Brandon's POV
My gaze trailed after him, moving almost instinctively, quicker than my mind could catch up. It tracked his every step with the intensity of a predator zeroing in on its prey—focused, poised, and unwavering in its intent. If looks could wield lethal force, he would've crumpled onto the pavement, fading into dust beneath the sheer weight of my stare.
"Hey, Zo!"
His voice boomed across the distance, casual and unbothered, dripping with an ease that felt foreign and too intimate. He jogged toward her, his head bowed as if he were shaking off the remnants of an unseen fall, brushing nonexistent dust off his shirt as though he had just collided with the universe itself. "You won't believe it, I—"
But the thought trailed off abruptly.
