Olivia had barely touched her food, when she put the cutlery down and pushed the plate away. She cleared her throat to catch Lindsey's attention. When his eyes settled on her, she shifted in her seat and clasped her hands in front of her.
"I think, we should talk." Olivia began.
"What would you like to talk about?" Lindsey washed a mouthful with some water and leaned back against the chair.
"Who was she?" His eyebrows creased. "That night, when you failed to propose to me. The man you talked to, he mentioned a woman and your whole demeanor changed."
"Oh, uh... just an old friend." Lindsey shrugged and was about to resume devouring his dinner, but Olivia wasn't done.
"Bullshit. You wouldn't have reacted the way you did if she were just an old friend. I'm not mad or anything, I simply want to know." She tried to sound calm, but in all honesty she really wasn't. "You've never told me anything about your past relationships. Why are you keeping it a secret?"
"It's not a secret." Lindsey sighed. He'd lost his appetite. "Why does it matter to you? She's in the past. You've had boyfriends before me." He shrugged as if that was a valid argument.
"And you've heard all about them." Olivia pointed out, watching him. She could tell that he was uncomfortable. "Lindsey, she was the reason, why you didn't propose to me. You found out that she's in LA, she's no longer married and you just..." She swallowed uneasily and cocked her head back. She was not going to cry.
"Fine." Lindsey said. "If it matter that much to you." He saw her nod and he shifted in his seat. Damn. "We met a very long time ago. Nothing happened between us at first, because I was with someone and so was she, but we were definitely attracted to each other. I didn't see her for a while after, but our paths crossed again. We started dating." He paused, carefully choosing his words. Olivia didn't need to know all of the details. "Things were going really well for some time. Then I started working on my music, pretty much day and night while she worked to keep a roof above our heads. A few years like that... it doesn't help a relationship. I started performing, I was away a lot, she was alone. I wanted to be a musician and she wanted a family." Lindsey gave a weak shrug, indicating that he was finished.
"That's all? That's the big story?" Olivia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, we were out of each other's lives for many years after we broke up. Then, uh... a couple of years ago, she came to one of my shows and, well, we spent a night together. She was still married then, so, she said, it was not going to happen again and I shouldn't look for her. So, I didn't."
Thinking about what she'd just heard, Olivia cocked her head to one side. "Why were you so affected by the fact that she's moved to LA?"
"I wasn't affected." Lindsey insisted, shaking his head. "I just... I haven't seen Stevie in years and, I don't know, maybe it was the realization of the possibility of running into her again."
"Stevie?" Olivia frowned. "Her name is Stevie?"
"Well, Stephanie, but everybody calls her Stevie."
It must be a coincidence, Olivia gulped. just a coincidence.
