A/N: Sorry for being so far behind in updating, and thank you, thank you,
thank you, for all of your great reviews. I love you all, and I hope you
like this chap.
Lucy carefully guided the blunt knife down the ridge of cardboard, cautious not to cut herself. Robbie looked up at her with concerned eyes, yanking his fingers through his dark hair. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Was all he asked, eyeing all the other similarly marked cardboard boxes that she had flattened and stacked away. Scrawled on the side with thick black marker were the words: Kevin Kinkirk. And that was all.
Lucy looked up. Though her face held no emotion, tears were filling up her eyes, and her smooth fingers were slightly trembling. "I've got to," she said with conviction. "For Kevin. For me." Reaching inside the opened box, she pulled out a crisp black police uniform. Brass medals hung from the breast pocket, and coloured pendants dangled from the belt carelessly strung around the black pants. Robbie carefully looked at her again. Lucy bit her lip so hard that she tasted the saltiness of blood on her tongue. Her face giving away nothing, she gently placed the uniform along with the other belongings he had brought with him when he had come to the garage apartment.
But Robbie knew something was wrong. Those eyes, they could tell him anything. They were so deep, and seemed to go on for eternity. Usually a sparkling cobalt blue, they now had faded to a stormy gray. He could see the emotions churning in there, and if Lucy had been an urn of cream, she would have long turned to butter.
"You can stop if you want, Luce," he murmured, crouching down and taking her small hands in his. It hurt him to see his best friend crying like this. Only moments ago, they had been laughing at teasingly wrestling each other on the strip of carpet in front of her room. That seemed like ages ago.
But beyond those tears, Lucy's face was set with determination. "I don't start something until I intend to finish it. I'm doing this for a reason, Robbie. I'm not just the silly schoolgirl you dated back in college. I've grown up. And I know what I need to do, and this is what I need to do." Even as she said this, her voice quivered, and the dam of tears hidden behind her eyelids was threatening to leak out.
"You were never a silly schoolgirl, Luce. You were always so stubborn, and you still are. So I guess nothing I can say will change what you've got running in that little mind of yours." Robbie forced a smile, but couldn't find himself meaning it. How could he be smiling when his best friend in the world was feeling so upset?
Lucy said nothing. She sighed as she looked again at the rows of boxes still waiting to be opened. She couldn't help but feel as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest and being trampled on, each time she picked something out of the box and tossed it to the growing pile next to the stairs. But Lucy needed to let Kevin go. No matter that they had shared a love that she had never experienced before, it was just that going through the pain again and again was making her want to be sick.
"Robbie," her voice wavered, and she barely spoke over a whisper, "Have you ever loved anyone so much that it hurt?"
Robbie felt his heart beating faster as he looked into those gray, gray eyes. His eyes fell on her small nose, sensitive mouth, and the stroke of her high cheekbones. Trailing back up to her eyes, he answered, "Yes Luce. I have."
That was all she needed to hear. Tears suddenly flowed out from her eyes, like a faucet being turned. Leaning against his muscular chest, she let the blunted knife clatter to the floor with a dull echo. Sobbing into his sweater, Lucy buried her face into her hands.
"Lucy, what's wrong?" Robbie's concerned look turned to one of distress as he saw the sobbing girl in front of him. He didn't know what to do with a crying girl, so he hesitantly rubbed his hand on her back and murmured incoherent words, trying to keep calm, as the girl agonizingly wept in front of him. He couldn't help but wonder at the feeling that had surged through his body when he had looked at her eyes a few moments before. It was obvious she was talking about Kevin, but Robbie wasn't so sure who he was referring to when he answered the question. It wasn't Cheryl, or Joy, or Mary... maybe he did know, but he just didn't want to believe it. All Lucy had been to him was a friend, one who was always there for him when he needed her, giving him hugs when even he didn't realize he needed it, not walking out on him when he had even showed her the door. She had been his best friend ever since he had set foot into this house. And Robbie would just have to bury his feelings and be the friend that Lucy definitely deserved.
The stairs creaked, as Simon Camden slowly inched up the stairway, clutching onto the wrought iron rail. His heart dropped to his toes when he saw his sister, no, his best friend crumpled to the ground, weeping her heart out. Beside her, Robbie was awkwardly stroking her silky hair, and staring out into space, although his eyes twitched with anguish each time Lucy called out Kevin's name.
Grasping the handrail so hard that he was sure it was going to break off, Simon felt his own tears burning in his throat. It hurt him to see his closest friend crying out in pain like that. Swallowing back his tears, he carefully stepped down the stairs, careful not to alert the crying girl, or the boy next to her who was obviously in love.
