"This is the third date this week." Stevie pointed out as she sat in the passenger's seat of Lindsey's car, their destination still unknown to her. "Some might say, you're trying to achieve something with this."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Lindsey glanced at her before the red light turned to green. "Some might say that I'm trying to get you to be my girlfriend again?"
Stevie looked at his side profile with a raised eyebrow. "Where are we going?" She asked, changing the subject.
"You'll see." Lindsey shrugged, wondering if their surroundings were at all familiar to her. "We're not going to a restaurant or anything like that."
"Of course, we're not. You're supposed to warn me first, because I can't show up at some fancy overpriced restaurant looking like this." She showed at her attire, to which he rolled his eyes. "What?"
"You look great." Lindsey said, blindly searching for her hand, he brought it up to his lips and kissed each knuckle. "We're here." He suddenly announced and Stevie turned her head straight.
"Here. Where exactly?" She frowned, looking at an apartment building across the street from the parking lot, where Lindsey had parked.
"Our very first apartment." Lindsey leaned in closer and pointed. Stevie's eyesight had never been that great and she had to squint to try and see. "Don't you remember?"
"I-" She looked around for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. "Fourth floor, first window from the right."
"Yes." Lindsey confirmed and smiled as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "The very same apartment, were I was a completely useless boyfriend. Where I just played my guitar and smoked a shitload of pot, while you worked really hard to take care of us."
"Linds..." Stevie faced him again and pecked him on the lips. As she pulled back, her palm remained touching his cheek. "You weren't all bad. You helped us the best as you knew how."
"Yeah, well..." He sighed and turned the engine on again.
They were back on the road. It wasn't a very long drive, when he stopped near an abandoned building. She realized what he was doing, well, partly at least. This time, she took a second.
"Is this... this is where the diner used to be." Stevie said and Lindsey gave a nod of his head.
"That's right. The diner, where you picked up all the extra shifts they could give you. The same one, where you used to pack leftovers and bring them home so we had something to eat." He cupped the side of her face and made her look at him. "This is the exact same spot, where I used to wait for you on those nights, when I wasn't high as a kite. I don't think I've ever told you, but I'm so grateful for everything, Stevie. I wouldn't have survived without you. I would have stayed at my parents' for God knows how long and probably ended up with a boring office job. You didn't let me." He smiled, catching a tear that slipped out of her eye with the back of his finger. "You believed in my dream as much as I did if not more. I thank you for that."
"I would have done anything for you." Stevie whispered, her bottom lip trembling.
"Until you couldn't do it no more." Lindsey said and started the car once more.
Soon, they ended up near a park. This time, when Lindsey parked the car, he asked her to get out and so did he. It was dark outside already, so he wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm and protected. He led them to a bench and showed her to sit down.
"This is where you broke up with me." Lindsey reminded in case Stevie had forgotten. "This is where you took me, sat me down and told me, you couldn't do it anymore, hoping that I wouldn't cause a scene if we were in public. I know that back then I didn't take it very well. Looking back, I understand." He shrugged. "I was so focused on myself, on what I wanted... I didn't stop and consider what it was you wanted. Well, that's not entirely true. I knew, but I didn't care. This is the spot, where I let you go and gave up on a chance to have everything I've ever wanted with you."
"Lindsey, I- I don't know what to say..." Stevie sniffled, leaning against him, when he pulled her in closer. "I probably could have handled things better, I-"
"No. No, you were right." Lindsey interrupted. "You were absolutely right. But... all these years later, we're back here again. Together. Maybe the universe had a different plan for us than what we had hoped for." He said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "The past month or however long it's been, I've been so happy. I wanted to give you all the time in the world, but... I want you. I'm just not sure if we're there yet. Where we are to begin with. I need to know."
All of a sudden, she burst into tears. She didn't just silently start crying, a loud sob escaped her and she pulled away, hiding her face in her hands. He hadn't quite expected that reaction and he wasn't sure what to do, so he let her cry. Clearly, she had been holding it in for far too long.
"Oh God, Lindsey... I- I-"
"What?" He placed his hand on her back, trying to soothe her.
"I don't think that you'll ever want me again after... after I tell you that-" She shook her head, wiping away tears.
"Tell me what?"
"Lindsey, you're Lily's father." Stevie finally managed to say and instantly felt like running away just to avoid the hatred she knew she was going to see reflecting in his eyes.
~
Well. I've got some bad news. I won't be able to update again until Sunday or even Monday, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
