All I Ever Wanted

Confrontation

"Lindsey"

"So it's true?"

"Linds" She was openly crying now, and could tell he himself was just barely keeping it together.

"I never wanted you to find out this way." The banality of her words not lost on her.

"Too bad you only had 22 fucking years. How the hell could you ever have been expected to find a few goddamned minutes in that time to tell me?!" At a loss for words, Stevie instead glanced around, trying to signal for them to go somewhere more private. A crowd had already started forming around them, paying them far too much attention. He on the other hand seemed oblivious to anyone but her. Ignoring the plea in her eyes, he instead pressed on.

"Is she really mine?"

"What?" Somehow, of all his reactions she had imagined, she had never expected this.

"I asked: Is. She. Really. Mine?" Raising his voice with each syllable.

"Of course she is! He told you when she was born right?"

"Oh, yes. He sure did. And I did the maths, it fits. I remember. You still haven't answered though: are you absolutely sure she's mine? Or was I just a convenient name to put down. Less awkward than 'random guy I fucked at some party?' The sound from the slap she handed him seemed to reverberate across the room, but he didn't miss a beat before continuing : "Well? Is she?"

"Yes! I would never have put down your name if I wasn't sure"

"Until about twenty minutes ago, there's a lot of things I thought you wouldn't do!"

"I'm sure, ok?"

"How?" He took a step closer. His eyes fixated on hers, daring her to lie to him. Forcing herself to meet his glare, she told him the truth.

"Cause there was only you. The period where she was conceived. It could only have been you. Only that one night. There was no one else, I swear." Her fingers gently touching his face, as if the feeling of her skin on his could somehow convince him.

If he believed her, he still visibly recoiled at her touch.

"Did you ever even consider letting me know? Maybe discuss it before you decided?"

"I couldn't." Weak. Feeble. She cursed at herself for her lack of a better explanation.

"You had my number. You sure knew how to use it when you needed me to join you for the inauguration! Guess this was less important huh?"

"I was ashamed ok?! I was such a mess, I couldn't even keep our baby Linds. I knew the second I learned I was pregnant, I could never be the mother it deserved. But I couldn't..." She trailed off, the words to continue difficult to find "It was yours. A little you and me. Everything we wanted. I couldn't bring myself to...I had to carry her to term. I only had one option. I had to give her up. " Finally looking up at him, she dared try to approach him again. Her voice softening as she continued. Desperate for him to understand " How could I possibly face you?"

"We could have worked it out."

"You know what I was like, and you... Not telling you, when I knew we couldn't keep her, it was for the best."

"So you just made the choice we both should have been involved in, and then just..." He shook his head, then looked her straight in the eyes. "You know what? Fuck off. I'm done here" with that he turned, heading towards the exit.

"Lindsey! Lindsey, please!" Running after him she grabbed his arm to stop him. "What?!" He turned violently, nearly knocking her over by the suddenness of his movement. "What more could you possibly have to say for yourself?"