AUTHOR NOTES: Hello everyone, if you are reading this chapter, know that I survived one of the most stressful weeks of the year, 3 tests in 5 days should be illegal... returning to more important things... none of you has voted... I'm starting to wonder if you read these author's notes or not.

Thank you again to the three people who have commented on latest chapter, thank you very much, because writing without having feedback from the public... I don't wish it to anyone, I never thought about how important it was to receive feedback... keep on leaving me reviews because it help me to find the motivation to continue my hobby, despite my free time is shrinking more and more.

Regarding the comment of Dovahkiin1412 about the surnames, I had decided from the beginning of the story not to include the surnames for the characters, because for me it is really difficult to think of at least 6 surnames to accompany each individual character... I am one of those people who tries to find a surname that fits well with the name, only the thought of having to find a surname for the family of Jewel, I shudder...

PS: I'm really bad at writing romantic moments... I've always loved reading romantic stories, but having to write one... it's a completely different story...

PPS: I know that a chapter of 10.893 word is literally too overkill... but hey, I won't force you to read all of this in one go, you can read a few thousand words per day. :)

Since none of you has voted, I assume that nobody dislike the length of the chapters, but don't get used... as I said in the first chapter, I have about 50k of story ready, so it's easy for me to write about every 4 - 6 days chapters with almost 10k of words each, this is one of those few chapters that I have almost completely rewritten... now enough talk and I leave you to the third chapter of A Reason To Live.


-Chapter 3 The Truth

It was now November, the coldest period of the year was approaching, the leaves on the trees were now almost completely fallen on the ground, ready to be reborn during the spring. This was what I saw from the window of my room while with a wing I quickly sketched the landscape that I had in front of me, in addition to writing, I really liked drawing, obviously it was only a momentary thing, I liked to draw only when I liked what I was looking at.

My drawings remained only to me and helped me to build very realistic landscapes for my stories, my sketches were not very good and let's say I was ashamed to show them to others... it was like a person's calligraphy, everyone has his own and personal way of drawing and writing, there was no right way to do this, it was all a subjective matter.

My life had remained almost the same as before, the only great change that had been there, were my new goals in life, my book continued well, as I had imagined, I had some difficulty to continue at a steady pace, there were days when I felt I could write endlessly, while others in which I could stay all day in front of paper and pen and not be able to throw down any idea.

All this was normal, if I was particularly inspired, I was able to start writing for hours in a row without stopping, this was my life as a writer... seize moments of my own life and replicate them on my own book... I preferred to write stories as realistic as possible, of course, sometimes it felt amazing to get into the world of science fiction... but unfortunately none of this was real... and I learned this at my own expense.

Time literally flew, it was already 1 month since I discovered the existence of the book fair and I began to spend less and less time with my friends, trying to finish this story as soon as possible but that doesn't mean that I am writing all in one breath, of course I checked and reread always what I wrote, the last thing I want was to publish a story written in a hurry.

I had begun to pass the school's break, behind the schoolyard where there was no one who could disturb me, the downside of my idea was to have to convince my friends to leave me alone ... it was getting harder to hide my secret ...

Today was a very cloudy day, which perfectly represented my mood at the time, full of doubts and insecurities... moreover, the gray color made the whole landscape more gloomy and sad. I woke up the same as every day, today I had in mind an idea to confess my secret to my two closest friends... 'But how?' I thought, I could no longer avoid them, ignore them as if they had done me something wrong.

I took my bag with spare clothes and shoes, because today there was physical education, after saying goodbye to my parents, I headed for my school. Throughout the lesson, it was as if I wasn't there, I had too many thoughts in my head, but I remained as lucid as possible trying not to worry anyone or at least I thought so...

The teacher of physical education had told us to run around the gym to do the warm-up, it was a simple exercise, 'I didn't have to do anything but just run around the gym' I thought...

"Blu? Are you okay? You look very different today." Rebecca asked, looking at me with a worried face.

"Yes... I'm fine, don't worry." I said as I kept running around the gym.

"Blu, you're a very bad liar, you're not at all fine, maybe you're fine physically but you certainly have many doubts and uncertainties inside your head." Rebecca said, getting more and more irritated about my behavior.

'You couldn't hide anything from her... she knew me too well... maybe this is the right moment to confess everything?' I thought as I looked Rebecca who is right in front of me.

"Blu! Stop with all these secrets, you don't you have to keep everything inside you, remember what I told you when we went shopping ?!" Rebecca said as she grabbed my wing.


Flashback one month ago...

While the three were leaving the shopping mall, Rebecca had noticed a familiar figure in a shop, sharpening her eyes she had managed to see Jewel, she wasted no time to get the attention of Rafael and Blu.

"Blu, Rafael look who I found." Rebecca said pointing with her wing in the direction of a shop downstairs.

"It's Jewel ... and she's with Roberto and two other friends ..." Blu said, still sad, thinking about what happened a few weeks ago.

"Blu don't worry, I'm sure one day you'll be able to confess your love, if you need help I'm always here for you." Rafael said trying to console his friend.

"The same is true for me as well, if you need help I'm always available, we're like brothers, you're the younger brother while Rafael and I are the older sister and older brother." Rebecca said hugging her two friends.

"Thank you guys... but why do I have to be the younger brother out of the three?" Blu said ignoring the pain of the bruises that were still present on his body.

Flashback end


"Yes Rebecca ... you're right when you say that I have doubts and uncertainties inside my head ... I'm afraid of your reactions if I confess what I'm hiding." I said as I looked at Rebecca's green eyes. Not far from us, Rafael had witnessed our conversation and had approached to calm both of us.

"Guys, calm down" Rafael said, releasing me from Rebecca's grip.

