First date
“Yeah. I do.”
They stood in Grey’s office smiling at each other for a few more moments before Lucy took a big deep breath.
“Right, I should let you finish” she reaches her hand out and grazes her fingers over his elbow. The motion is quick as a flash but she watches his breath hitch and his eyes widen.
“Yeah, I’ve got hours of work left and you…” he smiled broadly “are a distraction”
Lucy couldn’t believe how quickly and easily they were falling into open flirting with each other. She took three slow steps back, neither of them breaking eye contact. She paused at the door and took another deep breath before walking out of the room and making her way out of the building.
Before she had even got to her car she had her phone in her hand.
Lucy: so, this date. What are you thinking we should do?
The three little dots spring up instantly and Lucy grins knowing he must have had his phone in his hands to respond that fast.
Tim: how about we decide when first?
Before she can reply the dots are back
Tim: if I suggest tomorrow does that make me look eager?
Lucy laughs as she climbs into her car
Lucy: a little eager but I’m not mad about it!
Tim: good because I am eager.
Lucy: you are adorable
She knows he won’t be able to leave the bait and she’s not disappointed
Tim: I can change my mind you know Chen
Lucy: you don’t intimidate me, sir.
She takes great pleasure in picturing his glitched out face as she watches the dots appear and disappear over and over.
Lucy: how about we talk it through tomorrow. I think I’m distracting you again!
Tim: if I don’t finish this paperwork Grey may never let me leave and we’ll be having our first date in the break room with terrible coffee and Smitty in the corner slurping soup. Talk tomorrow Lucy
Lucy waited for a minute in case Tim had more to say before starting her engine and beginning the journey. The whole way home her mind races. This is actually happening. Finally.
She arrives home and instead of trying to sleep she grabs her laptop, climbs on her bed and starts researching. When she finally drifts off to sleep there are many tabs open, restaurants, hikes and more.
Tim wakes before his alarm the next morning, he dresses quickly. He and Lucy are due in to work at the same time but he can’t help but arrive early, just in case.
He beams when she pulls her car in next to his less than 5 minutes after he arrives at the station. They look at each other through their windows before they both climb out.
His breath catches, his heart hammers. He doesn’t know why he feels more nervous than the night before but in the light of day everything suddenly feels so real.
Lucy is standing in front of him, smiling up at him. He knows he should say something, anything but The stupid grin remains.
“Hi” she sounds as nervous and excited as he feels
“Hi” he manages and they stand there. Neither knowing how to move forward and neither really wanting to break the moment.
Fortuitously a colleague walks past and calls a greeting or Tim feels like they would have stayed like that for the whole shift, dopey smiles and soft eyes. It’s exactly the wake up he needed. He gives himself a little shakes and turns to lead them both into the station.
Just as Tim is about to bring up the topic of their first date Lucy starts “So, I did some research”
“Yeah?”
“Mmhmm”
“So what do you suggest?” Tim raised an eyebrow
“I’ve got a list of restaurants, classics, fusion” she pauses and looks up at him “romantic”
“I like the sound of that” Tim feels like keeping his relationship with Lucy a secret might be harder than he expected as he reminds himself to take half a step back. They’ve never been good at ‘personal space’ but the building certainly wasn’t crowded, there really was no need to stand quite so close.
“I made a ‘wild card’ list, too” she added, seemingly unaware of his inner thoughts as she instantly fills the gap back up with a small step forward. “Paintball, shooting range. Those kinds of things, your kind of activities”
He’d kiss her if he could. He will kiss her, not right now but this date is going to have to happen sooner rather than later.
“Send me your lists and the nights you’re free this week” he captures her gaze “I’ll do the rest”
“Ok” she holds his gaze
“I have to go, be safe.” He turns and walks off quickly.
Lucy sends him the lists as promised. He’s managed to find 10 minutes in his day to sit down at his desk and open his email. The message begins:
Lucy: It feels like we’ve waited so long for this, I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m free tomorrow night, I don’t care where we go or what we do. Let’s just not wait anymore.
For a moment Tim couldn’t breathe, the moment Lucy had told him he was the most important relationship in her life had felt, surreal, magical. It seemed like a dream. These reminders that what they were doing meant as much to her as it did to him proved that this was all real.
Tim decided then that he would make this first date special and to do that he needed help.
Aaron was minding his own business, he had paperwork to fill in. So much paperwork.
It meant that when Sergeant Bradford arrived at his desk he was completely unprepared.
“I have a job for you” the gruff voice came from behind his shoulder and he jumped sending papers skidding across the desk.
Aaron scrambled to pull the pieces of paper back into a neat pile “Sir, I’m… yes ok, of course sir.” He turned and looked up into the face of the much taller man “what do you need” finally feeling composed.
“You have connections” Aaron blinked, was that supposed to be a question
“You need my sword guys number?” He tried “I’m not sure if my mom would be happy for me to expense another private jet just yet.”
Tim just glared at him, Aaron was getting used to this look on Tim’s. It was his companion for most of his day.
“Restaurants” was all Tim said, his expression not changing. Aaron smiled broadly, this was his world. His area of expertise.
“Sure! I’ve got contacts at some of the best places in town” his glow of pride didn’t last long as Tim continued to stare
“Tomorrow night, 8pm.” Tim handed him a piece of paper. Aaron opened it, it simply had the names of two restaurants. “One of those”
Aaron’s eyes widened, two of the hardest to get into and most romantic restaurants in the city “for how many?”
Tim’s only response was to glare harder.
“Two, of course” Aaron spluttered “I’ll make some calls” he sat back down at his desk and took out his phone. He looked back up into his sergeant’s face to see it soften a little.
“Thanks Thorsen”
“Any time” Aaron called to his receding back
Well, thought Aaron, they’ve finally done it!