Ache With Me

I divided the pile of paper clips on my desk into smaller piles by color and then by size. I had no articles due, no projects to begin, so I was creating a paper clip chain of epic proportions. I started with small red ones, then big red ones, then onto orange and so on. I’d gone around collecting paper clips from my co-workers to get all the colors of the rainbow in different sizes so I could make the chain. A few of them looked at me like I’d lost my mind, but everyone else seemed to be willing to leave their work and help me sort out clips.

“Ashworth!” Zina barked, in what she liked to call her domineering boss voice. We all knew she was making fun of the head of the Business section. He was the kind of man who always had a cigar clamped between his teeth as he shouted orders to his scurrying minions.

“Yes Ms. Jacobs?” I said in my meekest minion voice. Zina laughed and plucked the paperclips out of my hands.

“Get out of here kid, you’ve done nothing but mope around and distract everyone else.” She shooed me out the door. It was two o’clock and I knew I wouldn’t find anything entertaining in my loft, unless I wanted to count the bricks in the wall. I pulled my phone out and dialed a number that was soon becoming almost as familiar as my own.

“Hello my lily of the valley!” Max sang when he picked up.

“Hey Max, I was wondering if it was too late in the day for coffee?” We still hadn’t gone out for coffee, although we’d talked on the phone almost every day after I got out of work. I’d grown quite fond of him over the past few weeks that we’d been talking. He was an interesting guy and you could tell how passionate he was about the life he lived, full of art and people.

“It’s never too late for coffee. I’m guessing you’re at work so I’ll meet you at that place down the street?”

“Sounds good. See you in a bit.” I said goodbye and hung up. I was a lot closer to the coffee shop than he was, so I ordered my coffee and settled into the enormous overstuffed couch to wait for him. I loved fall in Seattle simply because that meant every single coffee shop- and we have millions- brought out the pumpkin spice latte. It was a lot more bitter than I usually liked my coffee, but lord did I love it. I tucked my legs up under myself, sipping my coffee and listening to the song that was blaring through the speakers. It was a new AFI song called “17 Crimes.” Max had been listening to it when I called him the other day. It was what had truly cemented our friendship, since I’d been obsessed with AFI since I was a teenager.

The bell over the door clanged, signaling Max’s arrival. I saw him scanning the room for me and waved. He grinned as he made his way over to me.

“Hey.” He said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “How’d you get out of work so early?”

“Zina threw me out.” I laughed. “I was making a giant paperclip chain and everyone else was getting distracted with helping me so she told me to go home.”

“So basically she sent you home from school for being naughty.” I shoved at his shoulder with my free hand.

“Shut up, I was bored.”

“That hurt.” He stuck his lower lip out in a pout.

“Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?” I was teasing him, and wasn’t expecting him to peel off his jacket and present his shoulder to me.

“Well come on, it won’t feel better if you don’t kiss it.” Rolling my eyes, I leaned down and pressed my lips to his shoulder, leaving a bright red lipstick mark behind.

“Whoops, let me get that.” I dug for a napkin in my purse and wiped it away.

“It feels better.” He grinned at me as he pulled his leather jacket back on. The poor thing was so battered and old it was barely holding together at the seams.

“Well I’m glad I could make it up to you.” We fell into easy conversation about his art and the paper and our lives, ordering cup after cup of coffee. Soon night had fallen and neither of us had realized it. We’d been so wrapped up in our little world on the couch it took the employee three tries to get our attention.

“The shop is closing soon.” He said, sounding rather uncomfortable at having interrupted our cozy situation.

“Shit, it’s almost ten.” I gasped, jumping to my feet. I didn’t want to wait at the bus stop at this time of night and I didn’t have any cash on me for a cab.

“Do you want a ride home?” Max asked. “I drove here.”

“Oh you are an angel Max.” I kissed his cheek happily. “Let’s go, poor Cheshire hasn’t been fed all day.”

“I’d worry about feeding Sylvester but knowing him he’ll just eat my shoes or something.” I laughed, knowing that was true. I’d seen a picture of Max’s cat; he was an enormous black tom cat that could probably eat Cheshire in one gulp. We reached his car and he held open the passenger door for me before walking around to his side. I told him my address along the way.

All too soon, we pulled up in front of my building. “Well, this is me.” I said, grabbing my purse. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek and then waited until I waved at him from the front door to pull away.

Cheshire wound herself around my legs as soon as I came in the door, mewling pitifully. “I know baby, I’m sorry I wasn’t home earlier.” I scooped her up and carried her to her food bowl before opening a new can of food and serving it for her. She fell on it ravenously. I debated cooking something for myself, although it was late and I had drunk so much coffee I had no appetite. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to sleep tonight.

Opening up my fridge, I scanned the contents for something quick I could eat. I found a container of mac and cheese I’d made for dinner a few days ago and popped it into the microwave. While I was waiting, I went to the bathroom and peed like a racehorse. I was impressed that I’d been able to hold so much coffee in my walnut sized bladder.

While I was eating, my phone buzzed, telling me I had a message. I opened the text to see it was a picture of Max with an enormous black furry lump sitting on his chest. “Help me” was written above it. Poor guy, Sylvester must be sitting on him.

I texted back a picture of Cheshire sitting daintily on the window sill, then told him I was going to bed. I took one of my sleep aids, hoping it would counteract the ungodly amount of coffee I’d ingested today. About an hour later, I was still tossing and turning, so I took another sleep aid. That seemed to do the trick, although it was anyone’s guess if I’d wake up the next day.