Title: Lonely No More
A/N: Hello ladies! Lots of thanks for all the great reviews on the previous two chapters - I really do appreciate it! I love hearing what you all think of each chapter. I hope you all share your thoughts with me about this chapter as well. So, enjoy!!!
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Tim walked out of the community pool restroom, his wet bathing suit in his hand, his jeans and sleeveless Panthers shirt now covering his body.
He glanced around, spotting Julie beside the pool talking to another lifeguard. She had also changed out of her swimsuit and into a very short pair of denim shorts and a light blue tank top.
Tim had been watching Julie, and had purposely gotten out of the pool and changed clothes when he saw her shift ending. He told himself that it was just because he knew she would need a ride home.
While that was true, it was also because he was learning that Julie Taylor was actually pretty fun to hang out with. She was funny, with her quirky and sarcastic remarks.
And being with her was comfortable. Tim didn't have to try and be anything he wasn't, which was damn refreshing after always having everyone trying to change him into something else.
He walked slowly toward her, taking a few seconds to admire the view as his gaze travelled from her head to her toes. Not for the first time, Tim noticed what a looker Julie really was.
Coming up behind her quietly, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pretended to shove her into the pool, causing her to shriek loudly, sounding like a little girl.
"Tim!" She said, turning around to find him as the culprit of her scare. "Damn it." She said, slapping him in the chest with her hand.
"Hey!" He responded, rubbing his chest with his own hand. Little Julie Taylor packed a punch.
"Oh, be quiet. I think that hurt me worse than it hurt you." She said quickly, rubbing her own hand against her shorts to try and stop the stinging. "You scared me."
He chuckled. "Just messin' with yah, Taylor."
"Well, 'just messing' with me is gonna get you kicked out." She said with a glare.
"You could do that?"
"Yep. Being a lifeguard gives me power. I could get you kicked out faster than you could get into some rally girl's pants." She said with a smirk.
"That's pretty fast." He drawled, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Please try not to sound proud of that fact." Julie said, shaking her head and trying to hold back a grin.
"You need a ride?" He asked as the two of them made their way toward the parking lot.
"Um, well, I better get a ride from my mom today. But thanks anyway."
"It's no biggie, Jules. I can give you a ride." Tim said quickly, trying not to sound too pathetic.
Hell, the only reason he had even planned on leaving the pool this early was to spend time with her, and now here she was trying to shoot him down.
"Well, I'm not going home. I need to go to the mall and pick my dad up something for his birthday." She said, glancing up at him. "It's tomorrow."
"Alright." He said. "I can give you a ride there."
"Are you sure? I know that's out of your way, Tim."
"Positive." He said with a grin. "No arguing, Jules. Hop in."
Julie rolled her eyes at his bossiness, walking around and climbing into his truck.
Tim grinned as he climbed in as well, happy to have gotten his way.
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Julie groaned as she walked out of the bookstore with Tim close at her side, both of them still empty-handed. "Men are so hard to buy for."
"Not true." He replied. "Women are harder than men."
Julie grinned as she shook her head, still surprised that she was shopping with Tim Riggins.
She had tried to convince him just to drop her off at the mall, saying that her mom could come pick her up. He had mumbled something about having nothing better to do and had proceeded to follow her from store to store on her search for the perfect present.
Julie was glad to have the company though. Tim was in a playful mood – teasing her and aggravating her at every opportunity. She was pretty sure that her sides were going to be sore the following day from all the laughing she had already done.
"Women are so easy." Julie argued, seeing his eyes widen and a smirk form on his lips. "Easy to buy for, Tim. Get your mind out of the gutter."
Tim chuckled. "That's hard to do when you say comments like that."
"You're pathetic." She said with a laugh, shaking her head. "Women are easy to buy for. Jewelry, perfume, flowers, chocolate, shoes – you name it, a woman will like it."
"You like those things? That's what you'd want if it was your birthday?" He asked as they walked slowly through the mall.
"Well…" Julie said, tilting her head to the side as she thought about what she'd want. "I wouldn't mind any of those things, but they wouldn't be my first choices. I'd probably rather enjoy a book of some sort or anything to do with Europe – I so want to travel their one day. Or of course, a car would be a nice birthday gift too." She said with a laugh.
Tim smiled. "Maybe church lady will just give you her car for your birthday."
"Yeah, right." Julie said with a smirk, turning as she hears giggling from behind them. "Uh Tim…I think we're being followed." She whispered, motioning to three females trailing along behind them as they walked through the mall.
Tim turned, giving the girls a slow smile before turning back to Julie.
"Jesus, don't encourage them." Julie hissed. "Does this usually happen when you come to the mall? Random girls following you around like you're some kind of celebrity?"
Tim shrugged. "I don't come here all that often." He replied, throwing his arm across her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side as they continue walking.
