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

Chapter 16

Jess's POV:

I wake up the next morning with a smile playing on my lips at the memories of last night. I can still feel the ghost of Gus's lips on mine and I blush. I am so happy and relieved to finally be his girlfriend. Some might say that my saying yes was a little soon, but I had been waiting for that question to come from him for quite some time now. There is a sudden knock at my bedroom door and I sit up and smooth out my hair.

"Come in." I say tiredly while stretching my arms above my head.

"Good morning sweetheart," says my dad, "I made pancakes if you want to come downstairs."

"Sure, I'll be down in a minute." I mumble. He shuts my door and I get up and check my phone.

'Good morning beautiful, I hope you slept well :)' it reads. I roll my eyes at Augustus and type back 'Good morning to you to, thank you for the compliment :)'.

I jog down the steps and practically throw myself at the pancakes, I'm so hungry. As soon as I get my breakfast, I start eating, trying to savor the delicious taste of the batter and fruit on top. I'm feeling strangely happy today.

"Geez Jess, slow down, your food isn't going anywhere." says my dad glancing up at me from where he stands at the stove.

"I'm hungry, don't comment." I say with a mouth full of food.

"Good morning!" my mom says walking down the stairs.

"Dad made breakfast, its really good!" I add.

"Wow Jess, is something okay? You seem really happy today, definately more than normal." says my mother looking a little bit surprised.

"Couldn't be better actually. Augustus asked me to be his girlfriend, and of course, I said yes." I say quietly and blush a little.

"That's great honey!" my mom says giving me a big hug. "I am actually having a faculty party tonight to celebrate all the hard work we've been doing these past few weeks. I figured we all needed a break. Why dont you invite Gus and Adelyn to the party?"

I think about the offer for a moment before replying.

"Yes, that'd be great! I'll go invite them now. Thanks mom!" I say leaving my plate and running up the steps to text Gus and Adelyn. They both agreed to come, so I guess I've got a few hours to kill before the party happens. I decide to take a walk around town to get some fresh air and think for a bit.

---

My mom told me the party was semi-formal, so I threw on a teal lace dress that ends at the top of my knees and a pair of shiny creme heels. I attempted to curl my hair a bit and I brushed on some makeup before going to answer the knocking at the front door.

Augustus stands before me in a white button down shirt, khaki pants, and brown shoes.

"Hello Jess." he says staring at me.

"Hello Gus. Can I ask why you are staring?" I ask with a giggle. Did I just giggle? That never happens, what is happening to me...

"Because you look beautiful." he smiles.

"Why thank you," I say blushing a little, "You look very handsome yourself."

"Thank you." he replies.

I pull him into the house and he plants a soft kiss on my forhead before I grab his hand and guide him toward the living room. He is one of the first people here, so it's still pretty quiet.

"Hi Augustus!" my mother says happily before pulling him into a hug. "It's nice to see you here tonight."

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Collins." he replies to her with a smile. She scurries off to prepare more food or answer the door or something and Gus and I are alone in the living room. Suddenly I feel someone grab me from behind. I turn around to see Adelyn standing there in a red dress, light wash jean jacket, and new black converse.

"Hey Adelyn, you look beautiful!" I tell her giving her a hug. She has been smiling up until this point, but then she spots Augustus behind me, and her face falls into an irritated expression.

"What is he doing here?" She hisses.

"Um, well Adelyn, Gus and I are kind of dating now. He asked me to be his girlfriend last night. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, I just forgot." I tell her feeling bad about forgeting to give her these details.

She steps around me until she is standing directly in front of him. She looks up at him and pokes a finger to his chest.

"Don't hurt her or I will come for you." She growls at him. He genuinely looks a little scared and at a loss for words. I can't help but chuckle from behind. Then, her face softens as she  drops her hand from his chest.

"Now, lets have some fun!" she yells grabbing our hands and running to the middle of my living room. She grabs my stereo remote, switches the music channel, and blasts 'Dance, Dance' by Fall Out Boy. She begins dancing around the room, her dark hair flying around her face. I can't help but laugh and dance along with her. By now, most of the people were at the party and were staring at us and shaking their heads. My mom had to come in and tell us to stop dancing and switch the music back. For the rest of the night, the three of us sit on the couch, drinking sparkling grape juice, and laughing about various stories sometimes earning disapproving looks from the other guests. My mom's co-workers were such buzzkills...

After another hour, it was only Adelyn, Gus and I that were still there and we had to help clean up. I felt bad making them help, but they seemed like they wanted to help.

"I'll see ya on Monday Jess!" yells Adelyn with a wave before exiting the front door.

"Well, I guess I better go." says Augustus grabbing my hand and taking me to the front porch. We step out into the chilled air and he leans down to press a short kiss to my lips. "Goodnight Jess."

I wave to him before going back inside and saying goodnight to my parents. When I get to my room, I change out of my dress and heels and into a pair of black sweatpants and a t shirt. Just as I put my glasses on, I heear my window being opened and then shut again. My heart starts to race as I peek out form behind the bathroom door. When I see its just Gus, I let out a sigh of relief before going to confront him about scaring me.

"Dont do that, you nearly scared me to death! At least knock first." I grumble.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he shrugs. "I figured we could have another sleepover if your up for that."

"Sure, I was actually just getting ready to head off to sleep." I say with a yawn. I go over and flip off the light switch and then climb under the covers. Augustus just stands at the foot of my bed awkwardly.

"Come on." I say to him rolling my eyes.

"O-ok." he stamers.

"We aren't doing anything but sleeping, get over here. Just set an alarm for 7:30, because my dad comes in to check on me at 8:00."

He climbs in beside me after setting the alarm and wraps his arms around my waist as I lay my head on his chest. I feel him kiss the top of my head and my breathing starts to even out before I fall into a dreamless sleep.