Begin Again | Chenford (The Rookie)

Chapter 13

The future looks so much brighter.

That's what Tim had said when they were dancing at the wedding. And he had meant her. For once, Lucy was actually sure about his intentions and not spiraling over what Tim could have meant by that. He wants this just as much as she does. It was clear in the way his eyes looked at her like she was the moon. Their connection had been brewing ever since he first stepped foot into her quaint bookstore – the stolen glances, the electric sensation on her skin, the playful banter. It had all led up to this moment – a real date with just the two of them.

The smile after he asked her out hadn't left her face for the entirety of the wedding celebration. They had finished their dance in silence but were soon ambushed by Isla who wanted to join in on the fun. Fortunately, the next song was much more upbeat, which allowed them to each take one of Isla's hands and twirl her around. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she was this carefree. And even when they were saying their goodbyes to the married couple and their friends, she was still only thinking about her date with Tim.

By the time they had dropped her off at her apartment again, Lucy's cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. Are humans not made to be this happy for a longer period of time? She would have to get used to this, because she imagined she wouldn't be able to stop grinning for a while.

The goodbyes were not nearly as awkward as their greetings in the morning. Isla had already fallen asleep on the car ride, which is why Tim dared to go for the kiss on the cheek. Lucy had looked up at him after, their eyes naturally finding each other again. The part of her skin that had felt the touch of his lips was tingling in excitement and suddenly she felt the need to pull him into a real kiss. Tim's face had still been close to hers so it wouldn't be hard to just press her lips on his. Her gaze wandered from his lips up to his eyes again. There she had found the same emotions mirrored back at herself. It seemed like he was waiting for her to decide.

Lucy knew she wanted this. However, the tiny voice of reason in her head had told her that it was better to wait, to not skip any steps. Because this, Tim, was too important to mess up.

So, reluctantly she stepped back and created more space between them. Tim's reaction didn't really show any signs of disappointment, it was more like he could read her mind and knew that they would get there eventually.

They had begun texting about their upcoming date the moment Tim had put Isla to bed. Their exchanges continued incessantly throughout the week following the wedding. Whenever they found a spare moment, they would check their phones, often finding a new message waiting for them. Somewhere along the way, they had even started sending each other selfies from various places – during breakfast, at work, on a run...

On Wednesday evening, Tim sent her a picture of himself in bed, his hair slightly tousled and his beard a bit more rugged than usual. There was also a small cut over one of his eyebrows. "Finally in bed, rough day at work!" he captioned the photo. Thank goodness Lucy was alone at home when she opened that message; otherwise, the gasp she let out would have been hard to explain. There was something about his rough appearance that was undeniably attractive to her. It was surprising, considering she typically gravitated toward the nice-guy vibe.

So, if she found herself repeatedly glancing at that picture for inspiration throughout the night, well, that was between her and God.
Friday, the chosen date for their dinner, had seemed distant at first, but it arrived sooner than expected. Tim had made a reservation for them at an upscale restaurant, repeatedly checking with Lucy if she was okay with his choice or if she preferred something else. It was endearing to witness the typically stoic police officer nervous about something as trivial as selecting a restaurant. Truth be told, Lucy didn't mind where they were dining at all. She would have been content with dinner at a burrito truck as long as it meant spending time with Tim.