Work Text:
Isabel isn’t sure how she ended up here. In this restaurant, she’s not sure why she agreed to meet her date, at this restaurant. The one with a private room and clearly an engagement party going on. But here she is watching the happy couple.
They seem familiar but she can’t quite put a finger on it. She watches them from the bar, she has no idea where her date is.
He said 6 sharp and yet—
The woman turns around and hugs someone with a bright, familiar smile on her face. Isabel’s heart nearly drops to the floor.
It’s Lucy Chen.
Her ex husband’s former boot and the last time she saw them his girlfriend. She swallows hard, her heart beating faster and faster. She sees Genny, her ex sister in law come up and tap the man on his shoulder.
Isabel knows who it is before he even turns around.
Tim.
Her ex husband immediately gravitates towards Lucy and pulls her into his side. Lucy laughs and then pulls Tim down to kiss her.
Tim goes easily like he’s made of putty.
He never did that with Isabel, he never kissed her like that in front of everyone. He never held her so tightly like she was about to float away.
“Can I get you a drink?” Isabel turns away from Tim and Lucy. The bartender is looking at her with a sympathetic look.
“Looks like a fun party huh?” He asks. Isabel nods numbly. Logically, she knows it was over between her and Tim a long time ago. Logically, she knows that it never would have worked out between them.
But she had hope.
She had hope that maybe if she showed up and he helped her… they could talk.
“Can I get a water?” Isabel asks. The bartender nods and doesn’t give her the weird look that she normally gets. The water is in front of her seconds later, and she turns back to the party.
Tim is still attached to Lucy and is pulling her around the room. Isabel is surprised that he is even having this party.
He never would have with her.
Then again—Isabel is pretty sure she knows who is behind this party. The person that was there for Tim when Isabel wasn’t.
She sees Angela pop up and pull Lucy away, Tim pouts.
Tim Bradford actually pouts.
“Are you meeting someone?” The bartender asks. Isabel looks at him again. She completely forgot about that.
“I was suppose to.” Isabel says but quite frankly she doesn’t care anymore. She is more interested in watching her ex husband be the man he wasn’t with her.
“Do you know them?” The bartender asks. Isabel shoots him a look. “You look like you know them.”
“No.” Isabel lies. She doesn’t want to seem weird. She was already alone at a bar with a glass of water. “They just remind me of people I used to know.”
“Oh.”
Isabel turns back to the party, and now Tim and Lucy are at the front of the room. Lucy is back tucked into Tim’s side and he looks happy.
She’s not sure if she has ever seen him smile like that. It’s like she’s looking at a whole other man.
Someone she doesn’t know. It’s not a bad thing—not really. Tim is happy and that’s all she could ever want for him.
But there’s something that is gnawing at her. There’s something that is making her itch, and she wants to crawl out of her skin.
The last time she saw Tim, he was happy like this. He helped her but he made it clear he was with Lucy.
Lucy was different. Lucy is different.
Maybe Isabel did try a little too hard. Maybe she was trying to be that person to Tim. The woman that he would do anything for.
It didn’t work.
Tim Bradford was loyal as they come. Hell he didn’t give up on her not for a long time. He believed she could get out of it.
But she knows deep down they were toxic for one another, and being together wasn’t going to help either one of them.
“Hello,” Tim’s booming voice rings out to where Isabel is sitting. She’s jumps a little, and watches as Lucy clings onto Tim. Isabel is not sure how that is not annoying him. “Thank you to everyone who came out tonight. Thank you to Angela for planning this entire thing.”
Lucy takes the microphone from Tim. “As you know, Tim and I have been through a lot the last few months.” She says. Isabel frowns a little. There’s a murmur from the crowd. “It hasn’t been easy but we are finally celebrating our engagement.” There is clapping and a few whoops from the crowd.
Isabel shifts in her seat. Why did it take months for them to celebrate? What the hell was going on?
“Oh!” The bartender says. Isabel jumps again. “They are the police sergeants that were kidnapped on the beach.” Isabel blinks at him.
“I’m sorry?”
“It was this big thing. This millionaire from prison arranged it all. There was a whole search party.” He says.
“That’s—how did I not hear about this?” Isabel asks and she’s talking to herself more than anything.
“I don’t know how you didn’t.” He says. “Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford. They haven’t done any interviews but that’s them.”
Isabel feels a lump in her throat and she doesn’t know whether she wants to cry or run and tear Tim away from Lucy.
She feels years of regret washing over her, she feels like she could crawl out of her skin. She could have had this with Tim. She could have kept him safe but she made the stupid decision and decided he wasn’t enough for her.
She looks up and sees Joy Bradford walk over to Tim and Lucy. She hugs Tim first and then pulls Lucy in for a hug.
Joy never liked Isabel, and she’s not sure if it was because she saw the fracture in their relationship or because she was protective of Tim. She was never rude to her or anything like that. She was quite polite to her, and Joy was a lovely person. Isabel just got this feeling that Joy knew.
But watching her with Lucy, Isabel can tell she loves her. The smile hasn’t left her face. Lucy is smiling at her too and it’s a genuine smile.
Isabel stands up and her legs feels shaky despite not having a drop of alcohol. She starts walking towards the room. She knows most of these people, it might be a little awkward but—
“Isabel Bradford.” A familiar voice says. Isabel freezes and sees Smitty at the entrance of the room.
“Smitty.” She says trying to keep her voice steady. “What’s going on.”
“It’s Bradford and Chen’s engagement party.” Smitty says. “They sent me here.”
