To make it a somewhat normal date, Tim volunteered to get ready in the main house and pick her up from the cottage at 6:15PM to make their 6:30PM reservation at the fanciest restaurant in the small town.
But when the clock struck 6:15PM and he dialed Lucy, he was still shirtless. "Are you ready?" He asked.
"Almost," Lucy lied while struggling to style her hair. She was over criticizing how her waves were not sitting right, and everything had to be perfect for her first date with Tim.
"No, no you're night."
"No, I'm not," she admitted. "Sorry, umm are you?"
"No..." He looked at himself the mirror, holding up the new suit Lucy had picked out and hoped it would be worthy of their first date.
"Does this restaurant have a dress code?"
"You only have ONE outfit you could wear, Lucy. Nice try. That was clearly a test, and you should know better than to test the master."
Lucy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I just need to make a decision about what to do with my hair."
"Don't touch it. I love your natural hair."
She smiled as butterflies swarmed her stomach. "So, it's decided. I'm leaving my hair down naturally."
"Great," he grinned.
Just from hearing the fondness and smile clear in his voice, Lucy swooned.
"I'll pick you up in a minute."
"Okay, bye." She hung up and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror to see that she was almost unrecognizable from the way she was absolutely glowing. Lucy combed her fingers through her hair and gazed at her reflection, but then her eyes widened when she realized that when Tim Bradford said "a minute", he truly meant 60 seconds, and Lucy had not put on her dress yet.
She scrambled out of the bathroom, causing Kojo to lift his head and look in her direction from where he was perched on the loveseat. Then, she fumbled with the heels she brought for her aunt's wedding, and the second she reached for the hanger where her new dress was hanging, there was a knock at the door. He is TOO punctual.
"Just a minute," Lucy called and was surprised that he did not groan impatiently how he usually did when he had to wait for her at work.
But, this was not work, she reminded herself.
This was a date. A real date. Everything was different now, and the butterflies that had taken residence in her stomach fluttered even more intensely at the thought.
Lucy cursed at herself when she struggled with the zipper of her dress, but she refused to ask him for help, since he would probably be even more irritated with her...unless...she walked over to the front door, opened it partially to find Tim standing in the doorway with daisies in hand.
His eyes dragged down her frame, spreading goosebumps everywhere on both of their bodies. "You look beautiful," Tim said breathlessly at the breathtaking green floral dress with cutouts down the middle to draw his eyes to her cleavage.
"Thank you. You look very handsome," she blushed.
As if he just remembered what he was holding, he presented the bouquet to her and said, "These are for you."
"My favorite."
"I know." Tim watched her admire the daisies, which only made his smile widen.
"I'll go put them in some water." She turned around and realized her dress was unzipped, so Lucy glanced back and bit her lip. "I-I forgot. Can you help me with the zipper?"
He swallowed hard and nodded.
The look in his eyes was not one of annoyance at the fact that she was not ready but instead barely concealed desire.
Just as she planned, Tim stood close behind her, breathing down her neck, and swept her hair away from her back. Then, he pulled the zipper up, remembering the last time he helped her with a dress, but that time, he tugged it down for her to undress after Amy and Dave's wedding and this time, Tim was assisting her with putting ON her clothes, which should not be even sexier and yet somehow it was. Once she was zipped into her dress, he put his hand on her back, spanning the space between her shoulder blades as the rest of his body remained motionless, not even his lungs expanded to breathe.
Lucy looked back to find his eyes searching her face. She angled her head to bring her mouth closer to his. One quick little kiss would not be the end of the world, right?
"Don't even think about it," he whispered his warning as if reading her mind.
"I'm not thinking about anything. What are you thinking about?" Her voice a playful challenge.
"Date first, and if it goes well, I'll kiss you goodnight."
"You're such a gentleman."
"You make it hard to be one."
"Is that a compliment?"
"I'm not sure, but I do know you drive me crazy."
She smirked. "That's definitely a compliment." Bursting with happiness, Lucy stood up tall and kissed his cheek. "I should put these in water."
Tim watched her sashay over to the kitchenette where she filled a vase with water but he did not move, just taking in the sight of her; with the dress zipped up, the material wrapped tighter around her gorgeous curves. His hands itched to trace every single inch of her skin, but it was a first date, and he is a gentleman no matter what thoughts Lucy inspires in him.
