Chapter 196 - I'm Ready

Tom rushed to the door the moment he heard the sound of his doorbell, and he swung the open without bothering to find out who it was since the only person he was expecting was Lucy.

"It's exactly ten minutes," Lucy said with a small smile as she raised her phone up for him to see her timer which just went off. 

Instead of looking at her phone's screen, Tom blinked at her in surprise. She was no longer wearing her glasses as she had some minutes ago, and she was wearing her hair down, "Your glasses and hair..." 

Lucy grinned at him, "Yeah. Well... I figured that since you like it better this way, I could make an exception just when I'm with you," Lucy said with a shrug, and then raised a brow, "Am I going to keep standing here?" She asked, reminding him that he was still standing in the doorway and blocking her path. 

"Oh, sorry!" Tom said as he stepped aside for her to walk in, and then he shut the door behind her while she looked around the house 

"Hm. I see you set the table up again," Lucy observed with a small smile when she noticed the candlelit table.

Tom cleared his throat, "Yeah. You seemed to really like it the last time," he explained while he just continued to watch her. Something about her always just seemed to leave him in awe of her. 

She constantly surprised him by her actions and gestures which always left him feeling like he didn't know her well enough. There was just something about her that was more than ordinary. 

"Yeah, I do like it. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly dressed for a candlelit dinner," Lucy said with a grin as she looked down at her outfit. 

"I never knew there was a specific dress code for candlelit dinners. So what are you dressed for?" Tom asked as he admired her lovely legs in the shorts she was wearing. Unlike the sexy dress she had worn the last time, she was wearing black shorts that stopped mid-thigh, with a blue-colored halter top.

"I'm dressed to have dinner with you in front of the television," Lucy explained with a grin.

"We could place the table in front of the television then," Tom suggested in a practical tone making Lucy laugh out loud.

"It's no wonder you need me to teach you about relationships. Now that I think about it, the last time we sat there you tricked me into becoming your girlfriend," Lucy added the last part with a teasing smile as she took slow steps towards the table. 

"An action which I don't exactly regret. And by the way, I was just joking about moving the table to the living room. We could just put off the candles and eat in the living room," Tom suggested instead.

Lucy's lips twitched with a smile as she turned to look at him, "Nah. Let's eat here," Lucy said, but just continued to stare at him without making any effort to sit down, "So... I'm still just your temporary girlfriend, right?" Lucy asked as she stared at Tom who was now approaching her.

"Is that what you want to be? My temporary girlfriend?" Tom asked without breaking eye contact as he stopped in front of her and then circled his arm around her waist to draw her closer to himself.

Lucy's tongue involuntarily peeked out of her mouth to wet her lips as she looked up at him, "You tell me," she said in a slightly cracked voice as her eyes moved to his lips and then back to his eyes.

They both stared deeply into each other's eyes for a moment, and then Tom lowered his head a little, and Lucy raised hers to meet him halfway. Her eyes fluttered shut as she puckered her lips in anticipation of a kiss. Tom's lips curved in a smile as he looked at her face, "Is it just my mind, or do you always think about doing things to me every time you are in this apartment?" Tom asked in amusement, and Lucy's eyes snapped open as she hit his arm in embarrassment making Tom chuckle deeply.

"You ruined the moment," Lucy cussed as she moved away from him making Tom chuckle even more. 

"Really? There was a moment? I didn't even know it," Tom said with a chuckle as he pulled her back to himself while his eyes continued to gleam with amusement, "You're everything beautiful, Lu," Tom told her with a soft smile as he brushed his lips against hers, and then he chuckled when she refused to kiss him back and just kept staring at him. 

"I mean it, Lu. You manage to make everything beautiful," Tom persisted with the kiss, licking and nibbling on her lips until her resolve weakened and she kissed him back.

Tom broke the kiss before things could get more intense, and then he pulled away to look into her face. They both just stared into each other's eyes without saying a word. Tom reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear while letting his fingers graze on the spot behind her ear, and Lucy's eyes fluttered at the contact.

