Destiny Rules: The Sequel

Chapter 7

January 19, 2010

Lindsey arrived to the rental house with a cup of coffee in hand, slightly refreshed after the long holiday weekend. Their last night in the studio had certainly been a tense one, and he needed the extra day off this weekend to try to calm himself down after his argument - and accidental kiss - with Stevie. As he walked into the living room, he was met by Mick and John, who were deep in conversation.

"Oh hey," Lindsey greeted them both, settling his things down, "Girls aren't here yet?"

Mick looked up at him with a glare, "Stevie called in sick today."

"Oh, what a shame."

Mick rolled his eyes, "Lindsey. You both need to fix this. We cannot afford to lose any time, we're on strict deadlines - there's a lot riding on this album! The studio has been down my fucking neck."

"I know! She's the one who didn't show, what do you want me to do?!"

"Go and talk to her today. Just the two of you, keep it CALM and cordial and mature. But get it all out there so you can both figure out how to work together like two functioning adults on this thing."

"What am I supposed to talk to her about?" Lindsey groaned.

"I'm no fucking psychologist, Lindsey, but I would guess maybe starting with the whole New Year's Eve fiasco from last year would be a good idea."

"I tried to talk to her about that! She iced me out."

"Yeah, right after it happened. You know how she is, she needs time. It's time now. Otherwise you two will just keep playing these games and costing us all more aggravation."

"I can guarantee you she's not going to want to talk to me today."

"She doesn't have a choice either," John shrugged, "Christine is on the phone with her now, telling her the same thing. None of us are working with either of you until you sort your shit out. So I suggest you put yourself back in your car, and drive on over to her house to go talk."

"This is highly unprofessional," Lindsey motioned at both Mick and John.

"Yeah, well I'd be willing to bet whatever happened between you and Stevie in the laundry room the other day was too," Mick challenged.

With an eye roll and a scoff, Lindsey once again scooped up all his belongings and left the house without another word. Twenty minutes later, he was pulling into Stevie's driveway with a sigh. He hated the fact that he had to be doing this right now. Standing on her front step, he took a deep breath before ringing the bell. He looked down, his hands feeling extra clammy when he realized just how nervous he actually was. A few seconds later, Stevie slowly pulled the door open, standing on the opposite side in all black and a pissed off expression.

"That was fast," she rolled her eyes.

"I see you got the warning call."

"I did, though I'm not sure how much of a warning it was. Didn't really have a choice, did I?"

"Well neither did I, so that makes two of us," his eyes were staring into hers now. "Can we talk, Stevie?"

She sighed, nodding her head slowly, "No one's here, come in," she motioned, stepping to the side to let him walk through.

"Thanks."

He followed quietly as she led the way through the house, her tiny dogs yipping at his ankles the entire walk. Finally, they reached the family room where she motioned towards the couch for him to take a seat.

"Coffee?" She asked.

"No thanks, I just had some."

"Tea?"