Not the One

Part 17

Mick had organized yet another of his parties. Even though Stevie wasn't in the mood, she still chose to attend it, since it was the last night of the tour for God knows how long. Mick had made sure that a private room, separate from the general dining area, would be reserved at one of his favorite restaurants' in the city. With a plan of staying for a couple of drinks only, Stevie arrived with Karen and plastered on a smile as she stepped through the door. She was quite good at pretending that her heart wasn't aching.

"So nice of you, Ms. Nicks, to grace us with your presence." Mick held her hand and took a bow greeting her.

His action won a light chuckle from Stevie as she hugged him, once he straightened up. "Am I the last one to arrive?"

"As usual." Mick nodded, then added. "Well, Lindsey's not here, but he's not coming."

"Why not?" She frowned.

"I don't know. He said, he's pretty beat." Mick shrugged. "But I assumed, you knew that he wasn't going to be here."

I had to have scared him, Stevie sighed. Lindsey was probably in his room, thinking about what they had talked about on the flight earlier that day. She suddenly longed to be with him. She should have told him that no decisions had been made in her mind, that she was simply sharing her feelings and her thoughts with him, that she only wanted him to reassure her there was a possibility for them to be togehter.

Time seemed to have stopped. Stevie downed her first drink in one go, which raised several eyebrows, but she didn't care. Starting on her second one, Stevie checked the time and realized that she hadn't been there for an hour yet. With a heavy sigh, she looked for a seat, hoping nobody was going to bother her. Not an easy goal to achieve if you're Stevie Nicks, among friends or her fans.

"Is it acceptable to leave already?" Stevie whispered to Karen.

"Why? This is the first night, since the tour began, that I'm finally able to relax and enjoy myself." Karen sighed, putting down her glass. She reached for her bag and looked at Stevie as if ready to go.

"I'm sorry, Karen. You should stay." 

"How are you going to get back to the hotel?"

"Just call the driver to come pick me up. I'll be fine." Stevie smiled reassuringly.

A short while later, Stevie was hugging everyone goodbye. Karen accompanied her outside and made sure she got in the car safely. The drive wasn't very long. The car stopped and the driver got out, walking around to open the door for Stevie.

"Such a gentleman." She smiled, making the young man's cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink. 

"I'll walk with you to your room, Ms. Nicks."

"It's okay." She waved it off, but he shook his head.

"I insist." The man smiled and offered his arm, thinking for a second if his action was acceptable.

Once they reached the floor of Stevie's room, he stepped out of the elevator with her, tipped his head and bid her goodnight. Lingering by the door, Stevie wondered if she should go and see Lindsey, which was what she wanted to do. However, knowing him, it was probably best to leave him alone for a while. Disappointed, since it was their last night, which they could spend together, Stevie chose to enter her room instead.

"I was wondering, when you'd be back." Lindsey stood in the middle of the room, which was dimly lit by the candles on every possible surface. 

"Linds, what..." Stevie looked around, she saw a path of rose petals leading to bed, a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket on the bedside table. "When did you find the time?"

"While you were being a social butterfly." He smiled, approaching her at last. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her in a bit closer. "I thought, you and I could enjoy a very exclusive, private party together..."