Roam dialed Saya's number for the third time, the phone pressed against his ear, sitting in the dark of his apartment with his knees pulled up against his chest.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Voicemail.
He hung up, swearing under his breath, then scrolled through his contacts until he found the twins' names.
"Kiel?" he said when the line finally picked up, his voice coming out weaker than he would have liked. "It's Roam."
"Yeah," Kiel answered, his tone flat, almost wary. "What's up?"
"I was thinking," Roam began, searching for the words, "we could maybe… hang out. You, Kael, Tylo if he wants to come. At a bar or a restaurant, you know? Before the match."
A silence stretched on the other end of the line, the painful sound of a long sigh.
"What for, Roam?" Kiel finally said. "We don't have time for this bullshit."
"I know," Roam said, his throat tight. "I know. It's just—" He couldn't finish the sentence, not even knowing himself what he was really trying to say.
