and his consort to inform you of your impending engagement?”
“I wish.” The response was so quiet that Lee wasn’t sure whether he’d been meant to hear it.
“Alex?”
With a shaky breath, Alex dragged a hand through his hair. “Can I come over in a bit?”
