Forever Young

The end of their story.

Lucy had just finished a gruelling day of patrolling the unforgiving streets. As she walked into the dimly lit station, she spotted Tim, her seasoned training officer and also her boyfriend of six months, sitting solemnly at his desk. The air felt heavy with an impending storm. Tim, well known for his stoic exterior, looked up from the scattered paperwork and motioned for Lucy to join him. His eyes were clouded with an unfamiliar sadness that sent a shiver down Lucy's spine. He wasn't acting like himself..

"Lucy," he began, his voice heavy with regret, "We need to talk." Lucy's heart began to race as she took a seat opposite him, her mind frantically trying to piece together any possible reason for this sudden seriousness. Tim's gaze fell to the ground, unable to meet hers, and she knew whatever was coming wouldn't be good.

*"He can't be breaking up with me," she thought, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest. "Not like this... Not here."*

Tim took a deep breath, the silence tangible. "This job...it's eating me alive, Lucy. I can't be there for you like I need to be. I can't give you what you deserve. I need to take a step back.. From us. I have bigger priorities."

The words fell like weights, each one dragging Lucy deeper into despair. She wanted to argue, to tell him she understood, but all she could manage was a quiet-emptiness. "Why now?"

Tim looked up then, his eyes filled with a sorrow that mirrored her own. "I got promoted today, Lucy. I'm moving up in the ranks, I'm going to be a sergeant, this is my dream.  It's going to mean longer hours, more responsibility, and less time for us." He paused, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's not fair to either of us to pretend otherwise."

As the reality of the situation settled over her like a suffocating fog, Lucy felt her dreams of a future together with Tim begin to crumble. She knew he was right, but that didn't make the pain any better..

Lucy, unable to bear the weight of the heartbreaking conversation, gathered her belongings and rushed out of the station. Her vision was blurred by the unshed tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She managed to make it to her car before her composure finally broke. With trembling hands, she fumbled with the keys, igniting the engine with a loud roar. The drive home was a haze of traffic lights and city noise, she was so dissociated - each mile stretching out before her like an eternity. *Why did it have to be like this? Why now?* The questions cycled through her mind on repeat, each one a painful reminder of the life-altering decision Tim had made. How would she survive without him?