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Karaoke night was a sacred Mid Wilshire tradition for years even before Lucy’s rookie year. It was one of the greatest ways for fellow officers to bond. A few drinks and a lot of off-key singing…well, that she HEARD. Lucy always put every other performer to shame, in her not so humble opinion.
Angela always picked the song when they were singing partners, and Jackson only let her select the song every other time. Unfortunately, Jackson had POOR taste in determining what to perform- he always opted for some cheesy, catchy pop song whose lyrics Lucy only knew against her will thanks to their frequent radio play. Tonight was his turn to pick the song, and she would not even ask…she knew she was going to cringe throughout the entire performance, but they would have fun anyways.
With a cold beer in her hand, Lucy sat on a couch next to Angela, and they both tried to tune out Nolan’s truly awful rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’”. “He’s not coming. He never comes,” Angela sighed when she noticed the way her friend’s eyes continually searched the room.
“I asked him to come,” Lucy said dejectedly and picked at the label on her beer bottle.
“You’re the only one who still bothers to invite him. We all know he thinks it’s stupid and never shows.”
“I guess I thought this time was different.”
“Why?”
“Tomorrow…it’s the end of my rookie year, and we’re all here celebrating, and I wanted…I’m being ridiculous,” Lucy shook her head.
“Hmm…” Angela hummed and the corners of her lips quirked up.
“What?” Lucy asked, but there was no time for an answer before Jackson yanked her by the hand and guided her to the stage.
He scanned the crowd and gasped. “Change of plans, folks. Lucy Chen will be performing tonight with none other than Tim Bradford! Everyone give him a hand!”
She was surprised Jackson was surrendering his opportunity to perform but also that her friend would make such a joke. Tim was not even present, and even if he was, he would NEVER sing karaoke. Lucy looked out at the crowd and almost dropped her microphone when her brown eyes were magnetized to a pair of blue ones. He was unmistakably scowling, his hands in his pockets, and his lips turned down in a frown, but Tim CAME.
“Come on, Tim! Get up here!” Jackson said encouragingly.
Angela practically shoved Tim onto the stage, stumbling as he stepped up, and when he tried to object, she said, “Live a little, Bradford.”
Jackson pressed the microphone into Tim’s hand and stepped down to join Angela on the couch. He smirked when he pulled out his phone, ready to record to the performance.
The song started playing, and Lucy let out a nervous laugh, recognizing the melody even before a single lyric was uttered, and not feeling the least bit comfortable with the idea of singing the song with TIM.
“There’s gonna be one less lonely girl…” Tim spoke into the microphone to begin the song. He had no idea how he had been roped into singing, but in 2 minutes the song would be over and he could leave. Besides, he knew his awful rendition would make Lucy smile.
“One less lonely girl,” Lucy added, her nervous smile expanding but unable to look at her singing partner. Her eyes stayed fixed on the crowd, primarily Jackson, hoping he could see her death glare.
Even with sweaty palms and erratic heartbeats, they made it to the first chorus, and that’s when Lucy finally made eye contact with Tim. He looked miserable and grumbled his lines, but he was there. He showed up when she had asked desperately. Normally, her invites to join the group on karaoke night were casual, but this time, Lucy really wanted Tim to join in on the fun, but also…
After tomorrow, they would be colleagues. He would not be her Training Officer. Her boss. They could be friends. She was looking forward to keeping Tim in her life even without riding together all the time. It seemed infinitely important whether Lucy fully understood why it mattered so much to her.
Regardless, he entered the karaoke bar for the first time since his rookie year because she asked, and that realization distracted her a little from singing the song.
Only singing to Tim, Lucy smiled as she sang (with a few runs and maybe a few higher notes to show off): “Saw so many pretty faces, Now all I see is you.”
It was not the first time, but she did notice yet again that he is quite pretty, even under the harsh colorful stage lights. “Don't need these other pretty faces like I need you, And when your mine in this world…”
She swallowed as the lyrics washed over her and who she was singing them to.
Does she need Tim? The person who pulled her out of a barrel, the man whose advice she sought more than anyone else’s, the only guy who she allows to steal some of the fries off of her plate, because he lets her steal some of his food, too. The person who she has entered countless dangerous situations with and never once doubted that she would survive, because Lucy trusts Tim. More than anyone.
Perhaps she does need him.
The realization struck her like an arrow to the chest, and then more words crashed over her like a wave, threatening to pull her under: “I can fix up your broken heart, I can give you a brand new start.”
Could she…DID she want to fix the parts of Tim that he determined were broken beyond repair when Lucy only saw little cracks that could easily be healed?
