Later that night, after what seemed like the entire city had fallen fast asleep, Stevie found herself sitting on the balcony, overlooking her favorite street. There was always something exciting happening, but that night it felt lonely. It was just so quiet, except for the music from the party goers in the townhouse across the pond, mixing with the sound of her rapid thoughts, of course.
She hadn't smoked a cigarette in years, not since she had kids, but after her encounter with her husband, she couldn't think of a better way to calm her nerves. It might not have been the best answer, but at that moment in time, nothing really seemed right.
They had been living such different lives for so long, she didn't even know what the right thing was anymore. Being married to him felt so odd to even think about, let alone talk about.
She still couldn't get over the fact that he was really there- he was in her city. She couldn't believe that he was less than three miles away, tucked in a hotel suite, watching the news and ordering in room service.
She also couldn't believe that a divorce was the reason he flew all the way across the world to see her. He wanted a divorce, which truly, deep down, she thought that was totally wonderful. That was their way out of the hell they had created for one another- it was this golden ticket to something better. It was exactly what they both needed to be able to move on with their own lives. She knew that, yet she couldn't stop thinking about the children they brought into this world.
Ending a marriage after kids isn't that simple... it isn't just two people anymore, it's suddenly four lives their effecting with every choice they make. And they hadn't been doing it right all along, none of it. The whole raising kids things didn't come with any instructions and they didn't bother creating their own when they started a family together. It was like their gambling, but instead of using twenty dollar bills, it was their lives they were betting away. They were always doing it different compared to other parents, and they both knew that, but it never really seemed to bother her until that night.
Parents never want their kids to think that they weren't enough and Stevie was no exception to that fear. She wanted her children to have the opportunity to know both their parents and not ever have to wondering why their father never showed up for anything, or why their mother never even talked about him. That just didn't seem fair.
She didn't ask him to hang around in Paris for her sake, no she didn't want a relationship with him. She was more than willing to sign papers and end it, but the thought of their children held her back.
"Are you coming to bed?" His hands met her shoulders gently, causing her to jolt a little. "Are you smoking?" He smirked, watching her flick the cigarette into an ashtray.
Chuckling softly, "I couldn't sleep, that's all." Turning her head lightly to look at him out of the corner of her eyes.
He was half asleep, but he still slid onto the chair next to her, tucking his hands in his hoodie pocket to keep himself warm. "You've been quiet all night, babe." Vince knew that something was on her mind- she had only said two words at dinner and then spent the rest of the evening cleaning the kitchen... Anxiously.
Nodding her head a little, "I've been busy at the shop and I just have so much to do." She didn't normally lie and it felt odd that she could do it so easily.
She could never have gotten away with lying to Lindsey- he would have known instantly. She used to get this little smirk that came with telling tales to him... He knew her like he knew the back of his hand, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
"You know what I think you should do," taking her hand in his, he brought it up his lips to kiss her knuckles.
She couldn't help but laugh a little... He wanted too much. He had this big idea that she could just stop working- keep the shop, but stay home, so they could get married. That was a lot for her, and besides, she still couldn't find it in herself to tell him that she wasn't ready for that.
