Angel

Part 27

Just give her a few days, Lindsey told himself. He knew Stevie too well. At least, he thought, he knew her, because nearly a week had passed and he hadn't heard from her yet. This had to be a different kind of fight and a much more serious one than Lindsey had thought. 

It took a couple of phone calls for Lindsey to get the details on Stevie's schedule. He hoped that not just anyone could get the kind of information. He had given her enough time for her to come to her senses, he had to step in. 

Lindsey thought it would be a nice surprise; he'd come unannounced with flowers and a giftbox from an expensive jewelry store and melt Stevie's heart. It had worked out for him numerous times in the past. Why should this time be any different?

Walking down the hallway, Lindsey picked up a mixture of different voices from the studio that Stevie was working at. Jimmy's stood out right away and he reminded himself to remain calm. Then another voice joined in, an all too familiar one, and Lindsey was no longer so sure that this was a good idea.

"I hope, I'm not interrupting." Lindsey forced a smile as he walked in and everyone went quiet. 

"Lindsey?" Stevie spoke up first, her eyebrows slightly creased. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I, uh..." He shifted his weight from one foot onto the other. "Well, I thought, I'd come and surprise you." He smiled sheepishly, doing his best to ignore the presence of Don Henley in the room.

The awkward moment was slowly starting to pass, Stevie closed the distance between the two of them. "I wasn't expecting you."

"That's the whole point of a surprise." He shrugged. "Oh." He held out the flowers and the pair of earrings he'd picked out all by himself. "These are for you." 

"Thank you." Stevie gave him a small smile, unsure of what to do next. She wasn't prepared to see him. "You shouldn't have." She said, when Lindsey stayed silent.

"It's nothing." Lindsey shrugged it off, sticking his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "Can I talk to you for a minute or are you too busy?"

"No. No, we can talk." She nodded, walking away for a second to put the flowers and the present away first.

"I had no idea you two were back together." Don said.

"Well, we're trying to be." Stevie sighed.

"Hey, Lindsey!" Don directed his attention away from her. "I'm not after your girl, not again. We're just working."

Stevie wished Don hadn't said that. Her and Lindsey's relationship were rocky as it was. She ignored Don and walked with Lindsey outside. Stevie immediately sensed how tense Lindsey was. He kept his mouth shut, but she felt like he had plenty to say.

"It's good to see you." Stevie said, they had to start somewhere.

"Yeah, you could have called." Lindsey scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. 

"If you came here to be an ass then-"

"No, no." Lindsey shook his head and breathed out heavily. "No, I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting to see him out of all people. What's he doing here anyway?"

"We're working on a song together." Stevie explained, knowing that Lindsey wasn't okay with that. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Why didn't you tell me you're still living with your other girlfriend?" Stevie raised an eyebrow and Lindsey swallowed uneasily. 

"She's not my girlfriend." He emphasized, trying to remain calm. "I tried telling you that."

"Look, I am busy." Stevie's tone had changed as well. "No one's giving studio time for free. If you came here to make a scene, then you should go. I don't have time for that."

"I didn't!" Lindsey raised his voice. "God, why is this always so fucking difficult!"

"I think, you should leave." Stevie moved to turn away from him, but Lindsey reached for her hand to stop her.

"No, don't make me leave, please. I didn't come here to argue, I- I just want to have an adult conversation with you, Stevie." Lindsey sighed, sounding defeated. "I'm so freaking tired of fighting with you."

"Well, I don't want to either, you know..." She cast her eyes down and he took a step closer.

"I've missed you. I got tired of waiting for you to call me, I just wanted to see you." Lindsey spoke calmly, he cradled her face in his hands and tilted her head up. "I didn't think this would go so wrong." 

"I've missed you, too." Stevie said. "But I really don't have much time." She added.

"I understand." Lindsey nodded. "When are you going to be done here tonight? I'll come pick you up."

"You can come around 10." Stevie replied, covering his hands with her own. 

"Can I... can I kiss you?" He asked, already drifting closer. 

She gave a small nod and only a peck on the lips before she pulled back. They hadn't resolved anything by any means yet for her to be able to give any more than that. "I'll see you later."

Lindsey didn't feel great as he walked away, but things could have turned out worse. Was this... progress?