A Guide on How to Love Jules Everett

Bonus | The Christmas Gift

SNOW IN WINTER was a rare sight to see in Riverside Creek. The winters were, more often than not, warmer than in most other parts of the country and only ever witnessed temperatures hovering around 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, there wasn't a chance for a white Christmas.

However, it had been a strange year that only gotten stranger. For one thing, snow was falling.

The skies were already navy at four in the afternoon, sprinkled with specks of white that descended from the heavens, floating down slowly before landing on the cold ground below. Puffs of white clouds blew from our lips when we exhaled, curling in the air for a split second before disappearing. It had already snowed for a whole night.

On Christmas morning, the roads were already covered with a thin layer of powdery-white snow, whatever surviving leaves that stubbornly clung onto the plants lined with creeping frost that made it shimmer like it was covered in a layer of stardust.

"A year full of surprises..." I couldn't help but murmur under my breath.

White sheets lay crumpled around my body, covering the lower half of my torso, exposing a single thigh while hiding the other. The duvet was in a mess, pillows were strewn all over with some on the bedroom floor while others at the foot of the bed. Despite my shaggy appearance and the lack of proper winter wear, the house still kept me warm due to the heater that rested at the corner of the room by the door.

Everyone was drunk the night before. Alcohol was mixed into classic Christmas beverages like eggnog and hot chocolate, creating a wild mess of things doused with possible regret for the eyes of the next morning. The room, or the rest of the house for that matter, wasn't a pretty sight.

Christmas garlands laid on the floor, some dangling precariously off the study table while wreaths were slung across the back of the desk chair. There was a bright scarlet bow that was glued onto the desktop computer, the keyboard painted white and red, reminiscent of candy canes. There were paintings everywhere, some were portraits of us, some of the snowy wonderland outside, and some of the summer memories that still burned brightly in the back of our minds. Most of them were drawn by me, others by Harr and Xavier, but never by Jules. I could vaguely recall her insistence on not picking up the brush even while drunk.

I pulled the duvet off of me slowly, careful not to wake up the other person in bed. Someone had to tidy everything up and seeing how the rest of the house was silent, it ought to be me.

Before I could stand up, however, an arm found its way around my waist, wrapping itself tightly before pulling. I fell back instantly, bouncing a little on the mattress before collapsing into a pair of open arms.

"Stay," he mumbled, voice still rugged and hoarse with sleep. "It's warmer in bed."

It indeed was. With his arms embracing me against his firm chest, there was nowhere more comfortable. In the freezing winter cold, I found solace in his arms. He had the duvet pulled over my body, burying me underneath the covers and smothered against his body. One arm was under my head, propping me up while the other lazily rested against the crook of my waist.

His breath had gone steady, chest rising and falling slowly as he returned to sleep. It wasn't far out of his reach, anyway. He had barely even awoken. Yet, I was already long awake, attention pricked to stand at its best.

"Stop." I patted at his chest a few times. Though his hold seemed loose, it held no space for me to wriggle out of his grasp. "What if they come in and see us? How am I going to answer?"

Harr huffed. "Let them see for all I care. You still have to answer to me before you answer them. You have yet to give me a reply."

'Aiko, I love you. I've loved you for a long time.' Harr looked at me in earnest, cheeks tinted scarlet as evidence of his drunken state. His eyes weren't even fully open, half hooded over, lips poised in an adorable pout.