[A/N]:

26 August marks the birthday of the real "Jules Everett". Hence, to celebrate that, here's a chapter earlier than scheduled.

Enjoy.

xx aurora

♕♕♕

The Summer Festival

♔♔♔

THE DRIVE TOWARDS the festival should've been awkward. I had expected a tense air to surround us and for the car ride to be filled with silence. Fortunately, my prediction did not come to pass. Harr returned to his jovial self as soon as I stepped into the living room, a smile back on his face and light dancing in his eyes as if the last few minutes of our lives hadn't existed at all.

I sat in the front with Harr, both Xavier and Jules at the back once they were picked up. They, too, found nothing out of the ordinary, judging by their appearance. They hadn't a clue what just transpired between Harr and me. That was, of course, for the best. Even I wasn't sure what exactly happened back in his bedroom. I had never seen Harr that way before and hence my mind didn't have a solution in regards to how to deal with such a discovery.

That version of Harr back there was foreign and alien to what I've come to know and understand. With that said, I didn't like things which I couldn't understand. I despised being clueless even though ignorance equated to bliss.

The street that the festival was held at was closed off from vehicular traffic. There were temporary stalls lined up on both sides of the road, leading towards a once-empty field that was now occupied by a stage. Since it was an arts festival, there were performances and exhibitions littered all across the span of the festival location. Glittering fairy lights lined the lampposts, lighting up the entire area in a burst of color despite the sun having set. In the darkness, there was no brighter place to be than right here at this very moment.

"Whew, that was a real chore!" Stretching, Harr got out of the car. He raised both of his arms over his head, fingers intertwined together as he cracked his knuckles.

"Parking lots aren't easy to find in such a big crowd, huh?" Jules laughed, shutting the car door behind her. She pulled her bag over her shoulders, firmly gripping the straps.

"If we weren't this late it might've been easier to find," Xavier scowled, glaring daggers at Harr. The latter paid no attention to him, still happily twisting his body back and forth to ease his muscles from sitting too long. Seeing that his best friend wasn't even listening, Xavier's face darkened significantly. "If only someone had been on time."

"Well, we made it, didn't we?" Jules laughed.

Walking around the car, she awkwardly patted Xavier on the shoulder, as if to give him a bit of encouragement. It was an action that carried a silent message, "I totally understand," it said. Her palms touched Xavier for no more than two seconds combined but his face practically lit up at the small action.

"Come on, Aiko!" Grinning enthusiastically, Jules nodded towards the entrance. Even from where we stood in the parking area, I could clearly see the stalls lining the streets. Steam rose steadily from the stalls selling food and laughter chimed clearly in the air like a thousand bells. An endless stream of people was headed towards the entrance, all dressed in colorful outfits that stood out so vibrantly against the pitch-black night sky. "There's a concert later and I want to grab some snacks before finding a good spot near the stage."

We had taken no more than three steps away from the car when Harr called out, a hand on each of our shoulders. Xavier stood a step behind him, staring intently at the hand that was on Jules's shoulder.

"Hold up," Harr piped up. "Before we head in, we should probably set an agreed meeting spot if we get split up in the crowd. The phone signal here isn't exactly the best."

To prove his point, Harr raised his own phone. The 'No Service' sign on the top left of his screen stood out jarringly. I winced, instinctively pulling out my phone to check only to realize it was the same for me as well.

"Fair enough." Nodding, I gestured towards the stage. It was still a distance away from where we were considering how we weren't even at the entrance yet. However, the set up of the stage was significantly larger than the small stalls that lined the streets. Strobe lights could be seen coming from the direction of the makeshift stage, making it stand out even more despite being far away from us. "Let's meet at the stage at 8 o'clock. Not everyone will be watching the same performance as us, anyway, and the band playing at eight happens to be Jules's main reason for coming."

From my side, Jules's head bopped up and down excitedly. "It's been a while since they last played here in Riverside Creek. They aren't the most famous band here tonight so the crowd shouldn't be that bad. That means that I might be lucky enough to find a spot nearer to the stage."

As she spoke, Jules's eyes glittered brighter than the stars in the sky. I wouldn't even be surprised if I saw a bit of drool leaking past the corners of her lips.

