Stay With Me a While

Part 28

"It's weird." 

"What is?" Stevie asked as Lindsey shut the door to her home.

"We live minutes away from each other and yet, the one and only time I've been here, was when you asked me to help you with Soldier's Angel."

"Well, I came into your house for the first time just four days ago." She shrugged, telling him to leave her suitcase by the door, she'd get that taken care of later. "Can I get you anything? Not that I really have something."

"No, I just kind of want to sit with you for a while." Lindsey replied, shaking his head. 

Stevie led the way into the room, where she'd spent a big chunk of time recording In Your Dreams. The very same room, where she and Lindsey sat together in front of the fireplace over a year ago - a glimpse into their on and off again relationship their fans loved.

"I want to thank you." Lindsey spoke up. "I didn't know, what to expect, when I called you that first time. It turned out to be one of the happiest experiences I have shared with you. You were right, saying that when it's just us, things work between us." He gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I wish, it didn't have to be this way. I wish, we could go back into a studio and record another double album as a band." He sensed she wanted to interrupt, but he continued. "I'm not going to ask you, I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want to do, Steph. Working with you, creating music together - it brings me a lot of joy. If you ever decide that you're up for it, give me a call, please."

"There are several reasons, why I'm kind of against it, Lindsey." Stevie sighed. "I hate that Mick's such a blabbermouth, that he'll say anything to get the fans excited and I hate that I'm the one, who's always disappointing them. I'm seen as some diva, people think that I care about my solo career much more than I do about Fleetwood Mac. If not for Fleetwood Mac, I wouldn't even have a career in music. What people don't get is that recording an album is extremely difficult. It's difficult for us, you and I. We've spent years, no, we've wasted years arguing and it usually happened, when we were working on a new record. We're getting older, Linds, we're not promised tomorrow." She smiled sadly. "I would much rather go back out on the road, have fun and enjoy the experience with you than argue about some stupid lyric you don't like in my song." She leaned forward in her seat and reached for his hand. "Linds, you are so important to me and I love you so much. It tears me apart, when we're at odds with each other. We've both changed a lot over the years. And in some ways, we'll never go back to who we once were. You're absolutely right, it's crazy that we're not on the phone every other day, that you're in my home for the second time, since I've bought it. But it's just... it's how things are and we have to be okay with that. You've made your choices and I've made mine. We should be thankful that we're still together in some way, considering we met at 16 and 17 years old."

"God..." Lindsey cocked his head back. "Time flies, huh."

"Yes, it does and it's why I don't want to waste any more of it fighting with you."

Lindsey grew quiet. Stevie didn't say anything either, giving him a moment to process everything she'd just said. But their hands remained clasped and she brushed her thumb over the back of his, soothing him. 

"I want you to promise me something." Lindsey turned to look at her after some time.

"I've got to hear it first." Stevie gave him a look, smiling a little. 

He sighed. "I want you to promise me that everything that happened between us, you're not going to pretend it didn't. I know, it hurts you and it hurts me too, Steph, but I want you to remember all the talks we had, the laughs and tears we shared. I want you to remember, how it felt being with me, that I'm not always an asshole, I'm not doing the exact opposite of what you've asked on purpose. I want you to remember that we made love, because there is still a lot of love there. I want you to think of me as a man, who's made a lot of mistakes over the years and who's still trying to right the wrongs to this day. Most of all, I want you to think of me sometimes and when you do, pick up that phone and say, hi."

She swallowed the lump of tears in her throat, she hung her head low, her hair hiding her face from him. "I promise." She could only whisper, but he heard.

Lindsey rose to his feet, bringing her up as well. He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled, pulling her into his arms. "I love you, Stevie. Always have, always will."

Stevie nodded, sniffling as she held onto him tightly. "I love you, Lindsey."

They stood, embracing each other for a while longer. Lindsey eventually drew back slightly and cradled her face in the palms of his hands. He pressed his lips softly to hers and lingered for a just a few seconds, before their lips parted, having sealed their promises to each other.

"Oh, I've almost forgot." Lindsey stopped, letting go of the door handle. He searched in the inside pocket of his leather jacket for a second. "Here."

"What is this?" Stevie asked, turning over a folded piece of paper in her hands.

"In case you're still interested." He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Goodbye, Steph. I hope, I'll see you soon." He added and closed the door behind him on his way out.

Intrigued, Stevie unfolded the piece of paper and chuckled lightly. A phone number, 'The Cowboy' written below it.

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THE END

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Thank you so much for reading! I absolutely loved writing this story and I hope that at least parts of it were true. Thank you for your wonderful feedback ♥