~L~
Life was pretty hectic back then, and if I'm being totally honest, I used to get so caught up in it all, I always seemed to neglect everything that was happening out West.
By the time I was in my mid- twenties, I really felt the pressure of life... I was a wife, a mom, a nurse, a homemaker, and sometimes all of that got so overwhelming, I forgot that I was also a daughter.
So once I was alone, just Ruth and I, I really started focusing on that part of my life again, in some crazy way. I was calling both of my parents every day, and sometimes twice a day, just to chat.
I talked to them both so often, I actually figured out their schedule and could almost always tell what they were doing depending on the time of day. And we talked about everything, which was common for Stevie and I, but definitely new for Lindsey and I.
I felt like we were forming a friendship again.
However, even though I was being very transparent with them about what was going on in New York, they were not being the way same with me. I would tell them everything- all the awful, sad details of grieving the only man I'd ever loved and in return, they just listened and sympathized... They never burdened me with any of the chaos that they were going through and looking back, I appreciate them so much for just being there for me.
They were the best.
Anyway, I didn't expect anything too serious to have transpired in their world, not until I had called Natalie a few days after the band had left to tour. At first, we chatted like usual and we used to talk pretty regularly anyway, not as much as I did with Stevie and Lindsey, but we still made an effort and that afternoon, I had a question about a ballet class that I had signed Ruth up for... Natalie had Elenor in ever dance class there was, so I knew she would be able to answer my questions.
It was mundane- she asked me about Ruth, work, all that, and then, after getting on the topic of the tour, she told me that a few days before they left, Lindsey moved out... She said that he had packed just a bag and didn't come home, which kind of shocked me.
That wasn't like him...
And I know it wasn't my business, but the longer I thought about it, the more I felt like it was... I won't lie, I felt entitled to their drama.
That being said, instead of waiting around until the band made it to New York, I booked a flight with Ruth to surprise them at a show early on in the tour... I wanted to know what was going on and if they weren't going to tell me, I'd find out on my own.
~S~
"Steph?" Lindsey's soft voice crept through the room as his knuckles gently met the door a couple of times, reminding me that I had locked it on my way in half an hour earlier.
It was our day off and after getting into the city early that morning, we all split up to get a few hours of sleep... even Lindsey and I. We were still trying to keep our relationship quiet for the time being, so we were acting as normal as we could.
Smiling softly, I wrapped my robe around myself as I trailed through the suite. "Well..." I pulled it open a second later, eyes melting right into his instantly. "Hello, there..." I couldn't help but giggle when he slipped his arm around my waist and playfully pushed me back into the room.
"Hey, there." He repeated with a gentle grin as he left a soft kiss on the side of my head. "I missed you." Lindsey was still holding me, but he leaned back far enough to look me in the eyes.
Nodding softly, I bit down on my lower lip as my heart began to beat a little faster. "I missed you more." I whispered as one arm slipped around his shoulders. "It's been a whole four hours... How have we managed?" I had to tease him, only because we had hardly been apart for any real period of time in almost two weeks and he still told me that every time he saw me...
Sometimes, I really think that he forgot that we had spent ten years apart and before that, it was like twenty... How could he miss me so much when we had made it work a thousand times before?
He shook his head, still smirking as he shrugged a shoulder lightly. "It was pretty brutal without you." Lindsey joked, which caused another little laugh to fill the air around us.
Closing my eyes softly, I sank into him. "Does that mean you're going to spend the afternoon with me?" I wondered, leaning in slowly to leave a kiss on the tip of his nose.
He nodded, lips meeting mine before he whispered, "All afternoon, baby."
~~~
It was a couple of hours later when we found ourselves sitting in the living room portion of the suite, curled up on the couch and watching some old documentary... One of the few things we could watch together that didn't totally bore the other person.
Anyway, it was close to five, so we had been together for quite awhile before the sound of someone knocking on the door caught our attention.
"I'm sure it's just Karen." I was still in my nightgown, a robe draped over my shoulders and my hair in natural curls... I rarely ever got around on days off.
He chuckled softly, running his fingers through his curls as headed for the door. "Hm," he hummed lightly when he glanced through the peep hole to see who was on the other side. "Not Karen." He looked over at me with a light smile, unlocking the door and twisting the handle to open it.
And a split second later, with a big grin on her face and a teddy bear in her arms, Ruth ran through the room. "Grandma!" She held out her hands, dropping her stuffed animal on her way towards me.
It had been just a few weeks since we'd seen each other, but she never failed to make me happy... She was the moon and the stars for us, and honestly, she still is.
"Oh," I gasped playfully, lips turning up into a smile as I bent down to catch her in my arms. "There's my sweet baby girl." I chuckled when her head met my chest and she curled right onto the couch with me.
"Hey, kiddo..." Lindsey greeted Lark with a forced smile, obviously a little more embarrassed about the situation than I was...
It didn't even occur to me how weird that had to have been to walk in on.
Raising a brow, her blue eyes met mine for a split second before she turned back to look at her dad. "Is the fiftieth time the charm, or what?" She was annoyed- she never, ever made it hard to tell, especially not for us.
Titling my head towards Ruth, I silently asked her to just drop it for the time being... "Did you already eat dinner?" I wondered in a gentle tone of voice as I stared back down at my granddaughter, trying to pretend like nothing was happening in the world around us.
I really didn't want her to see her mom get upset with us, and I knew she would be.
"Not yet." She shook her head softly, arm still wrapped around my neck to be held. "We were too excited to come see you and grandpa." She added, even though I'm certain that wasn't the case... Not on Larks end, at least.
Giggling softly, I used my free hand to grab the room service menu off the stand. "Whatever you want, we'll order, honey." I held it out for Ruth to look at as my eyes met Larks. "And we can talk after dinner." I told her, not in a harsh way, but definitely a little more stern than usual.
