(Lucy Bronze and keira Walsh)
Lucy Bronze stared out the window of the cozy, dimly lit living room. The soft glow of the evening sun filtered through the gauzy curtains, casting a golden hue over the room. Her fingers absently traced patterns on the armrest of the couch. Keira Walsh sat across from her, nervously fidgeting with her phone.
"Every second counts," Lucy muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to talk to you anymore, Keira."
Keira looked up, her eyes wide with confusion and hurt. "Lucy, what's wrong? Why are you—"
Lucy cut her off with a sigh. "I can't keep playing these little games. It's exhausting. We're just—"
Keira's face flushed. "What games? I don't understand."
Lucy stood up, her movements tense. "You can call me by the name I gave you yesterday, but it doesn't change anything. Every minute counts. I don't want to watch TV anymore, just—"
"Are you saying you're done with us?" Keira interrupted, standing up to face her. "Is that it?"
Lucy turned away, unable to meet her eyes. "Can you figure me out? I'm just doing this to waste more time on the couch, I guess. Can you see me? I'm waiting for the right time, but it feels like—"
"Feels like what?" Keira pressed, trying to close the gap between them. "I can't read you, but if you want, the pleasure's all mine. Can't you see I'm trying to—"
Lucy's gaze softened for a moment, but then she steeled herself. "I guess this could be worse, Keira. We could be walking out the door with our bags and leaving everything behind. I don't want that."
Keira's eyes filled with tears. "Lucy, please don't say that. I'm here, I want to be here with you. Let's talk this out."
Lucy shook her head slowly. "Pour your glass of wine, like Mitchell told me I should. Cases are under the bed, spill it open, let it rush to my head. I don't want to be forward, I don't want to cut corners. I want to savor this with everything I have inside of me."
Keira's breath hitched. "Lucy, what are you saying? You're not making any sense."
Lucy took a deep breath, her voice trembling. "I'm not the type to run, Keira. I know we're having fun, but what's the rush? Kissing, then my cheeks are so flushed. I want to tell you how I felt, sugar-coated and melting in your mouth, but I'm scared."
Keira's tears flowed freely now. "Pardon my emotions, Lucy. I should probably keep it all to myself, but I need to know where we stand. Know you'd make fun of me if I laid it all out, but—"
Lucy's expression softened again, her resolve crumbling. "Can you see me? I'm waiting for the right time. I'm using everything to hold back. I guess this could be worse, but—"
Keira reached out, taking Lucy's hands in her own. "Lucy, we don't have to walk out the door with our bags. We don't have to leave everything behind. We can work through this."
Lucy looked down at their intertwined hands, her heart aching. "Can you see me? I'm trying to figure this out, but it's hard. I don't want to be in this place where it feels like everything is slipping away."
Keira squeezed her hands gently. "Lucy, I know it's hard. I know you're scared. But we can face this together. We don't have to walk out the door with our bags. We can find a way to be together, to work through our fears and emotions."
Lucy's eyes met Keira's, and for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath. The tension between them began to dissipate, replaced by a fragile hope.
"I guess," Lucy said softly, "we don't have to rush anything. We can take it one step at a time. We can figure it out."
Keira nodded, her face breaking into a relieved smile. "Yes, exactly. We can do this together. We'll face everything, and we'll make it work."
They embraced, their bodies pressed together as if to anchor themselves to each other. The weight of their unspoken fears and doubts seemed to lift, leaving a tentative but hopeful space between them.
As they pulled back slightly, Lucy smiled weakly. "Walkin' out the door with our bags? Maybe not today. Maybe tomorrow, or the next day. But not today."
Keira's eyes twinkled with warmth. "Not today. Let's just be here, right now, and make the most of it."
And with that, they sat back down on the couch, their hands still intertwined, as the evening sun continued to cast its golden light over the room. The future remained uncertain, but for now, they had each other.
