A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Seventeen

The Thought

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THE DAY AFTER the summer festival seemed especially bland. After all the insane light shows, thrilling music, and the general party atmosphere, a lazy day at home seemed too ordinary. However, a little bit of ordinary was still appreciated. Sometimes, moving along at a slow yet comfortable pace could help us open our eyes to see the bigger picture.

I was counting down the minutes until I could finally start preparing myself to head out. Jules and I had arranged to meet after her work ended for dinner. Other than that, Harr's birthday was coming up soon and that meant that I needed to start hunting for gifts. Additionally, it was quite coincidental but Xavier's birthday was only a few days after Harr's. Jules might not have said anything but judging by their recent interactions, it was safe to assume that she might want to get something for Xavier as well.

With nothing much to do while waiting for her work to end, I turned to my drawing pad, idly doodling away to kill time. The graphite tip of my pencil flew across the slightly textured white paper, tracing the outline of a face before moving to the hair and finally the details such as facial features.

Leaning against my palm with my elbow against the table, my eyes lazily trailed after wherever my pencil grazed. However, once I filled in the eyes and completed the rough sketch, I stopped short.

The tip of the pencil broke, a slightly darker spot resting on the right corner of the drawing's eye. Leaning back against my seat, I dropped the pencil once I realized who I had been absentmindedly drawing. It wasn't a perfect capture like a photograph would be but it was close enough to figure out with just one glance.

Instantly, I reached out to crumple the paper, tossing it into the bin over my shoulder with a grimace of disgust. The disdain was not so much for the drawing which turned out well but rather who I had been drawing without even realizing.

Even after a day, the dainty necklace still felt heavy around my neck.

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"Are you ever on time?" Those were the first words Jules asked the moment she laid eyes on me. She wore a cheeky grin, her finger still poised on her phone screen, probably in the middle of scrolling through her social media feed.

I pulled out a chair at our table, ungracefully plopping myself right opposite Jules.

"You know that you're asking the impossible from me," I playfully retorted.

"Figured."

For once, Jules had been the one to decide on what to eat. She had selected a casual dining restaurant that sold reasonably priced food, all of which looked amazing for its cost. They offered an assortment of East Asian cuisine from multiple cultures, some of the dishes humbly familiar in my eyes.

"I think I'll get the ramen. I've been craving for a good bowl of noodles for the longest time." Flipping the menu shut, I grinned at the thought of a bowl of piping hot broth. I could already imagine the smell of the thick pork bone soup before even seeing the dish and that alone was enough for me to salivate. "What about you?"

Jules pursed her lips, squinting slightly at the menu. She spoke without even looking away from the list of dishes.

"I think the bibimbap looks good. My favorite bibim store closed down recently and I'm still on the hunt for a good replacement."

Nodding, I waved at the waiter before placing our orders.

Once he walked away towards the kitchen, I reached for my bag.