"Blu! Why don't you trust us? These 5 years of friendship doesn't mean anything to you?! After all the adventures and misadventures that we went through... you still have doubts about trusting us or not?!" Rebecca said with tears in her eyes.

I never expected such a reaction on her part... she was a girl with a very lively character and sometimes even aggressive... but this side of her ... I had not seen her like this yet... I didn't know she cared so much about me... her tears were sincere... they weren't mere tears before my eyes... many times when people don't know how to express themselves or what words to say in difficult moments, they rely on tears... in my opinion, 'The purest form of expression we have...'

How I managed to be so reckless... 'I'm a writer and I'm used to express in the best possible way, all the feelings of my characters... but to seeing in front of you... one of your dearest friends cry because of you... it literally breaks your heart...' I thought as I looked away from my friend.

'I'm a monster... I managed to make the situation even worse... I don't deserve them... They'll be better without me...' I thought as I looked at Rebecca in tears, Rafael tried to console her and gave me a look of disappointment as if I had disappointed them.

"Blu... I think you're smart enough to understand why Rebecca reacted this way." Rafael said as he looked me straight in my eye.

"Now... what's done is done, it makes no sense for me to hide any longer, come during the break in the schoolyard, once there I will tell you everything you need to know about me" I said as I turned away and heading to the locker room.


Rebecca POV

"Do you know why he's behaving like this lately?" I asked Rafael as I watched Blu go alone to the locker room.

"I don't know why... but I would love to know, lately it is as if he were avoiding us, as if we had wronged him..." Rafael answered as he helped me to dry my tears.

'Blu... Why do you behave like that? If you were offended by what I did to you during our lunch at the restaurant or for all the times I embarrassed or teased you... I'm really sorry...' I thought as I looked at the sky growing darker and deeper.

Once I took off the gym clothes and returned to class, I saw Blu already at his desk in silence while looking out the window, he had always been a stubborn bird, when he convinced himself that something had to go in a certain way, no one could make him change his idea.

Rafael and I decided to leave him alone, to give him his personal space and to wait patiently for the break and consequently discover the real reason why he was behaving in this way.

He had always been a very reserved bird... like the first day I met him... I still remember that he was sitting alone at his desk without speaking to anyone...


Flashback five years ago…

'Finally! the first day of school!' I thought as I ran out of my house towards my new school.

I saw a lot of new faces along the way and I couldn't wait to make new friends, arrived in front of my new school, there was a large crowd of birds in front of the school's billboards where there were written the list of all students name divided by each class.

I didn't waste a lot of time and I immediately ran in front of everyone, ready to find my new 'Family' and yes... 'I always considered each of my class as a family... each one of us had a goal to achieve, but we all had a common goal... that goal was to get to the diploma, but to overcome all the various obstacles that were present along the way, there was the class... every single member of my class was like a member of my new family, we had fun, we joked, we quarreled... but in the end we were always together... on our journey towards the end of our school career... I can't wait to spend another 5 years of my life with them... in the hope of being able to make friends that would last over time...' I thought as I was running like a crazy in in the front of the school's billboards.

Once I found my name and once read my new 'Home' I ran to get there... 'I couldn't wait to get to know them' I thought as I rushed in the middle of the crowd of students in the corridor.

Arrived in front of the class, I entered and immediately began to meet my new classmates... I became friends with almost all of them, but there was still one left... he was a Blue Macaw, you couldn't often see birds like him... I heard that there were in total, not more than 30 in the whole school... 'Definitely a special bird' I thought as I approached him.

"Don't you want to meet your new family?" I asked smiling at him.

"Uhm... new family? What do you mean by that? " He replied, confused by my question.

"Each one of us has our own personal goals but we all have one in common, that is to get to the diploma and to get to that, we will do it together! just like a real family that helps each other!" I said, smiling and looking at him.

"I have to admit that you have a very particular vision of the school... I never thought of the school in this way... but how can you tell that this will be a united class?" He asked looking at me.

"You don't have to start already pessimistic, neither of us can be sure, but if you don't try... if you don't try, you'll never know, it seems obvious that if you are all alone, isolated from the class, you will create a vision of class, completely different from the others... and anyway, my name is Rebecca. "I said while I stretched my wing for the greeting.

"You're a very special and unique bird... Rebecca... I've never met anyone like you... my name is Blu" Blu said, shaking his wing with mine.

"Now get up and come with me, I'll introduce you to the class." I said as we exchanged a handshake(wing).

I saw his face very reluctant, but I wasn't surprised, I was firmly convinced that behind this shy and insecure bird... there was a completely different bird... a bird that couldn't wait to go out... a bird who wanted to see life from a new point of view...

From that day on we have always been together... very soon, Rafael joined to our group, not a day passed when we didn't smile, we didn't have fun, we didn't fight... a friendship was born that day... a friendship that I always wanted... a friendship that would last for our entire life...

Flashback end


Blu POV

'How could I make Rebecca cry? How can I not trust them? Immediately after my parents, they were and still are the people who knew me best...' I thought as I followed the lesson.

Today was certainly not a happy day, the fact that the sky was so dark and cloudy, certainly didn't help to cheer me up, once I finished the lesson, I went immediately out in the classroom heading to the bathroom. I rinsed my face 3 or 4 times to prepare for my speech and when I was ready, I headed for the schoolyard.

I walked along long corridors full of students who were having fun, as the weather forecasted rain for today, they were all inside the building, 'I envy them, each one of them... I want to be so carefree too... but I know very well that I'm leading a double life...' I thought as I watched them laugh and joke with each other.

Once arrived in the schoolyard, it was completely empty, I was practically alone inside a large yard, I sat on a kind of concrete sofa waiting for my friends 'Or maybe it was better to say ex-friends...' I thought as I was looking around me.

