Understanding Me, Understanding You

Chapter 11. Overwhelmed

"You should have told me..."

He chuckled, "Told you what? Stevie, we're a divorced couple of people... If I'd have said that to you, you would have bit my head off."

"Maybe in the beginning, Lindsey, but thirteen years of faking it... That takes a toll on a person."

"How would you know?" he genuinely asked.

"It's beyond the point..." she slide further under the covers of the bed and she sighed a bit, covering the trail to her truth.

Lindsey arched a brow, knowing she had a lot to say, knowing she was hiding something from him, but after the day they were having, he thought it was best to just keep quiet and go to sleep.

~~

When the next morning rolled around, Lindsey got up first; opening his eyes and looking around.

Maybe it was a dream.

Turning to sit up, he threw his legs over the edge of the bed, straight away he knew it wasn't a dream; her dainty feet dangled down in front of him.

He looked over and he saw that she was in a deep slumber, covered up cozily.

"Hey, Stevie...?" he mumbled.

She inhaled deeply, hearing her voice faintly, as though she were dreaming.

"Steph?"

She shifted a bit and opened an eye, looking at her outline. "Maybe if I go back to sleep, I'll wake up for real."

"Don't hold your breath, babe..."

"Ugh..." she groaned, deciding that she needed to get herself up.

Suddenly, Stevie's cell phone rang.

"It's probably one of the kids, just answer it..."

Lindsey reached over for her purse and he dug through, unable to find it easily.

"Lindsey, it's in the pocket," she pointed out.

"No, it's not," he assured, voice becoming aggressive easily since they were just barely waking.

"Oh, my God, give it here," she snatched her purse and easily stuck a hand into the inner pocket and retrieved the flip phone and answered it without a second thought. "Hello?"

"Stevie?" Charles replied with a prominently creased brow.

"Oh, shit..." she mumbled, eyes going wide when she realized it was her boyfriend and she was answering as Lindsey.

Lindsey looked over.

Bringing the phone back to her ear, "Stevie's right here. She just stepped out with Dru for a second and left her phone. Give me a sec," she assured and tossed her phone. "Stevie, phone!"

"What am I supposed to say?" he whispered.

"Just tell him we're busy, I don't know," she shrugged.

He rolled his eyes and he brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, sweetheart, what are you up to?"

He brought his hand up to his head. "Nothing much, the kids and I are a little overwhelmed... Can I call you later? Lindsey just got here and we have some calls to make."

"Yeah, of course. You seem stressed now that he's there..."

Since Stevie could hear everything, she genuinely rose her brow because she had never known Charles to ever mention anything about Lindsey like that.