Snapshot (Alexbelle)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I wake up, startled at the unfamiliar surroundings. Alexander's arm immediately hugs around my shoulders and I relax a little. It takes me a few seconds to actually register where we are.

Last night I drove him here to the L.A. airport, but we didn't realize the weather that was coming in. The weather was so bad that he couldn't fly to Atlanta last night. So, in order for him to get a seat on the flight tomorrow, he had to he here first thing in the morning. I decided I would stay overnight in the airport with him. If I didn't, I would regret it later.

I turn my head to look at him, only to see that he is staring intensely at a book in his hands. I glance at the cover, thinking that he somehow got ahold of my copy of The Fault In Our Stars.

But he didn't. My copy is a hardback, and the one in his hands is paperback.

"How did you-" I get out, interrupted by a yawn.

"I bought it in the bookshop in Terminal A. I couldn't sleep last night, so why not?" he says, still staring sadly at the book.

"It doesn't seem like your type of reading. Well, any book doesn't seem like your type of reading." I say with a small smile. I playfully punch him in the arm, and he manages a small smile.

"Well I hated it." He says, placing the book down on the seat beside him. "It was so great and so bad at the same time."

"Aw, is someone sad that-"

"I'm not necessarily sad, I'm mad. What the author did is unthinkable, yet brilliant. And no, I'm not talking about killing off the 'amazing Augustus Waters'. I'm talking about how he wrote it. A main point in the book is Hazel's persistence to find out what happened at the end of An Imperial Affliction. It was discussed dozens of times how she despised the fact that she doesn't know what happened to the characters. And let me tell you, the author sucks. He did exactly what 'Peter Van Houten' did. We don't know what happens to Hazel or Isaac. More importantly, we don't know one of the main things in the book. And that is what happened in those final eight days of his life. What did they say to each other? Obviously they didn't stay away from each other, especially in his condition. There is no way that the incident with An Imperial Affliction is just a coincidence with the actuality of this book. And I hate it. I really, really do. I can't believe I wasted my time on that piece of hypocrisy." He scoffs.

I roll my eyes and lean back in the seat. He reads one book and starts to talk like an English teacher.

He goes on more to talk about what he hates about the book, but I tune him out. I literally just woke up and now he is loading me with all these book things.

Finally, I hand him a five dollar bill to go buy me a coffee. Mainly, I just wanted him to stop ranting on about the book.

He returns with two coffees, but gives me back my money. I didn't actually expect him to use it.

I sip the coffee, but it does nothing to wake me up at first. Sitting in the airport this early and drinking coffee reminds me of traveling to North Carolina with the cast. I remember I got here, and Alexander showed up with all these coffees. Dayo was so tired and grumpy the whole day. I smile at the thought.

Small shops and stuff around the airport are just beginning to open, and I cringe at the noise of the chain-link doors sliding up. I have a terrible headache already. It's probably from sleeping on Alexander's shoulder, which I guess is not fit for sleeping on for like 8 hours.

His hand is locked tightly around mine, resting on his knee. They are constantly bouncing up and down because of the shakiness of his leg. He seems to do that when he's nervous about something.