𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

don't listen to them *request*

requested by courtney @xoxoTiller ! i hope u like it!! <3

(Your POV)

A notification appears on my phone that puts a huge smile on my face. After a few months of dating Timothée in secret, we finally decided it was time to let the rest of the world know of our relationship.

I open Instagram and see that Timothée posted a photo of the two of us, the caption simply the words "I love you." My smile grows wider the longer I look at the photo. How did I get so lucky?

As the comments start streaming in, though, my nerves start to take over the happiness. I've been dreading the moment people find out. I'm black, and there tends to be a stigma around people who look like me. People can be cruel, and as much as I want to say that I don't care what people think, I definitely do. I just want everyone to like me.

I pause for a moment and brace myself before opening the comment section. I could've never braced myself for what I saw, though. Hundreds of comments pour in, all of them saying nasty things about me.

@user193: ew, why the fuck is he dating her

@katie.morris: why would timothee date a black girl?

@shadow: WHO LET THE BLACK GIRL DATE HIM??

@hollywood.star_alert: Might as well break up with her now!

a/n: these usernames aren't anyone in particular, they're just ones i care up w on the spot!

I have to turn my phone off before I read another comment. I expected there to be some backlash, but not this much. I throw my phone down and start bawling, tears soaking my face.

When I hear the front door opening, I immediately stop, wiping the tears from my eyes and putting on a smile. But when Timothée walks in and sees me, he isn't fooled at all.

"Courtney, baby, what's wrong?" he asks as he rushes over to give me a tight hug.

"Nothing," I lie.

"You're lying. Tell me baby."

I pause. I know he'll see the comments eventually, but I'm still hesitant to tell him about it. I just don't want him to think differently of me. Finally, I decide to tell him.

"Everyone hates me. The comments on your post are so mean and I tried not to care, but I do. I care a lot, and I just want people to like me." As I speak, I can't contain the tears that spill.

"Courtney, I am so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. If I had known I wouldn't have posted it yet. Oh my god. I can't imagine how you must feel. If I could, I'd reach through the screen and slap every single person who made a rude comment," Timothée says as he hugs me tightly, rocking me back and forth.

"No, it's not your fault," I say between sobs.

"But I still feel guilty. If I could take your pain away and give it to myself, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"I love you. Thank you for loving me for who I am."

"I love you so much, Courtney. And to make you feel better, I'm going to take you out on a special date tonight."

"Really?" I ask.

"Of course. But first I have to dry those tears of yours." Timothée lifts my face so he can see me, and wipes the tears from my cheeks. Then he kisses my cheeks, forehead, and lastly, my lips, lingering there for a moment. Just his touch makes me feel better.

"Now go get ready," Timothée says.

I do as he says, heading to the bathroom to shower, get dressed, and do my makeup. When I'm finally finished, I go back to the kitchen. Timothée is standing there with a big picnic basket and a huge fuzzy blanket.

"Where do you get all this?" I ask with shock all over my face. I've never seen this basket or blanket before, and I know he didn't leave the house.

"That's not important. You are what's important. Shall we?" Timothée reaches out his arm and I grab his hand in mine. He lifts my hand to kiss it, then gives me a reassuring squeeze.

Timothée leads me to the car and we begin driving. Every time I ask where we're going, he just tells me it's a surprise.

When we finally get to the location, I can't believe my eyes. We are at an empty park overlooking the water. Christmas lights are strung between the branches of weeping willow trees, and there is music playing from somewhere.

"What is all this? Did you set this up?" I question.

"I had some people help me out. I wanted to create a special evening for you," Timothée says as he helps me out of the car.

"Well, whoever helped you did an amazing job. It's so beautiful here."

"Not as beautiful as you," Timothée says, making me blush. I lean in and give him a tender kiss.

"I love you," I whisper.

"I love you, too."

Timothée then leads me to the setup and puts down the blanket and basket. He pulls out a whole bunch of junk food. Thank God! I don't think I'd be able to eat a healthy salad tonight. I was definitely in the mood for some junk food.

We spend hours eating our junk food and talking. Timothée cracks jokes and does everything he can to keep my mind off of the comments I read earlier. By the end of the night, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

On the car ride home, I start to doze off, tired from the amazing date we had. By the time we get home, I dead asleep and Timothée has to carry me to bed.

When I wake up the next morning, I open my phone and see a notification from Instagram. Timothée posted something else. I check his Instagram story and see the long paragraph he posted.

"After reading the thousands of comments on yesterday's post, all I can say is how disgusted I am. Courtney is the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, and caring woman I know. She is beautiful inside and out, and she doesn't have a bad bone in her body. If only you knew the Courtney I know, you wouldn't think twice about commenting the awful things I saw. She is the last person on earth that deserves the hate you brought upon her. It's about time everyone starts being more accepting and thoughtful of others. It's 2020, for crying out loud. It's too late to be acting this way. I love Courtney more than she will ever know, and nothing will change that."

I smile as tears prick at my eyes. I really am the luckiest girl in the world to be dating someone like him.

***

greetings! this was requested by courtney @xoxoTiller . i hope you like it courtney!

if you want to request something too, just pm me! i will happily write whatever you request! :)

thx for the love on this story! it means the world to see all the support im getting for these imagines! y'all are AMAZING!

have a wonderful day!

much love, lyra <3