"Can't you stay for a little while?"
"No, I don't think I can." Harrison said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"You didn't have a great time like you said, did you..."
"I had the best time." He was still holding her by the waist while her hands were on his chest. "But... We're not exactly sober. I've touched you like I should have never and I kissed you. If we go in there together, I won't be able to stop myself from tearing your clothes off."
"What if that's what I want? Maybe I want you to do that and I want you to stay the whole night with me?"
"It's not that I don't think you're absolutely gorgeous or that I'm not attracted to you, because I am, but you're married, Stevie. I don't do that."
"We're getting divorced."
"And there's still someone you're so in love with." He smiled sadly. "It's been great knowing you, even if for a day or two."
"You too. Don't take it the wrong way, but you've been just what I needed so I can go on with my life."
"Glad I could be helpful."
"I guess, goodbye then..."
"Goodbye." Harrison repeated and they shared one last hug before parting ways.
Stevie entered her hotel room and before anything, she grabbed a bottle of champagne from the mini fridge, not caring to get a glass. She fell on the king sized bed with the bottle in hand and exhaled deeply. Maybe she shouldn't open it after all? It was about time she started seeing things clearly. Getting drunk or even worse, using something, wasn't helping her. She was too old for all of it. If anything, she should have done what she did in LA and board the first plane back. Only now it dawned on her that her family and friends, that is if any of them knew she was gone, had to be going crazy because of her disappearance.
She returned to the living area of the suite where she had left her purse and searched in it for her phone, she hadn't checked it since she got to London. She found what seemed like hundreds of missed calls from Joe and Nicole. But then another named popped up... Lindsey? She pressed the call button and went back to the bedroom to sit down.
"Stevie! Oh my God, are you okay?"
He sounded so concerned about her that it made her smile a little. "Hey, Lindsey. Yes, I'm perfectly fine."
"Where in the hell are you? We're going crazy!"
"Who's we?"
"Well Joe, Nicole, me, Mick and John, Lori with Sharon, your brother. We started thinking that a hole in the ground opened up and swallowed you!"
"Calm down, Linds. I'm so sorry I made you freak out like this, but I had to run away and start thinking straight again. It got really bad once I told Nicole everything and she hated me, and I was afraid of what might Joe do, and just..."
"I get it."
"You do?"
"Well, not really, but kind of yeah."
"I'm really sorry."
"What matters is that you're alright. Where are you by the way?"
"Not close to where you are."
"I'm not up to playing games right now, Stephanie."
"Don't use that on me, Lindsey..."
"You don't listen otherwise."
"I'm in London."
"London?! What are you doing there?"
"Going to bed and getting on a plane first thing in the morning, to go home."
"Jesus Christ, Stevie..."
"Did you miss me? I missed you." She admitted, despite how things went between them during their last meeting.
"Of course I missed you. Are you still mad at me?"
"Of course I'm mad at you."
He smiled at how her answer sounded a lot like his previous one. "Forgive me, Steph. I had no idea what I was talking about, I was in complete denial and I didn't even listen. It was... I was shocked. Still am..."
"I've got nothing to forgive you. I don't know what else I was expecting. I just told you what I did and... God..." She sighed, closing her eyes. "Can we not do this over the phone?"
"Yeah, I think it's best if we talk about it when we see each other again."
"What did Kristen say?" She asked, not fully letting it go yet.
"Kristen packed her things and left me."
"She did what?"
"You heard me. She said that she thought she gave me the one thing you couldn't and that turns out not to be true also, she said that I never loved her like I love you and our marriage has become a freaking circus. It was coming either way..."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault..."
"No, it really isn't, Stevie. Like I said, we wouldn't have gone on for much longer. If anything, I feel freed. I can't say I'm happy, because you're not here with me, but I feel a lot better."
"I love you, Lindsey. I don't know when, but I'll be coming to see you tomorrow as soon as I land."
"Looking forward to it, baby. And I love you too."
"I don't have it in me to call Joe or Nicole, so could you inform them that I'm okay?"
"Of course."
"Did you talk to her at all?"
"No. I wanted to, but she said that she's not ready yet."
"Oh... Well it's something."
"Yeah. Go to bed, Steph, it's pretty late over there and I'll see you tomorrow."
"It's nowhere near 4am, you know? But I think I'll do that. Love you."
"Love you too."
She hung up, with the biggest smile on her face. It was so good to hear him. It was so good to know that by their standards, things were fine. At that moment, Stevie couldn't be more thankful Harrison declined her offer, what a huge mistake she would have made.
