An Inconvenient Attachement

Chapter 1: gross coffee kills the vibe

"Do you really think they'll delay the flight by that much?" Anthony's amused voice rung through the phone.

"For the last time, they straight up told me it won't be here till morning. I have to spend the night in the airport." Alia answered, an exasperated sigh leaving her body.

Her trip was going great. Just great! First of all, she hated the destination. A business meeting. She was barely 21 and already had to deal with the corporate world. Second of all, she was late to the airport because her cat decided to rip her tights right as she was leaving the apartment. And worst of all, she now had to find a way to spend 24 hours in an airport. Alone. With a rapidly dying phone.

"Earth to Alia. Can't you sleep at a nearby hotel or something?"

"And risk going though security again? Hell no. I'm toughing this one out."

"I'm not sure that's an actual phrase."

Alia puffed, rolling her eyes. "Alright I'm not wasting my battery on you. Byeee!"

She hung up the phone before poor Anthony could answer. Remembering about the now cold cup of coffee in her hand, she downed the drink, cringing internally at the bitterness and stood up to go for a walk. A walk in a relatively empty airport... definitely one of the strangest things she had ever done. There was something so sinister about a usually busy place being so empty. Maybe it was just the lack of conversation which prevented her from zoning out too much.

Walking around the place Alia noticed there weren't too many open shops. None, to be precise. It was 10 PM and the building seemed empty. Except for a few staff members here and there and other tourists. Mostly from her flight.

Right after they had announced that the plane was going to be delayed, about half a dozen angry men walked up to the flight attendants and started moping like immature children, as if the staff had any control over the weather or technical issues. It pissed her off, seeing how some people thought they were entitled to "quick access" in these situations. If she had been in the staff's position, she would have definitely let them walk off the ramp and hopefully be run by a plane. Yeah, that seamed feasible.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a bright sign. As she turned around to take a closer look, she noticed that there was a book shop open in a small room across from her.

"Perfect." She muttered under her breath, quickly approaching the shop.

Silently nodding to the cashier, Alia started looking around. Right by the check-out counter was a small stand filled with snacks. She picked up a pack of gum and held it with her as she continued looking around. On the right wall was a gray shelf decorated by books and magazines. To her disappointment, all the available books were old classics. Yeah, she was definitely not buying them.

"Can I help you with anything?" The cashier asked her. She had the sweetest voice and It really made Alia want to buy a book from her.

"Would you happen to have any book recommendations?" Alia replied, eyeing the bookstand as she spoke.

"Of course!" The excitement was clear in her voice. "I would definitely suggest Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird."

Alia groaned internally. There was nothing wrong with the books per se, but she just despised overhyped old books she was forced to read in High School.

"Or maybe The Fault in Our Stars?"

She put on a smile and nodded, picking up the last one. Definitely better than the other two. She hurried to pay for her things and left the shop, now searching for a place to sit or sleep. She was hoping for the latter. Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was none other than Anthony.

"Yes." She deadpanned into the speaker.

"Guess what!" He answered, a strange mischievousness twirling around his words.

Alia only hummed in reply. "So you know my college TA right? The one I kept rambling about?"

"No, An, I do not recall one of the million men you have told me about."

"That's unfortunate, I would have hoped I'd be more memorable that that." A deep voice spoke from behind her.

Oh. Oh no.