hang out in your heart

maybe you will welcome thoughts of me (part 2)

A/N: And now on to Part 2! If you haven't read Part 1, you should probably do that first so this makes more sense. Thanks for reading!

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He drives up the freeway, nervously tapping his fingernails on the steering wheel as he hums along to the tune on the radio. As sure as he was of the necessity of this visit just a few minutes ago, he's since been struck with the thought that this may not be the joyous reunion he's been dreaming of, if Stevie's as displeased with him as her disappearing act says she is.

He supposes he should have expected this, given her freakout right before they'd left Sydney; it's possible she's rethought their whole 'friendship' in the interim. He's gone over this dilemma in his mind countless times on the short drive, and he figures it's going to go one of two ways - either she's going to have spent this two week separation resenting both him and his marriage and drag him screaming back into the friend zone, or she'll melt when she sees him in person, and they'll pick right back up where they left off on that last night. He's honestly not sure which one it'll be.

He used to be so good at reading this woman, at knowing exactly what she was going to do before even she did. These days, though, her moods change on a whim. He never knows when she's going to retreat into her own safe zone, pushing him away, keeping him at her mercy. But, well, maybe he's just a fool (maybe? his brain mocks), but the night they'd spent together before leaving Australia, when she'd finally laid herself bare to him, both physically and metaphorically, gives him a small bit of hope that she'll not push him away now. He presses on the accelerator, anxious now to reach her condo as quickly as possible and allay his fears, one way or another.

Several minutes later, Stevie swings her door open at his knock, and he's happy to find her completely alone in her condo. "Lindsey?" She seems utterly shocked to see him, and he wonders if he should have called first.

"Hi sweetie." He stands outside the door a bit awkwardly. Should he kiss her? Hug her? Play it cool and saunter past her into her home? It feels weird to be so uncertain about how to interact with this woman he's spent a lifetime knowing how to interact with. It's like he's anted up to his familiar poker game and then realized he'd forgotten all the rules. "So...can I come in?"

"Oh!" She lets go of the doorframe, stumbling a bit in her rush. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see you."

He bites his lip to hide a smile as she recovers her poise, turning and striding into her condo. He tries to play it cool. "Well, I happened to have some free time, so I figured I'd head over. It may have taken a few weeks, but didn't I tell you I'd be coming over?" She smiles a bit sardonically at that, and he understands immediately that she never actually believed him.

She shuffles into the kitchen and he follows close behind, stopping short when he realizes she is heading to the refrigerator. He stands self-consciously in the middle of the kitchen as she retrieves a carton of milk, watching as she pours some into a waiting coffee mug. It's past noon, but he knows his night owl is just starting her day, so he nods yes when she offers him his own cup.

"So," she begins, and he cringes inwardly at her pointedly casual voice. "What have you been up to?"

He accepts the mug she's holding out to him, thinking about what exactly he should say. He figures she doesn't want to hear about the nursery he's been painting or the crib he spent hours cursing and slamming things around as he put together, and he's quite sure she doesn't want to know about how much time Kristen's been forcing him to spend with her in the wake of the leak of the photograph, so he goes for the edited version. "Well, I've spent a little time in the studio, working out some demos for my next album. Spent time with the kids." She nods, her raised eyebrow telling him she knows exactly what he's not mentioning as she leads him over to the island, settling down on one of the stools and offering the other to him.