31). "Can I keep you?" (Lucy, circa Keeping in Line)
Lucy Karate had a problem. And that problem was laundry. While she loved and adored the cozy one bedroom apartment she shared with Pam, she hadn't considered the laundry situation. While the building dated to the 1920's and had plenty of character and charm, it did not have connections for modern day appliances. The industrial washers and dryers were in the creepy basement and she had been coming up with excuses for weeks to avoid making the trip downstairs. However, she was now literally out of everything. Struggling to carry the massive load that was overflowing from the basket, she barely made it to the ground floor of the apartment complex in one piece.
Breathing heavily, she lifted the heavy weight of clothes and sheets onto the washer. It was then she noticed another student, sitting and typing away on his laptop.
It was also then she realized she had forgotten everything she needed to actually clean her clothes.
As she was living on the fourth floor, and the elevator had chosen today to stop working, it was all she could do not to cry. Things with Wes had been strained recently, and this latest setback, although minor, wasn't helping.
The boy, who she now noticed was cute in a familiar looking way, removed his headphones and asked, "Need something?"
"I…" Lucy wished desperately that she had chosen other clothes to wear than the marching band tee shirt from her sophomore year and a ratty old pair of sweatpants.
He held up two bottles, one detergent, and one fabric softener, and said, "Need some?"
Resisting the urge to reach out and hug him, she asked, "Can I keep you?"
AN: What do you know? I'm finally finalizing Keeping in Line and need to a bit more development on the Lucy/Joe angle. Also, promises promises, I'm working on the next chapter of Major Pain.
