Separated

Part 16

"Do you still love Mick?" Lindsey asked, looking down at Stevie, lying on the couch, her head in his lap, his fingers slowly moving through her hair.

The question surprised Stevie and she had to think for a minute how to answer it. Not that she needed to think if she still loved Mick. "I do have feelings for him and I always will, but it's not love.  We spent years together, but I haven't felt love for him in a long time, not in a romantic way. At the moment, I'm mostly still angry at him, but if I push that aside..." She shrugged. "I do love him for making me a mother and I love him for many little things that made me happy at one time or the other, but the kind of love that I have for him is a love for us, as a memory."

"That was very poetic." Lindsey said, his arm loosely hanging around her middle. "But I understand and I think you should feel that way about him."

"And Michelle?" Stevie asked, a little hesitant. She knew it wasn't fair, given what she'd just told Lindsey, but she really didn't want to hear him repeat the same words about his ex wife.

Lindsey's answer came quickly and it was honest. "No." He shook his head. "Right after you and I met, I realized that I had never felt about Michelle the way that I feel about you. I'm not necessarily talking about love here, but it's-" As usual, Lindsey struggled putting his thoughts into words. "It's just the way I feel inside, when I'm around you. I feel comfortable. You let me be vulnerable, which I'd never felt with Michelle. I don't think that I had ever genuinely been in love with her. It simply just worked until it didn't. We fit into each other's lives at the exact time, in the exact way we both needed then. My brother, my friends around me at that time, they were all married, some with kids. I thought, it was supposed to just be that way, that you didn't necessarily have to have, what you actually want."

"But that's so sad, Lindsey." Stevie looked up at him, feeling sorry for him. "I know that it doesn't work like that, but everyone should at least try and have what they want in life, to want the life that they want."

The corners of Lindsey's lips turned upwards. "I agree. That's why I'm here right now, with you."

Stevie sat up and gave him a gentle kiss. She pulled back a little, their faces only inches apart. She stared into his eyes, which only reflected sincerity. Stevie smiled, before pressing her lips against his again. This time, however, Lindsey hugged her close, deepening the kiss, causing her to part her lips. Without breaking the kiss, she sat on his lip, her soft hands touching his face, while his wandered lower to her hips. It could have been minutes, it could have been an hour that they spent that way, before eventually drawing back from each other. Their breathing was heavy, neither of the two voicing their wishes out loud. 

Lindsey finally mustered up the courage to speak. "I don't think that I can leave you tonight."

"I don't want you to." Stevie said, shaking her head. "I want you to stay. Not just tonight, for the night." She added. 

There wasn't much left to say as Stevie put her bare feet on the floor and stood up, holding out her hand for Lindsey. He took it without hesitation and followed her, leading the way to the bedroom.