Lucy carefully guided the blunt knife down the ridge of cardboard, cautious not to cut herself. Robbie looked up at her with concerned eyes, yanking his fingers through his dark hair. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Was all he asked, eyeing all the other similarly marked cardboard boxes that she had flattened and stacked away. Scrawled on the side with thick black marker were the words: Kevin Kinkirk. And that was all.
Lucy looked up. Though her face held no emotion, tears were filling up her eyes, and her smooth fingers were slightly trembling. "I've got to," she said with conviction. "For Kevin. For me." Reaching inside the opened box, she pulled out a crisp black police uniform. Brass medals hung from the breast pocket, and coloured pendants dangled from the belt carelessly strung around the black pants. Robbie carefully looked at her again. Lucy bit her lip so hard that she tasted the saltiness of blood on her tongue. Her face giving away nothing, she gently placed the uniform along with the other belongings he had brought with him when he had come to the garage apartment.
But Robbie knew something was wrong. Those eyes, they could tell him anything. They were so deep, and seemed to go on for eternity. Usually a sparkling cobalt blue, they now had faded to a stormy gray. He could see the emotions churning in there, and if Lucy had been an urn of cream, she would have long turned to butter.
"You can stop if you want, Luce," he murmured, crouching down and taking her small hands in his. It hurt him to see his best friend crying like this. Only moments ago, they had been laughing at teasingly wrestling each other on the strip of carpet in front of her room. That seemed like ages ago.
But beyond those tears, Lucy's face was set with determination. "I don't start something until I intend to finish it. I'm doing this for a reason, Robbie. I'm not just the silly schoolgirl you dated back in college. I've grown up. And I know what I need to do, and this is what I need to do." Even as she said this, her voice quivered, and the dam of tears hidden behind her eyelids was threatening to leak out.
"You were never a silly schoolgirl, Luce. You were always so stubborn, and you still are. So I guess nothing I can say will change what you've got running in that little mind of yours." Robbie forced a smile, but couldn't find himself meaning it. How could he be smiling when his best friend in the world was feeling so upset?
Lucy said nothing. She sighed as she looked again at the rows of boxes still waiting to be opened. She couldn't help but feel as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest and being trampled on, each time she picked something out of the box and tossed it to the growing pile next to the stairs. But Lucy needed to let Kevin go. No matter that they had shared a love that she had never experienced before, it was just that going through the pain again and again was making her want to be sick.
"Robbie," her voice wavered, and she barely spoke over a whisper, "Have you ever loved anyone so much that it hurt?"
Robbie felt his heart beating faster as he looked into those gray, gray eyes. His eyes fell on her small nose, sensitive mouth, and the stroke of her high cheekbones. Trailing back up to her eyes, he answered, "Yes Luce. I have."
That was all she needed to hear. Tears suddenly flowed out from her eyes, like a faucet being turned. Leaning against his muscular chest, she let the blunted knife clatter to the floor with a dull echo. Sobbing into his sweater, Lucy buried her face into her hands.
"Lucy, what's wrong?" Robbie's concerned look turned to one of distress as he saw the sobbing girl in front of him. He didn't know what to do with a crying girl, so he hesitantly rubbed his hand on her back and murmured incoherent words, trying to keep calm, as the girl agonizingly wept in front of him. He couldn't help but wonder at the feeling that had surged through his body when he had looked at her eyes a few moments before. It was obvious she was talking about Kevin, but Robbie wasn't so sure who he was referring to when he answered the question. It wasn't Cheryl, or Joy, or Mary... maybe he did know, but he just didn't want to believe it. All Lucy had been to him was a friend, one who was always there for him when he needed her, giving him hugs when even he didn't realize he needed it, not walking out on him when he had even showed her the door. She had been his best friend ever since he had set foot into this house. And Robbie would just have to bury his feelings and be the friend that Lucy definitely deserved.
The stairs creaked, as Simon Camden slowly inched up the stairway, clutching onto the wrought iron rail. His heart dropped to his toes when he saw his sister, no, his best friend crumpled to the ground, weeping her heart out. Beside her, Robbie was awkwardly stroking her silky hair, and staring out into space, although his eyes twitched with anguish each time Lucy called out Kevin's name.
Grasping the handrail so hard that he was sure it was going to break off, Simon felt his own tears burning in his throat. It hurt him to see his closest friend crying out in pain like that. Swallowing back his tears, he carefully stepped down the stairs, careful not to alert the crying girl, or the boy next to her who was obviously in love.