Chapter Text
Falling. What an interesting concept.
Big, heavy raindrops fell from the dark grey clouds hovering above them, coming down, touching ferociously the ground.
Gravity, maybe hearing her thoughts, made her chin slip and lose its position from the comfortable spot it had found on the palm of her hand for the past minutes, while the old professor talked about what their program for next semester would be. Her best friend absently poked her arm with an unsharpened pencil, bored.
Kit yawned, closing her eyes despite wanting to stare out of the window, where natural light was so dim and comforting, compared to the one that illuminated the room now, white and strong and artificial.
She wanted to think about the inevitability of falling humans experience through life, not about whatever the bald man sitting at the desk was gesticulating vehemently for.
Because rain was right there, and it was lovely, bringing her peace. Like the other day, when sun rays moved from behind the thin metal strip placed mid window, hitting her right in the face, forcing her right eye to close for a few seconds. Or like the previous night, when Elora sent her a text message in all caps that recited LOOK OUT THE WINDOW.
She had dropped her phone on the couch, getting up with a sigh, forgetting the movie and her mother sitting beside her, who looked up asking for an explanation that never came. She dragged her socked feet on the warm wooden carpet til she reached the skylight placed mid corridor: a beautiful full moon stared back at her, white glow bathing her in a soft, luminous rectangle. Kit forgot about the movie and sat there on the ground, pensive. It was so calm, it was so beautiful.
Elora always teased her about how much she loved to find beautiful words for beautiful things and yet couldn't find nor take the courage to ask a beautiful girl out. But that, that was another story. Because Kit wasn't interested in asking girls out, and the one Elora talked about, the one she always found herself staring at every occasion, wasn't just a beautiful girl. It wasn't the moon, or rain.
It was Jade Claymore. And one can't simply ask Jade Claymore out. It doesn't work like that.
First of all, Jade was the best in all her classes, a scholarship kind of person, the one every professor would beg to have in class, a pleasure to be around. And then, Jade didn't even acknowledge her existence in this world.
Suddenly, Kit wasn't so sleepy anymore.
She straightened her back, catching Elora's attention, who poked her leg this time, changing expression to a cunning smile.
“What you thinking about.”
Kit ignored her, putting her chin back on the open palm, starting to finally follow the lesson. So Elora made it a personal mission to annoy the heck out of her.
“Kit, this is so boring. Please help your super bored friend not to be bored anymore.” She lowered her head ‘til it reached their shared desk, and then proceeded to move until it covered Kit's notebook.
The brunette kept a neutral expression while raising an eyebrow at her, wondering one more time how could a bothersome, extra active sunny person be her friend. It's not like she was moody or dark, she simply enjoyed not to be surrounded by people too different from her. With Elora it was different, though. The blonde always managed to make her feel listened to, understood, comfortable; it was almost like having a younger sibling she wanted to care for, except the girl was a few years older than her.
Elora gave her the most adorable smile at that point, all soft cheeks and innocent eyes, and Kit was this close to let the true slip from her lips when a knock on the door interrupted them. And the lesson.
Every eye fell on the big classroom door located at the base of it. Elora, too, turned her head in a curious pose, to be able to see who interrupted her from intruding Kit's mind.
“Come in.” The old man said aloud, and the door slided open.
Everyone was sort of expecting it, since it happened almost every day, but Kit's heartbeat still managed to speed up and be felt in her throat. Elora's smile took on an evil hue: she looked back at her friend, who fastly returned staring at the little doodles on her blank page.
“Look, exactly who you were thinking about.”
In fact, Jade Claymore just entered the room, making it strangely warmer and interesting again. Everyone present stared at her every move, but she didn't seem to notice or care.
Kit was too far up in the room to clearly hear her speak, but the little glimpse of smile directed at the old man was enough to make her hands start sweating.
Elora assumed a decent posture again, without stopping moving her eyes from Jade to Kit, looking way too amused to be considered either a caring or reserved friend.
Too soon -like every time she came in to give her professor some papers, Jade walked off and out of the classroom without a second glance in any direction beside the exit. The heavy door closed behind her back.
Were Kit’s eyes working correctly? She swore she just saw the girl pushing it with just one hand, effortlessly. On a mental blackboard, the adjective 'hella strong' was fastly added under all the other ones already noted down.
