Stevie laid in bed for a long time that night, staring up at the ceiling fan as the blade spun in slow circles and the sound of loud party goers continued to fill the outside air until well after four in the morning.
But believe it or not, that wasn't what was keeping her up though... Not the yelling, not the horns, not the music, but instead, it was the fact that her mind kept replaying the conversation that she'd had with Lindsey's daughter a few hours prior...
She couldn't believe that she had called like that to bring with and then totally embarrassed herself with immediately accusing him.
It made her so restless that she decided, just shortly after five that she was over even trying to catch any sleep and instead of forcing it, maybe just getting up to start the new year was the better option. However, even after getting dressed, getting around, making coffee and then slipping into a chair at the circle table that sat next to the window to overlook the street below, her mind wandered right back to Laura.
She didn't really say too much or ask any questions... She was an adult and knew that not everything in her parents life was her business, but she did admit that Lindsey had talked about Stevie quite a bit since he'd gotten into town on Christmas Eve and even though she wasn't aware of all the dynamics regarding their relationship, she promised that she'd have him call back in the morning.
Either way, the whole thing made Stevie feel on edge and until he called... if he called, she was determined to keep herself occupied.
That being said, she ventured out of the Inn pretty early to pick up breakfast and then she headed for Sharon's house, where all of the girls had ended up crashing. And just as she predicted, none her friends were in any shape to get around. So she sat with them for awhile, silently relieved that she had gone back home before she got that bad... It's all fun games until the next morning rolls around.
And as luck would have it, just as she was pushing open the front door of her suite, only a few minutes shy of ten, the sound of the phone ringing filled the air around her... It was music to her ears.
She hurried through the living room, not even taking off her boots as she made a beeline to the kitchen... It had been a long time since she'd been that anxious to speak to a man. "Hello...?" She answered right away, worried that if she didn't, she'd been too nervous to pick up later.
"Happy New Year, beautiful woman." Lindsey's voice was so soft and gentle... You would have never guessed that she had ignored his calls for over week with how he spoke to her.
With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes for a second as she held the phone to her ear. "Happy New Year..." she whispered back as her racing heart began to slow down.
He cracked a soft smile on the other end and even though she couldn't see it, it was almost like she could hear it. "I'm really sorry that I left like that." He admitted, even though he wasn't used to it... Who ever really wants to admit when they're wrong?
He didn't, but he was going to... for her.
Biting down on her bottom lip, she sank into the island. "You don't have to apologize..." Stevie had this whole spiel planned out in her mind of what she was going to say to him, but the tone in his voice caused all the annoyance she felt to totally just disappear...
She wasn't mad, or sad, or anything like that... Instead she was just happy to hear from him and that spoke volumes.
He paused for a second, staring aimlessly around his condo before let out a gentle sigh. "This is probably going to sound a little crazy," Lindsey announced, still on the fence about sharing everything he was feeling... It's not easy and he almost felt like it was premature, but it didn't at the same time.
There was a connection between them and for either of them to try and deny it would have been crazy... It may have seemed soon to some people, but it felt like they had almost known each other forever in an alternate universe. Maybe a past life.
"I haven't been this enticed with anyone in a really long time..." He had already said that before but that it really felt extra sentimental for some reason. "And I know it's not an excuse for me to just up and leave without saying anything, but all these feelings really it made me a little bit nervous." He added, slightly reluctantly but not at the same time.
He wasn't really impressed with himself, but he also wasn't interested in giving her some fabricated story to cover up for his own insecurities... After all, he had been married for over two decades and if there's one thing he learned in that time, it is that the only place lying will ever get you is in the dog house.
She chuckled softly, tears lingering in her brown eyes as she nodded her head softly. "I understand." She did, because she had felt the exact same way.
There is something bittersweet about moving on in life and that's what it seemed like they were both doing. They had each devoted their lives to other people and for Stevie, it was difficult to realize that she had out grown that love... Tom couldn't give her what she wanted in life anymore and even though she was no longer in love with him, she still loved him for the babies he'd given her and the life he provided.
Now for Lindsey, it was a little different...
"My wife passed away eight months ago." He told her that after he took a moment to think about it first... It was the hardest thing in the world for him to talk about.
Stevie bit down on her bottom lip, heart sinking into the pit of her stomach as the tears continued to roll down her red cheeks. "I didn't know that." She couldn't have... He hadn't even hinted at it. "I'm so sorry." She added, not exactly sure what she was supposed to say.
Nothing ever seems like enough when someone mentions something like that.
"It's been a challenge." Lindsey was sitting on the sofa in the den, leaning forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees and his eyes were pointed down to the rug. "But then I met you," He couldn't help but smirk as he immediately began to think about the woman on the other end of that call... She had captivated him."And I fell in love with you so fast, it scared me."
