A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Twenty-Five

The New Plan

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THE SOUND OF the tip of a pen scratching against the paper's surface could be heard. In fact, that was the only noise that filled the otherwise silent room. Occasionally, Xavier's pen would stop moving, the tip hovering mere inches above the paper before returning to the sentence. That was followed by the faint yet crisp sound of a page turning as he moved on to the next paper. Xavier continued to draft his letter in that process for more than an hour, not even pausing once for a bathroom break or anything along that line.

I sat on the couch in Harr's home, side by side with him as both of us observed Xavier's robotic movements. The former held a book about plants in his hands, the very same one that I got for his birthday recently. Harr flipped the page, his fingers going through with the movements. However, his eyes were glued on Xavier's crouched figure, frowning.

"Do you think he'll even get the letter done by today?" Harr asked. "He's been at it for nearly two whole hours. The sun is almost down."

"You can't rush perfection," I fiercely whispered back. "If he is to get it right this time, he needs to take his time to think his words through. If he messes this up, I don't think there'll be another chance for their relationship to recover. It will be the end of this ship."

At my last sentence, Harr's frown deepened. He sighed, shaking his head before returning to his book. "You and your slangs," he muttered under his breath. He was quiet after that, dutifully reading the encyclopedia without so much as another peep from him.

I, on the other hand, pulled my feet up on the couch, knees tucked towards my chest and my chin rested on them. I leaned back on Harr, our shoulders pressing together as the seconds ticked by.

Outside the glass windows of Harr's apartment, the sun had already begun to set. The blue skies darkened to crimson, tainted by a tangerine hue as the golden hour approached. Mother Nature worked fast, however, and the red didn't stay for long. Scarlet became magenta in an instant before changing into an inky indigo. White clouds disappeared into the dark, replaced by stars that resembled scattered diamond dust. On the streets, the street lamps lit up all at once as the preset timing hit, illuminating the streets with a soft yellow glow.

Night was upon us.

"I think I'm done."

Xavier's voice was a little shaky, a little unsure, lacking the confidence that I once thought he always possessed. He held the scattered papers in his hands, tidying them up as he straightened the stack using the table's flat surface. He then placed it back down, capping the pen before reaching for an envelope that he had prepared beforehand.

"You've written everything you want to say?" I double-confirmed, sitting up a little straighter. My movement made Harr jolt a little as well as he looked up from the page he had been on, watching Xavier intently.

"No," Xavier's reply was nearly immediate. "I can never do that. There are too many things that I wish to tell her. And honestly, even when I run out of things to tell her, I still want to talk to her about anything else. I will never be able to put everything down on paper. This... This will have to do."

"But you did apologize, right?" Harr prodded. "Along with your explanation?"

Xavier pursed his lips, denying us a single hint as to what he had written in his secretive little letter. He quickly sealed the envelope with a small sticker, pressing down hard on it to make sure that it stuck well before rising to his feet. Instead of answering Harr's question, he changed the topic, asking a question of his own.