Since Elora was now only focused on her, again with that stupid knowing smile on her lips, Kit put one hand on her way too cocky face and pushed it to make her look forward.
“Shut up, Elora.” She mumbled.
“I didn’t say a word.” A little laugh coming from the blonde ended their not very eloquent dialogue, and the rest of the lesson was spent in an unusual deep focus on every word the professor said.
The two split for the next hours of lesson before lunch, in which Kit also managed to decently focus and actually take notes. These were classes she was interested in, and it was important to pay attention to them, not to think about the fiery wisp that escaped Jade Claymore's hairstyle caressing her neck.
It wasn't an easy task, because that was a really nice neck, Kit justified to herself as she drew a small sword on the squared-off edge of her note sheet. Although she had known her by sight since the first day of college, Kit had no idea what classes she took nor where she lived. Not even what her friendship circles were. Jade was an incredible question mark in her mind, and this fascinated and frightened her at the same time. While her need for control restrained her from even making an attempt to make casual conversation, give her a nod or just ask a silly question (like, asking the location of a classroom was enough for start), her curiosity would not allow her to forget the redheaded and thus devote her time to anything else.
“Kit, if you only wanted to, you could find a lot of girls here at school.” Elora interrupted her flow of thoughts in the cafeteria, sitting opposite her. Both were pilfering from the other's tray of chips and nuggets. The blonde had already pushed Kit’s daily dose of vegetables toward her, aware that her friend never took it on purpose.
“I'm not going out with you, El.” Kit swallowed a carrot dipped in mayonnaise, trying to mitigate the taste.
“Ew.”
The brunette wandered with her eyes all over the space, subtly searching for something.
“Don't be gross, Kitkat.” She earned a dirty look from the latter for the nickname. “I'm just saying you're beautiful, sis. And I don't want you to wrap your head around someone who doesn't even know you exist, you know?”
Kit hummed an answer without really agreeing, then fell against the backrest, sighing in desconsolaton. She wasn't wracking her head or even thinking about Jade all day, she just had a crush.
... A crush that had been going on for months and months. Was it really a bad thing, to keep on holding on hope?
“You don't even know her, what if she is’s, i don’t know, an unpleasant person?” Elora wiped her hands with a handkerchief and absentmindedly passed one to Kit as well, who did the same, her gaze always lightning-fast on each person surpassing the threshold of the large doors to the common room. “Or worse, an asshole?” They stood up, trays in hand and backpacks on their shoulders.
Jade Claymore, rude or unpleasant? It didn't really seem like a possible scenario. Anyone who knew her even just by sight said she was one of the most chivalrous and charismatic students one could interact with in the whole place. This obviously devoured Kit with curiosity, who in almost two years of barely-active life on campus still had not once managed to find herself in a context that included them both: they were always in different places, always with different people and at different times. When Kit would come in, Jade would go out. When Jade disappeared from view, Kit would turn the corner.
“By the way, do you know who joined my history class?”
The change of subject finally seemed able to distract Kit from her visual search. She looked Elora in the face, placing the tray on the stack. “Who?”
“Graydon.”
“Am I supposed to know who that is?”
“Hastur. Graydon Hastur.”
The name told her nothing.
“El, you're the one here who knows half the school, not me. Who would that be?”
“He's the boy who’s doing the cultural exchange, everyone our year knows him,” she threw Kit a playful judgy look. “And my professor put him right next to me because I'm the only one who speaks Spanish.”
The blonde didn't really seem unhappy about it despite her attempt to appear annoyed. Kit knew her too well. She amusedly listened her ramble about how many questions he always asked her or the way he seemed to lose his focus easily, as they walked among people in line for lunch. Elora had been her best friend since high school, and they had chosen to attend the same college after picking the best and sorting through them, like the good model students they were.
Kit had to be honest, if it were not for her friend being so social, she might not have even come out from her room most of the tim-
Who knows why, that day, the saying ‘the outcome of a day is decided by the morning’ was rather apt for her. Thoughts about gravity started to form from the moment she noticed rain, and now here she was once again having to think about it. Not of her own volition, though.
A foot in the wrong place. A huge guy from the football team too big to stand like everyone else in the linear row.
Those, and Kit's determined walking, already normally a struggle to her poor self balance.
She started falling before she even realized what was happening. Meeting the floor was expected, pain too, but it was taking a bit too long to come.
“Watch your feet, princess.”
