The Wish From Heaven | ✓

chapter 31 : falling in love a second time

20 July; Saturday

"I met Autumn today," I declare.

July and I are pretending that the conversation last night never happened. July seems to like doing that after everytime he has a breakdown, and I think I prefer it that way, too. But it hasn't left my mind for once.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how learning something like that about him is so surprising. I think I imagined July to be this perfect and kind person who just happened to unintentionally hurt the girl he loves. But like every human being, near and far, he is as imperfect as the rest of us.

That is a relief.

July's head snaps away from the book. After crying over the fact that he couldn't finish Giovanni's Room before Mom randomly decided to throw it away, he finally picked up The Kite Runner Dale bought for me.

"Oh my God. Did you guys kiss?"

"Stop that." I roll my eyes. He gets so annoying about these things.

"No no, tell me what happened!"

"Nothing happened. She was waiting for me outside school. She just told me she is gonna sing the whole evening on Thursday and also sing a song she wrote herself in that cafe so if I can, I should come."

Today, her wavy black hair was hanging loose, reaching a little below her shoulders. She was wearing a dark gray Oasis t-shirt and pink shorts with black boots, a brown guitar case hanging from her shoulder. She certainly looked different under the sunlight than the artificial light of the café.

July claps once and says, "It's a date!"

"It's an invitation."

"For a date!"

I throw him a scowl and lie down, putting the blanket over my waist. "I'm kind of not sure about her anymore?"

"Why not? Because of the apple?"

I shake my head. "Nah. Though I was excited to meet her again, when I actually did, I didn't feel anything special. As I said, it was just a momentary thing. There were some times in the past when I would feel like I have a crush on someone only for it all to disappear within like, three days. It's weird, I don't know. Or maybe I'm just not good at figuring out my feelings."

"Awh, that sucks." He closes the window as the rain becomes heavier outside. "Oh wait, no it doesn't." He flashes me a grin and says, "It means that my Cedgar ship is still on voyage!"

I take my leg out of the blanket and kick his stomach. But he doesn't stop. Clasping his hands together, he says, like an actor in a Shakespeare play, "Oh Edgar, I thought you had AIDS!" Then he satisfyingly puts his hands over his heart with a dreamy look on his eyes. "Top 10 most romantic lines ever spoken."

And this is the boy who killed himself using the name of his twin brother just for revenge.

I sigh in utter dismay. "Will you stop that?"

"What's wrong with Autumn, though? She's cute. Is it because she doesn't have short hair?"

"No." I laugh. "That short hair thing was just a . . . I don't know, it's just a stupid thing." It is embarrassing to tell him that my first love is the one who shaped my mind in a way that only seems to accept short haired girls. But I've never actually felt anything for anyone to confirm whether it's really an important criteria or not.