It's Just Me

There was a time

*At Lindsey's*

I hear the house phone ringing, while I'm in the bathroom. I don't think anyone would be calling me for something important at this time yet, so...

"Olivia, could you get that, please?" I ask her. 

We've known each other for only a few days, but, well... We went out to dinner last night and I genuinely had a great time. I invited her for a bottle of wine at my place and she stayed the night. I have no regrets about that decision. 

"Who is this?"

I hear her asking and she sounds slightly startled. Fuck.

I return to the bedroom and sit down on the bed. Knowing who called, I ask anyway. "Who was that on the phone?"

"A woman. A very angry woman. She asked, who do you think you are and she called you an asshole. When I spoke up, she hung up right away."

Sighing, I look at her apologetically. "I should have just let it ring. I'm sorry."

"Was that her?"

"Yeah, that was Stevie." I give a nod of my head, moving to lie down again. Normally, I would call her back, but I'm not going to do that this time. I've had enough, to be honest. Why should I keep trying if she's going to push me away again?

"Did I get you in trouble?" Olivia asks, resting her head on my chest, as I wrap my arm around her. 

"Oh no, trust me. I'm always in trouble with that woman." I joke, laughing even though it's actually really sad. "I guess, she found out I talked to our drummer and said, we shouldn't wait for her until she decides she wants to be a part of the new album."

"Why doesn't she?"

"Who knows." I shrug. "I thought I knew her, but something's changed her and I can't seem to understand what's going on with her anymore."

After a lengthy pause... "But you still love her, don't you?"

Closing my eyes for a moment, I nod my head. "I don't know how not to. We've been in each other's lives since our teenage years. We'e gone through so much together. There was a time when she was my whole world..."

"You don't feel the same way now?"

I rarely ever open up like that to anyone, let alone to a woman, I barely know. But there's something about Olivia, I find myself to be very comfortable with her. She's such a complete opposite to Stevie and maybe that's exactly what I've need for a while.

"It's hard to feel the same way. She's the one making it hard. Honestly, when we got back together and had Alex, I thought things could only go up from that point. It ended up separating us. And ever since that happened, she's been getting increasingly more difficult. She... I don't know, she tends to shut me out and only opens up, when something goes wrong in her personal life."

"So, she's using you." Olivia states plainly and I can't even get mad at her for saying that.

"I suppose that's the right word to describe it, yes." Then I grow quiet, I feel like I've already said too much.

Later in the day, I drive Olivia home, before meeting with Mick, who gave me a call, saying he has to see me. I'm not anxious at all, knowing exactly what this is about. Parking my car near the place we've agreed on, I grab my phone and wallet, then go towards the entrance, seeing Mick inside already. He's quite hard not to spot. He stands up and we shake hands, before sitting down, as a waitress approaches us and we quickly place our orders. 

"I take it, you've seen Stevie." 

"I did. She got really pissed off." Mick emphasized. "She said, she was sure you didn't believe her, when she told you what to do with the new album..."

"Seriously? She yelled it at me! How was I supposed to know, she didn't want me to think she was being honest about it? I don't get her anymore. One day things are great and she's inviting me to spend time with her at rehearsals, the next, she's screaming for hell knows what." I shake my head, getting rather upset. Why does she always tries to make me the guilty one?

"What happened, when she called you?" Mick asks, paying no attention to my little outburst.

"I wasn't the one to pick up. I guess, she wasn't expecting to hear another woman answering for me."

"Oh, well that explains it."

"Why do you ask?" I frown slightly. 

"Because she went pale, looking as if she's just been told someone died. Knowing her for as many years as I do, I could tell she was this close to crying."

I breathe out heavily, sitting back. Why? Doesn't she have Christian? Didn't she tell me, everything's over between us? Whatever that was anyway... Oh my God! She's jealous! She's fucking jealous...

"Alex didn't make the situation any better either." Mick continues and I look up at him again. "He overheard the conversation and told Stevie, he wished she stopped treating you like shit."

Our seventeen year old son sees it and she doesn't? I shake my head, unsure of what else to say. 

"How did she respond?"

"She didn't. After that, I said, I'll come over at a better time and left, as that... what's his name, Christian? As he was ready to be the hero and make her all better." Mick rolls his eyes and I can't help but chuckle a little.

"So, you didn't like the guy?"

Shrugging, Mick paused, as our waitress returned with our food, before answering. "I literally just met him and spent about twenty minutes in the same room with him, but... Truthfully, I've never been a huge fan of any man she's been with in the recent years."

"I've talked to Alex about him, he said Christian seems like a good guy, also saying they weren't too serious."

"Oh? Well, Stevie said they're a couple."

I freeze, holding a fork near my mouth, as I then put it down on the plate. Not too serious, huh? I've suddenly lost my appetite.

Mick and his big mouth...