Whatever It Takes

Part 7

Lindsey had barely said a word in the last hour. Sipping on whatever hard liquor Jess Nicks had poured for him, Lindsey listened intently to Stevie's father, just in case he was asked a question and he'd know how to respond. There was a lot of talk about family values happening and Lindsey wondered if maybe Stevie's parents knew something about their problems. Or maybe Jess was just kindly sharing his wisdom. This was a man Lindsey had known for almost as long as he knew Stevie herself, whom he respected, no question, but it had been a long day and Lindsey felt he was zoning out.

"Between you and me, I know Stevie can be difficult." Lindsey's eyes snapped wide open as he tried putting the pieces together to understand, how the conversation had taken that particular turn. "She's stubborn and hers is the only opinion that is right." Jess chuckled lowly. "She can never admit when she's wrong."

Lindsey smiled, nodding his head. What else was he going to do? Clearly he missed a big chunk of what Jess had previously said. 

"I don't normally like to meddle, you're two grown people, but-" Jess cleared his throat, shifting in his armchair. "I felt that something was off as soon as you walked through the door."

Oh shit. "Really?" Lindsey gulped. Surely, he was about to get blamed for it. 

"Really." Jess nodded once. "I'm not gonna ask, I don't need to know." Whew. "But you have to work through it. Barb' and I have been married forever, you think we've never had an argument? Ha!" He knocked back his drink and moved to stand up. "You always find a way. You yell and curse, you take some time off to cool down and tell her, you love her, before going to bed."

Lindsey rolled his eyes only because Jess had his back turned to him. Right, as if it were that fucking easy. "I can't lie and say that things have been great lately, but as you've said, we're trying to find a way." 

"Good." Jess smiled to himself, pouring some more into his glass. "You're a family, Lindsey. You've stayed by my daughter through a hell of a lot. I can't imagine there's anything else that would make you want to leave."

"I'm- I'm not leaving." Lindsey frowned, does he know something, what has Stevie told her parents? 

"Good." Jess repeated, returning to his seat. "Now-"

"Now it's time for bed." Stevie interrupted, coming back inside. Oh, thank God, Lindsey breathed a sigh of relief and grinned widely at the sight of her. "You ready?" She asked, standing behind Lindsey, her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes." Lindsey nodded, already up on his feet. "Jess, thank you." He turned to Stevie's father. "I appreciate everything you've said." Stevie raised an eyebrow, her eyes moved between the two men. 

"Thank you for listening to an old man." Jess smiled when Stevie approached to kiss cheek and say, goodnight.

After the two quite different conversations, Lindsey followed Stevie up the stairs and to their bedroom for several upcoming days. Weirdly, it hadn't occurred to either of them that they were going to have to share a bed. Since Lindsey moved back into the house, they hadn't slept together once. Shouldn't be a big deal to a married couple and yet things got a bit awkward.

"We don't- I mean, I don't- I could-" Lindsey wasn't even sure, what he was trying to say. 

"No, uh..." Stevie shook her head. "It's fine." She waved it off, looking around the room for an extra blanket or something to offer to him instead.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, really, it's not a big deal." Lindsey shrugged, thinking that the situation was completely absurd.

"If it makes me uncomfortable then what?" Stevie scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're gonna sleep in the car? Don't be stupid." She said, taking a small bag out of her suitcase, which held all of her skin care products. "I'm going to wash my face."

Lindsey just nodded dumbly and watched her leave for the bathroom. He exhaled heavily, once he was left alone, hands on his hips, wondering if maybe a wall of pillows would make his wife feel better about sleeping with him in the same bed. They just simply didn't think about it and were suddenly faced with it. He didn't take it to heart, though, she was irritated because she was tired. Or that was what he chose to believe anyway.

"I'm going to brush my teeth." Lindsey announced unnecessarily when Stevie returned and was looking for her nightgown. She didn't respond.

No more than ten minutes later, Lindsey came back and found Stevie already under the covers, bedside lamp turned off, her eyes closed. He sighed as he began undressing. Lindsey stood by the bed, scratching the back of his head. Maybe he was better off sleeping in the car.  

"Christ, Lindsey, get in." Stevie spoke up and he lifted the covers up to lie down, leaving as much space between them as the small bed allowed. 

"Why does this feel so weird?" Lindsey asked after a moment of silence. 

"I don't know." Stevie replied, lazily opening her eyes again. 

What if all those nights spent apart weren't actually doing them any good? Sure, the dates they'd been on were nice, even spending time together while taking care of everyday chores was nice, but no form of intimacy was obviously not helping.

Lindsey had no idea how much time passed, since Stevie had answered him, when she turned over and somewhat carefully lifted his arm up to rest her head on his chest. Lindsey instantly relaxed and so did she, when his hold around her tightened and he kissed the top of her head.

"Better?" Stevie asked quietly.

"Much." Lindsey replied and closed his eyes with a content sigh. Jess words echoed in the back of his mind. "I love you."