Just as I Begin to Fade

Ten. Messes

Coming home that night, Stevie was in a happy mood and she plopped down on the couch with ease.

"Honey, can you pour me a glass of wine, please?"

"Sure," she arched her brow.

"You know, I had a good time," she claimed. "I thought it was going to be really boring. But I got the numbers to a lot of single men there."

"Yeah, good for you," she popped the cork to the wine bottle and she poured a glass as she was asked. Bringing it over to her, she took a seat next to her.

"Hey, I didn't get a number from anybody I wasn't supposed to," she pointed out. "I can't think of one."

"Well, I can, but I'm not gonna try and get it out of you. The point is, I appreciate you not being drunk when you got there," she leaned forward and she kissed her cheek. "I'm exhausted---I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," she giggled to herself. She then took a drink and she thought to herself; she thought about the new man she happened to meet.

There was just something about Lindsey Buckingham that caught her attention so much so that he left her slightly speechless. Maybe it was the fact that she couldn't be with him or even have the chance to experience him that made her crave him more. But she knew she made the promise of not even looking at him in a sly way and she wasn't going to touch him or even flirt with him.

After finishing her glass, she did peek to see that her daughter's bedroom light was off and she got up in order to pour herself another glass because the bottle was right in front of her and she didn't really have the will power to not have another glass.

~

When the next morning arrived, Stevie was only slightly groggy when she got to the kitchen, the scent of breakfast being the thing to wake her.

"You're up and it's only..." Gwen looked down at her watch, "ten in the morning on a Saturday. You are changing," she smirked.

"Yeah, I smelled coffee and I have a headache," she added.

"Bet it... The wine bottle's gone, mama," she simply threw in. "But I'm not going to say anything because it was Friday and because I'd like to believe you've been keeping your end of the bargain while I've been gone at school."

She shrugged it off and she went up to the coffee maker in order to pour herself a mug. As she completed the task of putting cream and sugar, she was silent only because she was not a morning person, neither was Gwen but she had to be and Stevie didn't---it was simply different.

Once the blonde got through at least half of her cup of coffee, her daughter took notice.

"So, you're not gonna say anything about last night?" Gwen asked her mother as she flipped an omelette in the pan.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she sipped on her beverage.

"So, obviously you're attracted to my teacher... You didn't say anything after meeting him when normally you'd gush all about a handsome man you've met."

"Well, you already told me he is off limits as most of the staff is, and I'm going to honor that," she explained.

"I saw you guys trade numbers," she then commented as she served her mother. "So, don't lie to me, are you going to call him or what?"

"No, we traded numbers in order to keep in touch for your sake, actually. He told me he was really impressed with your writing skills, how accountable you are... That's all. If anything important is to happen, he'll let me know."