Tom cleared his throat, "We should probably eat now," he said as he kissed her forehead once again, and then with a hand on her back, he led her to the table were pulled out a seat for her.

"Thank you," Lucy said as she sat down and dropped her phone on the table, "I suppose the last meal we ate here was prepared by the chef at your house?" Lucy asked as she looked down at the dishes which were covered in front of her. 

"I promise you I was in the kitchen the whole time the meal was prepared. I received directions from the chef while we prepared the meal together," Tom assured her as he poured her a glass of cranberry juice which was on the table.

"It's such a relief to know that," Lucy said as she watched him pour the juice. She couldn't believe he was still bent on making her take cranberry juice. 

"Since you complained of ulcer pains a while ago I figured we skip the wine tonight. Let's have cranberry juice instead," Tom told her as he poured himself a glass.

"You don't have an ulcer, do you?" Lucy asked, wondering why he was also taking the juice.

"I don't, but you don't seem to like it really much so it's only fair that I drink it with you since I'm making you take it," Tom said with a small smile.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons she had come to really like him and respect him. He was a very thoughtful and caring person, Lucy thought as she returned his smile, "Thanks."

"This was what I could get on such short notice. She said she was trying out a new recipe. It's Chinese-style lamb fried rice. I hope you like it," Tom said as he removed the covering over the dishes.

"Chinese style lamb fried rice," Lucy repeated with a curious smile as she looked down at the food and then picked up her cutlery, "At least I'm glad I'm not expected to use chopsticks to eat this," she said with a grin, and Tom chuckled as he picked up his cutlery too and dug into it. 

"Hmm, not bad at all. Although it's my first time tasting this so I wouldn't exactly know what it's supposed to taste like," Lucy said with a small laugh, and Tom shook his head at her. 

"You seem really different now," Tom observed as he watched her while she ate.

Lucy waited until she swallowed the food in her mouth before responding, "Do I?" She asked even though she knew what he was talking about. 

"Yeah. In a good way though," he assured her before he returned his attention to his food so that he could let her eat without interruption as he could tell that she was really hungry. 

They ate in silence for a while and then Lucy cleared her throat as she raised her head to meet his gaze, "So how did the phone call with your brother go?" 

"It was fine. I also spoke with Sonia," Tom informed her. 

"You did?" Lucy asked with a small smile.

"Yeah. Although she defended you, she promised to put in a good word for me with you," Tom informed her.

"Perhaps I should let her do that? I'd like to see how she goes about convincing me to forgive you," Lucy said with a wide smile.

"About the question, you asked earlier..." Tom said, and Lucy's brow arched questioningly.

"I know you have always insisted that you don't want a man in your life. And that was the only reason I had to ask you to be my temporary girlfriend when what I really wanted was to be in a committed relationship with you. So I want to know; do you still need time to make up your mind about being in a real relationship with me or do you think you are ready for it now?" Tom asked as he set down his cutlery.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucy asked after some time as she also kept aside her cutlery.

"Trust me, Lu. I wouldn't be seated across from you right now if I didn't want this. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life," Tom assured her as he reached across the table to touch her hand. 

"We can't let anyone at the company know that we are in a relationship..." 

"That's not the answer to my question, Lu. Do you still need time to make up your mind about this, or are you ready to be in a committed relationship with me? I want you to understand that there is no pressure, Lu. Being able to sit down with you this way is even more than I hoped for a couple of hours ago. I'm only asking you this just to be sure how you feel about us," Tom said, cutting her off.

Lucy looked into his eyes, and then at their hands which were joined. If she was going to do this relationship thing, then she would rather she tried it with someone as sweet, and caring, and thoughtful as Tom. She took in a deep breath before giving him a nod, "I think you've given me more than enough time. I'm ready," Lucy said with a small smile. 

"Are you sure about this, Lu? You don't have to feel pressured. I'm not going anywhere even if you tell me you need a year," Tom promised, and this only made Lucy's heart flutter. 

"I know that. And I don't feel pressured in any way.. I'm ready."