The Story Of Us

8. The Storybook of Us

Several days passed without incident- Lucy read the folder every morning and seemed to get more and more comfortable with Tim with each day. Since her physical injuries had healed, Tim apprehensively returned to work more frequently as he felt more and more confident leaving her home alone...mostly.

While seated at his desk during a less eventful shift, Tim's phone rang, and he answered Lucy's call with a smile.

"Hey, baby," he greeted.

Her voice came out choked and urgent from crying, "J-Jackson's gone."

"I'm so sorry, Luce. I'll be home in 20 minutes. Why don't you tell me about what you just remembered?" He left the station hurriedly and texted Pine that he needed to go home because of a family emergency once he climbed into his truck. Tim spent the entire drive listening to Lucy share what she recalled, and then he tried to share other happy memories of the two friends. He remembered most of the stories she had told him about Jackson's obsession with Star Wars and his dramatic karaoke performances, and he was grateful that his retellings were enough to make her lips lift barely into the beginning of a smile by the time he walked through the front door. She barreled right into his arms the second he came into view, and she buried herself in his embrace as a new wave of tears fell.

"I'm so sorry you lost your friend. He was such a good man," Tim whispered into her hair as he gripped her tightly. She nodded but did not say a word for several minutes.

Finally, she moved away slightly to look up into his eyes. "Thank you for coming."

"I'll always come when you call," he assured her and wiped the last of her tears away.

Truthfully, somewhere very deep down, she knew that to be true. The second a wave of grief over the loss of her friend hit her, with shaky hands, she reached for her phone and dialed Tim without a second thought as if she was certain he would be there for her. Then he soothed her over the phone until he could hold her in his arms, and she had never felt more loved or better understood by anyone in her life. Lucy shut her eyes momentarily at the gentleness of his thumb brushing against her cheek, and then she put her own hand over his to keep his hold on her face. "I love you," she murmured, her voice was small and hoarse from crying, but her words came out clear enough.

"I love you, too," he responded softly and tried to avoid the fact that she said "I love you" and not "I think I love you" like the last time she uttered the words. This time, Lucy was confident even without her memories.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked when she heard the sharp intake of his breath.

"No, babe. You did absolutely nothing wrong," Tim felt like he was getting HIS Lucy back with every moment, and he was touched that she could say "I love you" when she barely knew him. "Want me to make you some tea?"

She shook her head. "No, you need to go back to work. You're in the middle of shift. I'll be okay now."

"Are you sure? Everyone at the station knows about your amnesia, and they understand that I need to be here for you."

"I appreciate it, but I promise I was just a little thrown. You helped, and I'm better now."

"Okay," he nodded. "If you change your mind, I'll be here in 20 minutes."

"Thank you," she cracked a genuine smile at how much he loves her.

"I'll see you later," Tim took a step back to leave, but she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pushed herself up on her toes to kiss him before he could move any further.

It was a fleeting kiss, their lips only brushed against each other for a split second, but Lucy felt a shiver down her spine. "Please be careful," she whispered against his mouth, eyes still shut.