Overcome, she almost left the stage before the end of the song. Her knees buckled when she sang again right to Tim: “I'm gonna put you first, I'll show you what you're worth.”
Does anyone value Tim for the man he is aside from her? Could anyone appreciate him more than she does?
Their unbreakable eye contact lasted for the rest of the song, and she thought her chest might explode from looking at him while singing words that made her feel so overwhelmed while he seemed perfectly fine, speaking the lyrics into his microphone grumpily, unhappy with the fact that he was singing karaoke.
When the song ended, Lucy felt like there was no air in her lungs, so she stepped down from the stage shakily, swaying as her mind raced. She could barely move or breathe as Tim approached her from behind.
“Not bad, boot,” Tim said coolly.
“Th-thanks,” Lucy stuttered. “I…I didn’t think you’d show.”
“I didn’t think YOU would show. Just because tomorrow is your last day as a rookie, it doesn’t mean I’m gonna go easy on you. You should rest up and prepare.”
She rolled her eyes, “Yes, sir.”
“Good. You need a ride home?”
“No, Jackson’s our designated driver tonight.” Why did she want to say yes to his offer? Why was she itching to sit with him in a car as though Lucy would not spend tomorrow doing exactly that?
“Okay,” he blew out a breath.
Maybe Lucy was mistaken, but she thought she heard a little disappointment lacing his voice.
He nodded his head, put his hands back in his pockets, and took a step back. “I should head out.”
“You just got here.”
“I know, but I’ve got a rookie to train tomorrow. It’s the last time I can test her to make sure she’s ready to take on the streets without me.”
“You don’t think she’s ready?”
“She’ll have to find out in her final evaluation.”
“Come on! Can’t you just tell me now?” She pleaded.
He tilted his head to stall, but Tim knew he would oblige. “You’re ready.”
“Really?” She asked excitedly.
“Yeah,” he agreed quietly and felt his lips stretch into a small smile against his will. Why was her smile always so infectious? Tim swallowed, recollecting himself and added, “Doesn’t mean you won’t be tested tomorrow one last time.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Lucy grinned.
He stared at her for a moment longer, finding it more and more difficult to leave her orbit in recent months. “I’m gonna go destroy West’s phone before he has a chance to share our performance.” She smiled and watched him walk towards her friend, but suddenly, Tim turned back to say, “By the way, you have a beautiful voice.” He realized he had never heard her sing before, but he really, REALLY liked the sound.
Lucy’s cheeks immediately reddened at the compliment so much so she was unable to speak, so she watched him walk away in silence, her heart galloping in her chest. Had she always reacted to him like that, she wondered?
What happened to her in the duration of a Justin Bieber song? Was it the first time Tim had stirred something inside of her or was she only just realizing it now on the eve of the end of her rookie year? After tomorrow, they would be colleagues who see each other in the briefing room in the morning, sometimes in the break room, and maybe in the halls or the parking garage. But, she would no longer have Tim all to herself after tomorrow. She no longer would have his morning scowling face to look forward to or sit next to him in a car for hours on end where she was close enough to smell his body wash mixed with his deodorant and the essence of Tim. Lucy was unsure if she could still walk up to him and talk about whatever aggravating comment her mother would make next. She did not think she had a right to complain to him about something that overtook her mind only for Tim to put her at ease with a few nonchalant words.
Their relationship would change, and she was not ready to lose him as someone deeply important to her.
When had he become so important? Why was she being so introspective and growing so attached to the man who made her wince when she went shoe shopping? Lucy realized her best course of action to dispel the odd emotions flooding her would be to make a clean break from Tim. Separate herself from him. So, she scrolled through her phone to look up the steps of gaining closure, preparing her list of feelings to work through to healthily end a relationship while Nyla performed an Aretha Franklin song.
Maybe, if they walked through the phases, Lucy could end the strange feelings bubbling up inside her if only to stop yearning for someone who could never see her in the same light. Because it was just a crush born of feeling sentimental over the end of her rookie year, Lucy tried to convince herself. And, even if it was more than that…even IF her feelings were stronger, she had to stop them. Because he couldn’t feel the same. Ever. Right?
~~~FIVE YEARS LATER~~~
Lucy begged Tamara to plan a simple bachelorette party. Nothing extreme or ridiculous. She wanted a casual night out with friends where they happened to celebrate the end of her single life. When Tamara suggested karaoke, Lucy was overjoyed at the idea.
They entered their usual karaoke bar and started making requests of which song to sing. Everyone wanted a chance to sing with the bride-to-be, and Lucy was more than happy to perform with each of her friends.
As the night wore on, her voice positively hoarse from tequila shots and singing more songs than she usually does, her ears perked up when Tamara announced, “Next up is a surprise guest who decided to crash.”