Next to the football team, one could only expect such a phrase; it was nothing new. Only the words did not sound sour or ironic. Nor mocking.
Kit found herself supported by two arms around her waist (one hand, to be more precise, was on the ribcage), and immediately brought back to an upright position by them. She, on instinct, had clung to both forearms attached to the hands that held her. That was what made her realize it wasn’t a boy who had saved her from a bad fall, but a girl.
She turned around to hurriedly see who deserved a heartfelt thanking, but found herself wishing a fast death instead.
For she was standing (and still held by) less than ten inches from the face of none other than Jade Claymore, who had come out of nowhere like a guardian angel or something.
Death, immediate death for Kit Tanthalos.
Jade smiled kindly, letting her go, and the possibilities were two: either she did not notice or she pretended not to notice the brunette's terrified look on her face.
Kit adjusted in a hurry her blue plaid shirt with unsure hands under the shocked gaze of Elora, who had witnessed the whole scene with her mouth open and would probably tease her for the next ten years about it, and the hazel gaze of the redhead, surprisingly not giving any sign of pity.
Despite the place being crowded and noisy, silence stretched between them.
What do you say when your first interaction with your crush is the most disastrous scene of your life?
Jade solved the problem for both of them.
She stretched her lips into a polite smile towards Elora, directed an imperceptible nod to her and turned around, getting back in line to regain her position.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck.
Kit took a few seconds to close her mouth, lower her brows and proceed at train speed in the opposite direction, forcing her friend to sprint in a chase. “Kit!”
“Kit, wait!” She caught up with her, grabbing her by an arm.
“Woah, what just happened?” It was clear that she was completely unable to hold back her mirth, or lower her damn voice, since they were still inside the cafeteria and everyone could hear them.
It wasn't true, of course, but Kit, ears red and face the same color, just wanted to get away from the scene of her own failed murder.
“Kit, hey, Kit, are you blushing?”
“Shut up, Elora. I really wanna die.”
Elora laughed, adjusting her bag on the shoulder and letting her arm go, but keeping pace.
“Look at the bright side. At least you know she's not a bitch.”
Kit groaned, letting the topic drop and indeed doing her best to forget about it.
Needless to say, she didn’t; Kit had no other thoughts for the rest of the afternoon classes. Fortunately, they were not many, and not entirely important. The brunette couldn't help but obsessively go over every second of what had happened; from Elora's speech to her foot getting stuck, to her fall, to Jade's hands on her hips, sure and strong, as if they had been born to rescue people in trouble. Like a goddamn hero.
No, she was going too strong now, and that wasn’t good, not good at all. She realized she had bitten down on her lips too hard between thoughts when she hurt her botton one, and a drop of blood painted the tip of her tongue.
Why couldn’t she just talk to her?
She continued to flagellate herself until the distant sound of a bell determined the coming of the hour and the consequent end of her classes. Since when was Kit the person to fall in that miserable pit? She was a charismatic personality, people admired her despite a bit of clumsiness and a poor back posture. She was smart and fairly attractive. Hell, she even took sword fight lessons when she grew up. Why did that girl have such a power on her when they had never addressed a word or a glance at each other? Why did the universe hate her so much, making her a useless pudding in the face of the most gorgeous girl she’s ever laid eyes on?
She got up from the table, arranging everything neatly in her bag and slipping on her jacket to leave. Outside the window, rain was still pounding on the ground. Perfect, she would have to wait for Elora in the cold to get home.
Well, on a second thought she could have stayed inside a building, perhaps in the library, but after a glance at the clock, she saw that it was only half an hour until the end of her best friend's afternoon classes. She might as well avoid all human contact and stay under the pleasant, nonjudgmental company of water. Especially after the most embarrassing act of her life.
So she zipped up the jacket and pulled its hood over her messy dark hair before pushing open the exit door and walking toward the sidewalk beside the main campus road.
The patter of rain on the warm, water-repellent material of the jacket finally managed to apparently calm her thoughts. A little bit. In the end, what was the point of torturing herself over what had happened? To begin with, she didn’t do it on purpose, it just happened, as it could have happened to anyone else. All she had to do was just... Ignore the afternoon existed at all, that was it. And stop going to school, and dig herself a dark, narrow ditch for at least -she mentally counted on invisible fingers in the air- three weeks would be enough, yes.
Kit sighed, kicking a pebble with each right step brought forward.
