Decades

Truths and Dares

To get the answers he wanted would mean he'd have to stop kissing Stevie. Their romantic moments had ended years earlier, though that didn't mean they weren't a consistent part of his fantasy life, which meant pulling away from her when she was willingly allowing him affection was something he'd never be able to do. For a second, he wondered if that's why she was allowing this, to avoid a conversation she didn't want to have.

Either way, he didn't think he cared. He was so glad to feel her body pressed against his and to hear the little sounds that she made when he kissed her that he'd just lose the opportunity for answers if that's what had to happen. She was so beautiful, just as beautiful as when he'd first fallen in love with her. His hands were twisted in her curls as if they had a mind of their own. And to his surprise and delight, Stevie parted her lips to deepen the kiss.

Stevie opened her eyes and sighed a contented sigh, pulling away finally, but did not make a move to return to her seat. Lindsey wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, afraid that speaking would break the magic of the moment.

"I've missed having you in my arms," Lindsey finally said in a soft voice.

"I wonder if you'll want me here after we finish our conversation," Stevie wondered aloud, a little doubtfully.

"I've wanted you here my whole life, Steph. I don't think there's anything you could say that would change that now."

"Do you remember what you asked me that night?" Stevie asked Lindsey.

"Of course I do. I think that's why I've spent so many years haunted by that night."

"You didn't pressure me about it when we were back together before Kristen," she looked at him as if she were questioning why.

"Stevie, I guess I didn't want to risk messing things up with you by scaring you off. Now, I've got nothing to lose. Except, and don't take this the wrong way, but if I could be with you tonight, really be with you tonight, or have the answers I'm seeking, I'd take you. If I ever have a chance to have you in my arms again, I'd always take having you in the present, even just for a minute, over answers about our past."

Stevie leaned against him, her back to his chest, her eyes on the skyline now. She knew she should make her way back to her own seat, but she remained where she was.

"Did you mean it?" Stevie asked.

It took Lindsey a minute to switch gears and remember what she was referring to. "Ah, did I mean it when I asked you to marry me, you mean?" Stevie looked his way and nodded at him.

"Of course I did. I meant every word I said to you that night. And I remember what you told me," Lindsey said, remembering that fateful night.

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The lovers had left the towel she'd had around her wet hair, her robe, and Lindsey's clothes strewn around the living room of Stevie's suite. The couple left them where they'd landed and walked to the bedroom naked, climbing under the covers of the king-sized bed and lying close. Stevie's hand rested on Lindsey's hip, and his on hers. They lay side by side, facing each other, illuminated by the city lights from the big window.

"When we were struggling to make ends meet, I thought that if we had just a little success, we'd never have problems again. Sometimes, I think that our success created more problems than we ever knew were possible," Lindsey lamented.

"Poor us, in this swanky suite, traveling by limo and private plane, having our every whim catered to," Stevie tried to joke, but it fell flat.

"I'd give it all up to go back to recording with you in my dad's coffee plant or to sleep beside you every night on that mattress on the floor," by the tone in Lindsey's voice, she knew he meant it. She loved their career and was probably more ambitious than Lindsey these days. Her rise to stardom had been amazing and overwhelming. She'd always expected Lindsey to be centerstage, but she'd found that as successful as she wanted him to be, she enjoyed the spotlight, too. She'd viewed herself as a supporting character earlier in their musical career and her breakout popularity had taken her by surprise.