When Stars Align || G. Lafayette

Chapter 11

"Get up, dickwad."

I groaned and pulled my blanket tighter over me as Alex began to tug on the end of it. "Lex, I've hardly slept all week, let me nap.

He huffed. "You shouldn't have told me to wake you up to go to the market in town, then."

I took a deep breath before turning into my pillow and groaning louder. "Can you send the aide de camp? I'm too tired."

"He's asleep."

"I was too!" I protested.

"Yeah, you were. Get the fuck up."

"Alex," I whined.

He huffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Fine. But don't expect me to send someone to get everything you need."

He walked out of the tent, and I frowned, furrowing my brow as I buried my jead back into my pillow. "John!" I yelled.

"You're not sending him either."

I huffed. Apparently Alex wasn't far enough from the tent for me to get away with that.

Despite my intense frustration and internal conflict, I dragged myself out from under the blankets and into the heart of camp. I longed to shrug off my jacket in the late May heat, but I feared making my chest wrap noticeable and decided to refrain from doing so. I started towards the makeshift office in the center to pick of a few pence to buy supplies in town.

"Hey, Levi."

I looked to my left to see John wrapped in a blanket and sitting on the side of a bench, wearing a sleepy smile. I smiled back.

"Hey, John. You should go get some rest. Lex is still at the tent."

He shrugged, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "I dunno. I might just let 'im sleep, y'know?"

I chuckled. "I can assure you, he's far from being asleep."

He quirked up an eyebrow at me. "Oh?"

"If he's awake enough to shake the covers off of me, he's awake enough for you to talk to him on your last day here, John." I gave him a small smile, though it wasn't far from being a smirk. "Besides, he'd be disappointed if the two of you didn't take advantage of all your alone time, hmm?"

His eyes widened, and I giggled slightly as I strided past him.

"Ay! King, get back here!" he called after me, but made no chase, and as I froze, listening for footsteps but hearing nothing, I could only assume that he'd gone off to Alex.

I walked slowly through the short hall of the flimsy building, dust coming up in clouds under my heels as I crossed the dirt floors to find supply money. I slid open a drawer, the sound of wood on wood almost soothing as I began to pick through the miscellaneous objects. A few pence here, a few more there, until I'd been through the whole building and had just enough for several feet of parchment.

I finally turned to exit the small building, but stopped as I found a familiar Frenchman sorting through my limited bookshelf.

"See anything you like?" Though it was soft, my voice echoed ever so slightly through the silence. He glanced over at me, and he wore a small smile to match mine.

"Bonjour, Levi."

"Hey, Laf." I walked over to the bookshelf, joining him in where he was across from the desk. "Really, any favorites?"

He shrugged. He took quiet, almost careful steps as he crossed the room to the desk; the shadow cast from the light filtering in shifted, and I couldn't help appreciating the quiet ambiance as the light shone on his face, making his eyes sparkle as he leaned back on the desk. "I 'ave favorite books, but none zat I would expect there to be 'ere anyway."