"One more." Lindsey said not even considering letting Stevie go. "Just one more, please."
Stevie sighed, giving him a pointed look. "You swear? I seriously need to get going or I'll miss my flight."
Lindsey smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, I swear."
She cupped his face in her hands and leaned in for another kiss goodbye. He didn't allow her to pull away, his fingers tangled in her hair to keep her close. Their public display of affection was attracting attention, but Lindsey couldn't care less.
"Lindsey, I mean it." Stevie managed to break their lips apart at last. "I'll see you soon." She pecked him once more and smiled. "I-"
"Yeah?" Anything to keep her talking.
"Nothing." She waved it off, unclasping his hands on the small of her back. "I'll call you, okay?"
"Okay." Lindsey nodded. What else could he say?
And Stevie walked away with that. Lindsey remained standing in the same spot, watching her getting farther from him with each step. She looked back over her shoulder and gave him a wave. Soon, she got lost in the crowd and Lindsey sighed heavily before he turned to leave. He said, he could change his flight and return with her, but that wasn't a good idea. Dean was likely going to be waiting for her at the airport, he didn't need to see them together. No matter how resistant Lindsey was to let her go, he didn't want to cause any more problems.
Stevie got to the gate just in time. She apologized to the woman ready to close it and boarded the plane. She took her window seat and closed her eyes, hoping to sleep through the flight. It wasn't because she was tired, she just wanted her mind more than anything else to rest.
There was a last minute change of plans. Dean was busy, which came as no surprise, so Jennifer was waiting for Stevie at the airport instead. She knew that before saying goodbye to Lindsey, but she thought, it was better not to tell him. He would have insisted on going with her.
Stevie struggled with her luggage and she was relieved to see her friend coming her way to help. Jennifer crushed her in a hug and started firing question after question at her, but Stevie wasn't ready to answer any of them.
"I'm exhausted, I just want to go home." Stevie said, when Jennifer suggested they should stop somewhere, grab a bite.
"Didn't you just got back from vacation? Shouldn't you be well rested?" Jennifer asked, she glanced at Stevie.
"It was uh..." She smiled to herself. "I had a fantastic time there, but you know." She shrugged. "I had to get up early, airports are always exhausting."
"You're not telling me something." Jennifer stopped at a red light and her full attention was on Stevie. "Spill."
"There's nothing to tell." Stevie insisted as she turned to look out the window. "Not right now anyway."
Of course that piqued Jennifer's interest, but Stevie remained tightlipped. She steered the conversation into a different direction, which got Jennifer talking for the rest of the drive. When they finally arrived, Stevie became anxious. She didn't plan on sitting Dean down to talk right away, but she couldn't know for sure, how she was going to react to seeing him either.
"Well, give me a call soon. I can't wait to hear all about your fantastic vacation, which you spent all alone." Jennifer emphasized, giving Stevie a pointed look.
"Will do." Stevie nodded and hugged her friend goodbye.
Taking a deep breath, Stevie entered the apartment building. She didn't rush. If Dean is busy, maybe he's not home, she thought hopefully as she searched for the keys.
No such luck.
