Right in Time

by Dahlia Potter

  “Mom?” Maggie asked cautiously, not knowing whether a good or bad reaction would meet her ear on the other end. She felt everything within her clench up. Whatever her mom said on the other end of the line she knew they would deal with and fight through, but with all she had she hoped it was good news.

  “I have lumpy boobs.” Maggie’s mom announced.

  “You have…okay? What did the doctor say?”

  “I’m all good, it’s nothing to worry about. Just muscle and tissue and stuff that showed up that caused the issues. No cancer.”

  And with that Maggie let out the biggest breath. It felt as though everything had been sucked out of her in one fell swoop; the stress, the anxiety, the worry all went away with the knowledge that everything was okay.

  “I feel the same way, kiddo.” Her mom echoed.

  “I am so glad you’re okay.” Maggie said, feeling herself on the verge of crying again, but this time it was at least for a good reason.

  “Me too. I get tired of all this cancer shit.”

  “I know.”

  “So then, new topic! We still on for lunch on Sunday?”

  “Yes, sounds good. I’ll call you when I’m done the delivery. Oh, and mom? I love you.”

  Chapter Forty One

  Maggie sunk in to her couch, a huge grin forming on her face. The happiness she felt after hearing the good news was echoed in the feeling of warmth from her pillows as they wrapped around her. She felt herself drifting off to sleep, the stress of the past week finally being lifted off of her shoulders.

  When she rolled over and checked the time on her phone, the four o’clock hour staring back at her made her wonder whether to get up and try to be productive for the rest of the day or whether to just go throw on her PJ’s and crawl in to her real bed, calling it a night. But then she saw all of the missed calls and text messages that were waiting for her on her phone. She had forgotten to call her friends and Caleb, letting them know that everything was okay and opted for the mass text to all; killing multiple birds with one stone.

  Not even two minutes after she sent it, her phone rang again, Caleb’s smiling face coming up on her called ID screen.

  “Hey” she said when answering, her voice still groggy from her nap.

  “Hey, I’m happy to hear everything is okay. How’s your mom?”

  “She’s happy. Just tired of even having to deal with this at all, but happy.”

  “I bet. And you?”

  “I’m good. Just tired in general.” She replied, followed by an awkward silence. “It’s been a long day.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll let you go.” Caleb answered with a slight sound of disappointment in his voice.

  “No, it’s okay. The shows are going good?” Maggie added, but Caleb could sense the lack of interest in her voice.

  “They were great. But seriously, I’m going to let you go. If you want to talk later, you know you can call me at any time, but for now, go and get some rest, okay?”

  Ever the caring boyfriend Maggie thought to herself. But instead of bringing a smile to her face, it didn’t. “Okay, babe, I will. Thanks.” And with that, they hung up the phone.

  Maggie decided to trudge off to bed, not bothering to take off her clothes or makeup and climbed in, not knowing what had gotten in to her. She drew the covers right up tight under her chin and shut her eyes, hoping that sleep would take over but before it could, her phone went off again. This time, name and number, not being met by a smiling image.

  Groaning, she closed her eyes and hit the answer button. “Hi Danny.”

  “Hey, sorry, am I interrupting something?”

  “No, I’m just tired.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, I got your text. I’m happy your mom’s tests came back okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And…well, you know that thing I invited you to earlier in the week? Well, my friends are getting together again tonight so I thought you might want to get out. Celebrate…kind of. Seeing as we don’t have rehearsal and all…”

  Maggie had to shake herself slightly awake to process the invitation. Sleep would be so amazing right now and she knew it. And that is the excuse she used when she thanked him for the invite, but let him know she was going to pass. And that was also the mantra she had running through her mind during the two hours she lay in bed without said sleep actually taking over.

  “Fuck it.” She said, rolling over, grabbing a change of clothes and jumping in the shower, but not before she sent Danny a text letting him know she was in.

  Chapter Forty Two

  Twenty minutes in a cab and she arrived at a club that she hadn’t been to before. She didn’t really know what she was getting herself in to, but she was instantly rethinking her decision. It was dark and looked abandoned from the outside, while all other clubs on the popular block stretch of venues had lines forming, this one had none. The look on Maggie’s face must have spoken volumes of her uncertainty because as Danny met her at the door and ushered her in to the entry, he assured her that it wasn’t open, so not to worry. When they got inside, the full house lights were on and there were five other people milling around. They stopped what they were doing and took notice when they entered the main room.

  “Maggie, I’d like you to meet the rest of The Classics.”

  “Hi.” Maggie said nervously, as each of the group members came up and introduced themselves and shook her hand.

  “We’re doing another show in Vancouver in a few days and were rehearsing tonight and I thought you’d like to come hang out.” Danny told her.

  “Are you a dancer and singer too?” one of the girls asked.

  “Um, no.” She replied with a laugh.

