"What are you smiling over?" Roman asked, his voice casual but tinted with curiosity.
He had been watching Julie from across the room, observing how her lips curved upward and her eyes danced with unspoken amusement the moment she picked up her phone.
Julie glanced up, a soft laugh escaping her. "Oh, I was chatting with Ava."
But instead of keeping her attention on the screen, she gently set the phone down on the side table and turned to face him completely.
Her eyes were soft, warm—an invitation to closeness.
"Sorry I left you alone while I chatted with my friend," she said sincerely. "Hope you don't mind."
Roman smiled, but his eyes held something deeper—a quiet complaint masked by charm.
"I don't mind… but lately," he said as he rose from the couch, "you've been forgetting about me. You spend more time with Ava than with me."
His words weren't sharp, but they lingered like an affectionate grumble.
