"Silas! What are you looking at?" Lara asked, following his gaze towards the entrance of the boutique. Her searching eyes found nothing but the usual flurry of shoppers.
Her voice, laced with curiosity, broke through Silas's tense reverie. His jaw clenched, and a potent cocktail of resentment and jealousy churned in his gut when he saw Esme and Julian together.
His heart also ached with longing, wishing to hold her close to his arms and whisk her away. He turned to Lara, schooling his emotions into a mask of indifference.
"I just thought I saw someone I knew," he mumbled, hoping to deflect her attention.
"Who is it?" Lara asked curiously.
"Not important," he dismissed dismissively. "Why haven't you finished yet? Not finding anything you like?" He asked, changing the topic.
"I was waiting for you," Lara replied with a smile. "Did you forget what I said?"