A glance at the clock told her the time was near, she stopped her walking and stepped onto the low wall, testing her balance more out of personal challenge than habit; her feet kept her body perfectly straight, even when moving torso and arms forward or backward.
Fuck you, gravity, she thought with a silent smile that no one saw, beside concrete on the ground.
Time passed, but no sign of Elora. Her cell phone remained stubbornly silent; no message, no communication from her best friend, so Kit decided to try calling her after waiting more than fourty five minutes. It was getting dark, and if she had to walk, she would need to leave at that exact moment to make sure she could get home before sunset. The apartment she shared with her best friend was not too far from there; on foot, however, it would have taken at least an hour walk.
“Where are you, Elora?” Words were said under her breath as she pushed one cold hand deep into her pocket and scrolled with the other one through her phone contacts, shielding the screen from the incessant rain with her head.
The blonde usually told her when she would be late to pick her up, the rare times it happened, especially since she was the one who could drive and had a car, keys and all.
She pressed her thumb on the smiling photo of Elora’s contact and brought the phone to her ear, trying to fit it inside the hood. Meanwhile, she turned on her heels and began to walk.
It rang.
Some boys hurriedly cut the road, forcing her to stop and look at them sideways, the scene only reminding her of what had happened at lunch that day, unfortunately.
After hours spent avoiding thinking about it, she found herself plunged into the situation again and again. Hands on her hips, sure and soft. Careful. The whiff of perfume that lasted too short, jeans ripped at the knees, the matching suede boots, a cool denim shirt and wool sweater. Rounded golden glasses set on top of the head.
Elora still didn't answer, her voicemail message started playing. Kit hung up and tried one more time.
And then the phrase. Watch your feet, princess.
Where on earth had she pulled that from? No one had ever called her that, and she certainly didn't have a reputation in the school to prompt someone to give it to her. Why? And why had her voice been so kind? Why, when she thought of that, a shiver ran down her spine? Kit wasn’t a teenager anymore, yet she was, acting like one.
Nothing, the phone line fell.
“Damn it, Elora!” She blurted oud, dropping her shoulders and groaning her frustration toward the sky.
“Hey”
Kit jumped, turning abruptly toward the car that had slowed to a crawl to her side, unknowingly clutching her backpack and stuffing her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans. The window was rolled down, the engine idling, and at the driver's side was none other than, again, Jade Claymore.
She was looking at her with an amused look, probably having noticed her exclamation, making Kit wonder for the second time that day why death could not come to her coldly and unexpectedly, right now. Two encounters in a few hours, both at times when her charm level was below the soles of her shoes? Goodness, the universe must have really hated her.
Jade raised her eyebrows. “So... Yes, no?”
Kit shook her head, dumbfounded.
“Sorry, what?” Miracle of miracles, she managed to formulate words with her mouth, suddenly full of rubber. She quickly adjusted jacket and hood over her head, clearing her throat, wanting to look a bit composed.
She probably simply looked pathetic, so Kit stopped fidgeting and tried to keep her cool, taking a better look inside the car. Jade was smiling at her, a shadow of laughter on her lips. She glanced at the road ahead for a second, then reached toward the passenger seat so she could be closer and be heard.
“I asked if you need a ride.”
She probably thought Kit was an idiot. Definitely. She was talking with a loud voice, like one does with children.
Eventually, logic found its way into her mind, because it was clear Jade was doing it not because Kit looked like an absolute loser, but because it was actually raining really hard and it was difficult to be heard.
So, she really was an idiot.
“So...” Again, Jade briefly raised an eyebrow in anticipation of an answer, and again she seemed amused by Kit's utterly embarrassing behavior.
What the hell was going on?
Not only did she talk to her -talking was not exactly what had happened at lunch- for the first time, but they were even meeting outside school and asking her-
Get your shit together, Kit.
“Sorry, I'm- I'm waiting for my friend. Yeah.” She brought her lips together in the most awkward expression ever and nodded more times than needed. Way more.
Great. Great job, Kit.
Jade mimicked the nod and retreated to her seat without another word, but she didn’t roll up the window, and the car continued going at the same speed.
Kit realized just then what Jade had just offered, what it meant. With a movement that was incredibly fast, almost like she feared the car would disappear in a second, she leaned forward, resting her hands on the hole left by the glass. She then noticed how weird would that look and pulled her arms back, entwining her fingers casually.