I didn't have to wait long, after not even 2 minutes, I saw them in the distance approaching me, 'Now or never again' I thought as I was able to distinguish more and more of their body shapes.

"Blu, now you have to tell us everything, do you understand?" Rafael said, looking straight in my eye.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was silent... we hadn't crossed our eyes yet, 'Now our friendship was over' I thought... when suddenly.

"There cannot be a relationship of friendship if there is no trust for each other, you can either tell us what is happening to you or you can consider our friendship ended." Rebecca said finally looking at me.

"You're right Rebecca, friendship is based on the mutual trust of two or more birds, I didn't want to go so far as to make you cry... I apologize and now I'm ready to tell you everything." I said as I looked at the darkening sky.

Suddenly I heard a rumble of thunder and I realized that I didn't have much time, the wind was getting louder and stronger, those few leaves that had managed to resist attached to the trees up to that moment, were swept away mercilessly by the wind.

"I have a double life" I said trying to speed things up.

"What do you mean Blu?" Rafael asked me as he looked at me with a confused look.

What I didn't know at that moment, was that someone else was watching us at that moment, that person was Jewel, she was intrigued by the fact that we were outside in the schoolyard, on a rainy day.


Jewel POV few minutes earlier...

'Perfect... I should had listened to my mother... why didn't I take the umbrella on a day like this?' I thought as I looked out the window.

As I watched the sky growing darker, I saw 3 silhouettes in the schoolyard... I had no doubts, they were Blu and his 2 friends, 'But why were they in the schoolyard on such a day?' I thought as I looked at them from the window of my class.

It's been a month since the last time I had the opportunity to talk with Blu... no one had ever managed to intrigue me as much as he did... he was such a mysterious guy... unlike any other bird I've ever met...


Flashback Few weeks ago...

"Jewel, are you free today? Would you like to come with me and Sofia to the new store in the city square? "Mary said as she was texting on the phone.

"Of course Mary, today after school?" I said as I began heading to my class.

"All right, then I'll wait for you out of school with Sofia then!" Mary said waving and waving her wing.

Having said that I saw Mary return to her class, ah what a beautiful day, 'Today the sun shines more than ever and is also quite windy, the right mix for an ideal day outdoors' I thought as I headed for my class.

When I arrived at the corridor that would take me to my class, there were 3 other birds in the corridor with me, as soon as they saw me, it was as if they were waiting for me.

They were 3 Military Macaws, they were in this school for at least 7 years, 'I'm surprised that they are still allowed to stay in this schools after all the naughty stuff they did' I thought, as soon as they saw me, they had formed a grimace on their face and they approached me.

"Hey, your name is Jewel, right?" One of the three Military Macaw said.

"Yes, you are correct, were you looking for me?" I asked, unaware why they were waiting for me.

"So the voices were correct, you're really beautiful, would you like to come with me for a date today?" Said the Military Macaw.

"No thanks, today I have already something to do and what's more you're not my type," I said as I walked along the corridor, ignoring them.

"Hey, nobody refuses an appointment with our boss!" Another Military Macaw said holding my wing.

"Let me go now! or you'll end up in big trouble, "I said, threatening them.

"Otherwise? What are you going to do? Accept the appointment of our boss and everything will be fine, "said the third Military Macaw.

"You'd better go out with me Jewel, it's really strange that someone like you is still without a boyfriend." The Military Macaw boss said.

"You should immediately apologize or I'll have to teach you how to treat a girl," A voice said behind us 4.

Suddenly, we all four turned to the source of the voice, before our eyes there was Roberto, he had a definitely not a friendly expression.

"What are you doing here Roberto?" I said as I freed myself from the grip of the Military Macaw.

"I came here looking for you, Jewel, I didn't see you go back to class and as I imagined, you weren't alone ..." Roberto said looking at the three Military Macaws.

"Look who is here, Roberto, do I have to teach you by chance who command in this school?" The Military Macaw boss said.

"Exactly, no one can stand up against our boss and pass it smoothly!" Said the other Military Macaw.

"I don't care about who you are and what you want to do, i can't allow you to treat a girl like that." Roberto said, putting himself between me and the Military Macaws.

"Otherwise? What are you going to do? Challenge the three of us when you are alone? "Said the third Military Macaw.

The situation was getting worse and worse, Roberto was definitely ready and willing to fight... but it's a three against one... he will be certainly hurt... I can't stand here and watch without doing anything... 'That's right, I'll go and call the professor' I thought as I ran towards the professor's room.

"Hey! Where are you going!" A Military Macaw said, trying to stop me.

"Stay where you are, you'll have to go over my body if you want to reach Jewel," Roberto said as he put himself in a fighting position.

"Roberto! Stay safe! I'm going to call for help from the professor" I said as I ran toward the professor's room.

While I was running, I couldn't think of what would happen if I returned too late... I can't allow those 3 clowns to hurt Roberto... 'Why? Why don't the others birds leave me alone? I've always been courted by lots of birds but nobody has ever come this far...' I thought as i ran towards the professor's room.

When I arrived at the professor's room, I saw Professor Edwards at his desk while he was correcting some test.

"Professor Edwards! Please follow me! Roberto and I need your help against 3 Military Macaws in the north corridor of the school!" I screamed to get his attention.

"What?! Take me to them right away! "The professor said as he suddenly stood up from his chair and leaped out of the professor's room.

This... were the longest seconds of my life, I was literally running as fast as I could with the professor, 'Roberto, please... stay safe...' I thought with tears coming out of my eyes.

'It was all my fault... if only I had immediately changed road as soon as I saw them... all this would not have happened... but now it is useless to think about it... what is done is done, now I must make up for my mistake!' I thought between me as we approached Roberto more and more.

