A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Twenty-Three

The Reason Why

♔♔♔

I WAS STILL rooted to the ground, unable to take so much as a step when the rest of the world was moving on. It wasn't until I felt a presence behind me, followed by a wave of a familiar cologne before I blinked once, then twice, then finally regained control of my own muscles.

Harr had finally returned from who-knows-where, a stick of cotton candy in one hand while the other was poised behind his back. Harr slowly chewed at the candy, tearing little bits off with his mouth every few seconds.

"What was that?" He asked, his voice clearly displaying his surprise.

I knew what that was. The answer was far too plain to miss. However, I didn't want to voice out my thoughts and share my knowledge. What I've learned through my years as a 'side character' in the grand event of things was that to be ignorant was to save your own skin in desperate times.

So, instead of answering Harr's question, I merely shrugged once before changing the topic.

"What about you? Where have you been?"

Pink stained the corners of his lips as he smiled, the sugar crystals still clinging on his skin. A sly glint sparkled in his eyes before he finally pulled something from behind him, pushing it right towards my face and stopping only mere millimeters away. Stunned, I took a step back on reflex, needlessly trying to dodge the incoming object only to find the smiling face of an orange tiger cub looking back at me.

"Remember this little guy?" There was child-like excitement in Harr's voice as he asked the question, shaking the small soft toy a little in his grip.

A string of memories hit me and all of a sudden, that tiger soft toy became the most valuable thing in the entire world. I reached out, grabbing it instantly, unable to contain my elation.

"You won it! You finally won it!" I cried.

"And you didn't believe I could." Proud, Harr tilted his chin up haughtily, his nose high in the air. "It took a few years of trying to finally win this small damn thing but I told you I had it in me."

My thumb ran over the embroidery that made up the tiger's large doe-like eyes, feeling the texture beneath my fingertip. Each black stripe on the tiger's face contrasted wonderfully against the vivid tangerine fur, completed with a tuft of white under its chin. The stuffing inside felt like clouds, a marshmallow sensation that gave the stuffed animal enough definition while still keeping it soft to touch.

The tiger was no bigger than the size of my forearm but it was already something that was worth more than a thousand jewels.

"It took me a long time to fulfill my promise but here it is," Harr muttered softly. "Thank you for being so patient with me."

His voice was barely even above a whisper, a melody carried by the wind and drizzled down like the first few drops of summer rain. It was powdery light, a stark contrast compared to the usual boisterous and bombastic volumes that I surrounded myself with. My life had always been filled with harsh storms and hurricanes. It was nice for it to face a short summer drizzle every once in a while.

It felt like a kiss from the skies.

"Thank you for remembering it," I countered, lightly squeezing the stuffed animal between my fingers.

The dark clouds of the summer storm parted. The skies were a vibrant blue, vivid, and brilliantly azure. Harr's smile brought in the rays of the summer sun. He was golden in every way.