Lucy couldn't shut off her brain. How could she after all that had happened? She stood up from the couch but then sat back down. She could do this. She stood up again quickly before the tiny ounce of courage left her. She walked briskly towards Tim's open door and froze just before she stepped inside. She took a shaky breath and walked through the door.

Tim was laying on his bed with his lamp still on. His face lit up with shock and he pushed himself up to sit, his eyes never leaving Lucy's. "Lucy? Are you okay? What's wrong?" he said with concern. His voice was dry and his eyes were wide. Lucy looked nervous and was wringing her hands. She tried to sound braver than she felt but struggled. "No. I mean yes. I mean, I don't know. I don't know exactly what to say Tim." She took a quick breath and continued, "you asked me if I needed anything, and what I need right now is you. If I didn't come in here and tell you that, I'd regret it later." She was looking down at her hands. Tim stood up from the bed but didn't move any closer. "Lucy" he said. "I don't know what to say." He kept his eyes on her and rubbed his hands through his short hair. "Look, I know you're hurting. I am too. Badly. But this is not the answer for that." She sighed and kept looking down at her hands. He was rejecting her. What had she done?? Tim continued further, "And as hard as it is for me to admit it, God knows I've been seeing you in a whole different light than I used to." Lucy looked up suddenly at him. "But I can't take advantage of you like this. I won't."

She kept her eyes on him as he stopped speaking. Her face showing her shock and surprise of what he'd just admitted. She started to step closer to him, feeling a bit more brave. "I know you, Tim. I know you would never do anything inappropriate, especially with me. I've been torturing myself trying to keep my mouth shut about how I feel about you, how you make me feel. Yes, I'm hurting now, and yes, you were my TO, but the truth is, what I'm feeling for you right now isn't just because of what happened today." By the time she stopped rambling, she realized that she was standing close enough to him to feel the warmth coming off of his body. Tim sighed, "Lucy, I…I do care deeply for you. I feel things for you that I haven't felt in a really long time. But I don't want what we have to be ruined. If we cross that line, there's no going back." Now he was rambling. "Our friendship would never be the same again. And what if something happened to one of us? To you? Could you lose me? Because I can't lose you again! It was hard enough before. But now? If we do this? It would be…it would be completely unbearable." Tim's voice broke at the end. His breathing and pulse had increased and now he was looking at his feet. He knew he had just said too much.

Lucy could hear the pain in his voice. Lucy put her hands gently on his arms and said "I know you've been here before. You loved someone who got in too deep, risked it all, and then lost it. And I'm so sorry, Tim. I'm so sorry about what happened and how hurt you were for so long. But I'm not her." Lucy paused to look closer at him, her voice shaking snd full of emotion. "And isn't that what you're supposed to do Tim? You, you take that leap, and jump headfirst into it with that person, because that's what you do when you're…" she stopped suddenly because her rambling had gotten away from her. His head shot up to meet her gaze. His eyes searching hers for an answer to the bombshell she almost dropped. She pressed her lips together and dropped her hands, hesitant to say more. Tim started, "when you're what, Lucy?" She didn't respond. "Lucy, look at me. That's what you do when you're what?" She blinked back her tears and said "that's what you do when you're in love with someone."

Tim felt the last of his resolve slip away. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times. She loved him?? How? Why? When? Yet here she was, right in front of him, in his baggy shirt and pants, looking just a beautiful as always, pouring her heart out to him. Lucy looked up at him, her eyes still watering a bit as she realized she might have ruined everything already, just by coming in here and confessing.

Absorbing what Lucy had said, Tim slowly put his hands on her hip and lower back and could feel her breath shaking at this new touch. He tried to sound strong, but his voice came out more weak than he wanted. "You love me?" He brought his hand to her chin. She nodded at him, not believing that she had said so much. He held her gaze for a moment, searching her face as his mind was racing with thoughts. Then he turned and grabbed his phone off of his side table. Lucy wondered what in the world he could be doing, but suddenly heard music start to play through the house. Tim turned back to her and said with more confidence in his voice, "how about that dance then?"

Lucy's face lit up and she smiled as she put her arms around him and put her head on his chest. It felt so right, so perfect. Standing there in their pajamas, holding onto each other as they swayed to the song. She could feel his lips on the top of her hair and his left hand moving up her back as he held her close to him. She melted into him. She knew this was more than today. Yes, the day had been horrible, and they needed each other right now, but this was more than that. She closed her eyes and turned her head into him and pressed her lips and hands to the front of his shirt. She could feel his pulse racing under her lips. She had no idea how long the song had been playing but she felt completely frozen in time. She ran her hands up and over his shoulders and down his arms. As she glanced up at him Tim brought his hand to her face and she leaned into it. "Are you sure about this, Lucy?"

