Come Back

Part 11

"You're wearing the same clothes from yesterday." It was Lindsey's first observation. "Where are you coming from?" 

"I-I was with Christine." Stevie stuttered, avoiding eye contact.

"You're lying. Someone brought you home, Chris doesn't drive."

"I called a car."

"And stayed, chatting with the driver for 5 minutes?" Lindsey asked, his eyebrow raised. "God, I'm such an idiot..." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Christine was right. We're not on a break, we broke up."

"What? No! No, we're just staying away from each other, Lindsey. We're not broken up!" She rushed over to him. Getting down on her knees, Stevie reached for Lindsey's hands, but he pulled away. "Lindsey-"

"Who were you with? You can tell me, this whole thing is my fault anyway. I was the one, who suggested this stupid thing." Lindsey wanted to be angry and he was, while waiting for Stevie, but as soon as she came in through the door, he got upset and he felt hurt. He guessed there was a reason for him to feel hurt.

"We can forget all about it, Linds, you can come home." She tried to touch him again, but Lindsey turned away again.

"Be honest with me." Lindsey asked. "You have to tell me the truth, otherwise, we're over for good."

Stevie gulped. Now the guilt came, now she regretted it. "Linds, I don't-"

"Who were you with, Stevie?" He was becoming agitated, his voice getting louder. "You cheated on me."

Tears welled up in her eyes, Stevie opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't make a sound. She just kept looking at him, sadness reflecting in his eyes. "Lindsey, I'm sorry..."

"Oh my, God!" Lindsey quickly got up on his feet and made great distance between them. "Oh my, God!" He repeated himself. "I didn't think you've actually done it! You fucked someone else!"

Stevie stood speechless, instantly wishing to take her words back. She thought that he already knew, she genuinely did. Lindsey was pacing and Stevie just watched him, tears rolling down her cheeks. She had no idea what was going through his mind, he was walking around, breathing heavily and looking angry.

"It took you a week, a week, Stevie!" Lindsey spoke up at last. "Is this how you imagine us working out our shit? Do you think this is the way for us to fix our relationship?"

"I was wasted!" Stevie interrupted. "Yes, that doesn't justify what I've done, but Lindsey, I didn't mean it. It didn't mean anything!" She grasped his hands in yet another attempt, but he recoiled from her touch.

"Who was it?" Lindsey suddenly stopped inches away from Stevie. "Is it someone I know?" He frowned, realizing he hadn't yet asked the most important question. "Was it even the first time?"

"Yes! I swear!" Stevie cried. "This has never happened before..." She sniffled. Knowing that she wouldn't get anywhere by yelling back or blaming it on Lindsey, Stevie willed herself to calm down and approach him gently. "Linds, I'm so sorry. I don't know what made me do it. I love you, I always have!" She placed her hands on his neck and for the first time, he didn't push her away. "It was a meaningless, physical thing." The words were coming from her mouth, she would have said anything in that moment, but it didn't necessarily mean that everything she was saying was true. 

"Were you with someone I know?" Lindsey asked again.

Hesitating for a second, Stevie shook her head. "No. No, it was someone I met last night." She didn't look away in hopes of Lindsey believing her. "I was drunk, Lindsey. I took a lot of stuff last night, I didn't know what I was doing, I swear to you." No way could she tell him that it happened, when she was completely sober. Stevie tried to pull him closer and Lindsey allowed her a moment of closure, before he stepped back, restraining himself from physically pushing her away.

"I can smell him on you." Lindsey said it with such disgust, causing a fresh wave of tears to spill out from Stevie's eyes. "I-I can't look at your right now."

Lindsey slammed the front door with that, leaving Stevie a sobbing mess.