Chenford Story

16

Lucy's POV

I was ok. Emmet was going to jail and I was still alive. But I couldn't sleep. Every time I even tried I would have a nightmare. It was one sick joke. It was either Emmet or Caleb. With a gun. Telling me to get into a stupid barrel. Sometimes I could escape, get out, just for a cliff to appear so I could be shoved off it. It was awful. I slept maybe three hours that first week out of the hospital.

That was when the blade came out. I hated it. But it made all the pain go away. Tim didn't know of course. He would hate it. Probably kick me out. I would only do it at night, or when Tim was out. Which was often......
I did it on my abdomen now, Tim was happy, my arms had no more scars and I had my secret. It wouldn't hurt him if he didn't know. I tried convincing myself.
Eventually my mental arguments woul turn into me cutting myself.
One slash on each side for each point for and against. And I was gaining weight again.

I was hideous. Covered in bruises and scars, overweight. I had started taking weight loss tablets again. Tim didn't know about that either. It was killing me inside. With Emmet lies were normal, expected. Now staying with Tim.... lying to him felt wrong.

I broke down crying again. It was 2 am. Why was I even here?! Somehow I stumbled into Tim's room. Silently I slipped into his bed, crying silently so Tim wouldn't wake up. Somehow I didn't have a nightmare.

Tim's POV

I woke up to Lucy in my arms, her tear stained head on my chest. I didn't dare move. I knew Lucy hadn't slept in days. I didn't want to be the one to wake her up.
During the night we had moved closer. Lucy's leg was resting on top of mine and the proximity made me so badly want to kiss her. No. Tim no. I talked to myself like I was a toddler trying to take another cookie. I couldn't. I wouldn't do that to Lucy. Not so soon after Emmet.
At some point I fell asleep again but woke to the smell of pancakes.

I practically floated to the kitchen. They smelled heavenly. A plate sat out in my place. I noticed Lucy didn't have any but I didn't say anything. I knew her weight was a sensitive topic.
"Hey Luce"
"Morning Tim"
"Sleep well?"
Lucy didn't know I had woken up to her asleep practically on top of me.
"Yes actually, um did you wake up in the night"
"Maybe" I said it so Lucy knew what I had woken up to.
She went instantly red.
"Tim in so sorry that was-"
I interrupted her
"It's fine Luce, I'm glad you slept well"
I felt bad that I still hadn't given her an answer. I knew Lucy liked me. She loved me in fact. So much so that she was willing for them to be her last words.
"Um Luce?"
She turned around "yeah?"
I stood up and went behind her.
"I-i love you too"
This wasn't exactly how I had planned to do this, but Lucy needed it right now.

I saw the gears in her head turning, trying to comprehend what I had just said.
I leant down. Closing my eyes.
Softly I pressed my lips against hers.
God her lips were so fucking kissable. The kiss deepened as Lucy came out of shock.

She moaned softly and it drove me crazy. When did she become so fucking sexy?!
I

could feel myself getting hard. Was it not his morning that I had said I wasn't going to do anything?! Clearly I had been lying to myself.

We both pulled away after a minute or two.
"Tim. I've been wondering when you were going to do that."
We kissed again. Yeah, I was definitely hard, getting harder by the second.
Each kiss came with more passion. "God Lucy. When did you learn to kiss so well!"
The pancakes were burned by the time we finished making out. Worth it.

I was smiling like an idiot the rest of the day. Angela was right. Of course Angela was right. Everything was ok in the world.
Lucy slept in my bed with me that night. We were taking things slow. Or........ slow for two people that were already technically living together and had known each other for two years.

A week later

I was going back to work tomorrow. Lucy would be back in a few weeks, whenever she felt ready. I woke up at 2 maybe 3am.
Lucy wasn't next to me. I got up silently. Walking through to the hall I saw that the bathroom light was on so I knocked before walking in. Lucy was sitting on the floor, staring straight ahead and not blinking, entranced. I saw the blood stream stunning down her abdomen and the blade in her arm. She was crying silently.

I just sat next to her. "Hey Luce, are you ok?" Silence.
I started mopping up the blood with paper towels and took the blade out of her hands. The wounds on her abdomen looked fresh, done in the last few weeks. I... I thought she had stopped.... that I was helping her get better. I-i was just making her hide it more.
"It's ok Luce. Im not mad at you. I promise."
She looked over to me stuttering
"Y-your n-not? B-but i-i hi-id it from y-you?"
I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I promise I'm not mad"
"Why n-not? Emmet would be mad"
I hugged her tighter.
"It's ok Luce, I'm not Emmet, I'm not mad I just wish you had told me."
Lucy practically crawled into my lap, sobbing both from pain and guilt.
"I-im sorry T-Tim. D-dont hurt me p-please"
I rocked her softly, pressing small kisses to her forehead.
"I'm not going to hurt you, it's ok Luce"
She nodded softly, falling asleep within minutes.
"Oh Luce, I wish you had just told me" I was speaking to myself while bandaging around Lucy's abdomen. She was getting thinner again. Was she taking the tablets again? I searched around the house. They were taped to the bottom of her nightstand.
I put them in front of the bar stool where Lucy eats to talk to her in the morning.

The next morning

Lucy's POV

I woke up before Tim. My wounds had been bandaged. There was no way I did that while asleep was there. That meant Tim knew. Oh.
I wasn't really sad. I knew he would find out at some point. I just..... I sighed. Oh well.

I walked dout into the kitchen. The tablets were out in front of me.
Tim walked into the kitchen behind me.
"I assume this means you want to talk Tim"
I expected him to sound at least a bit angry, sad. No. Nothing.
"Yeah. We should talk"
Tim sat on his stool, to the right of mine.
"Why didn't you tell me Luce, you know I would have helped. I don't want you to relapse, I can't loose you again"
"I-i don't know Tim. I feel safe with you, I really do. I..... I......." I start to cry. There is nothing, no reason why I didn't tell Tim.

Tim just cradles me like he always does.
"Anyway now that that's out of the way, I have a question for you Lucy Chen."
I perk up, what question?
"Will you be my girlfriend Lucy?"
He presents me with a beautiful anything necklace. It's perfect. Every part of this moment is perfect.

"Yes!" I nod through my tears.

The moment was perfect. Now I was crying from happiness.