Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 71

Chapter Seventy–One: Let’s Bring The Cup Home.

“I didn’t know you’d be online tonight,” Dreston’s voice remained low and relaxed. “I was bored and couldn’t sleep. I figured, why not play a little?”

Cassienne chuckled. “You almost had me fooled,” she said with a soft voice. Stretching slightly, the tension in her shoulders eased before letting out a quiet yawn she didn’t bother to hide.

Dreston laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re about to sleep already?”

“I have to,” Cassienne replied immediately. “I need the rest.” There was no hesitation in her tone.

“And what about me?” Dreston asked, both teasing and serious.

Cassienne frowned, even though he couldn’t see her. “What about you?” she repeated.

“I can’t sleep,” he admitted. “Maybe if you keep talking to me like this, I might actually manage to close my eyes.‘

“It sounded less like teasing and more like a plea.

Cassienne shook her head lightly. “Are you asking… or begging, Dreston?”

A slow sigh came through the line. “If I’m being honest? I’m begging. Please don’t hang up yet.

She stood from her gaming chair and walked back to her bed, pulling the covers aside before lying down. “Where are you right now?” she asked.

“In my bedroom,” he replied. “Sitting on the edge of the bed. Staring at the wall.”

“Hm.” Cassienne adjusted her pillow. “Then let’s keep this professional,” she offered as politely as she could.” We can talk about work.”

It was her way of drawing the line again. Things had to be subtle and firm between them.

There was a brief pause on the other end before Dreston answered. “Alright. Work it is.” Then he added, “I was actually planning to bring this up tomorrow morning anyway. The tech expo is coming fast. Will you be playing?”

Cassienne didn’t answer right away. She stared at the ceiling, considering the question carefully.

“I’m not sure,” she said at last. “Isn’t the expo mainly about showcasing the new products?”

“That’s part of it,” Dreston replied, his voice clearer now, more focused. “But the e–sport segment matters too. Even if it’s labeled a friendly match, the industry watches closely. Winning sets the tone.”

“I thought Auralink already had professional players,” Cassienne said.

“We do,” he admitted. “Just… not on the level of NULLWRAITH.”

She scoffed softly. “No one should know I’m NULLWRAITH, Dreston,” she warned, her voice unshaken despite the unspoken intimacy of the moment.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he replied.

The two of them laughed together, the sound of it light and unguarded. Dreston’s laughter bloomed softly through Cassienne’s ear, warm and enticing and that unsettled her.

It raised a question she had avoided for a long time. If Dreston could be this relaxed, this playful with her now, why hadn’t he been this way when they were still married?

Chapter Seventy One wait’s Bring The Cup Home

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It wasn’t as though she had been a different person then. She had tried, truly tried, to love him the only way she knew how. She had given him patience, affection, understanding. She had reached out again and again, hoping he would meet her halfway, but he never did.

He kept his distance, hiding behind some sort of silence and cold logic. Yes, he cared–she never lacked comfort or security. He made sure she had everything she needed. But that wasn’t love, was it? It wasn’t companionship. It wasn’t warmth.

And yet, this version of Dreston, the one who laughed easily, whose voice now carried warmth and teasing…that was the man she had wanted back then. The man she had hoped existed beneath the walls he built.

“Cassienne?” Dreston’s voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to real time. “Are you still there?”

She inhaled softly. “Then it’s a deal,” she said, almost without thinking. “Let’s bring the cup home.”

Her response pulled silence between them, making the room become heavy and still all of a sudden.

Cassienne froze the moment she realized what she had said. ‘Home‘

The line went quiet, and Dreston didn’t reply immediately. Her heart tightened.

‘He didn’t like that,‘ she thought. ‘Of course he didn’t.‘

“Cassienne,” Dreston finally said. “It’s-”

“I’m sorry,” she cut in quickly. “That was a slip of tongue. I shouldn’t say things like that.” She swallowed. “Tina already made it clear that you’re getting married soon. So… good night, Dreston.”

“Wait–don’t-”

BEEP. The call ended.

Cassienne stared at her phone, her reflection faint on the dark screen.

“Wow,” she murmured. “What was I thinking?”

She powered the phone off and placed it beside her, shaking her head.

“Home?” she scoffed. “Home.”

What home was she talking about? “Cassienne,” she whispered to herself, “wake up from this nonsense.”

It was embarrassing, ridiculous, even to let words like that slip. She reminded herself again that there was nothing between her and Dreston anymore except work. Nothing else.

She needed to be careful.

Because he was getting into her head again, and she hated how easily it was happening.

On the other side of the city, Dreston sat frozen, the disconnected call still pressed to his ear.

She hung up. She didn’t even give him a chance to explain. And what was that? Married to Tina? Where did that come from?

Frustration crept in, slow but definitely there. Every time he tried to reach Cassienne, she pulled away. Every single time.

Chapter Seventy–One Let’s Bning the Cup Home

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How was Merrick supposed to help him when he couldn’t even get past the wall Cassienne kept rebuilding?

Earlier that evening, he had dropped Tina off at her place. She had offered to come over, to stay the night, but he had refused.

That house had once been Cassienne’s home. He couldn’t bring another woman into it. He didn’t know how to explain that feeling, it just was that way.

So he had gone home alone, restless, unable to sleep. He logged in only to watch, not to play, hoping distraction would bring rest.

But thinking of a distraction, he saw her username. NULLWRAITH.

On impulse, he challenged her. Teasing her like that had been fun and when she realized it was him, something in. him had stirred hope, maybe.

And then she said ‘home‘. The word had lit something warm and reckless inside him. For a moment, he thought maybe she still saw them that way.

So what went wrong? Was it Tina? Was it the illusion of an upcoming marriage that Tina seemed so eager to believe in?

If that was the problem…Then it was a problem he could fix.

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