"I'm ready now," she grinned and started walking towards the door then stopped, twisted around, walked over to Kojo and dropped a kiss on his head. "Bye, buddy," she cooed. The sweet look in Tim's eyes made her squirm under his gaze. How was she supposed to sit across from him for an entire meal if he kept staring at her like THAT?
The short car ride was mostly quiet but charged- neither knew what to expect of their date, but they were both thrilled at the idea and too preoccupied with their own thoughts to really carry a conversation. Tim opened her car door for her and the restaurant door to guide her inside. They were seated at a cozy booth in a small, dimly lit restaurant with only a few patrons.
After ordering wine and being brought breadsticks, Tim realized he still had not said anything to her, but he could not will his mouth to form words.
Lucy was struggling, too; she ordered her meal, nibbled at a breadstick, and said something awkwardly about the bread that did not exactly strike up a sparkling conversation.
After trading far too many glances, Tim asked, "Why is this so weird? We've eaten together literally hundreds of times?"
"Because, you know, our other meals only ever held the promise of being shot at afterwards, you know? And now..." Lucy swallowed hard, searched the room for an answer she would not find anywhere else, and raked a hand through her hair to stall further before admitting, "I'm really scared about this."
She expected a neutral expression or maybe a nod, but she was pleasantly surprised to hear Tim say, "Me, too."
In the face of his vulnerability, Lucy wanted to assure him even if she was still worried about where they were- right at the razor thin edge of redefining their relationship yet again. First, they were Training Officer and Rookie, then they were partners, then friends, then friends AND partners, until they kissed, stirring up feelings for each other and throwing their whole dynamic off balance. Before coming to Carmel, they were barely friends who had hardly spoken in weeks. Both of them were too uncomfortable coming to terms with how they felt for each other plus the added complication of having other partners (something they tended to forget when they locked eyes with the other from across the room and feelings rushed to the surface at the sight). Now, they were letting their guards down, allowing their hearts to guide them into this new phase of their relationship. Something truly frightening and dangerous. "We've been through some pretty scary situations together and come out alive right? So, we have nothing to be scared of." Lucy had not truly even convinced herself by saying so, but she tried.
Tim could tell she was attempting to assure both of them, but he wanted to make something clear, so he took her hand to comfort her, leaned in, and replied, "I'm not looking for settling with coming out of this alive. I'm looking for forever, and so this IS a big risk, but Ashley reminded me I can't keep pretending anyone will be right for me the way you are. I only hope I can be good enough for you."
She flipped her hand to interlace their fingers. "You're too hard on yourself. You don't have to change a thing to be exactly who I want and who I need. And if I'm being honest, my feelings for you are too strong to keep thinking we can just be friends."
"I know, which is why I asked you out tonight." He ran his thumb along her knuckles while keeping a light hold on her hand in case she wanted to pull away, but she didn't.
"Technically, I sorta asked YOU out tonight. This was going to be just dinner until I said it was a date."
"Well, I wanted it to be a date, but I didn't want to push, and I asked you out first, technically."
"We gotta get these facts straight before we tell our grandkids about our first date."
Tim felt his lips slowly form a smile. "We've got grandkids now? Nice."
Her face lit up at a vision of being old and grey with Tim by her side and little grandkids coming to visit. Lucy took in a long, deep breath when reality set in. There was a possibility that a future with him might not happen. "If...if it doesn't work out between us, and we never get married or have kids and grandkids, I can't..." she shook her head, her voice strained as she finished her thought, "I won't survive that."
"Neither will I." He let go of her hand to cup her cheek while his other palm settled on her thigh, "Now that I've seen what our life together can be, I can't go back to being without you." She bit her lip, so to lighten the mood, Tim joked, "We're sorta engaged already, which means we're halfway to getting married. A hell of a good start."
Lucy chuckled and leaned into his hand holding her face. "A hell of a good start," she agreed and watched his smile return. Her eyes dropped to his lips then back up to the endless blue of his eyes and shifted closer to him. "Remember how you said I make it hard for you to be a gentleman?"
"Mhm," he hummed and watched her gaze flick back and forth between his eyes and lips. It was pretty easy to understand what she wanted. Tim huffed but acquiesced, bringing his mouth to hers for what started as something gentle and sweet. Started. But, it soon evolved into something heavier, more passionate.
