Chapter 44: Coffee?

Esmerelda

The cool evening air brushed against my cheeks as I stepped out of the sterile brightness of Tony's hospital room, the echo of her heels on the linoleum fading with each step. Paully, one of my newfound guardian, was a silent shadow at my side, his presence a comforting fortress against the chaos of the day. The memory of Jaxson's grip on my arm lingered, a stark contrast to the gentle guidance of Paully's hand at my back—a touch that wasn't quite a touch, a whisper of safety in the small space between them.

My mind replayed the events, the laughter and camaraderie that had turned so swiftly into a moment of fear. It was irrational, I chided herself, to feel such trepidation from Jaxson's action when the day had held far graver dangers. Yet, it was that unexpected jolt from Nico's casual touch to Jaxson's possessive tug that haunted me, that stirred the embers of a past I fought to keep at bay.

The silence in Paully's car was a cavernous void, filled only with the soft hum