“I mean, she’s kinda not answering me, so... But, I don't,” she cleared her throat again, running a finger under her cold nose and looking to the right, where the road led to a distant home. “I don't want to bother.”
Jade lowered her head slightly to get a better look at her face. That relaxed, charming expression of hers had no intention of leaving her features, and Kit hated it a little, because it was making simple thinking an extremely difficult task.
“I offered, don’t worry about it. Hop in.” She reached out and opened the passenger door for her. In the movement, her shirt’s sleeve rolled up to the elbow left exposed a muscolar, fit forearm under Kit’s gaze, but the girl did her best not to stare for more than a second: she could at least do that.
Kit, however, had to shook out of her paralysis fast to get in quickly, otherwise the rain would have soaked the seat of the very expensive car -at least she thought it was very expensive, judging from the outside- driven by the coolest girl in school. Kit sat down and brought the door with her in a single motion.
When the car was closed and the sound of rain muffled beyond a layer of metal, Jade gently pressed her foot on the accelerator, getting the car moving with a smooth and enjoyable start.
Kit murmured a thank you without finding the courage to look at her face, only giving a sideways glance when she received a calm and warm ‘of course’ as answer.
So they found themselves sharing the small space of the car's driving compartment for a few minutes, in silence, while the rain beat its chaotic rhythm on the roof and windows, giving Kit something else to think about other than the scent of the car, or Jade's long fingers resting on the gearshift, or her body, so close that it would have been enough to reach out a hand to be able to touch it. Did she sweat? Was she presentable? Why was it happening now? She wasn’t even wearing her best outfit.
Only after a couple of turns -always perfectly executed- of the car did Kit realize she still had the hood on. With a quick movement she to pulled it down, trying to fix her hair as best she could.
It was then that she felt the weight of Jade's gaze on her. “You're not a freshman.”
“Huh?” Kit turned for the first time to look at her, but Jade didn’t move, and the other girl found her eyes already watching her. She was so fast in moving back to look forward her head almost spun.
This time, Jade didn’t repeat a word, limiting herself to watch Kit with curiosity before looking back to the road ahead. She did not seem at all disturbed by Kit's evident panic; in fact, she seemed to try and go out of her way to try to put her at ease. In the midst of Kit’s own mental storm, that detail helped her regain control, if only slightly.
She also thought she should have warned Elora that they would not be going home together that day. She pulled her cell phone out. With already a finger over the power button, she stopped to breathe. She was making a fool out of herself, behaving like that.
Take a big breat, Kit, and start over.
It was with a renewed spirit that the brunette kept her phone between her thighs and turned her head to look at the driving girl.
“Yeah, no, I'm not. I’m a sophomore.”
Jade nodded with a hum, keeping her eyes on the road and thus leaving Kit to finally check her phone, whose screen suddenly flashed with notifications and missed calls. She fastly run her eyes on them.
[ Missed call : Elora ]
2 new messages:
Kit, I'm sorry, I didn't see the time, I got stuck with the new guy again!
Where are you?
[Missed call: Elora ]
1 new message:
Kit, I'm at the usual place, where are you? I'm getting worried..
[ 2 missed calls: Elora ]
Kit bit her lip, unlocking the screen and typing a quick answer to her friend in complete silence.
“Jade’s giving me a ride. I'll see you back home. Don’t text me.”
She was about to put it back when three dots indicating Elora was typing appeared at the bottom of the screen.
It took very little, really.
Jade? Jade CLAYMORE??? ARE YOU IN A CAR WITH JADE FUCKING CL-
Kit hurriedly clicked the button at the side of the screen, ignoring the rest of the text and shoving the evil thing into her jacket pocket, lastly closing the zipper and forgetting she even had it.
After taking another deep breath, she was finally able to look around without making it seem weird: the car smelled good; it had to come from something out of sight, because nothing was attached to the rearview mirror but a small pendant with a green stone attached to it. From the dashboard’s appearance, it did not look like a state-of-the-art car; the gearbox was definitely vintage and the odometer had a retro style that was old-fashioned. There were no navigation systems, modern radios, or even a usb plug. Only polished shiny metal, an old mechanic radio with an audio jack and a red stick trapped behind a small rectangular slide to indicate stations.
Kit liked it.
“You can turn it on if you want.” Jade's voice cracked silence open and reached her ears, gracing them with its generous tone. Elora was right. She could check the asshole box out.
