About a month went by and Lindsey was still in the dark, he didn't know about the time Stevie came to his house. Today he showed up at Stevie's quite early in the day, suggesting them starting working on the new album she had asked him to produce. The plan wasn't to get a lot done, she read him her most recent poems and he tried to add music to them. While they were doing it Stevie forgot everything that was going on and simply watched Lindsey at his best. With a guitar in his lap and one hand skipping through pages of her journals, trying to pick the most beautiful of her writings, he looked so concentrated, biting his lower lip. She loved him like that.
"Can I play on the album?"
"What?" Stevie faced him, unsure if she heard him correctly.
"Stevie, you have some amazing stuff in here." He pointed at her journal. "I love it and while I trust you would do a damn great job on your own, I think I could really help you elevate your songs to a whole new level."
"Don't get me wrong, Lindsey, but... This is my solo work and you playing guitar on it is too Fleetwood Mac, don't you think?"
"I haven't been in the band for years."
"I know that, but I try my best to keep these two worlds apart and I haven't been in the band for some time either, but the fans still relate us to it."
"What you're saying is true, but come on, Stevie, we've earned the right to do whatever the hell we want to. If anything, I think that fans would love it."
"And I agree, but... I don't know, maybe it's my personal thing and you wouldn't get it."
Lindsey took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second. "Well, okay. I'm not going to push you into anything, but please, give it some thought?"
"You're not forcing me into doing something?" She was genuinely surprised at how easily he backed down.
"Yeah, wipe that smirk off your face." He rolled his eyes, closing her journal. "I think we've done enough for one day."
"Mhm. Thank you." She said, wrapping her arms from behind him.
"I know I've been always kind of jealous of your solo success, but I do intend to do my best to make this a great album."
"That would be lovely." She laughed backing off. "Are you hungry? I'm starving!"
"Are you cooking?"
"You're definitely not, so..."
"Sure."
Stevie left him alone in her home studio, that of course wasn't nearly as big and expensive as his, but they could work in there. She looked of what was in the fridge, which wasn't much, because she rarely cooked herself, and made just enough for small lunch.
"I can do the dishes." Lindsey said, rolling up his sleeves of the shirt he was wearing.
"You dont' have to."
"It's no trouble."
She shrugged, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Knock yourself out."
"If you're planning on staring at me, I might drop these plates."
"I'm surprised, that's all. I don't think you've ever volunteered to do something while we lived in that tiny apartment."
"What can I say, I'm a changed man."
"Took you only about twenty years." She teased him and he rolled his eyes again. "What are we doing after you're finished cleaning up?"
"Well... I was thinking about going home."
"Oh." Suddenly, Stevie remembered Jennifer and all they talked about, bringing her back to the awful reality.
"You had something in mind?"
"No, no I just... Foregt it." She said, sprinting out of the kitchen, but he was quick enough, to catch her by the waist.
"Hey... Are you upset?"
"No."
"Yes, you are." Lindsey wiped his hands off so they weren't wet, before bringing them up to her face. "If you want, I'll stay. And even if you have nothing planned, we can just sit together and watch a movie or do nothing."
"I don't know what got into me, of course you have to go home. You've been here all day. I got too caught up with how perfect today was."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's been great having you around like this, it felt very homely." Before she knew it, he was lowering his lips to hers and she was too weak to resist his kiss. She was glad there was no room for it to escalate into something more, as she broke away just in time, but not too soon for him to question it.
"I had a great time too, you know... And I told you, what I would like to happen, but you said you needed time, so I didn't bring it up again. But I'm here, Steph, and I won't walk out that door ever again if you only ask me to stay." She began crying and he couldn't be fast enough to wipe her tears away. "What is it, baby? Why the tears?"
"I do want you stay."
"Then I will."
"No..." She shook her head. She had promised Jennifer to play along in teaching Lindsey a lesson, but she wasn't a vengeful person and she loved Lindsey more than life itself. He hurt her, but she couldn't do it to him. She couldn't go on any longer with their plan.
"Why not? Stevie, I don't get it."
"You can't stay with me. You can't come here in the first place. You can't hold me and you can't kiss me. You love someone else, you shouldn't be here with me."
"What are you talking about?"
"Lindsey, I know... I know everything."
"What do you know, Stevie?"
"About Jennifer and your baby. I know about them, I've met her, she told me everything."
