ROMAN'S POV

“Why don’t we head back to the living room,” Lauren said finally, breaking the silence that had been hanging between us

Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts, grounding me for a moment. I gave a small nod and motioned for her to go ahead, but Aria was the first to move, her feet pattering lightly against the floor as she walked ahead of us. Lauren followed right behind her, and I took up the rear, my gaze flicking between them. Watching them walk together like that, it stirred something inside me that I couldn’t quite put into words.

When we entered the living room, the sound...