Chapter Text
June 21st [First day of summer]
“This is not happening.” Lucy frowns as she watches Tim mess with the air conditioner. “It’s the hottest day of the year and the ac goes out.”
“It’s also the first day of summer.” Tim says looking back at her. He is shirtless since their unit is outside and on the side of the house. It’s a little more shaded than the rest of the yard but Lucy sees sweat dripping down his body.
“The longest day of the year.” She mutters. “Great.” Tim looks at the air conditioner more time before he makes his way over to her. And as much as she would love to climb him like a tree.
(Something she does on the regular.)
It’s just too hot for that, and she feels sweat running down her face. If they had a working AC, it might be different.
“We will get it fixed Luce.” Tim says. “Let’s go inside.” Lucy blows out a breath and follow him inside the house. It’s stuffy inside the house and quite honestly Lucy feels like stripping down.
She only has on a tank and shorts that made Tim’s eyes roll to the back of his head but still—
“Come here,” Tim says and tries to grab her but she steps away. “Lucy.”
“It’s too hot babe.” She says. “We don’t have an AC and I feel like I’m suffocating in here.” Tim looks like he wants to protest but doesn’t say anything more.
“Fine.” Tim says and he’s actually pouting. “Have it your way.” This was not her way but she just couldn’t imagine cuddling Tim right now.
“I’m going to go change.” She tells him.
“Into what?” Tim calls after but she doesn’t reply. Right now her focus is less clothes, the less clothes the better.
She strips down into nothing but her bra and underwear and then pulls one of Tim’s shirts over her head. It’s loose and soft, and she can breathe in it. She doesn’t feel like she is so hot.
When she walks back out, Tim is on the phone with the AC company. “Listen—” He says and he looks frustrated. “My wife and I—” He glances over at Lucy, and he gapes at her. She grins at him but stays a distance away.
She feels a little cooler but she is still hot.
“Thank you.” Tim says. “See you tomorrow.” Lucy watches as he hangs up and turns to look at her. “Bad news. They can’t come until tomorrow. Apparently everyone’s ac’s are breaking.”
“Wow.” Lucy says. “I guess we will just have to survive.”
“I guess so.” Tim says. He steps closer to her and reaches out pulling her in by her shirt. “This is mine.”
“I know.” She says. “But what is yours is mine.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m pretty sure you said it in your vows.” She teases him. She bops his nose and he presses his forehead to hers.
“Did I?”
“Yes.” She says and pushes back. “It’s too hot for this babe.” Tim groans but lets her go.
“You are tease.” He says. Lucy shrugs and she wonders how the heck they will sleep tonight Considering her husband loves to cuddle especially at night. And usually she lets him. Usually she lets him pull her in.
But—
It’s just too damn hot.
Too damn hot.
***
Tim knows it’s hot, he felt it when he was outside trying to fix the AC. He knows it’s hot because he’s not sure if he’s ever sweated this much. He knows it’s hot because his wife, is refusing to let him touch her.
And he hates it.
She’s not actually the cuddly one in the relationship, although she has had her fair share of latching onto him. He is actually the one who needs the physical touch and the cuddles. Whether it’s just a hug or just a simple pat on the arm. A squeeze of the hand.
Maybe he’s touched deprived.
(That is not something he’s willing to admit).
The thing is, he just wants to cuddle Lucy. He just wants to feel her skin against his. Her lips on his. But she’s not even giving him the privilege of a kiss.
It’s hot.
It’s the hottest day of the year so far and their AC is broken. It won’t be fixed until tomorrow but they have a whole night ahead.
He’s afraid Lucy’s going to banish herself to the couch.
“Lucy,” Tim says and she looks up at him. She’s sitting on the couch with her legs underneath her. She is still in his shirt and it’s riding up a little so he can see her skin. It’s driving him crazy, he can’t pull the damn shirt off. “The AC will be fixed tomorrow and we can open the windows.”
“I’m not cuddling you.” She says. She turns back to her phone. “80 degrees at 10pm is not cool.” Tim groans. He wants to argue with her, he wants to say they don’t have to do anything.
(He knows their activities makes them sweat especially when the windows are open. It wouldn’t help his cause.)
“Why not?” Tim asks even though he knows the answer. He just hates that he can’t touch her.
“I’m hot.”
“You are hot.” He agrees. She gives him a look. “And sexy, even in my damn shirt.” Lucy grins at him and she actually looks proud.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” Tim says. “But you are hot.” Lucy rolls her eyes, and if that doesn’t work he’s not lying.
At all.
“It’s not happening Tim.” She says. “You can flatter me all you want but it’s not happening.”
“Not even one cuddle.”
“Nope.”
“Lucy,” he says. “You are killing me.”
