Torn

Part 22

Fleetwood Mac had finally reached the last stop on their 2013 tour. The band was in Amsterdam, getting ready to perform in front of thousands of adoring fans. It was a bittersweet night. The tour itself had been exhausting and the emotional turmoil Stevie was going through wasn't helping either, so she was excited to fly back home and lock herself away from the rest of the world for some time. The performer in her was upset, though. Who knew, when the next time would be until they decided to embark on another adventure if ever. 

So, as Stevie spent her time before the show in her dressing room, she pushed all of those thoughts out of her mind. She focused on tonight, on wrapping the tour up as best as they still could. She appreciated the mindless chatter of her closest girlfriends, she even laughed at some of their jokes as a strange feeling of relief filled her on the inside. She hadn't gotten over Dave yet by any means, but she was no longer crying herself to sleep every night either. As she told Mick several weeks ago, the romantic Lindsey chapter in her life was closed for good too and she stood by it. She felt... free. 

Speaking of.

All the women in the room turned towards the door, when they heard a knock. Stevie wasn't expecting anyone else to join the group. She asked whoever it was to come in and when the door opened, Lindsey was taken aback by several sets of narrowed eyes on him.

"Uhm, hi." Lindsey spoke up, giving an awkward wave. "Can I have a minute of your time?"

So formal, Stevie thought, she nodded her head and her friends unwillingly left them alone. Since it was Lindsey, who had something to say, Stevie remained quiet as she waited for him to open his mouth.

"Never thought we'd end up here, given how well the tour started." Lindsey said, he seemed nervous to be in a room with her. Stevie didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. "Listen, I'm not good at this, you know that." She leaned back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry."

"For?" Stevie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Everything, I guess." Lindsey shrugged, not having moved from his spot by the door. "I've done a lot of things wrong recently and..." He rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the best way to word his feelings. "You do deserve better. I'm sorry I can't give you what you want."

The last nail in the coffin of their love.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Stevie nodded her head.

"Well-" Lindsey faked a cough, looking around the room to avoid looking at her. "I hope that we can at least continue our musical relationship some day because I'd like that."

Stevie gave him a weak smile. "Me too." 

"So... good luck tonight." Lindsey added.

"Good luck." Stevie echoed and watched him leave.

~

Silver Springs was an especially fitting song to end the show. Much like any other night, the words Stevie sang were directed at Lindsey and feeling as if he deserved every single blow, he took it, staring right back at her as she poured her heart out. They could have had a completely different ending if only he showed her that he truly wanted her. Perhaps, they should have switched Silver Springs for Dreams, what he had and what he lost.

The band took their final bow to thunderous applause. The bright smiles on their faces easily fooled every audience member. After the last thank you to the gathered crowd, Stevie breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Done. Over. She turned to head towards the side of the stage, tightly gripping onto a kind stranger's hand as she climbed down a set of stairs. She didn't even lift her eyes up to look at their face she was so focused on getting out of there. As she relaxed her fingers, whoever it was, didn't seem to want to let go of her. She frowned and turned around to look up at-

"Dave..." She whispered his name in disbelief.

~

AN: Thank you for sharing your thoughts in the comments of the last chapter. I really appreciate it! To be completely honest, I haven't decided, how this is going to play out yet. Thank you for reading ♥