"Oh good, you're not dead." Lucy sighs as her now apartment boyfriend candidly walked through her apartment door.
"I'm sorry." He blankly stated with a clear lack on empathy. "Not good enough. I've spent the last 36hours imagining you bleeding out at a variety of Los Angeles landmarks." She rebukes trying to make contact with his wavering eyes.
"I would have called you if I could." He replied like the conversation was recited for a Shakespeare play. "Telling me you're alive is not optional," Lucy explained hinting at her annoyance, "what the hell are you into that is making you so crazy."
"I can't tell you." Tim tried to explain before being cut off but Lucy's "Why!" He had another response lined up: "Cause even knowing about it will put you at risk with the department."
This stunned Lucy; her breathing began rapidly as her gaze justly softened at his site. He tried to avoid her eyes knowing that they'd be filled with confusion and eventually disappointment.
Cop eyes.
Those were his exact words to her as her T.O when used to analyse situations; it all made some sort of sense. "You committed a crime."
"No," Tim shook his head in response not startled at her jump to an obscene conclusion, "I mean no not technically." He admitted - their plan did have some felonious intentions towards it.
"But you've done something I would be compelled to report and if I didn't I would get disciplined." A part of Tim couldn't help but wonder in awe just how well he taught her but it dawned upon him that they were in the midst of an intense struggle due to the lack of communication as a result of his isolation. "I'm not going to have my drama infect you."
Lucy was not impressed with the severe lack of detailed in his answer; it felt like she was talking to Sergeant Bradford her ex-T.O instead of her boyfriend Tim whom she loves more than anything. "Then what are you doing here?"
He was stunned. It was a plausible question in her defence but he needed his ray of light in his tragically historic past, he needed her to just be with him in their moment not affected by recent events. "I-I came to see you," his voice was softening as he tried to avoid an inevitable argument.
"And what," Lucy asked honestly, she had nothing more to say to him and he clearly had nothing more to give to her, "order take out and watch TV. Pretend like nothing is going on."
"No I-" Tim struggled to find his words. All he wanted to tell her was that the situation is fine and will be handled you shouldn't worry for me but if you do know that I whenever leave you - those words could not form a proper sentence. "If you are not here to tell me the truth." Her eyes began to swell; she couldn't cry just as she was beginning to stand her ground. He couldn't let her see him spill a few tears over ancient history and his future.
"I need you to leave."
It was Lucy's turn to avoid eye contact, he turned to look at his shoes before attempting to make eye contact again.
"No."
"Excuse me! You can't just-"
"No Luce I can't because we don't go to bed angry with each other."
The apartment was silent.
"You wanted and needed a proper date night to happen in weeks and I got pulled away. You were so excited you wore the same outfit you wore when I stayed over for the first time. That is how much you are committed to me. Now I know I can't tell you what I've been doing for the last day and a half and believe me it pains me to do so. But I'll always do it in the best intention that you're going to be safe," his voice and gaze lowered as he looked down at his time girlfriend, "and I most am definitely not leaving this apartment until we have a proper conversation." Tim stated all of this like it was a commandment in the Bible that needed to be followed. It angered how he felt the need to just casually relax on her couch and Wait for her to propose the first move. Well Lucy Chen if any is a very stubborn woman and will not succumb into his ways until she gets what she wants.
"Okay, if that's how you feel baby..." hearing Lucy call him 'baby' gave him a glint of hope that she'll hear him out, "you can sleep on the couch tonight." She exasperated as she walked into her room making sure to slam her door. Well, that did not go the way he planned (then again didn't her date night follow a similar structure he winced at the thought.)
Lucy slept peacefully for a good three hours knowing that her idiot of a boyfriend wasn't gallivanting with possible deadly weapons around the dangerous streets of Los Angeles. This was ruined when the guilt got to her at 4:38am -just a few hours before she had to wake up for work. Typically L.A was known to have temperature drops around this time of year and her living room was most exposed to the unhandy air conditioning. Lucy couldn't stand to think that her boyfriend would die of hypothermia from her apartment rather than secret nonsense in the goth most stagers city in the U.S.
This guilt ate at her innocent soul for a moment before she decided to check up on Tim, purely for his health nothing else also if he really stayed true to his big monologue.
Two steps out of her bedroom she saw his jacket, shoes, jeans and socks neatly discarded onto the side table next to the couch as he lay sound asleep behind the flimsy throw. Her aching heart yearned to comfort him but she was still mad so some barrier had to be put up. Tamara wasn't in thanks to some charity sleepover at her college so Lucy crept into Tamara's room and politely stole her duvet to lay on Tim to be as comfortable as a bed. She nicely laid it on his body in a delicate manner careful to not wake him from his well needs rest. Happy at his new state of comfort she returned to her room to feast of her well learnt rest.
Morning rolled by rather quickly for Tina's he scrambled out of his makeshift bed which unbeknownst to his came with a duvet (?) to tidy his designated room and dress himself in order to make some breakfast. Lucy eagerly woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting into her room and she was tempered to just forget about their dispute if only she got to eat Tim's famously good pancakes. But as the saying goes 'will great arguments, self preservation is necessary until forgiveness is achieved' so she continued with her morning routine purposely leaving out the most crucial part of her day: morning coffee.
Tim was getting agitated although much was a seemingly last minute person she always had a prompt morning routine. A routine in which would have allowed him to see her by now. Surely she wasn't still avoiding him.
Minute skater she emerged from her room with her bright eyes but now dull facial expression. "Listen the reason I was keeping in the dark is that I was trying to protect you. A-"
"Stop trying to protect me!" Lucy cried in angst knowing that they had been in a similar situation years before. "You need to tell me what going on with you. Right now."
He has lived up yk his name: the fierce protector. But she didn't need his protection anymore she just needed his raw honesty no matter how brutal it would be.
........
Author note: C.y.R.t.C.B.R (Can you Remember the Church Bells Ringing) part 3 will be published on Sunday 7th April at the latest. Enjoy!
