When Stevie pulled open the glass door of the coffee shop in Santa Monica, her eyes instantly met his from across the crowded room.
He had been sitting at the table in the back for the last fifteen minutes, being that he had gotten so antsy to meet with her, he left the house far to early... He wasn't sure why he was so nervous in her presence, but he was.
It had just been so long... It was hard to be around her.
"Hey," He cracked a soft smile, pushing himself up to stand as he watched her trail towards him.
She was in a flowing sheer top and leggings, hair pulled up into a clip and hardly any makeup resting on her face... She had always been very beautiful, but as she aged, her features just became more prominent and defined.
Lindsey thought she was the prettiest woman in the room.
"Hi, there." Her lips turned up lightly as well, not hesitating to give him a quick hug when she got close. "Have you ordered?" She wondered, also a little anxious as well.
They hadn't really left on the right foot, not just when he called a week earlier, but in general...
Shaking his head, he patted her back lightly. "Not yet, I wanted to wait for you." Lindsey admitted, raising a brow lightly at how odd that sounded.
They hadn't been around one another in twenty years, but the moment they were together in person, it felt like nothing had ever changed... He still felt like he knew her like he knew the back of his hand, even though she was a totally different person.
She wasn't the thirty year old he remembered... She was in her fifties by then and had lived more life in the last two decades than he could imagine.
But under all of that, she was still Stevie and he was still Lindsey, which was comforting enough for both of them.
She bit down on her lower lip, nodding softly as she pulled away. "Thank you," her voice was soft as her gaze traveled towards the menu hanging above the counter.
It wasn't until after they had ordered and got their coffees that they found themselves sitting across from one another, a comfortable silence forming for a moment before Stevie finally broke it.
"I spoke to Penny this morning." She announced as a light smile danced across her face once more. "She called me to tell me about some test she's taking this week for school." She added as her eyes moved up to look into his.
It was different for her to be involved... She usually only caught wind of what was happening in Penelope's life through the grapevine, so to get regular phone calls from her daughter was the best part of her day. They talked about everything and anything and usually stayed on the line for an hour at a time.
She really loved chatting with Penny and believe or not, Lindsey liked hearing about it.
"She loves you." He told her, blue eyes scanning over the circumference of her face.
She still made him feel weak in the knees and a little bit shy... She made him feel young again.
Stevie's heart sank as she used the palm of her hand to smooth down the table cloth. "I love her so much, Lindsey." She always had and he'd always known that, but to hear her say it meant more to him than she realized.
He nodded softly, never looking away from her. "I am sorry for calling you that night and saying that." Lindsey felt awful, he really did, even though it wasn't the first time they'd spoken to each other that way... Hopefully it would be the last though.
It didn't seem like Stevie was planning on going anywhere and Lindsey definitely wasn't, so they had to start getting along for Penny's sake, or at least try to.
"You don't deserve it and I would be so embarrassed if Penny ever knew that I talked to her mom that way." He wasn't afraid to say that, not to her.
Lindsey was honest to some extent about their history, but honestly, he would have been ashamed if their daughter knew every detail of their lives before she was born and when she was a child.
They weren't always good to one another, that's for sure.
Stevie paused for a second, not expecting to hear that from him. "Lindsey, I know you didn't mean it." She assured, reaching out slowly to take one of his hands in hers. "And I know my sudden presence, after two decades hasn't been easy for you, so don't think for a second that I would ever hold any angst you have for me over your head." She would have never, ever told Penny about that conversation, or any of the others that brought with them tainted memories.
Lindsey meant the world to Penny and Stevie wouldn't have even dreamt of ruining that bond.... Besides, she hadn't always been the most innocent one in the relationship either.
Lindsey sank back in his chair, feeling her run the pad of her thumb back and forth across his knuckles. "I don't think I ever really realized just how much I have missed you until now." He admitted, blue eyes so lost in her brown ones- it felt like they were the only two people in that place.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Stevie tangled her fingers in his. "I've missed you too." She whispered as a thick set of tears began to fill the brims of her eyes.
They grew quiet for a second, Lindsey gently squeezing her hand before he spoke once more. "Do you wanna grab a drink or something?" He wondered, not wanting that to be the end of their time together... He didn't want to just go separate ways.
She thought about it for a second, not sure if it was right but willing to ask anyway. "You can come back to my house...?" The tone in her voice had shifted into a much gentler one... She was feeling the same way, even though neither of them knew how to say it anymore.
Twenty years earlier there wouldn't have been any tiptoeing around it.
"And I'll make you a drink..." she lingered, swallowing hard as another hint of nerves washed over her.
He stared at her for a long moment and then his lips turned up into a grin. "I can't think of anything that sounds better."