They were not exactly sure how long their kiss lasted, since they only broke apart when their waiter cleared his throat to announce his presence and present them with their entrées. "You really do drive me crazy," Tim muttered once their waiter left them alone with their meals.
Lucy giggled and started picking at his plate to take half of his asparagus for herself.
♡ ⋆˙⟡ ♡ ˙⋆ ⟡ ♡ ⋆˙⟡ ♡˙⋆ ⟡ ♡
The rocky start to their date was forgotten by the time they finished dessert. Conversation had flown easily for the rest of the night, and they kept touching each other throughout the rest of their meal, holding hands, a soothing touch along their thighs, and yes, another kiss at the table, which signaled that it was certainly a date. As much as Lucy would have liked Tim to draw circles on her thigh during their usual lunches out on patrol, she is well aware that would have been detrimental to her ability to focus on work. But since tonight was not about work, she welcomed Tim's hands anywhere he wanted to put them.
He lead the way to the door of the cottage and stopped before walking inside.
"What?" She asked.
"Our date is officially over."
"I had a good time."
"Me, too."
Tim opened the door to allow her to enter first, and she eyed him curiously. "I told you I had a good time."
"I know."
"Do I have to do everything myself?" Lucy asked unamused, reached up to grab his face, pulled him down to her, and covered his mouth with her own. "You said you'd give me a kiss goodnight if the date went well."
"I didn't want to assume."
She rolled her eyes at him and tugged him into the cottage.
Tim looked at the couch and then the flimsy curtain that separated it from the bed. "Maybe I should sleep in the main house."
"If Aunt Amy catches you sleeping in one of the guest rooms..."
"I'll tell her I wanted to give you space after the Ashley thing."
"Even though I completely forgot about Malibu Barbie coming over here until you just reminded me."
"I'm sorry," he winced.
"It's not your fault she showed up, and I can't exactly blame her. If I had you then let you go, I would try to get you back, too."
"The difference is, I'd never let you break up with me in the first place."
Lucy loved his devotion to their VERY brand new relationship. She watched him stare at the couch and said, "It's really not that big of a deal to me for us to still live in the cottage together for however long our stay lasts."
"Are you sure? Most couples don't go back to the same house after their first date."
She held up her bejeweled hand and responded, "Most couples aren't engaged on their first date."
He snickered. "Fair point. Now, the only problem will be lifting Kojo off of that couch, so I can sleep there. I'll move him once I'm ready for bed."
They both glanced at how the dog was sprawled out on the couch taking up most of the seat despite his size.
"Good luck with that," Lucy chuckled and crossed over to stand behind the curtain. As she kicked off her shoes, she saw Tim come over.
Before she could ask, he explained, "Just wanted to get hangers and grab my pajamas." Clearly looking uneasy about being in the bedroom area with her when they were supposed to be changing.
She nodded, letting him quickly gather hangers and something to sleep in before walking back over to the other side of the curtain. It was so thin, she could see the outline of his body as he started unbuttoning his shirt. Facing him, Lucy dragged down the zipper of her garment and shimmied out of it, allowing the dress to drop to the floor. At the same time, she could tell he was removing his pants, his body turned to hers, but his head was hanging low, seemingly too focused on changing to notice Lucy's current state of undress right in front of him. Due to the intricacy of front of her outfit, she had not worn a bra, so she stood next to the bed in only her panties and held her breath knowing that Tim was only in his boxer briefs just a few steps away. A shiver rushed down her spine as she looked over at him, staying undressed a little longer to let the heat of the moment stun her into stillness. She saw him move his head, so Lucy immediately turned her face away. Telling herself she couldn't actually see much thanks to the curtain, she gazed back up at him for half a second, and she thought that for the briefest moment, Tim was looking over at her.
He did. It was the quickest glance, but he heard the movement of the zipper, and against his will, his eyes snapped up to see the silhouette of her body as she pulled her dress down. Tim averted his gaze the second he regained control of himself, but then his eyes found the outline of her again moments later where she was standing still. From how the moonlight illuminated her body, he could tell she was mostly naked, so he shut his eyes tightly to avoid accidentally seeing anything else as Lucy finished changing.
They agreed it would be a bad idea to have sex so early on in their changing relationship, but with Tim half dressed a few paces away, Lucy was rethinking her position. She had to remind herself that she was picking a future with him and grandkids and not just a few nights of fun. So, she walked around the curtain dressed in her pajamas, eyes fixed on the bathroom door, and decided to start her nighttime routine instead of jumping his bones.