  “But I thought you two knew each other through Caleb’s studio?” she asked again.

  “We do, but I just take lessons, I’ve got no real talent.”

  “She lies.” Danny said as if it were a secret, causing Maggie to glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He had a cute little grin on his face and she could see a sparkle in his eye before he sensed her looking and made eye contact, causing her to look away.

  “Well then, you should come up and do a number with us.” spoke up one of the other members.

  “Oh, no! No!” she said, her mind jumping back to the present.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun!” someone else added.

  The music backing track from “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga began blasting out of the speakers that surrounded them from every angle. Maggie felt an arm grab her and pull her towards the stage. They placed her front and center in front of the microphone as everyone, except Danny began dancing their choreographed routine around her.

  “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to!” Danny yelled over the music to her.

  “Come on Danny!” one of the group members yelled to him to get in to position. Just as the he did so, he heard a small voice crack through the speakers. He looked up at her and saw that she was uneasy. Maggie looked down at him and he smiled at her which gave her the confidence to sing louder. Secretly, she was addicted to this song and knew it by heart. Danny and the other members were dancing around her in sync and she couldn’t help but get more and more in to it. This was her rock star moment. When the song ended, all the dancers held their pose as her loud laughter permeated the room. “That was awesome.” Maggie said, continuing to laugh. “I mean, I’m not saying my singing was awesome even though it probably was, but that was awesome!” Everyone started laughing with her and got set up for the next number.

  “You want to give it another song?” one of them asked.

  “Um, no. Once is enough for me. I’ll think I’ll just be a spectator.” Maggie said, passing the mic to her and taking a seat out in the bar area. She chuckled to herself as she watched the group set up for their next few numbers. Had she seriously just done that?

  If she had to look at herself the past few months, she couldn’t believe the things she had done. The purpose was for her to grow, wasn’t it? Mi
ssion accomplished she thought with a smile.

  The group ran through a handful of other songs and Maggie watched in awe. They were truly talented. She especially found herself drawn to Danny. She could hardly take her eyes off of him. What she saw was the passion exuding from him and that just made her heart swell. Here is someone that truly loves what he does she thought to herself.

  When they finished their rehearsal, Maggie clapped and hollered, giving them a standing ovation. Danny headed straight over to Maggie.

  “You were amazing!” Maggie gushed.

  “Wow. That’s a different reaction from when you saw our show the first time.”’

  Maggie hung her head down. “Yeah, well... Can we not talk about that?”

  “Sure. And thank you.” He said genuinely. “And you were pretty amazing yourself.” He said with a laugh as Maggie joined him. “Seriously though, I’m sorry they forced you up there. I didn’t know they had that planned.”

  “No, it’s okay. I had fun. And honestly, I love karaoke, so it’s all good!” she said with a smile. Danny’s smile matched Maggie’s as they stood there for a few minutes in that moment, connected.

  “Drinks?” someone asked from behind them.

  “Um, actually, I think I’m just wanting a quiet night.” Danny replied, not looking away from Maggie.

  “Yeah, me too. Next time though?” she replied almost automatically.

  “Sure thing. Have fun you two!” they added as the rest of the group headed out of the club.

  Once they had left, Danny posed a question; “Movie night? But…my choice this time?”

  Before they knew it, the two of them were back at Caleb’s apartment watching The Strangers. Danny had rented it that weekend but had yet to get around to watching it. Maggie didn’t know what to expect, but the minute she saw the girl come to the door wearing the mask, she knew this was not a movie she would enjoy. Seated on the opposite end of the couch from Danny, she glanced up at up from shielded eyes. He looked away from the screen and over at her.

  “You can come closer you know.”

  Maggie didn’t need another invitation as she scooted over and sat closely beside him. The minute she turned her attention back to the TV, Liv Tyler’s character emitted a scream that she matched herself as she threw herself closer to Danny, burying her head in his chest. He instinctively brought his arm up and put it around her, pulling her even closer. That was the position the two of them stayed in for the remainder of the movie. When it ended, Maggie let out a big sigh that caused Danny to laugh.

  “It’s not funny!” she said, playfully jabbing his ribs. “That movie was freaky!”

  “Uh huh.” Was all he could say, a big smile still playing on his face. “It was definitely a departure from the last movie we saw, I’ll give you that.” He chuckled.

  Maggie sat up and stretched, a yawn and a grumble of her stomach coming with it.

  “You hungry?” Danny questioned. “I can make you a sandwich or something.” He offered.

  “No, it’s alright. I can do it myself.” She said, getting up off the couch.

  “The bread is...”

  “I know.” She said heading for the cupboard that she knew housed the bread. She paused for a moment after taking it out. Here she was in her boyfriend’s apartment with another guy. A guy who merely minutes before she was snuggling with on the couch.

