(Don't) Leave Me Behind

Part 20

"Leave?" Lindsey frowned. "Why would I want to leave?"

"Because..." Stevie sniffled, pulling away. She wiped the tears the best she could. "I'm not good enough for you, Lindsey. I don't deserve you to give me another chance. I'm a mess." He could see her shrugging her shoulders. "Simple as that."

"I disagree. Yes, you're going through a rough patch right now, but it doesn't mean you're a bad person. I believe in you, Steph. I have faith in you. Somewhere deep down..." He brought a hand up and placed it above her heart. "You're still there. The same girl I fell in love with. Let me help you bring her back."

Her eyes bloody red and puffy from crying, Stevie slowly turned to face Lindsey again. "Why do you love me?"

The sincerity in her voice took him aback. He thought for a moment of a response, but there was nothing to think about. "Because I do. I don't know how not to love you. You don't ever have to question my feelings for you, Steph." Reaching for her hand, he entwined their fingers together. "It sounds cliche, but you're the one. You're the only woman for me, Stevie." He then added. "And I'm not going to leave right now or ever. Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. I should have fought harder for you, when you told me we were over. I shouldn't have just let you go."

Smiling weakly, Stevie brought her other hand and covered Lindsey's, her thumb brushing over his skin. "There are a lot of things in my life that need fixing, you know. It won't be an easy task, helping me."

"What makes you think that scares me? Because it doesn't, baby. I'll man up, which I should have already done, and be there for you, every step of the way." Lindsey hesitated, thinking whether he should open up about something in particular or not. "It's not as hard as it looks. Do you know how I stopped drinking? It has a lot to do with Christine. She saw me at my worst. I was begging the owner of this pub to let me perform, while I was completely wasted, because I couldn't pay the rent and I had nothing to eat. I could barely stand on my feet. Christine told me about you, that there's still a chance, a small, but a chance if I try really hard. She gave me a reason to believe that things could get better. She believed in me." His arm wrapped around her shoulders. "That's all it takes, just one person. I'm that person for you, Steph. I believe in you."

Stevie closed her eyes and leaned into him. Everything he was telling her sounded perfect, he made it seem all so easy, but she feared it wasn't going to be like that. If she were honest, she was afraid of failure. What if she tried to kick her bad habits and she couldn't do it? What would Lindsey think of her then? Would he still stay true to his word and remain by her side? 

"I love you." Was the only thing Stevie could say to him. "I didn't realize how badly I needed you in my life, Lindsey, until you came back."

"Just don't go there, don't go back." He shook his head at her. "Look forward, concentrate on what you have to do to get better."

Tilting her chin up, she locked eyes with him. And there it was, that invisible, but incredibly strong pull. She placed her hand on the nape of his neck and brought him down to meet her halfway in a kiss. She felt alive again. Nobody, no other man ever made her feel like Lindsey did. His arms around her, his lips firmly pressed against hers, just his presence... She still loved him with every little piece of her heart, there was no denying that. He felt the same for her and being that close again, made his head spin with possibilities, but... She was fragile, she was vulnerable and he couldn't take advantage of the situation. 

Lindsey broke the kiss and pulled away. Stevie didn't understand why he did that, but she felt rejected and embarrassed. She moved away from him, refusing to look at him.

"This is not the way, Stevie. I won't be another Mick to you, I won't indulge you. Not a single problem will be fixed if we jump into bed the first chance we get. I swore to you and I'll keep my promise, I'll be there for you and I'll help you, but not like this." Lindsey shook his head, hoping she'd understand. 

"How can you say that you love me, when you don't even want me?" She asked, her voice small. 

"Oh, I do, sweetheart. Trust me. But I respect you and I don't want you to have more regrets."

"This is stupid!" Stevie suddenly exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I knew this wouldn't work. We broke up for a reason, you're not the person to save me." She said, sounding as if she was mocking him a bit. 

Just like that, all the progress they had made disappeared. "I won't take it to heart, what you just said. I'll leave you alone to think it all over." Lindsey said, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth on his way out.