Once we arrived at the corridor, I saw Roberto surrounded in the corner of the wall, he had bruises all over his body, but he wasn't the only one who is wounded, even the three Military Macaws were bruised, 'Certainly he must give a good fight to be able to keep up the three of them' I thought as I reached them.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! STOP! "Professor Edwards shouted, getting in the middle of the 4.

"Professor Edwards..." Roberto said with all the strength left to him.

"YOU THREE COME IMMEDIATELY WITH ME IN THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OFFICE!" The professor said with a very intimidating look.

If there was one thing certain about this school, it was certainly to never argue or fight against Professor Edwards, he was not just a professor, he was in the Marines, after retiring, he started to teach and he was very experienced in close combat, no one had ever thought to stand against him... in short, he was feared by the whole institute.

"You're lucky Roberto, but next time you will not get away with it," said the Military Macaw boss as he walked away from us with the professor.

"THERE WILL NEVER BE A NEXT TIME!" Said Professor Edwards turning him towards the Military Macaw.

"Jewel, please, can you take Roberto to the infirmary? I'll take care of these three thugs and one last thing... please... don't spread the word about what happened, I'll take care of it myself. "The professor said to me as he turns around and heading to the principal office with the three Military Macaw.

Flashback end


I had never been more worried like that day... Professor Edwards had returned a few minutes later telling us that those three guys had been expelled from the institute, he had asked me to not tell anyone what happened that day because he didn't want to create panic inside the institute...

Nobody knows this story except for me, Roberto, the professor and the school principal... all the other people are unaware of what happened... Roberto had immediately recovered, he had received only a few bruises nothing serious fortunately.

Roberto has always been like a brother to me... a guardian... a guardian angel... we knew each other from an early age, he always protected me and helped me make the right choice, even though many times I was very stubborn, he was like the brother I never had...

In addition, he was always available to help me, during the third year, I began to deny the rumors that they gave us for engaged, initially I was very annoyed and bothered, but seeing that the courtships were drastically dropped, I decided to take part in this act without never doing nonsense with him, he knew it very well, he played along the game while I never stopped looking for my soul mate...

'Enough with the past ... I just want to see what those 3 are doing in the schoolyard' I thought to myself as I stared at Blu along with her two friends.


Blu POV

"I'm a writer, and I've been for 5 years, technically 3 but doesn't matter" I said while looking at my two friends. It happened what I would never expected, Rebecca, once she heard this, she slapped me in the face with her wing and told me...

"Was this really what you were hiding? Were you afraid to tell us that you were a writer? Rebecca said while I had fallen on the ground because of the slap she had given me.

I saw Rafael holding her from beating me up... 'Rebecca wasn't wrong... I wasn't a thief or a murderer... why should I be afraid to confess that I was a writer?' I thought as I recovered from the shock.

"Wait a moment Blu, did you say you've been a writer for 5 years? Does that mean you've started since the day we met?" Rafael asked me, helping me to get back on my feet.

"Yes Rafael, but I only started after meeting you..." I said, looking away from my friends.

"If you're really a writer, why didn't you ever tell us that? You lied to your best friends for 5 years I don't know if you realize it!" Rebecca said, still irritated by my behavior.

"You're right, Rebecca, let's say I'm not just any writer, and you've probably heard of me..." I said, still not sure if I was doing the right thing.

"Spit it out! We don't have all the time in the world!" Rebecca said, ready to hit me again.

"I'm T. Gunderson and the reason I'm avoiding you lately is because I'm writing my new book." I said in one breath, I felt all the weight on my conscience disappear in that moment.

There was a moment of silence, I saw the faces of my friends turn pale, 'They're just surprised, right?' I thought between myself, looking at their faces. But this silence didn't last long because it began at that precise moment to rain, we hadn't wasted time and we all rushed towards the school's entrance, once we got inside, none of us had enough breath at that moment to resume our conversation.


Jewel POV

I had witnessed the whole scene, it was undoubtedly a conversation that was anything but friendly and the slap of Rebecca had literally shocked me... 'I wonder what they said to each other at that moment' I thought while watching them run inside the school's entrance because of the rain.

'I don't know what Blu had done... but to receive such a reaction from a friend of his...' I thought to myself, coming back to my desk.


Blu POV

Once recovered from the race we had just made, I waited for an answer from my friends about my revelation, I didn't have to wait long for it because they immediately started flooding me with questions.

"Blu... do you have any proof that you really are T. Gunderson? I would love to believe you blindly... but I would like some proof for not having any doubts..." Rebecca said looking at me.

"If you want I can show you the registration email at the Minnesota fair or all the mails I exchanged with my book publisher, if you come to my house I can show you all my bad copies of all my books ... now I have nothing more to hide and I'm glad it went like this ..." I said, giving my phone to Rebecca and Rafael.

I saw their excited faces as they scrolled through all the emails I had exchanged with my book publisher and after two minutes...

"YOU ARE REALLY T. GUNDERSON ?!" Rebecca said hugging me very forcefully and shaking me very quickly.

"REBECCA! CALM DOWN! YOU ARE CHOKING HIM!" Rafael said as he held her firmly.

"WHY DID YOU TRY TO CHOKE ME ?!" I said as I recovered from the act of violence.

"Because I'm one of your biggest fans, that's why." She said hugging me.

"Are you going crazy or what? First you try to kill me and now you are hugging me?" I said trying to move her away from me.

"I agree with Blu, Rebecca are you sure that you're not the one who doesn't feel alright?" Rafael asked looking at her.

"I've always dreamed of getting to know T. Gunderson, and now you're telling me he's been my friend from the beginning? I read all your books, I had surrendered to the facts that you had disappeared and now you are telling me that I have always been so close to my IDOL?!" She said as she tried to grab me.