  “Are you okay?” Danny questioned when he saw that she hadn’t moved in a minute or so.

  Maggie looked up at him and caught his eye. She couldn’t help but smile despite everything and that was a scary thought.

  “You know what? It’s late. I’m going to head home. I’ll just grab some food on the way.” Maggie said coming back to her senses, putting the bread back where she got it from. She headed to the couch to grab her sweater and purse before heading towards the door. “Thanks for tonight. I had fun.”

  Danny had made his way up to the door as well. “You don’t have to leave.” He stated in a level reminiscent of a schoolboy, unsure of his actions. Maggie stopped short of the door, not turning around to face him. Her conflict built, but she knew what she needed to do. “Yes I do.” She stated in a tone that was very telling.

  Maggie felt a light hand on her shoulder that caused her to turn around and become face to face with those eyes. The two of them stood there for a moment. Danny could read the uncertainty in Maggie’s eyes. In his heart, he knew what he wanted to do; he wanted to kiss her. Feel the softness of her perfectly sized plump lips against his own. But he knew that it wasn’t right. When the time was right, he would know. There wouldn’t be any uncertainty in either of them. Instead, he leaned forward and pulled her in to a hug. Maggie was hesitant at first, but soon returned it. They held each other close for what would seem like more than a friendly length of time for a hug to an outsider, but neither of them really wanted to let go. When they finally did, Maggie turned quickly and left, making her way home to be alone with her thoughts.

  Chapter Forty Three

  If Maggie found sleep hard to come by earlier in the night, after coming home from seeing Danny, it was damn near impossible. Not that she’d recommend it to anyone or use it on a constant basis, she found herself rummaging through her medicine cabinet until she found a bottle of NyQuil that she knew would help knock her out for the night. She needed to power down and knew it badly.

  Maggie walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck and ran them down his chest, dipping inside the V-neck of his t-shirt. “I thought I told you to get rid of that earlier.” She chuckled in regards to the shirt she would much rather not be covering his smooth chest.

  “Mmm, baby.” He groaned as his head rolled back slightly when she dipped her head down and started leaving a trail of kisses from his earlobe all the way down to his collarbone. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked.

  “I think I have a pretty good idea.” She stated with a chuckle as her travelling hands made their way under the band of his boxers he was wearing sans pants.

  His voice got deeper and deeper as the groans became more primal which each stroke. She could feel him getting close and just knowing that she had the ability to make him feel like that, along with hearing the sounds he was emitting, was getting her off as well.

  Concentrating on the pleasure she was giving him, she didn’t notice when he reached up to grab one of her hands and pull her around to his front. It happened so fast that she couldn’t even process what was going on. Before she knew it, he had ripped off her panties and pulled her on to his lap. He ran his hands up her exposed thighs and pushed the short nightie she had just changed in to up high enough to not get in the way.

  Maggie pulled the waistband of his boxers down as he hoisted his hips slightly and without even blinking, he was inside her. She threw her head back as waves of pleasure began pulsing through her. His effect on her had gotten her so close already and he hadn’t even touched her until this point. He gripped her waist tightly to keep her from falling off the chair, as she gripped the backrest to give herself some leverage. In this position, most of the work was up to her, but she didn’t mind. She did start this whole thing after all.

  The sounds of the feet of the mental chair scrapping against the hardwood floors, combined with their moans were probably enough to wake the neighbours, but neither of them cared. All that mattered right now was each other. When he began muttering that he was close, Maggie upped the ante by carefully bringing one leg up and resting it on his shoulder. The angle allowed him to get deeper and they both felt the difference when Maggie’s walls began to tighten around him almost instantly and they both cried out louder and longer than they had ever before. Maggie threw her head back as he pulled her body closer to his, resting his head on her chest as they continued to buck their hips in to one another until every ounce of pleasure had been had.

  They stayed together in that moment, catching their breaths. He ran his hand down her leg sending shivers down her spine, as he helped
her lower it. Kissing her neck casually, it was nearly twenty minutes later before both of their breathing had steadied and they had cooled off. He raised his head up and rested his forehead against hers. Maggie had her eyes closed, just being in the moment. When she opened them, she looked deep in to his blue eyes...

  “Blue eyes?!” Maggie awoke with a start.

  The guy in the dream was Danny.

  Not her boyfriend Caleb, but Danny.

  Danny.

  “This is so not good. Fuck you, NyQuil.” She yelled, throwing her head back in to her pillow, taking another over her face and letting out a scream that she knew wasn’t just from tonight, but had been building and building over the past few weeks.

  Chapter Forty Four

  It was Monday; the day before the competition performance. Maggie had holed herself up in her apartment as much as she could, especially after that dream. Which you would be hard pressed to have her admit, happened twice more. She tried not to sleep for fear of another of the same dream, but no matter what she did, it kept happening.