"Alright then," Xavier agreed. "We'll meet at the stage at eight. Hopefully, we won't have to resort to this, though."

"Then what else are we waiting for?" Hooking his arms around our necks, Harr pulled both Jules and me into a half-embrace. His dazzling smile was right next to our faces, dimples clear as the stars in the sky and eyes shining just as brightly. "Let's go have some fun!"

♕♕♕

It didn't even take me fifteen minutes to get lost in the crowd.

In the beginning, I stuck close to Jules, my arm looped with hers as we navigated the busy streets. However, a child that ran by stepped on one of my shoelaces, pulling at it when I took the next step and that caused it to fall apart. My eyes had only left Jules's figure for a fraction of a second but that was enough for her to disappear in the sea of bodies. By the time I redid my shoelaces and stood back up, Jules was gone, along with the rest of my friends.

I tried to scan the crowd, turning my head at every angle possible in an attempt to catch the sight of Jules's baby pink bag or maybe Harr's bold red hair but to no avail. I was very much alone and very much separated.

As we had suspected, the signal at the festival was ridiculously low. The words 'No Service' taunted me from the top left corner of my phone screen, laughing at my sore misery as I tucked the device into my back pocket in defeat. There was no other method than to try my luck again at the stage when 8 o'clock hits. However, it had just turned seven when we arrived and only half an hour had gone past since. That left me with another thirty minutes before our meeting time.

There were too many people at the festival, all from different walks of life. While the shorter children brushed past my legs when they ran by, chasing each other with varying toys bought from the stalls, the adults and bulkier men shouldered past me, knocking against my sides every time the path got a little too narrow. I stifled yet another grunt when I got pushed, glaring at his departing figure as I blew at my fringe, lamenting.

However, I shouldn't have looked back. When I finally turned back to face the crowd before me, it was just in time to see another figure approach. A man knocked against my other shoulder, the momentum causing me to fall back. I staggered a few steps, desperately trying to stay on my feet before ultimately tilting backward.

Fortunately, the fall never came.

Two warm hands wrapped around my upper arm from behind, stabilizing me as my back knocked against a broad chest. When I looked up, I was met with Xavier's relieved expression, his light blue hair falling over his face, hovering mere inches above my eyes. I was once again reminded by the stark difference in our heights and how Xavier effortlessly towered over me because of that.

"Finally caught you," he muttered, his words breathless as if he had been running around frantically for the last couple of minutes.

Each of Xavier's fingers burned against my skin in the summer heat. I couldn't remember how to breathe properly, sucking in staggered breaths of air through my teeth as I stared into Xavier's eyes. A myriad of never-before-felt emotions blossomed in my chest like petals in spring.

What was this comforting new feeling?

I watched, still a little breathless, as his eyes widened in surprise as if finally registering our awkward position. He jerked up, hands slightly loosening their grip around my arms before finally letting go. I took the opportunity to turn around and face him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "It seems that you're always preventing me from falling. I guess I owe you quite a bit, huh?"

"Uh..." Turning away, Xavier winced, his eyes roaming everywhere but on me. He reached a hand up into his sky blue hair, tousling the short strands into a mess. "No, I meant that I actually saw you a while back but the crowd was too insane. Couldn't quite catch up to you until now," he explained.

I burst out in laughter. "That too."

The twinkling fairy lights that were hung up at the festival shone a rainbow of colors onto Xavier's face. As he moved, so did the shadows and the colors. They reflected mesmerizing shades onto his porcelain pale skin, painting him in hues that were too ethereal to be human. And when he finally turned back to face me, his eyes — this time colored by the gray of his contacts — too held the sparkle of the lights.

"Well, then I guess I'm glad I can be of service," he chirped with a lighthearted shrug.

Throngs of people bustled past us but they weren't enough to pull my eyes away from Xavier. He had tucked one hand in his pocket, the other suddenly reached out towards my hand. His fingers curled around my wrist, holding me tight before starting to walk. Pulled along, I followed, staring at our connected hands in surprise as my cheeks scorched.

He must've noticed my stare because he quickly piped up, his voice a little squeakier than usual. "It's just so that I don't have to look for you in the crowd again. It's too much of a hassle to search for everyone individually. Bear with me for a minute."

