Lucy stepped into the living room first. She walked by the kitchen aisle, pointing directly at the fridge. Tim followed her, still staring at the t-shirt he had to wear. He glanced at the floor and saw his shirt tossed messily on the side.

"They never show this bit in movies" he mumbled, mainly talking to himself.

"What?"

"You know people that have crazy sex in movies? They never show the part where they need to go around the house collecting the clothes they tossed around in the heat of the moment."

"That's because that's not sexy."

He bent his knees and picked up the shirt. Lucy hovered over his shoulders and, with a swift move, she stole the shirt from his hands and brought it to her face. She took a sniff and exhaled loudly.

"You smell so good."

"Excuse me, I'm right here."

"I know, but you had a shower and you don't really smell of you anymore."

"I don't smell of me? What are you talking about?"

"This smell. It's sweet and strong… almost minty."

"Oh, sorry, shall I go and leave you be with my shirt?" he pointed at the door with a baffled expression on his face.

"No, wait" she stopped him with a smirk "I don't mean like that!"

"Well, I smell of you now, courtesy of your t-shirt…" he paused for a second "I like that."

"Do you use any perfume?"

"Oh, god no. Must be my deodorant."

"I need to get one, it smells so good."

"There you go, the anniversary first gift is already sorted!"

They both chuckled. Lucy headed back behind the kitchen aisle, giving Tim's shirt one last sniff and placing it on a stool next to her. She had a red pepper and an onion on the counter, a small food container box just taken out of the fridge, and a box of dried couscous. She grabbed a pot and filled the kettle with water.

"So, is it like cooking pasta?" Tim asked, interested.

"You are so bad at cooking."

"I'm great at eating though" he smirked.

"Look… we should probably talk about, you know, how we… tell people?"

"I guess so. They won't buy that I wanted to go for a desk job, won't they?"

"Tim, if you changed your mind…"

"No."

"Wait, if you changed your mind, I'm not going to be mad. I can get a job in another district, you know that."

"I don't want you to. And no, I haven't changed my mind. I'm happy."

"Are you really? You like being on the street. You like action and thrill… You will get bored in less than a day."

"Lucy, I told you. It's done. I'm happy to have that job, I'm happy to keep seeing you every day and I'm happy to have made that choice."

"Are you SURE?"

"Yes! And it's not going to be forever anyway. As soon as a position opens up, I can move over."

Lucy didn't reply. It was pretty pointless to keep discussing Tim's choice. He would not budge and he would never admit he did die a bit inside taking that job. It wasn't in his nature to sit tight and do paperwork. He was a man of action and that job would have driven him insane. She very well knew that.

Tim noticed Lucy's expression. She was pensive but also looked guilty. The last thing he wanted was for her to think or believe he was forced to make that decision. He wasn't. He took into account all the pros and cons and he decided that, for the sake of their relationship, he was willing to sacrifice his job for a few months or years. There were more important things than work and one of them was, of course, his relationship with Lucy Chen.

He moved closer, hugged her belly from behind, placed his chin on one of her shoulders and gave her a kiss on the neck.

"I promise. I'm happy where I am."

She smiled. Having him pressed against her body was comforting and she felt safer than ever in his embrace. She started preparing all the vegetables while he was attentively observing from above, like an owl on a branch. She tried to explain what she was doing to teach him how to prepare one of her favorite dished but he was more focused on staring at her hands, studying every vein, every muscle, every detail of her body.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, looking at a small scar on the side of her index finger.

"What?"

"That scar."

"Oh, this… It's a silly story. And a silly scar. I was washing a glass and I cut myself."

"Was the glass broken?"

"No, I broke it."

"Did you drop it?"

"No, I was cleaning it with a sponge and I was a bit too harsh…"

"You broke a glass with your bare hands?"

"Yup."

"I'm officially scared" he joked.

"You are an idiot!" she remarked.

He squeezed her between his arms and kissed her once more on the neck. He's never been this happy. He was glad he asked her out that day outside the Precinct. Sure, she was still with Chris but he had to take his shot as things seemed to be opening up to change. He was glad he gathered the courage to put his pride and his devotion to duty aside for a second and really listen to his heart. But, most of all, he was glad she said yes.

