Lucy Chen had just graduated from the police academy. It should have been one of the happiest days of her life-but instead, she was standing alone with tears burning in her eyes. Her parents' disappointment still echoed in her head. They hadn't hugged her, hadn't congratulated her. They despised the idea of their daughter becoming a police officer, and they hadn't bothered to hide it. The weight of their words followed her all the way home. She had gone straight to her boyfriend, needing comfort, needing someone to tell her she had made the right choice. Instead, she had found him in bed with someone else. So Lucy canceled their planned vacation together. And then she rebooked it-for herself. Hawaii would be her escape. One last week of freedom before she started her new job. One week to breathe, to forget, to feel like herself again. Tim Bradford had spent the past year holding his life together by sheer force of will. His wife's undercover assignment had consumed everything-their marriage, their plans, their sense of normalcy. He had believed that once the mission was over, things would go back to the way they were. They didn't. Instead of packing for a vacation together, he was signing divorce papers. So Tim went to Hawaii alone, hoping the sun, the ocean, and a few too many drinks would quiet the noise in his head.

There's an unspoken rule in the LAPD: if someone calls after 3 a.m., it better be life or death. So when Lucy Chen finds herself dialing Tim Bradford in the middle of the night after a nightmare, she expects silence - not for him to answer on the first ring. The call is short. Quiet. Safe. And it accidentally starts something they can't stop. What begins as a lifeline during sleepless nights becomes a ritual neither of them wants to break. Every call brings them closer - shared silences, confessions half-whispered into darkness, and feelings neither of them can admit under daylight. But when a dangerous call on duty nearly shatters everything, Tim and Lucy are forced to confront what's been growing between them - not with words mumbled through sleep, but with eyes open, hearts racing, and no more excuses. Because after so many calls at 3 a.m., they're both starting to realize... Maybe it was never just about the time. Maybe it's always been about each other. | I also post this on my AO3 account |