Light in the Shadows

in today.” 
                    “Yeah, I wanted to get a head start on the shipment we got in yesterday.  Ruby would have come…”  Tilly nodded in understanding so I didn’t bother to come up with an excuse.
                    “Of course.  I can help you if you want…” she offered, by I noticed she was now staring over my shoulder.  She looked strangely irritated.  Hmm, Tilly was usually too busy meditating or focusing her chi or whatever, to get pissed about anything.  But the girl was definitely feeling the angry. 
                    Maggie was hanging back and I waved her up.  “You remember Maggie, right?  She’s gonna help me with the boxes.  So if you need anything, we’ll be in the back.”  Tilly’s smile had disappeared and I noticed some weird communication going on between her and Maggie.  There was a full blown chick show down going on.  I just wish I knew why.
                    I never knew they had a problem with each other.  I couldn’t remember them ever having interacted before. 
                    “Sure.  I’ll be up here.”  Tilly’s voice was decidedly cooler and I took that as our cue to vacate.  Girls were such a head fuck sometimes. 
                    “Wonder what her problem is,” I mused, as I took in the huge pile of boxes lining the store room.  Damn, this would take forever.  Maggie snickered as she went to one and opened it. 
                    “I forgot how oblivious you were,” she commented, though it was clearly more to herself than to me.
                    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked her.  Me oblivious?  Purposefully in denial maybe.  But oblivious?  Maggie simply shook her head and started unpacking the box.  Grabbing the inventory sheet, she started checking off items as I came to sit down beside her. 
                    “Seriously, Mags.  What am I so oblivious about?  Don’t leave me hanging,” I dug.  Maggie nudged me with her shoulder.
                    “Tilly.  She likes you, you idiot.” 
                    “Well of course she likes me, we’re friends.”  This wasn’t the news of the century.  What was the big deal?  And to be honest I didn’t want to spend time talking about Tilly.  There were about a million other things I’d rather be doing than talking at all.  Yes, my mind went there.  Of course it went there.  Maggie was beautiful and her jeans fit her ass really well.
                    “No, you dork.  She likes you.” I snorted and shook my head.
                    “Whatever, Mags.” I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about.  But I really didn’t care.  Being here, with my girl, teasing and joking in a way that was almost…normal, that’s what I cared about.
                    “See…oblivious,” she muttered, turning back to the box in front of her.  I didn’t say anything else, just got down to our task.  We worked quietly, taking out items and placing them on the floor. 
                    When we were done with one box, we moved onto the next.  After a while, we started to talk again.  Nothing serious, just random conversation about nothing in particular.  It was the best useless conversation I had ever had. 
                      Maggie did this for me.  She made it all matter.  Even the insignificant stuff.
                    “Crap, Clay, I really have to get home.  I told my parents I’d be back in time for dinner,” Maggie said, getting to her feet.  I closed up the box I had been working on and stood up, pulling my keys out of my pocket.
                    Hissss.  That was the sound my balloon being popped.  Knowing that this was over, whatever it had been, left me completely bereft.  What if I never got an opportunity like this again?  What if Maggie went home and realized spending time together had been a huge mistake?  I knew I couldn’t live with that.  Not when I had only just gotten a taste of what I had been missing.
                    “I’m glad we hung out, Clay.  This was nice,” Maggie said, tugging on her coat.  And like that, I was okay again.  And I knew that Dr. Todd had been right all along, that there was something so fundamentally wrong about my moods and