A request from @BNFan73 ♥
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It had been two weeks since Fleetwood Mac finished their reunion tour. It was a wonderful experience to everyone involved. What the future held for the band was still unsure, but they all hoped that wasn't the end of them. The tour wasn't a farewell one after all. However, right now that wasn't on Stevie's mind. She needed a break. While she did enjoy herself, it was challenging in ways as well. Not only did Fleetwood Mac reunite, she and Lindsey did as well. In a platonic way for once. She had her oldest, dearest friend back. She couldn't deny that there were times, when they somehow ended up alone, that she wished for something – anything; innocent touch of their hands, a hug that lasted a moment too long, a kiss... Sadly, that was no longer an option. Lindsey was in a relationship. This time it felt somehow different. When Lindsey had Carol Ann draped around him, Stevie didn't care. She paraded her own boyfriends, some of them a lot more famous than Lindsey was at the time, in front of him, too. And more often than not, the two still managed to sneak away for an anger filled quickie. Other girlfriends Lindsey had, those Stevie didn't get to see much of, so it didn't bother her either. Now, however, Kristen was there. All the time. Their relationship didn't start out to make Stevie jealous, they hadn't been in touch for far too long for that to be the case. It wasn't a rebound thing, their relationship wasn't fueled by alcohol and drugs either. Lindsey was different as well; he was more gentle, he was calmer and more patient. The only way Stevie could describe what she'd seen during the tour was that Lindsey and Kristen's relationship was real. It pained her to admit it, but she couldn't keep living in her illusions, she had to stop hoping and dreaming. She had to let him go for good.
And as Stevie wrote all of that down in her journal, she felt somewhat free. It was time for her to move on too. She still had a chance to meet someone if she only let herself. She could still become someone's girlfriend or maybe even their wife if she put her past behind her, where it belonged. She couldn't make her dream of being a mother come true, but she could still be happy.
It was past 10 pm, when Stevie put down her journal. She wasn't going to go to bed just yet, it was too early for her. Without any other idea of how to occupy herself, Stevie decided to start decorating her home for Christmas, which was just around the corner. This time of year was always hard for her, she felt the loneliest around the holidays. Things could have been a lot different if she had stopped, if she had taken the time to have a family. Right now, she could be thinking of the present she would buy for her children, the looks on their faces, when they opened them on Christmas morning, while she and her husband sat together and watched.
Stevie sang along to an old Christmas record, while she was carefully placing beautiful crystal angels around the living room. She smiled to herself, when she picked up the ones given to her by her friends and she suddenly felt the warmth in her heart, she so desperately needed. The smile faded from her face, when the doorbell rang. She definitely wasn't expecting anyone at this time. She was all alone in the house and her heart started beating faster, when the doorbell rang again. On the other hand, there weren't too many people, who knew the gate code, so it had to be somebody she knew.
"Lindsey?" Stevie frowned, holding onto the door handle.
"Hey." He half smiled, he seemed nervous. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No. I'm alone and unsure, why you're here."
"May I come in?" Lindsey asked and Stevie stepped aside to let him enter.
"Shouldn't you be home with your girlfriend?" Stevie didn't mean for it to sound bitter, but it came out that way anyway.
"Uh, Kristen's visiting her parents." Lindsey shrugged, following Stevie into the living room. "You're in a festive mood." He said, hearing the music that was playing.
"I didn't have anything else to do, thought I'd start decorating." Stevie replied, still unsure why Lindsey had to come see her at nearly midnight.
"Do you need any help?"
Stevie sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "Why are you here, Lindsey?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I've missed you?"
"We've just spent months on the road together."
"And those have been some of the best months in my life." Lindsey said as they remained standing. "I guess, I wanted to ask you something, we didn't really get the chance to talk."
"Ask me what?"
"Don't push me out of your life, Steph."
That took her by surprise. She hadn't even thought about that and the vulnerability in his voice told her that he had. "What made you say that?"
"Well, we've just reconciled and uh..." He was obviously struggling with words. "And this whole thing with Kristen..."
"This whole thing? She's your girlfriend."
"Yeah. I'm just... I don't know." He laughed nervously. "I don't want that to be an obstacle between us."
Taking a step closer, Stevie placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to make eye contact. "I'm happy for you, Lindsey. I am. And I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me. You deserve to be with someone you love, settle down, start a family. I'm your friend, I'm no longer your ex girlfriend you can't shake off." Stevie smiled, making him do so too. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Stevie pulled Lindsey into a hug. "You could have called."
"I wanted to see you." Lindsey shrugged, holding onto her a little too long.
