Chapter Forty Three

Chapter Forty Three
Jhelani's POV

Damon asked, standing at the door of my room and I didn't know when I leapt on him and threw my hands around his neck happily, jumping on my toes.

“i got the fucking job!" I screamed, unable to hide my excitement. A wide smile curled on Damon's lips as he mouthed the word congrats to me.

“You have the job and you have to resume work tomorrow, I believe.” She informed me.

I immediately nodded like she could see me doing it. “Yes. I'm available to start first thing tomorrow. Gosh! You don't know how excited I am to start working and that also, with you.”

“Well then, I looked forward to working with you, darling. Make sure to come early though,” she said in a teasing voice, laughing and then hung up after.

I let out a squeal and jumped into Damon’s arms again. He hugged me back, wrapping his hands tightly around my waist.

“I got the job! I got the job.” I sang repeatedly.

I tried pulling away, but he only held tightly to me and no matter how hard I tried to pull away, he just held on to me. I caught him taking a whiff of my hair.

“Um…Damon. Can you let me go now?” I laughed nervously.

It looked like my voice jolted him back to reality and he let me go immediately. He let out a humorless laughter, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I kind of got lost in the moment. But you can't blame me though, your body is just so soft and your hair...it smells amazing. Like an addiction,” he leaned in and I could feel his breath on my face and my cheeks got hot. So hot.

I got lost and just stared in his icy blue eyes for a moment, unable to speak. “Can you go away? You're taking up the oxygen and making it hard for me to breathe.” I joked, trying to break the tension I was feeling because if I didn't then maybe...no that's not gonna happen. No way.

He leaned in and whispered into my ear. “Are you sure I'm taking up the air or it's just that my presence is making it hard for you to breathe?”

I let out an awkward laughter, trying to hide the fact that his presence was making me feel all hot, horny, and bothered. “What…What are you talking about? I don't care about that stuff. You're just so full of yourself, mister.”

He chuckled softly, pulling away from me and I somewhat missed his warmth. “Whatever you say, Snowfire,” he tucked his hands in his pants.

He took a deep breath, his eyes wandering around the apartment. “I should probably get going though. It’s late already and you need to wake up early tomorrow for your job.”

The excitement surfaced back. “I can't wait to start the job. I'm so excited but nervous at the same time because I don't want to fuck this up.”

Damon smiled faintly, watching the excitement written all over my face. “You won’t mess it up, Jhelani,” he said softly, his tone carrying that strange calmness that always made me feel seen. “You’ve worked too hard to get here. You deserve this second chance. Don’t overthink it—just be you. That’s more than enough.”

I stared at him, feeling something tug inside me at his words. “You make it sound so easy,” I said quietly, fiddling with the hem of my pajamas shirt.

He shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips. “That’s because it is easy. You’re just too used to doubting yourself.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who disappears for days without warning,” I teased, trying to mask how much his words meant to me.

He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. “Touché. I probably deserve that one.” Then, his expression softened again. “But seriously, Snowfire… just breathe and get ready for tomorrow, okay? Don’t try to be perfect. Just be present. Be you.”

I gave a small nod, chewing on my lower lip as his gaze lingered a moment too long. There was something heavy in the silence between us—something neither of us seemed ready to name.

He finally exhaled and took a step back. “Alright. I should go. You need to rest, and I need to… take care of a few things.”

“Take care of things?” I echoed, raising an eyebrow. “That sounds suspicious.”

“Everything about me is suspicious to you,” he replied with a grin, heading toward the door.

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, but you’d miss me if I stopped being this way,” he said with that teasing wink of his before turning the handle.

“Goodnight, Damon,” I said quietly.

He paused, looking over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Snowfire,” he murmured, his voice low—almost intimate.

When the door clicked shut behind him, the apartment suddenly felt too quiet. I stood there for a moment, staring at the space he’d just been standing in, before finally dragging myself to bed. Sleep came easier than I thought it would, probably because my heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. Everything was moving perfectly now.



Morning came too soon. The alarm rang at six, and I groaned into my pillow before forcing myself up. I spent way too much time picking out an outfit because I didn't have a scrub yet. I would get one when I get to the hospital.

So I just settled for a neat cream blouse and black trousers. My hands trembled slightly as I fixed my hair in the mirror, packing it up in a bun because as a nurse your hair should never touch your shoulders.

“You got this,” I whispered to my reflection, trying to convince myself. “It’s a new beginning.”

The walk to the hospital felt oddly surreal. The early morning air was cool, the sun just beginning to rise over the town, making me feel warm unlike the days when it was always freezing. As I neared the hospital building, the familiar scent of antiseptic, disinfectant, and the sound of hurried footsteps filled me with nostalgia. It felt strange to be back here after everything that happened, but also… right.

The receptionist recognized me immediately. “You are...Miss Jhelani, right? You’re back?” she said with a wide grin.

I smiled. “Yeah. I guess I couldn’t stay away for long.” I said, leaving out the part that I had initially lost it.

“Everyone’s going to be thrilled to see you again,” she said warmly. “Dr. Hill already asked about you this morning.”

Hearing that made my nerves melt a little. The first few hours went by in a blur—putting my scrub on, taking over from the nightshift, paperwork, documentations, check-ins, vital signs, admission, helping patients, and lots more.

I loved this, the sense of purpose it gave me. By noon, I found myself smiling for no reason, moving from one ward to another to give due hourly injections and have little conversations with the patients on a professional level but also giving space for them to be comfortable enough to tell me anything. It's one of the ways to familiarizing yourself with the patients and facility.

I was low-key wondering why I couldn't find Sloane anywhere until I checked the rolster and saw that she was off work today.

When my shift finally ended by evening, I changed back into my casual clothes and stepped outside, holding onto the strap of my tote bag. That’s when I noticed a sleek black Harley parked just beside the entrance.

The rider blew its horn at me and I smiled, knowing who it was already.

“Need a ride, Foxie?”

It was Jace. He took off his helmet, flashing that playful grin that made him look way too sure of himself, shaking his head and then running his fingers throughout his hair,

“Jace?” I said, waking up to him. “What are you doing here? How did you even know I finished work?”

He shrugged casually. “Lucky guess. Damon mentioned you started today, so I figured I’d stop by. You looked like you could use a ride home.”

I tilted my head suspiciously. “And you just happened to be waiting at the exact time my shift ended?”

He smirked. “What can I say? I’ve got good timing.” such a proud motherfucker.

Rolling my eyes, I walked closer. “You’re unbelievable. Do you always have to stalk people this way?”

“Only the special ones,” he said smoothly, patting the passenger seat behind him. “Get in before I get charged for parking fees.”

I hesitated for a moment, but the thought of walking all the way home after such a long day wasn’t appealing. “Fine,” I muttered, getting on his bike.

He turned the key and the motorcycle came to life.

“So,” he began, glancing at me, “how was your first day back?”

I smiled faintly, looking past the houses as we rode down. “It was… surprisingly good. It felt nice to be doing something that matters to me again.”

He nodded. “Told you things would turn around eventually.”

I turned to look at him, raising a brow. “You didn’t tell me anything. Damon did.”

He laughed. “Details, details. We both believe in you. That counts, right?”

I shook my head, trying not to smile. “You’re such a pain in the ass. I keep telling you that.”

“Maybe,” he said lightly, “but at least I’m the
kind of pain that shows up to drive you home. Or if you'd like, we could use a little bit of magic, don't you think so?”