Torches

7

When Lindsey returned home from work, Stevie was sat at the kitchen table a glass of iced tea next to her and she was engrossed in a book that Lindsey figured she got from the library. Clara was on the floor by her feet banging on some pots and pans and Lindsey chuckled seeing the sight. It was precious and he wanted to remember that moment forever so he took a mental picture and then swooped down and collected Clara. She shrieked as she was being pulled away from her form of entertainment and Stevie turned her head to him.

"Hey, I'm making a chicken caesar salad for dinner." She smiles.

"That actually sounds really good. Was she good all day?" Lindsey questions.

"She's was fine...musically incline like her father," Stevie smirks at the pots and pans on the floor.

"Oh, but I'm not a percussionist. I'm a guitar player." He tickles her little stomach. 

"Could...could I have Della and Don over later in the semester. I told them that I would help them organize their Capstones?" She asks.

"It is later in the semester." He tells her.

"Yeah, I know that. But I mean, like around Thanksgiving when Capstone's are coming due." She tells him.

"I don't care. But our little secret will get out." Lindsey tells her.

"I just...it's quieter here than at my apartment and I...I can do it in the mornings on Monday and Wednesday while you're gone to work." She looks at him. 

"Stevie, I really don't care. This house is as much as it is mine, is yours. You were given free access to this house when I offered you a room. Hell, you're practically moved in any way. It'll be fine. Like you said earlier Don knows that you work for me." Lindsey shrugs.

"Alright...hey look at this." She holds out her notebook. 

Those are citations." He points.

"I know I haven't found much for my thesis but it's a good start isn't it?" She asks holding it up to him. 

He shifts Clara in his arms and then looks it over. 

"Yeah, it's a great start actually." Lindsey nods handing it back to her. 

***

November 16, 1983

After Lindsey's class, Stevie pulled Della and Don aside. 

"Alright, so Capstone..they're due on December 2nd by Midnight, and then the following week you present your Capstone's. My boss is going out of town. He's leaving with Clara tonight and they're going to San Francisco to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with his family. I've rearranged my shifts around. I get off at 3 on Friday. You can guys come to his house-because I kind of live there...live-in nanny and everything...you can come to his house Friday at 6. I'll have pizza waiting and we can sprawl out and work on your Capstones. Stay Friday night. I go into work at four on Saturday and I get off at nine. Get to his house for ten we finish your Capstones we have Sunday to ourselves. Sound good?" Stevie questions.

"But won't it be hard getting everything clocked to two days?" Della questions.

"No, I got my Capstone done in eight hours. We'll be fine. I promise you that." Stevie tells them.

'Well I mean it sounds good to me." Don shrugs. 

"Yeah me too...I took the weekend off to work on my Capstone anyway. I still have some research I have to do." Della shrugs. 

"Great. I'll see you all on Friday. Here's his address." She writes it down on two pieces of paper and hands it over to them. 

"Hey Steves do you work tonight?" Don asks.

"I do. I get off at nine, why?" She asks.

"Well...I...I mean, McDonald's is open tweny-four hours I know it's not much but would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He questions.

"Yeah...sure...I'll meet you by the one that's a few streets away from Big Boy but I've gotta get going." Stevie smiles.

"Great, I'll be waiting for you!" He smiles.

***

When Stevie enters the McDonald's she can see Don waiting for her by the entrance and he has a bouquet of wildflowers.

"Oh, Don they're lovely." She takes them. 

"Do you really like them? I don't know what your favorite flowers are so I just got what I thought looked the prettiest." He smiles.

"Well, my favorite flower is roses but these are gorgeous Don, thank you I love them." She grins as he holds out his hand and she takes it. 

They laugh while they eat and share stories and it's broaching Midnight when Stevie gasps.

"What?" He questions.

"We've been here for two hours." She chuckles.

"Why do you have someplace to be?" He asks biting into his burger.

"No, I'm just saying it's been two hours. I've never had this much fun at a McDonald's before." She states dipping her french fry into some ketchup and then popping it into her mouth. 

"Well, I'm glad I could provide you some much-needed entertainment. You've been stressed lately." He tells her.

"It's just...it's odd being in Lindsey's class. I'm like...I'm scared that i'm going to completely blow this thesis paper and he's going to fail me and then fire me because I used his kid as the subject of the paper." She sighs.

"I would've never thought that he was married. He doesn't wear a ring and he screams bachelor pining after someone." Don explains as Stevie cocks an eyebrow.

"Us men, we have this like radar thing. We can easily pick out a gay person, we can see when another man is hiding something, and we can see when another man is chasing after someone and it's like a clear indication of them marking their territory so we know not to go after the someone that they're chasing after unless we really want to start a fight. I know Lindsey's going after someone but I don't know who he's going after because he's doing a good job masking it." Don Shrugs.

"Oh yeah, girls do that too. but we tend to go after the person because we like catfights. But that's the thing about men that I hate...they come in and they pee all over things marking their territory." Stevie states.

"I don't pee all over anything?" He narrows his eyes.

"Yes you do, I've been training you. You peed all over your spot in Lindsey's class. That one day that poor foreign exchange student tried to sit by me you about ripped his head off. You're getting better, I've been training you...And I'm not your property so don't even think about peeing all over me." She points. 

"I would never." He smirks. 

"Yeah right." Stevie winks. 

"Stevie, can I...Can I?" He asks. 

Seeing his struggle she leans over the table and kisses Don herself and he smiles.

"See I didn't pee on you." He smirks.

"Cause I trained you to do that." She winks kissing him again. She doesn't have the same feelings for Don that she does Lindsey, but Lindsey is off-limits so Don's the next best thing for at least the next three semesters until she graduates and can figure out where she stands with Lindsey.