Chapter 119

With less than a week until Christmas, Jasmine returned to her rented apartment to decorate. She picked up some holiday supplies, planning to bring Delilah back to celebrate with her. She'd just taken out the trash when she ran into Joshua upstairs, who was halfway through the door. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Have you moved back?" he asked. Jasmine nodded."Yeah. I still haven't convinced my mom, but I'm not giving in this time." A faint smile played at Joshua's lips, and his usually calm eyes sparkled with quiet amusement. "Feel like grabbing a late-night bite?" he asked softly. Jasmine hesitated briefly before answering, "I didn't get groceries today, and there's nothing to cook at home. Let's just eat out." Joshua agreed without hesitation. Side by side, they headed for the elevator. The wind cut through like frozen knives, its icy teeth biting at any exposed skin. They'd barely reached the entrance when an arctic blast hit, forcing an instinctive shudder through their bo