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So I add, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you, Addison.” I start for the door. “Give me about half an hour or so, and I’ll be back over.”
“Great.” She nods excitedly. “I’ll be ready.”
I start to leave, but then she stops me. “Oh, hey, Hayden.”
I turn around. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
At my house, I change into old, faded jeans and a snug black T-shirt. After slipping on a pair of athletic shoes and grabbing a box of tools from the garage, I make my way back over to Addison’s place.
She greets me at the door and shows me where she wants the bike to be set up, which is smack-dab in the middle of the living room.
“Are you sure you want it right here?” I ask as I push the coffee table out of the way and set the box between the sofa and the love seat. “There’s a game room downstairs, right? That probably wouldn’t be as cramped.”
She shakes her head, her long ponytail swinging. “No. It’s not like I’m entertaining in this room anyway. And when I want to watch TV, I can ride the bike.” She points to the big flat-screen on the wall. “There’s not one of those down in the game room.”
“Okay.” I start to open the box. “That makes sense. I’ll assemble the bike here, but, if you want, I can move the furniture around so it’s arranged like it was but a little off to the side some. The bike can sit behind the love seat, and you’ll still have a good view of the TV.”
Pleased, she replies, “That sounds perfect.”
With a nod, I get started.
As I suspected, I end up doing most of the work. Though, to her credit, Addison does hand me pieces of the bike and different tools I ask for.
Partway through the assembly, she wants to know if I’d like something to eat.
I think it over. “Hmm, I am kind of hungry.”
Standing, she asks, “Are sandwiches all right? I have roast beef or smoked turkey.”
“Either is fine with me.” I set down a wrench and pick up a screwdriver. “Why don’t you surprise me?”
“Okay.” She pauses for a beat. “Oh, is there anything you don’t like on your sandwich?”
“Just no mustard.” I shudder. “Anything else is fine.”
“Not a problem,” she says with a laugh. “There’s no mustard in this house. I hate it too.”
As I tighten a screw, I murmur, “Ahh, I knew there was a reason why I like you so much.”
She’s quiet, and I’m worried that I just said the wrong thing.
But when I look up, she’s smiling.
Softly, she says, “I kind of like you a lot, too, these days, Hayden. Like for real, no joke.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “It’s amazing, huh?”
“How do you mean?”
“Just… Who would have thought we’d ever say we actuallylikeeach other? I guess our truce is working, huh?”
“Yeah.” Still smiling as she turns to head to the kitchen, she agrees cheerfully, “It totally is.”
Addison
As I scamper off to the kitchen, I’m thinking two things—how happy I am that our truce is working, and that I really need to stop lusting over Hayden.
