Yep. They fucked, Neal thought.
All morning he had been forced to watch a saccharine display from Jim and Maggie. He shook his head when Jim nearly tripped himself trying to hold the door open for her when they came in this morning. She had drawn her shoulders in and bashfully thanked him with a big grin on her face. But Neal had really become suspicious when he walked to Jim's desk and had to look down at the papers he was holding to avoid feeling like he was interrupting an adoring gaze in Maggie's direction. He cleared his throat and Jim turned and put his hands back on his keyboard before acknowledging him. Not all this again, Neal had inwardly groaned. He had been the key witness to Jim's unavailing crush his first year at ACN and the senior producer was exhibiting the same signs as before. Neal could only wonder at the cause of this revival.
Over the past two years he had seen an odd development between the couple. At one stage after all the googley-eyes there had been anguish. First Jim demonstrated a singular gloom in the way he had moped around, then Maggie. It was funny how it never took long for them to overlap when they adopted each other's moods. After that, when they were both finally back in the office, they had played out a reciprocal mix of woe, resentment, and competition. Everyone else who worked with them just tried to stay away from them when they interacted. In the past year things had lightened up, thankfully. They had both begun and ended a couple of relationships apiece, taking turns between flaunting and hiding their new partners from each other. The tension between them during some of those times seemed so thick that Neal didn't even want to walk between their desks.
Lately it had been a lot more relaxed- almost normal. They seemed like friends again rather than two people pretending to be. Sure, there were some exceptions, like yesterday. He didn't know the reason for their gruff interactions and he didn't want to. They had been snippy all afternoon and well until he went home. Now today. . . Ugh. When they headed to the run down meeting they avoided eye contact with each other as they made claims on seats that were conspicuously far apart. Each time one of them made a pitch the other reacted like they had just heard Allen Ginsberg freestyle. He was surprised Maggie didn't start applauding when Jim broke down how the statistics for Ohio state income tax spending had shifted in the past two years. When Maggie made a joke about the irony of West Virginia rejecting education reform considering they finished in last place in the most recent national review Jim laughed louder than anyone. Neal could tell Mackenzie noticed as well. She was trying not to smirk.
Just before lunch it seemed like they were texting each other from their desks. When lunch came around Maggie oh-so-casually announced that she would be back in an hour to the people whose desks clustered around hers. It didn't take long after that for Jim, who had been nervously jiggling his leg and staring distractedly at his monitor, to check his watch and tell Neal that he was going to run out to get a bite and to call if anyone needed him. When they returned they seemed as enamored as ever. There seemed to be a lot more cause than usual for Maggie to need Jim's surveillance on a story. He leaned over her desk, placing his hand close to her mouse while she scrolled and clicked, slowly moving the mouse closer to where his hand rested. When she finally made contact he stroked her hand with his thumb as he leaned in to read something on the screen. She looked like she was struggling not to turn her head slightly and nuzzle into him.
Jesus, is someone playing an early Beatles album that I can't hear?
The surreptitious glances continued. Neal looked around the room to see if anyone else was noticing this. Affirmative. Gary smiled and shook his head at one point. The couple seemed to get more antsy as the day wore on. When News Night finally aired they stood in the bullpen with the others to watch on the TV at various points. Kendra had been standing between them but left when Martin called her over for a question. At the prospect of standing right next to each other they both glanced around the room at anything else. Jim ran a hand through his hair and Maggie absentmindedly reached her right hand up to slowly rub her left arm. They swayed, clearly wanting to move closer but they started to edge away from each other.
Eventually it was Quittin' Time and the team began to trickle out. Tess asked Maggie if she was coming to the bar and Maggie demurred, claiming she had some work she wanted to finish up before heading straight to bed. As soon as she turned her back, Tess and Tamara exchanged knowing looks- and some vulgar sign language. When Neal finally left he saw Jim waiting by the main entrance looking at his phone. Neal tried to stifle a laugh before asking Jim if he was waiting on anyone. Jim fumbled for any other plausible reason he would be standing there, making no move yet to exit the building, when Neal interrupted him with a laugh. He patted Jim on the shoulder and said, "Good for you, Man" before heading to the afterhours hang out to join the others. He was already preparing himself for the river of "observation sharing" that would be going on when he arrived. He shook his head as he walked away and decided that, quite frankly, it was about fucking time.
And, Honestly? Good for them.