The music pulsed gently through the walls, a low beat that seemed to settle beneath Xavier's skin as he sat across from Tobi in one of the quieter corners of the club. The place was alive tonight—crowded, loud, the air thick with conversations and laughter.
Tobi was already halfway through his drink, relaxed in the way only Tobi could be. He gestured loosely with his glass. "You've been staring at your phone for the past ten minutes. Remind me, are you still engaged or did she text you saying she's running away?"
Xavier chuckled, pocketing his phone. "Lilian's not coming tonight. She's at some family event."
Tobi raised an eyebrow, mock surprise lighting up his face. "And you came out without her? Is this the rebellion phase? Are we finally getting a glimpse of the wild Xavier?"
"Hardly." Xavier sipped his drink, the bitterness of it grounding him. "You've been asking me to go out for months. I thought you'd be happier."
"I am," Tobi grinned. "But forgive me if I find it fascinating that you're suddenly free for a night out. If Lilian had called, you would've bailed, wouldn't you?"
Xavier shrugged, neither denying nor confirming.
Tobi leaned back, studying him like he was solving a small puzzle. "You know, for someone who's about to get married, you're... not exactly glowing with joy. Shouldn't you be raving about cake flavors and tablecloths by now?"
"I like her, Tobi. She's good to me."
"That wasn't the question."
Xavier's fingers tapped against the side of his glass. "Sometimes I think I've been so focused on doing the right thing that I've forgotten what's supposed to feel right."
Tobi smirked, leaning forward. "And you think the right thing always feels right?"
"Shouldn't it?"
"Sometimes you pick something because it makes sense. And then life throws something—or someone—that doesn't make sense at all. That's usually the part you remember."
Xavier shook his head, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "You've been watching too many romance movies."
"Please," Tobi grinned, raising his glass. "I live for the drama."
Their banter was interrupted when the energy in the room subtly shifted. Heads turned toward the entrance, small pockets of conversations pausing, eyes trailing after two women who just walked in.
Melody was hard to miss. She moved like she knew the world was watching, her confidence wrapped around her like silk. She wore a brilliant smile that seemed to command attention without asking for it.
But it wasn't Melody who caught Xavier's gaze.
It was the woman beside her.
There was something... something about her.
The way she adjusted her dress, the way her fingers brushed lightly over the fabric as if she wasn't used to wearing something like that. The soft shimmer of her makeup didn't fight for attention—it complemented her quietly, like she hadn't realized just how beautiful she was.
She didn't move like Melody. She wasn't trying to be seen.
But people noticed her anyway.
Xavier found his eyes following her, not out of any strong, pressing curiosity—at least, that's what he told himself—but because there was something familiar in the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, something in the curve of her jawline, in the softness of her features.
"Careful," Tobi's voice broke through, teasing but sharp. "You keep staring like that, you'll get me into trouble."
Xavier blinked, his gaze snapping back to his friend. "What?"
Tobi leaned in with a grin. "That's not your fiancée you're looking at."
"It's nothing," Xavier muttered, a little too quickly.
"Sure, nothing," Tobi said, stretching the word with amusement. "Happens to be a very captivating nothing."
"It's just—" Xavier paused. Honestly, he didn't know why he'd been watching her. He didn't even know her.
Or did he?
There was this odd itch in his memory, like he'd seen her before but the details wouldn't surface.
"I thought you said you weren't looking for drama tonight," Tobi added, swirling the ice in his glass.
"I'm not." Xavier tried to redirect his focus. "I just thought I recognized her. That's all."
Tobi's smirk widened. "That's all, huh? Alright, let's say that's true. But if you're this intrigued by just recognizing her, imagine what'll happen if you actually talk to her."
Xavier shook his head, a light laugh escaping him. "You're impossible."
"And you're predictable." Tobi tipped his glass toward him. "But maybe not tonight."
Xavier let the conversation drift away after that, but his gaze, every now and then, found its way back to the woman in the soft-colored dress. The one who wasn't trying to steal the room but somehow had.
He didn't know why.
And he certainly wasn't going to make anything out of it.
But curiosity…
Curiosity had its own quiet grip.