"Aren't you going to buy it for her?"
"No," Stan said.
Felix's eyes lit up with exactly the reaction he'd been hoping for.
"You can't even afford that?" His voice rose, pitched to carry across the store. "A ring that costs a few thousand and you won't even buy it for the girl you brought shopping? With that kind of budget, you still had the nerve to invite Sophie Youngs out?"
The sales staff behind the counter exchanged glances. A few of them directed looks of quiet disdain toward Stan, the particular look retail workers reserve for customers they've mentally reclassified as browsers.
"I just think it's too cheap," Stan said evenly. "Not worth buying."
"Cheap?" Felix let out a performative laugh. "A ring worth tens of thousands is cheap to you? Please. You're not even a convincing liar."
Sophie said nothing to the room, but beneath the counter's edge, her hand found Stan's and squeezed gently. The message was clear: 'I know. Ignore him. Let's go.'
