He did it again. Protecting Lucy. It was him now. They were out; all the gang was out in a bar. She was waiting for her drink at the bar when a drunk ass came next to her. He offered her a drink, but she refused kindly. He talked to her, with urging, and asked if she wanted to join him somewhere. She said no. So he put a hand on her wrist, as if she were his, and forced her to go with him. Once again, she said no, but the man didn't understand what "no " meant.
He was not far away from her. He always had an eye on her. At first, he was just looking. He didn't like it. He moved closer to her. It was enough for him. He needed to do something before she got hurt. He came closer to that stupid guy, put a hand on his shoulder, and with the other one, he showed him his badge. "She said no. Do you maybe need a definition of what a "no"" means? Move ". The man said nothing and moved, as Tim asked. She looked at him, a bit pissed off.
L - I can handle it myself; stop protecting me.
And she left him. He knew it; she could handle it. It was beyond his control. What changed? It was not supposed to happen. Friendship was fine. But that day, she was shot, and when she coded twice in the ambo, his heart missed a few heartbeats. He realized after a long process that what he felt was more than "friendship.". He had feelings for her. What did she do to him? She made him better, for sure, but she also made him a new version of himself. Something he wanted to hide because, come on, he couldn't be in love with her. But in the end, he was. And it made him protective. Maybe a little too much for someone who wanted to hide everything.
What was happening with him, she thought? She was a tough kid; she could handle a drunken ass; she did the worst. It was not the first time. Something changed. She tried to forget it and spend a good night with her friends.
Two hours later, everyone was saying goodbye. Obviously, Tim's car was parked next to hers. They walked together in silence before he started talking.
T - Sorry for earlier.
L - Tim, you have to stop protecting me like this. I can do this myself.
T - I know you can do it, but...
L - But what? On my first day, when you let me fight someone twice as big as me, you were standing there, having fun. What changed?
T - Nothing changed.
L - Come on, Tim, nothing really?
Something changed. It was not a nice conversation anymore. They were speaking louder than in a normal conversation. They were face-to-face; he was trying to avoid her, and she wanted an answer. Because yes, something changed.
L - You are lying!
T - Please Lucy.
L - No, Tim, you changed a lot for a while. Tell me.
T - I can't
L - Why?
T - Because it could change everything.
L - Why?
T - Because I love you, Lucy.
Everything changed. It left her speechless. She was looking at him. He regretted. Why did you do that, Bradford? You could have said anything instead of that. But could you lie to her once again? He left her next to his car, and he went inside. How stupid you were! He took a deep breath when he was alone. And what now ?
She was still outside. It was unexpected. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe in the depths of herself, she felt it. But now it was real; he said, "I love you.". And it gave her back butterflies. The ones she had to hide when Tim was dating Ashley because seeing him with her was too much to handle. It was hard, but she handled it quite well, until tonight. She never thought he could like her in that way. She always thought his friendship was the best thing he could give her. Apparently not. Maybe it was more. She took a deep breath before opening the passenger door and sitting next to him.
The silence was a bit awkward. Neither of them knew what to say. He dropped his bomb, and it exploded into her chest. She turned her head and looked at him. She took his hand and underlocked their fingers. He looked at her, surprised. It was unexpected. He made the first step, and she made the second one. They stood for an hour in that car, talking about what happened. smooth and shy conversation.
T - Would you like to go on a date sometimes?
She brushed the back of his hand while she was smiling. It was her way of saying, yes, he knew it. Something changed...
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16/05/2024 : Hi everyone. I've got less time to write those days, but i'm trying. (Things are a bit hard in my life rn). It's a short one for today. And please vote to let me know if you liked it :). xx
