Miss Independent

“Oh god, my heart goes out to you. I give it about 20 minutes before you get something vulgar or some guy asking if you want a dick pic.”

“It did only last about a day before I was tired of it. It seemed like they didn’t waste any time before asking if they could text me outside of the app. I don’t want a lot of strangers getting my number. I’m just not cut out for the whole dating scene.”

“Oh, I bet they’re gonna be excited about that,” Atticus replied with a smile. “They’ll have a lot of fun.” There was still an awkwardness between them, but he was glad that they were both trying to be friendly and hopefully move forward. “–Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me,” he promised her, a chuckle escaping him. “One water, comin’ up. –Mm, we have good burgers, if I do say so myself. My cook can also put together one hell of a chicken salad, if you’d rather go with something light and fresh.” 

“Good because they would run me all the way to the Mason-Dixon line if they found that out, and I like it here.” Lucy looked over the menu again before handing it over to him. Her first instinct was to be cute and flirty, damn him! Why was he so easy to talk to and bring that part to the forefront? She felt her cheeks blush at what she was holding back from saying and blurted out: “Chicken salad sounds good.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, I’ll take the chicken salad. I shouldn’t eat anything too heavy since it’s later than I had expected.”

“I’m… I’m good,” he replied, giving her a small smile. He stood there for a moment without saying anything before stepping a little closer. “How about you? How’s work going?” He was so happy to see her– he’d missed her since the last time he saw her, and he couldn’t help feeling relieved to see her. Maybe they weren’t together anymore, but he honest to God, hoped they could be friends, eventually. She was one of the best people he’d ever known, and he felt her absence from his life. “–What can I get you? Coffee, soda, tea?”

“I’m glad to hear it. --Work is good. I’ve been out gathering decorations for the kids to help me with tomorrow, since it’s getting cooler out and the spooky season is upon us. It’s been keeping me busy.” She would keep the few nights after they broke up where she looked like Jess from New Girl and cried into her ice cream to herself. She had forgotten that she was there for something to eat until he brought it up. “Water, please. Will you take my southern card away if I tell you that I cannot stand iced tea?” She crinkled her nose in distaste. “And what would you recommend to eat? Because I am starving.”

Atticus’s day had been busy– it was Sunday, after all, so a lot of people didn’t feel like cooking, so they came into his diner for breakfast and lunch. By diner, though, things had quieted down, and he was in his office when he heard the chime of the bell letting him know someone had come in. His waitress was on her break, so he grabbed a little notepad and went out to help the new customers. He approached the table, not really paying attention– and then stopped in his tracks when he saw it was none other than Lucy, sitting at one of the tables. “–Hi,” he murmured softly, trying to smile back. Honestly, he was still wracked with guilt over everything that had happened between them, and was surprised she’d come into his business. “It’s… great to see you, Luce.”

Lucy willed herself not to lose control and let her heart get all excited by his mere presence. Some habits were harder to break than others. “Great to see you, too.” It was a lie, but it was also very hard still. Why had she gone off by herself today? She was never going to go alone anywhere ever again. “How-- uh, have you been?” She bit her bottom lip. The hardest part was fighting the urges that came naturally. She had to learn how to be around him all over again. 

lucy: ever.

lucy: i only end up in crazy situations if you leave me by myself!

“–Oh, I was gonna mix it with…. Nevermind. It’s definitely a straight tequila kinda night,” Diana murmured, taking her own cup and downing the shot before pouring herself another, pushing away the bottle of orange juice she’d taken out of Lucy’s fridge. “So nasty, and yet.” She took a long sip of her second shot, making a face in distaste as she swallowed hard. “I almost feel twenty again.” She set the cup down and reached for the ice cream, and the spoons she’d brought in from the kitchen. “Do you want fudge brownie, or strawberry cheesecake?”

Lucy didn’t care about anything but alcohol at the moment. Just making her head stop for just a few minutes was worth the nasty hangover she would feel in the morning. Lucy glared over the brim of her cup and sighed. “I never really drank before. I would always talk myself out of the idea of it because it would mess me up the next day. Or it was simply wasn’t worth it. Always logical,” she groaned with a roll of her eyes. “So stupid.” Her eyes darted to the ice cream. “Fudge brownie, definitely. I am ready to get wasted by alcohol and chocolate.” She took the ice cream and spoon, stuffing a heaping spoonful in her mouth. “How are you, other than dealing with me?”

