Where I Belong

Part 7

Stevie silently watched Chris as she stood behind him. He didn't have to come and he certainly didn't have to take on the task of putting out pink and blue cupcakes for the guests to enjoy. She saw him reach into the box for more after he'd realized there were more girly decorated ones than the other kind and it made her smile. It was going well, she couldn't deny that. Being with Chris was easy, which was something that Stevie had never experienced before. She knew that his feelings were much stronger than hers and maybe he was trying hard to make it work. She also managed to get over the whole long time friends thing, which Lori was really happy to hear, once Stevie told her. Then why wasn't she falling madly in love with him? How come it felt that they'd already been married for thirty years and gone through everything that life could possibly throw at them? Why didn't it feel... she wasn't sure what to call it, but there was something missing. Give it time, her best friends kept telling her. Well, how much more time was she suppose to give it?

"That looks great." Stevie complimented Chris' carefully arranged array of cupcakes.

"Oh, thanks!" Chris grinned, glancing at her now standing by his side. "I hope Callie thinks so too."

Callie had a strong opinion about Stevie and Chris dating, which Stevie was well aware of. It wasn't that Callie disliked him, no, after all she'd known him for years, but she was also convinced that her mother was with him for all the wrong reasons. Something that Callie kept to herself was that she thought Stevie was just lonely. Things changed when Callie moved out of the house and in with her boyfriend. She would never accuse her mother of toying with the man's feelings for fun, but she was pretty sure that Stevie made herself believe that being in this relationship was what she wanted. 

"So, I gotta ask." Chris turned to Stevie, clasping his hands in front of him. 

"I'm listening." Stevie nodded, looking up at him.

"Would you prefer if I kept my distance from you tonight?" She frowned. "Lindsey's going to be here and I wouldn't want to be the cause of any... disagreements between you two."

"Don't worry about him." Stevie waved it off. "He's seen me with other men before." She shrugged, trying to play it down. She just didn't want him to think about and question it too much. "We broke up a very long time ago, it's fine."

Chris didn't fully believe it. He followed Stevie when she moved to adjust the decorations. "You're saying that he's not bothered about it?"

"Uh-hu, that's what I'm saying." Stevie purposely didn't look at him, afraid to give herself away.

Chris opened his mouth again, but decided it worthless discussing it. He didn't want to have their first argument and for it to be about Lindsey. If she said so, then it had to be true. After all, she knew him much better than Chris did.

"I don't remember if I told you, but I can't stay tonight." Chris walked with Stevie to the kitchen, she had left her list of things she had to do before the party there.

"You did." Stevie nodded, crossing out a couple of now completed tasks. "And I told you that it's okay." She tilted her eyes up and smiled. He had to take care of something the next morning, that was as much as she recalled from their conversation. "I'm guessing Callie and Jack will stay here anyway, so you're not leaving me all alone." Stevie focused on her list again. "The cake." She said to herself and moved over to the fridge. "The cake! Why is it not here yet! I need to call Karen and-"

"Where do I need to go?" Chris interrupted and Stevie turned to face him. "There's still time, don't worry. I'll go pick it up." 

 "You're a lifesaver." Stevie breathed a sigh of relief. 

A really good friend, she thought.