Page 13 of No Save Point

Before I can stop myself the words are already out of my mouth. “Wait. Why the hell have you never sent me a picture?”

Carter blinks. Visibly startles. “Uh—what?”

I gesture toward him, eyes sweeping helplessly down and back up again. “You look like that, and you let me go months thinking you were… what? Some cozy, hoodie-wearing, maybe-a-little-soft around the edges guy who probably smells like coffee and responsibility?”

He stares at me. Stuck somewhere between deer-in-headlights and trying very hard not to smile.

“I mean, you do still probably smell like coffee,” I add, already spiraling. “But this? This should’ve come with a warning label. A goddamn waiver.”

Carter opens his mouth. Shuts it. Rubs a hand over the back of his neck like he’s suddenly forgotten how to exist. “I—uh—I didn’t think it mattered?”

“Mattered?” I repeat with disbelief. “You’ve been catfishing me with kindness while looking like this?”

He laughs. Actually laughs. It’s soft and a little raspy, like he doesn’t quite believe any of this is real. “I didn’t want to make it weird,” he says, eyes crinkling just slightly at the corners.

“Oh,” I shoot back, still reeling. “Right. Because this is super normal for me. Meeting the guy I’ve been flirting with and finding out he’s secretly the walking definition of off-limits hot.”

He scratches the back of his head, cheeks flushed. “You’re making fun of me.”

“I’m panicking,” I correct, breath catching. “Big difference.”

But as I look at him, the fact that he still hasn’t stopped watching me like I’m the part of this he can’t believe I feel the spin of it slow. Just a little.

Yeah, he’s gorgeous. Yeah, my expectations are six feet under and I’ve been steamrolled by reality in the hottest way possible. It’s not about that now though, it’s about this space between us. The history of everything we’ve shared without ever standing in the same room. And now we’re here.

Now I get to find out if the tension, the comfort, the connection feels just as good in real life as it always did online.

And god, I hope it does. I take a slow breath, shift my stance, force the conversation forward.

“Come on, Carter,” I say, stepping off the porch, keeping my tone light, playful, like I didn’t just completely lose my mind for half a second. “We doing this or what?”

He blinks again, like he’s still catching up. Finally, he smiles, and instantly the tension breaks.

Carter is still looking at me, like he’s trying to process reality in real time, and I’m just about to break the silence with some dumb attempt at humor when a door swings open behind me.

“Havie, did you leave your—” Cassie’s voice cuts off mid-sentence.

I blink. Oh.Shit. I never told Carter she was coming.

Cassie is standing in the doorway, surveying the scene with way too much curiosity, her eyes bouncing between me and Carter like she’s mentally cataloging everything for later interrogation.

Carter’s brows lift slightly, and I can see the exact moment he registers what’s happening.

“You… brought backup?” he asks, voice lighter than I expected.

I shift awkwardly. “Uh. Surprise?”

His mouth quirks, the tension from before easing into something almost amused. “I mean,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets, grinning just a little now, “I can’t even be mad. That’s honestly kinda smart.”

Cassie finally steps fully outside, giving Carter a once-over that is just nosy enough to be offensive. “You must be Carter,” she says, tilting her head.

“And you must be Cassie,” he replies easily, and just charming enough to make me nervous.

Cassie narrows her eyes like she’s trying to decide something. Then she nods, satisfied. “Okay, you’re cuter than I expected. I approve.”

I groan. “Cass.”

Carter laughs, clearly unbothered. “Glad I passed the test.”

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