"You have lost your mind."
"I really don't want to fight with you right now."
"We're not fighting. Come here, honey." The look of concern on his face almost annoys her, but he manages to get her to sit beside him on the couch. His tone has totally changed, and he's suddenly gentle with her, trying to understand.
"I don't want any lectures."
"Stevie, you are a hopeless romantic. You can't seriously believe that love exists for everyone but you."
"I stopped believing in the forever thing a long time ago. No one lasts forever, Lindsey. It doesn't matter how in love you are. I've taken what I can get, and I'm grateful for all the wonderful love affairs that I've had. But at this point I can't find a reason to believe that I'm going to end up with someone."
"I've got a pretty good one," he says, lacing his fingers through hers.
"You know why you and I were working this time? We weren't talking."
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is. It was purely physical, and even though we're old, we're still really good at that part."
"Nothing is ever purely physical with us and you know it. You knew it before we even started, which is why you hesitated. We're never going to be able to ignore what we are together, Stevie. You can pretend that this was just about not wanting to sleep alone, but you're wrong."
To his surprise, she doesn't argue. She thinks for a minute, then lays her head on his shoulder. "I'm completely mortified right now, Lindsey. The entire world knows that I'm still sleeping with a married man. With the same man I've been in a warped relationship with for almost fifty years now. Doesn't that bother you?"
"It bothers me to have my infidelities out there for the world to analyze and interpret, yes. And I know how humiliating it is for you to have private information out there. But it doesn't bother me that people know that I'm with you."
"You can't be with me."
Every part of him wants to scream at her right now, but he manages to control himself, taking a minute to look at her before he speaks again. For all of her bravado about being alone, he can see how fragile she is. "I know you're scared right now. And I'm good with that. Take some time. But this is real, Stevie. I love you. I want to be with you, and I will fight for this, because neither one of us should end up alone. So go do whatever you need to do, but I'm not letting you run away this time."
Tears finally fall down her face, and she rests her head on his shoulder for a long, silent moment. "We're okay, Lindsey, but I need you to leave. Please don't push me on this, okay? Not during this tour. I can't handle it."
"I'll give you some time. We can do this, Stevie," he says, bringing her fingers to his lips. "I love you."
"I love you. Now go." He stands, reluctantly letting go of her hand and leaving. The minute he shuts the door, she starts sobbing, elbows on her knees as she buries her face in her hands. Realizing he's gone, the girls slip back in and rush to her side, wrapping their arms around her. They both know better than to ask any questions, letting her cry while Karen returns with a bottle of wine. It's going to be a long night.
Somehow, they all sleep in Stevie's king size bed, compelled by Stevie to stay at her side. She sleeps soundly, waking well after everyone has gotten up and returned to their own rooms. She has a rare moment to herself, and she sits up slowly, the remains of last night's wine still pounding in her head. She pick up the phone and calls Karen.
"Morning, sunshine," she answers, fully aware that her boss will be in rough shape.
"Bring me coffee."
"Okay. I'll be right over."
Stevie slowly gets up and dresses, realizing she's only got a couple hours until she has to leave for the venue. She needs to get herself together.
The last two days feel entirely surreal. Tonight, she will step onstage knowing that almost everyone in the audience has seen those photos, and the thought of it absolutely turns her stomach. She goes through the motions, readying herself and warming up, stretching, hair, make up. Soon, she's ready, standing backstage. Lindsey senses her mood and holds her hand, which earns looks from everyone in the band. Christine comes over and hugs her, and she pulls away form Lindsey for a minute to embrace her.
"I'm really sorry, Stevie."
"Thank you, Chris." They hadn't even addressed it with the band yet. It was too hard. She knew at some point - sooner than later - Mick would want a meeting. But right now, all she could think about was getting through tonight.
She intentionally keeps a distance tonight, spending more time with John and Chris than with Lindsey during the show. But in the pause at the end of Landslide, a group of fans up front starts to chant.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
She feels like she's going to throw up. She shoots them a look, then looks at Lindsey as she sings the last line, locking eyes with him, pleading. He shrugs and envelops her in his arms, burying his face in her neck. For a minute she thinks he's going to do it.
"You're doing fine. We're halfway there, baby," he says, squeezing her one more time before he lets go entirely, letting the audience lose their minds over the interaction. He leans back in and kisses her cheek quickly, then returns to his mic and starts talking. She watches him, trying to compose herself. Halfway there.
They're winding down, playing out of Go Your Own Way, and she finally relaxes as she realizes they're almost done. But as soon as the music dies down, the same fans start chanting.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
She and Lindsey are side by side, waiting for Mick and Chris and John to join them for a bow. Lindsey turns to her, smiles a little, and holds the back of her head. Before she realizes what he's doing, his lips are on hers and the crowd totally loses it. She stares at him, completely horrified. She forgets to bow, then rushes off stage and locks herself in her dressing room with Karen. She doesn't return for her goodbye speech tonight. Lindsey gets up and talks in her place, then rushes to find her.
"Stevie!"
"No."
"Let me in!"
"No!"
She hoists her bag onto her shoulder then opens the door forcefully. She stands face to face with him briefly before she slaps him across the face and storms down the hallway to her waiting car.
