Never Let Me Go

Chapter 3. Careless

The morning flew around quicker than expected. Lucy stood in the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection. The bruising around her eye and on her cheek was becoming a lot more prominent, she knew she had to cover these up before she took a step out of the house. Lucy winced as she applied yet another layer of concealer to hide the dark truth.

Despite the lingering aches and pains from last nights altercation with her parents she forced a smile upon her face as she approached the station. Throughout the day Lucy's mood shifted, she tried her hardest to maintain her usual professional demeanor, however as the day wore on she realised how fucked up her life was. Her normally bright eyes darkened, reflecting the inner turmoil she struggled to contain. Tim had started to notice the change in her behaviour.

The two were at a crime scene, there was not a lot of evidence and the case was a difficult one- and much to Lucy's annoyance a curious civilian was testing their luck, not listening to Lucy's instructions. Her voice rose in anger, mirroring the chaos around them. Tim saw the situation spiralling out of control and was quick to intervene, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Boot, stop." He commanded, his tone stern almost as if he was daring her to answer back. She took a deep breath as he pointed at the shop and she stormed away and into the passenger seat as she waited for Tim to finish up at the scene.

Tim sighed annoyed, as he watched Lucy slam the door shut. He knew she was stressed and clearly she had something going on- her whole demeanour had changed, but that was no excuse for being unprofessional. Gathering his thoughts he made his way towards the shop- taking a seat in the driver's seat. "Boot, it's clear that you're under a lot of pressure right now and you clearly have something going on." he began, his tone measured and even.

"But there is no excuse for treating civilians in that way, we're here to serve and protect not intimidate them, especially not when it was a minor inconvenience which could have been solved, had you of come and got me." Lucy was enraged, her arms crossed as she sat in the passenger seat, she looked at Tim his eyes showed no room for argument, he clearly wasn't in the mood for games. Instead of being sensible and staying quiet she rolled her eyes and muttered "Whatever, as if you have never lost your cool before. Didn't you get into a streetfight on shift, and let your druggy ex-wife take your money and run, along with her boyfriend who had assaulted an officer?" it was a low blow, and she instantly regretted it as soon as the words left her lips.

Tim's expression hardened at Lucy's remark. "Listen here Lucy." he said sternly, his face nearing hers. "I may have slipped up in the past, but that doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful- it certainly does not give you the right to give me attitude, you're testing the wrong person." he continued to stare into her eyes, the silence was loud. Finally Lucy dropped her gaze first, muttering an apology. Her face was tinted red and Tim couldn't help but notice how cute she looked as she wallowed in self pity from his reprimand, she was embarrassed and nervous around him.

Throughout the day Lucy had sat beside Nyla and Angela who were like older sisters to her. She was concentrating on the case at hand, until her eyes started to droop. She had barely slept last night due to the argument she had with her parents, she was scared they were gonna come back and finish what they started. Detective Nyla and Angela worked side by side, poring over the details of the case. Their years of experience showed - in the way they effortlessly pieced together clues and anticipated potential leads. They noticed how quiet Lucy had become, her head resting on her hand as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The two moved their chairs closer to her, Angela rested a hand on her shoulder. "You okay sweetheart?" she asked softly. Lucy nodded tiredly and Angela pulled Lucy towards her - letting her rest on her shoulder. She was protective over Lucy as she was the youngest rookie here and people tended to take advantage of her kindness and innocence.

After a few hours, they decided to call it a day. Angela gently woke up Lucy who was slightly dissociated and sheepish, her cheeks tainted with a rosy pink shade. The three of them walked out the station, Angela and Nyla headed to their cars as Lucy went in the opposite direction, staring her walk home. Lost in thought, Lucy trudged through the quiet residential street and towards her apartment. The weight of the day's events pressed down upon her shoulders,threatening to crush her spirit. A sudden determination sparked in her- tonight she decided she was going to shed herself of this police uniform and transform into someone else entirely and go to the bar. She was planning to get so drunk to avoid the thoughts running wild in her head.

As she neared her building, she paused for a moment, savouring the cool night air against her flushed cheeks before disappearing inside, closing the door behind her.

In her bedroom, Lucy stripped off her clothes, revealing a toned body from countless hours spent training at the gym. She pulled her robe on before opening her closet, surveying the array of colours and fabrics hanging inside. After careful consideration, she pulled out a pink mini dress, its short hemline barely grazing her thighs. Slipping it over her head she stood in the full length mirror. The fabric draped perfectly across her curves- hugging her in all the right places. She picked up her curling iron, getting to work on twirling her hair around the hot metal. Finally finished, she stood in the mirror applying some light makeup and lip gloss.

She slipped on some heels to match her outfit before making her way out the apartment- locking the door behind her.

Feeling empowered by her decision, Lucy took a deep breath and ventured out onto the bustling street. The cold air brushed against her skin, carrying with it the sounds of music and laughter from the nearby bars and clubs. Her heels clicked rhythmically against the pavement as she strutted towards her destination. Passersby did double takes as they caught sight of her curvy figure dressed in the alluring pink mini dress. A smile played at the corner of her mouth, knowing exactly how effective her transformation for this night out was proving to be. As she drew nearer to the bar, anticipation built within her, fuelling an excitement she hadn't felt in ages. This was exactly what she needed - to let loose, to forget about everything else just for one night, and enjoy herself like never before.

1171 words! i hope you enjoyed- please vote and leave your opinions in the comments <33
-E