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She headed across the small patch of lawn between ot in, I went back to the kitchen to continue cleaning up That’s when I spotted her srabbed it and hurried out again

Ten seconds later, I knocked on her sliding door I could see her checking her phone in the kitchen, and she looked up in surprise before co over to open it

“What’s up?”

“You forgot this” I handed over the spice

“Oh—thanks” She shook it and laughed “Now I’ll always think of you when I use it”

“Good” We stood there for a ht”

“Night” She looked up at esture had taken her by surprise

It had taken me by surprise too, and I quickly turned and walked toward my place

Before I got there, she called out “Hey, Dex?”

“Yeah?” I turned around, terrified she was going to askI’d say yes

She was leaning out her doorway, a playful grin on her face “I had fun tonight”

“Me too” And then I relaxed, because I kneas co

“But I don’t love you”

I grinned back “I don’t love you either”

Then she disappeared, and I could breathe again

“So? Did you apologize?” Justin asked, cli onto the stationary bike next to the treadmill as I approached my third mile

“I did”

“And?” he said, starting to pedal

“And it was fine”

“Fine?”

I shrugged “I brought her a Frosty She forgave me”

“And that’s the end of the story?”

Increasing

“Because that doesn’t seem like the end of the story”

“There may have been an additional chapter,” I ads at the end of a book?”

“An epilogue?”

“Yeah There ue”

Justin laughed “What happened during the epilogue?”

I wiped sweat off ”

“Everything?”

“Yeah”

“Because I’s”

I nodded “They probably all happened”

“Well, fuck”