Lindsey had gotten up early that next morning, slipped out of bed as quiet as a mouse to keep from waking her and headed for the kitchen.
She needed some rest, so he left her all curled in the sheets, long blonde hair fanned out around her as she held on tight to his pillow. She didn't fall asleep until after she'd shed a couple more tears, told him how much she loved him and then finally, well past three, she closed her eyes... She had really worn herself out.
"Lindsey?" She creased a brow softly, quietly trailing into the kitchen just a little before nine.
The sun was up, the lace curtains were blowing from the light breeze off the water and the smell of coffee lingered in the air.
She had never been so happy to be back in her little sliver of paradise... It felt like all was right in the universe once more, but in all actuality, there was still so much that had to be done and said.
He smiled lightly, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Good morning, baby." Lindsey was standing at the stove, which was a scary sight for her that early.
Wrapping her silk robe around herself, she let out a gentle yawn. "Are you cooking...?" She wondered, shocked to say the least.
Turning around, he leaned back into the counter as he held out a cup of coffee for her. "I'm making breakfast, yeah." He chuckled, slipping his hand around her waist as soon as she was in reach.
"Oh?" She raised a brow lightly, a little smirk dancing across her face as she felt him pull her in close. "What is it?" She playfully looked over his shoulder to see the pancakes bubbling up on the stove. "They need flipped." Stevie patted his chest with one hand, a little laugh escaping her as he quickly turned back before they burned.
"What would I do without you?" He picked up the spatula, turning them over and smiling lightly when he realized that they were the perfect golden color.
With her cup close to her mouth, she giggled lightly. "Thank you for the coffee..." she lingered, backing up into the kitchen island, only a couple of feet away. "And the cuddles." She added, blushing softly when his eyes met hers again.
Lindsey bit down on his lower lip, eyes scanning over her sweet face for a moment before he replied. "If you keep distracting me, I'll burn these." Lindsey teased, which caused another soft laugh to fill the air around them.
"Did you sleep okay?" She asked, carefully using her two hands to push herself up on the marble counter top to sit.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he decided he had to get the pancakes off the stove before he really lost interest in cooking... "I did." He assured, quickly tossing them onto a glass plate and spinning back around to focus on her. "Did you?" Lindsey found himself right in front of her, grinning lightly when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"So good..." she lingered, staring deep into those two blue eyes that she'd fallen madly in love with many years earlier but was still crazy about.
She'd been dating that man on and off for 45 years and there was still something magical that sparked a flame in the pit of her stomach.
He leaned in, kissing her lips a couple of times before his hands met her sides. "I-"
"The stove is still on..." she cut him off as a gentle smirk danced across her face.
Rolling his eyes at himself, he gave her one more kiss before he started to back away. "Don't move." He winked, quickly twisting the knob to turn off the hot burner that he'd totally forgotten about already.
With a soft smile, she crossed one leg over the other as she watched him move back towards her. "How could I ever imagine throwing this away...?" She whispered, eyes lazily roaming his face and then coming back to his orbs.
He was still in an old t- shirt and a pair sweat pants, eyes a little sleepy but still as handsome as ever. "We can stay here forever." Lindsey told her, carefully bringing one hand up to swipe some of her long blonde curls back behind her ear to see her smile just a little better.
"Forever...?" She raised a brow, not sure she had ever heard him talk so sensitively... not with her, at least.
Nodding his head, he couldn't help but kiss her soft lips again. "Forever, baby." He repeated in the most sincere tone of voice.
Biting down on her lower lip, she slowly sank back as both hands met the counter top to hold herself up. "I have to go home..." she lingered, even though she was really not looking forward to it.
Home meant reality and though the summer had brought a lot of changes, the uneasy feeling of going back to California was still incredibly prominent for her. Just the thought made her feel anxious.
"Yeah," he nodded his head lightly, a small smile rolling across his face. "Me, too." Lindsey lightly run his fingers across the small of her back and tickled her waist very gently to get her to relax.
"Stop." She smirked, sitting back up for him to wrap her in his arms once more.
"We can go back together." He announced, knowing already that she was dreading it just by the look lingering in her eyes.
Creasing a brow, she pursed her lips to the side. "We've never gone home at the same time..." Stevie replied, stunned that he would even suggest that.
They had done it the same way every year, which entailed Stevie leaving early on the second Sunday in August and Lindsey heading out that same evening or the next morning. They never left together- it would look more suspicious than it already was.
He let out a gentle laugh, finding it impossible to take his eyes off of her. "Well, last night we promised each other things would be different..." he reminded her, even though there was no way she could ever forget. "Let's do it right this time."
