Not the One

Part 12

Another city, another hotel room. Lindsey thought he should have been used to it by now, but he wasn't. Since he had a more stable life back home now, he really missed it. He'd always been more of an introvert, he was missing the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of his beloved home studio, where he could spend hours without being disturbed. The only thing keeping him sane was Stevie. Although, at the same time, Lindsey was scared of what the future held in store for them, once the last two shows were done. Only a couple more days and they'd be on a plane, back to LA, back to their significant others. He had to make the most of whatever time they had left together.

Unsure of when he was going to come back after the show, Lindsey decided to call Kristen. They hadn't talked for a few days. Slumping down on the bed, Lindsey sighed and dialed his own number. They weren't living together yet, but he was sure she had to be enjoying the perks of his luxurious mansion on her own.

Lindsey pulled away the phone receiver from his ear and frowned, when another man picked up. Had he misdialed? Swallowing uneasily, Lindsey asked the person if Kristen was around and in a moment, he heard her voice on the other end of the line. 

"Hey, baby!" 

Her voice sounded overly saccharine. Lindsey cringed at her calling him that as well. Somehow, it only sounded right coming from Stevie.

"Who was that on the phone, Kristen?"

"Oh, uh-" She coughed. "I have one of my friends' over. We haven't seen each other in such a long time. I was out shopping and we just bumped into each other."

"And he's just answering calls in random people's homes?" Lindsey fell on his back, his legs swinging slowly over the edge of the bed. 

"I- I was in the bathroom, so..."

Odd, yes, but Kristen hadn't given Lindsey any reason not to trust him. Besides, it would have been quite hypocritical of him to accuse her of something.

After a quick exchange of the events during the past few days, Kristen apologized, saying she had to go, because she didn't want to be rude to her guest. Lindsey didn't think too much of it as they said their goodbyes and she was the first one to hang up the phone.

With a slightly uneasy feeling, Lindsey couldn't sit still. He decided to catch Stevie before they had to leave for soundcheck at the night's venue. He knocked, then knocked again, but the door remained closed. 

Sighing heavily, Lindsey turned to return to his room, when he caught Mick in the hallway. "Hey, do you know where Stevie is?"

"The girls went out for lunch."

"The girls?" Lindsey raised his eyebrow. 

"Yeah; Stevie, Christine, Sharon, Mindy. I think, even Karen joined them." Mick added with a shrug. "Why? Some important business you two had?"

"No, Mick." Lindsey shook his head. "I just wanted someone to talk to."

The judgmental look vanished from Mick's face. "Is everything okay? Can I help you with something?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Lindsey waved it off and walked towards the elevators. With nothing to do and no one to do something with, he decided to go down and have lunch himself.

On his way, Lindsey smiled at a couple of people, who recognized him, but he didn't stop to chat or sign autographs. He hoped, he didn't seem like a jerk, because he loved his fans dearly. The smile quickly faded from his face, however, when his eyes settled on Christine, laughing at something John had said.

His teeth gritted, Lindsey walked over to the pair and asked them if he could join. "Sure, have a seat." Christine showed to an unoccupied chair at the table.

"So, uh..." Lindsey cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of him. "Do you know, where Stevie is?"

"Not a clue." Christine shook her head. "Why, you've lost her? Funny, since you two are attached at the hip."

Lindsey tried to downplay it, pretending that he was just wondering of Stevie's whereabouts. Once Christine had lost interest in the matter, Lindsey creased his eyebrows. Where the hell was Stevie and why the hell did Mick lie to him?