"Yeah... she's definitely gone crazy" I said whispering to Rafael.

"Enough Rebecca, I don't know what's going on, but the name of T. Gunderson is familiar to me, although I don't read any books except those of the school's, I've already heard this name from my mother, and she's a big fan of yours, there was a moment that she was literally obsessed with your books" Rafael said stopping Rebecca from reaching me.

"Guys ... now that you know everything ... I wish you kept this secret until the day of my presentation of my book, you know perfectly why I don't want the word to spread" I said as I approached my two friends.

"You don't like being in the center of attention, right?" Rafael said as he looked at me.

"Exactly, I imagined such a reaction on your part ... but the thing that surprised me the most was Rebecca's reaction." I said while looking at Rebecca.

"Don't worry T. Gunderson, your secret is safe between us, besides you haven't told us why you stopped writing for 2 years." Rebecca said, smiling mischievously.

"I'll tell you this another time... I think for today I had already revealed enough of me." I said.

At that precise moment the bell rang, once again I was saved from my usual luck, we returned to class, 'I had finally managed to confess my secret... now I could be sincere in front of them...' I thought as I sat down to my desk.

At the end of the school, it was still raining very hard, Rebecca and Rafael were in a hurry and returned home immediately, I took it easy, once i pulled out my umbrella, i was ready to go home but then... I saw a familiar face in the middle of the crowd of students... it's her...

I saw her with a worried face, 'Surely she had forgotten the umbrella' I thought as I watched her, then I approached her to make sure everything was all right.

"Jewel? Why are you still here?" I said as I was approaching her with my umbrella.

"Blu? Why didn't you go back home yet?" She said surprised to see me.

"I was just about to go home, don't tell me that you're without an umbrella?" I asked, looking into her turquoise eyes. It was useless, I would never get tired of staring into her eyes...

"Ehm... yes... I forgot my umbrella and now I don't know how to get home... my father and mother are unfortunately very busy at the moment... I think I'll wait here until it stops to rain." She said looking at the gloomy sky.

'It's my chance' I thought, it was useless to flee forever, now I have the opportunity to know her better and I will not miss a chance like that.

"Don't talk nonsense, I'll take you home if you don't mind, my umbrella is big enough for us two." I said smiling at her.


3rd Person POV

'His smile... he had definitely brightened my day... and then... I really want to know him better... especially after what I saw today at the window' Jewel thought while looking at Blu.

"Thanks Blu, I am very grateful to you for this favor!" Jewel said immediately going under Blu's umbrella.

"Don't worry, come on let's go home." He said, putting himself more to the side to give her enough space under the umbrella.

They immediately headed towards the restaurant of Jewel, the streets were almost completely empty, the only things that were seen, were only the cars that occasionally passed and some pedestrian who was hurrying to find shelter under the rain. The rain was incessant and it seemed like it would last for a long time...

'I must admit that we are really close to each other and this made me slightly embarrassed but I didn't have much choice at the moment... besides I saw that he wasn't at his ease too, I saw him blush many times when our feathers rubbed each other' She thought to herself.

The more time passed, the more Jewel couldn't contain herself from asking what had happened today during the break, it was stronger than her... that slap of Blu's friend had literally surprised her and she wondered what Blu did to deserve that... until she finally took some courage and asked him...

"Blu... today I saw you in the schoolyard with your friends... let's say I saw the whole scene and if you don't mind... could you tell me what happened?" Jewel said, looking at him.

'She had heard everything... but why did these things only happen to me? Maybe it was a sign of destiny... maybe now it's the right time to get rid of my secret...' Blu thought to himself.

"Jewel ... today I confessed a secret to my friends, let's say that initially they didn't take it well but once I cleared up everything, they understood me and supported me" Blu said while watching some boys running in the rain.

"Ah, I see... I'm happy that everything went well in the end" Jewel said with a dubious face as she stared out into space.

'It was obvious, she wanted to know what secret it was, but let's say she knew that asking me something like this would only lead to a discussion that could eventually lead to a fight...' Blu thought as he looked at her facial expression.

"Do you want to know what secret I'm talking about?" Blu asked as he tilted his umbrella, as not to let the wind take it away from him.

"If you don't mind, yes... only if you want it, of course if you don't want to tell me then it's okay" Jewel said, a little embarrassed by her behavior.

"Sometimes you're really funny Jewel... I've revealed to my friends that I'm a writer." Blu said, smiling as they crossed an intersection.

Jewel at that moment was as if she were paralyzed, she had suddenly stopped, as a result, even Blu had stopped to wait for her and it couldn't be said that she wasn't surprised to hear such a revelation.

"A writer? Would you mind explaining yourself better? Have you already published books?!" Jewel asked intrigued by the revelation of Blu.

"Are you sure you want to know this part of me? I warning you that it could be a really big shock... you saw how my friend Rebecca reacted." Blu said as he stared into her eyes.

'What did he mean by that? Why should I be shocked by knowing his author's pen name? Actually, the reaction of his friend Rebecca was really strong... but I have to know... I want to know more about him...' Jewel thought.

"Yes Blu... I want to know your secret..." Jewel asked timidly as she started walking again.

Blu drew a long sigh as he looked around him, he knew very well that this was perhaps one of the most important moments of his life and that he must manage it as well as possible.

"I'm T. Gunderson" Blu said, stopping at an intersection due to the red light.

'I was speechless... my favorite author was in front of my eyes ... it was always him... that's why every time I talked about T. Gunderson he immediately changed expression and way of speaking... but why? Why keep me in the dark about everything? I don't understand... I have to ask him' She thought as she tried to recover from the news she had just received.

