"What's wrong, Hazel Grace?" Augustus asks me as we trudge through the February snow. We got home just two hours ago, surprised to see the blanket of white that covered the country. I'd forgotten that February is generally the season of winter; I'd been too relaxed, bathing in Dubai sun's heat. "You seem quiet."
I shrug. "I have a headache." I tell him honestly and he grips my hand, the warmth of his skin chasing the cold out of my muscles. Dragging my oxygen tank through the thick snow is hard work, and I stop for the millionth time to yank it out from the tangles of frozen twigs, huffing with exertion. Augustus helps me, a rueful smile lifting his lips as he kisses my forehead.
"Come on." I tell him. "The quicker we get to the clinic, the better."
"Oh?" He asks, raising a dark eyebrow. "So you'd rather not spend time with me but hurry the process along?"
I push him lightly, whining playfully. "Gus, I'm tired."
"Jet lag?" He queries, his hands shooting out to grab my arm as I stumble. I give him a grateful smile. He doesn't smile back; his gaze is concerned, worried. I shake him off but he reaches out for me again.
This time, I don't resist as he pulls me close, his hand caressing the line of my jaw as his lips brush against mine. I feel the familiar shoot of pleasure run up my spine and I tremble under his light touch. Instead of the usual happiness, I feel an aching sadness, a depressing fatigue settling over my mind.
"I haven't really gotten much sleep these past few days." I say sheepishly. "I mean, the first night I had jet lag, and I spent the second night with you-"
He hums against my lips, the vibration of the sound spreading over me. "You certainly didn't have much sleep then…" He murmurs, a mischievous edge to his voice.
I don't give him the reaction he's looking for, stepping away slightly. "And now I have another wave of jet lag and I just feel perpetually exhausted."
His fingers link through the loops of my jeans as he pulls me close again and my hips brush his, my shiver having nothing to do with the biting cold. His hands move to my arms, rubbing slowly but firmly, the friction heating my skin. I can feel his warm breath sweep over my nose, joining with mine as I shiver. We're so close that I can hear his heart beating, feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing against my chest. We kiss again and his tongue brushes over my lower lip, sweet and coaxing. I groan.
"We're going to be late." I exhale as I pull away. He shrugs, entwining his hand in mine as we stroll down the slushy path, the damp of the sludgy snow soaking into our shoes, freezing my toes.
We reach the clinic – thankfully on time – and I order my pill from the till. Augustus stands behind me as we wait for the cashier to retrieve my order, playing with my oxygen tubing absent-mindedly, occasionally pulling me into an embrace. We get some weird looks from other customers and I know what they're thinking: How is such an attractive boy interested in a pathetic girl with cancer? They're trying to understand our story, to comprehend the twists of fate that could possibly lead to the fixation of the two teenagers – the popular, striking boy and a withered, sickened girl.
Augustus appears oblivious to them, his focus kept solely on me. After a long moment, he seems to realise I'm distracted and he follows my gaze.
"Don't worry about them." He whispers, his lips brushing my ear lobe. "I don't care what other people think."
"Neither do I." I tell him truthfully.
He frowns, confused. "What's the problem, then?" I hesitate and he pushes the question. "Hazel Grace?"
YOU ARE READING
The Fault in Our Infinities
FanfictionHazel Grace has lung cancer. But she refuses to be that 'sick, cancer girl' she's been all her life. Enter Augustus Waters, who proposes to make her feel again. A heartfelt story about a girl who's always been on the outside and a boy, living on the...
