With her floppy sunhat, sunglasses covering her eyes and the hem of her long sundress in hand, Stevie led the way through the sand. "It's as beautiful as ever." She announced as the afternoon sun hit her skin.
It wasn't often that she wore things like that, but when she was there, life felt slightly easier and more comfortable. It was just the two of them there- the same two people that had seen each other through the better part of their lives and knew almost every detail about the other.
She could be herself.
He was right behind her, carrying the basket in one hand and holding out the other in case she needed it. "I think so, too." Lindsey could be soft when he wanted to be, which was rare for them.
In their real life, he hardly ever got that sensitive with her and she usually didn't give him the time of day when they weren't on stage... Being in Hawaii gave them the ability to love each other like they deserved to be loved.
"Watch your step." He reminded her as he watched her travel down the couple of old stairs that led right to the boathouse.
She chuckled softly, reaching out to hold onto the railing to ease his mind. "Remember when we were young enough to just run down these hills?" She smirked, stopping outside the door and waiting for him to open it.
He nodded lightly, a little grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I remember you chasing the twins around here like it was nothing." Lindsey recalled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Time flies." He added as he pushed open the door for her to step in first.
With a soft sigh, she trailed into the boathouse, where everything had sat as they'd left it the summer before.
Unlike their homes out West, they didn't have people there to tidy up things while they were away. So everything, no matter what, was always left untouched.
"Climb aboard." He was already on the boat, holding out a hand to help her in.
Pulling up her dress, she carefully stepped over the ledge, where the water was flowing between the wall and the boat. "Thank you." She gave his hand a soft squeeze before she let go.
And before long, they were out on the water, floating in silence.
After knowing one another for as long as they'd known one another, silence was was comfortable. They had been talking to each other for fifty years... sometimes there was nothing left to say.
"Are you gonna swim?" By then he was out of the captains seat, and instead sitting on the blanket the she'd tossed on the hardwood floor.
Looking over her shoulder, she stuck her tongue out playfully. "You know better." She chuckled as her eyes traveled back down to look in the water.
He grinned softly, still watching her intently.
It didn't happen often anymore, but occasionally, once in a blue moon, he saw the same woman that he'd fallen in love many years earlier. The woman before fame, anger, betrayal, and chaos.
In that moment, she was still a wild eyed brunette with a voice like no one else. She was wearing long skirts, with crazy curls and a ring on every finger. And he knew somewhere, deep down, she was still that person, but life got in the way of it.
"Where'd you meet him?" Lindsey wondered after a long moment of silence had come and gone.
He was just curious... He wasn't trying to argue with her or upset her, not even a little.
Shifting in her seat, she finally brought her eyes back to him. "Why does that even matter?" Stevie's voice was soft, not upset or annoyed... yet.
He shrugged, leaning back and holding himself up with his two hands as he stayed sitting on the blanket. "I'm just a little concerned about you, that's all." Lindsey admitted, which wasn't always easy for him. "How long has it been since you've dated anyone?" He wasn't asking to get an answer, it was more of a statement. "And here you are... engaged to a guy that's fifteen years younger." That's when she got annoyed- he knew how to do it.
She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "And you're one to talk." Stevie rolled her eyes softly as she glanced back at the water, because looking at him was unbearable sometimes.
And that's how it always was with them, especially in those days. They could go from having a normal, fine afternoon to bickering in a split second.
"I'm sorry for asking." He bit down on the inside of his cheek as his eyes dropped. "I just want you to be taken care of." Lindsey always had a lot of nerve saying stuff like that to her...
She didn't need to be taken care of- she'd been taking care of herself, just fine her entire life.
She paused for a second, brown eyes melting into his as she realized how harsh she'd been. "We met at a Christmas party." She mumbled, pursing her lips to the side. "It was a dinner in Beverly Hills at Jimmy's and he asked me to dance..." she lingered, biting down on her bottom lip as she recalled that night only seven months earlier.
He was only fifty- one, but he treated her better than any man she'd gone out with in a really, really long time, so age didn't seem that important.
"Do you know how long it had been since a man had asked me to dance...?" She raised a brow softly, very aware of how quiet he'd grown. "Years." She answered a second later.
He nodded lightly, shrugging once more. "So you're getting married, because he asked you to dance one time?" Lindsey needed to clarify.
She chuckled, nodding her head softly. "I'm getting married because I'm in love and I can't remember the last time I felt that."
