(Lara with third POV)
The café felt warmer than before.
Not in temperature — but in attention.
Lara was acutely aware of it. The way nearby students kept sneaking glances. The way whispers travelled like static across air. The way some girls outright stared at Vince Kho like he'd materialized from a luxury magazine instead of a human body.
And yet, for once, she didn't feel like the center of unwanted curiosity.
That honor belonged entirely to him.
Unfortunately.
She stirred her drink slowly, trying not to look directly at him again — which was becoming increasingly difficult because Vince made no effort to blend into subtlety.
He wasn't even talking loudly.
Just existing... confidently.
Like he had every right to sit here, to take up space, to drop into her orbit without explanation.
And that unsettled her.
Not fear.
Discomfort.
A strange unfamiliar tension.
Because for the first time in her life — someone was watching her without obligation.
Not Steven.
