The Butterfly Effect

Chapter Twenty

The cavernous cathedral is filled with the soft murmur of prayers and hushed conversations when Juliet finishes her prayer. Tall, arching ceilings echo with the last notes of the organist's song hanging in the air. An elderly woman lighting candles at the altar gives her a smile as Juliet walks past her.

She walks down the long aisle of the cathedral, taking in the vivid glass windows that make the large, solemn place feel bright along with their stunning, intricate designs. Elaborate carvings and archways line the stone walls while up ahead, the stained glass of the apse casts a kaleidoscope of radiance on the polished marble flooring.

As Juliet reaches the grand oak doors, she glances back once more at the worshippers gathered within for prayer. Taking a deep breath of the incense-laden air, she pushes open the heavy doors and blinks against the bright sunlight outside.

Her eyes find Miles leaning against a tree just across from the entrance, observing the surroundings around him. As the doors creak closed behind her, he looks up and smiles upon seeing her. She smiles back, walking towards him as her hand moves up as she intends to fix the light blue chiffon scarf that's covering her head. Miles notices that and immediately says,

"Keep it that way." He stares at her face attentively, his lips tugging at the corner. "You look beautiful."

Juliet pauses for a moment at his sudden request plus the unexpected compliment before giving him a nod of agreement.

They walk side by side for a while before sitting on a secluded bench right by a maple tree, the green leaves scattered throughout the area and some covering the wooden bench. A gentle gust of wind rustles through the tree as the fallen leaves stir away along with dust and sand.

Juliet breaks the silence first, "I didn't tell dad anything about... us. I thought I'd let him know after a few days, after everything is settled."

Miles turns to her, nodding. "I just told Nana and Reid."

"How's your preparation for college going?"

His expression shifts to a more serious one as he replies in an unsure tone, "It's all okay."

They sit there in a comfortable silence for a while, Miles taking stolen glances at her every once in a while. As he takes in her appearance, he suddenly asks in a teasing voice, "Is your favorite color white?" He points at her white dress with printed blue flowers. "You're always walking around ready for a wedding to be honest."

Juliet playfully narrows her eyes before retorting, "Is yours black? You walk around looking like you're waiting for everyone to die so that you can attend their funerals." She bursts out laughing at her own joke while Miles narrows his eyes, biting off the smile on his face.

"Oh my God! Why am I so funny?" She doesn't notice the look on his face as she tries to stop her laughter. His eyes burn with an intense emotion as he smiles softly, realizing the real Juliet is back, the one who has a screw missing in her brain.

"I also wear colored clothes. Sorry if you didn't notice." Miles says, faking hurt.

Juliet gives him a playful smirk before nodding her head, agreeing. "Of course you do. The first day we met, you were wearing a black t-shirt. But the second day, it was a sky blue one. The third day, another black one but it was a shirt instead. The fourth day, white and..." Her blabbering comes to a halt when she notices him smiling smugly, his eyebrow raised. And she realizes she just exposed herself.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Now you're thinking I'm a creep, don't you?" She crosses her arms across her chest, head slightly tilted as she sends an accusing look.

"Aren't you though? You literally kept checking me out every single day while I thought you were genuinely worried about statistics and logarithms." He dramatically shakes his head, "I'm a fool."

"In that sense, Mr. Smith-" she pokes his chest, "You also noticed I wear white a lot which means you checked me out too." She jabs her index finger again, "That means you are a creep too. Maybe I'm a bigger one, but you are no saint and..." Before it becomes thrice, he captures her hand in his.

Juliet watches in awe as he slowly entangles his fingers with hers before resting their hands on his thigh. His eyes affectionately look down at their entwined fingers, he tightens his hold while allowing his other hand to caress the upper side of hers. Miles seems occupied in his own world as his fingers draw circles on her skin all the while she's trying to resist her heart from jumping out of her chest at such an intimate act.

"I don't really mind that you checked me out. In fact, it just boosted my confidence and reassured me that I'm good looking."

She scoffs, unable to hold her smile back. "So full of yourself." Then her expression shifts, "Although you're correct. You have nice hair, pretty eyes and I think you're actually beautiful." A hearty laugh escapes her lips and she feels her ears burning, "Remind me to keep my mouth shut from next time. I act so weird around you, it's concerning." She scrunches her nose playfully.

Tints of a smile linger as he glances up at her and raises his hand before removing strands of hair from her face, his finger brushing across her forehead. The wind blows, stirring the light chiffon of her scarf that's still falling on her head and she feels her skin tingling at such a small contact.

"I love it when you do." He says, touching her left cheek with the back of his fingers as he leisurely drags them down.

"It makes me happy." His voice sends shivers down her spine and she holds his hand more firmly.

He's going to be the end of me. Juliet acknowledges in silence as she gives in to the feeling of being close to him.