the arrogance
Tim pushed open the car door, stepping out with urgency. “We got to get clear of the truck. Between the battery and the gas tank, this is a bomb waiting to go off.”
Lucy followed closely, her voice edged with tension. “Everything here is going to go up like a match.”
Without hesitation, Tim made his way to the trunk, yanking it open and pulling out a fire shelter. “I'm gonna grab the fire shelter.”
Lucy cast a wary glance at the metallic-looking material in his hands as they moved up the hill, searching for a clearing. “Have you ever used one of those before?”
Tim didn’t even look up. “Uh, I saw a video on YouTube once.”
The fire shelter wasn’t exactly reassuring—it looked more like one of those thin, crinkled blankets they handed out to shock victims. But now wasn’t the time to argue. She dropped to the ground beside Tim as he spread it over them, sealing them in as best he could.
Lucy’s breath was shallow, her eyes darting around beneath the flimsy layer of protection. “Is this going to work?”
Tim shifted slightly, not meeting her gaze. “It's designed to reflect radiant heat, protect against convective heat, and trap breathable air, which is good, but it's only meant for short-lived—”
“Yes. Yes is the answer that I'm looking for,” Lucy cut in, her voice sharp.
Tim exhaled, finally nodding. “Yes, it is definitely going to work.” He hesitated, glancing at her. “Listen, I want to tell you something.”
“No, no.” Lucy turned away, her throat tightening, eyes burning—not just from the smoke.
“What, you got somewhere you gotta be?” Tim quipped, his voice softer now.
She clenched her jaw, shaking her head. “God, you are gonna say something heartfelt because you think we're gonna die, and I don't want to cry right now.”
Tim smirked despite the situation. “I might say something hateful—you don’t know.”
“Yes, I do. I know what you're going to say.” Lucy turned to him then, her expression vulnerable but firm. “You're still in love with me.”
Tim’s eyebrows lifted. “Wow, the arrogance.”
“Am I wrong?!”
He held her gaze for a long second before exhaling. “No, okay? No, you're not wrong. Of course I still love you.” His voice was steady, quieter now. “Do you?”
Lucy’s lips parted, but she snapped them shut, looking away. “It doesn’t matter.”
Tim’s eyes narrowed. “So that’s a yes?”
“Oh, you are infuriating!” Lucy groaned, her frustration spilling over.
“I know! I know.”
Before she could retort, he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her, cradling her against him as the fire roared around them, their world burning but the truth finally laid bare.
The fire raged on outside them, the heat pressing against the thin shelter as the smoke seeped in, choking the air. Tim's voice broke through the chaos. "Lucy, just hear me out. You ain't got nowhere to be right now, I’m begging you."
Lucy trembled, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. "No, Tim... I'm scared!" Her voice cracked, raw with panic. Her breath came in short, uneven gasps as she instinctively clung to him, her body shaking with the fear of the unknown.
Tim tightened his hold on her, his own pulse racing with the same terror that gripped her. "I know, and I am too." His voice was steady but strained, his words an anchor in the storm.
Lucy let out a choked sob, her emotions spilling out as the reality of the situation hit her. She buried her face against his chest, trying to hold herself together, but it was slipping away.
"Shh... it’s okay. It’s okay. I got you," Tim murmured, his voice soft but firm. His hand moved gently through her hair, the motion soothing despite the chaos outside. It was all he could do to calm her, to remind them both that, in this moment, they had each other.
Tim held her tighter, his voice filled with a mix of desperation and certainty. “I love you so much, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Lucy pulled back slightly, her face wet with tears, her eyes wide with frustration. “No, no, stop saying that!” Her voice was shaky, angry even, as if the words were too much to bear.
Tim's gaze softened, but his resolve remained. “No, I won’t!” He said, his tone firm, as if nothing could change his mind. “I won’t stop saying that, and I won’t stop ever... because I love you, Lucy!”
The words hit Lucy like a punch to the gut. She turned her head away, her jaw clenched. “Well, maybe you should’ve thought of that before you dumped me,” she snapped, the bitterness in her voice like a shield to guard against the hurt she refused to show.
Tim's eyes darkened with regret, and he dropped his head slightly, knowing she was right. “I know, I know... and I regret it every day.” His voice cracked with sincerity, every word an admission he couldn't take back.
Lucy bit her lip, her fists clenched, her heart heavy with both anger and longing. “Consequences of your own actions,” she muttered bitterly, the words escaping like a wound too deep to close.
Tim leaned closer, his voice unwavering despite the fire surrounding them. “I love you, Lucy,” he repeated, each word a promise he wasn’t willing to break, no matter the circumstances.
"Stop saying that!" Lucy yelled, her voice raw with emotion, the desperation in her words echoing in the small space between them.
Tim’s gaze softened, but his resolve never wavered. "No!" he said firmly, almost pleading with her. "I love you, Lucy! And I’ll spend every day proving it to you."
Lucy scoffed bitterly, her chest tightening with frustration. "Well, it's too late for that. I’m done with you. I don’t, I don’t love you anymore. I moved on! You don’t get to just swoop in and destroy everything after you hurt me."
The words stung, but Tim wasn’t backing down. His eyes locked onto hers, unwavering. "I can because I know for a fact you still love me."
