Soft, yet bumpy music seeped through the renovated garage, and on the floor of the garage, was Maeve. She threw her blankets down, made herself a pallet, stared at the plain ceiling, and spaced out. Thinking of nothing particular, just lying there in tranquility and relaxation.

The Beatles were playing in the background, Ellie was on a special birthday trip Joel planned for her, and she'd read every comic and magazine on their shelves, and playing the PlayStation was no fun by herself. Of course, her sister offered countlessly that she could come along with them, but Maeve didn't want to spoil her birthday.

So, here she was.

On the floor, jamming out to the Beatles. It was the perfect night, or evening if she did say so herself. She'd had herself a day of quiet, well, not quite quiet, but it was mostly a calm day. She and Jasmine had barely been able to speak to one another, having been on different rotations, and she hadn't seen TJ all day, though she figured he had patrol.

She frowned. She hadn't been able to talk to TJ in a few days, hell, she'd barely seen him all week. The most she'd get was a glimpse of him before he disappeared.

It almost felt like the universe was keeping him away from her.

Or Stevie.

Maeve closed her eyes, groaning to herself. Of course, she'd think of that devious philanderer now and during her peacetime.

"I'm so fucking stupid..." She said to no one in particular. Give it to her brain to interrupt the nice day and evening she was having.

To her female brain, Stevie was an obvious threat. Not to her, but to TJ. She'd seen old documentaries about animal life. An "unmated" female going after a male that is also seemingly "unmated". Okay, and now she was comparing their lives to animals. It was official. She was losing it.

Her arms covered her eyes as she sighed. She didn't know why it bothered her so badly, well, she did, but it wasn't like they were together-together. TJ was his own person with his own will.

And she was the coward who didn't dare to confess. Stevie infuriated her, being all flirtatious and shit with him, clingy and extra helpful. TJ wasn't the only boy Maeve witnessed be charmed by the redhead, there were lots of others, some older, some barely just seventeen.

Maeve knew she was jealous of her extroverted ways, her boisterous attitude and her comfortable lifestyle. Stevie was an attractive girl, and maybe that was why she resented her so much, well that and the fact she wasted no time in trying to get TJ on a leash.

Just ask him out, already, you wuss! The voice in the back of her mind yelled at her, but she had a weight of dread and guilt arises within her like acid reflux.

It was instinctive, a horrible habit she had yet to free herself of thinking of Jordan when she thought she was ready for a relationship.

He wouldn't want her to be hung up like this, but she was. He was laid to rest, and finally, she began to feel like the weight of his death wasn't so suffocating. Some days were harder than others, but she managed somehow.

It was the little things that did it, really.

When TJ smiled, her heart fluttered, or when he did something that was not of importance, like leaning against the bar at Tipsy Bison. The way he ruffled his hair, laughed, or even was just by her. Of course, she was well aware of how hard her heart pounded when he was near her. She tried not to explore her emotions and she knew why.

She was afraid of losing TJ the same way she lost Jordan. It scared the shit out of her.

They may have had a rough relationship before, and she wasn't sure if was because of...certain events that caused these feelings to arise, but she knew they were there and she wanted to confront them.

Her thoughts suddenly fell silent, the record player falling silent too, and for a painstakingly long two seconds, the silence of the home-ified garage was so loud that it hurt her ears. She could hear how the turntable hummed softly as it spun the record round and round.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad," A lovely voice seeped into her ears as well as a calming melody behind it.

Her thoughts seemed to silence with the song, and she listened to him and his sweet serenade. If she weren't so pent-up about hating her jealousy and vindictiveness, she would've enjoyed the song a little bit more.

She tried not to hate Stevie, she really did, but every time she pictured that girl pressed against TJ's arm, clinging to him like a sloth and drawing mindless circles on his chest, she just...ugh.

Stop thinking about that, she told herself. Stevie was just a girl who knew what she wanted...and what she wanted was, unfortunately, TJ. Her mind refused to shut that thought down. It was a no-go for the little wheels and anxiety inside. TJ this, and TJ that. Who he was with, what he was doing, shit like that. She totally felt obsessed and possessive. She didn't like it at all. It made her feel gross inside.

