Tim Bradford was doing better. Everything wasn't perfect, but he was getting better. It wasn't by chance but rather the result of his determination to fix one of the biggest mistakes he had made in the past ten years. It was the desire to heal, to love himself again, to forgive himself so he could be the person she deserved. Because even though this journey was one he had to take for himself, it was, above all, for her that he had decided to change.
Tim and Lucy were doing better. It wasn't perfect, but they were getting there. Rebuilding their connection at work was perhaps the easiest step in their relationship. Officer Lucy Chen had unwavering trust in Sergeant Tim Bradford, but the woman she was might not yet be ready to trust the man he was beyond that.
Tim Bradford would be lying if he said he didn't love Lucy anymore. He was utterly in love with her. The kind of love that consumes you, the kind that would make you climb onto a rooftop and shout it to an entire city, the kind that makes you lose your mind. He had decided that no matter what life had in store for them, he would go at her pace, he would give her whatever she wanted—even if it wasn't a happy ending. If tomorrow Lucy asked him to leave, to let her breathe for good, if tomorrow she found love in the arms of another man, he would step aside, no matter how painful it would be. And if he had to wait years to find her again, then he would wait. That was how Tim Bradford loved Lucy Chen.
« I can wait for you at the bottom
I can stay away if you want me to
I can wait for years if I gotta
Heaven knows I ain't getting over you »
And then there was that night at the gala. The night they gave in. The night when all the tension that had been building between them dissipated the moment she decided to kiss him. Tim took his time to savor every inch of her skin, her scent, every one of her sighs, the way she touched him, the way she spoke to him. They could have just slept together, without a second thought. But that night, as if afraid it would be their last, Tim made love to her, expressing through his actions everything he had kept buried inside.
The morning after wasn't strange, just confusing. That night together was a realization—he was ready to talk, to tell her what he had been meaning to say. But Lucy wasn't ready. Not yet. He spent the day thinking, overanalyzing, imagining that she regretted what had happened. Until, confined in an elevator, Lucy bluntly admitted that she didn't regret their night together in the slightest. One last look before she got into her car, and the subject was closed.
Tim thought he was doing better, but he hadn't anticipated how much a therapy session could break him like the last one did. Note to self: don't schedule an appointment before going to work again.
Lucy Chen knew him like the back of her hand. One look was enough to understand that today would not be a good day. A single exchange of glances was all it took. The urge to run and wrap her arms around him was overwhelming, but completely inappropriate. And then she remembered—she wasn't that person anymore, the one who ran to embrace the person she loved. She was just... To be honest, she didn't even know what she was anymore.
The next time she saw him was at the end of the day. Tim was a master at the art of hiding when he didn't want to be found.
Lucy hurried across the parking lot toward her car, eager to get home. She started the engine and drove on autopilot until she reached the parking lot in front of her building. She was surprised to see Tim's truck parked near the entrance, him standing against the body of the vehicle, phone in hand.
« Tim? What are you doing here? » she asked as she approached him.
« I... »
« Tim? »
But Tim didn't know where to start, almost regretting his decision to come and wait for her outside her home.
« Can we talk? »
« About what? »
« About us. »
« What us? »
« The one I shattered months ago. »
« Tim, I... »
« Lucy, listen to me. I messed up. I really messed up. And I will be eternally sorry for it. I didn't leave you because I didn't love you—far from it. No, I left because I didn't love myself. I didn't love this version of me. I wanted to punish myself, forgetting that I was hurting you in the process. I took that choice away from you—I made it for you, and I never should have. There are so many things you don't know about the man I was before, about my childhood, about my past with Isabel... all these things that consumed me and still haunt me today.
This morning, I had a therapy session, and it was the hardest one I've had in months. It forced me to face my past choices. And I realized that even if I want to go at your pace, even if I want to respect your boundaries, I at least owe you these few words.
I'm ready—ready to tell you everything I've buried for years, ready to be as vulnerable as possible. I'm ready.
I need you. I need us. »
Lucy silently thanked the rain for falling at that moment, allowing her to hide her own tears behind the drops.
« Tim, you broke my heart. »
« I love you. »
« Tim... »
« Lucy, I love you »
She held his gaze for a long moment, the weight of his words hanging between them. God, she loved this man—deeply, maybe too much in the eyes of others. The irony of it all was that she had been waiting for him to be ready to talk, to have this conversation with her, while he had been waiting for her to be ready so he could open up.
Idiots...
And even though, to many, this confession might seem insignificant compared to the pain her heart endured when he left, for Tim Bradford, being able to say those words was likely a superhuman effort. But what truly made her heart leap in her chest was the way « Lucy, I love you » had left his lips—the way he said it. It was powerful and vulnerable.
And just like that night at the gala, Lucy stepped closer to Tim and kissed him. Tim placed one hand on her back, pulling her against him, while his other hand cradled her face. Time seemed to stop, as if in reverence to all the unspoken words.
« I love you too, » she whispered, briefly pulling away from his lips.
Tim rested his forehead against hers, a small smile tugging at his lips, eyes closed as he savored the moment—the simplicity of their touch, the warmth of her body against his.
« You're soaking wet. »
« So are you. »
« Want me to walk you home? »
« No, take me to your place. I think we need to talk. »
« One night won't be enough... »
« I know, but our nights aren't numbered ... »
Tim's only response was to kiss her again, fully aware of the weight of her words—their meaning, the promise they carried.
That night, and every night that week, Tim and Lucy talked. Tim opened up a little more each time. Some confessions were hard to say and even harder to hear. Lucy, in turn, was honest with him, choosing to step toward him as well, refusing to let her fears and past traumas dictate her life any longer.
A year later, after making love, wrapped in each other's arms in the middle of their bed, Tim murmured a few simple words: « Will you marry me? »
« We'll try again
When we're not so different
We will make amends
'Til then I'll just pretend
Weigh down on me, stay 'til morning
Way down, would you say I'm worthy?
Weigh down on me, stay 'til morning
Way down, would you say I'm worthy? »
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16.02.25. Hello, Hi :)
Just a little something. I wanted to write something for Valentine's Day, but this came first. Maybe later in the week... I still have to write the request—I haven't forgotten about you guys!Take care, and don't forget to comment and vote—it really helps. Thank you!
♡
