It’s not just the way Haven plays like she was born with a controller in her hands or the way she can trash-talk anyone into the dirt but still turn around and be everyone’s favorite person. It’s not even how every damn message from her makes me smile. It’s that I’ve spent the past year watching her from a screen, wanting more.

Hunter nudges me with his foot. “What’s your game plan? Gonna confess your undying love? Or wait ‘til she gets here and just hope she figures it out?”

I roll my eyes. “She doesn’t see me like that.” Not the way I see her.

He raises an eyebrow. “And whose fault is that?” I don’t answer. There’s another problem. A six foot two problem with a shitty attitude and a neon mask.

Hunter must of read it on my face. “You told Tate yet?”

I cough out a laugh. “He knows.”

“And?”

“He’s pretending he doesn’t care.” That part stings a little. Not because I want a fight, but because deep down, I get it. I know what it feels like to want her too much. To hide behind distance and timing and pretend it’s not eating you alive.

Hunter lets out a low whistle. “That’ll last all of five minutes.”

I shake my head, setting my water down. “Yeah yeah, I know.”

Hunter leans back on the couch, tossing the football in the air. “So, what’s your actual plan?”

I shrug, biting into my apple. “What do you mean?”

He shoots me a look. “I mean, how are you gonna act when she’s actually here? You’ve only ever known her online. No in-person dynamic. No clue how this plays out when you’re sitting across from each other instead of behind a screen.”

That part has been creeping into my head all morning. It’s easy to flirt through a screen. To talk shit in the chat and send messages that hover somewhere between friendly and something else. But in person, what if she doesn’t vibe the same way she does on stream? What if she’s quieter? More guarded? Or worse… what if I misread everything and this isn’t as big of a deal to her as it is to me?

Hunter watches me, waiting for a response.

I lean back, exhaling slow. “It’s just… we’ve built this thing, online. What if I mess that up the second she walks through the door?”

He nods like that’s the only answer that makes sense. “Fair enough. Just don’t get weird about it.”

I scoff. “Why would I get weird?”

Hunter levels me with a look. “Because you like her, and whether you admit it or not, you’re hoping this turns into something more.”