His voice was calm and quiet but his blue eyes were anything but. They moved back and forth between her eyes, mouth and her chest that was rising and falling quickly with anticipation. Lucy placed gentle kisses to the palm of Tim's hand before looking back at him with a small smile and raised her hands above her head. He huffed a small laugh and then slowly reached for the hem of his shirt that she was wearing. He held his breath as he gently pulled it over her head. She was breathtaking. His eyes roamed over her small frame. She smiled nervously. He ran his hands over her back to reassure her and then lifted his own arms over his head with a smile. Her laugh was warm and full. She reached up to undo the buttons at the top of his shirt and then reached for the hem. The difference in their height made it difficult to get it up over his head, so she pushed it up as far as she could and he reached behind his back and pulled it the rest of the way, smiling his brilliant smile as he did. He finally leaned down, and putting his hands on her face and in her hair, brought his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet. After a moment he stopped, putting his forehead back to hers. They both seemed uncertain about what step to take next. He took a slow breath and then whispered, "do you trust me, Lucy?"

She stared back with surprised eyes before replying "of course, I do Tim. I'd trust you with my life." Tim walked her backward to his bed where she sat and scooted towards the middle. Tim climbed up after her and told her to lie down. He wanted her to know how much he cared for her, how much she meant to him, and how much he knew, in that moment, that he loved her. She trusted him with everything and he couldn't tell her what that meant to him. He crawled over top of her and looked at her before leaning down to kiss her again. This time with more intensity and passion. She held onto him like she'd never let him go. He moved his kisses to her neck over her tattoo, slowly and sensually as he worked his way down to her chest and belly. She gasped and her breath quickened at the sensitive skin he kept discovering. Then finally, looking up to her face for a moment before moving to her side. He gently kissed her tattoo there. He caressed each letter and number there with his mouth and hands. He wanted to erase all of the pain that it held for her. He felt the weight of that moment, stopped and rested his head on her stomach and just held on to her. She put her hands in his hair and stroked the back of his neck as she sniffled, causing him to quickly look up at her. She had tears glistening in her eyes. She was trying to blink them away, but she couldn't stop them. "Lucy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" he said. "No, no. I'm not upset, Tim" she cried. "I'm happy. I'm blissfully happy, and I'll never forget this moment as long as I live."

Tim smiled sweetly at her and kissed her stomach again and crawled his way back up to her face. I stared at her longingly and said "I need you to know that I love you too, Lucy. I love you so damn much." She reached for his face then and kissed him deeply. He reached behind her to unhook her bra and then flung it aside. She reached for his pajama bottoms trying to pull them down until he reached down to help her. They stopped for a moment and kissed, touched, and grabbed for more. He kissed her collarbone and chest before inching down to her breasts. He didn't want to go straight for the goal, he wanted it to last, so he took his time and kissed her curves relishing her soft skin against his lips. She was panting and squirming a bit beneath him until his mouth closed around her sensitive flesh there. He sucked and kissed her slowly there and she cried out, arching into him. He smiled at that, hearing her. He moved to her right side and she whimpered and whispered his name. His eyes met hers as he reached for the top of his pants that she still wore and untied the drawstring. She lifted her hips to help him along and he pulled them swiftly down her legs.

As he brought his mouth back to hers he knew there was no stopping himself now. He was completely focused on her and how good she felt against him. She grasped for his butt to grind herself against him as she wrapped one of legs around his waist and he groaned loudly. This made her kiss him more fervently holding on to him for dear life. He skimmed his hand down her side to the top of her panties. He lifted himself off of her slightly and she looked at him, breathless. "I love you, Lucy" he said. She smiled and said "I love you too, Tim." He pulled her underwear down her legs and she reached for his. When he climbed back over her she was trembling, as was he. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I'm perfect, are you alright?" she responded. "Never been better" he replied. At this, she used some leverage and rolled over on top of him, smiling. He laughed and pushed himself up and back so he was sitting against the headboard. She was gorgeous. Her hair was wild and eyes were bright. She could feel him against her, nothing else between them anymore. He gazed at her with heat in his eyes and wrapped one arm around her and with his other hand, lined himself up with her body. With her eyes on his, she lifted herself up and then lowered herself around him. "Oh my God", he groaned into her neck and she cried out with her face against his. They held onto each other tightly as she lifted herself up and down around him. They moaned and rocked against each other, getting used to one another. Tim reached up into Lucy's hair with one arm and grabbed her ass with the other guiding her body as he kissed her deeply. Lucy had never felt so good, so fulfilled, or so safe. She kept her hands on his shoulders for support as they moved together and she could feel her orgasm building quickly from the position they were in. Tim noticed the change in her breathing. He was going to try and hold off as long as he could for her. He held tightly onto her and leaned forward and laid her back until he was on top of her again. He pulled her legs around his waist and thrust deeply into, his forehead against hers, not kissing but breathing against each other as her mouth went wide and she screamed out, the heat and explosion taking over her entire body. She moved more against him, riding out her orgasm and he came apart at the sight of her. They gasped and held onto each other as their pace came to a halt. He buried his face into her neck and kissed her slowly there, never wanting to move.

As their breathing gradually slowed, Tim rolled off of her to the side and pulled the blanket over them, as she turned onto her side. They looked at each other for a moment until Lucy breathed, "wow", and Tim replied, "wow is right. How have we waited so long to do that?" Lucy said, "I don't know, but I'm glad we have forever to make up for it." Tim smiled with hope in his eyes as he leaned over and kissed her and said "forever."

Then the phone rang.