A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Sixteen

[A/N]:

26 August marks the birthday of the real "Jules Everett". Hence, to celebrate that, here's a chapter earlier than scheduled.

Enjoy.

xx aurora

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The Summer Festival

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THE DRIVE TOWARDS the festival should've been awkward. I had expected a tense air to surround us and for the car ride to be filled with silence. Fortunately, my prediction did not come to pass. Harr returned to his jovial self as soon as I stepped into the living room, a smile back on his face and light dancing in his eyes as if the last few minutes of our lives hadn't existed at all.

I sat in the front with Harr, both Xavier and Jules at the back once they were picked up. They, too, found nothing out of the ordinary, judging by their appearance. They hadn't a clue what just transpired between Harr and me. That was, of course, for the best. Even I wasn't sure what exactly happened back in his bedroom. I had never seen Harr that way before and hence my mind didn't have a solution in regards to how to deal with such a discovery.

That version of Harr back there was foreign and alien to what I've come to know and understand. With that said, I didn't like things which I couldn't understand. I despised being clueless even though ignorance equated to bliss.

The street that the festival was held at was closed off from vehicular traffic. There were temporary stalls lined up on both sides of the road, leading towards a once-empty field that was now occupied by a stage. Since it was an arts festival, there were performances and exhibitions littered all across the span of the festival location. Glittering fairy lights lined the lampposts, lighting up the entire area in a burst of color despite the sun having set. In the darkness, there was no brighter place to be than right here at this very moment.

"Whew, that was a real chore!" Stretching, Harr got out of the car. He raised both of his arms over his head, fingers intertwined together as he cracked his knuckles.

"Parking lots aren't easy to find in such a big crowd, huh?" Jules laughed, shutting the car door behind her. She pulled her bag over her shoulders, firmly gripping the straps.

"If we weren't this late it might've been easier to find," Xavier scowled, glaring daggers at Harr. The latter paid no attention to him, still happily twisting his body back and forth to ease his muscles from sitting too long. Seeing that his best friend wasn't even listening, Xavier's face darkened significantly. "If only someone had been on time."

"Well, we made it, didn't we?" Jules laughed.

Walking around the car, she awkwardly patted Xavier on the shoulder, as if to give him a bit of encouragement. It was an action that carried a silent message, "I totally understand," it said. Her palms touched Xavier for no more than two seconds combined but his face practically lit up at the small action.

"Come on, Aiko!" Grinning enthusiastically, Jules nodded towards the entrance. Even from where we stood in the parking area, I could clearly see the stalls lining the streets. Steam rose steadily from the stalls selling food and laughter chimed clearly in the air like a thousand bells. An endless stream of people was headed towards the entrance, all dressed in colorful outfits that stood out so vibrantly against the pitch-black night sky. "There's a concert later and I want to grab some snacks before finding a good spot near the stage."