12/15, 4:30 PM, Rob, Jon, and Samuel Belli
At first, Rob didn't even notice his best friend standing at the jewelry case. He was near some enamel necklaces in another section, cross-checking items with an image on his phone. The necklace Susie had texted him about was still there, and Rob frowned at it. It didn't seem all that enticing to him. Gaudy, even. However, it wasn't his place to question her taste.
"Excuse me," he said, raising his voice to catch the attention of the shopkeeper. "I'd like to purchase this necklace."
There was no sense beating about the bush. The necklace was enamel and crystal, hardly a luxury item. If the man priced valued it above three hundred dollars, Rob would argue him down.
"Ah, an interesting piece," the stranger answered, approaching the jewelry section from seemingly out of nowhere. "That once belonged to a woman, an aspiring actress, in fact, who--"
"I'm in something of a hurry," Rob said, cutting him off. "I'll give you two hundred and fifty dollars for it in cash."
"I could have asked for three seventy five, given its history," Samuel Belli blinked, seemingly disconcerted, and his gaze flicked over to where Jon was standing. Then he smiled widely, and took a small key from his pocket to unlike the case. "But sold, to the man in the truly magnificent tie."
"Thank you," Rob said, tersely, both to the man's willingness to refrain from haggling as well as the compliment on his tie. "I'll be sure to tell the recipient that you have information about the piece..."
His own eyes shifted as he spoke, following the direction the shopkeeper had looked before, and Rob suddenly felt a wave of disorientation. Fuck. How the hell had he not seen Jon standing right there?
"Please do," the shopkeeper said, unbothered by the fact that Rob suddenly had a distinct caught masturbating expression on his face. He placed the necklace on the top of the counter. "I'm Samuel Belli, by the way. Is there anything else you'd be interested in, before I ring this up?"
"Possibly. Just... keep that up front for me, please. Thank you," Rob said, too distracted to give his own name. He swallowed, and forced a smile at his friend. "Jon. I wasn't expecting to see you here."