A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Second Confession

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STEEL BLADES THUDDED against wooden boards, bouncing off the walls of the kitchen every time we made a slice. The knives worked to slice off sections of meat, dicing vegetables, or mincing herbs. While Harr worked on the remaining vegetables, I prepared the protein. Other than the sounds that were emitted from our kitchen tools, we were otherwise silent.

The stove crackled to life, fire blazing hot and azure before a pan was placed over it on the stovetop. When the first drop of oil hit the surface of the pan, followed by minced garlic, an instant aroma and satisfying fizzle buzzed in the air around us. Harr moved expertly, spatula in one hand while the other rested on his hip, fist clenched. The sight felt awfully domestic.

"You've gotten better," I remarked, scrubbing my hands profusely under running tap water. "It already smells wonderful."

Dropping the chopped marinated chicken into the fragrant oil, Harr chuckled. "It's just garlic. Of course it'll smell great. That's what it does."

"Just take the compliment and go." I stuck my tongue out at him, closing the tap shut before drying my hands with a paper towel.

Harr wore a lazy grin, his eyes never leaving the pan as he expertly sautéed the chicken. He waited for the right timing before adding in other condiments and vegetables, adjusting the heat accordingly with the recipe in his head. In mere minutes, the kitchen was filled with a delightful, savory smell that wafted through the windows, no doubt.

'Can they smell it too?' I wondered silently in my head, turning to look out the window just to satisfy my inner curiosity. Taking a few steps towards the open window, I stopped short at the frame, toes nearly touching the sand outside when I noticed the scene before me.

In a distance away, not far from where we had previously left them, Jules and Xavier now stood up. Their faces were edged frighteningly close to each other, their silhouettes almost linking under the silver light graced by the moon. They were talking, that much was obvious, but since we were so far away, it was impossible to make out the words spoken between the two of them.

However, words weren't always superior. There were times where actions mattered more.

Xavier spoke with both his hands stretched slightly out, seeming to be trying to convince Jules about something. He looked to be desperate, fingers clenching and unclenching every once in a while, head tilting left and right as if unable to find the right words to say. In the end, he reached up to scratch at the back of his neck, shoulders dropping slack as he looked down at the sand beneath his feet.

A moment of silence blanketed the two before Jules hesitantly stretched out. She tapped Xavier on the shoulder twice, her hands lingering longer than friendly but withdrew quickly once Xavier looked up. Jules nodded just once, her actions brief, barely noticeable and almost shy.

Without warning, Xavier's arms were around her the next second, the two wrapped in a tight embrace, their shadows finally becoming one on the sand. At first, Jules's arms were by her sides, her figure stiff as a wooden plank, rigid as a glass pane. Then, slowly, she reached up, placing her hands on Xavier's back, her head buried in his shoulder.

I didn't need to hear their conversation to know that my mission was accomplished. Xavier had just attempted his second confession and he succeeded, by the looks of it.

"Huh." I jumped where I stood when Harr suddenly spoke, his voice jolting me back to reality. "About time he confessed again. Seems like they're finally official."