A Story After a Story: A Fault In Our Stars Fanfic

Chapter 11

Jess's POV:

I open my eyes to the sun streaming into my window and I remember that it's Saturday. I breath out a sigh of relief and roll over to check the time on my phone. I see that it's almost noon and I just feel like rolling over and going back to sleep. I was up until 4 am reading An Imperial Affliction. Augustus was right about it, it was an amazing book! So well written, I wish the author would've written a sequel. I finished the book last night, and it ended mid sentence. Not a very satisfying ending I might add.

I hop out of bed and see my screen light up with a text.

'Good morning! More like afternoon, but anyway, would you like to get dinner with me tonight? As completely just friends' it read. His text made my heart leap a little. Was Augustus asking me out on a date?

'Are you asking me out on a date Augustus Waters?' I reply.

'No! No, I just wanted to know, since it was Saturday, If you wanted to get some dinner.'

'I'm just kidding, geez. Of course I'll get dinner with you. Want me to meet you at your house at 6:30?' I ask.

'Sure, see you tonight!' he replies.

I just sit on my bed and smile like an idiot as I reread our conversation.

---

It's 6:30 and I decided to throw on a dark pair of skinny jeans, grey converse, a blue v neck t shirt, and a jacket since I had no idea where he was taking me. I hear a knock at the door and rush down the stairs to see that my mom had already gotten to it. She was having a nice conversation with Augustus by the time I had gotten downstairs.

"Hey Gus." I say.

"Where are you guys going tonight?" my mom asks us.

"I'm taking Jess for dinner." Replies Gus.

"Oh alright, have fun you two." She says waving to us as she goes back into the living room.

"Ready?" I ask.

We climb into his car and I make no hesitation to ask him where we might be going for dinner.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask curiously.

"Well, you are new to town, so I wanted to take you to one of the best burger joints in town." He says waving his arms.

"Sounds like fun." I reply as we pull up to the front of what looked like a 50's diner.

"This place looks so cool." I say looking up at the neon sign and in the window at the checker print table clothes and juke box.

We get into the restaurant and are seated by a teenage girl. Gus doesn't even give me time to look at the menu. He just orders for me.

"We will have two double burgers with cheese fries and chocolate milkshakes." He says with a smile as the girl rushes off to get our order.

"Well someone has obviously been here way to much." I joke with him.

"It's my favorite restaurant, of course I know what I like and I think you will like it to." He replies with a chuckle.

"Why didn't you invite Adelyn along with us tonight?" I wonder out loud. This question has been bothering me all night, because I'm getting the hint that Gus likes me to.

He just shifts in his chair uncomfortably before he decides to reply.

"Well, I guess I just forgot." He says rubbing the back of his neck. I've noticed that he does this when he gets nervous.

"It's okay, anything new?" I ask him.

"Not really, you?" he asks me back.

"Nope." I say popping the p.

At this point our heaping plates of food have just made an appearance. Gus takes the chance to laugh at me because apparently as soon as I saw the plate, my eyes where 'the size of the moon.'

----

I feel like I could burst from eating so much, but it was so good I just couldn't stop.

"That was amazing." I breathed looking at my empty plate.

"Mmmhmm." Agrees Gus. "Always is. That is why this is my favorite place to come for a good burger." He says rubbing his stomach.

I can't help but laugh at how full he is. I don't think he can even stand up.

"We should probably get going." I say checking the time on my phone. It's about 9, my mom would be wondering where we got to.

"Probably." Replies Gus standing up and grabbing his keys and wallet off the table. We quick pay for our meal and then hop back into Gus's truck.

"You know, last night, I finished An Imperial Affliction. It was so good! I really like Anna, and her hamster Sisyphus. It was a very good and well thought out story, I wish the author wouldn't have ended the book mid sentence. I want to know what happened!" I say throwing my hands up in the air.

"I'm glad you liked it, I figured you might. That was the reason Hazel and I went to Amsterdam together. We went to meet the author to find out what happened after the book. He never told us. He was actually a very sour man, but the book was actually based off of his own daughters life."

"So his daughter died of Cancer?" I ask him.

"Yes." He replied quietly.

"Gus?"

"Mhm?"

"What was Hazel like?" I wonder. Almost instantly I see his body tense.

"She was an amazing person. Always saw the world in different ways. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny, she made me so happy. Sometimes you actually remind me of her." He says glancing over at me.

I just smile and blush a little.

"She sounds like an amazing person." I say bringing a smile to his face.

"She was."

"I only have one more question Gus."

"And that is." He says his voice trailing off.

"Was this a date?"

I notice that he hesitates a moment before speaking.

"You know what? I think it was Jess." In that moment we pull up to the front of my house and he looks over at me.

"I'm glad, because I was hoping it was." I say quietly.

"I love Hazel, but I think it's time I move on."

He leans over across the seat and pushes a piece of my hair behind my ear. Before I have anymore time to think he leans in and presses his lips to mine softly, his hand cupping my cheek. He pulls back before I have any time to react and just looks into my eyes.

I just smile up at him, his big brown eyes looking into mine.

"Goodnight Gus, thank you for tonight." I say to him as I get out of the car. He backs down my driveway and I'm left alone standing in the chilly air.

'Augustus kissed me. He likes me to.' I think to myself and smile as I make my way back up to my house.