"I... I don't understand... why you never told me? Why you lied to me too... "She said, not knowing what to do anymore.

"No one knows that I am T. Gunderson, until now only my parents knew it and a few hours ago I confessed it to my dearest friends Rafael and Rebecca, because I couldn't avoid them without giving them a valid reason." Blu said as he was trying to cover Jewel with his umbrella.

"But why does your true identity must have to remain secret? I don't understand." She asked, getting closer to Blu so she won't get wet from the rain.

"Jewel, you're smart enough to get it on your own... I'm sure you can guess it..." Blu replied smiling at her.

"I still cannot believe that T. Gunderson is attending my own school, he is one of my peers and finally that he is right next to me..." Jewel said while looking at Blu.

"I know Jewel... even my friends have had a similar reaction to yours..." Blu said trying to console her.

"Why, why did you disappear into thin air for 2 years without any warning?" Jewel asked, looking at the sky where she could see some lightning in the distance.

"My friends asked me the same question but I still haven't answered them... but since I have no more reason to hide it, I will tell you the reason why I started writing 5 years ago, i started writing because I found my muse... my muse that has inspired me every single story of mine from that day on, as you can imagine I stopped 2 years ago because I lost my motivation and therefore my muse..." Blu said, remaining silent to listen to the sound of the rain that in that moment was helping him to relax.

"Your muse? Is a girl your inspiration perhaps?" Jewel said Looking Blu in his hazelnut eyes.

'As I imagined, Jewel was really smart, you cannot hide anything from her... just like Rebecca... my heart was beating faster than ever... I wondered if this was the right moment to confess everything I've been hiding for 5 years...' Blu thought in his mind.

"As I imagined, you're really smart and I can't hide anything from you... I'm sorry to have lied to you until now... I hope my lies didn't make you upset..." Blu said while trying to avoid hitting other birds with his umbrella.


Jewel POV

'I knew it... I always suspected that T. Gunderson had a kind of feminine inspiration, his books are mostly romantic with the main theme, love...' I thought as I was still struggling to believe that he was really T. Gunderson...

"Blu... do you have any proof that can prove you're really T. Gunderson? Sorry if I'm very suspicious... "I said while trying to stay as close to him as possible not to get wet.

"I can show you my registration form... my emails with my publisher and if you care so much... I can also show to you all the various bad copies of my books and even alternative endings that have never been published... now I have nothing more to hide, if you want to know something, just ask me Jewel. "He said as he pulled out the phone and handing to me as he watched some birds run to get to the bus.

"No Blu... you don't need to do that, although I know you very little... you managed to have a good impression with my mother, something not simple at all and then... you look like a very honest and sincere bird... I don't need you to show me all the evidence." I said, smiling at him.

"Resuming the discussion from where we left it off, I realized you had a feminine inspiration from the recurring themes in your stories, love ... most of your stories revolve around this theme... but that doesn't explain why you disappeared so suddenly at the height of your career..." I asked to him, not leaving him the time to answer.


Blu POV

'Smart girl, very gorgeous, open-minded and much more... my father was right to tell me to not to let her go without confessing my feelings... being so close to her under this incessant rain was... magnificent... I find the sound of the rain extremely relaxing and very satisfying, nothing beats the most classic sound of nature... the sound of life because everything started from the water... and who knows... maybe under this incessant November's rain... I would be reborn and my life forever changed...' I thought as I looked at her turquoise eyes.

'I can't resist anymore... every second that passes, I fall more and more in love with her... now I have the confirmation that she's the right girl for me...' I was so intent to admire her beauty that I remained silent for more than necessary and Jewel has noticed it...

"Blu? "Jewel said, putting her wing on my shoulder.

'Is this the right time or do I have to wait any longer? I don't think I can keep my last secret for a long time... I have to confess my love...' I kept thinking without noticing that she was worried about me.

"Blu are you there? Wake up! "Said Jewel shaking me vigorously.

She was very strong, she almost managed to make me fall with the umbrella in my wing... luckily I had some pretty good reflexes and I managed to keep my balance. However, I still didn't managed in giving her an answer...


Jewel POV

'It was as if he had been charmed by me... wait a moment... could this means that I was his muse of inspiration? At the mere thought my heart beat at rhythms that I would never have thought possible... things after all made sense... he started 5 years ago... when we were both in the first year, he began to write inspired by a girl and every time I am close to him... he behaves strangely as if he need to say something but cannot find the courage... I have to know it...' I thought to myself.

"Blu... I'm your muse of inspiration, right?" I asked with a flushed face but managing to cover it with my wing.

I saw in his eyes a sense of fear and shock mixed together, he was certainly speechless and I am too... 'But he hasn't denied me... I'm really his muse? Sometimes silence is worth more than a thousand of words... to remain silent in front of such a question meant only one thing...' I thought as I was looking away from him because I was very embarrassed at that moment.

"So, it's true Blu, I've always been your muse of inspiration from the beginning..." I said as I continued to look him straight into his eye.

Blu didn't answer but he nodded, 'I need nothing else... that was more than enough for me... no one had ever done something like that... he kept everything inside himself for 5 years... who knows how he felt when the other birds were courting me... maybe he felt just like me when I saw him at the mall with his girlfriend who then turned out to be only a friend...' I thought.

"Blu? One last question... you still haven't told me why you quitted for 2 years." I asked with a slightly flushed face.

"I stopped when I saw you and Roberto together... I always regretted the fact that I never managed to confess my feelings... when I saw you so happy with him I convinced myself that you would have been happier with him than with me, so I decided to leave everything behind just because I had no more reason to continue." He said, dropping a few tears from his hazelnut eyes.