Lucy stared at him, incredulous. "Wow, I’m the arrogant one?"
Tim’s voice dropped, a mix of tenderness and pain in his words. "Lucy, I love you so goddamn much, and I’ll do whatever I need to until you retire, if I have to."
"Stop saying that! I’m done with you!" Lucy closed her eyes tightly, unable to face him for a moment. She could feel the weight of everything—every broken promise, every hurt, and every emotion she tried so desperately to bury.
"No, you're not. I know you, Lucy!" Tim's words were desperate, but full of certainty. "I know you still love me. That we still have a chance. But I also know I hurt you, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving how much I love you. I know I can never fix it, but I can try!"
"Just stop!" Lucy choked out, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.
Tim's hands shook, but he refused to let go. "No, no I won’t. I love you, Lucy!" His words were raw, filled with years of regret and longing.
"I told you to stop!" Lucy screamed, her breath shallow and ragged as the tears finally fell freely from her eyes. She couldn’t hold them back any longer, and the dam finally broke. The pain, the loss, the confusion—everything rushed to the surface as she crumbled under it.
"I love you!" Tim repeated, his voice full of desperation, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Don’t do this right now!" Lucy cried out, her voice breaking as she pulled away slightly, but she couldn’t escape the rawness in his words.
"No, no, I have to do this!" Tim insisted, his grip tightening as if he could hold her together with his love alone. "I love you so much, and I won’t ever stop!"
Lucy’s tears fell freely, her body trembling with the weight of it all. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t argue anymore. She just let herself fall into him, her hands gripping his shirt as she buried her face in his chest, her sobs shaking through her. The fire raged outside, but inside the shelter, it was the storm of emotions that consumed them both.
Tim held her close, his hands soothing her back, his heart breaking with every tremor of her body. He didn't know if he could ever fix what he'd broken, but in this moment, he would never stop trying.
The fire raged outside, the roar of the flames deafening, the heat pressing against the shelter as if it were trying to consume them both. But inside, it was just the two of them—Tim, holding on to Lucy as if she were his lifeline, and Lucy, her body trembling with sobs, clinging to him like she couldn’t let go.
The world outside felt like it was collapsing, but Tim could only focus on one thing: keeping Lucy close, keeping her safe. He felt her tears soaking into his shirt, the weight of her pain seeping through his skin. His own heart was racing, his mind screaming with a thousand thoughts, but all he could do was hold her tighter, his arms wrapped around her like a shield.
“I'm not letting go,” he whispered, his voice rough, as if the fire outside was trying to steal the words from him. “I’ll never let go, Lucy. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe. I swear.”
Lucy’s sobs slowed, though the hurt in her eyes remained. She didn’t say anything in response—couldn’t bring herself to. But she didn’t pull away either. She just let him hold her, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her ear, the only thing that made her feel like maybe, just maybe, everything wouldn’t fall apart.
Outside, the fire continued to rage. But for now, it was just the two of them, and Tim would protect her from everything else—even if the world around them burned
“Don’t let me go, Tim, please,” Lucy said hoarsely, her voice trembling as she buried her face deeper into his chest. The words were laced with fear, raw and unfiltered, the kind of fear that consumed her every thought in that moment. “I love you too... just don’t let me go. I’m scared.”
Tim’s heart broke at the sound of her voice, thick with emotion. He could feel her fear radiating off of her, the desperation in her grip, and it mirrored the same fear that was gripping him. He pressed his cheek to her hair, inhaling the familiar scent of her as if it were a lifeline.
“I won’t let go, Lucy. I swear to you, I’ll never let you go,” Tim whispered, his voice fierce but gentle, a vow made in the face of everything that threatened them. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her even closer as if his embrace could shield her from the flames outside and the fear that consumed them both.
The world beyond them might be burning, but in that moment, Tim was all she had—his warmth, his presence, the assurance that he would never let her face the darkness alone.
“I’m right here, okay? I’m not going anywhere,” he added, his voice a soothing balm against the panic that clawed at her chest. “I love you, Lucy. And I won’t leave you. Ever.”
Her sobs softened, though the fear still lingered, but with each word from Tim, she could feel a little more of the tension in her body melt away. She wasn’t alone. Not now. Not ever.
“We can fix it,” Lucy said hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper, but there was a hint of hope in her words, fragile as it was. “When we get out, we can get counseling or... or something. We can fix this.”
Tim’s heart skipped a beat. He knew they had a long way to go, but hearing her say those words—hearing that she still wanted to try—made the fire raging outside feel a little less terrifying. “Whatever you want, darling,” Tim said softly, stroking her hair as he held her close, his voice a quiet promise.
“Darling?” Lucy spoke up, her voice thick with surprise and the vulnerability that only the chaos of the moment could bring.
Tim chuckled softly, though it was laced with exhaustion. “Been spending too much time with my new rookie,” he replied, the words meant to lighten the mood, but it only earned him a small, choked laugh mixed with a sob from Lucy. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And for Tim, that little laugh—however broken—was enough to remind him that maybe, just maybe, they could still find their way back to each other.
Lucy clung to him a little tighter, her sobs still there, but now mingled with that fragile spark of hope. “We can fix it,” she repeated, this time with a little more conviction. And maybe, just maybe, they could.