“I know it’s not, like, a formal ask,” she starts slowly, “but I want you both to know… if I’m doing this full-time, I want you with me in it.”
Carter’s brows lift. “With you how?”
She shrugs, her eyes falling down to the table. “Streaming collabs. Duo queues. Chaos content. Maybe even a channel rebrand? I dunno.Co-Op Corruptedis kinda catchy…”
“You want to keep streaming with two guys who routinely try to kill each other with words?” I ask jokingly.
“Ithrivein chaos.”
“You’re fucking insane,” I say nodding.
Carter grins. “We’ll make it work.”
“Yeah, we always do.”
Back at her apartment, the door clicks shut behind us, but none of us move at first.
Haven drops her keys into the bowl by the door and sighs, long and low, as she kicks her shoes off and pads toward the kitchen to get more coffee. Carter’s the one who closes the distance first, stepping behind her, arms slipping around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple.
I hover near the couch and cross my arms. “So.”
Both of them look at me, Haven still tucked into Carter’s arms.
“I hate saying this, but we should probably head back soon.”
Carter’s smile falters. “Yeah.”
She looks between us like she’s searching for a loophole, like if she says the right thing, it’ll undo the ticking clock over our heads. “So… what, you’re leaving like right now?”
“Not yet,” Carter says quickly, rubbing her back and making eye contact with me. “But yeah… soon.”
I feel it too, the look on his face. That ugly, gnawing ache in the middle of my chest. The thought of walking out that door and not hearing her laugh through the apartment walls. The thought of sleeping without her smell tangled in the sheets.
Carter beats me to it. “Maybe we stop making temporary visits.”
Haven stares at him.
“What if we made it real?” he says softly. Streaming could be a full-time thing for you still. We’re doing this, Haves. So why notreallydo it?”
I glance at him, surprised. He’s serious. Her breath shudders as her eyes go glossy.
I step forward. My voice comes out rougher than I mean. “You want this angel?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“I hate saying this right after what just happened,” I say, grabbing the handle of my duffel bag and slinging it over my shoulder, “but we should head out.”
Carter doesn’t say anything at first. He’s still holding Haven, like he’s not quite ready to let her go either. Her face falls, and the little exhale she lets out is like a kick to the chest. “We’ll be back,” he promises, brushing his lips against her temple. “Soon.”
She nods, but her fingers tighten around his hoodie like she doesn’t want to believe it.
I force myself to move. One foot, then the other, toward the door that suddenly feels way heavier than it should.
“You sure you’ve got everything?” Carter asks, grabbing his laptop bag and slipping his keys from the hook by her door.
“Yeah,” I mutter, sparing one last glance toward her. “Except the part where we leave our girl behind.”
Her throat works around the words she doesn’t say. I step forward and press a kiss to her forehead. “You’re not alone. You won’t ever be.”
