Page 9 of No Save Point

I step out of the car, stretching my arms over my head as I take in our new home for the next few days. The air smells cleaner here. A little crisp, a little earthy. It’s early evening, and the street is insanely quiet, except for the distant sound of a dog barking.

Cassie immediately heads for the front door, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. “If we get serial-killer vibes from the inside, we’re sleeping in the car.”

I grin. “Deal.”

As we step inside I can instantly tell it’s not that bad. A little dated, maybe, with scuffed wooden floors and mismatched furniture that probably came from a yard sale, but it’s clean. Lived-in, but not creepy. Cassie drops her bag on the couch and turns in a slow circle, inspecting. “Okay. This is actually kind of cute.”

I toss my keys on the counter. “Told you.”

She gives me a pointed look. “You did not tell me. You let me spiral for a solid ten minutes in the car.”

“That was for my entertainment.”

Cassie rolls her eyes and flops onto the couch, stretching out like she’s claiming the whole thing. “So. Now that we’re here, what’s the actual plan?”

I hesitate, glancing at my phone. Because the plan kind of depends on Carter. Which means I’m waiting. Cassie sees the look on my face and immediately grins. “Oh my God, you’re so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You’re literally checking your phone every ten seconds.”

I sigh and drop onto the armchair across from her. “I’m just… waiting for him to text me. I don’t wanna be the one to make the first move.” Funny considering I kind of already did.

Cassie hums, tapping her nails against her knee. “Interesting strategy. I’ll allow it.”

I roll my eyes, but she’s right. I don’t want to seem too eager. Even though my stomach flipped when I drove past the café he told me about. Even though he’s somewhere in this town right now. Maybe, no, definitely thinking about me. I shake the thought off and force myself to focus on something else.

Cassie pulls up the town’s map on her phone. “Okay, what’s around here?

“Besides the café that Carter says has the best coffee we’ll ever have ?”

She smirks. “I don’t know, Havie. Maybe we should ‘accidentally’ run into him instead of waiting around.”

I shove a pillow at her. “No stalking.”

She cackles. “You are no fun.”

I sigh, unlocking my phone again, fingers hovering over Carter’s name. Cassie and I step out onto the uneven sidewalk in, the air crisp and I swear I can already smell fresh bread and coffee on the wind. “This town is aggressively cute,” I say, shoving my hands into the pocket of my hoodie as we start walking.

Cassie tilts her head, considering. “Like a Hallmark movie, but with more potential for small-town drama.”

Every storefront we pass looks like it was plucked straight off a small-business Instagram page, the kind with hand-painted signs and quirky little details, like the antique shop with a fluffy looking black cat curled up in the window, or the bookstore. Cassie slows when she sees it. “Oh, we’re absolutely going in there later.”

I don’t argue, I let myself absorb it all. The way the town feels slower but not boring. The way people actually smile at each other in passing instead of pretending they don’t exist. The way it already feels like I’m in Carter’s world. And, okay maybe I’m romanticizing too much. Maybe I’m hyping this up in my head, building him up too much. But there’s something weirdly grounding about knowing he’s somewhere here.

Cassie nudges me. “Penny for your dirty thoughts?” I shake my head. “Just… taking it all in.”

She hums like she doesn’t quite believe me, but lets it go. We pass a tiny corner bakery, the door propped open, the smell of cinnamon and coffee practically luring me inside.

Cassie grabs my sleeve, pulling me to a stop. “Wait. You need pre-game fuel before you meet your future husband.”

I swat at her hand. “Cass—”

“You can fight me all you want, but we’re getting snacks.”

She’s right. So I let her drag me inside, the bell over the door chiming softly as we step into the warmth of the bakery.

The display case is stocked with pastries that look way too good to be real, and the girl behind the counter greets us with a friendly, “Hey y’all, what can I get you?” like we’ve lived here for years instead of just pulling in an hour ago.

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