“The heat is killing me.” She says. “You know I love when we cuddle but you are a damn furnace. I’m already sweating.”
Tim pouts and it’s stupid. He can go one night not cuddling her. He made it through the breakup. Other than the two nights that he finally got her and the drought was over.
(And then it began again until they got back together but he doesn’t talk about that.)
But still—
“Are you at least going to sleep in the bed tonight?” He asks. Lucy pushes at his chest and he captures her hand.
“Yes but no touching.”
“Damnit!”
***
It’s hard not to reach out and pull Lucy in. It’s hard when she’s laying right there, and she’s scrolling on her phone and he can’t do anything about it. It’s hard when they both took a shower (together) and she decided to tease him and not let him touch her…. in the shower with cold water.
(What was the point of the shared shower?)
“You are killing me.” He says repeating his words from earlier. Lucy puts her phone down and turns to look at him.
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t know you hated the heat this much.” He says. He feels like he’s learning something new about her everyday.
“I don’t hate it.” She says. “It just makes me sweaty and uncomfortable. And cranky.”
“I would say you hate it.” Tim says and there’s a teasing lilt to his voice.
“I would say you are wrong.” She snaps back. Tim raises his eyebrows at her and she sighs. “Okay maybe I do hate it.”
“I hate it too.” Tim says. This time Lucy raises her eyebrows at him.
“Why?” She asks. “You never have complained before. Yeah because the last time a heatwave happened this wasn’t a problem.
“Because my wife won’t let me anywhere near her.” He grumbles. Lucy rolls her eyes a little but she has a small grin on her face.
“Seems like a personal problem.” She says. He pouts a little and usually that wins her over. She can’t resist his puppy dog look.
(Her words not his, he has actually used that to his advantage thank you very much and it has worked more than once.)
“Nice try Bradford.” Lucy says. “It’s not happening.” Tim’s really not sure how this is possible, he has no problem saying yes to her. He is actually concerned if they ever have a daughter because he knows he won’t be able to say no.
“Oh come on Luce!” He says. “It’s me.”
“And I love you and if it was like 20 degrees cooler you know exactly where you would be.” She says. She reaches out and taps his cheek. “It’s not happening.” Tim groans as she turns away from him and he stares at her.
He was so close.
***
Tim wakes up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. He looks over at Lucy to see she’s even further away from him. The blankets are off of her and she looks like she’s hot too.
“You can’t sleep either?” Her voice comes out of nowhere and he jumps a little. He turns to face her and she is looking at him. Only the soft light from the moon shines in the room.
“It’s hot.” He says. Maybe she was on to something about the whole not touching thing but he wasn’t going to admit it. Not after he made such a big deal about it.
“I told you.”
“We need to get out AC fixed first thing.” Tim says and he’s going to be on the phone demanding they come and fix it.
(If not just for Lucy but his sanity too. He’s only one man and he just wants his wife in his arms again.)
“I’m glad you are seeing the light Bradford.” Lucy says and he rolls his eyes. He leans over and kisses her forehead before she can protest.
“I wasn’t arguing with you about the weather.” Tim says. “Just—”
“Not having sex.” Lucy finishes for him. “Yeah I know you Tim. I married you.” Tim feels himself getting a little red.
“It’s not—”
“I know.” Lucy says. “But I just can’t fathom the thought of it right now. It makes me itch.” Tim shakes his head, and he’s gets where she’s coming from. He’s not sure he could stand it either but still—
He misses her.
Sex isn’t the only thing that makes their relationship, their relationship is a lot more than that. But they just seem to always connect. It seems like every time they have sex, it just gets better and better.
He loves being able to be intimate with her, it just feels right. He has never felt this way about anyone else.
He knows Lucy is a forever kind of thing. He said it in his vows and she said it in hers and he meant it.
He would love her no matter what.
No matter how hot it got.
***
Tim makes sure their AC gets fixed first thing in the morning. The guy comes and fixes it while Lucy is lounging on the couch. The minute it starts up again, she jumps up and finds him. She pulls him into a hug and he wraps himself around her.
“Oh thank god.” He mutters into her hair and she laughs a little. She looks up at him, and he drops a kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”
“I have been right here the entire time.” She says. He studies her for a few seconds, because yes she had been right there the whole time but it felt like she was light years away.
“I missed having you in my arms.” He says and Lucy grins at him. She pulls him down for a kiss. He can already feel the house getting cooler and damn it feels good.
***
Tim cuddles with Lucy that night, and doesn’t let her out of his arms. Lucky for him, she’s not going anywhere. She cuddles into his arms and he feels her heart beating, hears her soft breathing and he realizes that it’s all worth it if he gets to end every night like this.
Hot weather and all.