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Lucy sits on the tenth sofa in 5 minutes moving around on it. It is comfortable but it just doesn’t have that feel yet. She gets up from the sofa and moves on to the next one. It’s soft but firm, definitely a couch she could see her and Tim cuddling up on. She sighs as she gets up and spots Tim across the store with his arms crossed his chest looking at coffee tables. They were searching for a new sofa and coffee table only because Tim’s sofa and coffee table were getting old and Tim wanted to make his house hers and theirs. So picking out two pieces of furniture was just the start.
She makes her ways towards Tim, he still standing at the same table his arms still crossed his chest and legs spread apart. He looks like a sergeant evaluating his team.
“Hey.” She says coming up from behind him. “What are you looking at?” He turns to look at her and relaxes his stance a little when he sees her.
“I just want to make sure our coffee table is sturdy enough for stuff.” He says. “You know.. everything.”
Lucy snorts but doesn’t say anything as she glances at the table Tim is studying. “It looks good and—” She begins but she’s cut off by a voice from behind her.
“Lucy?” The voice says. Both Tim and Lucy spin on their heels to see Chris behind them. He has a small basket with some items in it.
“Oh.” Says Lucy awkwardly looking around the store. “Hi Chris.” Chris glances between them both his eyes narrowing.
“What are you doing Lucy?” He asks cooly. Lucy frowns at both his question and tone. Obviously it’s none of Chris’s business why she is at a furniture store with Tim. She imagines he imagined them going furniture shopping together when they bought a house. She thinks back to that day and almost rolls her eyes. He was so clueless that day, she couldn’t believe he didn’t get the hint at how hesitant she was about buying a house with him. And she had been hesitant she knew Chris wasn’t her forever. And it took her all day and of course Tim to make her realize she needed to end it.
“Um.” Lucy glances at Tim who is glaring at Chris. He’s back in his intimidating stance. “I’m—we are just looking for some furniture.” She finally answers. Chris’s eyes flicker to Tim’s face and then back to Lucy.
“We? So you two are living together now?” He spits out and Lucy takes a step back. Tim reaches over to put his hand on her lower back drawing him to her. It’s such a small gesture but it’s one that Lucy knows she will always need.
“Yes.” Says Lucy. “We are living together.” Tim rubs a circle on her back, slipping his hand under her shirt and placing his large warm hand on her skin. She relaxes immediately into his touch.
“Why?” Chris asks hotly. “Why are you living with him? When I brought up living together. You dumped me.” Lucy sighs and leans more into Tim’s hand.
“When you asked—no when you told me we were buying a house together you never even asked how I felt. You just assumed that I wanted to. And then you kept calling even after a very traumatic incident. You didn’t care about me or my feelings, all you cared about was putting a offer on a house.” She says breathlessly. “You didn’t care to ask where I wanted to live.. it was all about you.”
Chris stares at her anger in his eyes as he glares at Tim for some reason. Tim glares back at him and steps just a little bit closer to Lucy so their legs are brushing.
“So Mr. Perfect here comes around and asks you to move in and you have no hesitancy?” Chris snaps at her. “That doesn’t even make sense Lucy! You can’t be one way about me and the completely switch for him.”
Except she can. With Chris it wasn’t ever serious. They had fun and she sincerely liked him. He was a safe relationship. He was the barrier between her and admitting her feelings for Tim. With Chris, she just knew it wouldn’t last. She knew their relationship would eventually run its course.
With Tim, it’s different. They did everything for each other, they would argue about stuff but they would always find common ground. With Tim, it was worth the effort and with Tim.. well she loves Tim more than anything. She knows Tim is her forever, she can feel it every time he looks at her, every time he touches her and kisses her. It’s not easy with him all the time. But it is worth it whether it’s hard or not.
“Tim didn’t pressure me to move in with him. It was a mutual decision.” She says to Chris. “We make decisions together because we are a equal team. Partners.” Tim removes his hand from her back and slips it into her hand. His large hand engulfs hers but she loves it.
“I didn’t pressure you into anything.” Says Chris defiantly. Tim snorts and Chris glares at him some more. “Is there something you want to say Bradford?”
Tim rolls his eyes. “I was there Sanford, you kept calling Lucy and bringing up houses. You even called after she saw a woman blow up. You had no idea how uncomfortable you were making her. She never even gave you a straight answer. You just kept going and going.” Tim says and his breathing is heavy as he finishes. Chris is silent for a few moments before he speaks again. Lucy thinks he’s going to apologize for everything but she knows that will never happen.
“You know how she broke up with me?” He asks Tim staring directly up at him. Tim glances at Lucy briefly a question in his eyes but he doesn’t say anything. She never did tell him she used his metaphor.
“She told me to give her my playbook.” Chris snaps. “Just like that as if our relationship didn’t mean anything.”
Lucy rocks back and forth it on her heels and tries not to grin at the look on Tim’s face. It’s one of amusement and pride.
“So as soon as she gets tired of you Bradford. That is what is going to happen. And you will be like me. Just another guy dumped by Lucy Chen serial bitch.”
Lucy doesn’t whether to laugh or cry at the expression on Tim’s face because now it’s anger and resentment. She never plans to break up with Tim, but even if it did happen she certainly wouldn’t do it by a method he told her about.
“Get a life Chris.” Lucy snaps at him putting herself in front of Tim so he doesn’t launch himself at Chris. “I broke up with you because I didn’t love you. And I’m sorry for the way I did it. But you weren’t taking a hint.”
“Lucy..” Chris steps towards her and Tim steps out in front of her. She puts a hand on his arm to calm him down.
“You can resent me, call me all the names you want. You can think that the breakup was out of nowhere but it’s over Chris. I want to be with Tim. He makes me happy and he loves me no matter what. He doesn’t pressure me and we do things together.” Lucy says and then she wraps her arms around Tim’s waist and he bends down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I’m sorry you are holding on to so much resentment for me but I have moved on. You should too.” She grabs Tim’s hand and leads him away to the sofas. He stops in front of a black leather one.
“Are you okay?” Tim asks her immediately wrapping his hand over her arm. “He’s..”
“I’m fine.” She assures him and she honestly is. Everything she said to Chris was true. She didn’t love him and she loved Tim. It really was that simple.
“Are you okay?” She asks him. Tim gives her a look and then nods.
“I kind of wanted to punch him but I’m good.” He says and then his face breaks out into a huge grin. “I can’t believe you used my metaphor to break up with Chris.”
Lucy rolls her eyes at his smug face and pulls him down onto the sofa. “I love you.” She says. He kisses the top of her head again holding his lips there and muttering I love you too baby.
They are silent for a few minutes before Lucy realizes they are still sitting on the same couch. It’s so comfortable and it just feels like they are wrapped in a warm hug. Maybe that is because of Tim, because he is warm and safe.
“This one.” She says standing up. Tim stands with her and gives her an odd look.
“What?” He asks. She points to the couch in front of them.
“This is the couch we should get.” She says. “It’s comfortable. Not too hard not too soft and it’s big.”
Tim stares at her and she recognizes the look he’s giving her. It’s one of love, adoration and fondness.
“Okay baby. Let’s get it.” He says and she grins at him looking at him and then the couch.
It won’t always be perfect but she knows even on the hardest days she will come home and see Tim and know that it will all be worth it in the end.
Because Tim will always be worth it.