“No, that's okay. I like the sound of rain.”
“Oh, good. Me too.”
Kit cast her a quick glance, feeling her palms start sweating again. She immediately put them on her knees.
“You're a sophomore, then.” Discreet, patient, check and check.
“Yeah.”
Jade nodded. “Major?”
Jade Claymore was having a conversation with her. And she wasn’t being weird in her presence. Kit mentally noted to kiss -on the cheek- Elora for being late that day when she got home.
“Photography.” She dwelled on the possibility of telling the whole story behind her choice, but opted for a simple answer.
“Oh, that’s nice. I do-”
“Philosophy, yeah. It’s super cool.” Kit cut her off. She realized what she said when it was already too late.
The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“Yes. How...” Jade cast her a curious glance, giving Kit the attention she should have given the road. “How do you kn-”
“It's, it's just that,” Kit immediately justified herself, taking on a casual tone. “I know people, they told me. And I also have a minor in philosophy.” It was true, but her voice didn’t help her in making it seem like it. Kit turned, finding Jade looking at her in a different way than before, a way that made her breath get stuck in her throat.
They looked at each other for a few moments, at the end of which Jade sharpened her gaze.
“Sure”
Was she always like that? Did she always give her undivided attention to those in her company? Kit found herself hoping not, that this was an occasion that intrigued her as well. But then, thinking about the fact Jade knew her as ‘the one who fell in the cafeteria and was saved an inch from facial plastic surgery’ convinced her that perhaps it was better to think and hope that Jade gave that kind of attention by nature.
“I haven't introduced myself,” the redhead broke her chain of thoughts, this time keeping both eyes fixed on the road. She was the one clearing her throat, now. “I’m Jade.”
Kit avoided embarrassing herself further by confessing she already knew. “Kit.”
“Kit.” Jade repeated her name almost tasting it on her tongue, or to remember it better, while turning into the street where Kit indicated was her home. It was better not to dwell on how sweet that sounded.
After a few hundred meters, Jade stopped the car, still guided by the other girl. When she turned the key, turning off the engine, Kit, nervously sitting on the passenger side, swallowed loudly.
“Here we are.” Jade looked out the windshield at the apartment, as if studying the area.
Kit pointed with a small gesture out the window, stretching her lips. “Here I am. Arrived.”
In front of the door, she noticed their car already parked, a sign that Elora had already arrived home.
“Well, thank you, then” It was better not to overthink in the moment, so she opened the door but didn’t get out yet. “That was nice of you, you didn't have to.”
Jade clicked her tongue against her palate, dismissing those words with a hand, then rested her wrist on the steering wheel with a gesture that, made by her, seemed incredibly attractive to Kit's eyes.
“You haven't had an easy day. It was the least I could do.”
There it was, the sentence she hoped would not come. Jade had now surely labeled her as the odd one out in the cafeteria. The magic Kit felt falling on her during the ride dissolved fast, leaving only a sad feeling lingering in her stomach pit. She smiled embarrassedly, rubbing her palm against her forehead in a gesture of nervousness. “Definitely not the best.”
Kit got out of the car and closed the door, turning around, wondering if she should wave a goodbye or directly retract into the house. Jade, however, surprised her by lowering again the window, leant over the seat where just a few seconds before Kit was sitting on. And decided it was a good time to hit a strike on her.
“I tend to fall easily. I know what it feels like. Today I saved you, but tomorrow? Who knows. I had to get the higher ground.” The redhead raised her eyebrows as well as the corners of her mouth one last time in a suggestive expression, leaving Kit staring at her dumbfounded. She only managed to exhale a small laugh and lift her hand as Jade raised the passenger window with a control on the steering wheel and, unlike before, chipped away with a resounding acceleration.
Kit stared stupidly at the shiny black car speeding away, the red lights getting smaller and smaller down the street and turning around a corner, disappearing from view.
She did not notice her hair sticking to her head, soaking wet, or Elora, who, opening the living room window, shouted at her to come in. Those last words took root in her head like the first flower of spring.
She only managed to zip her jacket up above her nose to cover her warm cheeks, but even then she could do nothing else, because the scent of Jade's car, cought by the traitorous cloth, invaded her nostrils, warm and sweet, forcing her to inhale and exhale at least four times to take it all in.
What had just happened?