bear with me, i’ve had wine but hear me out—
Even before their first kiss and before everything happened, Alex knows he wants to be there for Henry and help carry some of the burdens in Henry’s life:
And then at one of the emotional climaxes, Alex confronts Henry at Kensington, finally forcing Henry to stop running and face his true feelings - but also forcing Henry to face what those feelings could mean for his role as an heir to the throne. As a member of the royal family. As a prince of England.
And when Alex confesses he loves Henry, Henry…takes off his ring.
Henry takes it off, because in a way, that ring represents everything that’s at stake for him. That ring is all the burdens and responsibilities he carries every single day of his life, a sign of everything he’s been tied to since birth.
But then, the next day he makes the choice to go all-in with Alex. “Just fine” isn’t good enough for him anymore. He’s done letting the burdens of his birthright rule his future, not if it means losing Alex. The ring stays off.
And the ring could have just never shown up again, and it would have still been a beautiful symbolism of Henry finally learning to believe in, and stand up for himself.
But then! It shows up again, and this time:
Henry gives it to Alex. If the ring represents the burdens that Henry struggles to carry, then him giving it to Alex symbolizes Henry fully giving all of himself to Alex, including the hard parts. And Alex takes the ring without hesitation.
Going back to the first quote above (in blue), this is almost symbolic of Alex finally having the chance to help Henry “absorb some of the much”.
(After all, it was Alex’s bravery that helped Henry in his first real act of rebellion at Wimbledon: )
But here’s the most beautiful thing - Alex takes Henry’s ring and puts it beside the key to the family house in Texas. Those two items will now hang over his heart at all times.
If Henry’s ring symbolizes all of Henry’s fears and vulnerabilities, then Alex’s key represents all of of his own fears and vulnerabilities. (His roots. How much Alex loves Texas but is worried his home state wouldn’t love who he really is. How much he wants to represent and help his people, but is worried they may not want him back.)
And finally, at the end of the book, after Alex’s speech to the crowds of Austin, after Texas turns blue (!!!!), the first thing he does is take Henry back to that first house:
Alex takes the key and opens to door to his old house, symbolizing everything finally coming full circle. This is him finally letting Henry in, letting Henry see his own fears and vulnerabilities.
Alex spends so much of the book trying to be strong. Trying to be strong for Henry and trying to be strong for his mom and strong for everyone around him - and to never to let anyone around him see how much he’s trying, but in this final scene he takes that key he carries over his heart and he finally, willingly makes the decision to let Henry into that last part.
Isn’t that all we ever want to do for the people that we love, to help them carry a bit of the burden in their lives? And isn’t it terrifying, to expose those vulnerable parts of you to those who love you and to let them in?
Alex and Henry’s relationship in this book has portrayed that growth and understanding so well, and shows how a healthy relationship pushes both individuals to stand up for themselves, face their fears while always knowing that someone will always have their back and help hold each other up when it’s needed.
anyway their relationship makes my heart ache and writing this has made me sufficiently emotional for the next two years so I think I’ll go have a good cry now thank y’all for indulging my alcohol-induced 2am rambles