From the back of the room, Tim strolled up to the stage, and Lucy was quite shocked to see her fiancée at her bachelorette party.
“BOO! Come on, Bradford. You can’t be at your fiancée’s bachelorette party. This is her last night of freedom before being shackled to you for life! We should be dancing with strippers not listening to your bad singing!” Angela complained, positively hammered.
“Okay, Lopez,” Tim sighed and shrugged off his jean jacket before tossing it in Lucy’s direction. “There. I stripped. Now, can I just get this embarrassment over with?”
Lucy chuckled, hugging his jacket to her chest, and when their eyes met, he smiled brightly.
“This is for my beautiful bride,” he said sweetly, earning him cheers from their friends, except for Tamara and Angela who thought Tim was being corny.
When the song began, Lucy was surprised to hear him singing the familiar words of “One Less Lonely Girl.”
At parts, he was rather pitchy and sometimes sang a little too quickly, but Tim did not look away from Lucy for the entirety of the song.
She was reminded of the last time they sang that song in the same karaoke bar when she had looked over at Tim on the stage beside her and realized that she had feelings for him. Lucy thought all those years ago that she could stop how she felt about Tim. That a closure checklist could prevent her from deepening those feelings. But, time proved to work oppositely. Lucy fell madly in love with him. She let him inside of her world, and he let her inside of his. And now, they began to build their own life, their own world, TOGETHER.
“Only you shorty,” he spoke the final line of the song, and she shot up from her seat, clapping wildly.
He stepped down from the stage and barreled right into her for a searing kiss.
“They’re so gross,” Tamara groaned, always outwardly complaining about their relationship despite how happy she was to see them happy.
“I always knew,” Angela whispered. She had a front row seat to Tim and Lucy’s banter, the way they spoke and moved in sync, how even off duty, they gravitated towards one another. Angela had heard Tim complain about her as his rookie and his aide, but there was always an edge of intrigue to his voice as though she was the first woman to keep him on his toes. Angela suspected from the moment Tim showed up to the karaoke bar all those years ago only because Lucy asked, and he had been so easily convinced to sing that night JUST to be around Lucy. By the time they had kissed “for work”, Angela was certain they were inevitable…though, it took the couple a little longer to figure it out for themselves.
“Great song choice,” Lucy murmured against his lips.
“First song I ever heard you sing. That was one of the million moments where I knew you were special,” Tim explained.
“Really?” She looked up at him in wonder. “That night…it was the first time I knew I had feelings for you. I tried to deny it, but it never worked. Not after I sang that song to you and realized how I feel about you.”
He let out a dry chuckle and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “I heard you sing, and I regretted it. I knew I would never get that stupid song out of my head…and I knew I would never get YOU out of my head.”
Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, “Now you’re never getting rid of me, because in 2 days, I’ll be your wife.”
Tim gave her a quick kiss and then smirked, “Jackson predicted it. He picked the song and made me sing it with you. He knew that I’d make sure there’s one less lonely girl.”
“He did,” Lucy agreed. She looked around at her friends having a good time singing and laughing and whispered, “I really don’t want to be lonely tonight, so mind taking me home?”
“You’re ditching your own bachelorette party?”
“Angela did say there should be strippers, so maybe I can get a private show?” She smirked at him mischievously, pulling him closer by the belt loops of his jeans.
“Well, my future wife deserves whatever she wants.”
She happily kissed him once more, then searched the space to see that everyone was thoroughly distracted. Taking him by the hand, she said, “Let’s make a run for it.”
Tim happily agreed, running right bedside her out of the karaoke bar and started driving them home.
Lucy’s phone buzzed with a text.
Tamara: LAME
She chuckled at the message and stowed her phone away.
“Everything okay?” He asked.
Lucy looked over at him, recalling a time when she had missed driving in a car next to Tim, and her heart swelled at the realization that she could ride with him whenever she wanted. He would never have to miss riding with her again either. Even if they never drove together on shift, they had the drive to work, or trips over to Angela’s house, and even driving from the karaoke bar to escape Lucy’s bachelorette party for time alone with Tim.
She never had to miss him.
“Yeah, everything is perfect. Mind taking the long way home?” she smiled and interlaced their fingers.
“What about your private show?”
“There’s still time for that, but I just want to ride with you for just a little longer if that’s okay.”
He squeezed her hand and grinned, “Sure, baby. I don’t mind.” He always did love being in a car next to her as though it was their rightful place. They drove in silence for a bit until they reached their home where Lucy started tugging at his pants impatiently, and he laughed as he pulled her into their bedroom.
Tim Bradford made sure that Lucy Chen (soon to be Lucy Chen Bradford) was never lonely again.