The last week of Lucy's UC training passed in a blur. They talked constantly but never about the things Tim wanted to say. How much he missed her; how much he wanted her. He was saving it all until he could see her in person and he felt like he might explode with all his unsaid words before he saw her again.
It was Monday morning just before shift had started. Lucy had gotten home late last night and had wanted to have a little time getting settled and hanging out with Tamara so they had agreed they would see each other at the station. Which had seemed like a fine idea at the time until Tim was standing here, buzzing with anticipation around dozens of other cops. How was he supposed to greet Lucy like he wanted to in front of all of their co-workers?
He knew his eyes were darting around frantically and tried to take a couple of deep breaths and calm down. People were starting to head into the briefing room and he still didn't see her. He headed to the door when Lucy suddenly sprinted around the corner, bumping into him at full speed.
"Whoa, Chen!" he cried, gripping her upper arms gently so she wouldn't fall over. "I mean, hi Lucy." He was so happy to see her in person, to actually be touching her, and his eyes roamed her face greedily. She was smiling widely and her cheeks were pink with a faint blush. Next to them Aaron cleared his throat, his way into the briefing room blocked.
They immediately sprang apart. "Sorry!' Lucy said, scurrying to find a seat with a backwards glance at Tim.
He couldn't keep his eyes off her during the briefing and so was surprised when it suddenly ended, everyone getting out of their chairs and heading towards the door. He hung back a little but Lucy was surrounded by people wanting to hear stories about UC training. He didn't see her again until he was heading to his shop. "Tim!" she said, "Sorry, everyone was just..."
"Don't worry," he interrupted her. Then, pitching his voice low he asked, "Dinner tonight, after shift?"
"Sounds great!" she responded. "It's a date."
Tim smiled and agreed, "It's a date."