All I need is you

Chapter 1: The arrival

*tw: mentions of rape

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Lucy is sitting in her car, driving without really knowing where to go. It's the middle of the night, and there are only a few other cars on the streets with her. The music on the radio is so quiet that Lucy can barely hear it, but she doesn't care. She's crying and has to stop on the side of the road to compose herself. Just a few hours ago, she was in bed with her now-ex-boyfriend, Chris. As she thinks back to earlier, Lucy holds onto the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turn white.

Chris had been drinking again, Lucy could tell by his breath, the smell of alcohol almost making her gag. She hated when he would get drunk, because she never knew what he would do or what he would get mad at next. Was it her being on her phone talking to her parents? Or was it her shirt, that Chris didn't like? When he was drunk, anything could make him go off. At first, it was only a slap on her cheek or yelling at her. After he had sobered up, he apologized, either with breakfast in bed, or by buying her a new dress.

But after a few more months, he didn't stop with just a slap, or the yelling. He would punch her in the stomach so hard she would have bruises all over the next day. But he would still apologize the days after, trying to make it up to her. But Lucy told him that if it would ever happen again, that she would leave and never look back.

Then earlier, he came back home from drinking, again. Chris was screaming at her for not having made dinner yet. He grabbed her hair and forced her to the ground to kick her, in her chest, in her legs, and then in her head. He then dragged her to their shared bedroom and then he took off her pants. She wasn't strong enough to fight him off and he raped her. When he finally fell asleep, Lucy crying next to him on her bed, she made the decision that she wouldn't let herself be treated this way anymore. Without a second thought, she packed her stuff and went.

And here she was, the reality of what she had just done hitting her like a brick. She was alone, in her car, with no food or water and no place to go. For a mere second, she thinks about turning around, but no, she says to herself, she is worth more than what Chris made her feel. "Get it together, Lucy," she whispers at herself before wiping away the remaining tears on her cheek and then driving back onto the street.

After what feels like an eternity, she has to stop for gas. She realizes that it is morning and that she drove the entire night. She gets out of her car, yawning, and the adrenaline that led her not to be tired before, finally wears off. "I need to get a hotel or something to rest," she thinks, and she looks up places that aren't too expensive, seeing as she only has a few hundred bucks in her wallet.

When her tank is full, and she has found a decent hotel to spend the next hours in, she gets back into her car and drives to the Sunshine hotel, where she checks in and goes to her room. As she steps into the small bedroom, she takes off her sweater and lays in the bed. She falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

When she wakes up again, it is 2 o'clock, and the way her stomach growls lets her know that she is hungry. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. So she looks up places to go get something to eat on her phone and decides on a small coffee shop around the corner. She puts her sweater back on, takes her purse and leaves the hotel.

The coffee shop is small but very cute. When Lucy walks through the door, she is instantly met with the delicious smell of pastry. She looks around and sees that most of the customers are police officers, probably because there is a police department not ten minutes from here (she has seen it on her way to the hotel this morning). When it's her turn to order, she smiles at the barista and decides on one of the blueberry muffins and a cappuccino. "Are you new here?" the barista asks her. "Is that so obvious?" Lucy replies with a light giggle. The other woman replied, smiling at her: "Most people that come here are regulars, and I've never seen you around here, so I just assumed". Lucy smiles back at her "Yeah, I just got here this morning" "Well then, welcome to LA; I'm Genny" the other woman says, still smiling "I'm Lucy; nice to meet you". "Enjoy your muffin," Genny tells Lucy with one of the nicest smiles she has ever seen, and Lucy thanks her and then sits at one of the empty tables and starts eating her food.

While at the table, Lucy thinks about what to do next. Should she keep on driving somewhere else, or should she stay here and start over in LA? She decides to stay here, feeling good about her decision. She opens her phone and starts looking for a job she could do without having a degree. Chris didn't want her to work, so she never finished medical school. With a sigh, she keeps looking at jobs until about an hour later, when she still hasn't found a job that would be a good fit for her. She puts her phone down and puts her face in her hands.

The nice barista from earlier—her name is Genny— Lucy reminds herself, walks towards Lucy and asks her if she wants a refill on her coffee. "No, thank you. If I drink any more coffee, I won't be able to sleep tonight," Lucy replies with a smile. Genny nods and then speaks again: "Are you okay? You have been looking at your phone, sighing, for the past hour," Genny asks, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine, just not having luck finding a job," Lucy replies with a small, barely there smile. "Oh, well, we are looking for another barista, if you're interested. You could start tomorrow," Genny tells her. "Really? That would be amazing," Lucy answers, smiling so hard now, that her cheeks hurt. "But doesn't the owner of this coffee shop have to approve?" she adds, a question in her eyes. "She already did." Genny says with a smirk, "I own this coffeshop" she adds, still smiling. "Well, then, I would love to work here. I might not have experience on how to be a barista, but I'm a fast learner, and I promise you, you won't be disappointed with me," Lucy says, smiling again. "Great, then I'll see you at 6 a.m. tomorrow for training," Genny says before walking away and handing out a muffin to another customer.

Lucy thinks, that maybe everything will work out. And for the first time in a long while, she feels like she will be okay.