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Ephram and Madison found themselves at the place where they were supposed to pick up the boxes and like Madison had predicted her boss had sent an extra surprise.
"Ok that's the last of it." Ephram said a little out of breath from picking up all the boxes, there were about six large, sixty pound boxes that he had to move by himself from all the way inside the store out to his SUV. It was job.
"Yea I think Bob, who was no help at all said that was all that were mine."
"Thank goodness."
"Oh no wait, I was wrong"
Ephram let out a tired sigh, "Okay where's the rest."
"Right here" Madison held out a box which couldn't have weighed more than 10 pounds at the most.
"Well"
"See I helped, I can take this one." Madison said as she held the box up.
"Ahh yes, very big help, I know how difficult it must be carrying that."
"I'm tough I can handle it." She said then smiled.
"Ok so we're all set then?"
"Yup, back to my place"
"Yea, let's go then."
They headed out of the store and to Ephram's car.
Soon they arrived at Madison's house and Ephram began the grueling task of taking the boxes inside to where Madison wanted them.
"Oh careful, watch your step, no to the left no right, don't hit that!"
"Madison!"
"Ok three more steps up and were at the top of the stairs."
"Alright now what"
"Umm keep walking follow me"
"I can't see you over this thing"
"Oh right, sorry. Take a left, no sorry your right and keep walking straight."
"Okay. Oh, gosh! What did I just hit with my knee." Ephram got out as he squinted his face with pain.
"Oh a table I'm sorry I'm not really doing this all that well am I?" Madison asked him as she was genuinely sorry for all the trouble he was going through.
"No, you're an expert the absolute best." Ephram joked.
"Kay stop walking, turn to your right walk forward five steps and you can put it down."
Ephram followed her directions and he found himself in a rather large room with burgundy walls and black sleek furniture including a desk, with a computer, all the other accessories along with it, couches and papers all over boards with sketches and little colored fabric squares beside them, and many other things. He saw manikins some bare and some with fabric pinned to them. Ephram saw lots of things he couldn't recognize; he thought to himself that fashion is complicated. He looked around and on the walls were paintings, nice ones, he liked her taste in decoration, modern and sophisticated, it fit her perfectly.
"Wow nice." Ephram said as he finished looking around the room and finally set his eyes back on Madison.
"Thanks" she smiled and then ran her hands through her hair.
"So one down, five to go, and that only took up oh, how long?"
"Oh who's counting, ten, fifteen minutes it's all the same."
"Yeah easy for you to say you weren't holding that thing. Well not that I didn't appreciate your attempt at trying to help guide me in the right direction, but maybe the next one's won't be so hard cause I'll actually be familiar with the things around me."
"See now we learned and can move faster, my plan all along, ya know just let you figure it out as we went along." Madison grinned
"Right I'll have the bruises tomorrow to show for as you say figuring it out. Gosh I think you have the longest winding stairs I have ever been on in my life."
"Well I think there interesting."
"Oh so do I, I'd probably actually like them if I hadn't just struggled caring the box up them, but now I'll have to dislike them forever, they are cruel things."
Madison laughed, "Oh yes very cruel, so what do you say ready for the rest?"
"Let's do it."
After about an hour Ephram had finally gotten all the boxes upstairs in her office. He was relieved when he had put down the last box.
"Last one, and there we are. Wow, the room doesn't seem so big anymore huh."
"It's rare that it every has as much free space as it did, it usually looks more like this, huge heavy brown boxes making it physically impossible for much movement."
"Well what are you going to do with all of this stuff?" Ephram asked.
"I have to unpack it all, see what's what organize it all, take inventory of what should have come, what didn't that was supposed to, what did come that shouldn't have. Long hard process, but hey it's all apart of the job."
"You do that all by yourself?"
"Yup."
"Gosh, that must take you forever."
"Oh yeah tonight will be long."
"Well there's no need for you to have to do it all by yourself, I mean if you tell me what to do I'm sure I could help." Ephram offered.
"Oh I couldn't let you do that, you've already done so much to help me out."
"It'd really be not trouble at all; I mean I don't really have any other plans. Helping you would be a much better us of my time then sitting on a couch the rest of the night watching infomercials. At least I'd be doing something productive."
"Well I could use the help but I really don't-"
Ephram cut her off before she had the chance to finish her sentence, "Then it's settled I'll stay and help."
"Thanks that'd be great." Madison said realizing he wasn't going to just let her do it all by herself.
Ephram had worked up a little bite of a sweat moving all the boxes and was actually really hot, and a little flushed.
Madison had noticed this and had a look of concern on her face. Ephram saw her face and decided to say something before she had the chance.
