I Can't Stop (Part 2)

Part 1

Breathing out heavily, Stevie slumped down on her brand new couch. She slowly looked around the room, at the mess created by seemingly endless boxes of her things. Having lived in a rental apartment for months, Stevie had decided it was time to find herself a new home. Finding a new place didn't turn out to be as big a challenge she thought it was going to be, just that the house felt too big and too empty for her. It didn't feel like home at all.

Reaching for a bottle of wine she had already opened, Stevie poured herself a glass and took a small sip. She was regretting declining Karen's help, it didn't seem at first that she had so much stuff. However, it wasn't that Stevie didn't require help, she just wanted to be by herself for a while. The past couple of months, more than half a year actually, hadn't been easy. Stevie's top priority was of course Alice. It took several weeks until she even agreed to speak to her mother, which hurt Stevie immensely, but she understood. It was awkward to say the least. Alice had so many questions and Stevie struggled to answer any of them. Their visit ended in tears and Alice telling Stevie, she didn't know, when the next time would be the girl would want to see her. Although, it didn't take too long and Alice started to regularly come over to Stevie's. It certainly couldn't be said that their problem was solved and forgotten, but things were starting look up. 

Stevie and Don's divorce had been finalized for weeks now. He didn't look as heartbroken over it as he showed at first anymore and Stevie felt relieved in a strange way. She'd done a lot to hurt Don and she no longer wanted to cause him any more pain. If he was moving on, she was glad. Stevie still had feelings for him, it was only natural. After all, they had been married for a very long time. While she tried to fix their relationship several times, she realized it was for the better to let each other go. If not Don, Stevie doubted she would have had the guts to take that step. She often wondered about him, she wished him well. The strangest part about their separation was no longer wearing the wedding ring. Even though Stevie avoided the sun to the best of her ability, there was still a pale tan line, where the golden band used to be.

Lindsey... Stevie hadn't talk to or seen Lindsey since the Fleetwood Mac show they did in Las Vegas. Not a single day went by, when she didn't think about him. All she knew about him was that he and Kristen were divorced as well, Karen told her, having read the news on the internet. Several times a day, every single day, Stevie reached for her phone, but she couldn't call or hit send on a message. She truly believed that Lindsey wanted nothing to do with her, just like everyone else dear to her. She didn't think that she had the right to reach out to him. There was no doubt in her mind that they would never be romantically involved again, but she also doubted if they could even remain friends. It hurt her terribly. 

Finishing her wine, Stevie got back up to her feet. She grabbed one of the boxes. Photo albums. Lots of them. Swallowing uneasily, Stevie picked one up and turned over a couple of pages. She shook her head and closed the album, putting it back into the box. She would deal with these particular items another day. 

Checking the time, Stevie decided to head to bed. She hadn't done much, but it wasn't like she had to rush either. Moving stressed her out and for once, she felt tired. Entering her bedroom, Stevie put down her journal, glasses and her phone on the nightstand, before making her way to the bathroom. However, she was stopped midway.

A call from an unknown number brought her back to the bedside. She considered not answering, but who could be possibly calling her at that time of night if it wasn't important.

"Hello?"

"Hello, am I speaking to Stephanie Nicks?"

Stevie frowned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. "Yes."

"I'm sorry to be calling you at this time, but Ms. Nicks, you are listed as an emergency contact for Lindsey Bu-"

"What happened? Is he okay? Where is he?" Stevie interrupted, instantly worried.

"Mr. Buckingham has been involved in a fatal car accident-"

The phone nearly slipped out of Stevie's hand. She barely registered the following information, before the line went dead.