Zane felt it before he understood it.
It hit him like a tightening in the chest, sharp and disorienting, the kind that made him draw in a slow breath without realizing he was doing it.
He sat near the edge of the restaurant floor, half-turned toward the exit, watching Gianna and Noah walk away together.
Noah's arm was around her waist. Casual. Possessive. Familiar.
Zane's jaw flexed.
He didn't know why his body reacted the way it did, why something twisted low and uncomfortable inside him as he watched them move in sync, their steps aligned like this was something practiced. Like this was something they did often.
Gianna's head tilted slightly toward Noah as he murmured something to her, when they reached the doors, and she smiled.
That smile made everything much worse.
He had seen her the moment she entered the restaurant earlier that night. Had felt it then too, that faint restlessness creeping under his skin, unsettling him without explanation.
