Easter~
The day passed in a blur after Jacob dropped me off at school. I tried to focus on lectures and notes, but my thoughts kept drifting back to his voice—his words echoing like an anthem in my mind.
"You are fire in human skin."
"Because you deserve it, Easter. And one day… I hope you'll see yourself the way I do. As someone deserving."
No one had ever spoken to me like that. No one had ever looked at me the way he did—like I was not just seen, but known.
By the time school was over, I felt like I had floated through the day, tethered only by the memory of his smile. My feet had barely touched the ground, and I was already searching the parking lot for the familiar black car. And there it was—sleek, impossibly shiny, glowing like it had been painted with the night sky.
The passenger door opened before I even reached it. Jacob stood beside it, one hand on the frame, his eyes locked on mine.
