Kingsley dropped her in front of Nicole's apartment and parked quietly, his hands still tight around the steering wheel, like he wasn't ready to let go. Jasmine didn't say anything, she just opened the door slowly and stepped out, her eyes were tired, her back was stiff, her arms wrapped around herself even though the air was warm.
Nicole came rushing out the moment she saw her, her slippers slapping against the pavement, her arms wide open and her mouth already calling her name like a mother calling a child who's been lost in a crowd.
"Jasmine! Oh my God, Jasmine, are you okay?"
Jasmine managed a small smile and nodded, but her eyes betrayed her, they were distant, heavy with all the things she couldn't say, and she let herself sink into Nicole's arms, her friend's embrace that was full of that familiar warmth she had been missing.
"I heard," Nicole whispered quickly, still holding her close. "I heard what happened. Lucinda—she came for you?"
