Shane was surprisingly upbeat at work the next day. It didn't seem so bad when there was a Lucie just up the road from him, the memory of her lips still fresh.
The day past in a haze of stacking and daydreaming. Shane caught the disapproving look from Morris when he sat back on his ankles, but Morris be damned. Shane was doing his job, and doing it perfectly adequately, so if Morris wanted to object to it, then he could object to it.
He left at 4, more promptly than he'd ever left work in his life. Shane was moving swiftly out of the building and paused.
Lucie was sat on the bridge, fishing rod dangling down into the water. Her lips were moving as she stared into the water, but there was no one near her.
Shane debated whether to sneak around the long way and hope she didn't notice, or to go say hi. They hadn't really addressed what had happened last night when last night had happened, and how did you bring that up. The whole "I kissed you and then we kinda just awkwardly left, and I'd really like to date you properly" spiel made him feel like a 12 year old on a playground trying to tell his crush that he liked them. Shane was still 80% certain that Lucie had only told him she loved him that fateful night to stop him from rolling off the cliff. What if she hadn't wanted to kiss him and had only done it to be polite?
Shane decided to just walk over the bridge, and if she saw him, she could talk to him. That was a good plan. The plan where it wasn't his responsibility.
As he got closer, he realised she wasn't talking to herself, but singing lowly under her breath. It sounded vaguely like a sea shanty, which was… a strange choice of genre. But, Shane supposed, she was fishing. If there was ever a time for sea shanties, it was while fishing.
She was clearly in her own little world, and Shane didn't know if he was relived or not as he neared her, almost level with her and she still hadn't noticed him. Her head swayed slightly as she mumbled the words to the song, eyes lightly closed.
"Afternoon," she said, at a normal volume as Shane passed on to the town-side of her. He jumped, quite literally, as his feet left the ground. Lucie burst in a fit of hysterics as she turned to look at him, catching sight of his landing. Once she'd gathered her breath back, she swung her legs back over on to the correct side of the bridge and tried to look sternly at Shane, though the giggles that continued to burst from her did ruin the effect somewhat. "Were you trying to sneak past me, Shane?"
"No!" He protested. He glanced away and shoved his hands in his pockets. Lucie's amused lifted of her eyebrow made him confess. "Maybe."
She grinned, and slid off the wall, kneeling to pack away the fishing rod. She did it deftly, and the long rod had vanished in a matter of seconds.
"It is so cute how you think I wouldn't notice." She walked a few steps towards him, and then raised herself on to tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
Shane choked and turned into a bright red spluttering mess as she sauntered away, waving cheerily over her shoulder. Shane had just about regained his composure when he heard Lucie burst into even more laughter. At least she found herself funny. She came back and grinned at him.
"I'm sorry, that was mean. Hilarious, but mean," she said. "Would this make up for it?"
She held out a small bag of cookies. They were clearly homemade cookies, all strange shaped and lumpy, but perfect.
"Do you just go around offering people stuff all the time?" Shane asked, not taking his hands out of his pockets so he didn't have to take yet more of Lucie's food. She frowned. Her shoulders fell almost imperceptibly as the bag lowered to by her side.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No, no, no," By Yoba, Shane why did you say that? Now look what you've done. "Just - is it just me you give stuff to all the time, or is that just something you do?"
She looked less put out, but now she wouldn't look at him. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she answered quietly.
"Well, I give everyone stuff I think they'd like. But, you more frequently than most." Her hands twisted around each other, her thumb running over the nails of her other hand. "I've always thought it was nice to get a gift. I like the idea that someone sees something and thinks 'oh, Lucie will like that', but that might just be me…"
She glanced up at Shane, and he pulled himself back inside the walls he'd built for himself. Lucie lifted the bag up slightly and held them out to him.
"Now, do you want the cookies or not?"
Lucie looked at the small list on her wall. Perhaps it was a touch psychotic to have lists of what gifts people liked. But the thought of getting rid of her list made her squirm - she'd spent so much time working out what each of her neighbours liked, so much time gauging reactions and writing it down and memorising it, that to get rid of it would be like studying for an exam to just, not sit the exam.
She didn't want to waste all her effort. So, she compromised with herself, and pulled out a notebook. The sticky notes were transferred from wall to page, moved from semi-public to semi-private. Her fingers hovered over the sticky note titled 'Guy From Bar - Shane'. It was the only remaining note on the wall, and she didn't want to hide it in some random notebook.
"Beer - don't give beer. Recovery = good so far
Pizza - frozen or homemade
PEPPER POPPERS - Ask Marnie for recipe
Hot Peppers - Summer. 5-3"
The arrows pointing at pepper poppers couldn't help but bring a smile to her face. She could remember the first time she'd given them to him as vividly as if she were doing it that moment. It had been the first time she'd seen him smile. It had also been the first time he'd used her name, whilst sober anyway. She didn't count that night on the pier, when his little 'See ya around, Lucie' had made her heart beat in such a way that she knew she was doomed.
But the pepper-popper-smile? It had been such a genuinely happy moment, sparked simply from Lucie trying to give away something she'd bought and regretted buying. She remembered how she'd gone home directly, claiming she was in a hurry to Haley when she'd called after her, and scribbled down the note enthusiastically.
The warmth in his smile was addictive. She'd wanted more - she'd wanted to drown herself in it, get lost and never try to find her way out again.
She stuck the sticky note in the notebook, and slowly closed it, pressing the cover firmly shut. Then, she placed it in the drawer, amongst a hairbrush, nail polish and a few of her favourite stones that she'd found down in the mines, and shut the drawer with a firm push of her hand.
Haley's bed now held four people, and it was starting to get ridiculous.
It had been barely 7pm when Lucie had wandered into the house, unannounced and climbed into the bed.
"Talk. Please." She'd said, crossing her legs under the covers and burying her face in her hands. Haley had only prodded her for reasoning once, before giving in and talking about her day. It had been a very boring day, but Lucie had demanded she talked, so she was talking.
Then, Emily had rocked up. Complaining about Haley's inability to do housework, then stopped half way through and greeted Lucie.
"What's happened?" She asked.
"Oh, nothing, just having an emotional breakdown," Lucie had replied lightly.
"Why…?" Haley and Emily asked, one hesitantly, one much more eagerly. Lucie lifted her head and looked between the two of them.
"I psychoanalysed myself and now I think Shane only puts up with me because I give him stuff." She answered.
"Well, that's why I like you," Haley answered. Emily looked at her and she lifted her hands. "I'm kidding!"
Lucie groaned and let her body flop back on to the pillows. She stared up at the ceiling and muttered.
"Honestly, that'd be fine with me because I'm not in love with you."
Emily gasped dramatically and climbed into the bed too. She pushed Haley to the side slightly with her hip. Haley rolled her eyes, but did move over.
"Who are you in love with?"
"Oh, god, why is the whole town here to share in my pain?" Lucie wailed. Alex looked somewhere between uncomfortable and scared at the noise Lucie made. Haley looked across at him, and quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Alex, could you go to the cupboard by the fridge and get two bottles of wine?" She asked sweetly.
Lucie lifted her head from the pillow and looked at him.
"If you make it three bottle then you can stay."
The 'Yay' that left Alex's mouth was undignified and exceedingly feminine. The women didn't wait for him to leave the room before bursting into laughter.
