Page 82 of No Save Point

Tate is taking it personal. By the time the final round ends, Haven sitting at the top of the leader board, he’s is slumped in his chair, arms crossed, mic muted for a good ten seconds before he finally exhales, the sound coming through my headset like pure defeat. “Alright, I’m out,” he grumbles, already clicking out of the lobby, not even giving us time to roast him for it. “Y’all have fun. I need a fucking nap.”

Haven laughs, the sound sending something warm through my chest. “Oh, is the goat tired?” she teases.

Tate snorts, already halfway off his setup. “Pretty, I swear to God, don’t start.” With that, he’s gone, his screen going dark, his presence disappearing from the call, leaving just the two of us sitting in the private lobby, the silence settling in easier than I thought it would.

I lean back in my chair, stretching my arms over my head, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Damn,” I murmur, watching the scoreboard flash on my screen. “You really did smoke him.”

Haven grins through her mic, her voice filled with that smug satisfaction that makes my lips twitch. “Did you ever doubt me?”

Not for a fucking second.

41

Haven

The sound of Cassie’s disbelief crackles through my phone speaker as I tuck it between my ear and shoulder, one hand smoothing out the comforter on my bed while the other adjusts the books on my nightstand. “I still can’t believe you’re actually doing this.”

I laugh, “Cass, it’s been a month.” “A month of you being in some kind of unhinged, forbidden, small-town love triangle with two incredibly hot, incredibly built, incredibly related men.” She huffs, and I can practically hear her shaking her head. “Haven, this isn’t normal.”

I roll my eyes, kneeling down to pick up a stray hoodie from the floor, tossing it onto my chair, my fingers automatically reaching to fix the pillows on my bed, making sure everything is at least semi-presentable before they get here.

“It’s not a love triangle,” I correct, even though, fuck, maybe it kind of is?

“Oh, no?” Cassie drawls, full of skepticism. “So you’re telling me you don’t have two insanely hot twin brothers wrapped around your finger, both completely obsessed with you, both willing to do literally anything to keep you happy?”

I open my mouth, then close it with a sigh. She laughs, full and triumphant. “That’s what I thought.”

I groan, flopping onto my bed for a second, pressing the phone against my ear, letting my eyes fall shut before exhaling and sitting back up, smoothing my hands over the sheets again, my heart picking up slightly at the thought of Carter and Tate being here, in my space, in my world for the weekend.

“It’s not that serious,” I mumble, even though my stomach twists with warmth.What a damn lie. “We’re just, figuring it out.”

Cassie lets out a scoff. “Figuring out how to share you?”

“Goodbye, Cassie.”

She cackles. “No, no, wait! I wanna hear all about it later. And for the record?”

I roll my eyes, waiting for whatever insane thing she’s about to say next.

“I’m absolutely living for this.”

I shake my head, a reluctant smile pulling at my lips, my fingers gripping my phone tighter as I glance out the window, the anticipation building, the weight of what’s about to happen settling deep.

Cassie is still talking, still laughing at her own jokes, still absolutely living for whatever chaotic situation I’ve gotten myself into, and I let her, because it’s easier than trying to argue when she’s already made up her mind about how ridiculous this whole thing is. “I mean, think about it,” she continues, her voice dripping with amusement. “You went on a little weekend trip to meet up with your gaming buddy, had a wholesome small-town romance in the making, and then bam! plot twist, he’s got an equally hot, unhinged twin brother who also wants to wreck you. Now they’re both coming to spend the weekend with you.”

I rub a hand over my face, shaking my head as I adjust the stack of books on my nightstand for the tenth time, feeling the nerves settle heavier in my stomach. “Cass.”

“No, no, let me have this.” She laughs. “You’re basically in the most chaotic, fucked-up romance novel I’ve ever read.”

I open my mouth to tell her to shut up, but before I can, my phone vibrates in my hand, a new message flashing across my screen.

Carter:we’re in town but this map is bullshit, Tate swears he knows where we’re going but he’s lying

I snort, already shaking my head before I even finish reading the texts.

Carter:help babe

Typical. I quickly type out a response, biting my lip to hold back a laugh.

---