But still...something about Stevie just made her so...hate-inducing, and Maeve did not like that.

She had a lot to hate or judge, but she didn't want to be like that living in Jackson. Even if Stevie was...difficult, she didn't deserve any of Maeve's suppressed emotions or anger. Or at least not yet, considering the redhead hadn't done anything to incur her wrath.

Subconsciously, she allowed the music to drown her. It amazed her that most of the older people of Jackson got to experience an age of technology and producers of masterpieces such as music. The subject had crossed her mind several times over the year. They had so much that she missed out on, sure they had some technological stuff around, but it wasn't the same as the stories she'd heard. Shame, the old, civilized world sounded decent enough.

A light knocking caught her attention, and a tall silhouette pierced through the curtain over the window.

"It's unlocked." She called to whoever it was.

The knob jiggled and the door opened, blond hair poked through. TJ glanced around the room before entering the garage fully, his eyes focusing on Maeve's lain form.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asked curiously, holding something behind his back.

"Wasting away."

His brows furrowed. "...Why?"

"No reason," she simply answered and forced herself to sit up in her nest of blankets. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged, carefully shuffling toward the futon couch, and made himself comfortable.

"So, what, you decided to drop by?" Maeve adjusted her body, so she'd be facing the man. "After, like, a week of avoiding me? Aren't I just the luckiest."

"I wasn't meaning to avoid you," he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry if I made you feel that way.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever — what were you up to? I mean, you must've had a reason."

He scratched at his chin, unable to look her in the eyes for a moment. It seemed like he had something to say to her, not quite sure how to get it out.

"Yeah?" She encouraged, feeling impatient.

"Hold on, you impatient gremlin," he remarked. "I'm having trouble getting it out — ah, whatever. Guess this is good as it gets, here."

Suddenly, he reached out to her with the hand he had hidden behind his back. She recognized the object as a Polaroid, and her heart leaped into her throat. Clutched in his fingers was a Polaroid, a dark blue with the brand sticker faded away.

"What...?" She was on her knees and crawling toward him, stopping at the small coffee table between them. "Where did you...how did you get this?"

"Do you know how difficult it was to find one of these?" TJ leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Months, I tell you."

"And you're just...giving it to me?" Maeve looked at him with wide, awestruck eyes.

"Ellie mentioned we missed your birthday last month, and—and I was already looking for it, so I figured it could be your belated birthday present. I also managed to get, uh, what was it? Film?"

The auburn-haired girl snorted, admiring the camera in her hands. "I'm not fond of birthdays."

"She told me that too."

"I don't know what to say." She glanced back up at him, feeling mushy and warm inside.

"How about 'thank you'?"

"Thank you." It was genuine. She couldn't imagine, or maybe she could, just how long it took for him to get one of these. Her first Polaroid, she found by chance, or more like given to her by an older soldier who had told her he wouldn't be using it anymore because of his restricted time, and even then, she tried using what film there was left wisely, but there wasn't much, to begin with. She ran out pretty quickly.

A smile graced her lips. "This is perfect! Here, take a picture with me!"

"What?" TJ sat back, surprised.

Grinning now, Maeve stood up and practically leaped over the table while holding the Polaroid. Her body roughly fell onto the futon next to TJ's.

"I don't do pictures!" He argued, but she'd already lifted the camera up, pointing the lens at them and snapped a photo.

"Too late," Maeve grinned and lowered the camera, a whirring coming from the little dispenser. A slim rectangular slip printed out, taken by the girl, and immediately was shaken in the air. "This is gonna look so good!"

"You're weird." TJ chuckled.

"If you're not used to it now, you'll never get used to it — lookie! Aren't you handsome?" She showed the fading-in picture to him, making him squint.

"I look weird." He deadpanned.

"Everyone looks weird when they see their own picture. This is so cool, hopefully, there's enough film to get a picture of Jasmine and me. Oh, and I want one of Elle, Joel, and maybe Maria and Tommy."

"Pump your breaks," TJ interrupted her. "If you want more film, you'll need to scavenge a lot of places. What you have now is what you have. Use it wisely."

