Shooting Stars, Falling Objects

Chapter 10

The end of the week rolled around, and Tim had managed to avoid any further conversations with Angela. He and Lucy had texted on and off all week, but he was proud of himself for keeping it professional. And disappointed that she had done the same. He told her stories about work and kept her caught up on the station gossip while she talked about her classes and what she had been learning.

Friday night Tim was laying on the couch with Kojo stretched on top on him (he would never admit to anyone that he let the dog up on the couch and the bed). His phone chimed with a text message.

Lucy: Tim! Are you still awake? Are you having a frisdy night?

Friday night I mean.

Fun. Are you hving fun. Time. Tim.

Tim: Are you okay?

Lucy: I'm just a little lttle drunk. We went out to celebrate the end of our big gang unit. And someone ordered a lot of shots. Typing is hard, the phone is very small.

Tim laughed and then scrolled to his contacts and called Lucy,

"Tim! You called me! I'm so glad to hear your voice!"

"You doing okay there, Chen? Are you home safe? Are you drinking water?"

"Tim! We went out tonight and there were so many shots. I'm in my room in bed now and yes, I have a huge glass of water. You always take such good care of me."

Tim smiled. This was his first experience with drunk Lucy although he had seen her get a little tipsy before at Nyla's wedding. It seemed to make her even more effusive and sunny.

"It sounds like you guys had fun tonight. Are you glad to be done with all the gang stuff?" Tim asked.

"It was fun. I would rather have been out with you though. I miss you Tim. Now I think we spend the rest of the week talking about money laundering and prostitution. I don't know if that's any better. Being in UC school isn't what I thought it would be like."

Tim didn't know what to focus on first. She had said she missed him – just like she had in her texts earlier. Did she mean just as a friend? And a colleague? Probably, right? He shouldn't make a big thing about it.

He also hated that she wasn't liking her UC training. Not that he wanted to lose her to undercover work, but he knew how excited she had been about starting it. He didn't think now was the time to talk to her about it, though.

"Where did you guys go out? Did you get to dance?" Tim knew that Lucy loved dancing and drunk Lucy loved it even more. He couldn't count the times she had tried to get him to go out to a club with her and her friends on a Saturday night. He had always gruffly turned her down although now he wondered why he hadn't just said yes.

"We danced on top of the bar!" Lucy sounded delighted by her high jinks and then gave a loud yawn. "It was the most fun I have had since I've been here. But now I am back in my room, and I am missing home and wishing you were here."

Tim didn't want to take advantage of anything she was saying while still drunk, but he couldn't help wanting to know more.

"You wish I were there, huh?" he asked, prodding her.

"Oh Tim, don't you know I always wish you were here? I'm crazy about you." And with that, the sound of her gentle snores filled Tim's phone.