"Do you mind pointing me in the direction of the bathroom?"
"Sure umm it's the first door down the hall to your left."
Ephram began to walk out of the room trying to avoid any questions from her and he was really close when he heard her voice.
"Ephram?"
He turned towards her, "Yea"
"You really don't have to stay and help, I mean I'm sure you've got to be a little tired from moving the boxes."
"No, no I'm fine just give me a sec and I'll be all set." Ephram responded as he continued to the bathroom.
Madison decided to leave it alone; she thought she was probably worried for no reason. But she honestly didn't want to be the cause of any pain for Ephram it was already hard enough seeing him and not letting herself get swept up in him. It would be even harder if he wasn't feeling well then all she'd want to do was make everything okay for him. She definitely couldn't do that because then he would figure out that she still had all these feelings. Madison pushed all of those thoughts out of her head and focused on the task at hand.
While Madison's thoughts wondered Ephram was having a difficult time in the bathroom. He'd been trying to hide from Madison the sickly feeling he was having but it was starting to over take him. He felt like he was on fire so he took off his jacket and heavy sweater he had on and placed them on the counter of the sink. He looked into the mirror and saw his face was red and damp so he turned on the faucet to splash a little water on his face hoping it would make him feel a little better. He looked back up and the room suddenly began to spin uncontrollably and he tried to compose himself reaching for the side of the counter to balance himself. Instead he was unsuccessful and his arm sent a crystal vase crashing to the ground breaking into pieces.
Madison heard the commotion and moved toward the bathroom quickly becoming more concerned the closer she got. She knocked on the door and heard the faucet continuing to run and called out to him, "Ephram, Ephram you okay?" She waited a few seconds and heard no response so she reached for the door and opened it. She found Ephram hunched over the sink looking down at the floor appearing to be disorientated. Instinctively she moved towards him and took his arm to steady him.
"Easy, easy here sit down." Madison led him to the toilet and he sat down immediately.
Ephram began to feel the room's spin lessen as he sat. Madison left him for a moment to stop the running water and then returned and placed her left hand on his shoulder.
"Madison..., I'm sorry I didn't meant to," he began has he saw broken pieces of glass on the floor and attempted to pick up a few.
"Hey, don't worry about it, I'll get it just relax okay." She interrupted as she stopped him from moving.
"Are you alright?" she asked
"Yea fine, I just got a little dizzy," he finally looked up at her and was surprised to see how worried she was as she continued to keep him steady, "But I'm okay."
Madison raised her eyebrows slightly just like she used to do when they had gone out before meaning she wasn't quite believing him.
"Really, I'm okay, rooms not spinning and I only see two of you instead of four, I promise."
"Very funny."
"Let me get this up I fell so clumsy." He said as he stood and began to feel a little more normal.
Madison removed her hand from his shoulder as he did so and allowed him to stand up.
"Its no problem I can get it Eph-"
"Not a chance, I made the mess I'll clean it up," he grabbed a little trash can beside the toilet and put the broken pieces inside it, "ahh see I'm a big boy I can do it all by myself, and I'll replace it too if you tell me where you got it."
"That's not necessary; you don't have to do that."
"I do, and I will." Ephram insisted
"I won't let you, I feel bad this is my fault."
"It's nobody's fault it's no big deal so let's go and unpack those boxes." He said as he finished picking up the crystal and started to leave the bathroom, trying to forget about what had just happened.
"Hold on, don't you think you've had enough, I mean if your not feeling well I can take you home."
"Maddy..." without really thinking or realizing it he just said it, the nickname he'd given her long ago, what he loved to call her.
Madison wasn't expecting to hear "Maddy" it almost hurt a little reminding her of all the good times he'd used it. This hurt and surprise rushed over her face and took her breath.
Ephram noticed the change and questioned her, "What's wrong?"
She cleared her throat and tried to hold tears from forming in her eyes as she did so and said softly, "You... you called me Maddy."
It hit him like a ton of bricks; he had caused her pain, pain which shouldn't have occurred unless she had felt something, anything for him. He wasn't quite sure how to respond he began to open his mouth and realized he had no words to say so he just closed it and stood there. He almost wanted to jump for joy, not because she hurt but because it had made her feel, he had a chance. He decided to say something just to break the silence, "I... I'm sorry."
With a shake of the head and a few blinks Madison pushed it aside and as quickly as she could, she changed the subject, and "So, do I need to take you home?" She asked with a new vulnerability in her voice Ephram hadn't heard before.
"It's not necessary it was just one of those things, but it passed so let's get back to work." Ephram said firmly.
"Okay, but slow we'll take it slow." She said walking back to her office.
