« I, I just woke up from a dream
Where you and I had to say goodbye
And I don′t know what it all means
But since I survived, I realized »
Tim and Lucy were both sitting across from each other in a diner, a steaming coffee in their hands, their breakfast set to the side. From the outside, they looked like a couple—discreet, enjoying their morning together over a meal.
But this wasn't a date.
For the past few weeks, Lucy had been doubting. She doubted Ridley. As the days went by, she found herself questioning everything that came out of his mouth: his ex-girlfriend who overdosed, a year later another one who died in a car accident, his cancer story, and a whole bunch of tales that made no sense.
After that fateful night when she had knocked on his door, Tim had started thinking too. It was nearly impossible to lie to a polygraph, but there was still a small chance it had happened. It wasn't that he didn't believe Lucy—quite the opposite—but he didn't want her to get burned in her search for the truth. But what if she was right all along?
Meeting outside, on neutral ground, far from any police officers, had become a necessity. Tim knew this place—a diner that didn't look like much, but where the coffee was unlimited.
And despite the reason for their meeting, Tim couldn't help but look at Lucy differently, to observe her, to remember all those times they had found themselves in places like this, just to breathe and enjoy simply being themselves. And across from him, unconsciously, Lucy was doing the same, all while continuing their conversation.
« How can I properly do my job if I don't trust him? »
« Trust yourself. You know what you're doing. »
« He has enough nerve to lie to me and to know how to get out of this situation by telling another lie that could potentially hold up. Either he's the unluckiest guy on the planet, or... »
« Or he's hiding other secrets. »
« Yes » she said before taking another sip of coffee.
A silence settles between them for a moment. A comfortable silence. Like before. A silence suddenly disturbed by the song playing in the background.
« Ooh, lost, lost in the words that we scream
I don′t even wanna do this anymore
'Cause you already know what you mean to me
And our love′s the only war worth fighting for »
Strangely, the words resonated with Tim, forcing him to confront their past. Reminding him that he still owed her this conversation, that she deserved to know, to understand what had taken him so long to realize. But was this the right moment? Was there ever a right moment? Should he just ride the wave of the past few weeks and let time do its work? They were talking more and more, smiling at each other more and more, slowly rediscovering what they shared before they were *them*. Should he hope that time alone would change things? Should he have this conversation here and now with her?
« It wasn't about feelings, about love... » he blurted out without fully thinking through the consequences.
« Excuse me? »
« That night, in the parking lot, I — »
« Tim... »
« No, listen to me. That night, if I left, it wasn't because my feelings for you had changed. To be completely honest, I never stopped loving you, Lucy. Not for a second. I thought I was making the best decision to protect you—from everything, from my past, from all of it. The truth? I just wanted to punish myself. Drowning in the guilt of both my past and my present, I wanted to suffer, to take away the only thing that had brought me joy and stability for so long—you. But in doing that, I selfishly took away your choice. I didn't let you decide whether you wanted to sink with me or walk away. And I watched you, in the days that followed. I saw you fall with me anyway—just far away from me. And if you knew how much that killed me inside.
