Chapter 170 - Too Soon

Tom gazed into Lucy's eyes through her glasses as they both stood there in the open street staring at each other, without a care in the world. Nothing mattered more at that moment to either of them than the person who was standing in front of them. 

Tom could see the questions swimming in her cloudy gray eyes. He knew that she needed him to give her answers that would clear whatever doubts she was having about him. How was he going to do that? Where was he going to start from? "What were you doing out here?" He asked curiously as he moved his gaze away from her to look at the apartment he had just asked them to put up for sale. 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "I was bored. Needed to think, so I was taking a walk and found myself here," she said with a small smile, "Why are you moving, Tom?" She asked, looking at him with serious eyes. She had a lot of questions, but she decided to take it one at a time. 

'No more lies. Don't lie to her' Tom said to himself in his head, as he tried to figure out the best way to say what needed to be said. He cleared his throat, "We should probably go in and talk," Tom suggested as he patted the back of her head like she was a little girl.

Lucy gave him a nod and turned to leave in the direction of her home, but Tom held her hand before she could walk ahead of him, "Let's walk together," he said, as he stepped in line with her.

Without saying a word they both walked over to her apartment together hand in hand while Alicia watched them from behind her curtains, wondering what Lucy was doing just after everything she had told her a moment ago. Alicia pursed her lips in disappointment and she shook her head, Lucy was too trusting for her own good. 

Once they got to Lucy's apartment, Tom took the keys from her and unlocked the door. Once they walked inside Lucy's apartment, Tom sat down on the couch and pulled Lucy down to sit beside him, and they both turned in their seat to face each other, "Can you tell me about your day while I try to gather my thoughts?" Tom asked hopefully.

Lucy looked at him for a brief moment, wondering if he was planning on telling her what he was hiding from her now. She partially hoped so. Lucy gave him a nod and then pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she started to tell him about her day. 

Tom watched Lucy as she spoke, telling him all about her day after she woke up at the hospital, and she also told him about the time she had spent with the CEO, only leaving out the details of her conversation with the CEO, as well as Alicia's visit. 

He had come, planning to tell her the truth about everything, but seeing how happy and excited she had been to see him, he became nervous. What if she pushed him away angrily after hearing the truth? What if she refused to understand things from his perspective? Although he knew that she was beginning to fall in love with him, he knew she wasn't all the way there yet, and he didn't want to take chances. But wouldn't keeping the truth away from her much longer cause even more trouble later?

"You're not going to say anything?" Lucy asked, feeling awkward when she finished speaking, but Tom just kept staring at her without making any contribution or asking her any question. 

"Let's just say I enjoy watching and listening to you speak," Tom said with a crooked smile which Lucy returned, "I hope the CEO didn't bother you much?" Tom asked, wanting to know how she felt about all that had happened between them earlier.

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste, "He is so full of himself. I think a person like him deserves a person like Anita," Lucy said with a shake of her head, making Tom raise a brow. 

He realized that he must have really pissed her off for her to be wishing him a person like Anita. "Why? Did he do or say something harsh to you?" 

"Not exactly. I guess I'm just disappointed in him. I realized that he happens to be one of those people who believe that money is everything. It's pitiful," Lucy said, shaking her head in disappointment.

So he was right. Tom was glad to know that he was right about her, and she wasn't like Anita and the others who thought money and power were everything. He wanted this woman for himself, and the only way to do that was to first be honest with her. 

"Enough about him. So you tell me, what came up earlier this morning that you had to leave me that way?" Lucy asked, looking at him with curious eyes as she adjusted her glasses once again.

Tom swallowed hard, his heart beating really fast as he looked at her. Never had he felt so nervous in his life. Not even a meeting with possible investors or his board members made him feel this way. 'No more lies' he reminded himself.

"Uhm... I was confused, worried, and scared," Tom confessed.

Lucy could understand him being confused and worried about her because of the way she had fainted, but she couldn't understand why he would leave her because of any of that. Besides, hadn't he said he wasn't scared of her? Lucy frowned, "You left because of that? But you said you were not scared earlier," she reminded him, sounding a bit hurt. 

"Yeah. I'm kind of scared, but you're not exactly the reason I'm scared..."

"If not me then what are you scared of? And is that the reason you want to move out and quit your job?" Lucy asked in confusion as what he was saying wasn't making any sense to her. 

Tom swallowed hard as he gave her a nod, "I told you how I lied to you about certain things..." He reminded her without meeting her gaze, and Lucy's heart skipped a beat.

Was he going to open up to her about what he was hiding now? What if they were things she couldn't forgive him for? What if the truth he was about to tell her was something that would make her no longer want to look him in the eyes? What could be so bad that he would do that she couldn't forgive? It wasn't like he had killed someone and was hiding here, right? Why was she feeling more nervous than the person who had lied to her? Lucy wondered as she looked into his face, her heart beating fast. 

She knew that she had prayed for him to tell her the truth before she finds out on her own, but now that she was faced with it, she realized that she wasn't really ready to hear it. It was too soon. She still needed some time.

"Tom, I don't..."

"I'm not who you think I am," Tom confessed, cutting her off. 

"..." Lucy opened her mouth to speak again, but her phone started ringing at that moment. Grateful for the distraction, she picked it up wanting to receive the call which was from Sonia.

"Lu, can the call wait? I really need to get it out now," Tom pleaded, thinking that if he didn't tell her now, he might not be able to bring himself to do so later. 

Lucy looked at her phone, and then glanced at Tom as she contemplated whether to take Sonia's call or hear what he had to say.