Sawyer
Monday didn’t come in gently.
It arrived all at once, the way it always did after a weekend that had felt like something else entirely.
The shop was already alive when I rolled up, the big door half open to let the morning air through while music hummed low in the background and tools clanked as people settled into their stations.
Normally, that sound snapped me back into place, but my body lagged behind my routine like it hadn’t accepted the weekend was over.
Benji noticed immediately. “You and Addie have a good weekend?”
“We did.” I flipped through the schedule.
“You better have.” He pointed his coffee cup at me. “I had to sit through dinner with my parents Sunday without her and dodge Mom asking, ‘Where’s your sister, Benji?’ every ten minutes.”
I looked up. “What did you tell her?”
“That Addison went away for the weekend.”
“With who?”
“I didn’t say.” He gave me a pointed look. “Not my secret to tell.”
“Thank you.”
“Dad didn’t push, but Mom definitely knew something was up.” He took another drink. “Addison never skips Sunday dinner without giving her a full itinerary and three business days’ notice.”
A laugh escaped me. “She skipped dinner for me?”
“She skipped dinner for herself,” Benji corrected. “That’s a bigger deal.”
I let that settle for a second.
“So?” He leaned against the workbench. “How was Mystic?”
“Perfect.” I tried to focus on the schedule again, but the smile pulling at my mouth gave me away.
Benji narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“That is absolutely not a nothing face.”
I set the clipboard down. “She asked me to be her girlfriend.”
His whole expression brightened. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
Benji stepped forward and pulled me into a quick hug. “Holy shit. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
He released me but kept smiling. “So my sister has a girlfriend.”
“She does.”
“And that girlfriend is my work bestie.”
“Try not to make it weird.” He said.
“No promises.”
The shop settled into its usual rhythm after that. Customers came and went. One guy stopped in to argue about measurements for a custom gate he had already changed twice. Another checked on a railing project and spent ten minutes running his hand over the welds like he was inspecting a new car.
Around noon my phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t even have to check to know who it was, but I waited until I was alone in the back of the shop before pulling it out.
She had sent a picture of her desk buried in paperwork with a coffee cup balanced precariously on top.
Addison: If I don’t make it out of this office alive, please avenge me.
I leaned against the counter and typed back.
Me: I’ll ride through dramatically and carry you out.
The typing dots appeared almost immediately.
Addison: Tempting. But my assistant might judge us.
Me: Worth it.
The typing dots blinked again before another message appeared.
Addison: I miss you.
I stared at the screen for a moment before answering.
Me: I know. Me too.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and stayed there for a second, letting the feeling settle in my chest. Missing someone on a Monday afternoon was new territory. It did not feel bad. It just felt new.
Soren called later, right as I was locking up the shop.
“Hey,” I said, balancing the phone between my shoulder and ear as I turned the key.
“There you are,” she said. “Hollis was about to send out a search party.”
I laughed. “For what?”
“You disappeared all weekend, and we haven’t seen you since Friday.”
“I was gone for two days.”
“Exactly. Highly suspicious behavior from the woman who lives directly above us.”
I smiled as I headed toward my bike. “I went out of town.”
There was a beat. “With Addison?”
“Maybe.”
Soren laughed softly. “Oh, definitely with Addison.”
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything. I’m checking on you.” She paused. “You sound happy.”
I looked down at the pavement beside my bike, my smile coming before I could stop it. “I am.”
“Good,” she said, and there was something warm in her voice. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
“Tell Hollis she can call off the search party.”
“I’ll consider it.”
* * *
By the time I headed toward Blake’s bar, the day had settled into something manageable. The place was already buzzing when I walked in, fried food and citrus hanging in the air while low conversation filled the room.
“There she is,” Blake said, nodding toward the booth in the corner.
Nina lifted her glass when she saw me.
I slid in beside her and stole a sip before she could stop me. “Cabernet? On a Monday?”
“It’s been a day,” Nina muttered. “My client accused me of tax shaming him.”
“You absolutely did.”
“He deserved it.”
Blake set a whiskey in front of me without asking. “So, how was your weekend away?”
Nina immediately leaned closer. “Yes. Tell us everything.”
“It was perfect,” I said, unable to hide my smile. “We stayed in this little house near the water, walked around town, ate too much, and barely left each other’s side.”
Blake narrowed their eyes. “That smile says there’s more.”
“There is.” I picked up my whiskey. “Addison asked me to be her girlfriend.”
Nina’s mouth fell open. “Shut up.”
“You have a girlfriend?” Blake asked, grinning.
“I have a girlfriend.”
Nina reached across the table and squeezed my arm. “Sawyer, that’s huge.”
“Yeah.” I looked down at my drink, still smiling. “It is.”
“Now I really need details,” Nina said.
“I’ll give you one.” I leaned closer. “The sex was incredible.”
“How incredible?” Blake asked.
“Forget-your-own-name incredible.”
Nina burst out laughing.
“And that’s all you’re getting,” I added.
Nina blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not doing the usual recap. She matters to me, and she isn’t out to everyone yet. What happens between us stays between us.”
Blake leaned back. “Wow. A girlfriend and emotional growth.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
Nina studied me for a moment, her expression softening. “You’re in deep.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I really am.”
They told me about Friday night plans. Birthday drinks, followed by Topgolf if the weather held. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but this time I paused.
“Would it be okay if I brought Addison?”
Nina’s face lit up. “Absolutely.”
“As my girlfriend,” I added, mostly because I liked saying it.
Blake laughed. “Yes, Sawyer. You may bring your girlfriend.”
When I finally got home, the apartment felt strangely quiet. I sat on the edge of my bed with my boots still on and pulled out my phone.
Addison answered my FaceTime call on the second ring, her hair loose and glasses perched on her nose.
“There you are,” she said with a smile.
“There’s my girlfriend.”
Warmth spread across her face. “You like saying that, huh?”
“A lot.”
“I should be asleep,” she said, adjusting the phone.
“I won’t keep you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You say that like it’s true.”
I laughed softly. “I miss you.”
Her smile softened. “I miss you too.”
“I told Blake and Nina about us tonight.”
Her expression shifted slightly. “You did?”
“That you’re my girlfriend. Nothing you wouldn’t want them to know.”
She relaxed. “How did they react?”
“They’re happy for us. And they want to meet you.”
“I’d like to meet them.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “I want to know the people in your life.”
Something warm settled in my chest.
“I want you in my life,” I said.
“I’m working on it,” she replied softly.
We didn’t talk for much longer, just enough to make the distance between us feel smaller.
When we hung up, the room was quiet again, but it didn’t feel empty.
I had a girlfriend.
And for the first time in a long time, letting someone fit into my life didn’t feel complicated at all.
* * *