Shooting Stars, Falling Objects

Chapter 17

Over the dinner, conversation flowed between the two of them. It felt almost like it always did, except that occasionally their eyes would meet and Tim felt his stomach drop. Or when Lucy was making a point in her story and she reached out and brushed her hand over his arm.

After he paid the check and they headed back to his car, Tim felt a feeling of anticipation start to build inside him. "Do I need to take you back to the station? To pick up your car?" he asked Lucy.

She smiled and tucked her hand into his elbow, "No, I got a ride in this morning. You can just take me home."

The ride to Lucy's was quieter. Halfway through Lucy wound her fingers into his and continued to gently rub his hand as he drove. They listened to music quietly and he focused as hard as he could on his driving because even that little touch drove him wild.

When he got to her apartment complex he parked and they got out and walked into the building together. He was reminded of the last two times he had ben here. First after their undercover experience when she had invited him in and they had been so close to being together. And then when he had come to urge her to go to UC training because he thought it was the best thing for her, even though his heart had been breaking the whole time.

But this, returning together from their first date, was an all-new feeling for Tim. Every part of him felt alive and he swore he could feel sparks when the back of her hand brushed his as they walked down the hall to her apartment door.

When they got to her door Lucy turned to face Tim, a smile on her lips. "I've finally gotten to experience a Tim Bradford date," she said teasingly.

"And," he asked, "was it everything you'd hoped for?"

"It was, and Tim, I've been hoping for this, for all of this, for a really long time." With that Lucy put her hands on Tim's shoulder and stood on her tip toes to press her lips to his. He tried his best to keep the kiss sweet but a few moments later he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her body, pulling her close, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss.

Eventually they pulled apart, both of them breathing heavily. "Do you...do you want to come it?" Lucy finally asked, her lips swollen from his.

Tim knew, or had hoped, that she was going to ask that tonight. And he had lain awake thinking about what his answer would be. He knew the right thing to say, he just wasn't sure he had the strength to say it.

Noticing his pause, Lucy started to bite her lip nervously. "No, Lucy, I want to. I have never wanted anything in my life as much as I want to be with you. But I feel like I've been given this one chance by the universe to be with you. And I have no idea how I got so lucky. And I want to do everything absolutely right. Because that's what you deserve. And this isn't casual for me. Lucy. I'm all in."

Lucy had relaxed as he spoke and now looked up at him with a smile. "So, you want to take it slow?"

"I mean, right now that sounds horrible, but I just want to make sure we take our time. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay. But maybe we should kiss a little more."

Tim ran his hand over her shoulders and down her back, pulling her closer to him. "Definitely."