Her grandparents had asked to have Carrie for the afternoon, leaving Maggie completely free, for the first time in a really long while. She didn’t really know what to do with herself, she was so used to having her daughter with her at all times, unless she was with her dad, so it was strange. She walked around town for a little while, bought an iced coffee, and bought a couple of books– but after about an hour, she’d exhausted the entire town’s shops and boutiques, and ended up just stopping and taking a seat under a shady tree. She decided she’d start a book, before she made her way back home and got dinner ready and her grandparents dropped Caroline back off. Carefully pulling off her heels, she placed them near her purse and leaned back against the tree trunk and began to read. It was supposed to be a quick stop, just to give her a chance to rest after walking around in her heels all day, but she got sucked up into the book, and she couldn’t put it down– until she heard someone calling her name. In a daze, she blinked as she glanced up. “–Hm? Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear a single word you said,” she murmured, resting the book on her lap. “Come again?”

“It’s Maggie, right?” Lucy was usually really good with names, but her head was somewhere else, lately. “I didn’t mean to bother you, I just was wondering if I could join you. You look so very serene and I feel like I could use that kind of serenity in my life right now.” 

“Not well,” he started, but that wasn’t important now– what was important was that she’d agreed to help him out– enthusiastically so. He was caught off guard as she jumped up and hugged him, and almost dodged her, but begrudgingly went along with it, forcing a huge smile. “Lucy, it’s been much too long!” he replied, patting her on the back and lifting her up a bit as he hugged her. “–Of course, of course, mind if I sit with you so they’ll only see the back of my head and not recognize me?”

Lucy rolled her eyes at his remark. She didn’t say they were best friends or how well she knew him, just that she did. She was going to make him pay for two drinks for that. “Sit, sit,” she pulled back, taking a seat and patting the bench next to her. “Who exactly are you hiding from that you’re so desperate for anyone to help you out?” 

“Okay, I have two gallons of ice cream, some magazines, gummy bears, and…. tequila,” Diana held up the giant bottle of tequila as she entered Lucy’s apartment. “I’ll go get us a couple of cups. Find us something to watch.”

@lucygrayson

Lucy smiled sadly when she saw Diana come in. Of all the things that Lucy named off, the tequila sounded the most appetizing. “Thanks, Diana.” She sat up from laying on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and reached for the remote. She began shuffling through her Netflix and finally settled on The Office. When Diana came in the room, Lucy did the grabby hands at one of the cups and quickly took a sip of the tequila. She welcomed the burn down her throat. “Tequila is so nasty,” she muttered as she took another sip, just happy for any escape.

“–Did I really grab your coffee instead of mine?” Dallas frowned, holding the cup out to read the name on the cup, before raising his eyebrows, mouth dropping. “Wow, I really did do that. I am so sorry. –Allow me to buy you a new drink, please,” he insisted, pulling out his wallet to grab a few bills– more money than a coffee cost, but he felt really bad. “I’m an impatient idiot and a little delirious from caffeine withdrawals, and heard them say my name. Or what I thought was my name.”

“You really are out of it before your caffeine, Dal. I don’t know how you would think Lucy sounds like Dallas.” She chuckled and took the cup. “You don’t have to buy another one, we’re family, after all.” When they finally called up his name, she grabbed the drink and motioned for him to follow, leading him to an empty table in the corner. She set his drink across from her. “You need to be careful about throwing those bills around.”

“–Hey, listen. I’m in a situation where I just saw someone I’m trying to avoid, and I would really like them to not see me, or if they do see me, I have an excuse for why I can’t stand around talking to them or whatever, so could you like… pretend to know me or whatever? I’ll buy you a fucking drink or something for your trouble. Dinner. Breakfast. Whatever you fucking want, just do me this favor, please,” Julian murmured hastily as he peeked over his shoulder. 

Lucy looked up from her book and raised her eyebrow. “That shouldn’t be hard since I do know you. Hello, Julian. And that drink better be something strong.” She put her book down and turned her attention to him and cleared her throat. “Oh my god, Julian!” She jumped up and brought him into a hug. “I haven’t seen you in years! How have you been?! We need to catch up! Right now! Tell me EVERYTHING!”

diana: yeah.

diana: i'm on my way out the door. i'll be there in a few.