"That's literally what neat freaks say."
"I'm not—you know what? Fine. I'm a neat freak. And you're a chaos gremlin."
"Chaos gremlin! That's my new chef name."
Despite the small annoyances, Jake loved having Lucy there. Loved waking up next to her, loved cooking dinner together, loved the way his apartment felt like a home instead of just a place he slept.
But he could also feel Lucy holding back. Not fully settling in. Still treating it like she was visiting instead of living there.
"How's the trial run going?" Marcus asked two weeks in.
"Good. Mostly. She's still keeping one foot out the door, though."
"Give her time. Lucy's scared of commitment. That's not going to change overnight."
"I know. I just—I wish she trusted herself more. Trusted us more."
"She's been back five months, Jake. That's not that long. Give her another month or two. She'll get there."
But Jake wasn't sure. Sometimes he caught Lucy looking around his apartment with an expression he couldn't read. Planning her escape? Feeling trapped? He had no idea.
Three weeks into the trial, Jake came home to find Lucy stress-cooking.
"Bad day?" he asked, surveying the kitchen that looked like a bomb had gone off.
"Supplier issues. My meat vendor is changing distributors and I'm not sure the quality will stay consistent. Daniel thinks we should find a new vendor but I don't want to change everything when things are working."
"So you came home and cooked?"
"I came home and made beef bourguignon for some reason. Want some?"
They ate dinner, and Jake watched Lucy slowly decompress. This was their rhythm—she'd have a stressful day, come home wound up, and gradually relax as the evening went on.
"I think I'm getting used to this," Lucy said over dinner.
"Getting used to what?"
"Living together. Having someone to come home to. Not being alone with my stress."
"Is that a good thing?"
"I think so. At first it felt—suffocating? Like I didn't have my own space to retreat to. But now it feels—safe. Like no matter what goes wrong at the restaurant, I have this to come back to."
"This?"
"Us. You. Home."
Jake felt something shift in his chest. "So the trial run is going well?"
"Yeah. It is. I'm not ready to give up my apartment yet, but—but I could see myself being ready. Eventually."
"Eventually is good enough for me."
Lucy smiled. "You're very patient with me."
"You're worth being patient for."
They cleaned the kitchen together, and Jake felt hopeful. Lucy was getting there. Slowly, carefully, but getting there.
