The Long Summer 25
He pulled the first box off the back of the truck and hefted it onto his shoulder. He carried it up to the backdoor of the shop and knocked twice. He heard the jangle of locks being undone and dredged up a smile as Anya appeared in the door opening.
"Xander?" Her eyes flicked to the box on his shoulder. "What's that?"
"Some stuff I found in the closet. I have a few more in the back of the truck. I thought you might want your things." It sounded lame, but it worked as well as any other excuse he could conjure up for coming by.
"Oh." Anya pursed her lips before pulling the door wide. "I suppose you better bring it inside. It was - considerate of you, I suppose."
"I thought since it's - well - " Xander fumbled for words as he carried the carton in and set it down.
"That I wasn't coming back?" Anya supplied helpfully. She folded her arms. Her soft lavender overalls looked smudged in places. A decorated bandana tied her hair back from her face. Dirt stained the sleeves of her white t- shirt.
She looked absolutely beautiful.
"Yeah." Xander nodded once. "Anyway, I know that you like the things you- acquire. So, I thought I would bring them by."
"Well, like I said, it was very considerate of you. How many did you bring?"
"Six or seven boxes. Some clothes, most of it is other stuff from the apartment. Decorations - things like that." He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. "Let me go get the rest. You want them back here?"
"This will be fine. I'm trying to get the store stocked, so try to stack them on one side where they won't get mixed up with merchandise." A distracted air clung to her and Xander watched her walk through the connecting door into the shop proper.
Shrugging his shoulders, he unloaded the other boxes. He was sure to stack them carefully so they wouldn't intrude in her merchandise space. Curiosity more than anything else drove him toward the shop. He peeked through the door to see the gleaming cherry wood shelves decorating the walls.
The polished tile of the floor gleamed in newness. The bricks even seemed to have taken on a shine all their own. The wooden steps to his left were done in the same cherry, sanded and polished to look usable without the care of wearing down. The front window sported a brand new glass that refracted the sun lowering in the west through a dozen crystals hanging in it.
There were books on some shelves, statuary on others. Incense perfumed the air, a combination of sandalwood and vanilla. Music played low and Xander glanced around to see a CD player sitting prominently on the shelf behind the re-worked counter. It took was shaped out of cherry.
The stained glass front door threw a pattern of color over the darkened interior that somehow managed to be moody and cheerful at once. The melancholy destruction swept away to make room for a new beginning, fresh and newly formed.
Resentment swelled up in his chest like a bitter pill. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he glanced up the stairs to see Anya and Giles consulting over some books they were stocking.
More magic.
Xander opened his mouth to say something when the oddest thing happened. Anya let out a soft giggle and pushed her hand against Giles' shoulder with an air of familiarity and intimacy.
The words died unspoken as Giles' soft laughter mixed in with Anya's. They looked positively cozy. His lips compressed into a thin line and he withdrew back into the storeroom. He stared at the boxes he'd delivered and felt heat sweep through his face.
His tried to concentrate on taking a deep breath, but he only seemed capable of short, shallow ones. His mind stuck in replay mode, he reviewed the scene he witnessed a dozen times in the scant seconds it took him to cross the store room and slam the back door as he let himself back out into the alley.
Practically throwing himself in the car, he cursed his own idiocy before throwing the vehicle into gear and squealing out of the alleyway. He should have known.
He should have.
But he hadn't.
Well, he consoled himself, he knew now.
He pulled the first box off the back of the truck and hefted it onto his shoulder. He carried it up to the backdoor of the shop and knocked twice. He heard the jangle of locks being undone and dredged up a smile as Anya appeared in the door opening.
"Xander?" Her eyes flicked to the box on his shoulder. "What's that?"
"Some stuff I found in the closet. I have a few more in the back of the truck. I thought you might want your things." It sounded lame, but it worked as well as any other excuse he could conjure up for coming by.
"Oh." Anya pursed her lips before pulling the door wide. "I suppose you better bring it inside. It was - considerate of you, I suppose."
"I thought since it's - well - " Xander fumbled for words as he carried the carton in and set it down.
"That I wasn't coming back?" Anya supplied helpfully. She folded her arms. Her soft lavender overalls looked smudged in places. A decorated bandana tied her hair back from her face. Dirt stained the sleeves of her white t- shirt.
She looked absolutely beautiful.
"Yeah." Xander nodded once. "Anyway, I know that you like the things you- acquire. So, I thought I would bring them by."
"Well, like I said, it was very considerate of you. How many did you bring?"
"Six or seven boxes. Some clothes, most of it is other stuff from the apartment. Decorations - things like that." He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. "Let me go get the rest. You want them back here?"
"This will be fine. I'm trying to get the store stocked, so try to stack them on one side where they won't get mixed up with merchandise." A distracted air clung to her and Xander watched her walk through the connecting door into the shop proper.
Shrugging his shoulders, he unloaded the other boxes. He was sure to stack them carefully so they wouldn't intrude in her merchandise space. Curiosity more than anything else drove him toward the shop. He peeked through the door to see the gleaming cherry wood shelves decorating the walls.
The polished tile of the floor gleamed in newness. The bricks even seemed to have taken on a shine all their own. The wooden steps to his left were done in the same cherry, sanded and polished to look usable without the care of wearing down. The front window sported a brand new glass that refracted the sun lowering in the west through a dozen crystals hanging in it.
There were books on some shelves, statuary on others. Incense perfumed the air, a combination of sandalwood and vanilla. Music played low and Xander glanced around to see a CD player sitting prominently on the shelf behind the re-worked counter. It took was shaped out of cherry.
The stained glass front door threw a pattern of color over the darkened interior that somehow managed to be moody and cheerful at once. The melancholy destruction swept away to make room for a new beginning, fresh and newly formed.
Resentment swelled up in his chest like a bitter pill. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he glanced up the stairs to see Anya and Giles consulting over some books they were stocking.
More magic.
Xander opened his mouth to say something when the oddest thing happened. Anya let out a soft giggle and pushed her hand against Giles' shoulder with an air of familiarity and intimacy.
The words died unspoken as Giles' soft laughter mixed in with Anya's. They looked positively cozy. His lips compressed into a thin line and he withdrew back into the storeroom. He stared at the boxes he'd delivered and felt heat sweep through his face.
His tried to concentrate on taking a deep breath, but he only seemed capable of short, shallow ones. His mind stuck in replay mode, he reviewed the scene he witnessed a dozen times in the scant seconds it took him to cross the store room and slam the back door as he let himself back out into the alley.
Practically throwing himself in the car, he cursed his own idiocy before throwing the vehicle into gear and squealing out of the alleyway. He should have known.
He should have.
But he hadn't.
Well, he consoled himself, he knew now.