Tim joined her in the bathroom a few seconds later, and not for the first time, he thought about how this was the most intimate part of their days together in the cottage- silently coordinating to share a bathroom as they readied themselves for sleep or for the day. They were crammed together yet still made space for the other in the small room as they washed their faces and brushed their teeth. It may seem simple, but Tim thought it was pretty special, and he was already looking forward to a lifetime of brushing his teeth next to Lucy with her half-lidded eyes and messy hair in the mornings.
When they exited the bathroom together and Tim stepped away from her to go to the couch, Lucy saw Kojo and how comfortably he was sleeping, so she said, "Why don't you leave Kojo alone? We can share the bed."
Tim was not really sure they would be starting their relationship slowly if they slept next to each other after their first date, but the offer was too tempting to refuse. "Just to sleep. We agreed nothing would happen yet."
"Right."
He paused, checking her eyes for any sign of second guessing the proposal, but Lucy seemed sure, so they got into bed together. Apparently laying next to each other on a queen sized bed can still offer plenty of distance between them, according to Tim. He recalled how he had the same thought on the beach that morning; then, he strode over to her in the ocean and pulled her close to him, but now he would not dare to do the same. Instead, Tim swallowed hard and tried to quiet his buzzing mind.
Laying on her side, she saw how he was on his back, eyes up to the ceiling, one hand resting on his stomach and the other arm reaching up to tuck under his head for a position that would make him look relaxed save for the tension in his jaw. "What are you thinking about?" She asked. Before Tim said a word, his eyes darted in her direction but did not lock; instead, they trailed down her body, following the slopes of her curves contoured by the duvet. The want in his eyes made her heart pick up speed.
"Nothing," he lied.
"If this is too weird..."
"It's not." He repeated quieter, "It's not."
She scooted just a little closer to him. "Is this okay?" Though her mind tried to tell her it was a bad idea, the invisible string that drew her to him tugged her body towards his almost unwillingly.
"Yeah," he murmured, holding her gaze.
She moved again, closing the gap between them slightly. "Is this okay?"
"Mhm." His tongue froze, so he was unable to speak, but Tim loved the bolts of lightning that electrified him thanks to her proximity. He finally understood what storm chasers were searching for- this thundering electricity vibrating all the way through their bodies that Lucy inspired in him so easily.
They stared at each other for some stretch of time, barely blinking. "I like being close to you," the words fell from her lips without thinking.
He watched her cheeks redden, and then she covered her face with one of her hands in her embarrassment. The sight was adorable enough to break some of the tension, and he joked, "I noticed when I woke up the other morning, and you were wrapped around me like a barnacle."
Lucy's mouth dropped open with a gasp. "Really? How do you even know what that is?"
Tim narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't only watch sports, you know. I like watching nature documentaries sometimes, which is how I know way too much about the ocean, and that's why I don't like stepping foot in there. I know too much."
The disgusted look on his face made her chuckle. "Are they any good? The nature documentaries?" She wondered.
His lips curled down into a frown "Not bad. We should watch one together some time."
Was this his way of asking her out on another date? "Really?"
"Sure, if you're ever interested in watching something educational instead of all that garbage reality TV you're always binging."
Maybe he wasn't asking her out again. Perhaps she thought the date went better than he did. "It's not garbage. It's called a guilty pleasure," she defended her show preferences while trying to avoid overthinking and over analyzing their date from Tim's perspective- if he did not enjoy himself, then there would never be a second date let alone grandkids.
He rolled his eyes. "You have terrible taste."
"So do you. You don't even like the ocean, and you dated a lifeguard."
Tim chuckled in a way that made his whole body shake. The kind he rarely experienced unless he was with Lucy. "Shut up! You dated a lawyer. We hate lawyers," he pointed out between laughs.
"Other than Wesley," she corrected, a smile breaking out on her face from the clear joy on his.
"Most days I hate him, too, but Angela loves him, so I tolerate him." She yawned adorably, so he said, "We should get some sleep. Good night, Lucy."
She brushed her fingers across his hand where it was on his stomach, just because she wanted to touch him one last time, and replied, "Night, Tim."
He watched her eyes flutter closed and stayed awake to see the change in how her chest rose and fell once sleep overtook her. Tim stayed awake as long as he could to memorize this moment, knowing it would probably be a while before he shared a bed with her again.