"Uh…what are you doin'?" Julie asked, surprise in her voice as she felt goosebumps covering her skin at the feel of Tim's warm arm along her bare back and shoulders.
"Makin' them think I'm taken. Maybe if they think you're my gal, they'll get the hint and go away."
Julie grinned. "So, you're basically using me to try and scare them off?" She asked slyly. "I should get paid for this." She muttered playfully, laughing as Tim squeezed her shoulder.
She found that she surprisingly enjoyed the feel of Tim's arm around her shoulders. After the initial shock, it felt good – almost right in a sense to be walking around with Tim at her side.
Just two friends out having a good time. So what if one friend thought that the other friend was gorgeous and smelled better than any man had a right to smell.
"You know, I'm helping you run interference with your stalkers, but you're not really helping me out with my birthday present dilemma, Tim."
"Okay. What does your dad like – besides football. You said yourself that you've gotten him everything he could possibly have related to football."
"Um, that's tough. Football is my dad's life." Julie said slowly, racking her brain for ideas.
"Grilling." Tim said a few seconds later, coming to a stop in front of a large department store. "Your dad loves grilling. Get him a new grilling set or something."
"That's a great idea!" Julie said enthusiastically, giving him a big smile.
"I have them occasionally." Tim said with a shrug. "Once or twice a year."
Julie laughed. "Whatever. You're a lot smarter than you want everyone to think. You don't have me fooled, Riggins." She said playfully, pulling him into the store in search of the perfect gift.
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Julie felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She and Tim had found a twelve-piece grilling set, complete with every grilling utensil imaginable, on sale. Julie had also bought her dad an apron that said 'Real Men Grill'. She knew he'd get a kick out of that.
After finding the gifts, they had headed to the card store to pick up the final piece – a birthday card.
As Julie stood in front of the massive card display, she was having a hard time finding a good card for her dad.
Mostly due to the fact that Tim kept picking out the most inappropriate cards and reading them to her, causing both of them to laugh loudly. Julie just knew that any minute she was going to see the manager coming around the corner to ask them to leave for disturbing the other customers.
"How 'bout this one?" He said with a chuckle, holding up a card with a large donkey on the front. "Party your ass off." He read.
Julie giggled. "My dad would not appreciate the humor in that."
"He might like it, Jules. He's all about working your ass off." He drawled, sending Julie into another fit of giggles.
"Oh, this is the one. For sure." Tim said in a serious tone, giving Julie a nod as he showed her another card.
Julie leaned closer to Tim to see the card, complete with two young, scantily-clad strippers on the front and the words 'I decided to get you a few strippers for your birthday'.
Tim opened the card to reveal a picture of two old ladies that had to be at least eighty years old in the same stripper clothes, with the words 'I couldn't afford the good ones – Happy Birthday!'.
"Eww! Gross!" Julie exclaimed, laughing at the picture. "That's just wrong." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes as she continued laughing.
"I really think you should get this one. Coach probably ain't seen a stripper in years." Tim drawled, a gleam in his eye as she watched Julie.
Julie cringed, shaking her head. "Don't even go there. Discussing anything even overtly sexual involving your parents is just wrong, Tim."
Her statement made Tim laugh, bringing a smile to Julie's lips. She was pretty sure she'd never seen him laughing this much and she was glad that she was sharing the moment.
He had a nice laugh, and she especially loved how his eyes would light up with laughter, making him look almost boyish and care free.
"How 'bout you buy it for my dad and give it to him yourself. That way you can deal with the wrath of Tami Taylor." Julie said with a grin.
"I think I'll pass." He chuckled. "Mrs. Coach can be scary."
Julie giggled, leaning into his side as he started laughing again. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Obviously being in close proximity to Tim was causing her to be delirious with laughter, but she liked the feeling.
"Tim?" Julie heard, turning to find Lyla Garrity and her boyfriend standing behind them.
"Uh, hey Lyla." Julie said quickly, her laughter dying down almost as quickly as Tim's.
"Hey, Julie. Hey, Tim." Lyla said in her sugary sweet voice, looking back and forth between them.
It was obvious to Julie from her confused look, that Lyla was wondering why in the world Tim Riggins and Julie Taylor were hanging out together.
"Garrity." Tim said softly, giving her a small nod.
As the four of them stood there looking at one another, Julie could feel the tension radiating off of Tim as he stood at her side. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was had Tim on edge.
Lyla's boyfriend cleared his throat after a few seconds, interrupting the awkward silence.
"Oh, sorry. Chris, this is Julie. And Julie this is Chris, my boyfriend." Lyla said.
"Hi." Julie said quickly, giving the blonde guy a small smile. He looked as awkward as she felt.
Julie glanced at Tim. Gone was the laughing, fun Tim that she had spent the afternoon with. He had been replaced by a brooding, lonely-looking Tim that she didn't like near as much.
