Miss Fantasy

Chapter 28: Late Night Talking

Lindsey stared blankly at the wall of his hotel room, nursing the glass of bourbon he poured as soon as he walked in the door tonight. As he swirled the dark liquor around his glass, he thought back to the moment John shared the shocking news he had cancer with them all tonight. The look of worry in his face. The tears pouring down Stevie's eyes and the way she shook in his arms as he finally gave her a hug. The four of them all holding onto each other, silently praying they would make it through this like they'd made it through worse in the past.

The truth was, this was a difficult wakeup call and reminder that time was fleeting, and they weren't as invincible or even young as they sometimes thought they were. They didn't have forever. And they wouldn't - even if John's diagnosis wasn't life threatening.

A knock at his door broke him from his dark thoughts, and he quickly took another swig from his glass before going to see who it was. Before he even opened the door all the way, he recognized the sound of her sniffling. There stood Stevie, looking tinier than ever, wrapping herself in a giant black shawl as tears ran down her face.

"Oh Steph," he immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she let herself cry harder. "Shhhh, baby, it's going to be okay."

As her tears soaked the fabric of his t-shirt, he pulled her in through the doorway before someone would see or hear them - closing it behind her without letting her go. She gripped onto him tighter as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

"I...can't...believe this," she whimpered in-between cries.

"I know, it's terrible. But he is going to be okay. He will make it. We always pull through here, right?"

"We don't know that, Lindsey! We're getting older and who knows..." her cries interrupted her again, her voice tiny and soft as she struggled to get anything out.

"Hey," he whispered against her ear, his breath adding a warmth she didn't know she needed, "I've got you. John's got all of us and Julie. He will be well taken care of."

"Sometimes that's not enough," she sobbed.

He pulled back to look into her eyes, resting his forehead against hers as he took her hands in his—the both of them instinctively beginning to run their fingers over one another.

"It's going to be okay," he repeated in a whisper. And the look in his eyes paired with the sound of his voice made her actually believe him. "How about we wipe those tears and get you a glass of bourbon? You can join me, I just had a few sips. It's needed tonight."

The corners of her lips turned up slightly as she nodded, her nose softly bumping against his. He couldn't help it, he gently pressed his lips against hers, quickly stealing a kiss before pulling away. Her eyes continued to bore through his as she felt her lips tingling from his touch.

"Come, sit..." he guided her over to the couch, placing his own glass on the coffee table in front of her before going to pour her one. She watched him quietly, wiping her tears with a tissue as she attempted to pull herself together.

"Thank you," she whispered as he handed her the glass and settled down on the cushion next to her.

"Of course," he nodded as they both took a sip from their glass.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this...I just...I didn't want to be alone and I needed..."

"Hey, it's okay," he interrupted her, his hand grazing her thigh reassuringly, "You don't ever have to apologize for just showing up. You're always welcome."

His words only made more tears come out now, silently shaking her head as she wiped them quickly. Placing his glass back down on the table, he leaned in and pressed his thumb under her eye, slowly wiping her tears. She closed her eyes at the gesture, worried her heart would completely burst from the way he was looking at her right now. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she'd missed him so much.