Decades

Good Morning

Stevie dragged herself up earlier than felt natural, considering she was pretty much nocturnal, but they'd agreed to start earlier, a compromise. Lindsey was on a more traditional schedule and didn't stay up late the way she did. He never has been quite the night owl. But starting at 4:00 seemed like a good compromise.

When she came downstairs, Lindsey couldn't help but laugh seeing her coming down the stairs in her flowy white nightgown and robe, looking like it was 2:30 in the morning rather than 2:30 pm. She was barefoot and fresh-faced, looking for a cold glass of tea and hoping the caffeine did something to make this unbearable hour better.

The two had agreed that eating meals together would be conducive to making this collaboration more personal. Lindsey had been through disconnected studio sessions making albums for Fleetwood Mac, and having Stevie barely contribute had not only made his job more difficult, it made the albums mean less to both of them. They agreed this one needed to be authentic, not manufactured after the fact, to sound authentic.

So, to sing those old Buckingham Nicks songs and to add the new ones they were considering, they decided that they needed to find their way back to those sweet kids they were then. Platonically, of course.

After all of their songs about winning and losing, they both agreed they were ready for a draw. So, when she came breezing in, smelling so delightfully like herself with those sleepy eyes, bright-eyed Lindsey had been waiting. He handed her a big glass of iced tea and had a nice breakfast, all laid out. She happily took the offerings and sat down to make small talk and enjoy the beautiful meal.

He'd ordered some delicious pastries and fresh fruit. She closed her eyes and groaned in delight upon biting into the freshest peach she thought she'd ever had. He was so happy with himself. Being able to make her happy, if only with a bite of fruit, is so much more than he'd done in years.

He felt like a puppy being rewarded for good behavior as he considered other things she might like while they were here together. He rolled his eyes at his own boyish feelings when it came to this woman. "Dammit, man, you just barely refrained from wagging your tail and licking her face," he chuckled to himself.

She devoured every bite and gave a hearty laugh as she joked about her appetite, even though this was the middle of the night for her. As she took her plate to the sink to wash it, she stopped behind his chair and leaned against his back, planting a chaste kiss on his head and thanking him for breakfast.

It was a friendly, familial kiss. Not at all a passionate one or one that accompanied a promise of things to come. But that didn't stop Lindsey from burning from the brush of her lips. It didn't stop him from imagining things to come. It didn't stop him from feeling the beginnings of an erection. He was still that horny teenager when he was around her. Though, he was determined not to try to lead her in that direction, no matter how badly he wanted it.

He was single, for all intents and purposes. There was no reason they couldn't be together this time. He wanted her to want that, even if he tried to tell himself that this was simply about the music. Burning white hot for each other for years blurred the lines professionally. Their jobs had been to make music together, to do this, they'd written about each other, for each other, they'd sent coded messages and not so coded messages to each other through their music. They'd longed and loved, and lusted, and raged.

The two had been toxic, they'd turned to sex and to chemicals to ignite or suppress their feelings for years. They'd come to the brink of destroying each other at times. They'd come to the brink of destroying themselves as well. Their relationship had driven them. They'd competed, they'd worked for the attention of the other, they'd given interviews saying hurtful, dismissive things, and they'd said things in interviews to deliberately spark hope in the other.

Over the years, they'd said the most hurtful things lovers could say to each other, and they'd said the sweetest words the other had ever heard. They'd cling to both the good and the bad in equal measure, pulling from whichever memories seemed most necessary to survive at any given time.

Lindsey walked to the sink, stood beside Stevie, and lightly bumped her with his hip. Go upstairs and get dressed, I'll take care of the kitchen.

"Let's go for a walk before we get started." He saw her disapproval and knew she'd want to avoid the sun. "I have sunscreen. It's a shady walk. A little bit of sunshine once in a while won't hurt you. You'll always be beautiful."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Linds. And so will letting me off the hook for cleaning the kitchen!" she laughed as she slipped out of the room.