She wasn't sure about the whole 'use it wisely', because she hadn't been able to capture a good moment in a hot minute. She wanted to use as much as she could until she couldn't.

"Looks good, doesn't it?" She showed him the photo again, this time their faces fully visible. "You're quite photogenic."

She felt TJ's stare, it was hard to not notice. She wondered what he was thinking. In her chest, her heartbeat became erratic and uneven. They were so close to each other; she could feel his body heat. It was so warm and comforting.

In the picture, despite having a slightly contorted expression, he was handsome. The flash brightened his blue eyes, and his sun-kissed skin seemed aglow. His hair had grown since last year, reaching the base of his neck. It used to be a lot darker, and admittedly, oily from lack of showers, but ever since they'd moved to Jackson, it lightened up tenfold. Now, instead of dirty water, it shone like dark, golden grass. Or hay when it's cleaned. It's softer and a little fluffier. Clean.

"You want this?" She turned her head toward him, finding herself nose-to-nose with him. She quickly leaned away. "Sorry."

"Is," he began, but paused, almost unable to let out what he wanted to say. And then he sighed. "Didn't mean to scare you — I just..."

"Just what?"

He sighed again. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Well, obviously it's something. What's wrong?"

TJ looked away and Maeve frowned. In the background, the song entered a small chorus. It sweetened and almost made her feel...she didn't even know, but suddenly she understood what he was wanting to do.

She was about to open her mouth and speak, but he beat her to the punch.

"It's kind of embarrassing," he admitted, and she almost didn't hear him. "It, uh, well...I'm not good with feelings, so bear with me."

She knew that. "Okay."

"The other day, Jordon made a comment about you." He managed the courage to look at her. "Well, I say the other day, but it's more like a week, but that's not the point. Anyway, we were talking about stuff, just random shit to keep the day interesting, you know — and that dumbass brought up you."

"Me?" An eyebrow perked up.

"I told you; it's embarrassing."

"Wait, so is the camera a late birthday present, or an apology gift?" Maeve placed the Polaroid on the small table with the picture.

TJ's face twisted again, deciding. "I guess a bit of both."

Maeve couldn't help but chuckle. What a dork, she thought. She only had to guess the conversation was about potential relationships. Knowing TJ, he probably got awkward about it. Poor dude's never had a romantic relationship before, or so she gathered. Being raised by Joel didn't give him the necessary tools to be "romantic". She didn't know if she could count Tess as a liable source or not she wasn't a hundred percent sure if she was there to raise him with Joel.

"So...what were you guys talking about? I mean, since you were talking about me, what'd you two say? Hopefully all bad things." She joked.

"Actually, it was a pretty good talk," TJ finally faced her. "He was on stable duty and was caring for the horses. He was taking care of a new horse when I came in from patrol."

"And?"

"He, well, uh, he wanted to know if you were dating anyone, and then asked if I were dating you."

"Ah, I think I understand now." Maeve grinned at him. "Aren't you cute, all embarrassed? Aw, you're turning red!"

"Stop it," TJ lightly smacked her hand away when she reached to poke his face. "It's not funny."

"You avoided me because of that?" Maeve retracted her hand, laying it on her lap, and grasped her right hand.

"I just needed to get my thoughts together; Jordon wanted to ask you out, and I guess I...panicked."

She squinted at him. "What? Panicked like, in a way, oh-my-God-I'm-gay-panicked, or like another-dude-is-trying-to-take-my-girl-panicked?"

TJ stayed quiet.

"Do you like me?" She said, making the blond peer down. His shoulders slacked, and his hands run through his loose hair.

A minute ticked by, but he answered in a low tone, "Would be bad if I do?"

"No." To be honest, her heart fluttered unevenly, and if it could, she believed it'd burst right through her ribcage and onto the floor. She wished Jasmine were here to slap her and give her one of those magical pep talks that gave her the confidence she needed. Her relationship with Jordan was her first relationship, and possibly the only one she ever thought she would have. If he hadn't been bitten, she wanted to imagine him sitting there next to her, but she couldn't. She reached for him, her fingers grazing his face, causing him to look at her.

"But that's okay," she smiled, her face heating up. "I like you too."

And then she grabbed his face and kissed him.