A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Straw Cottage

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"IS THERE SOMETHING you would like to tell me?"

Harr's question made me jump, immediately swiveling around to face the door the second I heard his voice. I sat perched on the edge of my bed, head turned at an uncomfortable angle just to look at Harr who stood at the door, arms crossed.

"Harr." I breathed out in relief, feeling like a child whose hands were caught in the cookie jar. "Come in."

Outside the windows, a storm was brewing far out in the sea waters. The dark night burned brightly to life when a bolt of lightning split through the skies. It crackled loudly, sparks flying as storm clouds grew visible for a fraction of a second before blending in with the indigo sky once again. Thunder rumbled in the distance, following suit. It sliced through the silence between the both of us, filling in the empty slots.

My room was sparsely lit, glowing only by a small table light at the side of my bed. When the lightning cut through the heavens, it also sent a silver illumination into the room, lighting up my face and casting Harr's in shadows at the same time.

Slowly, he walked into the room after lightly shutting the door behind him, steps slow and leisurely. I quietly slid further into the bed, making space for him. Once he made his way over, Harr perched himself at the corner of the bed, sitting right by the edge, barely taking up any space. He looked at his hands, both of which were resting on his lap, fingers twiddling.

"So?" He prompted, still not looking up.

"What do you want to know?" I shot another question back, trying to evade what Harr was obviously trying to ask. "Maybe it's about the guidebook?"

Another bolt of lightning fizzed outside. This time, half of Harr's back was illuminated. The other half, the one nearer to the door of my bedroom, was shadowed. His back was a little hunched but he had raised his head all the same. From where I sat, I couldn't make out his expression, only that he had tilted his head to face the window.

He paused, taking in a deep breath. His shoulders rose and dropped as he breathed in deeply before exhaling. "Sure, let's go with that for now. How did you know the guidebook would work? How did you know what sort of person would attract Jules's attention and how did your plan work so flawlessly?"

"I didn't," I confessed. "Even though it is indeed filled with things that would help a person understand Jules, the guidebook was a scam. It wouldn't help just any other person to win Jules over. She's not a prize to be won. From the start, what would really capture her attention was the hard work a person would put in to try and get her. Besides, the plan wasn't flawless."

"Yes, it wasn't." Harr scoffed lightly. "It wasn't flawless because you hadn't thought that you would fall in love with Xavier."

The stroke of lightning that sent the skies ablaze outside was purple this time, perhaps tinted by the indigo sky. It was followed by rumbling thunder and the roaring onslaught of a storm. It sent the sea into a tumultuous rage, the waves growing taller and taller by the second as each wind blew at it. The stars and the moon could no longer be seen, obscured by clouds that were navy, each of them heavy with rain.

"Ha," I choked out a short and nervous laugh. My fingers fisted at the bedsheet below me, clenching tightly. I could feel my palms starting to grow clammy with sweat. "What are you talking about, Harr?"

He turned slowly, the gaze that fell on me was tainted by a sad smile that made my heart sour. Harr looked to be in pain, his eyebrows slightly scrunched, the light not quite reaching his eyes.