Now that he made love to her, now that they took their relationship to a whole new level, he was sure he made the right choice. If it wasn't even a choice. They had known each other for years now. One day she tiptoed into his life, said and did just the right things to win his heart. Yeah, probably it wasn't a choice. For the first time in his life, he might be open to the idea of faith and destiny because whatever he was building with Lucy couldn't possibly be a lucky dip.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" she asked, bringing him back to the present.

"I'd love to."

"Great."

"I mean if you are happy for me to stay."

"Of course I am, stop asking or I'm kicking you out… without dinner."

"Ouch."

"So?"

"Lucy, I'm officially inviting myself into your bed for the night" he proudly annunciated.

"Good. I was hoping we could do a bit more of… you know."

"You are insatiable."

"What can I say, I love it" she teased.

"Ditto!" he replied without a hint of hesitation.

Food was finally ready. Lucy grabbed two cereal bowls and portioned out the couscous. They both settled on the sofa with their dinner. Tim was sitting straight, he switched on the TV and was watching the latest news. Lucy opted for a more relaxed position, with her legs folded under her weight and was looking at the TV as well, glancing at Tim once in a while.

"This is really good. Really good."

"Thank you. Do you want more?"

"No, I'm good. Do you want some wine? I can go and grab it."

"Yeah, why not. Thanks!"

Tim returned to the sofa with two full glasses of red wine.

"Milady, your wine" he handed her a glass ceremoniously.

"Oh, thank you, my lord" she replied without missing a beat, miming a small curtsy.

They toasted at themselves and while Lucy was taking her first sip, Tim stared at her. Her eyes, almond-shaped and chocolate-colored. Her nose, small and smooth. Her lips, plump, soft and as red as cherries. He took a sip and, without breaking his stare, placed his glass on the coffee table and gently grabbed hers as well.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

A lustful smile appeared on her face. He placed her glass on the coffee table next to his and grabbed her back with his open hand. He pulled her towards his chest.

"Hi" he whispered.

"Hi" she whispered back.

He looked at her lips, longing for another passionate kiss. He touched the tip of her nose with his. A gentle upward stroke allowed him to swiftly kiss it before stroking it again with his own nose. He then moved his focus to her neck again, kissing and nibbling her perfect skin.

She was enjoying his light touch and a firm grasp on her waist. She closed her eyes to better feel his breath against her neck and the tingle on her spine. He was playing around, purposely avoiding her lips and mouth, almost begging her to ask for more.

His other hand was grabbing the back of her head, loosely. Her hair was still a bit wet, but dry enough not to drip or escape his grasp. His lips hovered millimeters away from hers. She could feel him breathing and tried to initiate the kiss but Tim quickly backed out just enough for her to miss. He pulled her close again, just half an inch away from her lips. He unexpectedly licked her upper lip in a quick movement. Lucy slightly opened her mouth, ready for a kiss that was not coming fast enough.

He licked her lip again, waiting a few seconds before nibbling her lover's lip. Her breath was starting to get heavy and she seemed to develop a little impatience. She wanted him and it was driving her crazy that he would delay the kiss for so long. But it was hot and, inexplicably, she found it to be arousing once more.

Tim licked her upper lip again, this time taking longer. She took the chance to touch his tongue with her own and licked his lips. Their tongues were meeting mid-air and dancing around without letting their mouths touch. It was becoming too much even for Tim.

He paused for a second or two, just holding as much as he could before giving in. Their mouths touched and played with each other, their saliva mixing, still tasting of red wine.

Tim leaned back on the couch allowing Lucy to press her body over his, without breaking their kiss. She was holding onto his hair, short but long enough to be grasped. He still had his hand on her face, trying to move her hair out of the way. There's nothing like eating hair while kissing to ruin the mood.

They were passionately eating each other's faces. Lucy started to gently move her pelvis over Tim's crotch. She could feel her own vulva tingling while sensing a hardening bulge tucked into his brand-new boxers.

She interrupted the kiss, perking her head up. Her lips were slightly purple, stained by the wine. Some of the saliva was covering part of her mouth. She was visibly out of breath. How is it that you forget to breathe when you kiss someone?

"Round 3?" she asked

"Round 3" he confirmed, smiling.

Lucy clumsily pulled herself up and pulled Tim's arm to help him get out of the couch. She interlaced her fingers with his and walked slowly towards the bedroom, once more. Tim followed, like an obedient dog.

Once in front of the bedroom door, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her again. He grabbed one of her butt cheeks with his free hand and pushed her towards the bed with his own body. Lucy shut the door with her foot, ready to be ravished once again.