TAKE IT EASY • TC ✔️

23: Loosening the Load

At five o'clock, Timothée rapped on Lucia's door. He tried to stop his legs from shaking, but it was proving quite difficult with how excited he was.

He just didn't- he never did things like this. Always said, oh wouldn't it be funny if I, or oh, can you imagine if we, but these suppositions were always in the conditional. He'd never really thought about converting them to the present tense. And now here he was, backpack slung over his shoulder, a thick sweater wrapped around his waist. It was appallingly hot in New York City at present, but if there was anything travelling for work had taught him, it was bring a sweater, whether you think you'll need it or not.

He didn't want to try stuffing the hoodie into his backpack, so had resorted to the wrapped-around-the-waist method. It was uncomfortable, and weighed heavily on his hips, but Timothée figured it would be fine once they got to the car and he could take it off.

Lucia popped up at the door almost as if she'd been waiting for Timothée's knock (which she had). In her hands she held two items, one a rucksack, the other a plastic cat carrier, in which Julius was moping. He had not yet become accustomed to the joys of having a personal chauffeur, and was cowering in the corner of the bag as much as he good. Lu placed him carefully onto her shoulders - the cat carrier itself was a backpack, with clear plastic so Julius could see what was going on outside.

"Cool, huh?" she remarked, turning round so Timothée could see the contraption in all its glory.

"Yeah, it's- wait, you hair's stuck," he said, and Lucia sighed irritably.

"I knew I should've tied it up," she replied, and Timothée darted forwards.

"Hold on," he instructed, and pushed the bulk of her curls over her shoulder until he could see the few strands tucked underneath the straps of the rucksack. He eased them out gently, teasing them out of the rucksack's vice like grip, and Lu hissed as a few remaining hairs clung to the straps for dear life.

"Sorry, sorry," Timmy apologised, fingers brushing her hair back over her shoulder, and Lucia shook her head.

"No, it's fine, thank you. My hair's a nightmare," she grinned sheepishly, and off they went.

It was a fifteen minute walk to the parking lot near the Lincoln Tunnel where their hire car was situated. The pair tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, for Timmy's sake, but Lucia realised five minutes in that carrying Julius around on her back probably wasn't helping. They stopped at a street corner and exchanged Julius's carrier for the rucksack containing Lu's stuff and Julius's food. Now carrying on with Julius in her hands instead of on her back, Lu felt slightly more shielded from the public eye.

Despite the unbearable heat and the customary smell of warm dumpster associated with NYC in the summer, Timothée and Lu decided it was a good thing that the sun was shining. It meant they could put on sunglasses and hats, and no one would bat an eyelid.

No one would even think to question the trio of world-famous actor, his neighbor and her cat, as they walked briskly to their destination, keeping conversation to a minimum and only lifting their gaze from the floor when necessary.

Their clothes were plain, unrecognisable. They were both dressed in unbranded outfits, Timothée as a means of camouflage, Lucia because she didn't have another option (unless you counted Guilia's skirt, which was already racking up a nice bidding on eBay).

The boy wasn't sporting his usual joggers either, and today had opted for baseball shorts and a t-shirt. Timothée, as ever, had his socks pulled up all the way over his ankles, which Lu found to be endearing and also fucking stupid in equal measures.