Page 76 of Free to Fall

I nodded. “Always.”

He kissed the side of my neck. “I’m right here. Every step of the way.”

I turned to face him. “You sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

We stood like that for a while, swaying gently to the hum of the crickets and the silence of healing hearts. For the first time in weeks...I believed him.

The viewfrom our suite in Manhattan was damn near cinematic. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the twinkling skyline like a love letter to the city that raised us. Yellow taxis dotted the streets below, horns honked in the distance, and Times Square’s glow reached us even twenty floors up. The three of us, me, Serenity, and Averi—sat cross-legged on the floor around the coffee table, our takeout containers open and already halfway empty. The air smelled like soy sauce, sesame oil, and Serenity’s favorite beef lo mein. She was on her second helping, chopsticks moving like a pro.

“Yo, Egypt remember how we used to live off oodles and noodles and whatever snacks you used to hide in the back of the mini fridge?” Averi laughed, nearly choking on her egg roll. “You were so damn stingy with the snacks, E.”

“I wasn’t stingy,” I argued, snatching one of her dumplings. “You were greedy. You used to wait ‘til I left for class and raid my side of the fridge.”

“She not lying,” Serenity chimed in, smirking. “You stayed eating Egypt’s shit.”

Averi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Good thing we met Ms. Heiress over here, she had us eating good.”

“Sunny Chow’s on a regular basis. I’m surprised we didn’t turn into a Sunny Chow.” Serenity laughed.

I smiled, letting the warmth of the memory wash over me. “I still remember that first day in the dorms. I walked in and youhad already claimed the bed by the window, blasting Jazmine Sullivan like you owned the place.”

“I did claim it,” Averi grinned. “I got there first.”

“Barely,” I said. “You was talkin’ about how you was only going to school so you could spite your mama”

“And look at me now,” she said with a wink. “Got her ass mad on a regular basis while I’m swimming in millions.” We all laughed at that, loud and free, like we hadn’t been carrying grief in our bones for months.

“Meeting you changed my life,” I told Averi. “You really became my sister.”

Serenity looked at us fondly. “I swear I got lucky meeting y’all. I ain’t even live on campus. I didn’t think I needed friends. I had dance, my classes, my apartment, Ari. But then y’all popped up and inserted yourselves into my life.”

“No, ma’am,” Averi said. “You inserted yourself. We were at that Tisch event, remember? Egypt and I were just sitting there minding our business, and you came over lookin’ all polished and pretty talkin’ about how we had ‘main character energy.’”

We all cracked up, and for a while, the conversation flowed like it used to, unfiltered, easy. The kind of vibe you only got with people who’ve seen every version of you and loved you through it anyway.

The laughter faded, but the warmth lingered. Serenity picked up her glass of wine and held it in the air. “For real, though. This promo run, it’s the end of something big.The Covenchanged our lives.”

“No,wechanged our lives,” Averi said, raising her glass as well. “The show was just the beginning. We built something real.”

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without y’all,” I admitted, my voice lower now. “After everything that’shappened… losing the baby, Nas getting shot… just everything. I wouldn’t have made it without y’all in my corner.”

They both leaned in to hug me, all three of us caught in that tender space where words weren’t enough. No matter how chaotic life got, we’d built a sisterhood that never wavered.

“I love y’all,” I whispered.

“Always,” Serenity said.

“Forever,” Averi added.

We spent the rest of the night in our pajamas, flipping through old pictures on our phones, roasting our younger selves, and trying not to cry every time one of us said, “Remember when…”

“You nervous?”Serenity asked as the three of us stood backstage at Kelly and Mark. It was so early in the morning and I was a little tired, but after a quick breakfast, getting into hair and makeup, I was ready for the world.

“No,” I lied, smoothing the pleats in my tailored skirt.

Averi snorted. “She’s been up since 5 a.m., pacing the suite like she was about to audition forMaking the Band.”

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