"But everything changed when we first talked at the supermarket, I never imagined that you appreciated so much my books, once I got back home I confessed everything to my parents and they helped me motivating me to not give up, to fight if necessary... then I decided to resume writing but you weren't my only motivation... even my parents and also all my fans who have never stopped hoping for my future return... you all are my new motivation..." He said looking up at the still dark sky.

'My mother was right, Blu is really a mature, responsible and humble boy, one like him can't be found every day and moreover I am also a fan of his... his tears... they only gave me confirmation of what he is saying... he was sincere right now... surely he was really struggling to tell me all of this...' I thought as I tried to recover from Blu's speech.

"Blu... I don't know what to say... so this means you're in love with me?" I said feeling my face redder than ever... I had never felt this feeling... despite all the courtship I received during these 5 years, I didn't never think about how it felt to be on the other side... I had never felt and tried to be really embarrassed by being close to someone...

'I could easily see the facial expression of Blu, from a relaxed expression after confessing everything to pure shock, but inside me I really hoped he would say yes... I don't know why... maybe I fell in love with him too? Was he really the one I've been looking for so long?' I thought as I was looking at him waiting for the three magical word...


Blu POV

'Now or never again, as my father told me... I am more convinced than ever that this is really true love... surely, I would never have had another chance like this, not confessing my love right now... it equals to giving up the girl I love... to the girl of my life and I didn't want this... I have to do it...' I thought as I prepared to say the fateful answer.

"Yes Jewel, from the first moment I saw you and from that day on, I've always loved you more and more, I thought it was just a temporary thing... but it wasn't... for 5 years I never stopped thinking about you... to think about our possible relationship together... to our possible life together... I know I'm running maybe too ahead... but I'm just listening to what my heart is saying... I thought you were one of those girls, all beauty and no brain but I was wrong and this conversation is the proof for that. "I said looking into her eyes as I had never done before, if I had seen myself in the mirror I would surely be surprised of the seriousness and confidence that I was showing at that moment.

I saw Jewel's face in tears... 'I didn't know if they were tears of joy or not... I still didn't know yet whether or not she shares my same feelings... but having finally managed to confess everything was... one of the best sensations in the world' I thought as I was wiping some tears off her turquoise eyes.

"Thank you, Blu... no one had ever made a speech to me like that." Said Jewel and hugging me between her cerulean wings, 'It all seems so surreal... but I wasn't dreaming... I could clearly hear the sound of her heartbeat... our hearts were beating at the same pace... was this another sign that we were made for each other?' I thought as I returned her hug.

'The time around us had stopped, at that precise moment I didn't care about anything else... at that moment I just wanted to be near her... stay with her and never leave her...' But I am well aware that this can't be done right now... it was impossible... once the hug ended we set off again towards Jewel's restaurant.

'I didn't know what to say, was she really hugging me? We never had been so close... I thought that being in the rain and under the same umbrella... was the moment when I could possibly stay the closest to her... but a hug... it might seem trivial, but many times it means a lot... many times when you don't know how to express yourself or what to say, you rely on the dearest and oldest sign of affection in the world... how soft was her plumage... and she's scent almost made me faint...' I thought as I was still recovering from her hug.

While I was thinking about it, we had arrived at her restaurant, she didn't waste time and immediately entered, 'I couldn't know if she shared my same feelings or not... what did this mean? Didn't she love me? So why did she said thank you and hugged me?' These were the doubts that afflicted me in that moment...

I decided to leave her alone for now, surely she needed some time to reflect about everything that happened today... I didn't blame her, receiving such news one after another would make everyone confuse and unsure about what to do...

I prepared myself to go home, also because in the meantime, it still hadn't stopped raining... 'Finally free, free from all sorts of doubt except one of course, at least I tried, if she doesn't share my same feelings then it's fine... I can't force her to stay with me if she doesn't want to...' I thought as I walked under the rain with my umbrella.

I decided to share the news with my friends over the phone, I was really euphoric at that time, I just wanted to share the good news with those who have always been close to me. I wrote a long message to a group where there was both Rafael and Rebecca, I wrote in a very comprehensive way the conversation between me and Jewel from my point of view.

"Are you seriously worried that Jewel doesn't love you? It seems so obvious to me that she does, perhaps it may take some time before she says those magical words that you are waiting so eagerly." Rafael wrote to me.

"Rafael is right, I agree with him, come on Blu don't think too much, you took a very big step today and you'll see that everything will be fine." Rebecca wrote to me.

"Thanks guys, as usual, you know how to make me feel better." I wrote.

"Blu... I forgot to apologize for the slap I gave you in the schoolyard ..." Rebecca wrote.

"Don't worry Rebecca, no remorse, I deserved it, and then... you both will always be the older brother and the older sister I've never had." I wrote to them.

"Blu... now I understand how you can say the right thing at the right time... now i finally see why you are a writer... you know how to create suspense, see how you did when you told us to go to the schoolyard etc... I'm happy to be your friend" Rafael wrote to me.

"The same thing is true for me, since the first day I saw you in class, I knew very well that inside you, there was a part of you that you didn't even know to have yet, if you have any problems, know that we will always be by your side..." Rebecca wrote.

"... you were right Rebecca ... in our class I found a new family ... see you tomorrow, now I have to go." I wrote while I put the phone in my pocket. 'What I had done to deserve friends like them' I thought.

Now I'm really free of all thought... the fact of having managed to confess my love is a huge step forward, at the end of this day, the day that was supposed to be the worst of my life has turned into the best one.

'Life is really strange... you'll never know what awaits you... but isn't this the funny thing of life? The fact that it is unpredictable... someday you can be a simple person unknown in the world... and the day after a celebrity...' I thought as I was watching some shopkeeper cleaning the wet floor of their shop.

