Finding You

Chapter 30: Arrival

Jess, Alex, and her mother had gotten to the airport half an hour before she was supposed to be there. Somehow, the traffic had not been so bad and they had gotten to exactly where they needed to go in record time. Her mom and Jess had plans to grab breakfast together before they drove back home but, for now, they had agreed to stay to make sure that Alex got on the plane alright with no issue.

She was very fucking thankful for that.

Anxiety had always been her enemy since she was a child. Growing up she had been anxious about everything. It didn't matter if it was her being worried that she was too short to ride in the front seat of the car or she might cut herself with a knife that was too sharp; Alex worried about everything. Because she grew up that way, from child to adulthood, her mom never worried about her getting into trouble. However, even being twenty-three, she was still a bit freaked out to do new things by herself. She felt on the verge of panicking at the idea of getting on the plane because she had never flown and the distraction of having them both there with her was what was keeping her in alright shape for now.

Jess was right next to her, arms hooked around hers while Alex showed her little bits of the conversations she had with August. Naturally, her friend was still sceptical about the idea that she didn't even have a single picture of him but Alex felt strangely okay. Yes, she was worried this was all some kind of scam, but at the end of the day, she couldn't think of a reason someone would go through this kind of effort for that reason. It seemed like if he wanted money or to sell her on the black market, he would have chosen someone richer or someone prettier. Alex secretly thought Jess was a bit more paranoid about this whole thing and somehow that didn't seem possible until this moment.

"He's really sweet," Jess said with a warm smile as she read through the messages that Alex had chosen to show her. "Also the fact that he makes little mistakes like he doesn't use proper punctuation or caps is really adorable."

Alex sighed happily and looked at her phone with warm eyes. She nodded slowly and then looked back at her friend. "He is sweet and kind. He makes me happy."

"You know, after her I didn't think I'd see you this crazy about someone," Jess said with a teasing smile as she quirked a brow at her friend. "It's nice to see you like this again. You're more alive."

"Yeah," Alex said quietly as she stared at the black text. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling the sensation of being choked up and trying to rid herself of it. "I guess I do feel that way." Alex paused and then looked back up at Jess. "He makes me feel really good about myself and he likes me despite what I look like. He just likes me for me...and that feels really good."

"I'm sure your looks have something to do with it," Jess said with a wide smile as she bumped Alex's shoulder with her own, but considering that she was taller than her friend, it was more like she bumped her with her upper arm instead. "You're really cute, Alex."

Alex sighed and looked at her phone for another moment. "Cute...another word for chubby."

"Stop it!" Jess said as she bumped her again. "Remember, negativity isn't attractive. Confidence and humility are."

"I'll work on it," Alex grumbled as she chewed on her lip.

Before Jess could respond, a swooping sound interrupted them. The speed in which Alex got the conversation back to its current place could have been alarming but she was sure Jess would understand why she was eager. She glued her eyes to the screen and saw a new message from August. Her stomach immediately felt a little fluttery and a comforting warmth spread from there. She loved talking to him.

[Received at 6:21 AM]: alex i know where we can meet. you get off the plane at 3 and i realised how we can. check your email.

Alex raised her brow and then bit her lip as she looked at Jess. Jess looked a bit sceptical but nodded and nudged her a little bit. She took the hint to get a move-on and checked her email, seeing that someone with an email that looked like it was initials with some numbers attached has forwarded her something. Upon opening it, her eyes widened and her stomach felt like it became loose inside of her.