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Lucy Chen prides herself on her ability to read other people, which she attributes to her hard-earned psychology degree. While most people would call her 4 years in college a waste of time and money, she sees it as her biggest strength. Her judgement has allowed her to connect and form so many relationships that have held her ship afloat through the strongest storms.
One of these relationships, of course, was Tim Bradford. Since her rookie days, Lucy could confidently say that she knew Tim better than he knew himself. As their relationship evolved, she came to know the Tim Bradford behind the iron walls he put up.
“Something on your mind, Officer Chen?” Celina Juarez asks, interrupting Lucy’s train of thought. As one of the only other women on their regular patrol shift, Lucy thought it a good idea to treat Celina to lunch, to show her that she had someone in her corner.
“No, no,” Lucy reassures her. “And please, call me Lucy. I swear we are barely 5 years apart.”
“Okay, Lucy,” the younger officer restarts sweetly, “are you sure you’re okay? There’s been this… aura surrounding you lately.”
Lucy had heard about Celina’s stellar intuition from Nolan. At first, she thought it was just Nolan’s flair for the dramatics, but recently she’d come to learn that Celina really did have a gift. Sure, it was a little bit creepy at times, but it was intriguing nonetheless.
“What kind of aura?” Lucy asks cautiously, not entirely sure if she wants to hear the answer.
“Well…” Celina pauses, biting her lip. She leans forward, as if she’s about to tell Lucy a big secret. “It’s a good aura, which I don’t see often. Now, I know that I haven’t known you for every long, but I can tell that there is a new presence in your life, one that has made you whole once again.”
Wow.
“But…” Celina continues, “you’re holding yourself back. I don’t mean to overstep, but can I offer you some advice?” Lucy nods her head. “I don’t exactly know what’s going on, and I don’t expect you to tell me, but I think that you should let your guard down. Whatever you’re feeling, let yourself truly feel it. Think of it like… a vacation! The travel, plane rides, luggage… it’s never fun. But once you reach your destination and get to have these new experiences, it’s all worth it. Take the risk, Lucy.”
Well, that’s certainly food for thought.
“Thank you, Celina,” Lucy smiles softly at the young rookie.
“You’re welcome,” she nods back.
Now, Lucy was here to act as a role model, so she clears her throat and gets back to the subject at hand: showing Celina the ropes of the LAPD. Though, the young rookie’s words never leave the back of her mind.
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“Did you like the movie?” Lucy asks as she turns off the T.V., though she asks as a pure formality. Before she even pressed the play button, she knew that Tim would find her selection of a rom-com cheesy and boring. But she also knew him well enough to know that he would never tell her that; she decided to take advantage of his silence and enjoy their time together.
“It was cute,” Tim shrugged, though he wasn’t the least bit convincing. Throughout the entire film Lucy noticed his eyes fluttering closed, and each time they stayed closed a little bit longer.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” she assures him lightheartedly as she fixes the pillows and blankets on her couch.
“I mean, it wasn’t a bad movie,” Tim admits as he rises to help her. “I just… didn’t get it. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s like… how I don’t get why people find Football so interesting. But I still like to sit and watch it with you, because you like it.”
Lucy loved how her and Tim were different in some respects. It was nice to have their own traits, and she truly loved sharing her unique interests with Tim. She didn’t exactly know how to articulate it into words without sounding too corny, but she was immensely grateful that Tim never complained about participating in activities she chose, no matter how much he didn’t enjoy them.
When it came to her previous boyfriends, integrating herself into their personal lives felt like a chore. She never found herself wanting to learn about their lives and interests. Of course, she did it without complaining, because that’s what a good girlfriend should do, but it became a nuisance at some points. She hated the differences in her relationships, and they eventually became too much to bear.
But with Tim, it was different. She wanted to learn all about him: she wanted to know how he liked his steak cooked, and why he favored the Rams over every other team. If she could choose one activity to participate in for the rest of her life, it would be to watch Tim doing what he loved.
She loved his favorite things purely because he loved them.
“I’ll finish cleaning up here, you get ready for bed,” Lucy insists as she notices Tim dragging himself around. She already put him through a cheesy movie, the least she could do was let him off the hook a little early. Of course, he put up a fight, but eventually followed instructions and headed into her bedroom.
As he walked out of her field of vision, a sinking pit formed in her stomach. It was so stupid, but she missed him. Even though he was in the next room, she missed him. For some reason, nothing felt like enough when it came to Tim. Even if they were sleeping in the same bed, their bodies entangled in one another, she never felt close enough to him.
Tim was like a drug, and she was addicted beyond explanation.
It didn’t take her long to tighten up her living room, and she quickly joined Tim in her bedroom. But as she opened the door, she found Tim fast asleep underneath the covers.
She smiled, leaning on the doorframe as she watched his chest rise and fall. Rookie Lucy would have never believed she’d see her T.O. sleeping in her bed with his mouth wide open. It was at this exact moment that she realized: in every single capacity, she loved Tim.
It was the little things that made the butterflies in Lucy’s stomach flutter around. The fact that he was a total sucker for pancakes for breakfast, or the way that he couldn’t stand to walk around the apartment without his socks on. These details about Tim that only she knew made her feel a million times closer to him. It made it a million times easier to love him.