"I don't mind it," I instinctively confessed before I squeezed my mouth shut, shocked that such bold words dared to leave my lips.

I could hear a soft scoff of laughter that came from Xavier and that lifted the rock from my heart. Thankfully, he hadn't thought much of the short reply. If he had, I wasn't sure how to act around him anymore.

Despite us walking at a relatively fast pace, I still took the time to look at all the colorful stalls opened for this particular festival. There were game booths with giant teddy bears as prizes, merchandise stalls that sold trinkets and eccentric goods, and of course delectable foods that were both beautiful and delicious-looking. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was a booth that sold handmade accessories with varying designs. The charms ranged from small sculptures of food all the way to an assortment of floras in glass casings.

"Xavier, there's something I want to see."

Not bothering to wait for his reply, I took a step towards the booth. Xavier's fingers loosened momentarily in surprise and I took the chance to grab at his hand instead. I pulled him along, dragging him as he sputtered out words of protests until I finally stood before the booth.

"Really? Earrings?" He scoffed once he took notice of what the booth offered.

Ignoring him, I picked up a pair of dangling earrings. The charm attached to it was a small glass ball with yellow flowers inside. The stud was a hollow rose-gold star, complementing the earring's chain well. Holding it up, I began to examine the accessory, unable to help myself but ogle at the beautiful trinket.

I spun towards Xavier, holding the earring at his eye level. "Isn't this pretty?" I asked.

Rolling his eyes, Xavier grabbed the earrings from my hands before positioning it right at my earlobe. Pursing his lips, he shrugged. "Yellow looks good on you, I guess."

His comment made me flush, my back immediately straightening in shock. Swatting his hand away, I turned back to face the booth, using my hair to hide my scarlet face from his view.

"I meant for Jules, idiot. I can't wear earrings. My ears aren't pierced."

"Oh, really?" Xavier mused, not quite believing my words.

I felt his fingertips graze my cheek as he pulled my hair back, lifting it so that he could see my ear. He leaned in close, enough for me to feel my heart skip a beat in my chest and for my face to go even redder than it had been. At this point, my whole face felt close to boiling point and I had to grit my teeth so that I wouldn't start trembling from nerves. I could feel his breath fanning over my skin, warm and minty at the same time as he examined my earlobe.

After an eternity, he finally allowed my hair to fall back down.

"Wow. I hadn't thought that there actually would be a girl out there without pierced ears," he mumbled.

"Well, you should've just believed my words," I huffed. "So what's the verdict? Do you think Jules will like it?"

"Well..." Xavier trailed off before sighing. Gently, he put the yellow earrings back down onto the display before pointing to the same design in pink. "If you're getting it for Jules, I think she'll like this more."

Surprised, I picked up the pink earrings and started to examine it for defects. "Wow. I didn't think that you would actually remember what's her favorite color."

He waved off my comment. "You mentioned it in the guidebook."

Choosing not to reply, I held out the money to the seller and paid for the earrings. Once bought, I started to walk away from the booth, safely tucking the sealed paper bag into my bag. I had taken a few steps before realizing that Xavier wasn't following, thus forcing me to turn back.

He was still standing at the booth, hands tucked into his pockets as he looked at the necklaces available for sale. His lips moved, most likely speaking to the seller but from where I stood, I couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"Xavier!" I called out. My voice caught his attention immediately, his head snapping up to search for me before finally landing on my figure. "Let's go!" I beckoned.

He raised a hand in acknowledgment, holding up a finger before turning back to the seller. Thinking that he was requesting for a minute, I moved to one side, wedging myself in between two booths and out of the way. Xavier came tottering over a few moments later, tapping lightly on my shoulder.

"Alright. Let's head to the stage," he said.

After running around like blind mice, chasing after each other for too long a time, the stage was no longer as far away as when we had just arrived at the festival. It took us no more than five minutes to locate the stage, the large dazzling strobe lights shining into the night sky as the performers did mic tests on stage. Despite us being early, there was already a huge crowd gathered in front, all eagerly awaiting the start of the performance.

It wasn't hard to spot Harr and Jules in the crowd, surprisingly. The two stood together just a little ahead of us, both in a heated conversation as they pointed at the various performers on stage.

