What if Tim had a daughter?

Part 14

Lucy: Hey Tim, just checking in. How's everything going? How's Olivia after the grocery store incident?
Tim quickly typed a response, his fingers moving over the screen.
Tim: Hi Lucy. Everything's good here. Olivia's doing fine—she's really excited about her new iPad, I think she forgot what happened, well I hope she did.
Tim glanced at his phone, reading Lucy's reply.
Lucy: Glad to hear that. Has Olivia been feeling better today, or is she still sick? I hope she's okay.
Tim typed back quickly.
Tim: She's been doing better, thankfully. Just a bit of a rough night, but she's bouncing back. Think she's too excited about the IPad that she forgot she was sick. Thanks for asking!
Lucy: That's great to hear. I'm glad she's feeling better. And the iPad sounds like it's a big hit! If she needs any help with the setup or has any questions, let me know.
Tim smiled as he typed his response.
Tim: Will do. She's already deep into exploring all the features. It's nice to see her so enthusiastic.
Lucy: Good to hear. And by the way, thanks taking over earlier, would have been a long day if you didn't.
Tim's smile widened as he typed back.
Tim: Of course. It's nothing. I appreciate you checking in. How are you doing?

As he finished typing and clicked send, Olivia looked up from her iPad and noticed her dad's smile. Her curiosity piqued, she squinted at him, then suddenly blurted out.
Olivia- Dad, why are you smiling like that? What are you doing on your phone?
Tim's smile faltered slightly as he glanced at Olivia, caught off guard by her sudden question. He tried to quickly gather his composure.
Tim- Ahhhh, n-nothing. Just a regular text.
Olivia, still curious, raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly.
Olivia- Come on, Dad. You look like you're hiding something. What's really going on?
Tim shifted uncomfortably on the couch, trying to maintain his casual demeanor. He didn't want to get into details, especially with the way Olivia was pressing.
Tim- Olivia, it's really nothing important. Just... a message from a friend.
Olivia wasn't deterred. She narrowed her eyes playfully, clearly determined to get more out of him.
Olivia- A friend, huh? You were smiling a lot. It must be someone special.
Tim's cheeks reddened slightly, and he shifted in his seat, feeling a bit trapped.
Tim- Alright, enough already. It's really not a big deal. Just drop it, okay?
Olivia hesitated, her eyes still filled with curiosity, but she could see that Tim wasn't in the mood to share more. She sighed dramatically but relented.
Olivia- Fine, fine. I'll drop it. But you owe me a story about whatever it is later.
Tim let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension ease a little.
Tim- No.
Tim quickly corrected himself, realizing he might have been too sharp.
Tim- I mean, I don't owe you a story. Some things are just private, okay? Let's just leave it at that.
Olivia pouted slightly, sensing the firmness in his voice. She could tell he was serious this time, and though her curiosity was still bubbling, she decided not to push further.
Olivia- Alright, alright. I get it. You win this time.
Tim sat back, trying to ease the tension that had built up between them. Normally, he and Olivia shared everything—he'd always made it a point to be open with her, to talk about whatever was on their minds. It was a way to keep their bond strong, to make sure she knew she could come to him with anything, no matter how big or small. But sometimes, like now, it was difficult to keep that openness when his own thoughts were so tangled up.
He glanced at Olivia, who was now back to fiddling with her iPad. Tim felt a pang of guilt. He didn't like keeping things from her, especially when she was clearly interested and just trying to connect with him the way they always had. But this was different—it was about his feelings, something he wasn't even sure how to explain to himself, let alone to her.
Tim- Liv, you know I'm always here to talk about anything, right? I just... sometimes, it's hard to put things into words, especially when I'm still figuring them out.
Olivia looked up, her expression softening. She nodded, understanding starting to replace her earlier curiosity.
Olivia- Yeah, I get it. It's just... we usually talk about everything, so when you don't, it makes me wonder what's going on.
Tim smiled gently, appreciating her maturity.
Tim- I know. I promise, if there's ever anything you need to know, I'll tell you. But sometimes, I just need a little time to sort things out in my own head first.
Olivia seemed to consider his words carefully, her eyes reflecting a depth that always caught Tim off guard. She was growing up so fast, and moments like this made him realize just how much she was becoming her own person, capable of understanding complexities he sometimes underestimated.
Olivia- Okay, Dad. I get it. Just... don't take too long to figure it out, I want to know.
Tim chuckled softly at Olivia's persistence, feeling a warmth in his chest as he looked at her.
Tim- I promise, Liv. I'll figure it out soon enough, and when I do, you'll be the first to know.
Olivia grinned, satisfied for the moment, and they both settled back into the couch. The evening continued with them watching TV together, the familiar banter of their favorite show providing a comforting backdrop to the quiet moments they shared. Every now and then, Olivia would let out a laugh at something funny on the screen, and Tim found himself smiling, appreciating the simple joy of these moments.
After a while, Olivia stretched and let out a small yawn, her earlier energy beginning to fade.
Olivia- I think I'm going to head to bed.
Tim glanced at the clock, noticing that it was still a bit early.
Tim- Already? You usually stay up a little later.
Olivia hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
