I pointedly ignored the notification from Max, shoving my phone into the pocket of my white padded jacket.
The silence from Elara had weight now, a low-grade static of unease that made my mouth feel dry.
I pouted, tugging the zipper of the jacket up to my chin as I finished changing out of my uniform.
This jacket was a relic from one of our first dates.
I had never owned anything white in my life. It was a luxury for people who didn't have to worry about the cost of dry cleaning or the grime of a rented house.
I'd stared at it in the boutique, my hand hovering over the sleeve, before Elara simply handed her card to the clerk without a word.
It wasn't the cheap, scratchy kind that left my skin raw. It was soft and light, like rabbit fur, yet it held a heat so intense I felt invincible against the biting winter wind.
Elara was relentless like that.
