<div style="text-align: justify;">Angelique couldn’t help but laugh when Kyle asked her to wear Daisy Dukes whenever subcontractors were not around. She shook her head when he said she would stop work on the house otherwise. “You flatter me a lot, Kyle”, she replied, shaking her head again. It was good to hear a compliment, though, especially with her self-esteem being as low as it currently was after the recent events. “I will do my best to wear them for your eyes only - though I think you’re being horribly selfish”, she added with a soft chuckle. It was amazing as a change of mood for the better made her seem younger and less tormented than she had been just a while ago.<br/><br/>Angelique’s eyes widened when Kyle nearly choked. She had been ready to jump out of her chair to offer help, but relaxed when she noticed it wasn’t necessary. <br/><br/>She shook her head when he said he was out of practice, and was about ready to call bullshit on his words when he explained a little more about his life style. <br/><br/>“That makes sense, but it’s also sad”, Angie stated. “You’re such a great guy, any girl would be lucky to follow you around the country!”, she exclaimed. It was true, and she was not lying or going over what she thought. She knew Kyle well enough to know what kind of a person he was. But she also knew reality well enough to know that it wasn’t practical to have a long term relationship while moving from place to place every few months or couple of years. That should probably hold even more true when kids got involved in the picture.<br/><br/>Not wanting to dig deeper into that subject, lest she ended up saying something she should not - as she was known to do every now and then without even realizing it -, Angelique received Kyle’s suggestions as a welcome change of subject. “I would love the idea of carrying on with our tech-free night”, she commented. Her cheeks warmed a little when Kyle mentioned their story with couches, and Angelique fell silent for a few seconds.<br/><br/>If she agreed to sit in separate couches, she thought, Kyle could think she didn’t trust him and thought him capable of doing something against her will. If she didn’t, she felt it would send out a more natural message, that they were friends and there was nothing odd about sitting together by the fire, even with their history. “I wouldn’t mind sitting next to you”, Angelique finally replied. “Unless <span style="font-style: italic">you</span> mind. I promise I won’t fall asleep and accidentally slap you this time”, she continued. “And we can talk better this way, I guess. What do you say? You are the host, after all, so I will trust your guidance”, she finally completed, falling silent after these words.</div>