Xavier's fingers tapped steadily against his glass, his eyes flickering—despite his best efforts—toward the familiar figure across the room.
Amara.
She was a long way from the quiet worktable where he'd first met her. Here, under the soft, shifting lights of the club, she didn't just blend into the background. She glowed.
It was difficult not to notice her.
It wasn't a wandering thought. It wasn't a drifting interest. It was a distraction. One he had no business entertaining.
"You've been looking over there a lot," Tobi's voice cut in, playful but sharp enough to let Xavier know he'd been caught.
Xavier kept his gaze on his drink. "I was just making sure I wasn't mistaken."
"Mistaken about what? That she's gorgeous? Because no, you're not mistaken."
Xavier's jaw tightened. "It's not like that. She's working on the wedding dress. That's all this is."
Tobi's smirk deepened. "Right. And that's why you can't keep your eyes on anything else."
"It's just surprise," Xavier pushed, his tone steady. "I didn't expect to see her here, dressed like that, looking…" He cut himself off, leaning back in his seat with a quiet sigh.
"It doesn't matter."
"Maybe not. But you can still go say hello. Friendly. Polite."
Xavier paused.
His mind immediately went to Lilian.
What would she think if she saw him here, crossing the room to talk to another woman?
But it wasn't wrong to say hello, was it?
It was the decent thing to do.
That's what he told himself—then quickly corrected it.
No, it's the respectful thing to do. That's all.
He stood, pushing down the faint pull in his chest, reminding himself that he was engaged, that his world was already set.
As he approached, he saw Amara's friend—Melody—catch sight of him first.
Melody grinned, whispering something that made Amara glance over. Her expression shifted when she recognized him, a flicker of surprise crossing her face before settling into something more composed.
"Xavier," she said, her voice cool but polite. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"I could say the same," he replied, a small, contained smile resting on his lips.
She looked… different. Stunning, yes, but that wasn't the part that caught him off guard.
It was how natural she seemed here, how confidently she carried herself outside the quiet safety of her shop.
"You look nice," he said, his words carefully measured. "Didn't recognize you at first."
"Guess I clean up well," she replied, a soft edge of humor in her voice.
"Clearly." He slipped his hands into his pockets, holding the line, keeping the space between them respectful.
Melody wasn't helping though.
"She's a head-turner, huh?" the friend teased with a playful nudge.
Amara shot her a sharp look, but Melody only laughed.
Xavier didn't linger.
"Just thought I should say hello since I recognized you. I'll see you at the next fitting."
"Sure," Amara said. "See you then."
When he turned away, walking back to Tobi, he was acutely aware of his heartbeat.
Not because he'd done anything wrong—but because he didn't want to.
"You're back fast," Tobi said, raising a brow. "What happened to small talk?"
"Didn't need it," Xavier said simply, settling into his seat and carefully steering the conversation back to safer ground.
He poured himself a drink and drank it all at once, trying to get his mind to stop focusing on "unwanted things".