How Could You?

Talk to me

Friday night came quickly and everyone was inside Mick's mansion, still enjoying dinner and catching up, while Stevie was by herself, sitting by the pool, a drink in hand. Her behavior seemed stranger with each day and Lindsey's mind started filling with all kinds of thoughts that he didn't necessarily want to believe to be true. 

Reaching for his own glass of scotch, Lindsey excused himself from the table and went to Stevie, sitting down next to her without a word. She didn't seem to mind the silence, since she didn't speak up either. 

"Should I be worried?" Lindsey asked after some time. "Is there something I don't know about?"

"How many times will I have to tell you that there's nothing wrong?" 

"Steph, I know you. I can tell that something is bothering you and I would like for you to open up to me. I thought we were done keeping secrets."

"Please, Lindsey... I'll be fine. Let it go." She said, looking out into the distance. 

"You will be fine? So, there is something?" 

"Lindsey." A subtle warning could be heard in her voice. 

"Well, what else do you expect from me? You're my wife, I care about you and I want to know what weighs so heavily on your mind."

Stevie shook her head, casting her eyes down, as she stared at the bottom of her glass. "Could you please bring me another one?"

Sighing, Lindsey got up to his feet, taking her empty glass in the process, and went back inside. Mick sensed the change in Lindsey's demeanor, seeing how he slammed the glass on the table, before he picked up the bottle. 

"Let me take care of that." Mick stepped in, when Lindsey splashed the alcohol all over. "What's going on with the two of you?"

"Nothing apparently if you believe Stevie." Lindsey shrugged.

"And really?"

"Honestly, Mick, I haven't got a clue. I know she's thinking about something, acting weird, but she just wouldn't tell me what it is. I don't know how to get it out of her." Breathing out heavily, Lindsey hung his head low. "I thought we were doing really well for a while now."

"Do you think it's got something to do with you? Did you do something stupid?" Mick asked, raising an eyebrow

"No." Lindsey shot back defensively. 

"Why don't I go and try, hm? Maybe she's just tired of you pestering her about it." Patting Lindsey on the back, Mick took Stevie's drink and carried it outside, handing it to her, as he sat down in front of her. "Talk to me. Certain someone is worried about you."

Stevie kept quiet, looking somewhere past Mick at nothing in particular, when her eyes eventually welled up with tears and she diverted her gaze at him. "Sheryl showed up at our doorstep a few days ago."

Mick's eyes grew wide and he was at a loss of words. Standing up only to sit down again beside Stevie, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Why would she? After all this time..."

"I know." Stevie nodded against his chest. "I didn't really let her speak. She said, she wanted to talk to Lindsey, but I made her leave."

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"I'm pretty sure she will, yeah. She said, she can't promise me that she won't return."

"Maybe she's just trying to scare you." Mick wondered, wanting to calm Stevie down.

"I don't think so. She left a letter, well a note, saying, Lindsey, we need to talk. Thankfully, he didn't pay attention to it, thinking it's from a fan or something. He threw it out. He hasn't related the change in me to it, I don't think, he assumed I just didn't want to come here."

They were quiet for a few minutes, before Mick suggested, something he knew Stevie wouldn't agree to. "You should talk to Lindsey yourself. Tell him the truth, Stevie."

"I can't." She shook her head, pulling herself away from Mick. "He's going to leave me."

"You don't know that. It's been over ten years-"

"So what? The fact that all this time has passed doesn't change what I did."

"You thought it was the best decision for everyone involved." Mick shrugged, although, he didn't agree with Stevie then and he didn't agree with her now.

"I was so stupid. I didn't even know if..." Stevie trailed off, sighing heavily. "Please, keep your mouth shut, Mick, okay? I know sometimes you like to step in, because you think it's the right thing to do, but not this time. I'll handle it myself, somehow." She then added. "Or Sheryl will handle it for me." 

Doing as he was asked, Mick decided to keep his opinion to himself. Giving her a sideways hug, he got up to go inside, leaving Stevie alone. As soon as Mick stepped through the door Lindsey's eyes were on him.

"I think you're reading too much into it, mate. She seems fine."

"Yeah? Did she tell you something?"

"She said, she's simply tired after the tour, she hasn't had enough time to rest yet. She wanted for you two to spend some time together first as well." Mick reckoned a white lie like this wouldn't do too much damage. 

Deciding it was best to join the rest, Stevie reentered the house as well, taking her seat next to Lindsey. Leaning in, she gave him a brief kiss on the lips and hoped her smile appeared genuine.