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Lucy doesn’t even know what happened, one minute she was sitting down with a bottle of tequila. The next minute she’s giggling on the sofa with her head in Tim’s lap. Tim brought home the tequila as a surprise for her. They kept beer and wine in the house but never tequila and she was very excited when he put it in front of her.
“You really like tequila. Don’t you?” Tim asks and he leans down to give her a kiss. She holds him in place. She can’t seem to get enough of him, even though he’s right here.
“Yes.”
“I have to ask…me or tequila.” Tim says. Lucy rolls her eyes and pokes at his cheek.
“You obviously. I can’t have sex with tequila.” Lucy says. Tim gapes at her and she giggles some more.
She really hasn’t felt this tipsy in a long time and the way Tim is looking at her, he hadn’t seen her this tipsy in a long time.
“I’m honored.” Tim says. “I like you more than beer.”
“Thank god.” She says a teasing lilt to her voice. Tim shakes his head and she lifts up from his lap.
“Where are you going?” He asks and he pours a little. It’s adorable. He’s adorable and he happens to be all hers.
“Bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She says. He nods and she stands up and moves towards the bathroom.
After she’s done, she makes her way to the bedroom and looks around. She doesn’t know what she is doing in here but her feet just kind of led her here.
She moves over to the closet and pulls down a bin, and then pulls out the signed baseball she got Tim for Valentine’s Day. She quickly tossed it up in the bin because he had been home when the package arrived and she didn’t know what else to do.
She puts the bin back and then makes her way back to the living room, she takes a turn around the corner and—
“Lucy!” Tim calls. “Where are you?” Lucy looks at the baseball in her hands.
“Just a minute babe!” She calls back. She tosses the baseball in the hamper of dirty laundry, and then hurries back to the living room.
“There you are.” Tim says. “What took so long?”
“Girl stuff. I had to get pretty for you.” She says easily. Tim shakes his head and pulls her down for a kiss.
“That’s not necessary. You are already beautiful. And we are at home.” He says.
“Is that the alcohol talking or do you like me or something?” Lucy asks. Tim raises his eyebrows at her and hands her another tequila shot.
“I love you.” He says. Lucy smiles and she takes the shot. She really wouldn’t do this with anyone else.
But with Tim?
She could do this all night.
It was just her, Tim and some tequila. That was a pretty good night to her.
***
Three too many tequila shots later, and Lucy finds herself once again hiding the baseball. She wondered off again but Tim was getting ready for bed so it was perfect.
But she doesn’t know where to hide it.
She’s a little more than tipsy, so her brain is a little more than fuzzy.
Just hide it Chen.
Just hide it.
“Lucy!” Tim calls and she hears footsteps coming towards her. Her heart is beating in her chest as she tosses the baseball behind the washer.
He would never find it there, and she would remember where it was.
(Or would she?)
“Coming babe.” She yells and she stops before she looks back at her perfect hiding spot. She smiles to herself.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
***
Tim hears the noise behind the washer machine, and he ignores it at first. And then it gets louder and he has to stop what he’s doing.
It’s weird.
It’s not coming from inside the washing machine but it’s like there is something behind it. He goes over and reaches back. There’s a lot of dust and he knows this weekend he’s going to have to do some cleaning and then—
His hand hits something hard and round, he pulls it out only to find it’s a baseball. He looks closely at it and sees it’s a signed Fernando Valenzuela baseball.
One of his favorite players of all time.
One of the reasons that he was so into baseball and The Dodger’s.
He stares at it and it’s almost in wonder because how—
Lucy.
He takes a deep breath, he has a feeling this is his Valentine’s Day gift from Lucy.
Why it’s behind the washing machine he has no idea but he knows he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise.
He will just put it back and pretend he knows nothing about it. He has a feeling that Lucy is under a little pressure this Valentine’s day too. He doesn’t blame her because he got her the perfect gift but it wasn’t here yet.
It would be here soon right? Or he was screwed. He was more than screwed.
If this was Lucy’s Valentine’s Day gift to him and it was pretty cool. It wasn’t like he was trying to compete but if she gave him this and he ended giving her nothing?
Tim takes a deep breath and heads to the bedroom.
He would deal with it tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Valentine’s Day was still a few days away.
He has time.
He has time.
***
Tim does call the next day, he also emails and sends a help message but he gets no response not even a message that they got it and would get back to him.
Nothing.
He knows deep down something is wrong, and that he probably has been scammed.
He knows he probably should have done more research into it but he was so excited when he found it he couldn’t help it.
He thinks of the Fernando Valenzuela baseball behind the washer (a odd spot for the ball). Lucy clearly worked hard to get it and now—
He has nothing to give her.
He takes a deep breath and goes to the laundry room and peeks behind the washer. The ball is still there.
Odd.
But it’s Lucy, and who knows she might have something up her sleeve.
He doesn’t.
Valentine’s Day was in a couple of days and he wasn’t giving up on the skincare.
(That was a lot of money).
But he also needs to find an alternative gift.
“Tim! I need to do some laundry.” Lucy calls and she comes into the laundry room. She looks at him just standing there. “You good?”
“I’m great.” He replies. Lucy hums softly and starts tossing stuff in the washing machine. He watched as she puts soap in and then starts it he waits wondering if she will hear the noise.
“Do you know how nice it is to not have to go down the basement just to do your laundry?” She asks.
“Another thing you like about living with me?” He asks.
“Oh yes.” Lucy says. Tim laughs and leads her from the laundry room.
“I like living with you too by the way.”
“Good to know.” Lucy says. Tim nods and maybe the baseball is still behind the washing machine, maybe that full care skincare line is somewhere in transit.
It’s not perfect.
But it’s them.
That’s all that matters.