She lay by his side, with her head resting on his chest as he mindlessly played with her hair. She let out a content sigh and he smiled to himself. "You really like me doing that, don't you?"
"It's so relaxing."
"I love your hair. And I love you."
Stevie lifted herself up on her elbow and faced him. "I love you."
"Do you have a busy day today?"
"Unfortunately. We're running out of time. I have to get serious with recording. But I trust Dave, he said we'll finish in time, which means that we will finish in time."
"Maybe Dave will work some magic and you can stay with me in bed for the rest of the day?"
She shook her head and kissed him to apologize. "That won't work, but I'll come back here later. I don't think we'll stay up too late."
"You know I'll be waiting." Stevie attempted to sit up, but he pulled her back to him again. "Sure you haven't changed your mind?"
She laughed shaking her head. "I'd love to, but I can't stay and waste another day."
"Certain about it?" He asked, his hand comfortably resting on her bare thigh under the covers.
"Positive." She nodded, but he didn't make it easy for her to move, claiming his lips for another kiss. "Andrew... I have to go."
"Spoilsport."
"I'll make it up for you." She winked and blew him a kiss on her way to the bathroom to get ready.
~
The day seem to be endless. She sang the same thing over and over again until she got tired of it. Dave looked concerned. This was nothing like their first time working together. He agreed to produce another album for Stevie, remembering how much fun they had a few years ago, now she just seemed distant and not concentrated on the task now. He pulled her aside once she got out of the recording booth.
"Is everything ok?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I want an answer, not a question, Stevie."
"Yeah, all is good."
"Then why isn't this working?"
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I... I think it's those exact songs."
"What about them?" Dave crossed his arms over his chest. "We spent hours picking them out. Nitpicking may I add."
"I know, but... I can't sing them if I don't feel them."
"Stevie, basically all these songs are about Lindsey, what aren't you feeling? I don't get it."
"That's the thing, these songs are about him."
"You're gonna have to give me a little more, because I'm lost here. You've written them about the person you love and whom you're married to, yet you can't sing them the right way, because you're not feeling them?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. I can't sing something I don't mean, Dave. You know me..."
"I thought I did. The last time you couldn't get a song right, you dragged Lindsey out of bed in the middle of the night to come to your house and record whatever was failing with just us. And I'm not, well, none of us are stupid around here, we know he stayed and I'm sure you wouldn't have let him go if he tried escaping. Three years later, you're married to the guy, you have a bunch of songs about him and you're saying they don't feel right!" Dave was getting frustrated. "How about you tell me what's really going on?"
"We're having marital problems."
His demeanor softened instantly. "Stevie, I'm so sorry to hear that. I had no idea."
"Nobody does, so shut it, ok?"
"You know you don't have to ask twice, but... does this mean we're only wasting time here? Will you be able to get any of them the way they're supposed to sound?"
"Well, not all of them are about Lindsey, so..."
"So, you can start singing about Mick first?" Dave joked and in exchange got elbowed in his ribs. "Feisty!"
"You haven't seend the half of it, Mr. Stewart."
"My sincere apologies, Mrs. Buckingham."
Stevie was already reentering the booth, but stopped and turned to Dave. "Don't... don't call me that."
~
Stevie had rented an apartment for herself for the time she would spend in the recording studio in Nashville, to which she returned much later than she had told Andrew she would that night. "I thought you got lost."
"Funny." She said, the tone of her voice emotionless.
"Hey... what happened? Why is my baby sad?" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed from her neck down to her shoulder.
"I'm a failure." She put her hands over his.
"You're not, that's a massive lie."
"I have sixteen songs to record and over half of them are about my husband and I can't do it. I simply cannot force myself to sing them."
"How do you mean? Is it too emotional for you, brings back memories?"
"No! I freaking hate them! I don't feel anything for Lindsey that those songs hold. I've never been fake about my music and it just feels wrong."
"Don't stress about it, you're a professional, Steph. Sleep on it and you'll get them right tomorrow."
She turned around in his arms and locked her hands around his neck. "You're so good to me."
"I try." His hands moved to rest on her hips.
"I didn't come back as I said I would, because I had to spend some time alone. I thought about what we were talking the other night and I've made my decision."