Olivia- Yeah, but I'm just feeling a tired tonight. Plus, my stomach's hurting a little, so I think I'll just call it a night.
Tim's concern immediately flickered to life.
Tim- Your stomach's hurting? How bad is it?
Olivia shook her head, trying to downplay it.
Olivia- It's not too bad, just a little uncomfortable. I think I just need to lie down for a bit, and I'll be fine.
Tim frowned slightly, not entirely convinced.
Tim- You sure? Do you need anything? Maybe some tea or medicine?
Olivia shook her head again, offering him a reassuring smile.
Olivia- No, I'm okay, Dad. Really.
Tim watched Olivia head upstairs, his concern still lingering as he heard her footsteps fade. He gave her a few minutes to get settled before deciding to check on her. He knew she often tried to downplay when she wasn't feeling well, and he couldn't shake the nagging worry that something more was going on.
After a bit, Tim made his way upstairs. He noticed that Olivia's bedroom door was ajar, and the light from her bathroom spilled softly into the room. He knocked lightly on the bathroom door.
Tim- Liv, it's me. Just letting you know I'm in your room, okay?
There was a brief pause before he heard her respond from inside.
Olivia- Okay, Dad. I'll be out in a minute.
Tim nodded to himself and stepped further into her room, his eyes drawn to the collection of paintings spread out on her desk. He walked over, carefully picking up one of the pieces. It was a watercolor landscape, with soft hues blending into one another—a peaceful scene of a lake surrounded by trees.
He smiled, admiring her work. Each painting reflected a different mood, a different moment in time captured by her brush. There was a maturity in her art that often surprised him, a depth of emotion that she rarely expressed in words. It was in these paintings that Tim felt he could glimpse into the more private corners of Olivia's mind, places she kept guarded even from him.
As he carefully set the painting back down, he heard the bathroom door creak open. He turned to see Olivia standing in the doorway, a towel in her hand as she dried her face.
Tim- Feeling okay?
Olivia offered a small, tired smile.
Olivia- Yeah, I'm fine.
Tim walked over to her, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Tim- Alright. But if it gets worse or you need anything wake me up, okay?
Olivia nodded.
Olivia- I will, Dad. Thanks.
Tim- Promise?
Olivia- Pinky promise.
Tim pulled her into a quick, reassuring hug before letting her go. He then stepped back and glanced around the room one last time, making sure everything was in place.
Tim- Alright, I'll let you get some rest. Goodnight, Sweetheart.
Olivia- Goodnight, Dad.
With one final smile, Tim turned off the light and left her room, closing the door quietly behind him. As he made his way back, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of pride and concern. Olivia was growing up so fast, and while he cherished these moments of closeness, he also knew that she was becoming more independent each day. He just hoped that she would always feel comfortable coming to him, no matter how old she got or what she needed.
Tim made his way to his bedroom, his mind still on Olivia. He couldn't shake the mix of pride and concern he felt for her, the way she was growing up so fast. But as he stepped into his room and closed the door behind him, his thoughts gradually shifted to something—or other, someone—else: Lucy.
He grabbed a fresh towel and headed into his bathroom for a quick shower. The warm water washed over him, but it did little to clear his mind. Instead, images of Lucy kept surfacing: her smile, the way she always knows what people around her need, the warmth in her exchanges, her laugh, her smell. She always smells sweet and sometimes like coconut, but only once in a while. Tim used to hate it when something or someone smelled like coconut, but he came to like it, no, love it. He couldn't help but wonder if there was the possibility of something more developing between them.
After his shower, Tim dried off and usually would walk over to his closet without bothering to cover up. But tonight, he paused, reminded that Olivia could still be up and might walk in at any moment. He wasn't about to take that risk. So, he wrapped the towel securely around his waist before stepping out of the bathroom.
Crossing the room, he made his way to the closet, where he pulled out a clean pair of boxers and some sweatpants. He quickly got dressed, feeling more comfortable now that he was covered up, and then headed back into the bathroom to hang up the towel and brush his teeth.
As he stood in front of the mirror, toothbrush in hand, his thoughts drifted back to Lucy. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that had been growing since their earlier exchange. What had started as a simple text conversation had left him smiling more than he had in a long time.
Finishing up, he put everything away, then turned off the bathroom light. He climbed into bed, grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and opened his messages, scrolling back to the conversation with Lucy. The warmth in his chest returned as he reread her words.
Tim lay back against the pillows, his phone in hand, staring at the last message Lucy had sent. His mind raced as he tried to come up with something to say, something that wouldn't sound too eager or awkward. He didn't want to overthink it, but at the same time, he didn't want to come off as too casual either.
He typed out a few different messages, only to delete them before they could even be sent. "Thanks for checking in earlier" felt too formal. "Can't stop thinking about our conversation" seemed way too forward. He needed something in between, something that could keep the conversation going without pushing it into uncomfortable territory.
After a few moments of debating with himself, he finally settled on a message that felt right.