Page 109 of Sparks Fly

Me: In bed. Wearing your shirt. Underwear. Thinking about you.

I hesitated for half a second before snapping and sending a photo.

Sawyer: Damn. You look so good.

My breath caught a little.

Me: I can’t stop thinking about you.

Sawyer: Same.

We texted for a while after that, slipping easily into the comfortable rhythm we’d already started building.

Her messages made me laugh more than once, and when she called a few minutes later, the sound of her voice settled something in my chest that dinner had rattled loose. By the time we said goodnight, the silence in my condo didn’t feel hollow anymore. I curled deeper into the blankets with Sawyer’s shirt warm against my skin and her voice still echoing softly in my head.

* * *

33

Sawyer

By the time Friday rolled around, the week had sanded my edges down to a dull blur, the kind that came from long hours and too many small frustrations stacking on top of each other.

But today felt different. Anticipation thrummed under my skin, bright and buzzing. I had been counting the days since Addison said yes to coming to Nina’s birthday, and now it was finally here.

I was at the shop by seven, same as always, black coffee in hand and the torch lit before the clock even hit 7:15.

Benji was already there with his earbuds in, working a grinder across a railing bracket with the kind of focus that made conversation impossible until the sparks died down.

For most of the morning we worked in that familiar rhythm: machines humming, music playing quietly from the battered shop speaker, the metallic clang of tools echoing through the open bay door.

We didn’t talk much until midmorning.

When we finally took lunch, we perched on the metal shop steps with burritos and bottled Cokes, letting ourselves breathe for a minute in the early Late September warmth that was still holding on.

I stretched my legs out in front of me and rolled my shoulders, feeling the tension from the week loosen a little.

Benji cracked open his soda and glanced sideways at me.

“So…” he said casually, dragging the word out while he leaned back on his elbows. “My sisters meeting the chaos crew tonight?”

I smirked and wiped my hands on a napkin before taking another bite of my burrito.

“She is,” I said. “Nina’s birthday.”

Benji nodded slowly as he chewed.

“She knows what she’s walking into?” he asked.

“More or less,” I replied as I swallowed and shrugged. “I told her it’s drinks, Topgolf, and then Blake’s. Chill. Fun. Some light trauma bonding.”

Benji laughed under his breath and shook his head.

“Good luck,” he said. “Nina’s a handful.”

“She can handle it,” I said simply. “She’s been a little more relaxed lately. I think she needs this.”

Benji studied me for a moment, his expression shifting slightly. “She didn’t tell you about dinner with our parents, did she?”