“What are you like the bodyguard or something?” Isabel asks. Smitty was an odd fella but he was always nice to her.
“Something like that.” Smitty says. “And I’m sorry but this is a private party.”
“Oh come on Smitty!” Isabel says trying to use her charm. “Old friends.” But Smitty shakes his head, and damn the one time this man does what he is suppose to do.
“Sorry.” Smitty says. Isabel opens her mouth to reply but then she sees another familiar face: Genny.
Genny would let her in, they got along pretty well. And besides being the protective younger sister.
“Isabel?” Genny says and then she looks behind and moves in front of Isabel so she can’t see Tim and Lucy anymore. “What are you doing here?”
“I uh—I was here and saw Tim.” She says. “I just wanted to say hi.”
“That’s not a good idea.” Genny says. “This is their engagement party.”
“I’m aware. But Tim can step away to say hi to me.” Isabel says feeling a little annoyed. Genny frowns at her. “He doesn’t have to be attached to her all night.”
“Do you even know what you are saying?” Genny asks. “Do you know what happened?” Isabel blinks at her.
“No not—”
“They were kidnapped Right after Tim proposed to Lucy. They were separated and tortured. It might look like they— but they need each other.” Genny says and she has a serious look on her face. She’s not going to budge.
“I didn’t know.” Isabel says.
“Clearly.” Genny replies looking her up and down. “This is the happiest they have been in awhile.”
“You think I would ruin it?” Isabel asks drily. Genny shakes her head, and looks behind her again.
“This is their night Isabel.” She says. “You don’t get to be that to Tim anymore.” Isabel takes a step back like her words hit her in the gut.
There it was.
She is not that person to Tim anymore. She hasn’t been for a long time and maybe there was some part of her that hoped.
Maybe there was a small part of her that thought if it didn’t work out with Lucy.
But clearly—
“Isabel?” Another voice says. She looks up to see Angela, and she’s swallows hard. Genny gives her a hard look and then walks off without another word.
“What are you—”
“I was here before I realized this was their engagement party.” Isabel says quickly.
“Okay.” Angela says slowly. “But you are here, trying to get in.”
“I just want to talk to Tim. I heard what happened, just want to make sure he is okay.” She says. She thinks maybe Angela will let her in. “You know how he is.”
“I do.” Angela says and her voice is not warm. It’s cold. “So does Lucy.” Isabel flinches at her name because that was Tim’s rookie. He couldn’t fall in love with her that quickly after her.
But he did.
And logically she was his former rookie. Logically, she knows Lucy isn’t a bad person. She brought out the best in Tim. Isabel could see it the last time she was in town.
Isabel isn’t jealous—not really. She’s just indifferent.
Lucy doesn’t get the closed off man. She gets the happy, open man. She doesn’t get the angry man that has scars that showed. She gets the healed man.
Lucy gets everything that Isabel wished she could have. She let Tim go and that was her fault, it was her decision.
She hears someone laughing and she looks over to see Lucy. Her cheeks are flushed red and Tim is whispering something in her ear. She giggles and Tim grins at her pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“You need to leave Isabel.” Angela says. “This is not about you. This is their night.” Isabel opens her mouth to reply but nothing comes out. Angela walks away without another word.
***
Isabel is back at the bar, she almost ordered alcohol but went with ginger ale instead. She keeps her eyes on the party though.
“I don’t think your date is showing up.” The bartender says. Isabel looks up at him.
“It’s fine.” Isabel says even though it’s not. She was stood up, and she had completely forgotten about him to be honest.
“Are you sure you don’t know them?” The bartender asks. “You have this look in your eyes whenever you look at the guy.”
“He’s my ex husband.” Isabel says without thinking. “He moved on.”
“Yeah?”
“She gets the man. I got—a past version of him.” Isabel says. “He’s happy. He’s never been this happy.”
The bartender looks a little uncomfortable as he shifts on his feet. Isabel turns away from him and looks back at the room. Tim is back up front with Lucy next to him and she’s looking at him like he hung the moon and stars in the sky.
It’s love. It’s pure love.
“One more thing,” Tim says. He looks at Lucy, and he has the same look in his eyes. The same look of love. “Lucy and I have been through hell and back. When I asked her to marry me I told her that she showed me the light.” Tim says. “She is without a doubt the love of my life.”
Isabel’s heart drops even more.
She was never Tim’s love of his life. She was never the one he looked at and would do anything for. He loved her but not in the way he loves Lucy. He never looked at her the way he looks at Lucy.
She couldn’t compare. She would never compare and she realizes she shouldn’t even try.
“Excuse me,” a voice says behind Isabel. She turns around to see a man. The man she is suppose to meet. “Are you Isabel B?” Isabel nods and bites her tongue. He was late, and she shouldn’t give him a second thought. Tim set the bar high for her, it wasn’t his fault. She just had high expectations now. She should just learn to let go.
But she smiles at him. “Chris S?” She asks. “You actually showed up.”
“Sorry I got the restaurants mixed up.” He says. “Do you want to go somewhere else?” Isabel nods. She would love nothing more than to get out of here.
“Sounds good.”
She follows Chris out of the bar area and glances back towards the room. Everyone is still celebrating the happy couple. Isabel pauses and runs into Chris. He turns to look at her, his face riddled with concern.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” Isabel says. “Just leaving the past in the past.” Chris gives her weird look and then continues walking. She follows without another word and she really hopes she can put this might behind her.
The past is the past.
That is what she has to live with.
And that’s okay.