The rain was decreasing in intensity as I approached the library, I decided to go to the library because I couldn't wait any longer to give my parents the good news... it was after all thanks to them, to their motivational speech, that pushed me to continue on my way and give me enough courage to face life.

Suddenly it stopped raining and the clouds began to disappear ... behind the dark sky you could finally glimpse the blue sky... 'Wonderful...' I thought as I headed towards the library.

I heard some boys screaming with joy and pointing at a specific point of the sky, caught by the curiosity I turned in their direction and saw the most beautiful thing I saw to date... the rainbow... it was not the typical rainbow where you could glimpse a few colors because it was all blurry... this was as if it were complete... you could perfectly distinguish every single color from each other... 'Was that a sign?' I thought as I finally could begin to glimpse the library.

Outside the library, I saw my father and mother... 'They had gone out to admire this temporary panorama too' I thought as I was approaching them.

"Even both of you were speechless in front of such a panorama?" I asked my two parents who were still looking up in the sky.

"Ah, you finally came back to Blu... I thought you had forgotten your umbrella" my mother said, turning and smiling at me.

"Well you see... I have to tell you some things..." I said while I was taking a deep sigh. After 10 minutes, I was able to tell in as much detail as possible what had happened to me today, trying to not leave out any details of what had happened to me.

"Great son, I knew you could do it!" My father said, patting my shoulders.

"I also knew that sooner or later you would be able to confess your feelings and anyway, your friends are right, don't worry and give her some time to reflect." My mother said as she was proud of me.

"In fact, finding out that one of your peers is actually your favorite writer and moreover that he loves you the same day is a big twist." My father said, looking at my mother.

"Seen from this point of view, yes, you're right, dad and mom." I said, smiling at them.


3rd Person POV

Meanwhile a similar conversation was taking place in the other part of the city, Jewel after entering the restaurant, she immediately saw his father and mother busy serving some customers, she decided to confess everything once the place had been empty.

"What?... Jewel how did you get back already? You told me you had forgotten your umbrella..." Her mother said, looking at her daughter.

"I received help from Blu... he accompanied me to the restaurant." Jewel said while putting on her apron, ready to help her parents.

"And where is Blu? I really want to know him" Her father said while he was bringing some dishes to a table.

"He went home, I'll tell you both everything as soon as we finish serving all the tables," Jewel said, running towards a table, writing all the customers' orders on a small notebook. After an exhausting hour of service, there was no one left in the restaurant except for the Blue Macaw family.

"And that's what happened today... I bet he's angry with me because I ran away without even answering him" Jewel said, dropping few tears from her turquoise eyes.

"Wow who imagined that Blu hid such a secret... but I'll tell you something Jewel, if he has come so far to write for 3 years all those books dedicated to you... someone like him... you will not find someone like him anymore, don't miss this chance and at the first opportunity finish what you started." Her mother said, wrapping her daughter with her protective wings.

"Well admirable what this guy did for my daughter, I cannot wait to get to know him better." Her father said, daydreaming about the boy his daughter talks about.

"Do you seriously think that he wants to see me again?" Their daughter said, looking up to look at her two parents face.

"He managed to keep all these things inside himself for 5 years, do you really think after the hug that you gave him and after so much trouble and difficulty he went through, he doesn't want to see you again?" Her mother said, chuckling at the naivety of her daughter.

"Your mother is right, when she talks about love, no one knows more than she does." Her father said, laughing with his wife.

"Spokes to the one who followed me to my house to be able to confess his feelings because he was too ashamed to do so in front of an audience" Sarah said as she stares at her husband.

"Honey, please... not in front of our daughter... but in the end everything went well, right?" Her husband said nervously.

"Of course, if I had the opportunity to rewrite the past ... I would leave it exactly as it is, how can I refuse such a tearful confession?" His wife said as she was hugging him.

"OK ok, honey, let's not go into the details, please..." Her husband said with an embarrassed face.

"Alright, I'll do it just for you," Sarah said, exchanging a kiss with her husband.

"OK... I think I understand, at my first chance I'll try to make up for the damage I've done." Said their daughter looking out the window of the restaurant admiring the rainbow in the sky.


Jewel POV

'Nobody had managed to make my heart beat so much... if this isn't love... then I don't know what to think anymore... it must be him... will he be the boy that will make me truly happy?' Jewel thought while looking at the rainbow.

I always thought I was already happy in my life, that I didn't need anything else... but... finally I realized that happiness need to be shared... it need to be shared with someone you truly love... just like my father and my mother... I have always envied their relationship and I always dreamed of having someone one day to smile with, someone to suffer with, someone to laugh with, someone to live with, someone to love...

Tomorrow I'll go to meet him... I've never been surer than now, he's special and I've known it since the first day I saw him... but now that I finally knew his secret... this makes him even more...


Here we are again at the end of the chapter, I hope you all enjoyed the romantic moment between Blu and Jewel, it's my first attempt to write a romantic scene and I must say that I'm not entirely satisfied.

Originally, this chapter wasn't so dramatic, especially elements such as the slap of Rebecca etc... weren't present, I decided to put more of suspense, but the problem with chapters of +9k of words, there is very little of suspense...

After the 14th I will finally have a free week, I hope to be able to take me as far as possible with the chapters of this story to not leave you without any update for 2 months.

As said at the beginning, leave a review, I will never be tired of repeating it... it doesn't matter if it is trivial or not, if it is critical or flame, you have no idea how satisfied I am every time I get a notification on my phone of a new comment from you... unfortunately I am aware that I am in the worst moment of this archive, many writer have already left and there are few people who still spend their time writing stories about RIO... review if you liked the story or the chapter, nobody likes to lose 1 week of hard work to get no feedback...

Without anything to say, see you all hopefully next week with a new chapter. :)

~Fenix139