I was prepared to walk over when Xavier stopped me with a hand on my shoulder, holding me firmly in place. Not expecting it, I turned back, ready to question him. He had spotted them too, I'm sure. After all, Xavier was much taller than me and his eyes had always gravitated towards Jules. It was impossible for him to miss her even in a large crowd.

"Is something wrong?" I questioned, tilting my head slightly to one side.

Xavier's fist was clenched, raised slightly to his chest as if he was holding onto something. Only when I squinted had I noticed a small flash of gold tucked away behind his fingers.

"Turn around for a second," he ordered rather evasively. Yet, I still complied without question, turning around so that my back faced him.

His hands moved over my head, before lifting my hair over my neck, exposing the bit of skin to the night's cool summer breeze. Something cold rested along where my shoulder met my neck which made me instinctively raise a hand to touch whatever's there. I could feel Xavier fiddling with something behind me and when my fingers touched a cool round orb, my eyes widened with surprise.

"There. Done."

Lifting the item that was clenched between my fingers up, I was surprised to see a familiar glass ball with dainty pale yellow flowers inside it. There was no doubt that it was the same charm that I was looking at back at the booth, only this time, it was in the form of a necklace instead of a pair of earrings.

I swiveled back, still clutching tightly onto the charm, ready to spit out a ton of questions. However, Xavier beat me to it.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I was right. Yellow does look good on you."

My throat felt dry instantly. Even though I prided myself for being good with words, my mouth failed me at that instant. I couldn't find the right things to say, the proper reaction to show. Instead, I simply stared blankly at both the pendant and at Xavier.

He started to shuffle a little, his thumbs fiddling with each other awkwardly. A flash of red tinted the apples of his cheeks as the colorful lights from the stage hit his pale skin, illuminating it like the sky during dusk.

"Thank you," I finally forced out. Still clutching the pendant tightly, I willed my heart to keep silent. Those were the last words I said that night.

Behind me, a large roar of delight originated from the crowd. Everyone screamed and I could faintly hear the words of the performers from the stage blasting through the speakers. However, with the buzz that filled my ears and my own blood gushing sweetly in my ear, I wasn't too sure what they said.

Even as Xavier dragged me over to where Jules and Harr were, I couldn't find the strength in me to do anything else other than stare at the man that caused a storm of emotions in my heart.

That was all I was capable of. Watching from a distance away.

From the back, I continued to watch as Jules and Xavier squeezed a little closer to the stage. They bantered a little, words thrown about with no weight to them. All the while, it followed a certain pattern: Xavier will say something to tease Jules, which will cause her to blush furiously. She retaliates, maybe even shoving him lightly on the shoulder only for him to catch her hands in his own.

The same process repeated until they stopped the playful quips. As the performance went on, their bodies started to gravitate closer towards each other, their gazes lingering longer than normal.

Xavier, with his towering height, could probably see the stage clearly but not so much for Jules. She must've said something because the next thing I knew, Xavier scooped her up in his arms, allowing her to sit on his shoulders. She protested, struggling all the time with her arms and legs flailing about but eventually relented when finally settled atop Xavier's broad shoulders.

Even in the dark of the night, I could see his brilliant smile and hers to match. They were a pair of dazzling stars, radiant as ever and blinding for the eyes of us mere mortals. If humans were meant to come as a pair, there it was— a perfect pair.

My heart thundered painfully in my chest, the pendant heavy against my flesh. I couldn't help but grip onto it, desperately channeling my ugly and painful thoughts away into that tiny glass orb, banishing them into a lifeless trinket.

All the while, I could feel Harr's gaze burning a hole into my head. However, I found no strength to look back, to offer him a smile or anything of that sort. My body was possessed, eyes glued onto Xavier's and Jules's figures, unable to detach themselves from the scene.

It was deja vu, definitely something that I had experienced before back at the camp. Perhaps it was my place to simply look on as others made memories for themselves. They had their romantic life stories and I knew, at that moment, that I was not meant to live through them.

My fate was to simply stay back and observe love as it blossomed. As an artist, I could never live inside my own paintings. My job was to create the scene. To experience it was a different matter altogether.

It wasn't in my stars to have such a love story. After all, I was the narrator, not the main character.

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