Julie had never had any issues with Lyla. They weren't exactly friends, but they weren't enemies either.
But looking at the way she had affected Tim just by showing up quickly put Julie on the defensive.
"So Tim, I haven't seen you around much this summer." Lyla said softly, giving Tim a sweet smile.
"I've been busy." Tim drawled, wrapping his arm around Julie's shoulder and once again pulling her up against his side.
Julie knew that he was insinuating that he had been busy with her. Normally she would have stepped back and corrected his statement, but not today. Not when Tim was looking like some lost little puppy.
She didn't care if he used her as a buffer against whatever it was going on between him and Lyla. She wrapped her arm around his waist, looking up and giving him what she hoped was an adoring smile.
Julie then glanced at Lyla, and was sure her eyes were about to pop out of her head at the sight of the two of them looking so cozy with one another.
Ha! Take that, Garrity.
"Well, I guess I'll let you two get back to whatever it was y'all were doing." Lyla said slowly, taking Chris's hand. "Bye you guys."
"Bye." Julie said softly, while Tim just nodded slightly.
After a few seconds, Tim removed his arm from her shoulders, leaving Julie feeling empty and a little lost herself.
She quickly removed her arm from around his waist, biting her lip as she looked up at him, not sure what to say.
"I uh, I'll wait for you by the door." He muttered, barely glancing at her as he walked off.
Damn Lyla Garrity, Julie thought with a snarl as she quickly chose a card for her dad.
After paying for her purchase, she met up with Tim by the door. The two of them walked silently through the mall and out to his truck.
Both climbed into the truck, with Tim slamming his door a little harder than necessary.
As he went to place the key in the ignition, Julie reached out and grabbed his hand, wrapping her fingers around his. "Tim, wait." She said softly.
She held her breath wanting, and hoping, for Tim to say something. But he remained silent, looking out the windshield but not seeing a thing.
"I know that you're not a talker, and that's okay. And I know you probably think I talk way too much, which is true." She said quickly, searching her brain for the right words to try and convey her feelings.
"But, I just wanted to say…that I'm sorry." She said softly, giving his hand a squeeze.
He looked up slowly, meeting her gaze. "For what?" He asked quietly.
Julie swallowed. It was kind of hard to form words when he was looking at her so pointedly with that lonely-look in his eyes.
"I'm sorry that you and Lyla obviously have something going on that's hurting you. I mean, you're upset – that's obvious. And I don't need to know all the details or anything, but I do know that you're a good guy and that you don't deserve something like this." She finished in a rush.
Tim stared at her for several seconds, making Julie's heart beat double time as she licked her lips nervously.
Finally, his mouth tipped up in a small smile as he looked down at her hand holding his as it now rested on the seat. "You're something else, Jules."
The affection in his voice sent a wave of butterflies straight to her stomach, and the feel of his thumb brushing over her knuckles made her shiver lightly.
"I uh, I told Lyla that I loved her last year toward the end of the season." Tim said softly, continuing to stare at their joined hands. "She shot me down, but I wouldn't accept it. Kept tryin' to win her over. Hell, I even went to church." He drawled, meeting her gaze.
Julie smiled slightly. Tim Riggins at church. Now that was a sight she wished she had seen.
"But she's with preacher boy, and that's cool. I'm over her. I really am. But just seeing her with him brings up all those feelings."
"What feelings?" Julie asked quietly, wondering if he means that he realized he still loves her. For some unknown reason Julie hoped that wasn't the case.
"The knowing that she chose someone else over me. That feeling of not being good enough, yah know?" He said, meeting her gaze.
"Yeah." Julie said, giving him a small smile as she nodded her head. "Not trying to sound all 'Counselor Tami Taylor' on you or anything, but you know that you are good enough right? I mean, there's nothing wrong with you Tim. Well, maybe other than your love of plaid shirts, but…" She said, watching as he grinned at her dig at his wardrobe.
There's that trademark Riggins smirk, she thought as she let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she was holding.
"How do you do it, Taylor?" He asked with a smirk.
"Do what?
"Manage to get me to spill my guts and then make me smile and feel like it's all gonna be alright?"
"It's a gift." She said cheekily, giving him a grin, trying to keep him from seeing how much those words really meant to her.
"Thanks." He said, giving her hand another squeeze before pulling his hand away slowly. "Well, I guess I better finally get you home." He drawled, placing the key in the ignition and starting the truck.
"Home?" She questioned. "I was thinking that after helping you fight off the hordes of women after you in the mall, that you at least owe me some ice cream."
Tim smirked, pulling out of the parking lot. "Alamo Freeze it is then."
Julie smiled, nodding her head in agreement. It had been a fun day, despite the Lyla incident, and she wasn't ready for it to end quite yet.
